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

Seminary Graduation - the First Class

Shortly after we arrived, the first class of our Biblical and Theological Seminary of Maputo began using instructors from a nearby Nazarene Bible College and a program we have made the core of our seminary program. The normal three-year course was completed by our students in a little less than two years as they were able to move quickly through the initial material because of the excellent training they had already received from various OMS missionaries. The course work is well accepted by numerous denominations in southern Africa as providing sufficient knowledge for ordination, provided the candidate is accepted by his or her church and that the candidate meets other Biblical requirements for ordination. What we especially like about the material is that it is contextualized for Africa.

From the picture - back row left to right - Lucas, Juka, Jorge, Daniel, Carlos; front row - three three Nazarene professors, then Ricardo, Abel.

This was a very special day as is any graduation day but the first class is always special. We have a second class in progress we began in January using our own instructor and we are hoping to begin the third class early next year. Our new seminary director, Mike Thiessen has been doing a wonderful job tying everything together and setting a course for the future.

We had a nice ceremony and time of celebration with the families of the graduates and we really look forward to seeing the lives of these precious people unfold. All are currently involved in some level of leadership in their local churches or our new denomination.

Congratulations to the Class of 2008, BTSM.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,..." Proverbs 1:7

Village Church - More on the Conference

We wanted to share a couple of photos from the church planting conference that I wrote about in our last blog entry. What has impressed me so much is how the program being administered from OMS South Africa is in 19 countries where there are no missionaries. They work through a definitive 'chain of command' to country supervisors in each country who administer the program through established churches in those countries. The work is growing rapidly and it just makes sense to engage National leaders in each country to do the work independently. They know the culture, they know the people, they know the language, they know the governmental 'hoops,' and they know when to push and when not to.

Here in Mozambique, we function somewhat as the country supervisors for the village church planting program, relying on Juka, Xavier, and Abel to administer the program. The conference has given us alot of ideas on how we might do a better job in the future and possibly a better direction to go relative to administering the work. So, the conference was inspiring yet extremely challenging as it did show us how very far we have to go to implement the program here as it is designed. It seems that the more we learn, the more we understand how much more we need to learn! (but isn't that always the case?).

The stories we heard were so sobering. Two young men started each presentation with "hello, I'm from Rwanda and we've had a genocide in our country; another man spoke of how he was dodging bullets to get to the airport; another spoke of the intense suffering / starvation in his country; another spoke of rebel uprisings resulting in killings near his home. Yet, each testified with great joy about the great things the "Lord of the Harvest" was accomplishing in their country.

I have re-read the book of Acts in the Bible since returning from the conference and what we see happening here in Africa is so much like what we see in that book. And the recipe has not changed after all these years....train others to train others; God will bring the increase.

The one photo of Ann and I is with Jeremias, the country supervisor for Angola, also a Portuguese-speaking country. We had some joint friends from the OMS Extreme Walk program that spent time with Jeremias in Angola. Jeremias has much experience with the ECC program and was able to provide very good counsel to us. He was quite gifted language-wise, being fluent in French, English, Portuguese, plus a whole host of dialects.

So, a few photos to share this morning as I thank God for how you are standing so faithfully with us. Thank you.

"For this is what the Lord has commanded us: 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.' When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.'" Acts 13:47,48

Village Church Planting Conference

We're at the annual Africa Village Church Planting (VCP) Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa.  The first day was a combination of inspiring and yet totally humbling presentations as we learned about what God is doing in Africa.  We have about 40 people from 18 African countries successfully using the VCP church planting model and it has been an amazing experience to be with these wonderful people from places like Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Togo, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Liberia, to mention a few.

The model is very simple and so simple that it works.  Yet, it is not without resistance because it truly challenges my Western bias about how we think things should be because that is how we do it in ________(fill in the blank).  I think I've explained the model before but it is always good to refresh on it.

First, potential target areas are researched.  We are especially interested in planting churches in un-reached people groups and places where we are not competing with other church groups.  Second, we find the right partners (such as a church denomination) interested in spreading the Gospel through church multiplication.  Third, using a trained individual, we establish a training center in the targeted area, which may be a home, building, or an area under a tree.  Next we look for a 'person of peace' to help us establish the work, find potential students, and find people interested in Bible study.  These person's of peace are simply interested people who are able to assist within that community and who God has already prepared for this work.

The trainer then starts a Bible study group and from that group, recruits people who are interested in sharing their faith and starting worship groups in their home areas.  The idea is that people within a two-hour walk of the trainer's location are recruited so they can attend training each week that is in-turn shared with a group they are meeting with back at their home area.  This discipleship process extends over a three-year period using structure training materials.  The discipleship process emphasizes "the call" to start new groups and churches, and for one trainer, the ideal class size is a group of about 15 people who are planting churches, who are training others to plant churches.

Each week the trainer visits a different church planter student to encourage him and assist with the church service.  At the end of three years, that trainer may have 15, 30, or more churches.  We have personally seen fifty churches planted in less than a year from one trainer's work and we hear of even larger numbers in some of the other African countries.  Yes, some are lower as well, but is isn't all about the numbers but rather about establishing Christ-centered, reproducing, self-sufficient churches.

At the end of three years, the trainer moves to more of a mentoring role and moves to another un-reached groups to start the process again.

This model is strongly scriptural and requires that we 'put our trust in God' truly for it is His church and we are merely His instruments.  Paul is the ideal example - starting many of the early churches discussed in the Book of Acts.  He also spent a little time with the church, appointed leaders, and then moved on, following the churches' progress from a distance.

The Gospel only requires that people be willing to share and teach 'what they have learned' and continue to teach what they have learned.  If you know one thing, teach that one thing faithfully next week.  But with this model comes mentorship on studying the Bible, understanding the Gospel story, developing a vibrant prayer life, and being obedient to that which you have learned.

We have become quite passionate about this work as we see lives changed for eternity and hope instilled where there was no hope.  The opportunities to come behind the expanding work with compassionate ministries are unlimited, only requiring those who are willing service.  

Sitting in this room of experienced church planters and hearing their amazing stories is something I wish I could relay to you better.  I wish you could have heard the glorious singing and prayer of these young men, many who have risked their very lives routinely for the cause of Christ.  In Hebrews, Chapter 11, we learn of the many heroes of the faith and the costs that many paid to further the Gospel.  Today is was our privilege to meet with men from all kinds of tribes and nations who are truly heroes of the faith, having forsaken all for the cause of Christ.

 It is a privilege to be here and it was daunting to be challenged today with the faith of Abraham and the faith of Joshua, knowing that God is pleased to replicate that kind of faith. We fall so short when measured against the ultimate standard, Chris himself.  But we know that Paul said to "follow me as I follow Christ" and one slide today really resonated with that thought.  It was a picture of a momma duck leading her little ducklings single file behind here.  None of the baby ducks knew where they were going, they were only following the mother duck.  They were no all grown up and mature, they were following the little duck in front of them.  You only need to stay one-step ahead of the one behind you and one step behind the one ahead of you.   

None of us ever attains the high standard Jesus himself laid out before us - no one ever will and so in a sense, no one will EVER be 'good enough' or 'smart enough' or 'theological enough' to start a Bible study, a prayer group, or a church, if that is what we are waiting for.  God only wants us to follow him, and teach what we know, be it a lot or a little....  But in reality, the message is so simple that a small child can grasp it and accept it, and yet so deep and profound that an intellectual can wrestle with its richness for a lifetime.

But the job is to make disciples, teaching them to obey God's work, so that we can reach the Nations for Christ.  

Lord, forgive us where we fall short.  Purify us and cleanse our hearts so that we can be worth to teach others about you.  May we only bring honor to Your name.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me."  John 14:1

  

Rat Patrol

It's the middle of the night here in the country of South Africa as I sit on 'rat patrol'.  We are in South Africa to have our car repaired from the ravages of the trip to Nampula and back.  I've been generally satisfied with the Toyota dealer in Maputo with the exception of air conditioning repair, so we decided to run it to South Africa as we've had very good luck with a Toyota dealer there and we will be driving to Johannesburg next week for a world-wide church planting conference that we are participating in.  So, while we wait on the car (it's a couple of day job because we are waiting on a brake master cylinder from Durban), we are in Nelspruit to check the OMS mailbox and to run many errands to obtain things we can't get in Mozambique.  One example is motorcycle parts for our church planters in Gurue; those parts are on order now also but due in tomorrow.  

We're staying at Mercy Air, a missionary aviation ministry which has a number of nice places (guest houses) that they rent out to visiting people, mostly missionaries, who are in the area.  We have stayed here in the past as it is so very peaceful, the facilities nice, the people wonderful, and the cost is very inexpensive. 

Tonight I fell asleep while Ann was taking a shower, only to awaken when something bit my finger - I tossed it off and it was a rat!  It scurried under the door to the back.  Debate - tell Ann or not - the skin is not broken, fortunately, but the teeth marks are plain.  Ann comes out and there is a toad hopping along the edge of the floor and then she goes into the front room and there is a huge millipede.  I definitely don't want to tell her about the rat now or she won't sleep!  I do tell her to snuggle in under the sheets and make sure her hands are covered (she assumes it is about mosquitoes!).

So, about an hour ago (it is 244 in the morning here), she starts awake in her sleep (and I'm sleeping a little light also, with my hands definitely under the sheets) - something was nibbling her ear - the rat is back and it runs across her head, across the bed  - and I see it out of the corner of my eye and it scurries under the door again, leaving a little black calling card on the sheets.  She is really not happy and there is no way to make this funny now, so, I admit my bit finger and my dear wife is not too happy that I didn't tell her!  So, I find some metal baking sheets in the little kitchen area and block the bottom of the door - building a small metal barricade.  

It's a little disheartening to have rats trying to nibble our tired bodies a piece at a time!  In my old life we used to talk about big jobs and refer to them as elephants and how we would eat the elephant one bite at a time.  I guess rats know that expression also.

No, it was not a mouse - definitely not - it was a Sophie-sized rodent (Sophie is our precious dachshund - chihuahua dog now living with our oldest daughter).

So, a new experience for us.  I've seen rats many times in and around the city, but never inside.   I'd also never given it much mind thinking about small children sleeping on grass mats in reed houses.  I've heard stories of such things - people losing fingers in the night - but have always been a bit skeptical - not anymore!

Blessings to all of you this night.  I think I can retire my 'rat watch' as he hasn't come back through the door and I think my barrier will work for the night.  We hope to be heading back to Maputo tomorrow as the car is supposed to be ready then.  Ann is sleeping peacefully now - I know her breathing patterns so well after all these years.  I think I can sleep now - hands under the covers.  Ann has a towel over her head - I wonder if I can sleep that way?

"His eye is on the sparrow, so I know He watches me..."