Our Shipment has arrived!

On a hot day on June 9 we said goodbye to our shipment as Suddath International took our ministry supplies and personal effects away in a waxed cardboard box.  We wondered if we would ever see it again for we had been told 'it can't be done!' (to ship things to Mozambique).

Today, October 28, it arrived!  A little worse for wear but intact and praise God, nothing was damaged.  Of great concern was our electric piano that we were the most worried about as it was on the top of the box.  However, although the box was beaten a bit, it had been off loaded in Dubai, in Durban, and in Maputo - I can't complain!  It has been like Christmas today as we had completely forgotten what we'd sent - wedding dresses, audio bibles, Jesus film equipment, music, books, clothes, blankets, baby dolls, kitchen things we can't get here.

Our receiver (Glenscare) got it out of the port without difficulty and there were no additional charges, which was how it was supposed to be, but one never knows!  Great experience and for any of you shipping things overseas - you have our recommendation.  We also extend our thanks to the International Missions Board (IMB) who connected us originally with Suddath.  There you go - another shameless recommendation!

God is good to all of us, all the time.

Blessings.

Dave & Ann


"O taste and see that the LORD is good.."  Ps 34:8








This last photo shows that our little Boabab tree is starting to sprout new leaves.  There are trees like this in the north that are huge beyond belief.

Books

In an earlier post, I wrote about a recent visit from representatives of a church in Brazil, who has it origins 50-years ago from Japanese immigrants to Brazil, who were from the OMS-founded church in Japan.  God's network is amazing and cannot be defeated.

The CONIM church in Brazil had purchased books for our seminary.  We were in a bit of a quandary as to how to get the books to us from Brazil.  Our shipment is still not delivered after four months and we cannot help but worry about how to get things here from overseas with any kind of surety. I still painfully remember an entire large book bag of our personal books that never made it to Mozambique.

So, the idea was to experiment, send some this way and some that way.  Well, today, a box mailed to our address in Machava, arrived at the down-town post office in Maputo and somehow they linked the OMS address in Machava to our down-town post office box (that seems close to a miracle!), and dropped a note that we had a package.  Melvin picked it up and took it to the seminary.  One box has arrived - and we pray that the other 9 will as well.

In the photo, Dave, Jim Pickett, and Daniel Maduel are inspecting these new portuguese books that are a huge blessing to the seminary and its students.  Thank you Lord!  Thank you CONIM.  May the other 9 boxes make it as well.  These new and current books - what a wonderful wonderful gift from our brothers and sisters in Brazil.  THANK YOU!

Ann is in this picture also - behind the camera!

We had a very encouraging meeting today with our Seminary Director and we had some really great break-throughs in thinking that left Ann and I very encouraged.  Jim is a great addition to our Mozambique team and we praise God that Jim could join us to lead the seminary while Don is on furlough.  

Blessings.

Dave and Ann

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you."  Is 26:3

Church Planting Conference

This past week, we were in Johannesburg, South Africa to attend a church planter's conference at our OMS South African headquarters.  It was a last minute thing that we were invited to by our OMS Regional Director, who is also the head of the OMS South Africa Office.   We attended a similar conference in our first term and it was good to reconnect with church planters from all over Africa.

We each presented the work for our various countries and it was exciting to see how God is moving across Africa.  This program partners with established church denominations in target countries, sharing the vision and strategy for church multiplication as supervised by Africans.  I see great wisdom in the strategy, which functions with minimal missionary support - it's a departure from the standard missionary model, which challenges thinking of lots of people.  However, when I consider the statistics of what has been accomplished with a minimal staff, it is with certainty that this church planting movement, which was birthed out of South Africa, will be remembered as one of the major movings of God's Spirit in our time.  It is exciting to have a small part in such a program.

We heard stories of great and wondrous things in countries that I am not free to mention because of the opposition that might result.  Suffice it to say that Into-Africa is working in approximately 1/2 of the countries in Africa and over 10,000 churches have been planted since the program began around 2003.

In addition, Into-Africa is beginning a pilot program to reach into these churches with training and assistance for the communities covering eight target subject areas, things like healthy living, conflict and crisis, family, HIV training, community mobilization, to mention a few.  A dynamic young couple who were born in Africa but have lived all over the world, bring a energetic and dynamic enthusiasm to this new part of the Into-Africa project as they focus on orphans and the disadvantaged within our churches.  It is the next step in a process of building the church.

I have something like 37 pages of notes from this conference that I need to boil down into things we can carry forth to our Trainers who are training and raising up new leaders throughout Mozambique.  We can include this in our next conference.

This particular conference was in English with translation into French as we had a large number of attendees from French-speaking countries.  Maybe my brain is changing, but I was following some of the French as my high school and college French tried to seep out of my hardened brain!

We stayed in a lovely guest house (bed & breakfast) for the first few days and then moved to the house of some friends of our Director, who also serve on the board of OMS South Africa.  We were blessed to make new friends in South Africa.

We are back in Maputo - our shipment is here, but still not out of the Port.  We hope this will conclude in the next couple of days.

Next to our house today, after a wind storm, a young owl fell to the ground. Interesting fellow and we are hoping the mother owl will keep him fed and protected in the coming days.  He moved around the base of the tree with the shade - it was really hot today; a true scorcher.

We started our day by taking missionary friends to the airport and afterwards unloaded some books we'd make copies of for our trainers and attended church at the church that meets in our Seminary.  It was the first time back at this lovely church since we've returned.  Great sermon by a young man who attends our Saturday certificate-level classes at the seminary.

I'm writing from borrowed Internet - we were so spoiled in South Africa with wonderful access to Internet - still don't have our poor internet situation resolved.  Would appreciate your prayers for this - it just seems so unnecessary (to have this poor service) and we need a reasonable solution.

Blessings to you this Sunday.  Thank you for standing with us.

Dave and Ann

Four Questions to Ponder:
"Where are you?"  Genesis 3:9 - God asks Adam after the fall for He wants relationship and we need relationship with our Creator.
"Where is your brother?" Genesis 4:9 - As God asks what happened to Abel for he cares about each of us and our relationships one with another.
"Who am I?"  Exodus 3:11 as God asks us to recognize who He is.
"What is that in your hand?" Exodus 4:9 - as God shows us that he can use the simple things of life to accomplish great things, for if we understand who He truly is, if we are in relationship with him, and if we are open to what he would have us do, He can accomplish great things through frail people like us, so that only He can receive the glory.  It is not about us, it is all about Him.
(From a devotion given at the church planter conference)

Heartbreak and Culture

In my earlier blog, I mentioned the Brazilian team.  While they were here and occupied with another activity, one evening we went by the main hospital in Maputo to visit the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit).   One of our Mozambican friends who has helped us very much over the years with translations and general assistance in circumnavigating the difficult bureaucracy here had married while we were on furlough and his wife had just had twins.  However, one of them was quite small and in the NICU.  The custom here is that the doctors don't tell you much unless you really insist and no one questions them or asks questions.  So, we see things like people with high blood pressure taking arthritis medicine and no one is asking questions.

Anyway, we couldn't get information from the family and Ann (and our dear team-mate Sharon - who has twins) were concerned that perhaps there was something more we could be doing.  So, Ann and I with one of the leaders of one of our churches went up to the unit before visiting hours and were to meet the father there.  We arrived first and even though we weren't supposed to be there, we are those ugly Americans who will talk to anyone.  Fortunately we had a Pastor with us to help us with the cultural things.  The first clue was that the baby's name was not posted on the hand-written list on the window by the door into the unit.  The second clue was that we kept getting the run-around (indirect culture) in the folks we talked to (no HIPA here).  Finally we connected nurse (Ann) to nurse and learned that the baby had passed away around 1 in the morning (it was about 1630 when we climbed the four flights of worn stairs).  The family hadn't been notified yet as the visiting hours didn't start until 1730.

In the culture, they won't tell the parents this information - you must go through an intermediary.  Had the father come up first, they would have told him nothing until an intermediary came.  This may seem odd but in a culture where conflict is resolved through intermediaries, it is consistent.  In our time here, we have seen how intermediaries can often deflect and disarm conflict much better than the directly involve parties, so we can see merit in this as we learn a new normal.  So, because we were there, we became the intermediary and it was our job to tell the parents.  Very very difficult and certainly a glimpse of cultural differences.  The parents had no clue.  The Pastor helped us with the clues and cues, but felt it was culturally our job and we have long learned to trust him.  We thank God for this precious man who loved us through this experience knowing our hearts were heavy yet full of love.

We were waiting in our car when our friend came up and we had to tell him this heart-breaking news.  He entered our car for the privacy it provided in a busy place.  The grief was consuming and after a time of crying and praying together, we went to his car where the mother was waiting with the other twin, who is healthy and beautiful.  Ann sat with her and told her this news.  Then we all cried and prayed together again.  After a time, the Pastor took them home where the family was assembling as notifications were made through text messaging.

In the culture, the next decision is whether to have a funeral / memorial service or to let the hospital "take care of things".   A memorial service was scheduled, but then canceled at the last minute, as the hospital did indeed take care of things.  It is different but in a culture where infant mortality is very high, and baby's are often not named for some time, to be sure they are 'ok', it is not so unusual and we've seen this before.  It is different, it is hard, but can it be anything but hard?  I pray our words were enough for that horrible moment in time, but more importantly that God's peace and comfort reigned in this deepest valley.

A very hard day and the parents will be expected to suck it up and not speak of it again.  Very difficult, very different, but it speaks of cultural difference.  It is important we don't judge - it is not wrong nor is another culture right, it is just different.  The grief is real, it is huge, it is oppressing, and we must put our trust in the God of Hope, for there can sometimes be no words, no answers, and just our love for one another that overflows over a grief that is so strong.

Give them your presence and strength precious Lord.  Accept this child into your arms and shower your peace, love and presence on this precious couple and their surviving baby.   For it is only in you can we place our trust, even in the darkest of places.  Amen.

Dave and Ann

"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." 1 Corinthians 13:11


"Finally brothers,...comfort one another, agree with one another....and the God of love and peace will be with you." 2 Corinthians 13:11

Partnerships

 I am writing today from Johannesburg, South Africa, where Ann and I will be attending training with our Into-Africa church planting OMS colleagues.  We attended training here a few years ago but this year it is at the OMS South Africa headquarters, our first time to visit there.  We were invited by our regional director, who lives in Johannesburg and we were intrigued by the subjects which covered literacy training, mentoring, adult learning, along with the normal church planting strategy training.  So, here we are.  At the time we agreed to come, our shipment was supposedly "in the port" and delivery was to have completed by now, but oops, wrong data and the shipment should have arrived yesterday or today.  With unloading of the ship, the container, and the customs inspections, we may or may not receive our goods this week and our team has graciously agreed to receive them in our absence.

We have always loved OMS for the consistent strategy applied throughout the 100 year history: establish an indigenous evangelical denomination in a country and over a period of years, mentor and grow that denomination into a self-sufficient and growing denomination with a passion to follow the job Jesus gave to the church in Matthew 28: Go and make disciples, locally and in all the world.  About 50 years ago, an OMS work was started in Brazil that is now as the CONIM denomination in Brazil.  God has put the desire into the leaders of CONIM to engage into overseas missions and Mozambique is a logical connection because of the common language (Portuguese - although I struggle to understand Brazilians who make their 'd's' into 'g's', make their 'r's' silent and speak faster than Einstein can think!)   We have details to work out in how we meld OMS with CONIM with OMS-Mozambique but we serve a God of details - from the DNA strands that become a child or the plants who give us oxygen through photosynthesis - no detail is forgotten.

For several years now we have been writing back and forth with the OMS church in Brazil and this last week we were privileged to have two Brazilian pastors and one of our OMS missionaries from Brazil visit for about a week to explore first-hand the work in Mozambique.  Our regional director joined us and it was clear that to make this work, we must think a bit out-side-of-the-box and that always excites me.  There is that old saying that 'if you keep doing what you've been doing, you'll keep getting what you've been getting'.  We must continue to shift and change, staying relevant in the shifting culture around us.  It is not our nature as humans but we must be willing to embrace change.  While our message doesn't change, how we relate to different cultures truly does and should change.  It has taken me a few years living in another culture to really wrap my mind around that.  (PS - Can you tell who is going to be preaching in our T-3 church in this picture?  In Mozambique, if you wear a tie to church, you're preaching!)

And, as the church sadly diminishes in influence in the northern hemisphere, God is doing great things to raise his church in the southern hemisphere - His work will not be stopped.  Perhaps the craziness in the world right now is that 'one more chance' for people to turn their hearts back to the One who is above all others.  We place our faith in governments and leaders, only to be disappointed?  How easily mankind loses his way in this transient and short thing we call life.

Anyway, we had a great series of meetings with our Brazilian friends and we have laid some ideas on the table on how they can engage in missions in Mozambique, from sending seminary professors, to portuguese training materials, to work teams, to financial assistance from their church to our church, to on-field full-time missionaries.  Really, how cool is this; the circle coming around?  I get really excited because it is my hearts desire that eventually our dear Mozambican church will be able to do the same thing some day!  What an encouragement and vision casting for our Mozambican church leaders here - what a glimpse into the future of their denomination.  The passion and energy of our Brazilian friends was inspiring.

The assignment from our Brazilian friends at this point is for the Mozambique National Church to assign their own priority to the common list of potential partnership areas and we will see what God does with this.  There will be much to work out, as it is one thing to cast vision but an entirely different thing to get the details worked out  -  but pray with us that we will seek ways to break any barriers down and find out ways we can make it work; thus the 'thinking outside the box'.

Jesus film showing in North Mozambique.
Computer/generator/projector hauled in on Motorcycles.

One idea that we kicked around (thank you Bruce) is establishing a ministry partners board in Mozambique where the National Church, OMS, and other stakeholders (such as CONIM if they have people on the field) meet together with equal voice to deal with joint issues that move the overall ministry forward.  To date, we have been too divided - OMS on one side, the National Church on the other, and we walk separately sometimes.  For example, we didn't even engage our National Church about CONIM until late in the process - that isn't right and you could even use the word 'disrespectful' and we have asked forgiveness.  We aren't in a parental-child relationship; we are equal partners seeking to fulfill the assignment of our same High King.  One is not over the other, or we are nothing more than a different kind of colonialist.  We must never be....or as Pastor Jacó so eloquently said, 'we all serve and listen to the same God.  He will direct us together to achieve His ultimate will."  Amen.

But we must do this in humility, for God shows no partiality.

Church in Naritete, Mozambique

Exciting stuff.

Thanks for standing with us.

Dave & Ann


"So Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him." Acts 10:34


"For God shows no partiality."  Romans 2:11

Church Planting by our Seminary Students

A few blogs ago, I mentioned that our seminary students were actively planting churches around the Maputo area.  Exciting to see and one of our professors, Xavier, is doing a great job heading this up.

The students went out into an area on the outskirts of the Maputo area where we have a small village church.  Based there, they held the normal church planting class and then canvased the neighborhood in groups, visiting nearly 60 houses to share their faith through the use of a survey and see if the people in the house had a Bible or would like one.   To get the Bible, they will need to attend some classes by the students, the end of which, they will receive a new Bible.

Of course, food was involved - important in any culture, as the local church partnered with the visiting seminary students.

It is a great thing to see and exciting to watch the seminary develop tomorrow's leaders!

Thanks Xavier!  Thank you students!

We have no steady income stream for this seminary program.  Is God speaking to you?  See charge number to the right for the Seminary Students.  We're contributing to this personally ourselves as well, ever month because we believe in it and can see God's hand at work!  Join us.

Blessings.

Dave and Ann


I really think God is constantly searching the world, looking for a few people willing to set their pride aside and submit to Him, so He can transform them and through them change the world!  

Our Shipment

Back in July, we shipped a 53 inch square waxed cardboard crate to Mozambique by sea because air cargo shipments are virtually impossible for individuals to or from the States right now due to Homeland security requirements.  It is full of ministry related things as well as an electronic piano.  We received a call from our clearing agent in Mozambique today saying that our shipment was at the port and he hoped to have it cleared through customs by next Tuesday.  Pray with us this will go well; you can rapidly accrue very high storage and port costs if there are delays.  Pray for favor with regard to any duty we will have to pay.

In addition, we have a team from Brazil arriving tomorrow.  It's an exciting thing - the National Church founded by OMS so many years ago is now to the point of desiring to send their own missionaries overseas.  This is a great opportunity and of course, they come already fluent in the language.  We will be getting them at the airport in the morning for this survey trip.  This is why we love OMS - we pray that someday our church here in Mozambique will be self-sufficient and passionate about the job of the church as give by Jesus in Matthew 28:  Go and make disciples, locally and in all the world (my paraphrase).

They have already sent some books from Brazil to help with the seminary program.  Wonderful partnering together for the cause of Christ.

As an aside; we lost a great innovator in Steven Jobs yesterday.  Thank you Steve for this wonderful Apple computer I'm using, the touch-screen phone we use every day, and the ability to talk and see our Grandson grow via "Face Time," which is to Skype what a Mazda Miata is to a Model T.  May God open his arms to you and cover you with His grace and mercy.

Blessings.

Dave & Ann

We will all someday...


"fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives for ever and ever.  [We will] lay our crowns before the throne and say:

You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for You created all things

and by Your will, they were created

and have their being."

Rev. 4:10-11

The Pickup

Thanks to the generous assistance from our dear support base, we were able to purchase a new four-wheel drive truck.  It is a basic truck - stick-shift, 2.5 four-cylinder turbo-charged diesel (guys want to know that stuff!).  It was quite a process but we feel good about it.  We need to get the required safety inspection in the next couple of days as well.  It is one step above the basic level of truck because we wanted air bags for the type of driving we do to the north as well as the ABS brakes.  Can you believe they sell cars throughout the world without these things?  Or, maybe you are thinking 'oh ye of little faith"  Well, possibly, but I know people who have rolled cars and had major accidents on our crazy north-south "highway" and so I also don't want to tempt fate.

This particular truck is not available in the US - but we have confidence in the brand (Mazda) and the dealer was the only one willing to work with us on the price.  It is my second silver Mazda as some of you well know from my pre-missionary days so maybe there is a psychological thing involved - but again, I digress.

We had the side lights riveted to car with metal strips, along with headlights, tail-lights, padlocking the spare tire under the back, acid etching the license number on the lights and mirrors.  Stuff you do to try to make them less desireable to those who love to pry them out with a crowbar and sell them back to you on the streets.  The locked cap also allows us to carry things in the back that are less likely to 'run away' and the next stop light!  A continuing sad commentary on life here but a true commentary on the natural slant and predisposition of man.

Our next challenge is a new law just passed which requires us to surrender our US driver's license and obtain a Mozambican driver's license.  We spent much of Friday running from office to office trying to figure this new law out.  We even ended up in the head office for the country (those crazy Americans who will talk to anyone) trying to figure this thing out.  Everyone gave us a different story - but it is clear that it is a long bureaucratic process involving tests, money, and lots of time.  We are trying to figure it out for all of us here.  They "promise" that we can have our stateside driver's licenses back when we return to the States; pardon my skepticism.  I guess that means all of us will have to report 'lost' licenses to our state-side license agencies.  Thank you God for this opportunity to learn more about humility, patience, and Your grace that covers me.  May I use the time in the lines to talk with people who live in a lost and dying world of the incredible peace and hope that you bring, for You are the God of Peace and Hope, which surpasses the understanding of both those who do not know you and those of us who do.

Blessings and thank you so very much.  We hit our support account very hard to purchase this car and appreciate very very much for your faithfulness to us.  During our last term we paid a fortune for a 1998 vehicle and poured thousands and thousands into it in repairs.  We really believe this is a better way for us to go to be good stewards of our time and resources in this term, and in the end, as those of you who own cars know, 'you will pay now or you will pay later, but you most certainly will pay!'

Our last term, our car was known for the kid stickers we had on the windows - the kids enjoyed them.  Ann brought some disney and other static stickers with her this term and decorated the windows today.  The box in the back contains wedding dresses for our trip tomorrow.

Ann says I should go drive it through a sticker bush hedge and sideswipe something and just get it over with!  There was the Darlington strip (for you NASCAR fans) when the cars would slide up the bank on turn four and brush the wall, and here there is the Chappa (mini-bus) strip where you get side swiped because 1/4 of an inch clearance is, well, too much.  I love this picture of her and just include it here 'just because!'

And as life would have it, the young saleslady we bought the truck from actually lives across the street from our seminary and remembered us from a trip way back when she was learning English as a second language at our our small rooms at the back of the property when we met with the class with a team from our home church.  She only spoke a little English and so we kind of found our way through Portuglais (part of each language!).  Her name was Ana also and as the process is long, we had the privilege to spend much time with her and we really do sense God's hand on her life.  We thought she looked familiar and it took a long time of discussion to finally put all that together.

Relationships - those we meet along life's way - they tend to come around - it makes you ponder what kind of blessing or curse we leave behind us as we walk life's highways.  May we be children of the blessing.....

Blessings.

Dave and Ann

"I urge your to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love."  Ephesians 4:1,2

Wedding Celebration

This past Sunday, we participated in a 10-year wedding celebration at our T-3 church.  We have been attending this church regularly since we arrived as we didn't want to take our borrowed car (from a missionary friend) into the places we tend to go!  We have enjoyed that and enjoyed getting reconnected there.

Culturally, as in most cultures, Mozambicans celebrate weddings in a big way.  They also do rather significant recognition of wedding anniversary dates, 5 years, 10 years, and 50 years.  So, our 37 years - that will have to wait a few for a big celebration!  

Last Sunday, Isabel and Celso celebrated 10 years.  They are leaders at the T-3 church and we were privileged to participate in the ceremony which was very similar in all aspects to an actual wedding except that the vows were recommitments, which is a good thing that all of us married folks should consider from time to time.  I prepared my part of the ceremony, went over it with my Portuguese teacher, and then practiced it with whoever would listen!  Saturday I spent with the two guards who watch over the school and the property where we are living.  They had lots of good ideas and it allowed us to move into even more conversation about spiritual things.  I enjoyed that time under the cashew tree, just talking with these dear men.

The church started at 0900 and I think we left for the party a little after noon.  The celebration at their house lasted the rest of the day and we enjoyed singing, presenting gifts, and eating the standard party food, including rice, beef, chicken, cucumber salad with tons of mayonnaise, bread, a carrot salad, soft drinks, and of course cake.  There was also Shema, which I love, which is a corn-based meal much like grits.  And beans, always wonderful Mozambican beans.

I find myself much more relaxed at these affairs as we have enough language (with a long ways still to go) to converse and understand.  Such a far cry from when we first arrived over five years ago.  God is truly gracious and we thank Him for that wonderful provision.

A standard fair is for the singers / dancers to enter into a dance competition where one dancer challenges another and they dance to the song and clapping sung by all of us.  The challenged dancer attempts to keep up with the same fancy foot work as the sand flies and the sweat builds - it is truly amazing to watch and although to me they are both clearly outstanding, it to everyone else, there is always a recognized winner, who then challenges someone else.  Both men and women participate and I could only dream of moving that way.  There was a time that all the wedding participants danced with their wives within the circle of the singers and clappers, and we enjoyed that.

It was a great day and I did get to talk with one man at length about his life, his church history, and the reality of drawing close to God, which is different from attending church, and which is the key to a transformed life, which leads to the desire to be with God's people.   Leading lives of simple humility and casting away our foolish pride.

Speaking of pride, it is something God is always challenging me with.  Pastor Daniel invited me to dance with him (compete) and I declined - foolish pride.  I really need to get rid of that 'what will people think' thing - it would have been fun even though I would have been left in the dust - literally!    

  

Tomorrow we deliver a wedding dress to one of our rural churches for an upcoming wedding.  What a blessing these donated wedding dress are to the people here.  Thank you!

Wishing you God's blessing this day.

"Search me o God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting."  Ps 139:23

This young man is the son of one of the couples we have worked with and who was born while we were gone.  Say "Boa Tarde!" to Claudio, son of Marcos Zito and Anita.  Precious little fellow with wonderful parents.