Mozambique Visit 2022

 

I'm very thankful that I will have the opportunity to visit Mozambique in September and October. 

I would appreciate prayer that I would be a blessing and an encouragement to my Mozambican and missionary brothers and sisters. Please pray for God's guidance for me while I am there.

~ Thank you ~

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had."

Romans 15:5

Pastor Mutombene

I am so thankful for the life of Pastor Mutombene, who has passed away. 

When I moved to the house in Quissico, he introduced me around the municipal village, and then he made the introductions for me with the local chiefs, the local government, the police, and the head of the hospital and the school. And his oldest son watched over my house at night for safety.

It was special to share with his local church and our ministries overlapped at various times. When my mom came during that year, the three of us went to meet and encourage families that lived near the Quissico lakes. He was such a helpful and joyful person. 

Pastor Mutombene leaves behind his loving wife, Graca, and three grown children, Jaime, Matilde, and Pelagio.  

"If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, God will bring with Him those who have died in Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 4:14

I'm so glad that Pastor Mutombene had given his life to Jesus, and my unshakable hope is that I will see him again. 

Summer Sister Visit

 

Visiting with my beloved sister's family in Northern California.

My niece with their new dog, Jimmy.

My nephew at swim practice.

Plums from their tree, which my brother-in-law made into a tasty torte. And cherries, peaches, and apricots we picked at a local farm, which my mom made into a yummy peach apricot cobbler.

It was a special summer treat to spend time with my sister's family! 

Trash Removal

When I arrived in Maputo, Mozambique in 2002, the city was dealing with the after-effects of a terrible civil war that ended in 1992 which left the city with much destruction and little infrastructure. 

Overflowing trash was piled up right outside of the Bible School in Maputo where Bruce and Mabel Callender taught Bible lessons to young Mozambicans (many of whom are now leaders). 

Every week, we as a team, would get together to pray, and every week Mabel would ask us all to pray for the removal of the constant overflowing trash. 

She would also ask us to pray that a particular man would sell a corner lot of land to the Mozambican church so they could have space for a building. 

These two prayer requests were so consistent that some of us even started to chuckle because they were always on our list.    

After many months of prayer, one day we heard the news...the trash had been removed! And then another day we heard the news that the man would sell the corner lot of land to the Mozambican church!! 

I thank God for Mabel's modeling of persistent prayer. 

Always pray and never lose heart.

- Jesus 

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow

Easter with 3 of my much loved nephews.

After taking the trash out one day, I found this piece of paper must have blown out at some point and lay with some leaves behind the other trashcan.

“Great is Thy faithfulness,” O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

 

“Great is Thy faithfulness!” 

“Great is Thy faithfulness!”

  Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—

 “Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!

 

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

 

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! 

Amen!

The Power of Praise

 

One of my faithful prayer partners, Valeene (here with me in 2008), shared about an encounter with God that she had years ago while serving in Haiti -  

Almost immediately after having a wonderful celebration praising God for 40 years of His faithfulness through the OMS gospel radio station in Haiti, the station experienced blackouts, budget depletion, and breakdowns of equipment, transmitters, generators, and staff morale. 

At the same time a serious drought hit Haiti drying up wells and land, and people were desperately searching for water. Hope in Haiti was being replaced with despair.  

Valeene had never felt like this in all her years living in Haiti, but she heard herself saying, "I am so tired of this!"

One night as she wept before the Lord saying, "How can I help those I love and serve if my heart is troubled with doubt and fear?" Suddenly her room was filled with flashing lights and she saw the word - 

D E S P A I R

Reaching for her Bible, she fell to her knees saying, "Lord, don't let me fall...don't let me fail...I need to see You!" The room darkened and the flashing letters of the word DESPAIR changed around to form the word - 

P R A I S E D! 

She said that God's voice seemed so clear, 

"Have you praised Me? I am worthy to be praised."

She cried out tears of praise and thanksgiving. God had shown Himself faithful, even though she could not comprehend it all. God removed DESPAIR as she PRAISED Him! 

Whether we understand it or not, when we feel despair within ourselves, our marriages, our children, our families, our health, our work, our finances, our countries, or our world (etc...) - victory comes when we change despairing into praising our great God, who is worthy of all praise. 

"Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised, 

and His greatness is so vast and profound 

that it is incomprehensible to man." 

Psalm 145:3

Praying for our World

In 1996 I studied abroad (here with some of my fellow students) in Japan for a semester in college.

During a break from the college in Tokyo, I visited the city of Hiroshima to better understand the effects of war and the devastating atomic bomb. This is the statue of Mother and Children in the Storm.

On the right is the one structure that is left as a reminder after the bomb hit, immediately killing an estimated 80,000 people.

It's called Genbaku Dome (Atomic Bomb Dome).

A sampling of some of the millions of origami cranes that are made and left at this Memorial for Peace.

Ten years later, on a visit to a good friend from Hawai'i, we went to the Pearl Harbor Memorial. 

The USS Arizona, where 1,177 men died, can still be seen sunk under the water here.

After seeing these old photos, I am reminded again of the terrible devastation of war from our past and the need to pray for our world today.