Ordination Service

Saturday marked an historic day; one in which 4 pastors of our Igreja Evangelica Palavra Viva (IEPV) or Evangelical church of the Living Word, were ordained and another four were licensed for a 3-year term as they work on fulfilling the denominational requirements to be ordained.  I mentioned in my last blog that there had been a lengthy process for choosing these men.

Pastor Vaughn Telfer, OMS regional representative and former missionary to Mozambique came to participate in the proceedings.

It was a wonderful day with people traveling from all over Mozambique to participate in the proceedings.  As each name was called, the people from their local churches cheered - there was an air of both reverence and great joy / celebration.

Missionary Aimee Howarth and IEPV church leader Raul Manhissa were joint MCs of the event.   One of our Mozambican advisors also participated in the event.

It was a privilege to play a small part in this historic day, which is one more step in the growth of this Mozambican Christian denomination.

While Juka Fernando is down, along with Dinis Ramos, we will have a joint Church Multiplication Meeting this week, looking forward to this next budget year and the required planning documents that must e completed.

After the service, there were parties for the new pastors in various locations around the area.  We only had time to make two of the events, which provided a wonderful time for more celebration and of course, wonderful food.

Thank you for standing with us.  A day like today reminds of why we are here - and we pray that God will fill these church leaders in a way that leaves no doubt that it is Him who is leading this church forward; reaching Mozambique for Christ.  We pray He will fill them with a passion for reaching their Nation for Christ.

Much love to all of you.

Dave and Ann

"For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; while it is said, today if he will hear his voice, harden not your hearts..."  Hebrews 3: 14-15

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.

September update - Zaccheaus was a wee little man....

We haven't done an update because our Internet, that we continue to pay for, (ooh, I'm detecting some frustration here) has not worked since we arrived except at random times for maybe an hour here or there - I would estimate 10% of the time.  We keep trying to sort it out, but frankly it is very frustrating as we can't SKYPE, can't email, can't do basic business, such as banking.  We have even talked to the owner of the company trying to get some sort of assistance but as the saying goes, TIA (This is Africa).  So - that is the primary reason we have not written for a while.

We have returned to language study and are focusing mainly on pronunciation and better use of what we know already for starters.  While we were in the States, I really think our brains re-wired for our understanding and reading has improved quite a bit, but our speaking; well, there is this disconnect between my brain to a tongue that isn't used to moving that way!  It will be something I imagine we will always need to devote time to as long as we serve here.

Our time thus far has been mostly focused on getting settled back into life here and getting all the details taken care of.   Car shopping has also been interesting.  We have visited many places and the used market is a bit too scary for me.  The horror stories abound with people buying old vehicles for big dollars that breakdown a few days later, requiring thousands in repair.  We have narrowed our search down to either a Nissan Hardbody pickup or a Mazda BT-50 pickup.  They are roughly equivalent and similar in price and should do us fine here.  We hope to make that decision next week as we wait on their final 'best price'.  The Mazda people seem a little more ready to deal and the vehicle is much more comfortable - so we lean that way, but ultimately it comes down to price.  We've pretty much ruled out the Mahindra.  They don't have any right now and anything I can find on reliability and longevity is spotty or poor, so it is probably a case of "you get what you pay for..." It seemed reasonably made, but the fit wasn't great and they used lower quality metal on things I thought needed to be stronger, for example.  I wanted to drive one, but they didn't have one available.

We are trying to minimize driving the vehicle loaned to us by close friends and so we've been attending the same church in T-3 since we arrived (for that reason) and have enjoyed that as opposed to our traveling around like we did our first term.  We need to get around more soon, but want our own vehicle to go the places we need to go, which typically require 4-wheel drive.

Our shipment is still somewhere on the ocean between the US and here - the shipper calls us from time to time but basically to say 'it's not here yet.'  We'll be glad when it arrives.  All of our needed paperwork is in place, including our resident visas - so we don't expect any problems bringing the shipment into the country once it arrives.  We brought a couple of wedding dresses with us and shipped the others - we will be distributing the ones we have with us next week to support several weddings coming up in the next few weeks.  That is such a blessing to the people here and we are so thankful for the wonderful support from our friends in the States who donated their dresses.

Our Christian School that is now on the property where we have lived the last few years, and the grand opening ceremony was yesterday with speeches and performances by the children; and of course - eating cake.  Everyone had a good time.  Our part was to pick up one of our OMS advisors who participated in the ceremonies and who we count as a dear friend.  He lives quite distant but it gave us an opportunity to sit and visit with him and his family.  We know one of his sons and wife (and children) quite well and were pleased to find out that the son had entered our seminary program this year.   He is a young man with tremendous potential who went through a time of rebellion that God has miraculously brought him through.  We must remember to pray (and never give up!) for those who may seem to be on the wrong path, for the God of Peace can turn the hearts towards Him.

In the early days, we lived in an apartment in the city with Wally the dog; we've written about him in the past.  Our interim seminary director this year and his family are living in the same place and we visited there this past week and poor Wally.  The big scary black dog (with a sweet heart) has aged tremendously and could barely walk, see and all those things.  They are considering putting him down, which was sad for me.  I was always so fond of him, even though he did chew the mud flaps off our car when we lived there - until I coated them with Mozambican hot sauce.

We have been quite busy with administrative duties as it is that time of year but most of that is now behind us and we have started meeting with our National church leaders, one-by-one, to hear their hearts and understand the changes over the past year.  There remains much to do but the direction here has changed and we are quietly observing and trying to understand where God is taking the work here.

Mosquitos are unusually bad right now and we are spraying much (better living through chemistry).  Tomorrow, me and a worker are taking off the eve of our roof to install new screening as I think our mosquitos are coming in through the eve where heat excapes.  With malaria an ever present worry, one must take these kinds of things seriously.

Our health remains good.  The doctors in South Africa concurred with the doctor here in Maputo that I had experienced a vitreous detachment and my retina is good although we will need to return in a few months for a follow-up.  The visual disturbance from this in my peripheral vision is wearing but I'm getting used to it.  Our lives full as we engage into life here in Mozambique.

Our hearts are quite heavy for our family in the States.  That has been especially hard this time and compounded by the poor Internet - we feel like we are in a time of testing for this and other reasons, which is what the experts say is normal at the start of a second term.

This morning's sermon focused on a well known story - Zaccheaus was a wee-little man and a wee-little man was he.....(you know the children's song!) from Luke 19:1-10.  But as God so often does, he brought out something new in this very well-known story.  When Jesus told him to come down out of the tree (he had climbed up to see Jesus for he was a short man) and when he told Zaccheaus he was staying at his house that day, the Bible records how Zaccheaus responded in some detail.  Pastor Daniel emphasized this with great drama and action - the Bible says he came down AT ONCE and welcomed him GLADLY.  That was his response to the very King of Kings.  That should be our response as well, for we are daily distracted by the things of life, as was Zaccheaus, but we can respond, for Jesus is always there with His hand extended to us.

May you walk with joy this week.  May our response to Jesus this week be "com alegria" (with joy/gladness) as we respond to His leading this week.  He knows your comings and your goings, He knows your heart, but more importantly, as in the case of Zaccheaus, He knows your very name.

"For He's going to your house today, for He's going to your house to stay!"  (from the song).

Thank you for standing with us.

Blessings this Sunday. (No pictures - not enough Internet!)

Dave and Ann

"When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately.  I must stay at your house today."  So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly."  Luke 19:1-10

"Teach us to number our days aright; that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12

September Update

I haven't written for a while due to our incredibly busy schedule. So many things I could write about, but let me try a 'short' update on a few things.

One of the things that has really tied up our time is resuming Language classes. Being in our third year and still struggling with language,we felt that it was essential for us to resume formal study. Originally, the plan was to spend our first year in language study but that was just impossible because of the situation we found ourselves in. So, we learned "street portuguese" on the fly and desire very much to improve our skills. We have a relatively large vocabulary but our pronounciation is poor and our sentence structure is close to terrible. We signed up at the Language Institute and the class is moving along quickly because we really have a decent base and we're filling in a lot of holes in our knowledge. However, it is every day and with the homework and transportation, it's a five to six hour commitment every day. Our instructor's name is "Junior" and we get along quite well although we do drive him crazy with our American accent. He knows English but is refusing to speak it to us, which is good but can be a bit frustrating when trying to learn the finer points of language! We feel we are making good progress and are committed to 100 hours of instruction between now and December. It's just the two of us in class and we are at the same level of knowledge, so it is working well. We just had our first test (which was a surprise test!) and we will get our grades next week.

We had a wonderful seminary dedication as described in earlier posts, and have named a new seminary director, which we feel releases us from worrying about the seminary and was one of the things that we felt allowed us to resume language study. In this photograph, our OMS International Ministries Director (Randy Spacht - right (who visited with us earlier this week)) is standing with our new director, Don Hulsey (left). Don is our neighbor and has many many years of exprience in Africa and in Mozambique leading Bible Schools. He is steady, experienced, and fluent in Portuguese and the local dialect. We count him and his wife as close friends and are excited to have them partnering with us. He has already had a big impact as he knows the hard questions to ask but even better than just asking the questions, he can follow-up with reasonable solutions. We are absolutely thrilled at this. We've already had great discussions about the future of the seminary program and he brings to the table an incredible grasp of the reality of education and culture in Mozambique. Did I say how thrilled we are? Thank you Lord for this incredible answer to prayer - INCREDIBLE!

Last Saturday, we attended the wedding of one of our Mozambican Advisors' (to OMS) youngest daughter. It was a lovely wedding, probably the nicest of any we've attended here so far. This many, whom we are very fond of, and how has helped us so much since our arrival, is the National Superintendant for his denomination. As such, many people came to the wedding and the following dinner / celebration. We had great coversations and knew so many people at the wedding, which was also a great encouragement to us. We even ran into the "well installation" people and made arrangements for fixing the well at Intaka this November. There was much singing, dancing, and praising God as all celebrated the wedding of this young Pastor and his new wife. The first photo is at the wedding with the bride and groom in the middle with the God Mother and God Father on each side. The second photo is of us standing with our dear friends and parents of the bride.

One of the things that was a little different in the church service was how each of the God Parents spoke for the groom and the bride. So, are you thinking four people? Nope, lots more. There were those who stood with them when they were presented as babies and committed to helping them as they grew to young adults; there we those who stood with them during their baptism and committed to spiritual support; there were those standing with them as married people. (that's 12 people). And, then the God Parents for the God Parents of the bride and groom spoke as they saw this as a great thing that this couple had matured and grown to the point they were helping other couples. Then the grandparents spoke, the parents spoke, and other interested people involved in the lives of the bride and groom. They were eloquent; they were loving; they cared for this new couple and it was clear to me that this young couple had a tremendous support network, all desiring that they succeed as a married couple and as Christians. It was quite touching and a far cry from the fierce independence of my Western US heritage. The culture here brings with it great support, but relational responsibilities that boggle my mind. But, with it comes tremendous hospitality for one another, patience with one another, and a tremendous ability for tolerance as the culture works in the lives of its members. And, weddings that go for hours, if not days as all the relationships unfold and work. It is easy to see how Christianity, the concept of a loving father, and the command to love one another reverberate so quickly within the Mozambican culture.

All week long in the evenings the houses behind us have been full of music and celebration as they prepare for a wedding this weekend. The singing and dancing groups have been practicing. The tarps have been installed in the yards to make shade. It will be a noisy weekend and all day we've been listening to the Eagles, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, and other western music - LOUD. It will go all night I'm sure for the next three days as wedding celebration continues.

We're working with two more young couples we are trying to encourage through the cultural barriers so they can be married instead of simply living together. This photograph is of a young man with his sister-in-law, wife, and baby. He is in church leadership and very interested in helping us with the church multiplication program but we need to work through this marriage issue first. We have begun routine meetings to counsel with them as they take this new step in their life together. The young man is a hard charger who is always busy, working at the pre-school in T-3, doing construction work, and has been a great worker on nearly all of our OMS-related construction projects. It is such a pleasure to stand with him as he works hard to provide for his family, attends seminary on Saturdays, and serves in the local church. We are very encouraged to see how God is blessing his faithfulness. This couple has been together nearly three years.

In another case, we have a couple wanting our help to get married, but the fellow just isn't willing to help himself but rather is content and almost seems to be desiring some sort of a dependency relationship, which isn't good for anyone. He has actually almost been blackmailing us to help him finance his wedding - demanding in a sense, which is quite sad and heartbreaking for us. We have given him many leads on employment, but he doesn't act on them. So, we try to teach about God's design for marriage, but our experience in life says that this marriage is a train wreck waiting to happen. However, we tend to second-guess ourselves because we bring so much cultural bias / baggage - but we don't think so in this case. We want to encourage this couple but at the same time, we have so many reservations that they just aren't even close to ready for marriage. Pray with us.

Blessings to you!

Dave & Ann

"Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing is upon Your people." Psalm 3:8

T-3 Preschool

The pre-school at T-3 has grown to it's current government limit of 40 students and we praise God for that increase from the eight or so we started with (earlier blog). However, the re-opening wasn't as complete as we had thought. As it turns out, the preschool was given a provisional license to carry them through to November, at which time they will be re-inspected. There was a list of things that they must do before that date. The list includes: new foam matts with covers for all the kids (the old matts no longer meet the requirements); upgrades to the outdoor kitchen that includes a sink, water line (they carry water now from the front of the church), countertops, and a storage area; a shade area next to the playground area; small chairs and tables; and a few other things. None of this is particular high dollar stuff but it will probably exceed what the pre-school can do between now and November with a limit of 40 students. The pre-school has purchased some of the chairs, but they are worried about the other things.

They haven't formally asked us for help as the culture typically seems to wait until the very last minute (like the day before the inspection) and then tries to give us the problem. But, we were just advised about the provisional license limitations so I feel quite excited that we are now looking ahead and investigating options. That is progress! For example, they have found a relatively cheap place to get the foam matts prepared for about $5 USD each. But, here - $200 (40 X 5) is more than a typical month's salary and quite a large amount. Cement is about $9 USD a sack for the kitchen upgrades and we need 10 or so bags, a sink with block and the like are another couple of hundred dollars. The shade cover will be posts in the ground with a fabric cover over the top - a common structure in this land of intense sun, which can be done for another couple of hundred dollars.

So, progress continues but we continue to need a wee bit more cash to end this project once and for all. The pre-school is paying what they can, but I think we're going to need to come in with several hundred dollars to push them over the top. Got a few dollars burning a hole in your pocket? If we can get the government off our backs, the pre-school is self-sustaining and pays its own way, providing jobs for four people, a wonderful learning environment for the children, and evangelism opportunities for the family. Project 403320

OMS International
Project 403320 (T-3)
PO Box 1648
Monument
CO 80132-1648

Thank you so much to everyone who has already so generously helped us with the T-3 upgrades - the project is not in the red any longer thanks to our wonderfully generous support base. Thank you for helping us reach the nations for Christ. Thanks for making a difference!

Dave & Ann

"Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right." Pr 20:11

Good Friday and a Sad Story

Today was a day of preparation that ended with our showing the Jesus film in two different locations.  One in a more remote area outside of Maputo and the other in T-3.  While in the states for the conference last summer, we picked up a number of DVDs of the Jesus film, which is a vast improvement quality wise over the VCRs.  Tonight, we played it outside of the T-3 church on the road and had well over 500 people who gathered to watch this movie on the big screen.  I heard many talking about how clear the picture and sound was and people where absolutely drawn into it.   About 150 people responded and entered into the church afterwards to hear the gospel and be offered an opportunity to accept Christ.  We used the Tsonga version of the movie, a version of the heart language in the southern part of Mozambique and there were many comments about how clear the pictures were.  Some of the leaders at T-3 have helped with this equipment a couple of times now and so set-up and take-down went very well. I still fill the car with equipment even though we've reduced the size of components quite a bit. 

The Pastor wanted to use the Passion of the Christ (Mel Gibson's movie), which is probably a more accurate depiction of the agony of the cross, but it is also not something that we thought would be good for small children and there are tons of small children at these showings.  In addition, we haven't run down a Portuguese version of this film yet (Portuguese subtitles).  We do have a children's perspective version of the Jesus film that T-3 will be showing to the kids in church on Sunday morning.  

In any case it was a great evening although Ann stayed home - she is coming down with something, so I was only operating at 50 percent tonight.  She was missed - many people came to me worried as they seldom see us separate and many were worried - it has a different meaning in this culture where life is so short and unpredictable, which brings me to a tragedy.

Tomorrow we will be attending a funeral for a young man we knew well named Paulo.  He is in his late twenties and has three kids and a wife named Olga.  They are a lovely couple from our Khongolote church but for the last year, he'd been plagued with different illnesses and just did not seem well.  The official cause of death was Tuberculosis but you usually see TB in people here with very suppressed immune systems usually caused by other disease.  He was a wonderful dancer, song/worship leader and always up-beat.   He was sought after to lead dancing/singing groups at weddings and other celebrations.  This death caught us by surprise and we've received lovely notes from many former missionaries, all who knew Paulo well and who have fond memories of him.   I like best what one of them said, that Paulo was preceding us into heaven, leading the way for all of us.  

I worry about his young family and yet this story is played out all over Mozambique all the time and this helps you understand why the average life expectancy is in the mid-thirties here. 

Very sobering and it points to the absolutely urgency of the task to take the Gospel to the nations.  Paulo knew that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.  He knew his redeemer lives but so many others do not know the peace and assurance that comes with this knowledge.

Pray for Olga, the twins and their youngest and that God would continue to provide for them.  There are so many widows here like her.   It just grips my heart. 

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."  James 1:27

T-3 Preschool is Open!!

Monday was the opening day for the T-3 preschool. After a year and 1/2 of trying to get through the gauntlet of new government regulations, construction of a new building, training of teachers, and gaining the needed permits, the church finally has the license they need to operate at long last. Monday morning we visited and were greeted by the Isabel the school director seen in this picture coming to open the gate for us.

They started with only a few students on Monday, with more expected over the coming days. We hope to return to our former levels of nearly 100 students but it is good to start back up slowly. There was alot of crying and when Isabel left the room, the kids all started boo-hooing but it was music to our ears. After all, it is pre-school!... But we know she'll have them all happy and well adjusted in short order! Isabel, Luisa, and Theresa (the staff) were grinning ear to ear; the school is open at last.

We praise God for His faithfulness. It has been a long journey in this land where the harder you push, the slower it goes.

In the one photograph you can see the little kitchen room with the small fire where Theresa was fixing chicken and rice for the children.

Wednesday, the Khongolote pre-school has called us up to train them on health and business ideas for the pre-school. They are using a rented 1968 VW beetle (I'm not kidding) as a school bus, running the pre-school kids back and forth each day, making three runs (how many pre-school kids can you fit in a volkswagen?). They want to purchase the car, but based on the economics of the pre-school, I figure they are losing money right now just on the gas. They wanted us to help them purchase the car, which isn't a bad idea actually (to have a bus-type vehicle), but the tuition needs to cover it and that concept seemed to be lost somewhere. So, we'll sit down with the leadership and try to work through the issues with them. The government wants pre-schools to have buses but the economics just don't work; you can cover the operating expense, but not the initial capital expenditure for a small sized pre-school.

We'll sit with them Wednesday and work together on a budget for this current school year and see where that leads.

Ann is especially excited at the invitation to train the staff on health issues.

As an update, the rumor is that the police have arrested someone they think was stealing wells and they may have our well. Wouldn't that be a great answer to prayer! We're waiting for some of the people at Intaka to advise us on the next step. It is better if we don't show our face at the police station until they are ready for us to go get the well parts. Keep praying!

Blessings to you this week!

Dave & Ann

"Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me." Mark 9:37

Reflections on the Week

Another week has rapidly passed and I've been reflecting on what has all happened this week. So, maybe just a quick summary to help catch you up to date.

We did make a quick trip to South Africa to get the car fixed. I told the Toyota folks about the bad seals, and they did some more inspections and found several other seal problems with the suspension and parts had to be ordered. In addition, they are fixing the damage where I had a close encounter with a tree stump for what seemed like a very reasonable price to me. So, we had to leave our car and can't pick it up until the 10th of March. That's a bit touchy for us as we need the car then for a trip north on the 11th. In addition, we run into visa problems and car export / import problems if the date is extended, which means fines and problems for us. The car folks understand all this and assure us they will be ready on the 10th. I have quite a bit of faith in that garage from our past experiences and am glad we had the work done there vice here in Maputo as it expanded quite a bit and it is much more difficult to get parts here than in South Africa.

We were surprised to be shaken down by the South African police right outside of the town where we were taking the car. They pulled us over (we had two cars - Ann in one and me in the other) and they didn't like our drivers licenses and were determined to find something wrong; they checked every bulb and everything about both vehicles and then finally let us go. We were well under the speed limit so it had nothing to do with that. It was probably my Mozambican plates - they've probably seen their share of Mozambican cars without lights, without windshields, without a door, etc.

In Nelspruit, we stocked up with things we have trouble finding in Mozambique, attended to some minor medical issues, and then headed back across the border. We also got our mail, which is always a blessing and something we look forward to; receiving several notes and letters and even a package!

Then it was back to Mozambique to work on the administration of the field as it was end of the month. There are reports to do, ECC payroll to complete, and just the normal administration that we need to stay on top of.

We were blessed to meet with our Christian Micro-Enterprise Development coordinators for a special performance review and they were really excited about it. We had them work on some forms and then we sat down individually and talked about last year, the coming year (we work by budget year - April to March), objectives, and how they thought they were doing. It was a great time of sharing and insightful for both of us with regard to things we can work on together to improve for next year. Ann took the lead on this and did an absolute masterful job and we all felt really good about it afterwards and look forward to the new year. One challenge for us is keeping the program going after the end of the next fiscal year - we will need to figure out how to raise funds to keep this wonderful program moving forward. If we do it right, eventually we can make it self-sufficient right here in Mozambique. One of our guys is moving to the north for a few months to expand the CMED work in our northern churches and we applaud his dedication and passion for this work that truly does help people.

The water well at Picoco - what a story. Still no well top - next week. (This is the third 'next week'). I'm still sitting on 30% of the price, so I think they will eventually finish it to collect payment. We are looking forward to attending church ther

Yesterday, we sat with the church leadership at our Khongolote church to discuss and strategize with the leadership over some moral failures of a couple of our training personnel. It was a difficult meeting, but a good one, as we explored the issues and strategized for the future. There was great openess and we were able to share our hearts in both directions and came away bonded together in a new and stronger way. It also was good to know that we really did 'understand the story' and weren't lost in language and cultural nuances. It also identified a need that Ann and I need to periodically share the vision and direction of the Church Multiplication Program with the local church leaders. We have done this with our denominational leaders but the local church folks don't really understand at the level they need to as we seek out young men and women to step out to spread the gospel in Mozambique. So, we will continue to share the story. The picture is of us using the chalkboard at the meeting. It was a hot day and the coolest place to meet was outside in the shade (on the veranda of the church).

The pre-school was in session and it was encouraging to see the kids, hear them, and know that this one pre-school is continuing to operate and bless the community. The other one at T-3 is getting closer; the meeting earlier in the week I wrote about previously was delayed (surprise!) but the church continues to move forward and has started a small temporary kitchen that they believe will be accepted and allow them to re-open the school. We inspected the temporary kitchen and what they are doing seems reasonable and verbally the government regulators have said it would be ok, so we will see! One day at a time!

The one picture is of the kids doing physical exercises to a drum beat. It was something to watch - they can move in ways I can only dream of moving! So very cute. In the other picture, their teacher is leading them towards a bathroom break!


After the meeting, we did motorcycle maintenance - changing oil, tightening the chain, inspecting the air filter, etc. Our evangelism coordinator is using the motorcycle to visit our church planting teams and I am trying to train him on how to care for it. So, the photo is of what became a group activity to do maintenance on the motorcycle. It is an inexpensive Chinese bike that is quite simple and I hope holds up for us ok. It's a great mode of transportation here outside of the city. Part of the maintenance was bending some parts back into position from the minor accident on the way to the church where a car cut him off; forced him off the road. Thank you for your prayers for Pastor Abel for he was not hurt!

Yesterday was also an interesting day because there was another threat of riots in the city over the price of diesel fuel by the people who drive the transportation vans (Chappas). It was heating up Thursday and a general strike was planned for Friday, that fortunately didn't materialize but will continue to hang over us next week. The same thing happened last year and we remember well racing through the city on back streets trying to stay ahead of the mobs that were burning tires, breaking windows, flipping cars, and throwing rocks. Things seem calm but as is always the case, it is calm on the surface. That is one of the unseen stressors in our lives that is always perculating right under the surface. Things are never what they seem....

Enough for today; we need to run to a 'coming out party' for the two-year old child of one of our pastors. Monday will mark our two-year anniversary for arrival in Mozambique. Shortly after we arrived, we attended the 'birth party' for the same child and somehow it seems appropriate to be attending a party at the same place two years later - I will have to reflect on that some! For one thing, we aren't hurrying to be there on time as we know it won't start for an hour or two after the stated starting time!

Blessings to you from Mozambique. Thank you for standing with us.

Dave & Ann

"Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God." I Cor. 5

Update on Pre-school

We attended a meeting yesterday with the leadership of our church at T-3. They had great news to share with us about the pre-school situation. They reported that all of the people who had been stalling and holding back our license and generally blocking us in the government have been replaced and they have new people interested in working with us. So, one of the men in the church, who knows some of the new people, is going with the leadership to the government tomorrow to try and work through the final things for re-opening the preschool. I can't help but wonder if they were all replaced because most the pre-school in the province were probably shut-down and not operating.

In one of my earlier blogs on this long-standing challenge, I mentioned that I challenged one of the inspectors to take me to the very best pre-school in all of Maputo so I could understand what they were looking for - you know, a model school. They took us to one, and it wasn't so great and he was a little embarrassed at some of the significant problems we saw. We drove by that pre-school the other day and it was also shut-down - yes the very best one in all of Maputo was shut-down, and we've noticed many others not operating, so it makes you wonder.

So, pray with us that the meetings go well tomorrow and we can get this pre-school finally opened and operating again! We received an offering that covered our debt on the building through a former missionary here - thank you thank you thank you! I think all of this is how God is answering our long-standing prayers about this pre-school.

Other updates - Juka moved to Mocuba with his family to oversee our church planting in the north, but when he arrived, the house that we'd contracted for on our trip, was rented again and so the owner put Juka in a house with the owner for the two months we'd paid for. Not a good situation and he is trying to find something suitable for his family. Sweet deal for the landlord but not at all a good situation for him. Pray with us that God would provide suitable housing that we can afford. The rents are high in Mocuba because there is a lot of road construction going on nearby (and it is badly needed!) and with that construction are lots of foreigners, that are driving up rents terribly. This photo is of Juka, Elina, Milka-Mabel, and Ana (Elina's sister who lives with them) when we picked them up to take them to the bus for the trip north. Please pray for this lovely family - that they would find secure and safe housing quickly so they can focus on the work they have moved there to accomplish.

We just finished hosting a wonderful team of folks from Australia who wanted to visit the work in Mozambique. We had a great time learning about the "down under" and sharing about what God is doing in Mozambique. They had been in South Africa for about a week and drove over to spend three days with us. It is always a priviledge to show people the wonderful things happening here. The team leader is also the OMS head for Australia who is originally from South Africa and speaks Portuguese quite well (he says it is 'army portuguese' from his time in the South African army). The older couple in the photo are newlyweds (2 weeks at the time of the visit) and we and our churches had great fun with that. We introduced them at church and one older lady in the church sighed and said "no one has proposed to me yet, but now I have hope!". There was great laughter as when we did the translation, Ricardo thought I had it wrong, so we went from "2 years', to months, to weeks - good thing I knew enough to know what the numbers were!

I'll write one more item tonight although I feel like I could write for hours as there is so much happening all around us, mostly good, some heart-breaking, some a bit discouraging, but in the final analysis, it is all good. Our youngest daughter, Allison, just finished up three wonderful weeks with us here. We are thankful to know she is back in the States again and it was a such a wonderful blessing to have her with us - there is no way to explain well how up-lifting and encouraging it was to have her here helping us in our day-to-day life in Mozambique. The people here know her from her prior visits and she is taken in more as family now than a visitor, which is special for her and for us. Today as we were eating dinner, Ann looked over at the room she had stayed in and sighed with a tear in her eye, "I miss Allison so much; she is such a sweet girl". Amen to that. She took really good care of her parents while she was here and what wonderful things she brought to help us with ministry here.

We have to drive to South African in the morning (zero dark thirty) to take our poor car to the Toyota dealer to fix the damage from our last trip north. We're taking two cars and a tow strap just in case although we have to be moving on our own power when we cross the border. I'm always a bit edging when we travel there - friends of ours were robbed there just last weekend. I generally feel safer in Mozambique.

Blessings to you!

Dave & Ann

"Give ear to my words, O LORD, Consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up." Psalm 5:1-3

Baptisms

This photograph is the 10 people who were baptized at our T-3 church today along with their family and friends. If nothing else, this photo shows the numbers of people one person can influence!

It was a wonderful service and we were thrilled to be a part of it. It was a big celebration that started at 0900 and we left at 1230. There was much dancing, preaching, celebration, and prayer. I was asked to close the service and was able to stumble through in Portuguese and I praise God for that small victory today in language. The service was amplified today, which causes quite an echo in the church and that makes understanding doubly difficult for us but we were able to follow. It wasn't that long ago that we'd completely miss the cues when we were asked to participate in some fashion so maybe we are making a little progress after all!

Afterwards, we agreed to take the sound equipment back to our Khongolote church, getting home a few minutes ago. It is unbelievably hot today. Whew! Yesterday I got so hot doing a little outside with the car that I started to have heat stroke and my nurse had to take action. That was a first for me - nauseated from the heat! This 'in the shade' thermometer is only about 95 degrees today - it was over a hundred yesterday.

What a great celebration today was!

I'll try to load a small video to help give you a small flavor.

Blessings to you!

Dave & Ann

"He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters." Psalm 18:16

T-3 Preschool

Just some quick pictures to share with you of the playground area for the T-3 preschool as built by a team from Ireland lead by Melvin and Sharon Kelly. They hauled all kinds of debris out of the area and installed some equipment and made a nice mural on the wall. Very fast work in a matter of days as coordinated by Melvin, who served here as a construction engineer for several years and knows all the 'ins and outs" of how to get things done.

Still no license, but we're getting closer every day! This was one of the things the government officials wanted us to do.


Dave & Ann