Shortly after landing in Johannesburg International airport our team piled into a small van and rolled on to country number seven- Mozambique! Thankfully, sleeping pills allowed me to survive the lack of AC, potholes the size of small craters and twenty-two hours of travel. After appropriate rest we headed off to ministry. We arrived in Tamane, a “town” nestled in the heart of Mozambique. (Let me take a moment to define town. By town I mean we had to walk close to four miles to obtain water. By town I mean in between the red dirt roads and miles of farm land, occasional straw huts stand tall.)
Our main objective in ministry this month was to move an orphanage to a new location in the bush. I’m a Florida girl to the core, but Mozambique was hot. I mean kicking hot. The small patches of shade and lots of water was our refuge. We slept in tents, cooked food on a fire and pooped in holes in the ground. That can seem all hard core, but honestly it really isn’t all that when you see these children. Dressed in tattered unwashed clothing and no shoes, these children literally are among the poorest of the poor. No parents. No money. No medical treatment. (The nurse in me shivered as we attended to infected toes and wide open wounds.) No home. No healthy meals or afternoon snacks. Every meal consists of rice and beans. No real future. No dreams for tomorrow.
In the midst of Malaria pills and rationed food, I got to sit and talk with the pastor named Nunis. Nunis is a man I would put on my most remarkable people I have ever meet in life list. A native of Mozambique, he is a tall man with a good strong build and smile that captivates you instantly. He has been married for close to fifteen years and is a father of four children. As we sat on mats under the African stars, we talked for many hours one evening. Mozambique is a predominantly Christian country. Christian in the sense of the word that everybody goes to church on Sunday morning. Nunis went into a pastoral career strictly for the sake of making money. He was a pastor for three years before coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Crazy, right? But God is 
dgood, and this mans life is a testimony to the greatness of our awesome Lord. With passion and a sincere smile, he explained that he runs a radio show in Mozambique. The main object of the show is to teach the Bible. The radio ministry is bearing fruit all over the country. He was eager to recount testimony after testimony after testimony of real lives changed for the glory of Jesus Christ.
I write all of this, because Nunis said one thing over and over in all the time we spent to together. And it has stuck with me. I have thought about this a lot these days. It resonated somewhere deep in my heart. He said, “A mans highest calling in life is to defend and proclaim the truth of the Bible.” Did you catch that statement? Read it again, until you do. As my time in Mozambique draws to a close, I can truly say some part of my heart will be left here. I am thankful to have shared my life with a man like Nunis, who in a humble boldness defends and proclaims the truth of the Bible.
May we give our lives to live for such a high and holy cause?
