On March 15th, 2019, the deadliest tropical cyclone in the Southwest Indian Ocean hit the district of Buzi, Mozambique, where our dear friends and beloved Pastor Jacob and his wife Cecilia live. Unaware that the category 3 cyclone was heading their way, they shockingly woke up to knee high water in their bedroom. Confused, they opened their front door. A wall of water gushed in, quickly filling their home to waste deep. Cecilia and Jacob grabbed their children, but nothing else. All was left behind as the wind and torential floods destroyed their cinder block home, ripping off their tin roof with gusts of 175 mph winds. "Grab the trees!" Cecelia and Jacob shouted to their four children as they gripped a child in each of their hands. The family struggled through rapid currents of ocean water pouring into their village streets, which was quickly rising up to their shoulders. None of them knew how to swim. Seeing the gravity of the situation, Jacob yelled over the storm to Cecelia, "Do you have faith in God?!" "Yes!" She screamed back, as the water was now reaching their necks. They continued in the dark with their children, grabbing any standing tree trunk they could see to stable them as they fought against the current. "There it is! Now climb to the roof top!" Jacob instructed his family as they approached the strong government building in the center of town. Others they recognized joined them as they too lost their homes with nowhere else to go. Soon the roof top filled with drenched terrified villagers. Here they spent the night in the storm with no shelter over their heads. Rain and wind continued the next day with no food or water in sight. The second rainy day passed, again with no sign of relief. By day three the entire town was under water with just a few tree tops and roofs of a few tall buildings in sight.
"A boat is coming!" a villager exclaimed. Soon all who were on that rooftop for 3 days without nourishment were rescued to Guara Guara. There they joined others who were also rescued as well, many from scattered tree tops.
Surrounded by discouraged, desparate new neighbors, Pastor Jacob and Cecelia felt God's compassion and love for their people. They began sharing the hope of salvation with those in Guara Guara and healing the sick in Jesus' name. By the end of three weeks, the waters receded enough for everyone to return to their villages, but this family now left behind a church of 30 new believers birthed out of this cyclone catastophe! Today they visit this new church regularly, one of many they have planted in this district of Buzi. "All things to work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to His purpose" Romans 8:28. With Jesus we are more than mere survivors!
Picture of them with motorcycle
With washed out roads making bike travel difficult and newly planted churches far away, we saw the need to purchase this motorcycle for Jacob and Cecelia.
About Cecilia and Jacob:
Cecilia is a gifted Bible teacher, regularly conducting women's seminars for Iris Global churches throughout the province of Sofala.
Pastor Jacob and Cecilia pastor their own church and serve as district pastors for Buzi. They also continue to actively plant new churches, and oversee their many established churches. Pastor Jacob also serves on the commission for the province and teaches seminars as part of our pastoral discipleship team for Central Mozambique.
Below is their church which we built while we were in Mozambique, with the "Church in a Day" project. The cyclone destoyed this roof, but missionaries there now helped them restore it once again. Thank you to all who have prayed for Mozambique and donated to her restoration.
"A boat is coming!" a villager exclaimed. Soon all who were on that rooftop for 3 days without nourishment were rescued to Guara Guara. There they joined others who were also rescued as well, many from scattered tree tops.
Surrounded by discouraged, desparate new neighbors, Pastor Jacob and Cecelia felt God's compassion and love for their people. They began sharing the hope of salvation with those in Guara Guara and healing the sick in Jesus' name. By the end of three weeks, the waters receded enough for everyone to return to their villages, but this family now left behind a church of 30 new believers birthed out of this cyclone catastophe! Today they visit this new church regularly, one of many they have planted in this district of Buzi. "All things to work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to His purpose" Romans 8:28. With Jesus we are more than mere survivors!
Picture of them with motorcycle
With washed out roads making bike travel difficult and newly planted churches far away, we saw the need to purchase this motorcycle for Jacob and Cecelia.
About Cecilia and Jacob:
Cecilia is a gifted Bible teacher, regularly conducting women's seminars for Iris Global churches throughout the province of Sofala.
Pastor Jacob and Cecilia pastor their own church and serve as district pastors for Buzi. They also continue to actively plant new churches, and oversee their many established churches. Pastor Jacob also serves on the commission for the province and teaches seminars as part of our pastoral discipleship team for Central Mozambique.
Below is their church which we built while we were in Mozambique, with the "Church in a Day" project. The cyclone destoyed this roof, but missionaries there now helped them restore it once again. Thank you to all who have prayed for Mozambique and donated to her restoration.
