I have really loved being here in Mozambique!! To be honest before singing up for the race I didn’t even know Mozambique existed. For the first two weeks it was tough being here because I didn’t necessarily feel the Lord. I struggled seeing how my team and I were making a difference during that time.
The compound where we are living for this month is called Beacon of Hope. Beacon of Hope is a boy’s home that structures a living environment for Mozambique boys. It exists to empower young men to break free from the bondage of poverty through education, life skills training, and the love of Christ. As these boys transform, they become men of integrity, honor, grace and courage. They leave with not only an education to make a way for promising career but also the knowledge of who they are in Christ.
A normal day here at Beacon of Hope for us looks as follows: We wake up between 5-730 AM and have my bible study/alone time with the Lord. 8 AM we eat breakfast, which is bread with peanut butter and jam. Between 9 AM-12 PM we clean up the kitchen, do group devotionals, have time to ourselves, wash our clothes (which is always an adventure), play cards, prepare what we’ll teach in class and start lunch prep. 12-1 PM we eat lunch and have lunch clean up. 1-3 PM we finish preparing for class, we get the boys together and then we teach. The classes we hold are normally different each day. One day we may do a skit to demonstrate a story from the bible and then teach an art class. The next day we may teach a God’s world class where we show the boys how God has been at work throughout the earth, not just here in Mozambique and then we’ll teach an English class; Classes look different from day to day. From 3-5 PM we normally have down time where we play games with our team and the boys. Some people do bible studies or wash clothes now too. 5-630 PM is dinner prep and around 7 PM is when we eat (those times are relative because its never set in stone). After dinner we have clean up and from 8-10 PM we normally have team time where we give testimonials, talk about what the Lord did for us that day, what the holy spirit has shown us about through the bible and etc. Some times we have worship, sometimes we have bonfires and dance parties with the boys and other times we play soccer…between 8-10 PM anything is possible. After 10 PM the women go to their house and the men go to ours. Some of us guys will take this time to do pushups, take our showers (sometimes bucket showers), read the bible and then go to sleep. That is an average day in Beacon of Hope but some of it may change. For instance, this past week our water went out so the six men on our teams and the boys from Beacon all took big yellow containers, walked half a mile (maybe less) to get water from this huge community well and carried it back to our compound; that really showed me just how out of shape I am. Another day some of our team members were privileged enough to go to another ministry site and help paint vases and do other work.
Through these days I have been here I have struggled to see how I was making a difference. When I thought about this mission trip I pictured us preaching, ministering or building houses. Since I haven’t done many of those things and I have had more down time than I thought I would, I have just struggled with seeing why I should be here.
The other night though God really spoke to me; he showed me how being an ambassador for him isn’t just preaching or building a house but rather it is showing his love and bringing Glory to his name in everything we do! 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Verse 33 then says, “I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me. I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.” So far this month God has shown me that whether I am getting my butt kicked in soccer by these Mozambique natives, painting flower vases for a woman or cleaning a house, I am still being an ambassador for Jesus by loving the community I am in and bringing Glory to his name.
I will be posting a ton of photos and videos soon of the place we are living, the boys we are discipling, the food we are eating, etc. Month 1 in Mozambique is coming to an end and we will soon be heading to Swaziland for our next ministry opportunity. I will be posting more blogs and pictures about this great adventure I am on. I want to continue in this adventure with God but I need help. I am close to $7000 short of being fully funded and my final deadline is approaching on April 30. Please bring glory to God’s name and help me also glorify him by donating to this trip. I know God is still going to do even greaterthings through me so please help make that possible!
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