Back on Line

We're happy to report that we are finally back on line and can resume working on our blog!! We've been back about a month now and I owe quite a bit of update.

First, the move into a new house was completed quickly and with our daughter Lynsey here to help us, we put the house into order and are finally able to find most things. The bad news is that most of our furniture was broken in some fashion during the move, but we've even managed to repair most of that as well - is a part of how you move here - toss the stuff on a big truck and then drive on really bumpy roads! However, it has taken a very long time to get Internet service installed here and we have a different set up that uses some sort of wireless antenna/transmitter to a distant router, so we have one computer working but our wireless router seems to conflict with this new set up. We have a short-term visitor here that is very good with computers so I'm hoping we can get this minor inconvenience fixed soon.

The re-entry into the work and culture here was much more difficult than we ever expected - and in fact we were quite surprised by it. I could write a book about it at this point - all the emotion that we went through as we re-engaged into life here. But that has all passed and we're starting to get into more of a routine again and are quite encouraged at everything that is going on. We are glad to be here and it really feels like home.

Tomorrow we have a special baptism service at the church in Picoco, that was started shortly before we left for the states. We will be using a river and the day starts very early tomorrow so this entry needs to be a bit short. We have a young couple from England visiting with us and they have been a real blessing and encouragement to us. They are seeking God's direction for their lives and we are absolutely thrilled to have them here helping us and the field with the work although I am thinking about losing their passports so they have to stay a little longer! The young lady is a dentist and we have some clinics scheduled and have had some small sessions in our churches already. It's a great medical outreach and we are blessed to have her here. The young man is a math teacher and he was quite impressed with our missionary children school and is looking foward to helping out with the start-up of the school this next week.

Today we had our routine meeting with the church leadership (picture above) and it was nice to spend time with them again and get caught up on the various things in progress. After the meeting, we drove out to Khongolote and met with our ECC coordinator. A new training session begins next week with a new group of potential ECC trainers and we are looking forward to seeing how this develops. Also, we have some OMS friends coming over from South Africa next week to help us start a Bible story telling ministry within our churches where the Bible is taught through drama. We have 30 people signed up.

We have been blessed by vacation bible schools and supporters in the United States who have raised funds for water wells in our churches and we are making the arrangements now to start drilling wells. We really look forward to sharing pictures and stories about the impact of these wells in the communities. Thank you so very much!

Our new home is about 16 kilometers out of the city. It is close to our work in T-3 and Khongolote and not that far if we need to go into the city. The house is smaller and one-story, which we like but we still have room for people who may come to visit and see the work. It is "in the country" in a sense and much quieter in the evenings. We think we are going to really enjoy this new location.

I'll start trying to be a bit more regular now that we have Internet service and we appreciate your patience with us. It has been surprising what an inconvenience not having the Internet has been!

The ECC work in the north continues to grow rapidly and I am in awe at how God is moving across Mozambique. Like Ann says, our's is the easy job, just go and tell, God has the big job of moving the hearts of men. I will need to write more about our ECC challenges and programs in future blogs! We are preparing for a team from Ireland who plan to do some ministry with our ECC country coordinator in the northern part of Mozambique.

Thank you for standing with us so faithfully!

Back in Mozambique

We arrived back in Mozambique yesterday after two months in the United States. Due to weather problems, we ran for our flight out of Atlanta and although we made it (barely), our luggage did not and so we will be doing daily trips to the airport and hope that our things will eventually come in.

We returned to alot of change and mainly our office area was rearranged to the point we don't know where anything is, including our lists of what needed to be done as soon as we returned. So we decided to just go ahead and move so we can get reorganized once instead of twice. So the truck will arrive this morning and we are trusting that the place we are moving is ready to receive us! Quite a bit of chaos for our daughter Lynsey who came back with us but at the same time, but chaos is the norm here.

I know I'm feeling the stress of all of this since I came too close to the gate backing in (I've done this hundreds of times) and clipped it, requiring that me to get someone to come weld it back together - minor bumper damage is all on the vehicle. The air conditioner on our vehicle isn't working also, another stressor in this hot climate. Also, we were immediately approached by the National Church for a meeting, which we have postponned.

We logged a little less than 5000 miles while we were in the States and we didn't even touch the places we would have liked to have visited / seen. So, those places we didn't make it to this trip will move to the top of our list for the next trip. We hope to stay home a bit longer the next time because two months just didn't provide the opportunity to meet with everyone that is making this work possible. All this traveling also really impacted our ability to keep the blog up-to-date.

The OMS meetings were wonderful, instructive, and we received much training that we think will help us in the long run. Also, the annual OMS conference in Indianapolis provided much opportunity to talk about the work in Mozambique. It was also a wonderful opportunity to talk with former OMS missionaries to the field (bless their hearts as we hit them with our thousand questions!) and a new funding missionary headed this way (Aimee Howarth).

My plan is to resume our regular blog updates after the move and once we figure out how to get Internet in our new place.

Back to packing!

Thank you for standing with us.

Dave & Ann

A Report from Mozambique

During our short time here in the States to attend our daughter’s graduation and meetings at OMS headquarters, we have stayed in close contact with our ECC teams in Mozambique through the wonder of text messaging. It is also helpful as it keeps us thinking in Portuguese!

We are finally feeling rested, having really no idea how exhausted we were when we first got back. We knew our pace had been relentless but the toll on our bodies had been greater than we realized. We moved from exhausted to tired and now feel completely rested for which we praise God and those friends and family who have helped us move through this time. We are yearning to return and feeling like it is time and look forward to completing our commitments with OMS and getting back to Mozambique.

One of the routine problems in Mozambique is crime. It is rampant and ever-present and requires constant vigilance. Several of our ECC team personnel have been robbed of all their possessions while attending to church business over the past months with the most recent being yesterday. Our dear friends Paito and wife Maria-Nelsa (with baby Ana) in Nampula were robbed and pretty much everything of value was taken. (Above picture is from January when Paito was licensed as a Pastor. Left to right is Dave, Maria Nelsa, Paito, and Abel) This included a bicycle we had recently purchased to help him with transportation between his seven churches that he has planted in that area. This is also a real burden from a leadership standpoint because how much help do we / can we provide in these situations?

Pray for our ECC country coordinator Juka as he determines a path forward for our friends. Pray that Paito and Maria-Nelsa do not become discouraged in the face of this. Pray for wisdom in how to move forward; for example – do they move, how can they improve security, can their things be found / returned and justice prevail, and how should they respond in the face of the adversity.

We learn in Nehemiah, Chapter 4 when Israel was rebuilding the wall (doing God’s work), that the enemies first ridiculed them. That is usually the first strategy – and the response was to pray and ask for God’s intervention. Next, the ridicule moved to direct threats and the response again was to pray and God revealed the plot and Nehemiah put plans in place, and the Bible uses the phasing that “God had frustrated it [the enemy’s plans]”. Finally, the enemies talked about assembling armies, and again we see a picture of prayer combined with action: guards were posted, and the work was slowed down but not stopped. Half the people were armed with swords and spears and the other half worked. But even the workers were armed, working with a sword in one hand and doing work with the other – but the work of God continued (I think this calculates out to a 75% slowdown). Nehemiah’s instructions were “get back to your post, there is work to be done and God’s timing is not our timing!” (My paraphrase).

That is how we must approach the work, people praying and guarding through prayer the work. And the workers themselves must be vigilant – praying constantly and working. But the work must not stop the prayer and the defense that it provides.

Brings a whole new meaning to ‘working with one hand tied behind your back’!

Pray for protection for our ECC workers, missionaries and churches in Mozambique. Things are destabilizing all around Mozambique and refugees are flooding the country. Needs are huge and people do desperate things in desperate times. The answer remains having a personal relationship with the very Creator of the universe. Pray for the leaders of Mozambique that they would know God, seek His counsel, and make decisions that are wise and support continued spread of the Gospel within this country.

“When our enemies hear that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own post.” Nehemiah 4:15

“Let’s get back to work” (Dave & Ann)

Cleaning Out Those Dark Places

I have an old Dell laptop that is somewhat of my lifeline to the world. Ann bought it for me many years ago and it has worked like a champ. But for the last several months, it’s not been working well, slowing down and just generally ‘not cooperating’. I have tried all the obvious things and even tried some software that is supposed to “improve performance” and “speed it up” but they have actually caused more problems than they solved (sound familiar?). I’ve never trusted these ‘solutions in a box’ and these programs have simply been more verification that magic pills don’t usually work.

So, as I looked on the Internet I happened along a case where a fellow suggested cleaning the insides of the computer and graciously included step-by-step instructions on how to dismantle the laptop, clean it, and put it back together. At this point, it was working so poorly, that I had nothing to lose.

So, on my daughter’s dining room table, I took it all apart, and found that there is this little radiator-looking thing on the “CPU” or central processing unit that dissipates heat as a cooling fan blows over it. The computer has a self-protecting temperature device that regulates the CPU based on temperature, thus slowing it down to generate less heat when it gets to a certain temperature. There was a decade of dirt, hair, and lint on this little component. Using rubbing alcohol and Q-tips, I cleaned an amazing amount of crude off of this thing and – problem solved.

It reminds me of life – we spend a lifetime accumulating crud in the dark private places of our hearts and lives. God in His rich mercy shows us those dark places, illuminating them with the truth of His word, and at the same time provides us a way to clean out those dark places. It takes a lifetime and a willing, humble, and transparent heart to allow Him to work with us on such an intimate basis. And just the fact that He is willing to work with us is something to be embraced with great joy. There is a song we sing sometimes that expresses this, “how deep the father’s love for us, vast beyond all measure.”

“…God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth…..If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:5 - 9

Furlough Notes - South Carolina

Currently I am writing from Greenville, South Carolina, where daughter number four of four lives and attends nursing school.  She has just moved to a new apartment and we have enjoyed being a part of that process and I have so enjoyed being able to just run to the store and purchase a small thing I need to fix this thing, or repair that thing.  It really brings to mind how difficult the most simple thing is to accomplish in Mozambique and yet here so simple.  We are a blessed nation, that is for sure, and even in the face of the current economic challenges, we must not lose sight of the incredible blessings we have. 

Just before we left Philadelphia (daughter one) to head this way, we received word that Ann’s stepbrother had passed away in Radford, Virginia so we left early and attended his funeral.  He had attended church in the morning, went to lunch with his mother, and then passed away from an apparent heart attack (57 years of age) in his home later that afternoon.  Just another reminder that life on this earth is transient and short.  

Arriving in Greenville, we were invited to attend our daughter’s boyfriend’s graduation from Furman College.  Her fellow is a delightful young man who will spend the summer working in an internship with his home church near Atlanta and next year working with disadvantaged youth in the Greenville area.  We were thrilled to attend the graduation ceremony but then it was especially exciting as the featured speaker was President Bush.  

There was quite a bit of turmoil over his visit from some of the college faculty and from some of the student body so we weren’t sure what to expect.  The security to enter the college stadium was heightened as you would expect and there was much police / secret service presence on the campus.  As we sat in the stands, there was much discussion around us, as in the world of politics, everyone has an opinion and in many cases a passionate opinion.  The beauty of it all is that people can openly debate and discuss those opinions, another one of those things we take so for granted here. 

The Furman orchestra and the Jazz band entertained the crowd and the 650 graduates with a medley of music but most memorable was the Furman Singer’s rendition of “God of Grace and God of Glory”, serving as a reminder in all the pomp and circumstance of who is truly ‘in charge’.  At the designated time, we could see the many motorcycles with flashing lights leading the long line of cars heralding the arrival of the President.  For a brief moment it took me back to Mozambique where we see the motorcades occasionally as the President of that country transits to the airport or other appointments with similar protection.  The stands of people erupted into applause as the presidential limousine arrived and there was an absolute aura of excitement – the President has arrived here to speak to us.  The same people who were a few minutes ago being openly critical of him were in the next breath excited and applauding because despite our feelings, there remains a healthy respect of the position and the office and I was surprised at my own almost giddiness at it all. 

So, more ceremony and everyone is seated, and then the band begins the presidential song and out he comes, walking through the students, waving to the crowd, and proceeding to the platform to a standing rousing ovation – the President is here among us.  What a privilege to be a part and that feeling was clearly how the majority felt.  It was as if political affiliations and opinions were suspended for a short period of time as this one graduating class was honored in this unique fashion. One of the leading class students gave an inspiring speech challenged the class for the future – it was their time to make a difference.  I wondered what she was thinking as she spoke immediately prior to the President of the United States but if she was nervous, or otherwise un-nerved, it was certainly not apparent.  Then the President spoke and challenged the graduates on the need for a “culture of responsibility”.  It was an honor to be there and to see the man I have prayed for nearly daily, as I have for every president since I’ve been a Christian.  The Bible admonishes us to pray for our leaders and I have taken that seriously all my life, not just those in government but also those closer and in authority over me.  God works through those in leadership and what better counselor could we ever hope for our leaders than the One who spoke the very universe into existence?  God can move the hearts of whomever He chooses and the mandate to pray doesn’t have conditions or party affiliations. 

After the speech, he departed the stadium to thunderous applause and then once again a few minutes later as the motorcade departed the stadium area.  We then returned to honoring the Class of 2008 as they walked across the podium and received their well-earned diplomas.  A beautiful campus, a wonderful day, and a reminder of the importance to pray for our leaders.  The future is in our young-people and I pray that some of the brightest and the best in this new class across this nation will rise up to serve, casting aside the hedonistic temptation of the culture to seek self-satisfaction.  In God’s economy, it is more blessed to give than to receive and we are to love others more than we love ourselves – Jesus’ teaching that remains as radical and fulfilling today as it was 2000 years ago.

 “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”  1 Timothy 2:1 - 4