NOT JUST ANOTHER WIDOW!

Mighty in Spirit and in Deed – that’s Mai Terazinha!  Two years ago she and her group of widows she met with in her little mud hut, came to us asking for help.  “Can you please buy us some land so we can build a church?”  We consented, and soon a visiting World Race team put up the firsts posts for her little church.  Later, however, these posts and bamboo strips were stolen.  Mai Terazinha never faultered.  She doesn’t read or write, but she prays, intercedes for her flock and all the surrounding churches.  Jesus gives her visions and dreams to encourage others.  Faithfully she listens intently to her audio solar powered Bible, and attends all our leadership training seminars.  When we recently endured many trials at our center, it was Mai Terazinha that organized her ladies to pray and fast for our center.  She also takes her ladies out to the other churches in our district, walking for miles in intense heat - visiting house to house, praying for the sick, and encouraging the brethren.  When we give out our discipleship booklets, this doesn’t deter her.  She asks a youth or man (most of the women don’t read) to read it to them so they can all learn together.  Nothing stops her.  She has no husband, but cares for six orphans in her little hut with no electricity or running water.  She continues to till her farm at the age of 65, providing for her household with the rice and corn she grows.  She has never attended Bible school, but listens to the audio Bible school course on her solar powered unit we gave her.  Recently we built her a strong metal church frame with a good roof, called “Church in a Day.” (see link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPSISJ9HHXE  They will likely fill in these walls with bricks over time.  (But we prefer the open walls with the cool breeze!) What blessed us the most was to see how her small group of widows had grown to a thriving church of men, women, youth, and children in these last two years!  Nothing is impossible with God.  Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord.  God uses the weak and lowly, so all glory goes to Him.  She doesn’t focus on what she doesn’t have or what she can’t do.  She spends time with Jesus, loves Him with all her heart, and spreads that love around.  A simple, illiterate, poor woman, but such a powerful example to us all.  Mai Terazinha – not just any ordinary widow!

Church in a Day

It is probably not surprising to know that building a strong church structure out of galvanized steel and metal roofing material is beyond the capacity of local churches in Mozambique.  Most of congregations we work with have churches made of sticks, bamboo, mud, and straw.  This year a large percentage of these building were completely destroyed by strong winds and rain. 

Our goal is to build strong and secure buildings throughout Mozambique.  We partner together with local churches.

We build the building and the local church puts up the block or brick walls.  We can put up a structure that is prefabricated at our center in one day.  The cost for each church is $2,500.   Please let us know if you would like to help with this project. 

Come and Join Us!

Come and join us as we gather together on the first Sunday of the new year.  Our new church building is almost finished.  We still need to finish the entry way, the floor, and we are waiting on more metal roofing to finish the ridge of the building.  Lorena's kids program is in our smaller church that is set up for the kids and seminars. 

2014 in Central Mozambique

Worship Seminar, Leadership Seminar, Discipleship Seminar, and Conference

Worship Seminar

Youth Discussion Group with new Discipleship Book by Linda Kaahanui

Women's Discipleship Discussion Group

Studying New Discipleship Book

Training Top Mozambican Leaders

-->

These last two weeks have been pivitol as we brought in our top leaders/teachers from our three central provinces of Manica, Zambezia, and Sofala for encouragement and more training.  First we fed and housed them in the city of Beira as they participated in an incredible International Conference with a wonderful church, Peniel.  Afterwards they all came to our center for three seminars in a row, on leadership, worship, and our new discipleship book written by Linda Baker Kaahanui, Old Testament Stories.  Our 39 leaders loved every moment.  Now they’ve returned to their respective districts refreshed and equipped with more material to teach. 

God's Protection

-->

God was with us on our journey home, protecting  us as we traveled the dangerous National Highway in one section where the rebel Renamo soldiers have been attacking vehicles passing through.  At the time we thought the attacks had stopped, so we loaded up our truck with Bibles in Maputo and continued on.  We were almost out of stock because these attacks have been going on for the past year, and we couldn’t travel this road.  When we got home, the news reached the web two days later that the attacks were actually accelerated that very week and had even had an incident that morning right before we passed through.  Praise Jesus He is our protector and our shield.  And we now have a new load of Bibles!  This week, FYI, an amnesty has been given to these rebels by the government and the attacks have stopped – at least until the elections in October.  The rebel leader is actually running for the office of President!

Time of Refreshing

-->

We recently returned from South Africa after spending some family time with our son, Matthew,  who came to visit us from Oregon on his summer break.   It was a good time of refreshing and fun for the whole family.  We were also blessed to participate and teach in a “School of Revival” with our missionary friends who live there.  After it was over, the excited group of young people didn’t want to stop!  So we went out into the flea market in small groups of 3, praying and asking God who He wanted us to witness to or pray for.  My little group came upon a lady sitting on a low wall with two friends.  She had a cane and a foot propped up on the wall beside her.  We befriended  them  and asked if we could pray for her foot.  “Sure,” she answered.  After praying, I asked if she wouldn’t mind testing it out to see if she was healed.  Boldly she stood up and started walking without her cane and announced, “I don’t feel any more pain!”  I asked her two friends  if she could do this before.  “No! Not at all!” they responded.  Another good day with Jesus.