One day my team and I traveled to one of the local villages to pray over the widows, elderly, and orphans within the community. This is our ministry for month one. After praying for an elderly man we came to a home where an elderly lady was cutting up spinach. Two children sit on the straw mat with her. The little girl, shirtless, and the little boy just sat there watching us. The little girl is malnourished but has the most beautiful smile, and her hair is braided with pink beads. She was a beautiful little girl, and when she smiled it melted my heart. The grandmother was preparing the little food that they had. She had only lost her husband about a year ago; leaving her a widow. The two children that sat beside her, were her son’s children. Her son and his wife had left Guija, Mozambique to go find work in South Africa about a year ago. In Mozambique, it is not uncommon that the male leaves to go find work in South Africa. Our host, Tienie, shared with us that usually a male has two families: one in Guija and another in South Africa.
Our translators Anton or Narcisso explain to us at each home what their situation is. On this particular day, I was curious about this family so I asked questions. I found out that the children had been left with their grandmother for a year. They had no communication with their parents, and their parents didn’t send any money to provide for their needs. This left the grandmother struggling to provide for the children’s needs. $80.00 in the United States could cover three children’s materials for school. This would buy them their books and uniforms. Unfortunately, the grandmother didn’t have the money to send the children to school. In order to be able to go to school, the children must have uniforms.
After we heard the families story, we spent time praying with them. We prayed for God’s provision, healing for the grandmother for the loss of her husband, and that God would meet the family where they were at and show them his love.
This is what ministry has looked like this month for my team and me. I would like to give you an example of what a typical day in Guija, Mozambique looks like for me:
We have to be up and ready by 7:30 am.
7:30 am.: We have daily chores which consist of sweeping & moping our rooms and the bathroom. We also pump water from the well for our shower and sink water. We also organized our bedrooms.
8:30 am: We have breakfast with Tienie’s Team, which consists of oatmeal (we usually add peanut butter and sugar to it… and let me tell you it’s amazing). Tienie has hired on three women: Mama Laura, Mama Oracka, and Flora. He also has two translators for us: Anton and Narcisso. Occassionally Victor and another man help around the house.
9:00 am: We have daily devotions which is led by one of our teammates. We currently have 12 teammates here at the Christian Bible Institute.
10:00 am: This is our time of ministry. We walk to a nearby village and meet different families. We usually work with widows, elderly, and those who suffer from HIV/AIDS. We spend time hearing their story, and then we pray over them. Every single day three of us go into town to buy groceries for the entire day.
12-1 pm: We are finished with ministry for the day.
4:00 pm: We have team time. During this time one of my teammates (or myself) will plan an activity for us to do that day. It can be anything as simple as watching a movie, playing cards, or playing question games to get to know one another. During this time we also give feedback to one another. Feedback can consist of what we are doing well on and where we could improve. It’s a time to encourage one another and a time to express a frustration.
Some of my favorite memories here in Guija consist of mudding during the Monsoon rain, taking a walk into town with my team to get 25 cent pop, going to beach called Beline, watching Dana get baptized at the beach, playing soccer with the children that are constantly screaming hello to us outside our base, getting attacked with hugs by children as we take walks into town, preaching at church on January 22nd , worshiping God before bed, each taking turns praying throughout the night, and playing with the three puppies God blessed us with at our host home. Our team named the puppies Charlie, Ruth, and Blue. Something else I’ve really enjoyed during my time in Mozambique is getting to know my team, as well as the other team that is here with us at the Christian Bible Institute. Another interesting fact about the culture here is that cows and chickens run around everywhere! It’s not uncommon to see a heard of cows passing by our tents when we wake up! Kids also eat caterpillars as a snack here! One day several kids showed us their bags/cups of caterpillars!
This next week we plan to go to a preschool to play with children, minister in a prison, and go to a special needs school. This is different than our normal ministry, so I’m excited to see how the Lord will show up this next week. This weekend we will have an adventure day where we will go stay at a beach called Beline, which is two hours away. Last weekend we went there, and I’m excited to go back again! This time we are spending the night!
Overall, God has been teaching me a lot these past ten days. The first few days were overwhelming trying to adjust to this new place, but God taught me a lot during those times. He has been teaching me what it looks like to be myself, and how to be vulnerable in a new community. He has also been teaching me to trust that the Holy Spirit will protect me from anything that Satan is trying to throw at me. I plan on writing another blog about what God has been teaching me about community, but I first wanted to give you an idea of what life has looked like here in Guija, Mozambique.
One day as we were doing ministry, Mama Laura was trying to teach us a song in the language Shangaan. The lyrics are: Khanimambu Xikwenbu Xa Matimba which means Thank you Jesus of Power. My prayer this month is that I would continue to see the Power of God in my life and the community around us. Please pray that we could share the love of Christ as we continue to preach, pray, and play with the kids in the community. Pray for unity in the two teams that are here, and that we would continue to be healthy. Just like the lyrics, sang by Mama Laura, I’m expecting God to show up in mighty ways in the rest of my time in Mozambique and the next ten months on the Worldrace.
