My Week in Mozambique

Eating a simple meal of cabbage and rice at a women’s conference I was invited to speak at a few days ago in Buzi, the district pastor’s wife quietly explains, “The people here are suffering.  Even to get this meal, everyone sacrificed greatly.  The rice and corn fields haven’t produced any harvests this year because of the drought, and many are hungry.”  The next day, a church member brought to our attention the condition of our former guard.  Weak from a stroke, he stopped working his full time job.  But now we heard something most Westerners never hear.  This man could not walk because he was too weak from not eating!  The little bit of food he had, he gave to his wife and children.  Brian came home almost speechless after taking food to this man’s family and probably saving his life.  Today I received news that one of our grown orphan boys went to our worker’s house asking for a meal.  “Why did he go to your house to ask for food?  Why isn’t his uncle feeding him?”  Clemente replied, “His uncle hasn’t been able to find work, so the whole family hasn’t eaten these last 3 days.”   Telling one of our church leaders the condition of the hunger problem in Buzi, Mama Aida informs me how the ladies when doing home visitations, discovered countless families in our own neighborhood that are also suffering from hunger.  She said these mothers go house to house asking their neighbors if there’s anything they can do to earn just a little money to buy food.  Of course most of their neighbors are also lacking.  I quickly asked her to make a list of these ones suffering.  Yesterday and today we had the joy of giving out rice to 50 needy families in our own backyard.  

We plan to return to Buzi soon with food as well.  Today I spoke with our dear pastor from another local church who reported how so many widows in her town are also suffering from hunger.  I told her to make a list too, and I’d go there next week.  None of these people came to me with these reports because they thought we had food to give.  They were just sadly telling me what was going on in their areas. We are so dependent on Jesus to be our source of joy and hope in such a difficult place.  That’s our constant message to the Mozambicans as well – look to Jesus.  He is our only hope.  We must all depend on Him alone.  I praise God we are here and able to help a bit.  It’s such a different world here!  What did your week look like?

Lorena