We had a little debrief yesterday about the culture in Africa. We learned a little about the places we will be going to do ministry. The B Squad will be going to Dondo, Mozambique. Mozambique is about the fourth most impoverished nation in the world. There is a lot of need there.
We will be working with Iris Ministries, which was founded by the Baker family. If you do not know anything about the Bakers, I encourage you to do a little research or read the book “Always Enough”. It is a great honor to be able to work along side of this ministry. We may not actually get to meet the Bakers, as they are very busy wrking further north. The base where we will be staying is run by two American girls that have not had much experience but are serving in the Lord’s strength. It is our understanding at this time that we will be planning our own ministry and providing our own food and such. It will take a lot more innitiative on our part, but this is exactly the kind of thing I had in mind when I applied for this race.
Because of the poverty in the area, our base will be protected by armed guards to reduce the chances of theft. Many of us are looking for a way to leave some of our more valuable things here at Alabanza or another place. Packing the bare minimum will make everything easier.
To get there, we will be taking a couple of buses. Both squads will ride together on the first leg and then split off to go to our specific destinations. I think it is about an hour to the first stop, and then our second bus is another 17-24 hours to Dondo. Of course, this is Africa so you never really know how long anything will take.
We learned a little about the cultural differences, and what to expect. Girls are pretty much expected to wear long skirts all of the time, even if we are doing hard work. According to our contact here, if a girl wears shorts she is considered a lesbian.
The family structure here is also very different. It is very communal. The saying “it takes a whole village to raise a child” definately applies here. The whole community is expected to discipline a child, and the teachers still carry stick in school. There is no real word for uncle in the tribal languages. If your father has brothers, they are also called your fathers. If your parents die from AIDS or war or whatever, you are not an orphan unless you have no other family to care for you. Because of the great poverty here, feeding infants is also a community job. Babies may be passed around a circle to several women to be fed, and even old women continue nursing from the time they have children. They really look out for eachother and carry eachother’s burdens. In fact, we are told there is no word for my or mine. If you have a cell phone, they say the cell phone is with Sam. Or if your shirt is hanging on line and somebody needs it, they just put it on. It is the way they live. They share everything.
We certainly have a lot we can learn from them. When you look at the Acts example of community, you realize that this is a standard we are called to strive for. I don’t know about nursing other babies, but definately sharing everything and putting other’s needs before your own. We have become so self focused in our search for independence and wealth, that we completely lost sight of this kind of community. It is something I hope to relearn and make a part of my life wherever God leads me.
We have been told it is really hot there and tropical, so there are lots of poisonous snakes and spiders to watch out for.Praise God that His word says that venom and scorpions will not harm us. I doubt we will have any problems if we are careful, but it is a relief to know that we don’t have to fear it. Water is pumped from a well every day, and clothes are beaten on rocks to get them clean. It will require a little bit or adjusting, but I look forward to the experience.
Because of the great need in this area, God is working in very powerful ways. The people are hungry for the gospel, but because of their desire to please it is sometimes a superficial response to not offend you. We will have to go deep and really ask a lot of questions to see where their heart really is.
Although there is a lot of death and devistation from the flood and typhoon, people are being healed and raised from the dead all over Mozambique. I believe that God does this, but God help my unblief. Help me to believe that I have the authority in the name of Jesus to do this. Help me to expect big things from you because you are a big God. Your power is without limit. It want to see your glory Lord. Thank you for this priviledge.
