Seattle

Tonight I am in Seattle, looking forward to being with Xavier as he receives his doctorate degree from Bakke University tomorrow.  It is a privilege to be here with him and to present him with a congratulatory letter from the mission President.  Xavier is currently a professor and the Registrar for the OMS Seminary in Maputo.  He has an impressive resume that includes heading up the Bible League in Maputo, overseeing church planting work in a variety of countries in Africa for the Into-Africa Project, church planting work in Mozambique, church planting work with OMS seminary students, and initiating special classes on the Theology of Work and Alleviation of Poverty.

Ann and I have always been very fond of Xavier and his wife Marta and it is a privilege to be here in Seattle with him.

I enjoyed meeting some of his fellow students from various countries in Africa.  They all said the same thing, it has been a long and challenging road but they are all very happy to have finished well.  These are a few photos from our day today.

I look forward to seeing what how God will use him to change Mozambique for Christ.   He is an amazing fellow for whom I have a great deal of respect.

Much love.

Dave


"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way."  Ps 37:23

Xavier (middle) and some Doctoral Classmates

Fifth Generation Church!

Four times a year, we issue a listing of all the church plants in Mozambique, who their leaders are, the approximate membership, and other statistics relative to the churches.  This report was just issued today and I am very pleased to report that we have our first FIFTH generation church.

This means, a church, that planted a church, that planted a church, that planted a church, that planted a church.  Those are expanding circles of influence impacting multiple communities and families with the Gospel.  In church planting, we talk about instilling "church planting DNA" into the churches, so it continues from one church to the next - that this gospel will branch out from one place to another to another.

I was so blessed to see this - and thank God for how His Spirit is moving across beautiful Mozambique through the dedication of wonderful men like Pastors Juka and Abel.  May God guide and protect them as they do so much to change lives for eternity.  Pray for this new church in a place called Chirrute.

This made my day!   We serve an amazing God.  

See the attached pictures of a baptisms in a Nevogorro yesterday.  Pastor Juka, my dear friend, is in the tie.


Dave & Ann


"For the LORD is good.  His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation."  Ps 100:5

Celebrating Graduations in Mocuba

In previous postings, I have written about the evangelism and church planting program we were privileged to participate in during our time in Mozambique.  The program consists of a four-year structured program where church leaders were trained.  These young men and women start churches in their communities and at the conclusion of their training, can be ordained as pastors in their denomination, assuming they have a good testimony and meet the other requirements outlined in the New Testament.

Juka, our church planting program coordinator sent us the wonderful photos of the graduation ceremonies in Mocuba.  Denominational leaders made the long journey from Maputo to participate in the special event.

We received the photographs with joy at this milestone in the church planting program in Mozambique, but also with heavy sadness because we were not there to share in the joy of the event that culminates what we were working on the past years.  Yet at the same time, they are doing a great job and it remains clear that our time there has concluded.  What a privilege it has been - truly.

You will notice that the meeting is under a temporary structure built from the roofing material that was blown off of the training center in the recent cyclones that passed through Mozambique.

 As it is the tradition in Mozambique, the graduates received a special shirt / covering identifying them as the graduates and they also received Bibles and books to celebrate the day.

The graduates were honored by sitting at the front of the assembly.

One of our most prolific church trainer / planters, Dinis, is shown in the white shirt at the front of the assembly in a couple of the photos as he was a key participant in the event.  Dinis was one of the leaders ordained in a special service last fall in Maputo that we had the privilege of participating in.

In this photo, Juka Fernando is on the right and next to him is denominational leader Daniel Maduel, who also teaches in the seminary in Maputo, and who made the long journey to participate in the wonderful event.  Daniel was the keynote speaker.

In this photograph, Juka Fernando and his wife Elina are passing out the gifts and certificates.

As you can see, our precious church leaders did a marvelous job of hosting and setting up this event.  We are so very proud of them.

With much love,

Dave & Ann

 "You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.  Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus."  2 Timothy 2:1-3

"...guard what has been entrusted to your care...."  1 Timothy 6:20


Father God, bless them, guard them, and keep them as they serve you in Mozambique.  Amen

E Letter

We've received a number of notes that seem to indicate that some of our friends did not receive our email newsletter that occurred time-wise between our last two blog postings.  So, we are including the bulk of that text below, although updated a bit.  Yes, it is true that we have left Mozambique and are presently state-side.  This was a sudden change but we realize God is over all of our plans and steps, all are ordered by God  May you be encouraged by realizing all that has been accomplished.

Milestones  

March 2012 Village Pastors Graduate from the rural training centers.  This is the first graduation at our extension seminary sites.  Thirty students will graduate, thirty more will graduate in August 2012, and 10 will receive certificates of participation.  Many of the student pastors have already started churches and some of those churches have planted other churches to the 4th generation.  Over the last 4 years, these students have studied and received guidance and discipleship from their training pastor.  Now the training pastors will start new training centers in other unreached areas, thus expanding the Village Church Planting (VCP) program.  May God provide all that is needed to saturate these rural areas with churches. 

February 7, 2012  classes began for the 3rd year at the Maputo Biblical and Theological Seminary.  We are especially thankful that the VCP training and the foundation year of our Maputo seminary are essentially the same, bringing standardized theological instruction to all of Mozambique.  Our Maputo seminary students planted 23 new churches this past year!  All of the seminary educational focus, whether at the Maputo seminary or the village training centers is focused on pastoral training, church planting and multiplication.  Xavier (professor at the seminary) told us that when the students received the training, they said "we have to do what we have been taught for the Glory of God" and the fruit was 23 new worshipping groups.  Only God can receive the glory for this!

February 2012 marks our 5 year anniversary of service.  During the last 5 years, we have labored to develop 14 rural training centers, each training men and women to plant and pastor churches in unreached village areas under the guidance of the OMS 'Into Africa' program.  Simultaneously, we endeavored to develop a young denomination, Igreja Evangelica Palavra Viva, to have a 'Great Commission' heart.  This has been a monumental effort and came with tremendous struggle and sacrifice and would have been impossible except for the Lord's provision.  One of our long standing goals was to push into the Niassa province with VCP.   A new training center will open in Niassa in mid 2012. Thanks be to God.

Reorganization, Redirection and Resting in God's Hands

We have spoken before of the OMS Mozambique reorganization.  In times of war, changes in strategy, personnel and equipment are used to bring a fresh assault.  In missionary work, we are in a full war.  We have fought many battles and continued forward as God gave one victory after another.  But, make no mistake, the battles have been costly.  At this time, OMS has decided with an intentional strategy to reorganize our Mozambican team and work.  Let us all support this plan with prayer.

We have been asked to move into the overall Village Pastoral Training for the Portuguese speaking African countries.  We are praying about this expanded role now and will be speaking and meeting with our South Africa and US partners over the next few months to understand the logistics and specifics of such a change.  This is not an obvious or easy decision for us and we need to know we have God's Call to move in this direction.

The Mozambique Village Church Planting (VCP) work will remain partnered with the OMS partner denomination, Igreja Evangelica Palavra Viva.  After these years of modeling, assisting and discipling, we have released the management of our work to the Mozambicans we have trained.  We think the evangelism and church planting work will continue to grow and thrive as it is God who has chosen this time for us to release the work.  Cover this change of command with prayers of protection and provision.  The Wesleyan Church has come along side to lend support during this transition with logistics related to the Jesus Film and coordination and selection of new areas for the training centers.

As our days in Mozambique have come to an end, we wish to thank you all for standing with us so faithfully.  We are now praying for the green light to accept the expanded role with OMS South Africa or other roles within the world of OMS.  Please pray with us.  A change in country and work is not easily done lest the Lord direct the way.  We hope to have something concrete to share with you very soon regarding future missionary assignment.

We remain thankful for our support team of individuals and churches.

Prayer Needs:

Pray for wisdom and vision to discern the next step to take in ministry.  We have many decisions to make in the coming weeks.  May all that we do bring honor to God.

Pray for protection and guidance for Igreja Evangelica Palavra Viva as they step out and step up to reach their country for Christ.  They will now partner independently with the Into Africa project and move toward a ministry partnership with OMS.  This is a big step for OMS and for PV.

Cover our field team with prayer during the months of February and March as many events and changes are occurring.  

The first graduations of the Village Pastoral training will take place in the north of the country, the Maputo seminary began it's 3rd year on Feb 7th.   

For now, we are resting in God's hands

Love,

Dave and Ann

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."  Proverbs 16:9

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."  Proverbs 19:21

Back in the States

Our apologies for not writing.  Much has been happening in our life and in response to some changes in Mozambique, a season of prayer, and an answer to prayer we could not deny, we have returned to the United States.  We had five wonderful years associated with the Mozambique Church Multiplication work but our time in Mozambique has concluded.  It is not what we had expected or planned for, but at the same time, we totally accept this change in direction.

As we noted in our recent email letter, we celebrate the 120 plus churches planted during the five years we were a part of the Village Church Planting (VCP) program in Mozambique.  We rejoice in the 15,000 decisions for Christ coming through that ministry - it was amazing and it was an honor and a privilege to have had a small part in what He is doing in Mozambique.  In March we have 30 village church pastors graduating from the VCP program with others graduating in August.  Our VCP trainers will be moving into new areas under the auspices of the National Church as the cycle of Model, Assist, Watch, and Leave comes to a close for us.

Our national church leaders had a good-bye dinner for us at the seminary before we left, where we were able to share memories with each other.  It was a tearful time for all of us as we have been a part of their lives the last five years; in their homes, praying over their struggles, participating in weddings, funerals, birthday parties, and life in general.  We love them so and it was clear that they loved us.  We have gone knowing full well that they have taught us so much more than we ever brought to them and we rejoice in how God has moved in their lives.  We have learned so much, but the things we have learned were not always the things we expected to learn but rather those things God in His sovereignty knew we needed to learn.  He is good all the time. 

Ann teaching a couple how to monitor their blood pressure

What honored us the most was when the church leaders said that what made us different was that with us they experienced "freedom and liberty".  We felt such joy at that statement - that the trials and tribulations were worth it.  As with our own children - our desire was always to foster independence, not dependence.  We didn't have all the answers but we all had the same Father, who did!  We must seek God alone for the solutions to our difficulties.

Christianity is not a list of rules that you must follow to prove yourself worthy in some fashion.  The Bible teaches us that all of us have fallen short of the glory of God, none of us is righteous, no not one….It is only through His Grace that we are saved, not of works, least any of us might boast.  If it is anything except unmerited favor (Grace), then we would have no hope at all and what we believe would be little more than a clever system of rules that allow some to lord it over others, as the scribes and pharisees did in Jesus‘ time and were called out by him for it.

Yes, our precious church leaders walk with God and hear His voice and who are we to presume we have the answers for their lives?  We can pray together and seek His face together but His counsel will always exceed ours, always.  We firmly believe in the OMS stated vision - to train nationals to evanglize their own country; to equip and release leaders; to plant churches.  We know we leave this vision in the capable hands of the national church leaders.  We remain passionate about the Into-Africa project method for planting church throughout Africa - a model that has generated over 11,000 churches in 10 years.

We have been offered positions in a number of places including other missions, the Into-Africa project, and in our churches.  We are praying over all of this, seeking to know what He would have us do next.   We have targeted the end of the month as the date by which we hope to have clarity as to our ‘what next’.  To that end, we head for OMS headquarters in the morning to review some of the opportunities in front of us.

Thank you for standing with us for this time - we will get back to you very soon on the ‘what next’.  He is in control.

May God continue to bless the church and His work in Mozambique and all those who work to further the gospel in this beautiful country.  May He also bless the seminary students and staff in their new term which began today.

We are currently in Knoxville, Tennessee where one of our daughters lives.  Today we were investigating moving into an apartment - next door to the first apartment we lived in as husband and wife in 1975.  It is a strange world and there is nothing new under the sun.

Blessings all.

“Who among the gods is like you, O Lord?  Who is like you - majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?”  Exodus 15:11

Into-Africa Year End Summary 2011

The director of the Into-Africa Project, issued the following email summary of the work.  I have a link to this project on the left of our blog.  Mozambique is one of the Into-Africa countries using the Village Church Planting strategy.

I thought you might enjoy his celebratory note of what great things He has done!

"Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Greetings in the Blessed Name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

A year ago, when we sent out the VCP Annual Statistics for 2010, we quoted from Psalm 66 and prayed that the Lord would bring us all to “a place of abundance”.  Indeed, in terms of Village Church Planting, 2011 has seen unprecedented rapidity spring forth in several wildernesses.  The Lord our Redeemer manifests His power, breaks the power of oppressors, and transforms wastelands into harvest fields!

Preliminary reports for the year ending 15^th December 2011 show our VCP Church Registry reporting 1,005,330 members in 16,718 churches across 29 African nations.  The year on year growth in members was 397,503 (65%) while new churches initiated was 7,281 (77%).  Hallelujah!  Our Lord reigns!  It is not by might or power that this disciple making movement occurs, it is the unstinting faithfulness of our God who brings new deliverance attended by an awesome display of His loving kindness. 

   

Yet we must pay tribute to the army of harvesters across Africa who work diligently in these fields; their faith, focus, and faithfulness has made them effective harvesters in the hands of our Heavenly Father.  These labourers have been tested: they know what it is to go hungry, be displaced by war, opposed by fanatics,  have burdens laid on their backs, and men ride over their heads.  Yet they can now claim ‘God is bringing them to a place of abundance’.  (Ps 66:10-12)

We also pay tribute to our many partner denominations who embrace the VCP ministry philosophy; it is primarily the pastoral training component that is central to the church planting and disciple making movements that attracts them to join the VCP movement.  They too help us keep record of the church plants and provide letters verifying our registry statistics.  This verification process has enabled us to weed out errors, and now forms a vital part of our reporting.

To our donors and intercessors, you are vital cogs in these movements, heaven records your faithfulness. God has surely listened and heard your prayers!  Please continue the race with us, you lift our arms up as the battle rages!

Pray with us that 2012 will continue to see an outpouring of God’s Spirit across Africa and indeed to the ends of the earth.  May one million members become as one grain of sand beside God’s ocean of love. 

We look forward in anticipation to what God will do in the year that lies ahead.

In the only cause that counts,

Bruce Bennett,

Executive Director,

OMS South Africa.  " 

Wow and wow!

Dave and Ann

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

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)

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!  

Church Planting

Our passion here continues to be church planting but in a general sense, the fruit has been sparse during our absence.  But, there is something exciting happening as well.

Our desire has always been to keep the seminary and the church planting work here aligned - tracking together.  The first year of the seminary (bible college) program is very similar to what we teach in the villages over three years.  With that is an emphasis on evangelism and church planting.

One of our seminary professors (Xavier) is an experienced church planter who has excited some of the students and they are going out on the weekends and applying what they have learned in school.  With that passion and excitement, the seminary students have themselves started 13 church plants around the Maputo area, something we haven't been able to do successfully in the Maputo area.  These plants cover a variety of evangelical denominations, as our seminary represents more than just our OMS-founded denomination.  This is quite exciting to us and we look forward to seeing what God will do in the lives of these students through the works they have started. It's a vision coming to fruition.  Very exciting.

We have bought a vehicle - but today is a Mozambican holiday related to the signing of the peace accords ending the war.  We hope to get the insurance worked out in the next couple of days and we should take delivery in the next couple of days.  It's not fancy by a long stretch but it should serve us well over this next term.  I'll see about a picture in the coming days if we can get the Internet speed thing squared away.

Today we finished spraying the school and remaining houses here for mosquitos and did some heavy-duty rat baiting.  We were a bit over confident and had a small get-together this evening outside and ended up with a few mosquito bites.  Drat and double drat.... Got to be more careful with repellents and the like.  Two of our Mozambican friends came to us this morning with sick wives that could be malaria, flu, or maybe morning sickness or some combination of all of those things!  The answer is testing at the clinic, which we were privileged to help them with, but not medicines they thought we might have.

Blessings this holiday in Mozambique - from Mozambique.

Our colleagues, the Weils, have left for their well-deserved furlough and have safely arrived in Canada, for which we are thankful.  I lost track today of how many things we wished we could have asked them about!!

Dave and Ann

"Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days...Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children...."  Psalm 90:15-17

New Technology for Evangelism

In Mozambique, we use the Jesus film in our evangelism outreaches.   As I've written previously, this film has been translated into hundreds of languages included the more predominant tribal dialects in Mozambique.  It is based on the book of Luke and people are moved and respond to the message of this film.  But, this requires that we haul a generator, gasoline, a big screen, speakers, amplifiers, microphones, wires, repair parts, tools, stands,  - you get the picture. You need a big 4-wheel drive truck to show the movie in a remote location....

But things are changing and we've always been interested in doing new things, taking advantage of new technology so that outreaches can be more cost effective and practical.  There is this on-going battle with mankind always willing to assert with vigor, "but that's the way we've always done it!" regardless of whether it makes sense or similarly being resistant to change, any kind of change, or just immediately assuming it's just too hard and 'can't be done.'  It's programmed in our nature for some reason.  What do you mean try something different?  Are you crazy or something?   We're simply excited at the potential this may represent for our work this next term.

In this picture, instead of a pick-up truck, Ann can carry the same equipment in a small pack and run it off of a battery that is charged by a solar panel.  The solar panel is in her left hand and folds up into a small flat package.  The equipment will run for several hours on a charge and there is certainly lots of day-time sun to recharge in Mozambique.  It has the amplifier, speakers, screen, and LCD projector, all in that little pack.  Our church planter/pastors can hop on their 50 cc motor scooter, their bicycle, or their two feet and take what they need with them and still show the movie.  It should work great in the remote areas where we work in the northern provinces.

A few of our supporters have gotten behind us on this effort and encouraged us to give it a try.  If it works for us, we can get more in the future, and we also have the equipment for loading different language-versions of the film onto the SD cards that are used by the equipment.  Modern, small, and efficient.  Can't wait to try it out!  It's really much cheaper also than all the other stuff you need.  We'll let you know in future updates how it goes!  We can also load messages and other things on the SD cards as well - exciting stuff!

Great project and kudos to Ann who really grabbed hold of this and made it happen.  It goes in the shipment we are sending hopefully in two more days.

Plus, no moving parts!

Blessings,

Dave

"Look at the nations and watch - and be utterly amazed.  For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told."  Habakkuk 1:5

Some Sad News

In the last couple of weeks, we’ve been writing and texting back and forth to our village church planting coordinator in Mozambique.  A scheduled pastor training conference didn’t go so well with one of our key trainers rallying others around him against others at the conference and he has apparently been an instigator of some of the unrest going on in our established churches.  To top it all off, it is alleged that he attempted to have the final paperwork for our training center land registered in his personal name rather than the name of the church denomination.  The conference ended in disarray and two of the national leaders took the problem to the National Assembly who took disciplinary action against the leader.   It is tragic; it is heart breaking; it is shocking; it is simply sad.  We had put so much faith and trust in this individual and were looking to him for leadership into the future.  From what I am hearing however, I am not certain that the fallen leader has truly been given ‘his say’ and perhaps that is a cultural thing where with me I like to think the accused needs to be able to face his accusers.  There are always two sides to a story and we need both sides to learn how to improve in times of relational failure, with a goal of reconciliation.  We have prayed; we have shed tears; we have tried to provide counsel but in the end we are all subject to the choices that we make and the consequences that they bring.

So, while we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called by him, sometimes the path can be rocky and painful as we are shaped and molded into His image.  But in the end we can have peace for He is in control and He will certainly accomplish His plans, with us or without us.  

The church planting work is progressing and a new work is developing between Gurué and Milange and we are thankful for the continuing moving of God’s Spirit in Mozambique and look forward to returning in what is not so very far off now. 

As I read the news and sometimes peruse the comments on various stories in the news, I cannot help but be taken aback by the raw hate and ill-will voiced in the comments.  In our own country, it seems we are becoming entirely polarized into hate groups as people strive to justify their own views; we are incapable of extending grace to those who walk a different path.  It is as if a great evil is again arising across the world and the world is hungry for someone, for anyone, to come and provide some assurance that personal peace and affluence can be retained or gained, however that looks in whatever culture.  It seems that times of great darkness come before times of great blessing.  But, the Bible teaches us that we cannot find peace when our focus is on ourselves - it just doesn’t happen.

Maybe that is why Jesus said “I am the light of the world” for he knew that times of great darkness would fall upon man as he fell into the wisdom of his own madness.  What other hope is there absent of relationship with the One who loves us so much?  Where else can we find the light of hope?

As I write, there is a great darkness coming over the mountain with tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in the forecast.  We have had wave after wave of such storms over the past few months.  A precursor to the darkness of the times.  This day has brought so much pain and suffering to so many and our hearts grieve.

There is an urgency in the air.  Come quickly Lord Jesus.

Dave & Ann

“The city (the new Jerusalem) does not need the sun or the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God gives it light...Behold, I am coming soon!  My reward is with me and will give to everyone according to what he has done...Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life...”  Rev. 21:23 and 22:12,17

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