Wednesday, November 18, 2009
More than Conquerers
Please lift me up along with the rest of the team as I will be joining my friend Matt's outreach group to travel a good eight hours tomorrow to the bush. We will be ministering in a place known as the biggest witchcraft stronghold in Cabo Delgado province. Iris had built a church there but a strong wind came from inside the structure and blew the four walls out. But we go in the knowledge that though the enemy is out to steal, kill, and destroy, his main weapon is scare tactics. We go in the knowledge that the blood of Jesus is stronger that any force that comes our way. We go forth in joy and love and confident we didn't send ourselves but this is God's mission and He has eveything in control.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Novemba' in Pemba --- Hotter still! :)
Blessings from Mozambique!! After several fun and adventure filled weeks, I have finally grabbed an opportunity to get some internet time and update you all to what God has been doing here at Arco-Iris and Harvest School 11.
The 24/7 prayer week ended with a celebratory worship service, and we all thanked God for breakthroughs and blessings He has given us individually and as a body. However, as the night closed, the Holy Spirit seemed to bring us to more intercession and expressions of hunger to know Him more deeply and to see true and total transformation in the neighborhoods surrounding the base as well as Mozambique as a whole. People have mentioned, even though we worship two to three times a day in the school, how much they miss having the prayer room going with the additional worship hours in the afternoons or evenings. I can just see a permanent 24/7 prayer house on the Pemba base, equipping and discipling missionaries and Mozambicans...and those same people who are operating as worship or prayer leaders or sound equipment or gatekeepers, after spending time seeking the Lord and getting full, being the same people going into the bush bush for evangelism and teaching and going into the barrios visiting people house to house.
Back in America, the whole house to house evangelism technique seems invasive and pushy. Here, people are honored to have a missionary visit them, and almost without exception want you to pray for them. It usually only takes a visit or two before they receive Jesus. Then continues the life-long discipleship.
But there are so few here to do the work!
More news on the front: I got to lead my first bush outreach last weekend! There was a marriage seminar for missionaries and students here in Pemba at the local hotel, so the two teams that went out last weekend were not the color group teams, but optional extra volunteers. A few had been on a 8 hour one way bush trip the weekend before, and they and the others carried the excitement and zeal that only voluntary lovers have. It was an amazing trip! I was so blessed by my group of 15 students, a few with noticeably more experience than myself. One has led six Discipleship Training Schools with YWAM, and he was always ready to fill a need. Our group had a very positive attitude, even when one student was up sick all night the second night, and a couple others were not 100 per cent.
The first night's outreach began (after a bout an hour of dancing, of course) with my team presenting a simple narrated drama of the parable of the wedding feast. There had been at least three drunk people coming up to dance with us earlier, and the idea that our heavenly Father is preparing a great party which they are invited to seemed to strike a chord with this village. The main pastor from Pemba, Pastor Jose, was with us and he used our drama to preach the gospel. It was well received. As the team prayed behind the truck, I kept my eye out. Sure enough, he went ahead and led people in a prayer of salvation as well as offering prayer for healing. Usually, we watch the Jesus film first, then present, preach, and pray. So I got the team ready and we prayed for some of the many who raised their hands for prayer.
One man the team prayed for had cataracts on his eyes. When I approached the group, he had already received some sight. They prayed and he received his sight and most of the cloudiness cleared up. He also was motioning about pain in his neck, so they prayed for that. They grabbed a translator and learned that his guy had an amazing story. In this mostly unreached area of Africa, he had never gone to a mosque and never gone to the witch doctor. He was raised as a Christian. (This is believable because the larger town we were just outside of had some Catholic and Assembly of God ministries.) We asked about his neck. The translator said, "The pain in his neck is gone. Also, he used to be blind and now he can see."
He had faithfully served God, and was so humble and so touched that God would heal him.
They wrapped up the prayer time and began the Jesus film. Our group congregated across the clearing under the stars, far enough away from the loud film and generator to hear each other, and far enough away for me to play guitar and lead some worship. We pressed in for a little while in prayer, that the people would be set free from addiction to alcohol we'd seen in the village and know hope, and then it was like something shifted and we had the victory and we were all filled with joy and just worshipped God under the million stars. They are so amazing when there is no electricity meaning no lights in the villages! They only showed 30-40 minutes of the film because it was late, so then we went up and prayed for more people and it was time to go. Pastor Jose talked about returning Sunday morning because, "Tem muito fame aqui." There is a lot of hunger here.
Saturday flew by. We had a church service I was asked to share in which was mostly an audience of children, some small group prayer amongst ourselves, children's ministry because there were constantly dozens of village children around our camp, and prayer walking/visiting in the town. We arrived at the evening evangelism town when it was still light. I was amazed to watch children fearfully run 100 ft away just when I moved in their direction. A large crowd of hundreds gathered instantly. All eyes were on us. The people seemed interested but apprehensive. While the sound guys were setting up for music and hte film, I decided to start some singing so I led our group in the 3 or so Makua songs I know, and then we threw together a drama: the parable of the good Samaritan. This involves us supplying someone who could tell it in Portuguese, and then we grabbed the local pastor to translate Portuguese to Makua. God had provided a few on our team with some Portuguese, including a Brazilian girl. Another was very good at telling the stories. She had a degree in Spanish but had just learned Portuguese in Brazil for one month in June! We were blown away at how quickly she had learned the language. After that was done, we decided to do another, and we had just neared the conclusion of the wedding feast when the music blared from our speakers and the crowd flocked toward the camion. Dancing began. I was so thankful for the fact I had been running so much this school. I was able to dance just about the entire time 2-3 times a day on outreach and really give it my all and not get tired!! (When I say "dancing," just picture jogging and jumping in place for 40 or 50 minutes at a time.)
Pastor Jose greeted the town and explained that this was NOT a political event. He then asked me to come forward and showed the apprehensive villagers that we both have eyes and ears and mouth and nose...five fingers...that we are both created by the same God, in His image...that there was no need to think we were different from each other. I could see the crowd visibly relax and nod as they realized it was true! (He also said some amusing things about that their babies are like "acunhas" (whites) at birth but they become black because they live in a hot climate...not exactly true, but what are you gonna say...? It was clear this was a commonly accepted theory. :)
Next, Pastor Jose welcomed forward the president of the village, who said a few words. We try to involve the chiefs as much as possible. The more they are honored from the start, the more healthy the relationship is in the future and it softens their hearts to the gospel.
We had amazing intercessory prayer this night during the film. God spoke to us and was really present and gave us a lot of passion for this village. We seperately had pieces of a puzzle--when Pastor Jose was praying earlier, I had seen a picture in my minds eye, just a flash of angels coming from all directions like time-lapse photography, from really tiny far away to huge and looming in a circle above the crowd, against the orangy pink sunset sky. It was a really quick thing like, "WOOOOSH" and then gone. (It reminded me of Daniel 9 when the angel Gabriel said, "As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given...") Then later when we were praying, one of the guys felt God wanted him to pray while he walked a circle around the crowd, seven times like Jericho. Others joined him and eventually we sat out in the clearing behind the crowd and prayed. One girl had a vision of a dome of angels over the crowd, and in the center was a circle through which the water and fire from heaven flowed down. This reminded me of what I had seen earlier, so I shared that. It seems like we were building from the initial circle of angels a dome as we encircled the crowd with prayer! :) Another had been praying for this area to be a safe place, where the people were shielded from any demonic manipulation and witchcraft and mind-control spirits, and could have eyes to see and ears to hear the Truth.
We went back to the truck and I woke the sleepers for a time of group prayer before the film ended. Just after they showed the empty tomb, but before they showed the living Christ, the projector overheated!!! Hundreds of villagers streamed away to their houses while we looked to see if we could get the film up and running again. Inside, my thoughts screamed, "noooo!" They need to hear the message of salvation still! But as Pastor Jose began to share, all remaining eyes were glued to him. The much much smaller crowd was completely quiet and still, a very rare thing on bush outreach. It was then I realized that the ones remaining were nearly all men and teenage boys. They are the ones who have authority in the village and in their homes in this male dominant culture, and if there are only a hundred for us to share with, the most strategic. I watched Pastor Jose speak with in fatherly tones, clearly and with authority. Many hands went up to soberly receive Jesus, including the man with the president of the village. Praise God! We had great expectations stirred up during our intercession, and I feel that maybe God needed to encourage us with more visions and words of knowledge and Presence THEN, so that when circumstances went awry we would see through that to His kingdom coming.
During the ministry time, we got to pray for a deaf mute whose hearing and speach improved noticeably! He was beaming. May God continue that healing. I got to pray for several others, a young woman, a teenage girl, a little boy...they were all sick and very miserable looking. Afterwards, they were beaming. It was such a joy!!! Sometimes on outreach even when they get healed they don't show much joy because they think you are going to charge them money for it like the witch doctor and they are very poor so they might try to hide the healing. But when you assure them it is free and encourage them to thank Jesus, it is so much fun to see the transformation in their faces!
Sunday morning we returned to the village we ministered to the first night. We did a "teatro" of the parable of the sower (after an hour of dancing/worship of course), and again Pastor Jose preached off of it. There was a great response, and many were healed. I got to pray for an older woman who could barely see and each time we prayed she could see farther and farther! Each time the smile on her face grew. Her leg was healed, and she began stomping it on the ground and laughing. My friend Naomi behind me prayed for a woman with a big goiter on the back of her leg and it shrunk down and went smooth. I prayed for a woman who was very demonized and kept being disruptive and swinging a stick randomly. The children and crowd just laughed at her. My heart went out to her. As I held her hands she calmed down completely, but then suddenly she would strike out behind her and yell. She yelled, "Saia, demonios!" Be gone, demons. We were loading up the camion and I had to leave. It is hard to walk away when people are still in bondage. Apparently, during the church service a few of our group had prayed for her and gone to her house because they had said there were idols there, but they didn't really see anything. (Oftentimes the witchcraft fetishes, which are open doors to give the demons authority in someone's life, have to be destroyed before they can be delivered, or healed if the sickness is related to witchcraft.) But I have hope because God will not forget her. He sent us, and he will send more, and the young little Iris church is there, too.
Back at camp we loaded up, enjoyed our chicken lunch (thanks to the early departure, we didn't have time to make the beans so we had to get chickens. How unfortunate. :) The ride back was fun and seemed faster than the 5 1/2 hours out. We came back with spirits high. "Our God is mighty to save, He is mighty to saaaaaavvvee!"
This week since has had its challenges. I caught some bug from I believe contaminated water, and emptied my guts (for the first time in Moz) a couple times on Tuesday. It cleared out quickly but I still think its time to take some dewormer. Yum. ;) Then Wednesday we dug a worm out of my roommates butt cheek. (She was also on the outreach with me.) Many others from our group battled stomach bugs, colds, etc. Then Thursday another girl in my house was diagnosed with malaria. Only two from the school have had malaria, and they are both Lizzie! Praise the Lord, she has very close friends who have put themselves on a rotation 24/7 with her. They are amazing, fanning her when the electricity is out (we are on a generator now for about 4 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the evening), helping her to the bathroom, giving her meds, etc. God bless the Mercy redemptive gift people out there!!! I'm so glad for them. I have other school duties, and they have completely freed me to continue with that. I feel actually quite useless when I am home. They are so on top of it. I just get them drinks and make them pancakes. And give up my bedroom. She's in my room and I'm in her little one because mine is breezy and one of the toilets is right off it.
Today I had a fun swim at the beach and last night the directors of the school, Nathan and Sarah, made made a great goat curry dinner for my color group, so don't think it's all suffering here, either.
Praise God, I have an entire testimony about His provision, but this blog is really more about the outreach so I won't tell all the details but I will say, God knows our needs before we ask Him. I will tell you the full testimony soon. He has completely provided for all my needs for the extended outreach!!!!!!!!! I was asked to co-lead a ten day bush outreach with fellow staffer Matt, so you can please pray into that! I'm hoping to still have a couple of days to visit Jon and Carla in Dondo before I fly back to the U.S. on December 19th.
Thank you all for your prayers! Thank you for being patient with me while I'm out of contact! But please, e-mails (angieschachner@yahoo.com), texts (+258 823 131 029), and facebook messages very welcome! I don't have my own pictures, but I will try to get some from some students to put some visuals to all this!!
So please pray:
For Lizzie and pray no one else gets malaria!
For the upcoming 10 day bush bush adventure!
For health, as I now have a cold which is keeping me from sleeping all night!
Electricity to get fixed, as the generator 8 hrs a day costs Iris $1000/day!!!
Water -- The city is also on water shortage. (Bucket showers only.)
Praise for mostly very good health and increased fitness!
Praise for grace to lead with joy and peace!
Praise for financial provision!
For future direction when I return in Dec!
God bless you!
Ajira :) <><
The 24/7 prayer week ended with a celebratory worship service, and we all thanked God for breakthroughs and blessings He has given us individually and as a body. However, as the night closed, the Holy Spirit seemed to bring us to more intercession and expressions of hunger to know Him more deeply and to see true and total transformation in the neighborhoods surrounding the base as well as Mozambique as a whole. People have mentioned, even though we worship two to three times a day in the school, how much they miss having the prayer room going with the additional worship hours in the afternoons or evenings. I can just see a permanent 24/7 prayer house on the Pemba base, equipping and discipling missionaries and Mozambicans...and those same people who are operating as worship or prayer leaders or sound equipment or gatekeepers, after spending time seeking the Lord and getting full, being the same people going into the bush bush for evangelism and teaching and going into the barrios visiting people house to house.
Back in America, the whole house to house evangelism technique seems invasive and pushy. Here, people are honored to have a missionary visit them, and almost without exception want you to pray for them. It usually only takes a visit or two before they receive Jesus. Then continues the life-long discipleship.
But there are so few here to do the work!
The first night's outreach began (after a bout an hour of dancing, of course) with my team presenting a simple narrated drama of the parable of the wedding feast. There had been at least three drunk people coming up to dance with us earlier, and the idea that our heavenly Father is preparing a great party which they are invited to seemed to strike a chord with this village. The main pastor from Pemba, Pastor Jose, was with us and he used our drama to preach the gospel. It was well received. As the team prayed behind the truck, I kept my eye out. Sure enough, he went ahead and led people in a prayer of salvation as well as offering prayer for healing. Usually, we watch the Jesus film first, then present, preach, and pray. So I got the team ready and we prayed for some of the many who raised their hands for prayer. One man the team prayed for had cataracts on his eyes. When I approached the group, he had already received some sight. They prayed and he received his sight and most of the cloudiness cleared up. He also was motioning about pain in his neck, so they prayed for that. They grabbed a translator and learned that his guy had an amazing story. In this mostly unreached area of Africa, he had never gone to a mosque and never gone to the witch doctor. He was raised as a Christian. (This is believable because the larger town we were just outside of had some Catholic and Assembly of God ministries.) We asked about his neck. The translator said, "The pain in his neck is gone. Also, he used to be blind and now he can see."
He had faithfully served God, and was so humble and so touched that God would heal him.
Saturday flew by. We had a church service I was asked to share in which was mostly an audience of children, some small group prayer amongst ourselves, children's ministry because there were constantly dozens of village children around our camp, and prayer walking/visiting in the town. We arrived at the evening evangelism town when it was still light. I was amazed to watch children fearfully run 100 ft away just when I moved in their direction. A large crowd of hundreds gathered instantly. All eyes were on us. The people seemed interested but apprehensive. While the sound guys were setting up for music and hte film, I decided to start some singing so I led our group in the 3 or so Makua songs I know, and then we threw together a drama: the parable of the good Samaritan. This involves us supplying someone who could tell it in Portuguese, and then we grabbed the local pastor to translate Portuguese to Makua. God had provided a few on our team with some Portuguese, including a Brazilian girl. Another was very good at telling the stories. She had a degree in Spanish but had just learned Portuguese in Brazil for one month in June! We were blown away at how quickly she had learned the language. After that was done, we decided to do another, and we had just neared the conclusion of the wedding feast when the music blared from our speakers and the crowd flocked toward the camion. Dancing began. I was so thankful for the fact I had been running so much this school. I was able to dance just about the entire time 2-3 times a day on outreach and really give it my all and not get tired!! (When I say "dancing," just picture jogging and jumping in place for 40 or 50 minutes at a time.)
Pastor Jose greeted the town and explained that this was NOT a political event. He then asked me to come forward and showed the apprehensive villagers that we both have eyes and ears and mouth and nose...five fingers...that we are both created by the same God, in His image...that there was no need to think we were different from each other. I could see the crowd visibly relax and nod as they realized it was true! (He also said some amusing things about that their babies are like "acunhas" (whites) at birth but they become black because they live in a hot climate...not exactly true, but what are you gonna say...? It was clear this was a commonly accepted theory. :)
Next, Pastor Jose welcomed forward the president of the village, who said a few words. We try to involve the chiefs as much as possible. The more they are honored from the start, the more healthy the relationship is in the future and it softens their hearts to the gospel.
We had amazing intercessory prayer this night during the film. God spoke to us and was really present and gave us a lot of passion for this village. We seperately had pieces of a puzzle--when Pastor Jose was praying earlier, I had seen a picture in my minds eye, just a flash of angels coming from all directions like time-lapse photography, from really tiny far away to huge and looming in a circle above the crowd, against the orangy pink sunset sky. It was a really quick thing like, "WOOOOSH" and then gone. (It reminded me of Daniel 9 when the angel Gabriel said, "As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given...") Then later when we were praying, one of the guys felt God wanted him to pray while he walked a circle around the crowd, seven times like Jericho. Others joined him and eventually we sat out in the clearing behind the crowd and prayed. One girl had a vision of a dome of angels over the crowd, and in the center was a circle through which the water and fire from heaven flowed down. This reminded me of what I had seen earlier, so I shared that. It seems like we were building from the initial circle of angels a dome as we encircled the crowd with prayer! :) Another had been praying for this area to be a safe place, where the people were shielded from any demonic manipulation and witchcraft and mind-control spirits, and could have eyes to see and ears to hear the Truth.
We went back to the truck and I woke the sleepers for a time of group prayer before the film ended. Just after they showed the empty tomb, but before they showed the living Christ, the projector overheated!!! Hundreds of villagers streamed away to their houses while we looked to see if we could get the film up and running again. Inside, my thoughts screamed, "noooo!" They need to hear the message of salvation still! But as Pastor Jose began to share, all remaining eyes were glued to him. The much much smaller crowd was completely quiet and still, a very rare thing on bush outreach. It was then I realized that the ones remaining were nearly all men and teenage boys. They are the ones who have authority in the village and in their homes in this male dominant culture, and if there are only a hundred for us to share with, the most strategic. I watched Pastor Jose speak with in fatherly tones, clearly and with authority. Many hands went up to soberly receive Jesus, including the man with the president of the village. Praise God! We had great expectations stirred up during our intercession, and I feel that maybe God needed to encourage us with more visions and words of knowledge and Presence THEN, so that when circumstances went awry we would see through that to His kingdom coming.
During the ministry time, we got to pray for a deaf mute whose hearing and speach improved noticeably! He was beaming. May God continue that healing. I got to pray for several others, a young woman, a teenage girl, a little boy...they were all sick and very miserable looking. Afterwards, they were beaming. It was such a joy!!! Sometimes on outreach even when they get healed they don't show much joy because they think you are going to charge them money for it like the witch doctor and they are very poor so they might try to hide the healing. But when you assure them it is free and encourage them to thank Jesus, it is so much fun to see the transformation in their faces!
Sunday morning we returned to the village we ministered to the first night. We did a "teatro" of the parable of the sower (after an hour of dancing/worship of course), and again Pastor Jose preached off of it. There was a great response, and many were healed. I got to pray for an older woman who could barely see and each time we prayed she could see farther and farther! Each time the smile on her face grew. Her leg was healed, and she began stomping it on the ground and laughing. My friend Naomi behind me prayed for a woman with a big goiter on the back of her leg and it shrunk down and went smooth. I prayed for a woman who was very demonized and kept being disruptive and swinging a stick randomly. The children and crowd just laughed at her. My heart went out to her. As I held her hands she calmed down completely, but then suddenly she would strike out behind her and yell. She yelled, "Saia, demonios!" Be gone, demons. We were loading up the camion and I had to leave. It is hard to walk away when people are still in bondage. Apparently, during the church service a few of our group had prayed for her and gone to her house because they had said there were idols there, but they didn't really see anything. (Oftentimes the witchcraft fetishes, which are open doors to give the demons authority in someone's life, have to be destroyed before they can be delivered, or healed if the sickness is related to witchcraft.) But I have hope because God will not forget her. He sent us, and he will send more, and the young little Iris church is there, too.
Back at camp we loaded up, enjoyed our chicken lunch (thanks to the early departure, we didn't have time to make the beans so we had to get chickens. How unfortunate. :) The ride back was fun and seemed faster than the 5 1/2 hours out. We came back with spirits high. "Our God is mighty to save, He is mighty to saaaaaavvvee!"
This week since has had its challenges. I caught some bug from I believe contaminated water, and emptied my guts (for the first time in Moz) a couple times on Tuesday. It cleared out quickly but I still think its time to take some dewormer. Yum. ;) Then Wednesday we dug a worm out of my roommates butt cheek. (She was also on the outreach with me.) Many others from our group battled stomach bugs, colds, etc. Then Thursday another girl in my house was diagnosed with malaria. Only two from the school have had malaria, and they are both Lizzie! Praise the Lord, she has very close friends who have put themselves on a rotation 24/7 with her. They are amazing, fanning her when the electricity is out (we are on a generator now for about 4 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the evening), helping her to the bathroom, giving her meds, etc. God bless the Mercy redemptive gift people out there!!! I'm so glad for them. I have other school duties, and they have completely freed me to continue with that. I feel actually quite useless when I am home. They are so on top of it. I just get them drinks and make them pancakes. And give up my bedroom. She's in my room and I'm in her little one because mine is breezy and one of the toilets is right off it.
Today I had a fun swim at the beach and last night the directors of the school, Nathan and Sarah, made made a great goat curry dinner for my color group, so don't think it's all suffering here, either.
Praise God, I have an entire testimony about His provision, but this blog is really more about the outreach so I won't tell all the details but I will say, God knows our needs before we ask Him. I will tell you the full testimony soon. He has completely provided for all my needs for the extended outreach!!!!!!!!! I was asked to co-lead a ten day bush outreach with fellow staffer Matt, so you can please pray into that! I'm hoping to still have a couple of days to visit Jon and Carla in Dondo before I fly back to the U.S. on December 19th.
Thank you all for your prayers! Thank you for being patient with me while I'm out of contact! But please, e-mails (angieschachner@yahoo.com), texts (+258 823 131 029), and facebook messages very welcome! I don't have my own pictures, but I will try to get some from some students to put some visuals to all this!!
So please pray:
For Lizzie and pray no one else gets malaria!
For the upcoming 10 day bush bush adventure!
For health, as I now have a cold which is keeping me from sleeping all night!
Electricity to get fixed, as the generator 8 hrs a day costs Iris $1000/day!!!
Water -- The city is also on water shortage. (Bucket showers only.)
Praise for mostly very good health and increased fitness!
Praise for grace to lead with joy and peace!
Praise for financial provision!
For future direction when I return in Dec!
God bless you!
Ajira :) <><
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