Friend me.

Sunday was my favorite day of the week in Mozambique.  I always looked forward to the church services.  I would put on my long wrap skirt, sandals and best t-shirt (recently bucket-washed and line-dried).  As long as my knees were covered, I would be acceptable.  Knees, above all else, MUST be covered in many parts of Africa.  To expose the knees is...well, I can't even say it!  

I made my way down the dirt path to the church and could hear the music from a distance.  I could feel the energy rise as I walked into the building and was greeted with smiles, hugs, waves and a warm welcome by all who were there.  What starts out in small numbers, ends with a massive group of men, women, children and babies from the surrounding villages who come to worship together.  

The service lasts hours and moves freely between singing, dancing, teaching, preaching and praying.  By the end, though we may be sweaty, we stand refreshed and ready to face another day.  

One Sunday I met a woman outside the church who was sitting with her daughter Manueta as they waited for church to begin.  Manueta found me in the service and sat with me.  We danced, sang and worshiped together.  We simply kept smiling at each other since we didn't speak the same language.  She didn't leave my side and would look up at me with beautiful eyes, full of delight in her gaze. After the service, everyone was invited to eat together in the cafeteria.  It is the one day when everyone from the community are welcomed to eat rice and beans with the staff and children who live on the base.

I was eating and talking with my friend Jorge, when a woman came up and squeezed onto the bench where I was seated.  I was suddenly wedged in next to this woman and turned to look at her.  She greeted me with a smile that seemed to say "I sat here with intention".  She began to speak to Jorge and he translated for her.  It turns out this was Julietta, the mother of Manueta, who I had met outside the church.  I acknowledged that I remembered meeting her and she then made an announcement.  Jorge said "she says she is ready to be friends".  I tried to hide my surprise and uncertainty of how to respond.  I said thank you and just kept nodding.  Jorge went on to translate her intentions.  She had seen me care for her daughter and wanted to be friends.  It was not a question, it was a statement and it was clear that the time was now, at least from her perspective.  

I was so surprised by her declaration and wondered what this even meant.  What does friendship look like in Mozambique?  What does she expect of me?  What am I signing up for?  We sat and ate together in relative silence since we did not speak the same language.  Over the next couple of weeks, friendship did become more clear to me.  I sat with her at services and as she waited for the food distribution for the widows.  I would hold her hand, give her a hug, walk with her and sometimes we just sat in silence.  

One day she invited me to her home and my friend Manuel went with me so he could translate and lead me back to the base.  We walked 20-25 minutes as she navigated us through the alleys and dirt paths.  Huts and buildings were on either side as we moved through the village.  When we arrived at her home she invited us inside and began to share with me the story of her life.  Her husband died and she has been caring for her children as a single mom.  She struggles to provide enough food for her family.  She told me that the day before someone broke into her home (not hard to do AT ALL with the huts) and stole the food for the week.  She prays for God to send her a husband to help her.  I listened and then prayed for her, for provision, for the family, her home and her heart.  

The next day she approached me and said that she was happy because she got her food back!  Someone had found out who stole it and they returned the food to her family.  I was so thankful because I knew the returned food was more than provision for the week.  The bags of rice and beans represented hope and faith.

It is very common for people to ask you for things they need.  People can be very direct and bold in this culture.  Julietta never asked me for anything.  What she wanted was friendship.  I learned that friendship is about supporting each other, sharing the weight of a heavy load and locking arms while standing in faith for answered prayers.  Friendship is about sharing hearts.  It can be through a smile, an embrace, or a word of encouragement.  Friendship can be just sitting together in silence, as the sun moves across the sky, holding fast to the promise of provision for another day.