This month has been kind of crazy. It has been a month of surprises. It took us several days to arrive at our ministry location. We took a bus over night from Nelspruit, South Africa to Vilanculos, Mozambique. Then we stayed overnight there and left at 5 in the morning the next day to travel 10 or so hours to Dondo. When we arrived in Dondo we found out that we could not reach our contact in Gorongoza so we stayed overnight there. In the morning they set us up with an Iris ministries missionary couple in Chimoio which was about 3 hours from Dondo. We had little idea about what this month was going to look like.
Iris Ministries is a ministry that focuses on working with orphans in Mozambique, they also do a lot of church planting. Joao and Jennifer were the couple we have been living with for the past two weeks. They have two boys: Jonathan age 4 and Daniel age 1. They are just starting an Iris children’s center here in Chimoio. The center has two and half buildings and 12 children in it right now. They have two boys who live with them in their house, Saba and Bentio. We became a part of their family this month. It has been good to be among a family and feel a bit like home. All 6 of us girls shared one room so it was definitely close quarters but we had mattresses and a bathroom with warm showers, so I was happy.
As for ministry we did several different things. The first day we went to the children’s center and planted trees and prayer walked the land asking for God’s blessing and provision for the center. God has big plans for this center and the children who will grow up here. We got to see what this place could become from our time in Haiti at Canaan. That was a children’s home and school that God has done amazing things with and we see God doing that here in at the Chimoio center.
That weekend we split up into three teams and went to different churches to preach. Blair and I stayed here and Chimoio and got to also attend the boys bible study at the center. I shared my testimony and we got to pray over the boys. There was one boy who has struggled with alcohol and suicidal thoughts and I really felt God work as I prayed over him. God gave me special insight into this boy so I could truly pray for him. I preached on Sunday at the church.
Later that week we got to Tete where Iris does food distribution for orphans. I mostly babysat Daniel and played with the orphans there. It was amazing to see how the process it works and to see families get their supply of corn which is the main source of food (its not corn like you think, but corn meal used to make shema the main source of their diets).
The weekend of the 19th there was a women’s conference in Amatonga which is about 45 minutes from Chimoio. Ashley and I went up on Friday and the rest of the girls were to come on Saturday and stay. Well, Blair got really sick, we think with Malaria on Friday and Liz, Kristen got sick too possibly with malaria. They all went on malaria meds and are now feeling better. Ashley got sick the day after the conference and also was treated for malaria. Kara has had stomach problems also, but not malaria. I am the only one on my team that has not been sick. So, Ashley and I preached and participated in the women’s conferences mostly by ourselves. Liz and Kara did make it up for the Saturday evening session and preached. It is a challenge to preach through two translators, one for Portuguese and one for the dialect. By the second time I preached I was able to do it without forgetting what I was going to say by the time the second translations happened. I really enjoyed the women’s conference and having the opportunity to pour into the Mozambican women. It is amazing to watch them worship and dance and go crazy for the Lord. We stayed with Pastor Amos and his family while we were there. He is a great man of God and a great father. I loved being with his family.
We have been spending this week hanging out with the boys from the center and the family we live with. Thursday was a holiday here so there was no school and we had everyone from the center over to the house for a big meal and to hang out. Pastor Amos, his wife and their youngest son came for the celebration too.
We are leaving on Saturday to head back to Nelspruit, South Africa for debrief. We are going home through Zimbabwe and it is probably a 24 hour bus ride. Pray for no problems crossing borders and safe travels. I hope to make a video of this month soon so you can really see what I have been up to this month. It is so hard to explain in words our experiences this month.
