Lost luggage and no room - the long story

Upon arrival in Johannesburg, we were told that there would be no accommodations contrary to our conversations with South African Airlines for the two months prior to departure. Oh well, we thought. We'll make do. So we went to claim our bags and found that one (the one with all the medical supplies and games for the orphan program) was missing. Ugh. No room; no supplies. This is the perfect beginning to an African adventure. BUT, like I always say, there is always someone else having it much worse. While I was dealing with the luggage mishap (next to a guy who had lost ALL of his luggage on the way), E took a minute to talk to a lady at S. African Air who actually knew the scoop on who to talk to in order to get taken care of.
So, within one hour, we were sitting in the lobby of the Southern Sun Hotel, drinking a complimentary glass of South African Shiraz and being informed that our "lost bag" would be joining us on our flight the following day and arrive in Maputo. After an elegant dinner, a great night's sleep, a filling breakfast - all courtesy of South African Air - we packed up and caught our last plane to Maputo.
It was evident from the air that Maputo is a huge city, still trying to recover from years of civil war and, more recently, catastrophic floods that drowned the city and killed the slowly growing tourist economy. But, it was encouraging to know that the country's motto - "Land of Smiles" - wasn't unfamiliar to the locals. Indeed, after we collected our bags (ALL THREE of them...YAY!) and quickly passed through customs, we were met by smiles and hugs from our new family, the Mulenga's.
Pastor Patrick, mom Grace, and our guide and friend, Shula, drove us around the north side of Maputo to their home in the town of Machava, just on the outskirts of Maputo proper. We were treated to a lovely dinner and were then taken to our lodgings for the month, just down the street at the site of the Dutch Reformed Church. Here, there are several rooms that are usually used by missionaries as they move between South Africa and Northern rural Mozambique; but since they are all on summer break, we've got the run of the joint. True, for mere pennies a day, we have been blessed with a bed, a kitchen area (with fridge and cooking options), a flushing toilet and a shower (with hot water nonetheless). Better yet, it is just a short walk from Pastor Patrick's church and the Kutwanana program run by Shula and her mother with whom we will be working for the month.
With only a few days under our belt and already more than we could have imagined, we can hardly wait to see what is in store for us for the rest of the month. We'll keep you posted! Casa da Mulenga - The Mulenga's house in Machava.