Well, here I am, suprised and blessed to be greeting you from an internet cafe in Beira, Mozambique! We are continually preparing for harder conditions, and blessed by nice accomadations and internet! We have been staying the first few days in Dondo, at an IRIS ministries orphanage and pastors’ school. Tomorrow morning we will be leaving to another village about 7 hours drive away that was deeply affected by the floods in February. We are going up with a young man from IRIS and a massave food distibution truck, to work in refugee camps for the next week to two weeks. I am wonderfully excited for this new challenge ahead.
The few days here haven’t been without any excitement either, though, which is cool. There are about 40 orphans, all boys who live on the grounds, and a pretty significant number of young men attending the school. The base is run primarily by a few young women, from Canada, USA, and Germany. We eat all our meals with them, which is bread roll and hot sweet tea in the morning, and rice with kale and/or beans for lunch and dinner alike. There are quite a few boys and men who speak English, as well as Portuguese (Mozambiquan language), their own tribal language and usually many more tribal ones. One man, Chimweme, speaks 8 languages!! It’s been a joy to get to know them all a little bit in the last couple days.
Yesterday morning, Leah and myself, along with a few others, went with Chimwemwe to pray over a man who is deathly ill in the village. It was my first real view of the pain and suffering that I am sure I will see more of here in Africa. It seems he has liver failure, based on his yellow eyes. He is totally skin and bones, no muscle at all, and a swollen belly. We spent a good deal of time praying for him, and worshipping God in the home (in languages I don’t understand!) Next we visited a pastor who is suffering from malaria, and prayed for him as well. Later that afternoon, we prayed for a young woman who had been cursed by a witch doctor and consequently injured her knee. She hasn’t been able to walk in 4 months. She accepted Jesus Christ as her savior, and we prayed for her. We didn’t see either of them healed before our eyes, but I still believe that God is doing it in them. I am also confident that we will see healing in the next few weeks, in ways we can’t fully expect.
Thank you for your continued prayers for us. The spiritual battle has grown noticeably stronger, since we have arrived in Africa. Many racers have not slept well, an undescribed restlessness, really bad dreams; and a couple of us, including myself have encountered more tangible forces – seeing and feeling the enemy’s messengers, if you will. There is no fear, in myself anyway, because I recognize that the power that lies within me, the Holy Spirit, power of Jesus Christ, is greater than any force who comes against me.
All the girls gathered and prayed for one another the other night, encouraging and exhorting with words from the Lord, and it was so awesome. But it was that night, after we were strengthened and unified in Christ, that the spiritual attacks grew stronger. It isn’t crazy yet, but I believe that God is opening our eyes more and more to see into the spiritual realm, in order that we would be prepared and have more wisdom when we encounter more demons, more clearly, later on. We walk in the authority and power of Jesus Christ and his desire is that people be freed. If other people being freed means that I encounter spiritual darkness more because it helps me glorify Jesus, so be it.
Bring it on. 🙂
Love you all! Check out the other blogs – they may have pictures up! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE check out Chad’s as his blogs have more detailed info on what we are doing, and the country of Mozambique itself than what I have been given thus far. www.chadmast.theworldrace.org
