Sunday in Xipamanine

The past Sunday, we visited a small church in Xipamanine. It is a simple lean-to structure in basically a dark slum on the edge of Maputo. The church is basically a family that OMS has been involved with since the beginning. Jorge has faithfully led the small congregations for years in this very spiritually dark place. On this particular Sunday, it was essentially all family members with many children from around the community. Jorge brought a great message and his younger brother assisted him with worship as did several of the younger people in attendence. As we sat there, I could not help but praise God for Jorge and his family’s faithfulness in the face of tremendous odds. Jorge has a group of young guys he is working with one day a week; we recently visited him while the group was there – wonderful youngsters seeking a good adult role model – Jorge is a good one.

This photograph is of Jorge and Regina at his graduation ceremony last November when he completed our seminary program.

After church, we just sat and talked with Jorge for a very long time. He just finished high-school, doing very well and passing all of his final exams, something that is rare here. Most have to take at least a subset of the exams more than once to finish and there is always the question of paying for grades. However, in Jorge’s case, the country has moved to more standardized exams (multiple choice) and computer score cards (in the big cities); his was the first class to use this new technique. Still, many of his peers had to retake the exams.

He has wonderful hopes and dreams and I love to hear him talk about them. He wants desperately to attend University to study Human Resources and continue his education but lacks the necessary finances. He has been looking for work since January without success although we did a little “connecting-the-dots” to try and help him with a new business we knew that was hiring. Like so many, after many months of job hunting with no luck, it is difficult to stay encouraged. He also wants to marry and has a lovely young lady who wants to marry him but again, the job, the house, the bride price, the party – so he waits. Jorge presents himself well, has a very gentle and kind spirit, is intelligent, has completed our seminary program, and speaks a little English – it seems that there should be a good job out there for him. We really pray that he can find work to help his mother and family in this small parcel of spiritual light deep in an inner-city slum known for its witchcraft.

This is one of the difficult parts of the work here. I want so badly to "parent" him and send him to school and do so much more (if we had infinite resources!), but he is well into adulthood (late 20's), part of what I call that "lost generation" who missed the early school because of the problems in the country, but who faithfully continued even late into adulthood to get their education. He is to be respected for his efforts and we really feel the best thing for him right now is to work and continue to grow his ministry. I think he would absolutely blossom with some decent work and that would encourage him also with his church and ministry.

Bless him Lord for his faithfulness…Open the doors that need to be opened!

Dave & Ann

“May the LORD repay every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness….”1Sam26:23

After the Funeral

Olga has called us this week a number of times. Her husband died (see my earlier blog about Paulo's funeral) and she is left with a set of twins and a baby. She called us asking for money for transferring the children to a new school near her mother's where she is now living. We asked why she wasn't living in her house in Khongolote, and she said that Paulo's family wouldn't allow it and she was afraid to live there. We asked her if she had approached the church and she said "no" and we encouraged that. She was reluctant to do so.

So, we talked with the church leadership to find out more about Olga's situation because we can so easily "get it wrong" with the language and cultural nuances. Today, I sat with the church leadership to talk about what they do for orphans and widows and then specifically what they think about Olga's situation as her needs will be ongoing. The story I received was not very pretty.

On the evening of the funeral, Paulo's family told Olga she must leave with the children as the house they lived in was in the name of the family and they had paid some of the money to build it so she must move. In addition, they told her that they had been to their witch doctor and put a curse on her so that if she returned to the house, she would be killed. It became ugly and she left with the three children to live with her mother in Xipamanine, a dark-slum area near Maputo. Apparently there is some bad blood between Olga and her in-laws and I knew that the marriage was a bit rocky from time to time, but it would seem the family has a different view.

Paulo worked some for a large aluminum smelter here occassionally and had accumulated a few benefits and the equivalent of some social security money for the children. However, the death certificate issued by the government was delivered to the house and Paulo's family holds it and won't let Olga use it to obtain her meager benefits from the government. The church leaders are trying to meet with the family to work out a solution but to date haven't had much luck because his family is not Christian and they are heavily into the 'dark arts' as I like to call them.

Under Mozambican law, it is my understanding that the house is supposed to go to the wife and children and that if we can get Olga to go to one of two agencies with the government, she may be able to get some help. However, there is a kind of reluctant fear that prevents many from approaching the government on these kind of issues (probably for good reason!). But, first she needs the death certificate.

So, she is basically out-in-the cold (figuratively - you've never in the 'cold' in Mozambique), living miles from her home and church and feeling totally alone. The church is trying to encourage her along but the relationship is difficult and now geologically distant.

The leadership encouraged us to help her through this first crisis and they would speak with the family and figure out what to do with the next crisis that will most certainly come if she doesn't return to her home. It's a complex and mirey mess of broken relationships, greed, and spiritual darkness. Please pray for Olga and the kids and the church leadership as they work through this mess. Pray for us as we meet with Olga this week to provide a little help and encouragement.

May God be honored in all that we do in this situation and I pray that God will protect these precious children who had a godly father taken at such a young age. Their horrified and downcast faces will be forever etched in my memory when they first saw their father's face in a casket. Come to their aid dear Lord and may we be your hands and feet.

Dave & Ann

Pre-school update

I've really been having fun every Wednesday working with Carlos at the Khongolote pre-school. We've worked up a budget for the school, we developed an Excell notebook to help him keep up with students, payments, expenses, etc. From the budget, we're able to figure out how to plan better for the future. So, right now, he is imputing the information from the first of the year and soon it will be very easy for them to understand exactly where they stand. They are licensed by the government to receive up to 70 students. In the picture, some of the kids are 'exercising' to the beat of the drum. They are absolutely precious.

The leadership of the pre-school continues to want a small bus to take the children to and from school (extra fee for that!). This is something the government is pressuring them on as well. I think they have the funds to operate a small bus (like a minibus) but they don't have the ability to buy one out-right. So, that becomes a matter of prayer for God's provision. I cringe when they fill the small VW beetle with little kids and head off to deliver the children. They are renting the beetle, but it just isn't the best from a safety standpoint. We think the small bus will open up the school a little more relative to taking the student population to the top.

Carlos is a lovely and godly man and he thinks very critically about things. I have always found him a joy to work with. He challenges things and thinks things through very well. I've been able to teach him a little about the computer (an old windows 98 thing that barely works and I hold my breath on it continuing to work!) and he has been able to teach me about pre-schools, language, and culture. He has a very good mind for business and had developed a very nice system of tracking things in ledger books but he lacked a way to pull it all together simply to see where they stood.

He is also in leadership at one of our churches and is thinking about how to better apply what he is learning to running the church. I find all of this encouraging and am praying for the opportunity to assist the T-3 folks as well who have not been as open to our assistance with the business end of things. The T-3 preschool continues to operate and the number of students continues to grow as people discover it is open again.

I think that each week we make a little progress and it is a task I truly look forward to each week. It's not a big thing I suppose, but certainly one that I think will have some long-term pay-off. In the one picture we are talking about the program and in the other, I think he is looking at me trying to explain something and thinking, "what on earth is he trying to say?"

Blessings.

Dave & Ann

Two Weddings

In what we often call our “past life,” we frequently went to weddings and receptions as it is an important part of any culture. Each culture and even family has its traditions and expectations based on the culture around them, what they have experienced, and what is ‘normal’ for the cultural context. I remember very vividly the dramatic differences in weddings in Idaho, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina and am sure that much of it is culturally driven. This is not necessarily good nor bad, but simply a reflection of the local cultures. Here, the culture puts amazing demands on a couple and as a result, many simply live together, have children together, and never marry because of the cultural barriers that come into play. So, as missionaries, we face into some interesting challenges when people are called to be Pastors and church planters and yet are not married, or maybe have multiple wives.

I am daily challenged in my thinking to realize that all the cultural bias I brought to Mozambique is simply that, bias. I must cast that aside and simply look at God’s word and evaluate the practices by Gods’ word and nothing else. However, even that is fraught with challenge because we all cannot help but read God’s word through our individually culturally-fogged glasses, praying that we might cut through and see God’s truth as simply that, TRUTH.
One of the interesting things for me here is that outside of the cities in Mozambique, life is not so different from the culture that Jesus walked in over 2000 years ago. The stories of the Bible carry direct relevance into the culture here and do not need to be explained, because people truly understand them as written. I have also found it easier and easier to read the Bible ‘as if I was there’ because as I sit on the mat on the floor of the house, I sense that it isn’t so very different now as then. With that comes great encouragement through a different kind of understanding of this timeless book.

Last weekend, we had two weddings of people who are important in our lives here. The first was for one of our Trainers who is tasked with training church planter-pastors as a part of our church multiplication program. We have been ‘encouraging’ this wedding for a very long time and trying to help our trainer through the cultural struggles. (See first photo) The second was for one of our OMS Counselors whose friendship and counsel we treasure greatly. The challenge for us was trying to be two places at the same time, a situation we find ourselves in frequently here and so we have readily adapted to the African proverb “to arrive late means that you were able to attend…”

So, for this blog entry, I’ll write about the second wedding, first. You may remember that last September, I wrote about a dear lady we knew who had died of Malaria. It was sudden, tragic, and touched us deeply. Well, this was our Counselor’s wife. I remember after the funeral, sitting and praying with this man of God in his living room. He loved his wife dearly but still has children at home and because of a previous stroke, he himself has need of someone to help him. So, he boldly asked that God would provide a help-mate for him. It was pure from the heart and full of love and admiration for the wife he had lost, but still a heart-felt cry to God. It was one of those defining moments where you just felt the very presence of God in that quiet place as we prayed together – almost a light shinning in the room kind-of-thing.

Well, here we are six months later and God has answered that prayer. It’s a beautiful story. Our friend and his late wife were very close to a couple in Xai-Xai where our friends frequently taught at a Bible College. The two couples did everything together and had been fast friends for many years. A few years back, the husband of the lady in Xai-Xai died but the friendship continued. Then the wife our friend died and the friendship continued…..to a decision to marry. The photograph is of them at the wedding.

This man is dearly loved here and a wedding here is a two and often three-day affair. We had many responsibilities in our Trainer’s wedding and had to choose and decided to attend part of the second wedding Sunday after church Sunday. We went to the church wedding of our trainer in the morning and left shortly afterwards, arriving around noon at the second affair. Our Pastor friend had the church service in the morning in the area around his house and it had just ended when we arrived. A large area had been set up with a tarp overhead for shade from the strong African sun. Two large mango trees provided additional shade for the others and I estimated several hundred people in attendance.

We were brought in to two chairs under the tarp that had been reserved for us. The bride and groom were seated next to each other with the “God Father” and “God Mother” of the wedding (called Padrinho and Madrinha in Portuguese) on each side of them. As is the tradition here, they were extremely composed, looking very stern, formal, and serious. However, our dear friend did let us see a bit of a twinkle in his eye when we arrived, which warmed our hearts as we knew he was glad we had come.

We arrived at the time the wedding gifts were being presented and that process continued as we walked around and quietly greeted all those we knew (and didn’t know!). These greetings are extremely important culturally and it can take quite a while. We had our name added to the list of people presenting gifts and sat quietly to enjoy this outward demonstration of love for this couple. A man acting much like an “MC” would announce who was next to present and the group would assemble together with their gifts, and then break into song, slowly dancing their way to the area in front of the couple. Then, as the singing continued, the gifts were presented, giving to the Padrinho or Madrinha, who in-turn would provide to the couple, who then passed to the Padrinho who placed it on the table. In some cases, fabric or clothes were draped over the couple, or dishes were provided as “his and hers” with specific instructions that bordered on fun harassment – a great time of laughter and joy. And through it all, the couple keeps their stern look – I’m thinking it must be a cultural challenge to see if you can make them smile! Another man would then write down the gift and who it was from in a small book so the appropriate ‘thank you’s’ could be delivered later at a later date.

When our name was called, we gathered our gifts and since I can’t sing or dance, I challenged the wedding singers/dancers to help me and taught them a new song (thanks Kent Eller for the idea!), and we had a great time singing and dancing and presenting our gifts. It’s not if you can, if you’re good or not, it’s just participating and being part of the process.

Afterwards, a dinner was presented of rice, shema (a corn dish used like rice and similar to grits but MUCH better), chicken topping, and beans with soft drinks. I sat next to one of our other OMS advisors and across from the couple and we enjoyed a wonderful time of conversation. Then, it was time to cut the cake – here you cut the cake into little squares and pile them in a bowl, and everyone takes a little chunk of cake. The bride and groom travel through the crowd feeding the cake a piece at a time to the people who helped with the food or otherwise assisted with everything as a way of saying ‘thanks’.

Then, it becomes a time to talk, fellowship and people gradually depart. Our day started at 7 in the morning and by 7 that night, we were home – a wonderful time but exhausting as my brain starts smoking (short-circuiting) after about three hours of Portuguese.

We did visit with his son and daughter in law, who used to live below us when we first moved to Mozambique. Their daughter, Leonora, was born two days after we arrived and we can easily judge how long we’ve been here by Leonora as she continues to grow. However, they are struggling as Leonora’s dad doesn’t have work right now and so, like so many, they struggle to keep things going each day. In addition, he seems to be having more and more health problems, which is a concern. We spent quite a while just listening and offering suggestions. We make it a point to visit with them from time to time as we feel God has put them in our path for a reason.
As we were leaving, we were asked to take people home – something we do quite a bit of in this land where you use chappas to get around or you walk. The Pastor’s house is way off the beaten track with limited access by chappa. We were able to communicate some with our riders but most didn’t know Portuguese, only the tribal language, so it became more of an exercise in traveling to known landmarks (Shop-rite, Matola), and then upon arrival saying “left”, “right”, etc. So, language in Mozambique is always a bit of a challenge with the older folks, but the younger ones are all good at Portuguese (and some English) because of the emphasis on education.

In the end, I just kept remembering his prayer for another wife – a prayer that he said with certainty and trust while deep in my western mind I’m thinking, “wait a minute – you’re old like me – how are you going to remarry at this point” and yet, six months later, we see the answer. Lord, forgive me for my unbelief! It sounds like the story of Abraham and Sarah and I’m Sarah….

Blessings!

Dave & Ann

“Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.” Gen. 18:13-14

Motorcycles - my change of heart

As a part of our church multiplication program, we are authorized to purchase an occasional motorcycle to assist the leaders of this program to visit with new churches, conduct training, visit trainers and church planters, and generally further the work in our more remote locations. It can be extremely helpful because transportation he is always very much a challenge because people rely on buses, minibuses called 'chappas', and walking. I’ve previously written about the terrible corruption involved in getting a driver’s or motorcycle license and we’ve had great struggles getting people licensed to the point we’ve moved more to “mo-peds” because you don’t need a license for them. Others are doing the same, because we are seeing more and more of these 50 to 90 cc motorcycles dodging in and out of traffic here.

In addition, we’ve had a challenging struggle with a very nice bike we sent north and the repairs have been considerable because we aren’t there to mentor and help with teaching about maintenance and general care. In addition, we were told people had licenses, who didn’t, and after bailing people and the bike out of jail, etc. for driving without a license…. and after the last ‘rebuild’, we said “that’s it with this bike, no more money for repairs – take care of it or next time we scrap it.” So, I’ve been a bit soured to be honest.

We had also bought a nice Chinese 'road and dirt' bike in Maputo not long after we arrived, planning to send it north. However, the fellow who was to drive it could never seem to pass his driver’s license test, so, based on our other experience, we refused to send it until he had a license. So, it sat on our property for a long time and I’d start it and drive it around a little, just to keep it going. Yes, I know, it was tough but someone had to do it!

Our southern church multiplication coordinator was finally able to get his license and we started the process of training him on driving and caring for the bike (previous entries) and it has been a joy to watch this work unfold. He comes by quite often now as he has this new mobility and he is much more active in the multiplication work in Maputo Province because he can easily get where he needs to go in a reasonable amount of time. His skill as a rider has dramatically improved and his care of the bike is good and improving with his increasing knowledge and experience. It seems to have given him more confidence and given him more time for ministry in his church, the denomination, and the work we do with him in our church multiplication program. Instead of being satisfied to accomplish one thing in a day, the bike gives him the opportunity to accomplish multiple things because the uncertainty of transportation is removed. His entire work ethic has been shifting as he accomplishes more and more. Today, as he drove off, I couldn’t help but praise God for the opportunity to watch this wonderful man’s life open up a bit more because of a simple motorcycle. I’d never have guessed the blessing it has become.

Next week, we will be doing routine maintenance, changing oil, and that sort of thing. Thank you God for the leadership Pastor Abel provides, for his heart for you and your work, for his friendship, and for his faithfulness. Protect him on the roads as he travels to and fro joyfully doing your work.

(PS - he normally wears a helmet!)

Dave & Ann

“… The Lord preserves the faithful….” Ps 31:23