Birth of a custom

It is interesting to see how customs and cultural habits begin (both productive and un)--often without intention or design.

 

A month or so ago when we started using the new expanded chapel here in Quelimane, we had a children.s choir perform in our Sacrament Service (LDS principal worship meeting).  We had the kids sit in a front area which (due to the shape of the building) is sort of apart and whose seating is perpendicular to the remainder of the seats.  Ever since that day, the children of Quelimane have believed that to be the children's seating area and gravitate toward it--sitting without parental supervision and (for the most part) quite well behaved.  We really do want families sitting together (not a natural custom here, not even for husbands and wives), so we will work to alter this nascent and cute little custom.  As an interesting side note, the two young girls dressed in blue, have no parents that come to church, but they show up most sundays, perfectly behaved and fully participating.

I love this picture.  These are the young men of Quelimane--ages 18 to 23, all possessors of the greater or lesser priesthoods.  They look good don't they?  They are all recent converts, all of them.  But they have all consciously adopted the manner of the missionaries who taught them.  They dress like them, they meet for companion scripture study, have backpacks like them, carry little planners in their pockets and strive to be like them in every way.  It is really quite a sweet and wonderful thing that has begun and each new convert is naturally led by the others in this direction.  They could do far worse.

This picture and the one following are not mine, but they speak to a custom we are trying to begin here in Mozambique.  Marriage is such a daunting difficult endeavor, and the family demands of extravagant and unaffordable trappings and parties is a huge financial impediment and disincentive to tying the knot.  In The city of Beira, they recently tried to get people to plan for a single wedding day, with the church facilitating and funding a very nice reception.  They had eight couples (who were each limited to 20 wedding guests).  It turned out wonderfully we understand and the natural result on the following day is shown below--with all of them, and their children finally being allowed to join the church.
 

This is Paula, who is well into her tenth month of pregnancy.  She and her husband, Julio are being taught b Debbie and I.  He repairs small appliances and makes a decent living (just fixed a fan of ours that was stuck in low speed like its owner).  They are poor but have enough to eat--Issa, thir daughter is shown.  She cannot walk the 4k to church, so I have been giving them a ride lately.
 

If ever there was a celestial food, it has to be a large chilled mango (or "manga" here. which is also the word for sleeve).  Manga season is full upon us and they are plentiful so everyone on the street is seen eating mangas--and I am having at least a couple a day as well.  These are beautiful perfect mangas.
 

Santo continues to be quite cute.