Christmas Eve

We devoted today with visiting folks and distributing food, medicines, and supplies to some folks in need. In all, we visited with 10 different families. In this first picture, we are visiting with a very dear friend who is holding a card she received from our friend Pam in the States. Pam visited on a Men for Missions Prayer Team a couple of years ago and visited with "Mama" at that time and has stayed in touch ever since. Mama remembers Pam very well and always asked about her and was in tears to receive a card from her today. Ann had translated the card into Portuguese and the lady on the right assisted with translating the Portuguese to Tsonga. Language gets complicated here! Ann checked Mama's blood pressure and it was good; she fights high blood pressure like so many here.

The second photo shows several of us working on a new gate for one of our ECC coordinator's houses. Well, I can't exactly say I was working - more like watching and talking. Anyway, we needed to change the gate as Pastor Abel is using a small motorcycle to visit our church planting projects in the Maputo province and we needed to modify the gate so he could get the motorcycle in and out so it wouldn't "run away" (be stolen). The sliding gate was fabricated from metal as most construction here involves metal and concrete (termites can take down a wood structure in nothing flat!).

This man makes his living building gates and things out of metal and the way he gets to the job site is by his wheel barrel. He is quite skilled and does things on-site (custom built). We enjoyed meeting him today but I thought this next picture of him with his tools and wheel barrow was priceless and provided a great snapshot of Mozambique culture / life. He has a small welder, a grinding wheel, a drill, and a couple of hammers and that's it. He can do amazing things with metal with just those tools.

Like most people here, if you will engage them in conversation, they will immediately brighten up as a new relationship is generated in this very relational-driven culture. We need to finish the ramp - which is necessary because the lower ramp prevents water from entering the property and the church in heavy rains.

Note my shirt - one of our church members made this lovely Mozambican shirt for me as my Christmas present. It's quite comfortable and cool. Ann has a new top also in the top picture. Ann had bought the material and our friend Olga made the shirt and her top for a reasonable price. We try to use local businesses for our purchases whenever we can.

Christmas in Mozambique involves eating with family. There is some gift-giving as with most celebrations here but nothing like the excess we see in the West. The streets today were filled with people traveling to be with family, making getting around a little more challenging than normal. People understand it is a special day, but the meaning is lost in the commercialism here as well.

May you have a joyous Christmas tomorrow as we celebrate that special event like none-other in history, when God himself took on the form of a man, teaching us how to live, humbling himself in a way that is beyond comprehension, to offer himself as a sacrifice for sin, fulfilling the prophecies given down through the ages, and making a way for all men to approach the very throne of God with confidence; that those who believe in him (Christ), can know with certainty that they are sons and daughters of a God who wants to be engaged in the details of our lives. Wow....

Blessings,

Dave & Ann

"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." James 1:27

Picoco Well - day 3

The well at Picoc is capped and we are now awaiting another group to install the actual pump assembly after preparing the concrete base. In this picture, Pastor Nelio is standing where the concrete base will be added. The well drilling equipment was moved out as we wait for delivery of the actual pump assembly. With the way things work here in Mozambique, it is possible that we won't see the top part assembled until the new year. Things are rapidly closing down here with the Christmas holiday approaching.

This morning (Sunday) we worshipped at our Intaka church. They were celebrating the third-year anniversary of the registration of the denomination and had invited us. I (Dave) was invited to speak and enjoyed the opportunity to talk about how God had a plan from the very beginning of the Bible to send a redeemer for His people. It was a blessing to talk about the Christmas story, of our redeemer coming to earth, teaching us how to live and yet dieing a horrible death on the cross as a perfect sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. But this birth is only the beginning of the story, the power comes through Christ's ressurrection, where death is defeated and Christ stands as the sole intermediatry between fallen man and a holy God. What hope, what joy, what purpose to know that God has a plan for each of us, just as he had a plan for the redemption of all mankind, for those who would accept his free gift through belief in His son. What a story....what hope it brings and what transformed lives we can have through acceptance of this free gift; accessible through repentence and belief on the one whom God sent. And to 'seal the deal' God sends us his Spirit so we can confidently know in our hearts the reality of the story, that even as sinful men, we can confidently approach the very throne of God because we are now sons and daughters of the most high - wow!

The last picture is in the service where many of the congregation were expressing their appreciation for the church and the pastor and his wife for their service to the church this past year.

Afterwards, we had a meal under the cashew tree (it was too hot in the church). Ann did some health checks and we visited with Senhor Jamie, who is 93 and who found it too difficult to come to church this morning with the extreme heat. He is quite frail but loves God and it is always a joy to visit with him. Ann did some medical checks and we returned home late in the afternoon. A wonderful day, but Sunday's usually are...

" All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet, "the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means, "God with us." Matt 1:22-23

Picoco Well - day 2

We spend the morning trying to arrange air tickets for a team coming here in January. As those things do here, that took the entire morning but we were successful although we have to go back tomorrow to pick up the tickets. We then confirmed that the materials for our Intaka well had been delivered, but they aren't going to install the pump until January 6. I'd been hoping for a well for Christmas - but at least the materials are in storage at our Khongolote church.

After some errands related to the upcoming conference, we headed back out to Picoco, arrive late in the afternoon to a totally different situation. Today's activities consisted of boring the hole out with a different drill bit and preparing the bore hole for the plastic tubing. What a mess - soupy muddy water running down a former foot path as the hole was opened up and cleaned out. The task today was to get the plastic pipe in the ground. They are estimating two more days with the equipment on site and then they will start the top part of the well. At first our increased cost was a bit of a shock to me, but after watching what is involved, I'm beginning to understand much better - it is an incredible amount of work using lots of specialized equipment. This well will be a little over $7000 when we are done because of the increased scope - about three times what we are spending at Intaka - it all depends on the terrain and the equipment you need.

If you look closely at the one picture that shows more of the scenery (and lots of green from our recent rain! PTL!), you can see a small round mud house with a thatch roof. This is the home of one of the church members and I need to ask her if she is from the north. Those kinds of houses are more characteristic of the houses in northern Mozambique than here in the southern part of the country. She is a sweet lady and did come visit with us a bit today. She is especially looking forward to having the well up and running and may be who we put in charge of the well relative to 'keeping an eye on it'.

As a side note - a reporter showed up today to learn more about this church and organization that would drill a well for the community. The local government officials are very pleased to have this being done for the community. Nelio was the front man for the interview so another opportunity for the church. We greated the group but didn't engage in much of the conversation - we ran out of language real quick with it being the end of the day.

On the way back, we bought three small banana trees to plant in our yard from a man on the side of the road out in the country. Paid about a dollar sixty for each of the three foot trees. They are the small banannas we like so well here and should be producing in a year. Things grow really fast here (and year-around) if they get water. So, we will see what comes of this little project.

Thanks for standing with us so faithfully!

Dave & Ann

PTL, we hit water!!

As you know, we have been trying for a long time to put in a well at our church at Picoco. We started with one group who couldn't dig deep enough because the ground was too hard - they said rock. Fortunately it was a very shallow layer that today's equipment busted right through, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

We finally located a person who was interested in doing a well for us. We met him in a parking lot and sat down for coffee at a little shop and talked. He had only been in the country from Portugal for about a month. He had this equipment and had done alot of wells in Portugal and spoke of all the trials and difficulties getting the equipment in through the port into Mozambique (I can only imagine - we had fits getting some text books in for our school). We like him quite well and asked him if we could pray together and he immediately said "oh, I can't, I'm Catholic." That answer surprised us as we have many dear Catholic friends who are most willing to pray with us and we assured him that it was ok and so we prayed for him, his new life in Moambique, his new business and our partnership together. We shook hands on the deal and he went off to work up a quote (after showing us his well rig). We are only his second well and he was disappointed to find out that our OMS was not Organizao Mundo Saude (World Health Organization) as he thought maybe he had struck a vein of gold. But no, a different OMS and certainly not a vein of gold. At the same time, we will certainly give him a good reference among our little network and we pray that God will bless his efforts because he so willingly worked with us.

A couple of days later, we met in the same parking lot and signed a contract and we paid the customary 70% upfront (does that surprise you?....very normal here) and then the rain came. After several days and our check clearing the bank, they started work. The drilling started this morning. We liked our new freind Jose Nunes very much but at the same time, you can't help but think, I'm meeting in a parking lot, doing a contract in a parked car, with a guy who has only been here a month; am I crazy? But we knew that the last two days had been a time of focused prayer by many people in the States, so we trusted that he was truly an answer to prayer and that has turned out to be the case. These things are never 'coincidence'!

We paid for 50 meters and I was praying for water by 40, so we could penetrate to 50 and not have additional cost. God was gracious to answer and we hit water at 40 meters. From the picture, there was no question when we hit water - the rig doesn't use water but rather compressed air to throw up and out the drilled-out material. When the water came, we cheered and clapped and praised God.

They installed 3 meter sections of pipe at a time, re-leveling the equipment each time. The one photo above shows some of the kids watching all the work. This was no small operation - a huge compressor, two big trucks, a special drill rig - by people who really knew what they were doing - it was a pleasure to watch it all and I just love this type of equipment and thoroughly examined all of it to see how it worked, etc. I loved the overall simplicity of it all and have learned to really appreciate that feature of Portguese-influenced engineering. Simplicity and practicality.

The last picture is hard to probably understand without a few words. As the material being exhumed from the dig changed, they put small piles of material to show the different levels. At the bottom were the two different layers of white sand, a rock layer, a different soil, a different soil, a red rock, then clay, three types. It was all interesting and I wished for a geologist to explain it all to me.

I the background of this same picture, you can see the outhouse for the church and the edge of the church on the left. Everything looks very green (for a change) because of the wonderful rains we've had the last week. I think anything could grow here if we just had consistent rain. There were gorgeous small fields of corn just off the road coming up into Picoco that I'm afraid will be all dried up in a few months but they look incredible right now - knee-high by the 19th of December (well, at least in the southern hemisphere!).

They will continue work tomorrow, but now we need to install the plastic bore hole piping, the inner well piping, cap the well, and then begin to work on the top part (hand pump).

We also brought up some window frames for the church and stoped to have some small metal security tabs welded on them and Pastor Nelio is overseeting installation of the frames. Youth for Christ purchased the frames and we're installing them - we're in a partnership with this particular work and are so pleased with how it is all going. God is good.

Tomorrow the other group is supposed to finish the other well at Intaka - we will check on that tomorrow.

Blessings,

Dave & Ann

"If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." John 7:37-38

Anniversary

Three years ago, the OMS founded denomination, Igreja Evangelica Palvra Viva (Evangelical Church of the Living Word) was registered with the Mozambican government. This weekend has been a time of celebration in all of the Palvra Viva churches as people remember that event and we were priviledged to participate at three different churches this weekend. In just a matter of three years, the church has grown from a handfull to over 85 churches. So, this morning church at Khongolote started at 0900 and was over about 1230, at which time a lunch was served. I have learned to love the Mozambican food and it is always a treat to participate in these special "fiestas" or parties of celebration. The photo was taken early in the service, and as is normally the case, once the music started, people started flowing into the building.

The service included a time of reviewing the history of the church and a time of testimony where people spoke about what the church has meant to their life. Mozambicans are always able to speak eloquently to a group - and seem to enjoy doing it. Each person would go to the front, singing as they went, leading the congregation in a song, and then would speak. The process would then repeat and it was encouraging to all to see truly what God has done in the lives of so many. This followed a full day yesterday of special teaching that went on all day at the church as people explored God's word and talked about this upcoming year. As we seek God's will for the direction of the church, an all-night prayer service is planned on Christmas Eve.

So how do you get through such a long service when it is so hot you are concerned about heat stroke? Well, you get up and go to the back of the church or the little porch and lay down on the cool cement for a few minutes and then go back and sit down. At one point, Ann made me get up and leave to cool off because I was so flushed and she said giving off so much heat - and it really helped although I didn't lay on the cement - probably should have! Lots of others were lying on the cement for a few minutes.

Last night, there was also a special service at our City Church that meets in the seminary, also celebration the three-year registration and 12-year history of the church here. We were told to be there at 5:00 and many came, but it didn't actually start until 6:45. But, that was still within the range of cultural acceptability because food was involved and many people did an awful lot of work to bring food to the seminary. After the service, everyone moved outside because of the heat and that is where everyone ate. It was exciting for us to see so many people at the seminary, so many visitors, and the interest of all of the neighbors in what was happening on this special Saturday evening. The service was followed by a big meal and we ate outside because of the tremendous heat - a wonderful time of celebration as well. So, it has been a weekend of praising God for the great things he has done here in Mozambique.

We continue to be challenged by the cultural baggage we bring to the work here. So much that we have taken for granted as being "right" or "how it should be done" is no longer quite so obvious as we understand and appreciate the culture more and more here. I have just started a book written by an African Christian Theologian that was loaned to me by a Mozambican friend working on his doctorate in theology. This combined with our new African Bible Commentary is helping us overcome some of the cultural bias we "bring to the table" just because of where we come from. I think I had to live here a while before I could even relate to such a book as we grapple to not be confined by the cultural box we brought with us! (For example, having very long church services that start quite late!). Clearly to be as effective as possible here, we must understand the culture well and be willing to set aside those 'truths' that are simply culture and not biblical mandates. We have to understand culture well to counsel those living together because of barriers to marriage, those who have accepted Christ but have more than one wife; and understand the tremendous family influences and pressures - but I'm rambling.

This living cross-culturally is quite challenging and it is our prayer that we can meld in just a little more every day, seeking those opportunities to share the gospel story that transforms lives of individuals, families, communities, and nations. Jesus gave us a mandate to reach all peoples because He died for all peoples, of every tribe and tongue, and he offers us eternal hope and the reality of God's presence in our lives every day - but that just might look a little different from one country to the next!

This last picture is one Ann took today at the church lunch. I have on my Mozambican shirt given to me by ladies in the church and if you look carefully, there is a small dog in my lap. The dog belongs to my friend Belarmino and I had so much fun with Milka (the little girl next to me) and the dog during the meal; we're dog people and miss our little one that is with our oldest daughter in Philly.

Thank you for standing with us - we're excited to see what God will do this next week - we are praying that these two wells can be finished and we may be able to run a water line in to our church at Sao Damasao! More to come!

Ann has decorated the house for Christmas with a few things we brought with us but it is a bit hard to imagine when it is 100 degrees outside!

Dave & Ann

"To be late means that your were able to make it" An old African proverb

Well Update

No snazzy picture today but we do have news.  This was a crazy crazy day - we met with one of our church-planter trainers today who is trying to resolve his marriage situation - he has a common-law wife and he is trying to complete the church wedding.  We have been counseling with them and encouraging them to resolve this promptly and they were very successful in getting the bride's family to not require a 'bride-price' which is a big problem here that prevents many people from getting married - so they just live together instead.  So the barrier is removed and they can get married in the church now - great!

Well, we thought so until our meeting today (they called us) when they presented us with a list of things they needed to get married - and wanted our help.  It amounted to $900 worth of food and supplies for the party after the wedding which is a tremendous cultural pressure here (sound familiar?).  The bride's family is pushing for this big party (which amounts to feeding about 300 people in exchange for a lot of presents).  Now in this culture, we should feel great honor that they would present this need to us personally, and we are learning to be gracious in these requests, but in a country where a typical wage is on the order of less than $100 / month, this is a little extravagant.  Without the family blessing, the marriage will probably not happen.  In addition, there was a request for help buying land for the house that is so very important (they are renting a nice house by Mozambican standards right now).    We had planned to contribute a little to the wedding (mainly the documents and things for the wedding itself) but of course not paying for the party!

Cultural and family pressures here are tremendous and put real barriers in front of couples, which probably contributes the the problem with promiscuity here and tremendous HIV problem.  Pray with us as we seek God's wisdom in how to counsel this young couple.   We really do seek to understand the culture better so we can operate within it in a Christian paradigm that is not full of all the western bias that is so deeply imbedded in us.  It takes such discernment and as we continue our daily "read through the bible in a year" devotion that we do year after year, we are seeing God's word in a entirely different light as we understand things better here.  But, oh, we have so much to learn.....

But, I started off this entry thinking about the well at Picoco!  We met with a Portuguese man today who one month ago shipped in some well drilling equipment from Portugal and is trying to start a well-drilling business here.   His name is Jose and we quite enjoyed meeting with him and inspecting his equipment.

In Mozambique, the World Health Organization has the initials "OMS" in portuguese so we are confused with these folks all the time.  It actually works to our advantage quite a bit and has unintentionally given us some 'free passes' to things because we said we were "with OMS" and various assumptions are made.  In this case, the man had gotten very very excited to think he would be quoting a well for the World Health Organization - he thought he'd jumped into the big time and when we gave him our card for OMS International - reaching the nations for Christ, he couldn't help his momentary disappointment. 

Anyway, he has given us a partial quote for the hole (about $4500) through the rock and is obtaining a second quote for the pump assembly.  So, we are encouraged that we are moving forward again and it is no coincidence because we know of several groups in America who have been specifically praying for this well for the last couple of days - and to find this guy trying to start up - it's not coincidence!  

We quite hit it off and talked for quite a while and he helped us with our Portuguese and we learned about some tragedy in his life and were able pray with him.  We see some great potential opportunities here and look forward to what the next couple of days will bring as we finalize our arrangement.    

So progress in response to the prayers of God's people.  Thank you Lord, thank you friends.

Dave & Ann

Ricardo's House

Ricardo and his wife Olga pastor the church at Intaka. They have done a wonderful job of growing and pastoring that small reed church and it is my prayer that someday we will be able to build a more substantial structure there. They have a wonderful vision for the church and what they want to see for the future - I get excited everytime I talk with Ricardo about it and sense his passion.

Ricardo and his family lived in a very small reed house that had all but fallen down. It was leaning over so far that you were never sure if you should enter it. He had saved money, accumulated some block, and with the help of a team visitor, was able to start on his house. We are happy to report that he is out of the reed for this rainy season and in a block house. He has plans someday to put another room out from this view but not now. Yes, that is a well in the front. The small structure to the front of the house is a small store-front where they operate a small sewing business. Ricardo can make a pair of trousers that you would think came from the finest department store in the States. They set an example that we believe so firmly in here - bivocational pastors. Lives changed, one step at a time.

The second photo is of these dear friends of ours with their two precious boys.

The well parts are finally in and we expect to finish the well at Intaka in the next couple of weeks!

Dave & Ann

Differences & Change

The other evening I was watching the evening news to work on my Portuguese and there was this story about a man falling out of the back of a truck and being killed on the highway. Now it was a quick story and not much reaction to it. The next day Ann snapped this picture - that is how someone falls out of a truck onto the highway. The police are very strict - you must wear your seatbelt inside the car, but if you are in the back - no worries, you are CARGO! People pay a small amount to ride in the vehicle like this and the above is a very normal thing here.

We've had a series of meetings to discuss our upcoming ECC conference in Nampula this coming January. Every year, we try to get all our church planter-trainers together to share stories, encourage one-another, do some training, and spend time in bible study and prayer. We decided to do the conference in northern Mozambique some time ago as about 1/2 of the people are in the north and 1/2 in the south - so alternating the site seemed to make sense. That was BEFORE we did the crueling 3-day drive ourselves! So, we are preparing to go back in mid-January and are doing the preparations now; getting lesson plans together; making arrangements; gathering supplies. This second photo is at our planning meeting as we put together the agenda for the conference.

We have a guest speaker coming who does Chronological Bible Story telling all over Africa. In addition, later in the week, we have people from OMS Men for Missions International coming to check out the work in the north. So after the conference, we plan to make a trip down to Mocuba with the OMS folks for a couple of days and then return to Nampula. It will be HOT then - our summer and we're headed towards the equator! I hope our air conditioner keeps working on this trip (if stopped working on the last one!).

Tomorrow will be quite a day - we have another ECC planning meeting in the morning to finalize the details for our upcoming conference, assemble the information for the monthly report we owe OMS, and talk about next year's strategy. I just sent in the budget request for our ECC Church Multiplication Strategy as we work towards next year in this interesting economic time. We are feeling the impact of the crisis and taking steps to further cut back and simplify. We proposed a year of stability so we could focus on strengthening our trainers, establishing distance learning centers that are tied to our Maputo seminary, and strengthening the rapidly increasing number of churches. One of the lines we heard in the recent ECC conference we attended in South Africa is "the resources are in the harvest". What that means is that as people's lives are changed by the gospel, that is where the people come from that are the leaders of tomorrow, the church pastors of tomorrow, the business leaders of tomorrow, the seminary students of tomorrow. The harvest is so white.....

We also have one of our quarterly meetings tomorrow with our board of Mozambican advisors. All of us on our Field Leadership Team will be summarizing the last year here and bringing a few items to their attention but it should be a fairly light meeting for a change and will end with a time of fellowship and celebration as we thank them for their service this past year.

A final small story tonight. Shortly after we arrived in Mozambique, the government began installing new traffic lights all throughout the city. At the more major intersections, the lights included a green turn arrow. Well, no one explained to anyone what they were for, so in the beginning the green turn arrow would come on, people would stare at it, but no one would go. After a while, enough of us familiar with the arrow would go, and people slowly began to get the hang of it. So, for quite some time, traffic has flowed a little bit better in those intersections with the lights - less 'playing chicken' which is quite common on the roads here.

Well, we've progressed to something new now. If you have a leading green, now people read that as a green (everybody goes). So, if you get the green arrow - you'd better be moving before it changes to green and shoot through immediately. EXCEPT, you still have to wait after the green comes on for the six cars that run the red light. So, we are almost back to where we started - intersections where the cars are all jammed in, no one can move, the police walk around with their whistles blowing frantically but not doing anything - but eventually, it seems to sort out and the traffic starts moving again. Order in the chaos.....

It has been a blessed year here - so many things have happened in spite of our bumbling. God always finds a way to accomplish his purposes using flawed vessels like you and like me. One thing I keep learning is that it is less about what I want to do, or what I think, or implementing the plan I think is the right plan, but to simply trust that God will accomplish His purposes. Is 'trying too hard' kind of like kicking against the Goads? It can very well be just that...as we learn more about resting in Him - to do the 'right things - right'.

It's His plan and His work - we are all very priviledged to have a small role in it. He can accomplish His tasks with or without us and I don't know about you, but I'd rather be on the "with" team than the "without" team!

"And he [Saul] said,' Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest; it is hard for thee to kick against the goads." (a goad is a sharp stick on a cart used to drive oxen). Acts 9:5

Hot

Today was the hottest day yet and the hottest one we remember here. Perhaps it is more noticeable where we live now because we are more inland. However, the 'in-the-shade' temperatures were really something today. We went to our Mavalene church this morning, which is an out-side church adjacent to a home and the temperature really escalated through the service. The chickens and ducks joined us this morning because it was cooler in the shade of the cover. We returned home at mid-day and there was just no getting away from the heat.

Of course, this is Africa (TIA) and you expect it to be hot, so that's ok, but we're thinking this stretch of hot will bring some rain to cool things off a bit - or at least that is what we experienced in the past. However, one thing I have learned is that the past is certainly not a good predictor of the future, although many talk as if it is!

In the midst of this heat, a friend called who lives near here speaking in rapid Portuguese. I grasp the meaning that his baby is really sick and he needs a ride to the hospital or a ride from the hospital, I'm not really sure which. From the tone, I think it must be bad and he knows we're very attached to his baby (Carol is her name). So, we jump in our oven of a car and quickly drive to his house where everyone is sitting under the trees with baby Carol in a small bucket of water, mom splashing her with water to cool her off. Ok, so Ernesto comes to the car wondering why we raced to his house, and so now in face-to-face conversation I learn that he tried to come see us this morning to help him take Carol to the hospital because she was very sick. But, we were at church and they took her anyway and brought her home. She has malaria (the second time in this 13-month old's little life) and had been given re-hydration solution to drink and the malaria medication. Ok, I got most of the words, but not in the right order and I certainly missed the difference between past tense and present tense.

Remember yesterday when I was thankful for a small victory in language. Drat, I knew I shouldn't have said that!

We visited a while and returned to our little oven, I mean our home. There was no one out and about today - it was just too hot. As we drove through the narrow dirt streets to our house, we could see the people laying on their grass matts in the shade of the trees. That is how you deal with this heat and what a great idea for a Sunday afternoon. Nap-time.....

Blessings,

Dave & Ann

"And you think it's hot here!......"

(A sign we saw on a church as we drove into Las Vegas when we were in our 20's.)

Baptisms

This photograph is the 10 people who were baptized at our T-3 church today along with their family and friends. If nothing else, this photo shows the numbers of people one person can influence!

It was a wonderful service and we were thrilled to be a part of it. It was a big celebration that started at 0900 and we left at 1230. There was much dancing, preaching, celebration, and prayer. I was asked to close the service and was able to stumble through in Portuguese and I praise God for that small victory today in language. The service was amplified today, which causes quite an echo in the church and that makes understanding doubly difficult for us but we were able to follow. It wasn't that long ago that we'd completely miss the cues when we were asked to participate in some fashion so maybe we are making a little progress after all!

Afterwards, we agreed to take the sound equipment back to our Khongolote church, getting home a few minutes ago. It is unbelievably hot today. Whew! Yesterday I got so hot doing a little outside with the car that I started to have heat stroke and my nurse had to take action. That was a first for me - nauseated from the heat! This 'in the shade' thermometer is only about 95 degrees today - it was over a hundred yesterday.

What a great celebration today was!

I'll try to load a small video to help give you a small flavor.

Blessings to you!

Dave & Ann

"He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters." Psalm 18:16

Seminary Graduation - the First Class

Shortly after we arrived, the first class of our Biblical and Theological Seminary of Maputo began using instructors from a nearby Nazarene Bible College and a program we have made the core of our seminary program. The normal three-year course was completed by our students in a little less than two years as they were able to move quickly through the initial material because of the excellent training they had already received from various OMS missionaries. The course work is well accepted by numerous denominations in southern Africa as providing sufficient knowledge for ordination, provided the candidate is accepted by his or her church and that the candidate meets other Biblical requirements for ordination. What we especially like about the material is that it is contextualized for Africa.

From the picture - back row left to right - Lucas, Juka, Jorge, Daniel, Carlos; front row - three three Nazarene professors, then Ricardo, Abel.

This was a very special day as is any graduation day but the first class is always special. We have a second class in progress we began in January using our own instructor and we are hoping to begin the third class early next year. Our new seminary director, Mike Thiessen has been doing a wonderful job tying everything together and setting a course for the future.

We had a nice ceremony and time of celebration with the families of the graduates and we really look forward to seeing the lives of these precious people unfold. All are currently involved in some level of leadership in their local churches or our new denomination.

Congratulations to the Class of 2008, BTSM.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,..." Proverbs 1:7

Village Church - More on the Conference

We wanted to share a couple of photos from the church planting conference that I wrote about in our last blog entry. What has impressed me so much is how the program being administered from OMS South Africa is in 19 countries where there are no missionaries. They work through a definitive 'chain of command' to country supervisors in each country who administer the program through established churches in those countries. The work is growing rapidly and it just makes sense to engage National leaders in each country to do the work independently. They know the culture, they know the people, they know the language, they know the governmental 'hoops,' and they know when to push and when not to.

Here in Mozambique, we function somewhat as the country supervisors for the village church planting program, relying on Juka, Xavier, and Abel to administer the program. The conference has given us alot of ideas on how we might do a better job in the future and possibly a better direction to go relative to administering the work. So, the conference was inspiring yet extremely challenging as it did show us how very far we have to go to implement the program here as it is designed. It seems that the more we learn, the more we understand how much more we need to learn! (but isn't that always the case?).

The stories we heard were so sobering. Two young men started each presentation with "hello, I'm from Rwanda and we've had a genocide in our country; another man spoke of how he was dodging bullets to get to the airport; another spoke of the intense suffering / starvation in his country; another spoke of rebel uprisings resulting in killings near his home. Yet, each testified with great joy about the great things the "Lord of the Harvest" was accomplishing in their country.

I have re-read the book of Acts in the Bible since returning from the conference and what we see happening here in Africa is so much like what we see in that book. And the recipe has not changed after all these years....train others to train others; God will bring the increase.

The one photo of Ann and I is with Jeremias, the country supervisor for Angola, also a Portuguese-speaking country. We had some joint friends from the OMS Extreme Walk program that spent time with Jeremias in Angola. Jeremias has much experience with the ECC program and was able to provide very good counsel to us. He was quite gifted language-wise, being fluent in French, English, Portuguese, plus a whole host of dialects.

So, a few photos to share this morning as I thank God for how you are standing so faithfully with us. Thank you.

"For this is what the Lord has commanded us: 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.' When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.'" Acts 13:47,48

Village Church Planting Conference

We're at the annual Africa Village Church Planting (VCP) Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa.  The first day was a combination of inspiring and yet totally humbling presentations as we learned about what God is doing in Africa.  We have about 40 people from 18 African countries successfully using the VCP church planting model and it has been an amazing experience to be with these wonderful people from places like Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Togo, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Liberia, to mention a few.

The model is very simple and so simple that it works.  Yet, it is not without resistance because it truly challenges my Western bias about how we think things should be because that is how we do it in ________(fill in the blank).  I think I've explained the model before but it is always good to refresh on it.

First, potential target areas are researched.  We are especially interested in planting churches in un-reached people groups and places where we are not competing with other church groups.  Second, we find the right partners (such as a church denomination) interested in spreading the Gospel through church multiplication.  Third, using a trained individual, we establish a training center in the targeted area, which may be a home, building, or an area under a tree.  Next we look for a 'person of peace' to help us establish the work, find potential students, and find people interested in Bible study.  These person's of peace are simply interested people who are able to assist within that community and who God has already prepared for this work.

The trainer then starts a Bible study group and from that group, recruits people who are interested in sharing their faith and starting worship groups in their home areas.  The idea is that people within a two-hour walk of the trainer's location are recruited so they can attend training each week that is in-turn shared with a group they are meeting with back at their home area.  This discipleship process extends over a three-year period using structure training materials.  The discipleship process emphasizes "the call" to start new groups and churches, and for one trainer, the ideal class size is a group of about 15 people who are planting churches, who are training others to plant churches.

Each week the trainer visits a different church planter student to encourage him and assist with the church service.  At the end of three years, that trainer may have 15, 30, or more churches.  We have personally seen fifty churches planted in less than a year from one trainer's work and we hear of even larger numbers in some of the other African countries.  Yes, some are lower as well, but is isn't all about the numbers but rather about establishing Christ-centered, reproducing, self-sufficient churches.

At the end of three years, the trainer moves to more of a mentoring role and moves to another un-reached groups to start the process again.

This model is strongly scriptural and requires that we 'put our trust in God' truly for it is His church and we are merely His instruments.  Paul is the ideal example - starting many of the early churches discussed in the Book of Acts.  He also spent a little time with the church, appointed leaders, and then moved on, following the churches' progress from a distance.

The Gospel only requires that people be willing to share and teach 'what they have learned' and continue to teach what they have learned.  If you know one thing, teach that one thing faithfully next week.  But with this model comes mentorship on studying the Bible, understanding the Gospel story, developing a vibrant prayer life, and being obedient to that which you have learned.

We have become quite passionate about this work as we see lives changed for eternity and hope instilled where there was no hope.  The opportunities to come behind the expanding work with compassionate ministries are unlimited, only requiring those who are willing service.  

Sitting in this room of experienced church planters and hearing their amazing stories is something I wish I could relay to you better.  I wish you could have heard the glorious singing and prayer of these young men, many who have risked their very lives routinely for the cause of Christ.  In Hebrews, Chapter 11, we learn of the many heroes of the faith and the costs that many paid to further the Gospel.  Today is was our privilege to meet with men from all kinds of tribes and nations who are truly heroes of the faith, having forsaken all for the cause of Christ.

 It is a privilege to be here and it was daunting to be challenged today with the faith of Abraham and the faith of Joshua, knowing that God is pleased to replicate that kind of faith. We fall so short when measured against the ultimate standard, Chris himself.  But we know that Paul said to "follow me as I follow Christ" and one slide today really resonated with that thought.  It was a picture of a momma duck leading her little ducklings single file behind here.  None of the baby ducks knew where they were going, they were only following the mother duck.  They were no all grown up and mature, they were following the little duck in front of them.  You only need to stay one-step ahead of the one behind you and one step behind the one ahead of you.   

None of us ever attains the high standard Jesus himself laid out before us - no one ever will and so in a sense, no one will EVER be 'good enough' or 'smart enough' or 'theological enough' to start a Bible study, a prayer group, or a church, if that is what we are waiting for.  God only wants us to follow him, and teach what we know, be it a lot or a little....  But in reality, the message is so simple that a small child can grasp it and accept it, and yet so deep and profound that an intellectual can wrestle with its richness for a lifetime.

But the job is to make disciples, teaching them to obey God's work, so that we can reach the Nations for Christ.  

Lord, forgive us where we fall short.  Purify us and cleanse our hearts so that we can be worth to teach others about you.  May we only bring honor to Your name.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me."  John 14:1

  

Rat Patrol

It's the middle of the night here in the country of South Africa as I sit on 'rat patrol'.  We are in South Africa to have our car repaired from the ravages of the trip to Nampula and back.  I've been generally satisfied with the Toyota dealer in Maputo with the exception of air conditioning repair, so we decided to run it to South Africa as we've had very good luck with a Toyota dealer there and we will be driving to Johannesburg next week for a world-wide church planting conference that we are participating in.  So, while we wait on the car (it's a couple of day job because we are waiting on a brake master cylinder from Durban), we are in Nelspruit to check the OMS mailbox and to run many errands to obtain things we can't get in Mozambique.  One example is motorcycle parts for our church planters in Gurue; those parts are on order now also but due in tomorrow.  

We're staying at Mercy Air, a missionary aviation ministry which has a number of nice places (guest houses) that they rent out to visiting people, mostly missionaries, who are in the area.  We have stayed here in the past as it is so very peaceful, the facilities nice, the people wonderful, and the cost is very inexpensive. 

Tonight I fell asleep while Ann was taking a shower, only to awaken when something bit my finger - I tossed it off and it was a rat!  It scurried under the door to the back.  Debate - tell Ann or not - the skin is not broken, fortunately, but the teeth marks are plain.  Ann comes out and there is a toad hopping along the edge of the floor and then she goes into the front room and there is a huge millipede.  I definitely don't want to tell her about the rat now or she won't sleep!  I do tell her to snuggle in under the sheets and make sure her hands are covered (she assumes it is about mosquitoes!).

So, about an hour ago (it is 244 in the morning here), she starts awake in her sleep (and I'm sleeping a little light also, with my hands definitely under the sheets) - something was nibbling her ear - the rat is back and it runs across her head, across the bed  - and I see it out of the corner of my eye and it scurries under the door again, leaving a little black calling card on the sheets.  She is really not happy and there is no way to make this funny now, so, I admit my bit finger and my dear wife is not too happy that I didn't tell her!  So, I find some metal baking sheets in the little kitchen area and block the bottom of the door - building a small metal barricade.  

It's a little disheartening to have rats trying to nibble our tired bodies a piece at a time!  In my old life we used to talk about big jobs and refer to them as elephants and how we would eat the elephant one bite at a time.  I guess rats know that expression also.

No, it was not a mouse - definitely not - it was a Sophie-sized rodent (Sophie is our precious dachshund - chihuahua dog now living with our oldest daughter).

So, a new experience for us.  I've seen rats many times in and around the city, but never inside.   I'd also never given it much mind thinking about small children sleeping on grass mats in reed houses.  I've heard stories of such things - people losing fingers in the night - but have always been a bit skeptical - not anymore!

Blessings to all of you this night.  I think I can retire my 'rat watch' as he hasn't come back through the door and I think my barrier will work for the night.  We hope to be heading back to Maputo tomorrow as the car is supposed to be ready then.  Ann is sleeping peacefully now - I know her breathing patterns so well after all these years.  I think I can sleep now - hands under the covers.  Ann has a towel over her head - I wonder if I can sleep that way?

"His eye is on the sparrow, so I know He watches me..."  

Cultural Accountability

Yesterday we attended an all-day party at Juka's house. It was an interesting party with interesting cultural meaning that I would like to try and relay.

When a couple gets married here, the couple has a sponsoring 'God-Father' and 'God-Mother' (usually a couple) who coordinates the wedding activities and the parties that follow. It results in a significant cash out-lay and much responsibility for the days around the wedding. They almost function like a wedding planner to a degree. But, in addition, it is also a life-long accountability commitment with very real cultural responsibility. For example, one couple we knew was having significant marital problems and they were summoned by the God-Father to come live with them for a week to work out the difficulties. When a marriage fails, the God-parents feel very responsible for the failure.

Another piece of this is to understand it is a great honor to be asked to be a 'God-Father' or 'God-Mother' no matter what the sacrifice. So to say 'no' is again something that is very very difficult to do.

Juka's "God-Father" and "God-Mother" made a commitment to have an annual party with all of the people they have sponsored. It provides a time of fellowship, accountability, and celebration. Each year, it is held at a different couple's house. In this case, Juka and his wife have sponsored seven couples themselves and they are responsible for them. So, the party consisted of Juka's God-parents, and all of the couples they have sponsored, plus the seven couples that Juka and his wife are God-parents for, plus all of Juka's friends (of which we are honored to be considered).

These are a lot of words but it shows the circles of influence that go from the first God Parents to Juka, to those they are ministering to. It was a joyous time of prayer, singing, and celebration. Juka lavished presents on each of the couples he sponsored but in this case, he presented gifts to each couple he sponsored and to his God Parents, and each couple gave gifts to Juka and Elina and all the guests brought host presents also. There was a Mozambican lunch and much ceremony and with all the gift presenting and then the accountability questions before all of us 'witnesses' where each couple was quizzed on how they were doing as a couple and they were publicly encouraged and in some cases admonished. It was an amazing thing to witness but also illustrates the tight community at the village level. This is a common practice here but the blessing is that all the families were Christian and so you see this wonderful Cultural practice in a Christian context. Juka had to have much support from all he knew to pull this off and many were up all night preparing. It wasn't extravagent, the gifts were not 'high dollar' items, the food simple (rice with a topping) but delicious, and something like 20 people were assisting in some way. Seeming like chaos to the new observer but running smoothly all day to those engaged in the culture.

Juka sent us an invitation and reminded us the day before to 'be there at 1000". We asked if this was Mozambican 10 (could be 11, could be 12), but he was adamant that he was starting at 1015 with the program. Juka is normally very prompt (maybe we have corrupted him!) and so we thought we would be there on-time, and were the first to arrive. The party started at around noon because that is when his God-parents arrived and it ended just before dark. Our friend Melvin uses this expression to explain this phenomena, "we have watches, Mozambicans have time." It think it is a great saying.

In the photo, you see tarps above to shield the hot sun (yes it was very hot) with many tables and chairs. The community pooled their dishes and chairs to support this part which included something like two or three hundred people at the peak.

It was a great time and I was able to catch up with and talk to a number of folks I haven't seen for some time and so we really enjoyed it. It is also always a joy to see how much influence one person can have, for good or for bad and it always causes one pause when reflecting on their own life. It also shows a model of how the Gospel can spread - from one Godly couple to another and all those that they touch, similar to the model we use in our Evangelism program. We all have a roll to play.

Next year the party will be at another of the original God-parent's couples that are accountable to them. Juka's turn should come back around for a decade or so, but by then, his circles will have grown quite a bit.

May Christ's light brighten all our circles as we hold others accountable in love, as we witnessed in this grand celebration.

"No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light." Luke 11:33

Well at Picoco

The well at Picoco is underway as of today.  The drillers have encountered rocks that are causing problems but they will continue tomorrow.  We have a series of meetings tomorrow and will probably not make it out to Picoco until the next day.  Pray with us that they will be successful in penetrating the rocky part of the ground into good clear water.  It will really improve conditions in this community.

Today, I gave a presentation of sorts to our team in our weekly meeting to explain about our recent trip north.  I continue to be filled with a sense of urgency about the work and especially in the community of Rieque.  The lady in the back left of this photo is burned into my consciousness.  She is not a stranger - we have held her hands and heard her story.  She is very very sick and I cannot forget her and her community.  My heart's desire is that God will reach from eternity into time and place his healing touch upon this dear lady.  I pray that as a mission and as a church, we can affect lasting change in her small community 100 km outside of Nampula.  Pray for this small community and the considerable challenges it faces.  Pray for our small church as it develops and offers a lasting hope to this community.   There is such opportunity in this area and I pray that God will raise up people with a passion for the lost of Mozambique who will join with us and grab hold of our vision for church planting with accompanying compassionate ministries.  

Blessings to you on this glorius day. 

Dave & Ann

"May my cry come before you, O Lord; give me understanding according to your word."  Psalm 119:169

Cultural Challenges

Previously I've written about baby Ana, shown here with her mom when she came to visit us at our home this week. Mother and daughter are visiting family in Maputo while father continues the work in Nampula. Since the baby is named for Ann, that brings with it implied cultural responsibilities we are continuing to learn about.

The meeting was scheduled to be at our place as Mom had something very important to talk with us about - so important we had to be in a private place. However, we also got an earful from Ana's grandmother when we picked them up, so we had an inkling of what it was about. The evening was lovely as we talked around and around and around the issue, until we finally figured out what the problem really was. We have sinced learned that many many people know about this problem.

Well, it turns out that our dear friend's reed house in Khongolote was put on the wrong parcel of property many years ago. We couldn't get an answer as to how this happened but it's really not relevent to the story anyway. Our understanding is that the property was part of a flood relief settlement from the floods of 2000 and at the time the construction was started, the plot markings weren't crystal clear. There are four lots in a square, the neighbor owns three of them and our friends own one. While they were living in Khongolote, everyone understood the error but all was well as they were all good friends and the neighbors used their lot for a garden. In fact, Ana's big "coming out" party was at the neighbor's house.

But, with our friends now living in Nampula and working with our church planting program, they are renting the property out (for about 8 US dollars a month). The situation is no longer amiable and the neighbor has gone to the government and we are faced with tearing down the house because it is on the wrong piece of property. We suggested selling the property to the neighbor, swapping parcels, and other logical solutions but no one is interested in any of those options (and trust me, you can't tell the two lots in question apart!). There are lots of cultural reasons for this also, including if they sold it, the money would 'run away' to whatever the most immediate need is with the family, friends, or village. So, the way it was presented to us was that we need to help move the house (basically build a new one, salvaging the roof tin) to the correct lot 'for the future of Ana.' Sigh.......that's where we come in with our implied cultural responsibility!

So, now we face into this one - west meets southern African culture.

So, we went out and looked at the situation and are getting an estimate of what it would take to replace the house in kind but in our heart of hearts, we are struggling with this. As I've mentioned previously, in Mozambique, people will almost sell their souls to have a simple block house that is unfinished concrete block about 10 feet wide by 15 feet long. Houses have extreme importance here to a level we can't even begin to understand. The facts are that indeed they will likely lose the land to the government if they don't build something on it very soon (the government gives your two years to improve the land or it reverts back to the government and we're way past two-years). But on the otherhand, they live in Nampula now and at least for another couple of years. And I know they don't have the money or access to money to take care of this...

We're trying to work with their home church because they are essentially missionaries in Nampula; maybe a compromise where the church provides the labor and we provide materials, for example, but we think it is important that this be a joint venture. We may be able to replace it 'in-kind' (reed house - see photo) for a little bit of money, but the block house for 'Ana's future' is just a bit much! We think our goal in this is to help our friends think through the decision making process and then we will see where this takes us. We do love them.

In this case, it hurts our hearts a bit because our friends are ministering to the poorest of the poor in Nampula and yet they are being distracted at a deep emotional level about this house. Satan just loves to get in there and stir it all up so that people doing kingdom work can be made less effective. We truly appreciate the prayers of our dear friends back home who help us through situations like this and for the prayers for those we work with. When we evaluate the needs that we face everyday, this one doesn't tip my compassion scale very much, as we are dealing with people dying of disease or people who haven't eaten in days, for example. But, these are who God has put in our path and while we can't do everything for everybody, we can certainly do something.

Heh heh, out there, I need a house for each of my daughter's futures and while you are at it, I need one so if we ever leave the mission field, I don't have to live on the street!! Maybe on a beach or lake somewhere with a boat dock? ;-) [I am kidding, but I wanted you to get the feel! Heh Ann, have you finished matching up our girl's names to every friend we have?]

Blessings.

"And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." Mt 25:42

Well Update

As I write, the well equipment is being moved from Khongolote to Picoco and we should start drilling tomorrow or the next day in this area that is desperate for water. We still don't have the pump assembly but they are going ahead while we wait for the top pieces. So, one more step - quite a process to bring all these things together....The church at Picoco is really excited about this water well and there will definitely be a crowd when things get started! Please continue to pray with us about this well as the soil is rocky and the drilling of this well may not be easy - pray with us that they can slide that auger straight down into pure fresh water!

Sunday, we visited one of our newest church plants quite close to our home actually, maybe 15 minutes by car. Church was held under a tree next to the house of a relative of the church planter. We had about 12 people who came. Afterwards, we gave a ride to one of the men to a funeral service. We went through miles and miles of narrow sand streets that just further demonstrates to us how many people live in this area surrounding Maputo. It is quite deceptive until you really get out into the areas.

Afterwards, we went with Pastor Abel to give some motorcycle familiarization lessons to him so he can begin using a motorcycle we have available for use in our Evangelism and Church Planting program - and yes, I took it for a spin - have always like motorcycles but they don't always like me as I've wrecked a few in my life but God has graciously protected me from my stupidity each time! Motorcycles or scooters are becoming a more and more common way of transportation here and there are a number of Chinese bikes here called "motorbikes in a box" that are assembled here from the parts. They are quite inexpensive and we are seeing them everywhere. The small ones don't require a license and are the ones we see everywhere as the corruption and cost to get a motorcycle license makes getting a license nearly impossible for most people.

While we were at the church service, a man we knew recognized our car and came over to see what we were up to and that provided an opportunity to invite him to join with us. We have these crazy stickers on the side of our car window from a previous owner, and we can't remove them because that is what identifes our vehicle! And it is virtually impossible for us to go around incognito anyway! The prior owner had several kids and the stickers are bonded with the tinting film on the inside of the window so there is no taking them off at this point! They always provide opportunity to talk with kids.

We are preparing for a number of key strategic meetings next week in ECC and the seminary, so it will be a busy week of preparation, planning, and meetings. We are also doing a presentation on our trip north at our team meeting this week to try and explain everything we did and experienced in the north and hopefully cast a vision for the future of the program in the north.

In between the meetings we plan to get out to Picoco and get some photos of the well drilling in progress. So, stay tuned!!!

Dave & Ann

"No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light." Luke 11:33



"

Reflections on Trip North, Rieque

We continue to try and process all we experienced on our trip through northern Mozambique. There is so much to explain but probably what touched me the most was our time on the outskirts of Nampula. We have three small church plants about 30, 50, and 100 km south of the city of Nampula. We traveled a horrible road to get to them each day we were in Nampula.

While each church touched us in different ways, the church at Rieque probably touched us the most. This area is near an area where many are digging 'precious stones' and there are various 'characters' that come and go into this area picking up these stones and taking them who knows where. I kept asking what the precious stones were, and no one could tell me - they just knew 'strangers' bought them for a little money. I suspect that people are making huge profits on the poverty of people who don't understand what they have but that is something to investigate more when we return in January. We drove through this area where the stones are traded on the way to Rique - it's in the middle of nowhere and it was not a very comfortable place to drive through. Our Pastor accompanying us advised us to not linger and just get through the area promptly. It felt dark and dangerous - small reed stores on both sides - something we are used to, yet it felt so different and the people there were a different type, many just looking plain dangerous. There was definitely a darkness there that was quite oppressing; a darkness that only the one who steals and destroys can impose.

Another 10 or so kilometers and we came to Rieque - where we held church under a tree. The community health needs here were overwhelming - more than we could process or even address with Ann's health kit that we carry with us everywhere we go. The young child in the photo above was quite sick, malnourished, and represents well the blight of the people here. Another young women who requested prayer was frail and thin with all the signs of advanced AIDS. A precious soul who openly accepted Christ, with a hope for an eternity free from the ravages or disease and malnutrition. We could not help but love these forgotten people and it is overwhelming to face into the need that they have. They work hard, are very clever with the use of local materials, and seek very much the same things all people of the world seek: food, shelter, a future for their children, and relationships.

We sat with them and just listened as they talked about their lives, about their families, about their community, about their medical issues, and about their daily struggles. Two of the local government leaders joined into our discussion, one who is also president of a mosque somewhere in the area. We mostly listened; one of our church planters preached a powerful sermon that Juka followed up on and many accepted Christ that day, including our government officials. As we sat, more and more people came as the discussion expanded.

Ann handed out some medications to help a few but the needs far exceeded anything we could do. We're working with our National Pastor to try and access other programs that can help this village that God has put in our path. There are numerous aid agencies here that we should be able to partner with. While we have offered the most important thing - transformed lives through Christ, we must remember Christ's admonition and example to show compassion and help where we can; but the challenge is always to establish sustainable programs. It's another place we need a well, a simple church structure, and compassionate assistance that brings hope but that doesn't build dependency - the tight rope we walk every day.

My long term dream is that our seminary will produce graduates who will be willing to go to a place such as this and teach the gospel and be an advocate for the people, teaching them as Paul admonished Timothy. People so sold out for Christ that they will readily move to such a place and grow the church and open doors of opportunity.

We left a big piece of our heart in this place and I don't think we can take it back until God releases us from what He has planned for His people in this remote place. A place he has marked well by a nearby mountain that glows all night with a white light (probably from phosphorous deposits). He knows this place, He knows the names of each of His people who are there; people like you and me but who find themselves near the mountain of white light (photo) that points to heaven, to the one who can solve every need.

Use all of us dear Lord in a way that brings honor to you and shows compassion to those whom you love. May we make a difference in the lives of those you bring before us. May we follow your example in power and strength, yet with humility and compassion because you first loved us. Blow Holy Spirit through Rieque; may it be a shinning testimony to your goodness and compassion. My soul cries out to you for your people in this place. Show us your plan.

"If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday." Is 58:10