Mom Visiting and 8th Trip to Gaza and Inhambane

My Mom is visiting, and she joined pastor Abel, Ana, and I on our ministry trip north to the provinces of Gaza and Inhambane!

Here she is with Hortencia showing her some love :)

On Saturday, we did our discipleship training for the local church planters/trainers. I taught a session on prayer, and pastor Abel taught a session on serving God.

The church trainers have now begun to practice teaching in our group sessions. Papa Tomas taught the lesson on church planting.

Then we visited the growing church group of Papa Tomas in Cala.

Kids from the church in Cala.

When we had some free time on one of the afternoons, Ana suggested we visit the beach we had discovered on a previous trip.

It turns out Pastor Abel is an expert crab hunter...

...ten crabs later, we were ready to leave the beach...with dinner in hand!

When we got back, Ana began cleaning the crabs.

I stirred the pot of critters with tomatoes, onion, garlic, and salt.

With some leftover beans and rice from lunch, we topped our plates with fresh Quissico crabs.

Pastor Abel thoroughly enjoyed his catch of the day...and so did we!

The next day we went to Bartolomeo's church group in Maciene, where 8 people wanted to be baptized. We drove down the dirt road, and stopped by a reed filled inlet. As we stood under the trees, I shared about the important African man who was reading the Scriptures when Philip approached his chariot.

Following Philip's example, I explained who Jesus was. Then I asked, like Philip, "Do you believe with all your heart, as this Ethiopian man did, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?" They all responded in the native Txitxopi language, "Yes, we do."

So we climbed down to the water and each one was baptized!

As a side note - we were in a stagnant pond there, and I detached several fat leeches from my skin after getting out. I had heard that there was a fresh water river farther down that road, so I asked Pastor Abel why we didn't have the baptism there. He gave a one word answer that was very satisfactory - crocodiles. 

After the baptisms, we had a celebration lunch together at Bartolomeu's home.

The wonderful cooks.

At the smell of food, a hungry cat came crying to my feet.

After gorging himself on goat bones and chicken skins, he lay satisfied at my feet.

On the way back to Maputo, we stopped at Pastor Abel's wife's field. My mom was able to taste the newly harvested peanuts...

...and enjoy some fresh coconut water :)

It was great to have my mom join us on our ministry trip to see and participate in the work first-hand. We all praise God for the work He is doing, and the privilege of being a part of it.

Ministry Course Graduation

Six students from Palavra Viva churches who have been doing the Ministry Course at the Maputo Biblical and Theological Seminary graduated!

The students studied for 3 years every Saturday at the Seminary, and it was a blessing to be a part of this graduation ceremony.

Left to right -
Nelio Nequisse (Student Representative) Don Hulsey (Seminary Director) Me (OMS Representative) Daniel Maduel (Course Professor) Abel Miambo (Palavra Viva Church Representative)


I encouraged the students to continue to study God's Word and to put it into practice.


The four women graduates - Julia, Luisa, Vitoria, and Isabel - have each traveled with me on a ministry trip up north to Gaza and Inhambane.


Commissioning Prayer

What a joy to be a part of this special day!

Sweet Surprise

On Tuesdays, Fatima and I lead the women's Bible study in Chamanculo.

When I arrived at Fatima's house this last Tuesday, her daughter Vania, had a surprise for me!

Vania had gathered her friends to sing Happy Birthday!

They presented me with a new capulana and a purse...what a sweet surprise :)

Women at the Well

This is the hand-pump well that we were able to install next to the church in Picoco, mainly because of money raised by children from a vacation Bible school in Oklahoma.

A new family moved to Picoco about four months ago. The mom, Maria, went to the well to pump water for her family. While there, she met a lady from the church, Graca, who invited Maria and her family to church.

Nelio, here with his wife Zinha, is the pastor of this church in Picoco. 

Maria, her husband, and her children began to attend the church.

Their daughter, Fogineta, accepted Christ.

This last Sunday, Fogineta, in the blue skirt, was baptized, along with five other people from the church in Picoco.

Pastor Nelio and Pastor Abel baptized her.

Maria stood at her left, and Fogineta's father, Berto, stood at her right as pastor Nelio presented her baptism certificate.

Children from one country gave for a well in another country.

Two women began talking at the well.

One woman's child accepted Christ.

She and five others were baptized on Sunday.

Praise God for partnership, physical water, and living water!

Kelly's Arrival and Fatima's Certificate

We praise God for the arrival of Melvin and Sharon Kelly with their 10-month old twins, Joshua and Abigail! 

Would you please pray for God's protection and blessing upon the Kelly family

"He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young."

Isaiah 40:11

And...after one year of literacy lessons, I was able to present Fatima with the certificate of completion for her first Portuguese Bible-based literacy primer!

Fatima wants to be able to read the Bible and share the love of Christ with others.

She looks forward to starting the final literacy primer in the new year!

7th Trip to Gaza and Inhambane

Pastor Abel, Ana, and I have just come back from our 7th ministry trip to Gaza and Inhambane. 

We're continuing to serve in encouraging, teaching, training, discipling, showing the Jesus Film, and baptizing!

CALA

Papa Tomas is the church leader in Cala, and this was his first time baptizing the new believers from his church group.

Aimee and Ana

On this trip we were joined by Jose Banales (left), and Juka Fernando (right). Jose came for three weeks to encourage the churches in the province of Zambezia, where Juka and his wife Elina serve as missionaries. After their time in Zambezia, they came to visit the church groups with us in Inhambane.

On the way back to the church, we spotted some laid back "beach cows" getting some sun while grazing on beach grass :)

Presenting the baptism certificates

Celebration!

Before we left, we prayed from some of the church members who were suffering from sickness.


MACULUVA

When I saw Basketi getting his cows ready to get water for the family, 2 verses came to my mind. 


"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers."

Unequally yoked cows would not work well.


"Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

It's best to be yoked with Jesus.





The church planter in Maculuva is Aldimira. She is able to read, she is learning God's Word, and she is sharing it with her group.

Some church members in Maculuva.

BANGUSA AND MACIENE

We showed the Jesus Film in the evenings in several areas. In Bangusa, where Mama Olga raises turkeys, I dared Ana to pick up one of the large adult turkeys...

Ana and the Turkey

While we were setting up the Jesus film in Maciene, Pastor Juka did a wonderful job teaching the children a new praise song with actions.


QUISSICO AND NYADUMBUQUE

On Sunday morning, we participated in the church service with the group in Quissico. 

Alberto shared the message that morning.

I translated for Jose as he shared about how we are all part of the body of Christ around the world.

After our service in Quissico, we went to Nyadumbuque for baptisms, which was such a blessing to me.

On my first trip to Nyadumbuque one year ago, I helped Pastor Abel baptize a new believer named Germilindo. He is now the leader of the large church group there, and he performed the baptisms alongside of Pastor Abel.

I praise God for all that He is doing here!

Would you please pray for these Mozambican brothers and sisters as they come to your mind. 
Thank you