Happy New Year

Church at Sao Damasco

It is amazing that we have passed another New Year’s day in Mozambique.  The years are clicking by way too fast, as I’m sure many of you can attest to in your own lives.  Of course, it really is just an arbitrary day on a man-made calendar not unlike any other, but it provides wonderful opportunity to think about where you have been in the last year and where you might be going in the next!  We are in the midst of such an analysis, proud to have had a small part in the planting of over 120 churches in the past five years and approximately 15,000 decisions for Christ.  What a privilege it has been but there is a change in direction here taking place, and we are sensing that God may soon be moving us in new directions as well.  We look forward to seeing what He will do in the coming year and we seek only to walk in His path for we, like sheep, are far too dense to see the divine picture and plan.

Purchasing Bibles at the Bible League in Maputo

Due to various scheduled times out of our team members, we spent Christmas here in Maputo with two missionaries on short term assignment here (Kyla and Phillip) and with our friends the Brains who are with the International Mission Board (IMB) and preparing to return to the states next week for their own furlough.  Ann hosted Christmas dinner here and everyone pitched in for a traditional meal and my precious wife, who’s love language is ‘gift giving’ had small gifts for all.  

The culture here pretty much closes down mid-December through mid-January, usually due to heat (not so much this year! PTL (so much for global warming)), and many take holiday time.  It is a time of family and friends, but Christmas remains a bit sedate in the churches, where-as ‘all the stops’ are pulled out for Easter.  

Chad, Ann, & Sergio with Solar Jesus Film Equipment

We have re-stocked our church planting supplies, including new Bibles in a newer easy to read Portuguese translation as well as local tribal dialects.  These will eventually find their way to our church planting pastors along with new training materials for children.   In addition, Ann has some translation work in progress translating the OMS human trafficing material into Portuguese for use in our training centers spread throughout the country.  This remains a problem in Mozambique and a South African city right over the border is reported to be a central hub for this kind of activity.  You feel a heaviness when you drive through this town, and it may be because of this horrible sin impacting so many.   In addition, we hope to have the translation of new Village Church Planting Pastor materials underway in the coming weeks.  (Six new manuals have been completed, which will replace the 23 booklets we are currently using and which are difficult for us to obtain and reproduce).  

We are partnering with the Weslyan work in Xai Xai on setting up and using our solar powered Jesus Film equipment.  Chad, shown in this picture with the hat, and his friend Sergio have a sound lab at the Bible College in Xai Xai and can do the requisite computer work to get the Jesus film moved onto the SD cards this equipment uses.  They will make it look easy (the advantages of youth!) and be able to get it into use quickly.  What a joy to partner with like-minded folks reaching Mozambique for Christ.

"Grandma Ann" with Tristen & Jocelyne Helm

While we were in Xai-Xai, we stayed with our missionary friends, Jason and Rachel and enjoyed just spending time with them and kids.  Our lives have been enriched through friendship with this dynamic couple who serve with an organization called Unitas Inteternation.  They have established a fish farm (among other things), where they are growing fish to provide food and funding for the Xai-Xai Bible college.  They also oversee a farm where they have chickens, beef cattle, fruit trees, fruit, and vegatables for sale, with the funding all going to support the Bible College.  Not without challenges, they perservere for the cause of Christ.   I was able to help Jason install a water tank in his attic - a two hour job that took the better part of a day - like all plumbing work!!  I’m not sure how much I really helped, since we had to ‘re-do’ it about three or four times before we got it right!  Isn’t that also par for plumbing work.

The Helms in Xai Xai

Christmas at new "Pic n Pay" in Maputo

Kyla and Phillip, our short termers serving at CAM, have been here since last summer, serving in the Christian School operated by OMS.  They were getting a little stir-crazy with the school down for the holidays, so we took them to South Africa with us to pick up things for the school, check the mission mail, do more eye exams (Ann) this time.  We came back through Kruger Park, (I know, someone has to do it!  ;-)).  We had a delightful time with these precious young people, who have stepped out in faith to see what God might say to them as they serve here in Mozambique.

Some missionaries we knew here who are not coming back to Mozambique, left many things in storage here thinking they would be back by now.  I’ve been spending a few days here and there getting their things ready to ship back to the States.  The hard work is done, although now it is the detail stuff, getting it through customs and the like.  We need to get their stuff shipped, to free up storage space needed by the OMS School.   That has been a joy for this family served many years in Mozambique and partnered with OMS on many occasions.

We’re in the midst of Mango season and the cashew fruits are coming in, so there will be much preparation of cashews in the coming weeks.  I was discussing these things with some Mozambican friends yesterday and there is much tradition associated with the cashew and preparation.  There is the nut and the fruit.  The fruit is used to produce a kind of wine (we saw it on the side of the road while we were traveling to Xai Xai) and there is a cultural memory of killing and eating elephants this time of year as the Cashews come in.  I asked if they had ever eaten elephant, and they said ‘no’ but they have heard the stories and there is supposed to be great power in the eating of elephant and the cashew wine, but they stay away because there is also witchcraft involved in all of this.  Oh Africa, oh Africa, there is such a spiritual darkness that is so much a part of culture…. That explains the stories I also heard in Tenga in 2007, where a lone elephant came through the area to be feasted on……

We wish you a happy new year.  More importantly, we pray that God will reveal himself in new and powerful ways this year.  There is much happening in the world and there is much ‘spin’ on everything you read or hear.  It seems so much like the time of Israel in the time of the Kings, prior to going into captivity; the countries are different, but the stories are the same - rebellion against the Creator and a worshipping of men.  There is nothing new under the sun.

So today, we leave with you what has become our favorite and maybe our life verse from Romans 15:13: 

“May the God of Peace, fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in Him, so you might overflow with hope, by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  

It’s all about Him - it is not about us.  Overflowing hope comes from trusting He who is always faithful.

Happy and blessed New Year.

Dave and Ann

Mr. Elephant in Kruger Park

Phillip & Kyla

Rya Brain re-arranging our Nativity Scene

James Brain enjoying Christmas in Mozambique

Ann opening presents from her Precious Pearls

 

Ann's (formally Mabel's!) Christmas Tree

Traveling

Friday we received the call that our car was repaired and ready for pickup. We had to have the 4-wheel drive rebuilt and the windshield replaced and reset because a water leak (rusted out) was causing electrical problems (like the lights and flashers coming on in the middle of the night!) and yes, it cost about a gazillion rand - whatever number is in your head - go higher!

Around noon we headed to South Africa, honestly dreading the border crossing because it was Friday afternoon. However, we were pleasantly surprised (thank you Lord!) and made the crossing without delay and picked up the car, dropping off the one we were renting from our Christian School as it was due service. We drove back home, crossing the border again without delay and were home shortly after dark. With our car done, we have a short window of opportunity to drive north to check on our church multiplication work in Zambezia, resolve some problems with a land purchase for a seminary extension site, and work on some other issues that have arisen. So, Monday morning we will leave very early for the two-day drive, stopping to visit some new missionaries we know living in Beira.

Today was a day of preparations as we needed to assemble our training materials, purchase some Bibles for distribution, some mosquito nets, some medical supplies, and a few other things we needed for the trip (like a new tire repair kit - we will need new tires after this trip!). Also, word is out we're going, and friends and family of our Juka and Elina are bringing things to take to them so the car will be full. We're looking forward to the change of pace. Our field schedule becomes extremely full for the next several months so we knew if we didn't go now, it could easily be October, November, or even December before we could make it.

The photos are at the Bible League where we purchased the Bibles and discipleship materials, part in Portuguese, part in the tribal languages of the area where we are going. The Bible League operates out of the garage of a house in the center of Maputo and the lady, Rose, is always a pleasure to deal with. She speaks good English but today we did the entire transaction in Portuguese. I had forgotten that she spoke English and as we were leaving, she said "See you next time Dave and Ann!" in English - and we laughed. She gives us a decent discount because we have purchased so many bibles and materials from her during our time here. In the remote areas we will be visiting, there are few Bibles and they are received as great treasure. The few we see in the villages are shared, dog-eared, worn, and marked in; well-used. They are also a great item to give a policemen when they pull me over to check my papers instead of the bribe they are normally looking for.

Some of my friends ask where is Ann? She is in each of the pictures above - right behind the camera!

I look forward to sharing with you about what all is happening in the north when we get back. I'd written that our new camera died but somehow the old one decided to start working so we should have pictures! We're wondering if the bridge will be open or if we will get to use the Ferry one more time to cross the Zambeze River. The news reports are that it is very very close to opening.

So many things we could write about, the seminary class students we talked to this morning, the church discipline that is once again in review after comments have been incorporated, the Christian School picnic at our place last weekend, how I trashed the computer at Khongolote trying to add a new drive to a Windows 98 computer, about a dear man we know who lost his job in a conflict between linear western thinking and more circular African thinking, my plumbing exploits, Ann's removing stitches from someone's hand, all of Ann's nursing exploits, a special baptism service, a couple of sad stories we learned counseling with some people - just too many things and not enough time!

As a final note tonight, Belarmino Junior is growing rapidly and the family is doing great. The photo is of Ann holding him while we visited with them a couple of days ago.

Thank you for standing with us!

See you (well - write to you) in about 11 days!

Dave & Ann

"I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:10-11