It has been an awesome two weeks in Mozambique. I will try my best to be concise but share a good variety of what we have been up to!
== Relationships =====
Last year the mission school was so involved that it was hard to develop relationships with the Mozambicans unless you were really intentional. This year, it has really come naturally since we are not involved from 9-2 every day with mission school. It’s nice to know that people remember you from last year too, considering how many people come in and out of this place on a weekly basis.
Suzette is a 17 year old girl who saved me from a drunk demon-possessed guy last year that was cursing me (witchcraft) in another language :-) Our team has spent time with her in the Iris base cafe, on bush outreach, and in prison ministry as well. She is a translator for Iris. She knows around 6 languages! Suzette and I got to lead worship together with our friend Yonnie at the prison this week.
I have been getting to know a guy named Ezequiel better this year. He made me a keychain necklace last year. I spent time the first week praying with him and getting him to the clinic to get the meds he needed when he got malaria. He is in the Mozambican Bible school this year where they are being trained to be pastors. He went with us to the prison also and gave his testimony about how God had transformed his life in the last year.
I have also been teaching guitar, worshiping with, and hanging out with Nasimo. He has really taught me a lot through our conversations. In one of our conversations he spoke about how so many short term and long term missionaries come and hand out food, clothes, and toys to so many people, and how it creates a mindset of dependence and begging. People have sponsored him over the years to pay for his education, and he talked to me about the value of sowing into education which empowers them to be able to make something of themselves and be self-sufficient.
== Ministry ======
Our team has spent a great deal of time praying with mission school students and other visitors. God has been releasing people into their ministries, baptizing people in the Spirit, and releasing overwhelming joy, freedom, and boldness in the people we have shared our lives with this summer. It could be too easy to put God in a box and say that He only sent us here to minister to the local people, but I feel like God has done an equal work through us in ministering to other missionaries so far.
I spent some time in the baby house last week. They range from infants to 7 years old. I spent most of the time playing with the toddlers. They are so cute and lovable! In church, every time the speaker says “Alleluia!” the congregation responds with “Amen!” While I was down at the baby house, I discovered that this cute little two year old boy loved to do the same. I was just playing with him and said “alleluia” and he said “amen!” and then started repeating it all on his own “Alleluia, amen! Alleluia, amen!” It was the sweetest thing!
One night the first week, several of us were up in the Prayer Hut and I was leading worship, and a younger Mozambican kid from the village came up and joined us. God told me to start singing Portuguese worship songs, which is funny because I only know three well enough to sing them. I did, and before we knew it, the kid was on his face worshiping and drawing close to God. He eventually fell asleep there and Ali held him for a long time before we woke him up so he could walk home before it got too late.
== Hospital Outreach ======
We went to the hospital on Monday. Hospital is a loose term – people are housed in tents. We went to two of the pediatrics tents and got to pray for most all of the sick children that were there. Because many of them are Muslim, you really need to ask permission. We saw several babies healed of fevers due to malaria and other conditions. We also found out that several of the babies that people prayed for last week have improved greatly even though they aren’t well enough to go home yet. I got to pray for this little boy who looked to be around 2 years old. He was so hot it was hard to keep your hand on him without sweating. He was really fussy and had a rattling in his throat as he breathed. After about ten minutes of praying for him, playing with him and speaking Jesus’ love over him, his fever broke and he turrned really happy and his breathing problems were almost completely gone. I could definitely go to the pediatrics tents of the hospital and pray for little kids every day! God was really working on my heart for them.
== Prison Minstry =====
We went to the prison yesterday to do ministry at their prison church, which is just a long hallway filled with around 60 hungry people. Yonnie (a long term missionary), Suzette, and I led worship in Portuguese and they also sang worship songs a capella in their native language as we were coming in. Ania, another long-term missionary, preached and around ten people responded to a word of knowledge about needing healing for having bad stomach pains when eating. We got the opportunity to pray over every one that was there. Many were saved, healed, and encouraged.
== Prayer Requests =====
The water has been out since Saturday except for it coming on twice for about an hour this week. Please pray for rain!
It wouldn’t be Mozambique without some visa extension drama. Our flight for Beira leaves on Monday, and we can’t pick up our passports with visa extensions until Monday. Please pray for favor that they will get it done on time so we are on time for our departure to the Dondo base.
There is a lot of witchcraft and spiritual opposition here. Please pray for protection over us and the whole base..