First stop in Mozambique. We had
traveled for days: Thursday at 12 we checked out of our hotel. We took a bus at 8:30 pm from Moldova
and arrived in Bucharest, Romania
airport at 4:30 am Friday
morning. Our flight had changed from the
itinerary we had received, moving our flight from 7:20 pm to 9:50 pm. The day was spent in the airport…seriously,
17 hours in the airport. We were all
itching for the flight that would take us to Africa. The flight stopped momentarily in Istanbul,
then kept on to Johannesburg, South
Africa.
Saturday at 10:30 am we
landed on a new continent!
A Mozambique
contact and Beacon of Hope President,
Angie Wheeler, set us up transportation. We rode and rode and rode. It gets dark here around 6 pm, so it felt as if the drive lasted even longer. We pulled up at a gate and were told, “We’re
here.” We could see Angie and another standing under a spotlight in front of a
home about 400 meters away. As
bedraggled and dirty as we looked, we were greeted with a smile and a hug!
My team is destined for Xia Xia (pronounced shii shii), but
our contact is in South Africa
for a meeting until Monday. We slept in tents in the hallways of
Angie’s home. This was such a blessing:
It had been communicated that we were going to camp outside for the nights we
were staying; however, Angie didn’t feel comfortable having us outside at this
time so we got to be inside, on a floor, under a roof! Hurray!
This morning after breakfast we had a long question and
answer session with Angie. She gave us
all so much grace for bombarding her with a variety of inquiries from personal
life, spiritual journey, ministry development, Mozambique
culture, etc. Beacon of Hope is a
lifestyle program for young men. Succinctly, in Angie’s words her desire and mission is to for the men to:
Know truth. Be educated. Live for
jesus. Think for future. Find independence and develop
discernment. Learn to respect hard work
and the benefits it yields. Angie
supplements education with trade work, English lessons and computer skills. Her mission is to grow men of God who can become courageous, bold leaders and
husbands.
I’m a little in love with Angie’s mission. She is a strong woman, an independent woman,
a missionary, a full time single mom, a nonprofit president, and a gracious
host. Angie is living Psalm 31,
embodying characteristics God calls us to. Her motto simply states her mission
and belief: “the seeds that are planted will grow.” She holds others to her standards. Her house is a resting place, a school, a
garden, a farm and home. The boys aren’t
forced into the program; they can make their own decisions to work, to apply
themselves, to learn or to leave.
Angie is working on
outreach. She frequently goes to the bush to help and facilitate medical
clinics, soccer camps, and community education.
Xicolani is the upcoming planned outreach. This is her first time to the area, chosen
because it’s the home of her two newest boys.
Her ministry is all about giving
back and developing men who understand what it means to live with God as their protector and motivator, and want to pour
out God’s love to all. Angie still needs $1075 to supply this project
that is scheduled for May 25th.
A true Texas woman, full
of southern hospitality, American independence and God’s Holy Spirit, Angie is
working hard to make an eternal difference in the lives of teenage boys in Mozambique. If you’d like to help Beacon of Hope reach
their deadline and enable this upcoming outreach pray for guidance. Let the Lord guide your generosity –
BeaconofHope-africa.org
Outreach Page
GME.org, missionaries in Africa,
Angie Wheeler
