Bush Outreach

The past two and a half weeks have been so full, I feel like I’ve been in Mozambique much, much longer!

We were divided up in groups to spend a few days in the bush doing evangelical and medical outreaches. Orginally, these outreaches were planned for just one trip for the whole summer, but they decided up double us up, so instead of waiting till July, I also got to go last weekend! The town we ministered in was only two hours away. A dozen Mozambican Bible school students and as many international mission students loaded up in the back of a truck along with a generator and sound equipment. We sang praise songs in Makua and Portuguese as we bounced down the road to our mystery destination.

Our caravan arrived just before dark, hastily set up tents, and headed by flashlight in the dark past dozens of mud huts to the town center, the center yard of their wall-less school. The Iris outreach veterans were still setting up the sound and projector and generator to show the Jesus film in Makua, so while we waited we made friends with the rapidly gathering crowd. On the walk I had a chance to chat with the pastor of the local Iris church. He said there were 46 people in the church, and that the Jesus film had been shown in that town three years before. I asked how many lived in the town. He would only reply over and over, “muitos pesoas”, many, many people.

We danced to an African choir on the screen as a crowd continued to build and the last light faded. This is probably the second and possibly the first film most people there had ever seen, at least in the Makua language.

My “color group” Aqua fanned out in pairs to quietly intercede during the movie. I found it strange that no one sat down, but three hundred or so villagers stood watching it. Finally, some in the front began to sit in the dirt at the forty minute mark and eventually most people sat down for the 2 ½ hour long movie. Afterwards, my Brazilian group leader asked people to come forward if they would like prayer for healing. Many wanted prayer. Some prayed to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior! It was pretty loud in chaotic to me in general. The speaker was so loud my ears bled, and everything was translated to Makua because they don’t speak much Portuguese in the bush. There were drunk men in the back mocking, children just laughing at the sight of the “acunas”, as we whities are called here, and then the very sincere twenty or so who really wanted prayer.

Welcome to outreach in the bush!

The next day we had a church service in their small hut, which included a warm welcome from the local congregation and prayer for the sick. After this, the medical tent was open and people lined up to see the doctor and receive prayer for healing. I went back to the campsite to clean up lunch and play with the children, but my friends got to pray with a teenaged boy who was deaf and mute. After quite a while praying, my friend spoke the kids name into his ear, and the teenager said it!!! All the kids nearby who knew him and knew he had never spoken in his life became very excited and they all wanted prayer. Praise God! His hearing is not completely restored, so we prayed for him again that night. We just loved on him and I believe he felt God’s love and hope. We will keep praying!

That night we were supposed to go to a different town down the road to show the Jesus film again, but we received word that the elders of the village changed their minds and did not want us to come. This was sad to hear, but I knew that the village we were in, Naquita, had many more people that had not been at the movie the night before. This time we showed the film in the church yard. The whole atmosphere was much more positive. There were still guys in the back smoking, and we knew this town had a lot of people addicted to drugs, but on the whole there was a greater joy and spiritual hunger. After the film, I got to pray for a lady who felt sick and see the joy in her face when I learned through an interpreter that she felt great and that she wanted to pray to receive Jesus. Her name was Lucia. Praise God! There were more people in this smaller crowd who responded to the call for prayer and salvation than the much larger crowd the night before!!! We walked home with a great sense of jubilation. God is advancing his Kingdom in Naquita!

When we arrived back in Pemba, we were blown away when we heard testimonies from the other team that had gone out that weekend. They had a modest response after the film the first night, with Heidi Baker and internationally known missionary to Mexico, David Hogan. leading the ministry time. But what really was amazing was the second night when Heidi and David had gone home and it was just the Mozambican and international students and the regional pastor, Pastor Jose. One of the guys gifted in soccer drew a crowd on the soccer field where they set up for the movie, doing amazing tricks and wowing all the kids who gathered. They said there were 300 or so people when the light went off and the movie started. The outreach team prayed the whole time. When the movie was over and the lights were back on, they were blown away to see about 2,000 people had gathered on the soccer field!!! When people were invited to raise their hands if they wanted to receive Jesus, at least 800 people responded!!!! My friend Rachel prayed for two people who were completely deaf and after the third prayer, God opened their ears!

What you should remember is that this is a Moslem country! But God is preparing the way. They are so hungry for abundant life available in Jesus!

First Days in Pemba

Hello all!

I've finally gotten a chance to get on the internet! I can't believe I've only been here in Pemba since Friday! So much has happened. My bags and I got here safely, and the first few days were great, with time to get into town, go to the beach, and get full nights rest for the first 3 nights and catch up on sleep after 3 days with pretty much no sleep.

The weather here is gorgeous, really not too hot, very breezy. The base is built up on a slight hill, so the sea breezes reach all the students cabins.

Sunday church was awesome as they prayed over the Mozambican Bible students and the Harvest school students who arrived. We all danced on the stage holding hands. They are pretty amazing dancers in church here! :) Quite a workout.

Monday was initiation to the nth degree. It was children's day, a holiday, and one of the two biggest days of the year for Iris. The other day is Christmas. We were all tasked on teams (I was part of the Sister Act II singing dish-washing crew ;) and fed the whole village in addition to everyone on base. The count was 2,410 people we fed lunch!!!! Wow!!!!! I didn't see a lot that went on with the children's ministry, but heard it was great.

Today was our first day of class--it started off with Randy Clark teaching the first session, with ministry time, and followed up with Heidi Baker doing the second. We finished about 1pm in time for lunch. The afternoons we have time to connect with the Iris kids in the children's center or have other meetings and opportunities. This morning was so powerful, and it's just the beginning!

To top it off, the 80 or so mission school students are soooooo amazing! They are so passionate for God, and many have tons of missions experience to offer. We range in age from 18 years old to in their 50s.

God bless you all, I don't have much time today, but hopefully soon with have some amazing testimonies to share! There have already been healings among the students. Actually one quick highlight for me so far was going out on my porch to play guitar and worship, and opening my eyes at the end of the first song to see 30+ students all over the hill in front of my cabin all lost in worship! Amen!

Angie :) <><