Christmas Greetings

We just submitted the church registry, or listing of all the churches, their leadership, the numbers associated with each church (attendence, members, baptisms, etc.) and as always these reports are quite exciting. Even in the relative slow hot months in Mozambique, we saw additional churches planted, for which we praise God.

This photograph is outside our Mocuba Training Center, where Juka, our country church-multiplication coordinator conducted a week-long training seminar with our trainers and church planters. The women also got together for their own time of study, prayer and training, as hosted by Juka's dear wife. The reports we have received about the training have been very good although the Trainers are a bit discourage as attendence has been down laterly because of the demands on the subsistence farms - there has been quite a bit of rain and the crops have needed tending. It is an important part of community life in rural Mozambique. We are so thankful for this commited team of people reaching their country for Christ.

We will be receiving our year end reports in the coming few weeks and I look forward to summarizing them for you.

We enjoyed our time with family for the holiday and pray you did as well. This photo was taken on Christmas Day at Allison's and Byron's house.

Blessings to you.

Dave & Ann

"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground." Ps 142:10

Christmas Newsletter

By now, all of those on our mailing list should have received our Christmas letter. Just in case, we have also posted it in our 'newsletter' folder on goggle documents. You can access the newsletter by clicking the "newsletters" link to the left. It is in Adobe Acrobat format so you will need the free Adobe Acrobat reader to read it. To reduce the file size, we did some compression of format, so the clarity may not be as sharp as the copy you received in the mail.

If you are not on our mailing list and want to be, just drop us an email.

Blessings,

Dave & Ann

Stuck

We survived our first 7-day stretch of being snowed in. Then came the four-day stretch. We had a bunch of correspondence to mail and so ventured out after the road had been plowed. The only problem is that when Jimmy plows the road with his tractor, he doesn't go very deep, figuring that four-wheel drives will get through fine, which they do. Problem is, our Honda Odyssey is low to the ground and definitely not 4WD!

We ventured out, taking two snow shovels and since we were going down-hill, gravity helped alot, even though we bottomed out in the snow a time or two. (photo of road as we decended to left) When we got to the 'root canal' (photos in previous posts), there was only a narrow pathway and I hit it hard, snow flying everywhere and both sides of the car hitting & rubbing in the small snow channel. I knew we were bottoming out, but it was powder so no problem as we cleared the path with the force of the car going down-hill. However, now we have to get back up!

We ran to the post office and the drug store for some things we needed and headed back up the mountain, wanting to be back up before the temperatures dropped and knowing shoveling might be involved.

We leave the pavement and continuing up the state-maintained road without problem and I make the mistake of saying "I really like these snow tires, they do pretty well and the van does pretty well also." Wrong thing to say....

I turn into the root canal and wonder if we can make it, back up the hill to get a good running start and ZOOM. We go about 100 feet and the car stops - buried in to the snow. Guess we needed the chains, but the car is wedged into the channel - so out through the windows we go and we start digging the car out. We have to dig out both sides of the four-foot snow banks to access the doors and tires. Then, under the car. we take off the center part of the snow-track on the road and throw it up on the bank - shovel for about an hour and soon a car comes wanting down the mountain - well, they aren't going anywhere for a while.

Eventually, we dig it out enough that we can back the car back down to the state road, and head back in to the root canal with our shovels. As the other car comes down the path (4WD), they stop and tell us that they called Jimmy and he is on the way with the tractor. It's a beautiful day but the temperature is dropping. We continue to shovel a path, confident we can eventually get through, although it is clear it will be hours if we have to do it all by hand.

Jimmy shows up, clearly put out. He blesses me out for not having a 4WD and trying to live on the mountain. "It's not cutsey to live on this mountain and you don't have the vehicle you need. Bad things happen to people up here; you shouldn't be here." We'll that sure hurts my heart because I really like this guy. I messed it up by telling him it looked like it could be a bit of fun to have such a nice tractor and being able to keep things clear - wrong thing to say. My alterior motive is that I have experience on such a tractor and could help with it but we never got there!

He starts digging out the root canal but still not going down to the gravel, which I just don't understand. Ann and I dig out the chains and chain-up the front wheels. Ann is an expert on putting on chains from her high school days in the mountains just a little north of here, and directs my efforts after I fumbled with it a while. She makes it easy and we're ready.

After a point, Jimmy makes me do a run for it - we get 1/2 way the first time through the root canal before we are stuck and spinning. It's just too narrow - we're rubbing on both sides again. I back out and he fusses at me that I need to stay more in the tracks - like there is somewhere to go, I'm rubbing the snow banks on both sides of the car.....

He digs some more and we make another run for it - 3/4 of the way this time and we bog in the powdery snow. I ask him to widen it a bit and go deeper. He shakes his head, clearly put-out and clears some more and tells me to go again. But, for encouragement and perhaps additional motivation, he says that he's done and if I don't make it this time, we will have to figure something else out. So, we check the chains for tightness, get a big running start, and fly through the channel, snow and debris flying. We get to the 3/4 point and start to bog, but I just keep the pressure on and we grind our way out onto the hard packed surface on the other side; we can make the 4 more miles just fine.

I wait for Jimmy and thank him with all the graciousness I can. He fusses at me some more and I tell him not to worry, we will be headed south in a few days when the weather clears again and he looks relieved. We part ways and I head on up the road. After we park at the top of our drive, and I clear the snow again, he drives by and waves. I say 'thank you' again, but he is still not happy with us. It really bothers me to be perceived as such a pain in someone's side. Lord, help me to minister to this dear man whom you love. It is clear he is a good man, perhaps a little grumpy, but he certainly ministered to us in our trouble and I thank you for him. He needs you like we all do, and by the way, if it's not too much trouble, can you help me with this 4WD thing? For Jimmy is really right if we are going to winter here.

Today the snow turned to rain and what a mess we have. But, it is above freezing and we should be able to get down in a day or two if this continues and the slush clears a little. I left the chains on for the trip down. We still had some driveway clearing to do, which gave me the opportunity for these beautiful photos as the sun was going down and the colors we so unusal - although the photos don't do it justice. We both crashed when we got into the warm cabin, our quick trip took most of the day and we shoveled a ton of snow.

In devotions this morning, as I read Paul's prayer in Colossians (Ch 1), I felt like Paul was praying for me and was encouraged:

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. "

Thank you for rescuing us yesterday, but not just yesterday, but everyday. Thank you for Jimmy and his willingness to help us out. I pray we will not weary of doing good. There is much joy that comes from walking with you. May we live worthy of Your name.

Dave & Ann

"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you...." Ephesians 1:18

And on the Seventh Day....

The weather has cleared and the road was cleared and we were able to dig out and make it down the mountain. We visited the local post office, picked up mail, and re-stocked for the next storm that is due this weekend. The official snow accumulation in the mountains was said to be 21 inches. I don't think we got quite that much, but it is possible - there was alot of settling and wind blowing it all around.

On the way down, we ran into Jimmy on the tractor as he worked to clear the snow. It was good to meet him - he has lived up here many years. He looked at our mini-van and just shook his head. "That city car got all wheel drive?" Well, no, but it has front wheel drive. I think he envisions pulling us out a time or two! He said that to stay in the plowed part of the road or the van would stay where it lands until spring and to not be afraid to walk the four miles from the state-maintained road.

We wore out a snow shovel already...bought a more heavy duty (and heavy!) one that will help build my muscles and get me the exercise the doctor says I must get. I certainly prefer to get it doing something!

I did stop to get a photo of the 'root canal'. we scrapped the sides of the snow bank when we came through on the way home. In anticipation of the winter, I picked up a set of snow chains today also - it has been a really long time since I've had tire chains! Still doesn't solve the low clearance issue, but it is a start. I was nervous we'd get back up the mountain but we did, without the chains. We slide around some and Ann only closed her eyes a couple of times.

It is so incredibly beautiful - amazing but it was crazy in town - everyone was buying salt, shovels, chains, and of course, bread and milk!

We have enough food for the next round that starts this weekend!

Dave & Ann

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? .....Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its

own trouble." Matt 6:25 - 34

Day 5 Stranded in the Mountains

The weather cleared off some today after last night's snow. The road remains impassable and all our neighbors seem to have hunkered-down. I made some gaters out of duct tape and ventured out on a hike through the woods to grab some photographs. The beauty is breath-taking and although the wind was fierce and the temperatures still in the single digits, I was blessed to be able to enjoy this wonderful place. the snow was up to my waist in a few places but I wanted to reach a grassy-bald near by where you can see 360 degress in all directions and three states - TN, NC, and Virginia.

I just finished the book called "What's so Amazing About Grace" and was overcome at the end. I was overcome at the end have read something that so closely parallels what I've come to believe and it moved me to joyful and tearful prayer and thanksgiving that God would shower us with his grace so freely. Not, that I have mastered this thing of showing grace by any stretch of the imagination, but certainly, I pray that I might reflect some of that Grace that God has showered upon me. It is truly amazing, this thing of grace.

My most favorite line in the book is as follows:

"Grace teaches us that God loves because of who God is, not because of who we are."

The author also develops something he calls "ungrace'. We live in a world of un-grace where we judge, categorize, fight, ostrasize, and are just plain mean to other people. But, these things filter into the church as well as we hold tightly to cultural norms and as we wear the masks that say 'everything is ok in our lives' when it isn't..... He challenges us to look hard at ourselves in light of Gods unfathonable love for us.

As Paul says, "And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Co 12:9)

AMEN.

I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Dave

Day 4 Stranded in the Mountains

We have completed day 4 snowed in at the cabin. It is beautiful but the snow is deeper than the clearance I have on the van and we're trapped. The first picture is how I now look, I've been letting my hair and bear (and beard!) grow and I'm learning to survive. No shaving or hair cuts (all three of them) until spring!

More snow tonight and tomorrow and I keep thinking someone will clear the road to make it passable, but maybe not! (actually someone up the road is supposed to but they wait until the storm passes, I'm told. ) Maybe we're here until the spring thaw.....We just got caught and our supplies are not what we'd like them to be. I tried to chase a little mole across the snow today to catch him for meat, but Ann said, no worries, if we run out of food, I'll start by amputating one of your arms! Being a nurse, she can sew me back up until we need the next arm. So, I'm going to go kil me a bar.

Getting lots done - lots of reading, reports, correspondence, and snow shoveling! Sunday, we had the CDs from our church in Pittsburgh and we really enjoyed the series that they were doing, and so we listened to five over the course of the day and we talked about them much after that.

I'm also totally engaged in and loving a book called "What's so Amazing about Grace" by Phillip Yancy. If you haven't read it, run to the store and buy it. It's been around a while and I picked it up at a discount Christian bookstore for a couple of dollars. It is challenging me and so very well written - lots of illustrations and very easy to read, yet profound. I don't recommend books often, but this is one worth the read and one that should really cause you to look deep inside and think about what do you really believe? Plus it is just fun and has alot of cultural relevance.

The water pressure is dropping because the filter is plugging, but we don't have a spare cartridge - I think I can just take out the cartridge and essentially by-pass it if I have to. The snow is suppossed to stop tomorrow or the next day, and if the fellow clears the path, we might be able to get down. I've been starting the car every day and running it for a while because I'm not confident of the battery in these single digit temperatures and it being up on the hill in the 50 mph wind.

It has been fun sending photos to my Mozambican friends. They are asking me why in the world anyone would want to live in a place like this. Well......it's actually very beautiful and if I had cross country skis, a snow machine, gaters, and good winter clothes, it wouldn't be a problem.

Actually I like it here very much- but don't ask Ann. As long as she isn't hungry, I should be ok! ;-)

We just weren't quite as prepared as I would have liked to have been. We've lived in Idaho and Pittsburgh; we know about snow, but you need to be prepared!

Blessings.

Dave

"Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." 1 Tim 4:2

"Well, keep your nose in the wind and your eyes on the skyline" From the movie Jeremiah Johnson

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God..." 1 Th 4:16

Winter on the Mountain

Shortly after returning from our 10 weeks of travel, Thanksgiving came to the mountain cabin where we are staying, through the amazing and overflowing generosity of one of our supporters. All the kids were able to come and though we were packed in; it was a wonderful time. A picture of all of us - I will try to include it if our internet speeds will allow it.

But the snow has come. We are under a severe weather alert over the next three days and they are predicting many inches of snow in the valley, which could be feet here in the mountains. I gave up shoveling out after the third clearing of our access to the gravel road - putting the mini-van up near the road. That way I only have to shovel a path the 300 feet from the cabin.

It is beautiful, it is quiet, but it is an odd feeling knowing you absolutely can't get out and probably for some number of days.

As I was getting the van positioned at the top of this hill, one of the residents (Harvey) passed by, moving his car to the foot of the mountain. I had a delightful conversation with him and got all the news and he was a bit surprised we were wintering on the mountain. He told me it gets a little gnarly on this old mountain. Do we have food that can last a few weeks? Gulp!

He volunteered to walk me down the mountain (literally through the woods down behind our house - straight down) to the church on the flat where he was taking his car. In my mind I have a hard time understanding how that church is straight below us but I believe him. No problem, he says, "you look fit enough that you can probably (????) make it down and back." He says when he is in a hurry, he can slide down the mountain in about 15 or 20 minutes. However, the trip back up the steep slope will take about an hour depending upon how much I have to rest. I relayed all this to Ann and she made it clear that if I wanted to try this, I could. There was no "we" in that discussion! So, I need a backpack for the requisite bread, milk, and eggs that one must always buy in the middle of a snow storm! ;-)

There is a narrow place on the one-lane drive up where you are in a deep narrow 'cut' - high on each side where you can't see past the banks. You basically drive up through the tree roots on each side - the road is four feet below the tree roots (they call it the "root canal" here). I never thought about it, but Harvey told me that was the limiting place - the wind whips up the mountain and deposits snow in the root canal and fills it and it takes at least a day with equipment to clean it out so you can get through - this is no job for a fellow with a snow shovel! I'll have to snap a picture of this some point.

It is 21 degrees, the wind is blowing, visability is near zero but we are warm and I am thankful to have a safe place to lay my head. I also know there is absolutely no way I could ever relay to my Mozambican friends that such a place as this even exists. I tried with my friend Juka, but he just says, "it is time for you to come back to us. No one should live in such a place." It is 81 in Maputo today!

I am surrounded by good books. I finished some long over-due reports to OMS. The budget and strategy for next year's Village Church Planting program has been submitted. There is great satisfaction to getting these things behind us for now, especially with the uncertainty of our internet in these severe conditions (it is slowest Internet I have ever had, even dating back to the dial up AOL days!).

But God is near and I relish the opportunity to do some study. I am reading a refreshingly realistic book called "Experiencing Leader Shift, Letting Go of Leadership Heresies." It is one of the most refreshing books I've read on "leadership" in a very long time. I have gone through so very much leadership training in my life, probably more than most people, but always knowing I was not gifted in this area and all the training in the world will not make you a gifted leader. God has given me other giftings, as he has you, and we should serve with confidence in those giftings, whatever they be. God does not make mistakes and each of us is wonderously and marvelously made with a God-ordained plan for us, provided we will open ourselves to the creator of the universe.

I am also reading a publication out of Canada that speaks to the compatibility of faith and science and I am finding it another refreshing and wonderful work. Christianity and science need not and should not be opposed to each other. The scientific method came out of the Reformation for heavens sake. We can stand confidently that God's truth is God's truth and he has given us a magnificant ordered earth and universe to figure out and understand as we seek Him. We need not be afraid, for He loves us and understands us like no other can.

Juka is hosting a leadership (there is that word again) in Mocuba starting in the coming days with our church planters, pastors, and trainers as we continue to seek that the Gospel of Jesus will go forth into the unreached places in Mozambique. There will be training, study, prayer, worship, and fellowship as Juka re-establishes the vision of our village church planting program. Dear Lord, give him and Pastor Abel the the wisdom that only you can impart and bless this gathering of Your people. Give travel mercies to those coming from all parts of Mozambique to attend. Reveal your will for the future and continue to grow this work which You began." Amen.

Enough for now. Thank you for standing with us. I never imagined being snowed in while on furlough!! But God knows what we need; there is absolutely no shortage of things we need to do in support of the work in Mozambique, even here in the States.

Wish I had some cross-country ski equipment - we used to be avid cross-country skiers in our earlier days - what an amazing place to have them! That would be a great trip to the foot of the mountain & back!

Blessings.

Dave & Ann

"Find out where God is at work and join Him." Henry Blackaby, Experiencing God

Graduation

We knew that yesterday was the planned graduation of the seminary certificate level theology class. We started this class through our church planting program about two years ago, with the class meeting each Saturday. Although we started with more students, these are the ones who remained faithful and dedicated and perservered, to finish their training. We know each of these graduates well and are excited to see what God does in each of their lives. There is an additional Saturday class in progress and Pastor Daniel is planning to start another.

The red shirts identify them as the graduates!

Congratulations to Luisa, Isabel, Julia, Victoria, Nelio and Basilo! (Photo shows Daniel giving a charge to the graduates!).

Thank you Lord for Daniel's faithfulness to teach these students with enthusiasm, dedication, and Your love. Thank you for each of these students and what You are are doing in each of their lives. Use them in a mighty way to reach their precious nation for Christ.

And of course, there is always cake!

So sad for us to miss this but we are so thankful for the pictures our team sent to us!

Dave & Ann

"Living for Jesus a life that is true,

Striving to please Him in all that I do;

Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,

This the pathway of blessing for me"

(Hymn by Thomas Chisholm and C. Harold Lowden, 1917)

Back at the Cabin

As a short update, we are back at the cabin in North Carolina after traveling 10,000 miles to report to our precious support base. We are anticipating our family arriving, starting this weekend, for a time together for Thanksgiving. As we were driving up the steep one-lane gravel road in a heavily loaded mini-van, we got a flat tire. We tried to drive to a more level place and began unpacking (it’s dark – no lights!) to change the flat. We’re about 3 miles from the cabin – but it is a long three miles.

So, on this road where we never see cars, we now have people blocked in front of us and behind us. We dig out the spare tire – and it is very low in pressure, and manage to get it changed and limp to the cabin where I borrowed an air pump and pumped up the tire. There is a two-inch by six inch piece of gravel driven through the center of the tread – major hole. Gravel!!!???? I’ve gotten punctures by drill bits, screws, nails, thorns, but never gravel!

The good news is we got back ok, we met some of our neighbors we hadn’t met before, and it all turned out just fine. The bad news is that we ended up buying two more tires (we got snow tires for the front in Pittsburgh). However, we have more confidence negotiating the road with good rubber under us now instead of the nearly bald specials!

We are catching up on some reports we owe and other administrative work we are responsible for. We learned that two more new churches were planted last month, for which we are very thankful and can only give God the praise. The roof to the Mocuba ministry center is nearly repaired after high winds blew some of it off – we are thankful for that also. I think we have some photos of this on Ann’s computer that I will try to add later.

There is quite a bit of work here to do after being gone for 10 weeks also – some high wind came through here also – nothing major but just work that we need to do to prepare for winter!

It was a wonderful time to meet with so many of our friends but yet there are so many we were unable to connect with. Our travel schedule is filling back up – this time of furlough is so long, yet so very short.

No photos to post - Internet speed is way too slow up here on the mountain top!

Happy Sunday everyone!

Dave & Ann

“Be very careful , then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity….” Ephesians 5:15

Fire in Nacuarine

On October 30, I received an email from my friend Juka about a sad situation that I thought I’d share with you. But to tell the story, I must set a bit of background. A fundamental difference in the justice systems between the US and Mozambique is simply the presumption of guilt. In the US system, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty (unless you have the misfortune to be tried by the Press) whereas in the Mozambique system, you are presumed guilty until proven innocent. We have found this to be a very significant difference in that it allows the government to pretty much throw someone in jail for whatever.

Most of Mozambique is rural with subsistence farming the rule. There are few organized farms with great production. A practice is to burn the fields back from time to time to clear weeds and debris and some times of the year, there is a tremendous smoke cloud that can be easily seen by satellite photos as the smoke from burning off fields blows towards the Indian Ocean. On some of our trips, fire has gotten away from folks and we’ve had to stop on roads because of visibility problems and actually been so close to fire that we were afraid our tires would melt as we passed nearby.

Now for the story. Juka advised us of sad news about one of the respected members of the church in a place called Nacuarine. One of the older men, called an “ancient” (like an elder or deacon) in the church farmed the area north of Mocuba on a rather large scale, producing enough corn and other crops that they were transported for sale in the south of Mozambique. He had lost his house a couple of years ago to an out-of-control field fire and was a bit sensitive to a repeat of this and so kept the ground around his house cleared as a fire break, but even this is not a sure thing since the houses have grass-thatch roofs. (The photos are of Joao and his family as well as one with Juka and Joao).

Someone started a fire north of his land and it spread rapidly. To protect his house and land, he started a second fire to clear the land near to his house – making a fire break. However, what he didn’t know was that there were some young people that got trapped between the two fires. In the confusion that followed, the young people were not accounted for and presumed dead – and João was arrested. So, the prayer chain was initiated. In the meantime, João remained in prison until it could be all sorted out.

About a month passed and we learned that two of the young people were able to escape the fire but a third one died, which is very tragic. The police investigation settled on the other individual who started the initial fire and did not control it. As such, that individual became responsible for the destruction and death and injury. So, João has resumed his life but very upset at the tragedy of it all. We are thankful for this answer to prayer but also grieving in the circumstance.

Life is transient; it is an undeniable fact. We have been given this day – that is all we know. May some good come out of this tragic circumstance. I sense in our culture that there is some sort of presumption that life will be fair – or that God will reward us for our good works – or that if I just work hard enough, it will all be good. There is no Biblical ground for this – we are only acceptable in God’s sight through faith in Christ – It is God’s grace alone for if it were anything else, we would never know if we had ‘done enough’ and there would be a slew of people out there to try and judge whether you had done enough or not….or been good enough…..for it is our nature to judge….

What freedom we have through faith in Christ. It is a marvelous thing. But with it comes great responsibility.

Father God, grant peace to João and the families affected by this fire. There is so much tragedy in this world, no matter where we turn. Grant us Your peace and assurance dear Lord and empower us with the boldness to share the Good News for there are no guarantees for tomorrow.

Dave & Ann

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9

“You…were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather serve one another in love.” Gal 5:13

Canada

Greetings from Canada. I am writing from Mike and Sarah Thiessen's home tonight and what a joy it is to be with them as we have missed them so in Mozambique. It has been a great evening; we arrived to find many of their family members here, which was a special treat, and then Sarah had a chef-level meal for us as well. We enjoyed just talking tonight and discussing all sorts of things.

Of interest was the drive up from Erie, PA It is my first trip to Canada and the border crossing was something I wasn't quite sure what it would be like. The person at the border asked me where my home base was, and I failed that question right off - I stammered and finally said "North Carolina" and which he said, well then, why do you have Tennessee tags and a Mozambique resident stamp in your passport? Where are you going in Canada? Yes, we are homeless vagabonds living out of our car. We had a nice discussion with him and he let us enter, but it did highlight the confusion about where 'home' is anymore! I just say that home is where Ann is at the moment.

We enjoyed the mission conference in Erie very much. This particular church has been very faithful to us and it was good to reconnect with this church and the folks we remembered so well from four years ago. And as is always the case, it is good to meet new missionaries from other fields and catch up on what God is doing in various parts of the world. In this case, we were with people representing China and the Philippines.

We hope to connect with OMS Canada in the next day or so also - they have been a great help to our field between the CMED program and the seminary.

Blessings this night.

One side note, Sarah and Mike were never phased about the chaos of driving in Mozambique. I was always impressed by that and understand now after driving from the Canadian border, through Toronto to their home! There were trained driving by learning to drive here!

Dave (& Ann)

"The LORD watches over you - the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." Psalm 121

First Snow

We are currently in Erie, PA for a missions conference in a church that has stood faithfully with us during our first term. It is cold and rainy and we are feeling it. Tonight, we looked at the Internet news after church and learned that there is snow on the mountain top where we are headquartered in North Carolina! Only three inches, but it is only November 5 and this is the first snow of the season in the States! On our Mountain????? Ann and I just looked at each other speechless. Snow, already? Do we even remember how to drive in it? Can I just pretend like it is Mozambican mud? But I did have 4-wheel drive in the mud....Would all you snow skiiers please stop praying for snow! ;-) Those 110 degree days in Mozambique are looking awfully good right now!

We left our new friends today in Eastern PA, who treated us so lovingly and hosted us for a couple of weeks as we traveled here and there, even letting us bury our old but beloved dog in their garden. We will miss them much as our hearts connected at some level that is hard to understand, but such a part of the family of God. The same kind of thing happened tonight when a dear lady came into the church that we knew from our visit four years ago and Ann and her just ran to each other - there is a connection that one just can't quite explain. That is a part of the joy of doing what we do - the sweet wonderful relationships through a precious Lord. It surpasses understanding....

We especially enjoyed special time with our oldest daughter and her husband, getting to visit her work place and really just spend time together. We also had a super special treat to spend a morning with a cousin and her husband actually from the West Coast who happened to be very close to where we were staying. That was a special time and I especially enjoyed meeting her husband - one of those people that I found myself liking instantly. A very special time for us and a time to catch up on the last 28 or so years!

We will be here in Erie the next couple of days. We are debating a trip into Canada, watching the weather before we head back to Pittsburgh for next weekend.

I should be receiving our newest information on the church planting work in Mozambique in the next couple of days. I am really looking forward to seeing what God has done. We did get word that a recent storm blew some of the roofing metal off our Mocuba Training Center. I'm waiting on a full assessment of what we will need to get that repaired.

Blessings.

Dave & Ann

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, o Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14

Encouraged by Youth

In the past year I was challenged about making the Gospel relevent to the youth and that this is a modern day challenge of the church. In my mind, the Gospel is relevent in any culture and to any age. As we watch our leaders and country drift away from Biblical instruction under the guise of culture relevancy, I am reminded of Israel in the pre-exile time, when right was called wrong, and wrong was called right and the Bible so clearly declares 'woe to them....' I'm not saying blindly go forward and endorsing "take an eye for an eye" kind of thinking, but rather thoughtful study and application, for the Bible is one story of God's redemptive plan for mankind. Study the cultural context in the Bible, the underlying teaching, and then seek God's wisdom for applying this truth in your individual life. But at the core of this there must be relationship, real, and personal.

One of the challenges we hear about is how to engage the youth of today and great energy is taken to entertain, provide fun programs, exciting trips, and modern music. I'm not saying that these are bad things - certainly all things are needed, but in the end, it is the reality of a personal relationship of one person (or one youth) with His God through the person of Jesus Christ. There are lots of ways to get there, that is for sure, but the truth as contained in God's word remains the truth, and we must not water-it-down under the guise of cultural relevancy.

One of my daughters is attending an inner-city (urban) church plant. The congregation is divided into cell groups that meet each week and they discuss questions related to the prior Sunday's sermon. We attended one such meeting and quite enjoyed being with these young people seeking that God would speak truth into their lives in a relevant way. I was very impressed with these young people, starting out their lives and careers but seeking at an early age God's plan for their lives. This particular church in its approach is growing and attracting more young people for which I can only praise God.

On Sunday afternoon, we attended the church service, which was actually quite liturgical (i.e. there was responsive readings, scripture reading, professions of faith, and communion). Many of the songs were the old wonderful hymns, so full of truth and doctrine, yet updated to a more modern sound yet with the same melody. We looked around and the church was filled with young people - filled. This was a comfort to me even though we were by far the oldest people in the place - by far. They are serious about their faith, but seeking not just programs, not just appearances, but the reality of relationship. I wish there was some way I could keep tabs on each of these young people as I think God is doing an amazing work - it is real, it is relevent, and it is scriptual. For the Gospel is real.....and the youth are the future.

We left Church that day knowing we had worshipped the Creator of the Universe; we had felt His presence; we had been challenged from His Word.


Blessings.

Dave & Ann

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!" Isaiah 5:20-21

Beautiful New Jersey

I'm a little behind in my blog entries. Last week we had the privilege of participating in a 4-day missions conference in Lafayette, N.J. This part of NJ is easily one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and is quite a secret I think as few people think of incredible beauty when they think of New Jersey. Our hosts lived on a small far not far from the church and we were comfortable and spoiled with homemade rasbberry jam, pies to die for, and fresh things from the farm. We were so comfortable there we were ready to plant roots and stay. One of the Pastor's wives is fluent in Portuguese and a teacher of Portuguese, and we are praying about spending a bit more time in that area before we return to work on language some more. We think this will be time well spent before returning to Mozambique.

Our daughter (1 of 4) joined us for most of the weekend. We were greatly encouraged by the teaching, the speakers, the prayer time, the other missionaries, and the sincere interest in what God is doing in Mozambique. When we talked with people, they knew about Mozambique, about what we were doing, and the details that spoke volumes - they read our notes and letters, and were engaged with us - wow, what an encouragement! This church also supports an incredible work in Kenya at Tenwick hospital and just like four years ago, after hearing all that was happening at this hospital in rural Kenya, you want to jump up and say 'send me Lord!'. We knew some of the missionaries from the conference four years ago and it was very good to see them again and catch up! We left encouraged, invigorated, and truly blessed. God used this wonderful four days to remind us that it is His work and that His work extends across this world in more ways than we can even begin to comprehend.

One of the activities with the church was to go to a large corn maze. When I say 'large', whatever you are thinking is too small. We were given about two hours in this place with strict instructions to be out by 1430. At 1430, we were hopelessly lost but we thought moving in the right direction. Finally we were rescued - the rats in the maze found their way out. We turned in our forms (there were stations you had to find with questions to complete) and received our prizes - fresh apples. On the way out, we couldn't resist the photograph of being lost in the maize! (spelling intentional!).

As a final note, our hosts in Pennsylvania work with a program called Christian Service Brigade (CSB), which is a program designed to raise leaders through men working with boys. The church we were at uses this program and we talked with several young men, now in college, who were impressive young men seeking God's will for their futures. They were fruit of people investing in youth for a lifetime through discipleship, training, and their presence, which will take me to my next entry!

Blessings!

Dave & Ann

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

"....fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4

More Traveling

We have really enjoyed traveling in Pennsylvania this fall. The fall colors have been incredibly beautiful and something we have sorely missed in Mozambique. It is one of those things that you try to take a picture of, but like the Grand Canyon, a photograph just can't quite capture the reality of it all. We are marvelously made and when we see the beauty of God's creation, we absorb it with all those marvelous senses we have been blessed with to experience life. The sound of the wind in the trees, the way the light flickers through the leaves, lighting up the dust particles making beams of light that you expect to see fairies dancing on. And then there are the smells, the feel of the wind on your face and the warmth of the sun on your face. And the colors shift as the wind blows the leaves and the sun moves from cloud to cloud. No, there is not anyway a photograph can capture it all. We tried to take many but they don't even come close. But I have taken many mental pictures that maybe will be the thing of dreams in the future.

What a blessing it is to experience the beauty of fall. Thank you Lord. What a gift it is....

"For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies, for the love which from our birth, over and around us lies; Lord of all, to Thee we raise, This our hymn of grateful praise." (Hymn by Folliott S. Pierpoint in 1864)

Man's Best Friend

I have written previously about the most difficult thing for us serving in Africa - being away from our dear daughters. I am confident that this will always be the case and now that we’ve added a Grandson, that adds an entirely new dimension to all of this. Coming home and seeing all that has transpired in our absence also makes us realize how much we are missing - maybe I need to think about this a little more to try and relay the gammit of emotions we have felt since we have been back on homeland assignment.

There is another thing we left behind when we went to Africa, the family dog. I had gotten this dog primarily for Ann when our youngest went to first grade – so she has been around a while! There is nothing like a dog – they teach you what loyalty, devotion, and unconditional love can look like. After we left for Africa, daughters 1 of 4 and 3 of 4 shared taking care of her and she ended up being a city dog in down town Philadelphia, a far change from the comfortable suburbs. They did a wonderful job with her in our absence.

Earlier this year, two of our daughters wrote to us saying that ‘it was time’ to put her down. She was very old and we think she has had a stroke in the past months. She was blind, mostly deaf, arthritic, incontinent, and very frail. She paced all the time, just couldn’t get comfortable and was just plain miserable. Our oldest daughter was waiting for us to come home on furlough before doing anything and the last few days we have been able to spend a few days with the dog, making it obvious that ‘it was time’.

So this morning, we took all seven pounds of her to a vet recommended by the people we are currently staying with and the vet put her to sleep in my arms. The vet took one look at her and no more needed to be said – she knew it was time. First they put her to sleep and gave us 10 minutes with her. It was wonderful to see her relax for the first time since we’ve been around her as she was suffering so. Then a second shot finished the job. I managed to be strong until I got in the car and then I just sobbed uncontrollably.

Some friends of Krista are letting us stay with them as we visit churches on this side of the state. This dear couple has been such a blessing to us and allowed us to bury our little dog in their garden. We thank God for their kindness. Their daughter has just gone to Uganda for a three-year assignment and is struggling in her first few weeks there, and we can really relate to what she is going through and hope we are being an encouragement to both her and her parents.

Tough morning. I know intellectually that she was just a dog, but that doesn’t change how your heart feels. And yet, one person a part from God has infinitely more value - why is it we have less compassion for them than for animals? I thank God we can rely on His pure and perfect love for us, for even when we were sinners, His one and only Son, died for us, the perfect sacrifice for the sins of man.

We’ll miss you Sophie-girl. Thank you Lord for all the pleasure this creature of Your creation brought to our family.

(photos are of Sophie in her younger days!)

Dave & Ann


“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” Matt 19:29-30

Open Houses - this week

We have two open houses this week. It will be an opportunity to visit with us and we will go through a presentation of what we've been doing. It is the same thing we might do for a home meeting or Sunday School time. So, if you don't think you'll be hearing us at your local church, it is an opportunity to stop by and ask questions.

Consider this an invitation!

Thursday, October 14, 2010 - 6:30 PM
New Song Community Church
4767 Library Road
Bethel Park, PA 15102


Sunday, October 17, 2010 - 6:30 PM
Peters Creek Baptist Church
6300 Library Road
South Park, PA 15129


Dave & Ann

"I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of god that was given you in christ Jesus...." 1 Corinthians 1:4

Johnstown

This past Saturday, we headed to Johnstown, PA to speak at the last Sunday of the missions conference at Roxbury St. Paul's church. What a beautiful time to drive in Pennsylvania and the tree colors were brilliant and spoke so strongly to the existence of a gracious Creator. As the Bible says, all creation testifies to His existence.

On our way to Johnstown, we saw a turn-off to the Flight 93 memorial in Somerset County. We took the 10 mile detour through the beautiful Pennsylvania countryside to the temporary memorial. The temporary memorial was packed with visitors - we had not expected that. We walked down to a fenced-in area that overlooked where Flight 93 drilled into a field on that fateful September 11 day. There were flags and flowers on the fence and the crowds were very quiet, somber, and respectful of this now hallowed ground.

We learned that the US Park Service has bought 2200 acres to protect this area and a beautiful memorial monument is under construction. An American flag marked the location of the covered crater where the plane hit as passengers fought for control of the plane hijacked by terrorists. A display room presented a time-line of that fateful day and what they know of the events on this flight through the phone calls and recordings. We left very emotionally touched and proud of those who fought back, preventing and even more awful outcome. The event speaks so strongly to the evil man is capable of absent of a personal relationship with Christ - there is no end to the evil that men are capable of doing. We took no pictures, it somehow seemed disrespectful. Hallowed ground....

We had only passed through Johnstown previously and we enjoyed our time there very much. We stayed at a Comfort Inn that was hopping! There was a bus-full of a choir group from Pennsylvania and several hockey teams from a number of colleges. There were vans from the University of Charleston (SC) and other schools and there was lots of noise and activity. We were so tired, we passed out but it must of been bad because in the morning when we checked out, the staff apologized profusely and gave us an additional discount on our bill. Thank you for that! The night manager looked and talked like he had been through a very rough night and if he'd ever been a hockey fan, he clearly wasn't any longer - we gathered it was the hockey teams that had given him trouble most of the night. It even looked like he had blood on his shirt - we didn't have the nerve to ask about that! I wouldn't think you mix it up with hockey players! We felt bad for him but we managed to sleep through it all!

Sunday morning we spoke at both church services and at a breakfast between the two services. They had our name on the marque, which is always a bit un-nerving, but we felt so very welcomed and loved by this church. It was the final Sunday of a three-week missions conference and it was truly a privilege to be there. We got lots of good questions and had a delightful lunch afterwards at Eat-n-Park with two members of the missions committee; breakfast buffets are my favorite. "I just can't lose weight...it must be something I ate and ate and ate and ate....." We have got to get more discipline in this transient life we live!

Johnston is a nice town and I think one of those hidden secret kind-of-places that are so special. It is in and around a valley where a river runs and our GPS (Garmin) took us all sorts of crazy places as we negotiated the town. We left the conference feeling spiritually up-lifted and thankful for this church that truly has a heart for the Great Commission, which is the job description of the church - Go and Make Disciples. (Matt 28). We were blessed to have been there. We pray Your blessing on this precious congregation and its leadership.

Great weekend but have a mountain of paperwork I need to get busy on!

Blessings!

Dave & Ann

"The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims his handiwork..." Ps 19:1

"Fo his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So, they are without excuse..." Romans 1:20

Speaking

We had the opportunity to speak at New Song Community Church our first Sunday in Pennsylvania. We had a great time and filled in for the Pastor, who was away that Sunday. We know him well and have traded email with him numerous times while we were in Mozambique and will see him later this week. We also received sermon tapes from this church all during our time in Mozambique so it was a little different, in that we felt like we'd been attending services all along! It reminded me of when we arrived in Mozambique - through the prayer initiative, we felt like we knew everyone there and what was happening in the work, but they didn't really know us! We were greatly encouraged by our time at New Song and the questions we received spoke volumes - that the church was following the work in Mozambique and that they were praying for us. Very very encouraging to us! This traveling road-show lifestyle does not come easily to either one of us and this Sunday at New Song was a wonderful way to start our next 8 weeks of engagements. Thank you Lord for this precious and loving church!

And something I have to mention here - it is such a blessing to be attending services and singing songs in my heart language! I have not tired of that yet although I did start to stray into Portuguese a time or two when I was speaking - not sure what that means!

The photo shows our display table that Ann has set up, including our toy truck that speaks to our need to purchase another vehicle when we return. You can also see the small DVD player where we run a continuous 4 to 5 minute loop of church services, travel, and experiences in Mozambique to music we recorded in various church services.

The church is helping us with an open house this Thursday at 630 pm - all are welcome!

Dave & Ann

"Make me to know your ways, O Lord: teach me your paths." Ps 25:4

Pennsylvania and Headquarters

I have been negligent in writing since we entered Pennsylvania. We have found ourselves very busy, trying to reconnect with folks we haven't seen for some time. It was an emotional event when we drove over the Pennsylvania line and the tears flowed for both of us. Some dear friends have put us up in their spare bedroom and we share a bathroom with their precious daughter, who visited us in Mozambique a couple of years ago. We feel very comfortable here and it is a tremendous help and blessing to us. The only trouble is that they are feeding us way too well and the pounds are going on. Self-discipline is so difficult when everything tastes so good!

Our time at OMS headquarters was very beneficial and we were thankful to be updated on what is happening in the world of OMS and for the wonderful help to prepare us for our home-assignment travel and speaking engagements. Recent renovations at the headquarters building gave a professional feel to the facility and Ann liked the colors very much (red is involved! and they match the new One Mission Society Logo).

When you first enter the facility, you see this wall (photo) and the picture on the far right is of Dinis Ramos, one of our church multiplication trainers - that made us smile and be a little homesick. In addition, on the other side of the door on the left of the picture was another group of pictures, including one old picture of a Khongolote church service, and we knew the kids in the picture and knew how much they have grown since the picture was taken!

We were updated on a new computer program that will help us manage our mailing list and keep up with folks, and found out in the process that we have a few people who have helped us but unbeknownst to us

were not on our mail list - not good! So, we're fixing that. We also resolved some income tax questions (boring!) and other new administrative requirements that we're working on (even more boring from a blog standpoint!). Bureaucracy, what would we do without it!

The only thing that troubled us and even discouraged us was that there is no credible funding plan for the operation of our seminary and since our seminary isn't in as much financial trouble as other seminaries, we fall to the bottom of the stack. So, we are praying for new and innovative ideas for how we as a field can fund the seminary and are making this the center of our fund raising work over the coming months. It goes against our business sense to just spend into deficit until it becomes a crisis!

We hope to raise some scholarship money for individual students that can help us defray the real costs of our school. We feel a great responsibility for this as we recognize that the seminary is key to the continuing growth, stability, and self-sustainability of the OMS work in Mozambique. But doing the same old tired things over and over expecting a different result is not the answer - so we are praying that God would help us with some fresh ideas. We've been corresponding with our colleagues in Mozambique about all of this.

We left Indianapolis feeling privileged to be a part of the One Mission Society, having had a bit of a glimpse into the many different OMS ministries across the world.

While there, we received our official medical checkup by a doctor quite known for his knowledge of tropical medicine. I lost count of all the tubes of blood they took out of us to test for various exotic things. We left with a good bill of health but strong admonition to get more exercise and not let the food of America put pounds on us as our weight was good. We are not doing well on the food and exercise as of this point. We are still waiting on our final

blood results and we did get de-wormed again because we did have the problem a number of times in Mozambique (didn't you just want to know this little bit of information - euuuuuuh).

We visited many friends and supporters in and around Greenwood, Indiana, including a former colleague who had served in Mozambique. All of these visits were an encouragement to us and we found that the more we talked about our time in Mozambique, the more excited we became for God really did amazing things during our time there.

This last photo is of some of the people who manage the Every Community for Christ (ECC) program that funds our church multiplication work in Mozambique. They are special dedicated people with a passion for church planting and it continues to be our joy to work with them.

Thanks for standing with us!

Dave & Ann

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

Traveling

Tonight, we arrived at OMS headquarters in Greenwood Indiana, where we will be staying this week for meetings. We will be staying in a small apartment "on-campus". We have a full schedule but probably won't have much to blog during this time. It's a time of reviewing what we need to accomplish before we return to Mozambique, debriefing, and reviewing our furlough schedule. This will also be the time we establish our funding needs that we have to meet before we can return.

Part of our time is getting checked out by the OMS contracted doctor, who is also a specialist in tropical medicine. I think that means that he studied in the tropics or only uses medicines from the tropics or maybe he wants to live in the tropics? ;-) We don't have any issues that we know of but they want to do some blood work and see how we are doing compared to five years ago. We pretty much had a checkup in South Africa not too long before we left, so there shouldn't be anything new to learn.

We haven't heard too much from our colleagues in Mozambique. We understand that the Kelly's have arrived, which will be a wonderful addition to the team and we pray the make the adjustment to living there quickly.

We stopped at a Kroger grocery store on the way in to Greenwood, Indiana tonight to pick up some fruit, cereal, and coffee for the morning. We were really wowed by this store - America is so blessed - the grocery stores are just unbelievable. So nice, so easy. Wow! We still just stand and look at the aisles of food, overwhelmed. Tonight, Ann said - you go pick out a cereal box - it's just too overwhelming for me tonight. In Mozambique, we were overwhelmed if the store had any cereal - one or two varieties was a treat!

On our way here, we passed through Nashville to see the Grandson. At one point I was just sitting holding him and looking at him with tears running down my face. I asked Ann, how is it even possible that I can love this little guy so much, so instantly!

Blessings to you this week.

Dave & Ann

"Thy kingdom come...." from the Lord's prayer.

Thy - not ours

Kingdom - you are the king now; nothing happens that You do not know about.

Come - return Lord Jesus, but not until all you intend have found the joy and peace from knowing you. While I want you to come quickly from a personal standpoint, there are so many in this world who do not yet know You. Bring them to you, bring workers to the harvest field so they can hear the Good News!

Tragedy in our Field

We received a text message during the night that the 8-year old daughter of one of our Christian School Teachers had died last night (actually her 8th birthday is today). Our colleague, Larry, was summoned to the hospital where this dear child had been taken. This is a deep tragedy for our team and for this dear single mom who was from another country herself, bravely serving as a missionary teacher. They were a part of our team and she and her daughter attended conferences, meetings and were a daily part of our colleague’s lives through the Christian School. This dear child was sweet and extremely smart – brilliant actually, with incredible potential. She was sick last week but actually feeling better and was in school early this week.

The information is slowly coming in and the doctors are narrowing the cause down to some tragic and aggressive disease. We won’t know cause for a couple of weeks, and it seems that as humans, we want to understand cause as we reach inwardly and heavenly to try and understand; we trust You and Your mercy, but these things are so difficult Lord.

The normal and daily pressure on our colleagues is already monumental; Father in Heaven, strengthen our dear team, draw them together in this horrific time as they sort out all many things that must be done in this situation. Bring the right people to the side of all our colleagues, comfort those who grieve, strength those working in the background, and shower your mercy and grace upon all of them. There really are no words; there is only Your presence.

The funeral will be at our seminary on Saturday.

All of our days are truly numbered. Our hope is in You dear Lord. Amen.

Dave & Ann

“In Christ alone, my hope is found” from the song by Keith Getty and Stuart Townsend