Working in Partnership with the Local Church

For this past year it has been a privilege to work in partnership with the national leadership of the local church, Igreja Evangelica Palavra Viva (Living Word Evangelical Church).

We have been working hard in the areas of leadership training, discipleship, organization, and administration of the church.  

Cutting the 1 year celebration cake (made by Fernanda) 

Nelio, Juka, Aimee, Belarmino, Daniel (Abel was away on a trip and Paulo was taking the picture.

One of the results of focusing on leadership training was the 3 day Preaching School for pastors and leaders of women's, youth, and evangelism ministries, as well as leaders of the church preschools.

Ministry leaders praying together. 

The goal is to build upon what we've learned with 2 more trainings this year.

I realize that pictures have smiling faces and of course this is a sign of joy in all that God is doing here. At the same time there are always many challenges and I don't have pictures to show all the difficult things that go hand in hand with the victories. 

With that said, I praise God and I appreciate and depend upon prayer as I seek to serve Christ here in Mozambique! 

Women with a Purpose

On the most recent trip to Inhambane, I took 4 ladies from 4 different churches in Maputo who participate in our "Women with a Purpose" ministry.

Like bringing water to those who are thirsty, we went with the purpose of bringing the love of Christ to all those whom we met. 

Marta, carrying water for the family we stayed with.

"The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom." 

Isaiah 35:1

In front of the house we stayed in - 

Eugenia, Vitoria, Aimee, Vivi, Marta

We helped sweep the grounds in the mornings.

We worked with Ermelinda in her field.

While there, Ermelinda's daughters prepared dinners of pumpkin leaf curry and bitter greens called kakana, all of which was harvested from her field.

Harvesting corn (which we ate after being grilled over the fire).

Ermelinda, chopping wood for cooking fires.

"If wealth was the inevitable result of hard work and enterprise, every woman in Africa would be a millionaire." 

George Monbiot

Everybody has a part in taking care of the little ones.

At church on Sunday, the 4 special visitors were introduced.

They received a warm reception from the local church group.

Vitoria led the service.

Marta read the opening Bible verses

Vivi led the praise and worship using the xikitsi instrument, which is filled with seeds and shaken back and forth.

Eugenia shared the message about sin and forgiveness in Jesus Christ. Afterwards she asked if anyone needed prayer, and several people came forward to be prayed for with tears in their eyes.

Due to a donation, we were able to present the church with Bibles and hymnals, which Tomas and Ermelinda received with great joy.

After the church service, we ate boiled cassava (harvested from Ermelinda's field), and we took a long walk through the village to visit different families.

A well.

 Wooden boards serve as "washing machines" for clothes.

Vivi, with a mushroom to be used for a curry.

On our walk I saw some of the whitest and brightest mushrooms I've ever seen.

Marta pumps at the new village well so that Eugenia and Vivi can have a drink.

 

"Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs."

Isaiah 35:6, 7