Please Pray for Mozambique

See the latest update on the devastation from Cyclone Idai.  Believe it or not, the Cyclone hit Zambezia over a week ago, went out to sea and then returned and hit the province of Sofala in Mozambique.  Please pray for the people, especially in Central Mozambique!  We were able to send one of our pastors who lives in Beira, Sofala funds to buy supplies for himself and other before the Cyclone hit there.  We also send a few hundred dollars to Pastor Zito after the Cyclone hit Zambezia.  Zito's house was completely destroyed.

Pastor Zito and Pastor Joao are two of our seminar teachers.

Go to the following link for a video update.

https://www.facebook.com/erictawnya.weaver/videos/2296578170561688/

Evangelism Mozambique Style

We have a fantastic praise report!  As many of you know, we have been praying that we could find people from the States to carry four video projectors we bought here in America to Mozambique.  Two were taken recently by a wonderful missionary couple to our base in Dondo. They were then transported by bus to two or our seminar teachers, Pastor Mario in Zambezia and Pastor Tanueque in Nampula!  

Pastor Mario, the first to receive a projector, was able to buy local speakers, lights and cords to begin holding nightly evangelistic outreaches during each of his training seminars.  The video projectors already have a micro SD slot where a 16G chip can be inserted which contains the Jesus film in several languages!  The screen is two sheets which have been sewn together and hung on a large bamboo pole.  

Last weekend, Pastor Mario used the projector for the first time. Pictured above, one of these churches brought out their piano, dancing and singing before the movie began.  Mozambicans love music, so this helped attract the huge crowd that gathered in this soccer field.  

After the film, Pastor Mario explained the gospel and invited people to follow Jesus.  Many gave their lives to Him that night.  With the help of 5 local churches invited to this event, these new converts were warmly encouraged to join a fellowship of believers.  

What excites us about this ministry is that it is all done by locals.  No one has a vehicle; only public transportation is used.  There is no expensive generator.  About one dollar is given to a neighbor who has electricity and a long extension cord is run to their house.  

The final two projectors are arriving in Mozambique this week with a visitor that we mailed the projectors to.  Soon all four of our seminar teams will have evangelism equipment, which means the Jesus Film will be shown about 12 times a month in the “bush bush”.  We are thrilled to see the Mozambicans carrying the Gospel out to their own people and discipling them with minimal missionary involvement.  Our goal as missionaries is always to evangelize and disciple a people group to the point where they are equipped and trained well enough to carry on without us.  Our hearts are full of joy as we see this happening more and more in Mozambique.  Our role now is to consistently pray for these teams, continue writing discipleship booklets as needed, cast vision, encourage, and provide minimal funds for their seminars with necessary accountability.  

God is directing us towards Asia once again.  In these next six months we will be preparing to move to northern Thailand.  As Jesus reveals more of His plan to us, we will reveal it to you!  

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.  

Much love,

Brian and Lorena

End of Year Update

In 2018 we continued to oversee discipleship and leadership training programs in seven of the ten provinces of Mozambique.   The Lord has blessed our ministry and last year we held over 100 seminars and distributed close to 20,000 discipleship books.  Brian wrote a new book, Foundations 3, which they began to use and will primarily teach this year.  In 2019 we will start a new evangelism program that will combine with our regular Mozambican training seminars.  We were able to purchase three video projectors and have already shipped two to Mozambique.  With these, the seminars will include evangelistic film showings in the evenings for their prospective communities.  The Jesus Film is now available in most of the African heart languages along with 5 follow up discipleship films.  These are powerful, especially when followed up with an evangelistic message and a miraculous healing service!   

In 2018 we were also able to spend a month in India with Linda Kaahanui and Jeanne Jesse, conducting pastoral training seminars with an emphasis on reaching the illiterate (94% of all village women).  The Lord moved miraculously in the area of healing as well.  Some of the amazing testimonies are posted on our blog site, if you haven’t already read them.  http://brianandlorena.blogspot.com/ 

While we will continue to oversee our seminar program in Africa, our plan is to shift our emphasis to Asia, centering our ministry in Thailand by the end of this coming summer.  From Thailand it will be quick and inexpensive to conduct training seminars throughout Southeast Asia. Lorena also feels led to develop children’s ministry programs in the refugee camps.  (Northern Thailand currently has 9 refugee camps with about 98,000 people.)  

For the first time in over 30 years, we will be going oversees without any children.  Our three oldest kids are married and the final two that are at home with us, Caleb and Nate, will stay in America and continue their college and career training. Caleb will remain in college, initially pursuing an AA in firefighting and Nate will finish his welding certificate program.  

Prayer Requests

• Lorena continues to care for her mom.  Please pray for her, as she is nearing her last days now.  We ask for extra grace and peace.
• Pray for this evangelism program and for us to find someone to take two more projectors to Africa.  
• Pray for Caleb and Nate.  Moving back to America has been a huge change for them.  They have spent close to ten years in Africa and life in America is a major adjustment.  Please pray for their spiritual life and their transition here in the States. 
• Especially pray for our plans to move to Thailand and our future ministry in Asia. 

Praise Reports

• At the end of 2018 funds came in to buy three projectors, sound equipment, and three micro SD card duplicators. 
• All of the seminar teachers are doing well, and their ministries continue to grow.
• Everyone in our family is healthy and we look forward to all that God is going to do in 2019.

Seminar Testimonies from Mozambican pastors and church members

• Pastor Calala, Zambezia Province:  “I am very thankful for these seminars in our province.  They are having a great impact on all the leadership in this province of Zambezia.  The leaders are changing in their spiritual lives, the youth that are attending are growing spiritually.  For this we say thank you for the presence of God and raising up these men to come teach us…
• Joao Mandala, Mozambican pastor of the mother church in Dondo, Mozambique: The other day I was sleeping and had a dream.  I was shown Pastor Brian and Mama Lorena with their discipleship books.  I saw a lot of people reading them.  God told me they were reading these books because He is the One who put in Brian’s heart to write them this way - filled with scriptures, rather than mere ideas. I saw many people learning the Bible through these books, because most of the people can’t afford a Bible.”  
• Pastor Mateus, Commission leader of the Sofala Province and seminar teacher in 3 provinces: “The churches are now stronger.  They can preach, give their testimonies…Many before couldn’t do this…These seminars are helping the churches greatly.  Thank you to those in America who are helping us here.  Without these seminars, the churches will weaken. Praise be to God, He is helping us…”
• Almeida Jose Manuel, “I thank God for the seminar we had…I learned that when someone is angry, you need to forgive them.  I used to get very angry.  Now I feel delivered.  I will love my wife, my sons, my nephews.  Those who have nothing, I will love.  A blind person often comes to my home, begging. I wouldn’t give him anything.  I didn’t know this was a sin.  Now I know I should give to people in need.  Starting today, I will offer food to people who don’t have anything…  I have 5 churches.  They all need to hear these seminars.  They need to learn to love.  Then the churches will grow. I am so thankful for this seminar.”
• District of Malema, “I am happy because I learned about God, how Jesus died for our sins.  I learned what one must do to be saved.  I learned many things, like love. I learned how to become a real Christian. I learned I must separate from sin…love each other…”
• Artur Joao, chief of village, “I’ve never been to a seminar before, or heard these teachings before, but I came and am very happy.  I learned that I must love my neighbor as myself.”  After being asked if he would like to see more seminars like this in his district, he said, “Yes, you must take these seminars to the far distances where they have never heard this before!"

Recent Testimonies

#1  Radhika had asthma with severe chest pain.  She has gone to many doctors for 8 years, and taken lots of medicine.  Discouraged, Radhika stopped taking her medicine and using her inhaler.   
Radhika also had pain in her right leg, which was covered with a red rash.  A bone in her ankle area was also protruding.  This pain and bone problem occurred just two days before heading to this conference.  Her daughter had gone to celebrate a pagan festival and was demon possessed by the time she got home.  Seeing this, her mother, Radhika, cast the demon out.  This is when the rash and bone displacement began.  Though in great pain and unable to walk without assistance, Radhika prepared to come to the conference.  Her daughter argued profusely that the journey would be too difficult for her.  Determined, Radhika asked for help to get into the rikshaw and came anyway.  Upon arrival, her sisters in the Lord carried her up the stairs to her room and later to the meetings and meals. 
The night Radhika received prayer, she fell out in the Spirit three times.  The pain and rash in her leg disappeared, the bone returned to its normal place, her chest pain left completely, her breathing was restored to normal, and she felt "light"! 
Pic of group praying for the sick

#2  Jamni had swelling in her stomach for 4-5 years.  Her left side was burning, and her right side had two boils in her kidney.  She knew this because she had just gone to the doctor a week ago and gotten an ultrasound. Jamni's whole body ached.  She works in the tea gardens, and has a second job carrying heavy bricks for construction workers.  Her right shoulder especially felt great pain.  For the past week until she received prayer at the conference, Jamni had a high fever, was unable to eat, and just vomited everything she tried to ingest.  Fever sores covered her mouth.  After receiving prayer, however, all her pain left and her appetite came back!  Her mouth is clear of all the fever sores, the fever is gone, and the swelling has disappeared.  She has no more burning sensation, and she can now raise her right arm without any shoulder pain.  This testimony is being taken the second day after her healing.  I asked how she liked her dinner last night (which was served right after prayer time).  She said it was wonderful and she had several helpings!  "Today I ate 2-3 helpings of breakfast and lunch too!”

#3  Elena had boils in the roof of her mouth and inside her lips. Her teeth hurt and she had a severe headache.  She also had two tumors in the back of her mouth, one on each side. Pain continued down through her neck and into her arms.  Seeking relief, Elena visited many doctors and a private hospital.  They gave her six injections into her mouth and told her these problems would become cancerous.  One year has passed now and still nothing has helped - until last night.  Elena now joyfully reports that God has healed her completely.  She has no more boils in her mouth or on her lips, no pain in her teeth, and no pain in her neck or arms.  She could also feel the tumors almost completely gone in the back of her mouth.   She says all these were at a high pain level and are now at a 0!

#4  Swastika had severe chest pain.  All her bones and joints hurt, including her elbows, nose, ears, arms, legs, feet, and hands.   She had bronchitis and a fever.  Swelling also plagued Swastika's body, affecting her hands, legs, and feet. Opening and closing her hands was impossible, as her fingers has swolen to tripple their normal size.  With her feet too large to fit into her shoes, Swastika arrived at the conference in slippers.  She couldn't work and sometimes couldn't even walk.  The stairs prevented Swastika from coming to some of the meetings at the conference; she had a fever and was in too much pain to walk.  The second night of the conference she came for prayer, however, and God touched her.  Now she testifies that her chest pain has disappeared and her bones and joints no longer hurt.   Her swelling is completely gone, she can open and close her hands normally, her legs and feet are back to normal size with no pain, and she is wearing her shoes comfortably!

#5  Sakila’s left eye burned with a high pain level for two years.  She went to several doctors, who told her that the nerves in her eye were squeezed together on the side.  Some said she needed surgery.  When receiving prayer, however, she felt extreme heat on her eye.  Now she has no pain!

News, pictures, and video from Brian and Lorena

Dear Friends and Family,​​

It is so fun to be a part of God’s work, as He expands the Kingdom of God. Every week we get great reports and testimonies of how God is using our seminar teams to disciple His people of Mozambique.  

Below are a few photos of some of our seminars this month.

District of Ribaue

District of Sacaeque

Nampula Province

These young people (above) are holding my new Foundations 3 book that I recently just finished writing and printing.

Chief of the Region Hears God's Word for the first time

 Click to play 1.5 minute video

​https://youtu.be/wQ3AHqQ6L5A

We rejoice in seeing the chief of this region come to a recent seminar and hear God’s Word for the first time! (click on above video)

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Our good friend and one of our top seminar teachers, Pastor Zito, sent these photos last week (see below). So many people showed up for the seminar that they had to move outside to accommodate all the people. 

Pastor Zito’s Seminar in Namaroi, Zambezia Province

Pray for Northern Mozambique.

Pastor Mario, our Mozambican director of our discipleship seminar program, recently returned from Cabo Del Gado, the province in the North.  He was able to help distribute thousands of our discipleship books to our district pastors there and explain how to teach them to their local churches.  Unfortunately, the churches are now experiencing extreme persecution, but at by God’s grace, the books got into their hands before this began. 

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God is so good.  He has blessed our family so much as we take care of Lorena’s Mom here in Redding, California and get our sons, Caleb and Nate assimilated into life in America.  They are doing well and will both be completing their senior year of high school this coming school year as well as taking classes at the local Jr. College. 

Family picture at Marge's 95 birthday party.  Caleb and Nate are on the far right.  

Nate (with baseball cap) turns 18 tomorrow!

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​Lorena’s Mom, Marjorie, just turned 95!  She is pictured here with our two wonderful grandchildren,

Brock and Fallon. 

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Blessings from the Wood Family!

If you would like to support this ministry our support address is,

Transforming Lives Ministry

1908 S El Camino Real 

San Clemente, CA 92672

Almost thirty years ago

Almost thirty years ago, we lived in the Philippines with no internet or cell phone.  Mail took twenty days - ten to America and ten more days for a response.  If we wanted to make a phone call, we had to take a two-hour bus ride to the city, wait 30 minutes, pay several dollars, and go into a booth.  So, talking to two of our pastors in Mozambique this morning, using an app, and paying nothing, still amazes us.

After spending nine years in Africa, we are getting settled in the States.  We now live in Redding, California.  If any of you are in the area, please come for a visit!  Grandma has moved in with us now.  As many of you know, Lorena’s mom needed more attention than she was receiving at her independent living center.  She is almost 95 and we felt it was important for us to temporarily leave the mission field to help her for a couple of years.  We are also helping our teenage boys, Caleb and Nate, transition into American life before heading back to the mission field.

Weekly leadership training seminars continue in Central Mozambique as we continue to organize and monitor them from here via regular internet phone calls and fellow team members… We are excited to report the printing of 2,000 more discipleship books just this week.  This time they were made in Blantyre, Malawi, where the quality is better and at a lower price.  Please pray that the documents we have will be sufficient to get the books across the border!  (Often this is where corruption takes place, making up “fees” with no receipts.)  Most mornings we spend speaking to our Mozambican leaders.  We are so thankful for smartphones!  For a few cents, Mozambicans can go online for one hour and communicate with us via WhatsApp, Messenger, and email.  After each seminar they send us videos, photos, and written reports, so we are always in touch and able to move forward! 

Lorena and I are both writing.  I hope to finish another discipleship book by the end of November.  Lorena is writing a unique curriculum for teaching and training the illiterate, using her experience in Africa and India.  We are also writing a joint book on missions. 

The family is doing well. Caleb and Nate are finishing high school at home and taking some classes at Shasta Community College. Nate has also enrolled in the Welding Certificate program at the Community College.  This will our first Christmas in America in ten years!  It’s wonderful to be in the same town as our daughter, Marissa, and her family and Matthew along with his wife Danica. Leaving family and friends behind is one of the greatest sacrifices missionaries make.  We’re blessed to be reunited with our family for this season and hope to see many more of you during this time as well. 

We so appreciate all your support and prayers over the years.  

Love,

Brian and Lorena

Moving Forward

Moving Forward!

20,000 New Books    

We have plans to print 20,000 of our discipleship books in Malawi.   We usually print a thousand books at a time locally in Mozambique.  Unfortunately, printing prices have really climbed.  Our plan is to have a large quantity printed across the border in Malawi.   A ministry in Blantyre can print the books at less than half price.  We are currently working on getting permission from the Mozambican government to bring the books into the country without custom fees.  We would appreciate your prayers!

Transition    

We are now working both in Mozambique and Redding, California.  Lorena’s mother is 94 years old and needs to move in with us.  We are in the process of organizing a house that will be suitable for her needs.  Our boys are also at the high school age now where they need more intense school courses, which are not available in Mozambique.  For this reason, we are settling in Redding, California, where our daughter and her family live, while continuing our ministry in Mozambique through regular visits, ongoing writing projects, and continual oversight of our seminars and ongoing recording projects through video chats, regular phone calls, and online banking.  We still maintain our house in Mozambique at our center in Dondo, and continue working with two other missionary families living there.  We also remain the directors of the pastoral discipleship program in Central Mozambique with over 1,000 Comunhao na Colheita churches in the 6 provinces.  After we settle things a bit, Brian plans on taking a month-long trip to Mozambique to conduct two pastoral training conferences in the provinces of Nampula and Zambezia, as well as touch base with our missionary team in Dondo, and our Mozambican discipleship teams.

More Fruit      

Last October, we received several prophetic words saying we would be seeing more fruit than ever before in our ministry.  Interestingly, this is a time of transition for us, where we will be spending less time living in Mozambique.  So how will we see even more fruit?  Yesterday I (Lorena) saw a glimpse of what God is stirring up.  I was talking to Pastor Mario, who heads our seminar program.  He was telling me how he and his wife’s children’s ministry program is flourishing, how they learned from me and use my curriculum, and how much they wanted me to come see it. (They live 10 hours from our home in Dondo.)  These children, by the way, have begun inviting their parents.  Now they are excited, adding in number, and it's turning into a new church for all ages!  As Pastor Mario and I talked, we agreed how great it would be to teach the pastors at the next conference how to begin and run a children’s ministry at their own churches.  I told him I couldn’t go now, but he could teach them.  He hesitated, but after some encouragement, he agreed excitedly that this was still a good idea and he and his wife could teach them well!  Sometimes people flourish when their leaders leave and they are left to fly on their own.  We’re blessed to have good leaders in place that will continue the ministry and apparently bare even MORE fruit!