Libby:
Well, our journey has ended. It has been wonderful to have had the opportunity to meet such committed Christians. Although they are poor financially they are richer than we are in some ways. They welcomed us with open arms and genuinely can twait to share their last food with us. What a lot we have learnt! We hope by being in their houses they will remember that we are praying for their success and future projects and that they feel supported.
Nicki:
Mozambique - a country of extremes. Extreme beauty, extreme colour, extreme poverty and extreme faith and love for the Lord Jesus. I had no idea what to expect or what to find and am coming home with an inner peace and calm and a better understanding of what we can do to help Bernadette and the congregations we visited.
It was so important that we went. What we were able to give and share with everyone in Christian love and fellowship was more than any money could possibly achieve. The overwhelming and uplifting spiritual joy which we have all felt sharing praise, worship and prayer with all we met is priceless.
We were guided physically and spiritually by pastor Danie Murray, a channel for God's love and understanding. We have all shared so much love, laughter, tears and joy with everyone we met that I feel humbled when I see how much is being done with so little for so many.
I feel blessed to have been able to share this experience with my fellow travellers and feel this is not the end of my journey, just the beginning.
George:
For me the mission to Mozambique has been an experience of a lifetime. Before leaving I had some doubts that given my age (68, ed.) I was perhaps not the correct person evangelising in a foreign country where I did not speak the language. However, given the warmth of the welcomes we received at every location, and the hospitality extended to us it became clear that I slotted into the team with ease. The enthusiasm of the Christians we met in the various locations was a joy to behold and an unforgettable, uplifting experience. I addition pastor Danie Murray, our guide, translator, driver and spiritual leader might be succinctly described as "God's love in action". It was a huge privilege for us to have Danie with us and I can honestly say that our Lord, working through Danie, has strengthened and deepened my own faith to a level which I have not ever known in the past.
Martin:
For two weeks we have walked closely with deeply religious missionaries and seen the communities they work for. They speak openly about their great love for God and God is central in everything they do. This has made a deep impression on us all. We have seen and we now understand the local needs, we have informed and discussed, we have laughed and cried, we have comforted and been comforted.
We have created new friendships which will last because they are part of a bigger plan (as pastor Danie would say). All of us have felt the need and made fresh commitments to lead our lives with a stronger commitment to God. This mission trip will change the lives of the team and the congregation and our friends in Mozambique for sure.
This is the end of our blog. We hope you enjoyed reading it.
If you have any questions please mail Martin Beck at this address:
mbeck944@aol.com
Sunday 12 December 2010
Saturday Update - Saying our goodbyes
We said our goodbyes to Kruger du Preez and pastor Samuel Matunda this
morning. We left a whole stack of clothes and food behind for Samuel to use
in the community where it is most needed.
The drive back was uneventful. Both border posts were teeming with people.
We had a delay on entry into Malawi when the army border guards just kept
looking at us but wouldn't open the gate. Dani wouldn't hoot his horn. After
a long time a casually dressed man ambled up leisurely and opened the gate
for us. No uniform needed here.
Saying good bye to Dani was hard. In the two weeks he has become a good
friend and we will miss his laughter, stories, perspective and guidance. The
devotions sessions with him won't be forgotten. George led devotions this
morning and did a very nice job.
We recorded a video message of thanks for the Strand congregation which Dani
is hoping to play to them in late January.
We landed in Addis two hours ago and have stayed awake playing twenty
questions. Hopefully our flight is on time at 1:45.
We are all looking forward to seeing many of you at church tomorrow.
We are grateful to Ben for maintaining the blog during these two weeks. Well
done Ben.
Tomorrow we will add our last post to this blog. This will be final thoughts
from each of the travellers on their experience in Mozambique.
Heartfelt greetings from your mission team.
George, Nicki, Libby and Martin.
morning. We left a whole stack of clothes and food behind for Samuel to use
in the community where it is most needed.
The drive back was uneventful. Both border posts were teeming with people.
We had a delay on entry into Malawi when the army border guards just kept
looking at us but wouldn't open the gate. Dani wouldn't hoot his horn. After
a long time a casually dressed man ambled up leisurely and opened the gate
for us. No uniform needed here.
Saying good bye to Dani was hard. In the two weeks he has become a good
friend and we will miss his laughter, stories, perspective and guidance. The
devotions sessions with him won't be forgotten. George led devotions this
morning and did a very nice job.
We recorded a video message of thanks for the Strand congregation which Dani
is hoping to play to them in late January.
We landed in Addis two hours ago and have stayed awake playing twenty
questions. Hopefully our flight is on time at 1:45.
We are all looking forward to seeing many of you at church tomorrow.
We are grateful to Ben for maintaining the blog during these two weeks. Well
done Ben.
Tomorrow we will add our last post to this blog. This will be final thoughts
from each of the travellers on their experience in Mozambique.
Heartfelt greetings from your mission team.
George, Nicki, Libby and Martin.
Friday 10 December 2010
Friday Update
We spent the day in two villages, saw a rice distribution to the poorest
people of the district and visited the first reformed church built in
Mozambique in 1908 by AC Murray, a distant relative of Dani.
We visited the local Pastor's wife (the Pastor was away for several days to
help one his elders get going).
On the way back we bought bread in Vila Ulongue's market - what a mess, wait
for the photos!
In the afternoon we realised a minor miracle by making the library look
neat.
We also heard more about the language training and the reading initiative
for blind people taking place here at Hefsiba.
We had our final supper just now and retold some of our best stories.
Leaving tomorrow at 9 am.
We are thankful for a spiritual time under the guidance of Pastor Dani.
We pray for the poorest people in this region and hope that they receive not
only the rice but also the message that this rice was given by their
Christian neighbours out of love.
Signing off.
The mission team.
people of the district and visited the first reformed church built in
Mozambique in 1908 by AC Murray, a distant relative of Dani.
We visited the local Pastor's wife (the Pastor was away for several days to
help one his elders get going).
On the way back we bought bread in Vila Ulongue's market - what a mess, wait
for the photos!
In the afternoon we realised a minor miracle by making the library look
neat.
We also heard more about the language training and the reading initiative
for blind people taking place here at Hefsiba.
We had our final supper just now and retold some of our best stories.
Leaving tomorrow at 9 am.
We are thankful for a spiritual time under the guidance of Pastor Dani.
We pray for the poorest people in this region and hope that they receive not
only the rice but also the message that this rice was given by their
Christian neighbours out of love.
Signing off.
The mission team.
Thursday 9 December 2010
Thursday Update - Librarians book two
Spent the entire day in the library. None of us have ever played librarians
before and so we were somewhat out of our depth. We then discovered a 1965
book of library decimalisation which we used for indexing everything. That
effort went quite well until we discovered on the internet that changes had
been to the system since 1965. Who would have thought. . .
As a result we do know that the job of sorting, categorising and labelling
isn't finished. We don't know if the resident librarian was truly able to
follow our logic or if she simply said "Yes" to everything to please us.
We invited pastor Samuel and his wife over to our house for dinner. There
was a minor glitch when the electricity went off at 3pm and never came on
again and so dinner is an improvisation. A tinned Chili con Carne was
augmented with tomatoes from the market and cooked at a neighbour's house.
Desert was a fruit salad of mangos and bananas.
The Pastor's wife is very quiet although she probably understands most of
what we say. We had a lovely time, eating by candle light and the Pastor was
very friendly and funny. We even sang a hymn after dinner. I do
wonder if they felt like judges on the X Factor.
Pastor Samuel's father is recognized in Mozambique as the founder of mission
work in the Milange area, where he ministered even during the countries Civil War.
We handed over several Bibles and workbooks. George inscribed a
leather-bound Bible with greetings from the Marlow congregation.
We are thankful for fellowship, friendship and support we receive from
everyone here.
We pray that by some miracle we will be able to finalize the library
decimalisation tomorrow and that the new librarian can understand and work
the system.
before and so we were somewhat out of our depth. We then discovered a 1965
book of library decimalisation which we used for indexing everything. That
effort went quite well until we discovered on the internet that changes had
been to the system since 1965. Who would have thought. . .
As a result we do know that the job of sorting, categorising and labelling
isn't finished. We don't know if the resident librarian was truly able to
follow our logic or if she simply said "Yes" to everything to please us.
We invited pastor Samuel and his wife over to our house for dinner. There
was a minor glitch when the electricity went off at 3pm and never came on
again and so dinner is an improvisation. A tinned Chili con Carne was
augmented with tomatoes from the market and cooked at a neighbour's house.
Desert was a fruit salad of mangos and bananas.
The Pastor's wife is very quiet although she probably understands most of
what we say. We had a lovely time, eating by candle light and the Pastor was
very friendly and funny. We even sang a hymn after dinner. I do
wonder if they felt like judges on the X Factor.
Pastor Samuel's father is recognized in Mozambique as the founder of mission
work in the Milange area, where he ministered even during the countries Civil War.
We handed over several Bibles and workbooks. George inscribed a
leather-bound Bible with greetings from the Marlow congregation.
We are thankful for fellowship, friendship and support we receive from
everyone here.
We pray that by some miracle we will be able to finalize the library
decimalisation tomorrow and that the new librarian can understand and work
the system.
Wednesday Update - Pictures!
airlocks and turning trickles into some flow. Being inspired by our
surroundings of the Bible college we then held an inhouse devotions meeting
led by Pastor Danie before meeting Pastor Samuel at 9 o'clock.
We assembled in one of the lecture halls with Samuel, the Principal, the
vice principal and members of the executive.
They explained the college organisation and workings and we spoke about our
trip so far and our church in Marlow.
Following the meeting we were given a tour of the grounds and lunch.
We started our library job of identifying and categorizing a large heap of
(really ancient) books. This took up the entire afternoon.
We cooked a simple pasta dish for dinner and are now definitely ready for
bed.
We are thankful for our growing relationship with the people from the
college, who have built a recognized institution over the last 12 years.
We pray that Hefsiba's may continue to flourish and that they will be able
to support and train an even greater number of students in the future.
Tuesday 7 December 2010
Tuesday Update - Border control
After a meeting with Espanor representatives which went on until 10pm we had a late start. A 5star breakfast was laid on by pastor Cobus' wife Nana who reside at the mission station in Milange.
We bade them and Tony (who is persisting with his language training efforts) a fond farewell and Cobus promised to mail the diary which I left behind in Ile to England.
Our attempt to find some trousers or shirts in Milange market ended with the realisation that they must be receiving Oxfam rejects in rusty containers and then hang these out for sale. So our visit to the "famous gents outfitters" of Milange were unsuccessful.
Four border crossings later we are now in the beautiful accomodation of the Hefsiba bible college at Vila Ulongue.
The border formalities were pretty uneventful, only our last re-entry into Mozambique was noteworthy. At 3:30 pm we were the first car that passed through his checkpoint and we chatted for a while.
Malawi is very green in this region and living standards are higher than in Mozambique. There are many more cars and the roads are tarmaced. There were various military checkpoints during our transit and at one of them Dani thought he had been waved on when he hadn't. This resulted in a bit of a tense moment when the soldier said: why are you in such a hurry? As in all situations Dani remained calm and friendly and we got on our way without having our luggage searched.
We had several rain showers during the day and by the time we arrived at Hefsiba the temperature dropped to 24 degrees. The college looks like a tropical botanical garden. Tomorrow we are getting the guided tour.
The welcome from pastor Samuel Matunda was unlike anything I have ever seen. He greeted me and the others like a long lost son/daughter. We are staying in a lecturer's house which is empty this week and will be occupied again from next week.
Pastor Samuel is going to the local restaurant for dinner with us in a few minutes.
We are thankful for safe travels on the boggy roads of Mozambique. We also thank Cobus and Nana for their hospitality.
We pray that the efforts of Espanor will come to fruition according to their plans.
We bade them and Tony (who is persisting with his language training efforts) a fond farewell and Cobus promised to mail the diary which I left behind in Ile to England.
Our attempt to find some trousers or shirts in Milange market ended with the realisation that they must be receiving Oxfam rejects in rusty containers and then hang these out for sale. So our visit to the "famous gents outfitters" of Milange were unsuccessful.
Four border crossings later we are now in the beautiful accomodation of the Hefsiba bible college at Vila Ulongue.
The border formalities were pretty uneventful, only our last re-entry into Mozambique was noteworthy. At 3:30 pm we were the first car that passed through his checkpoint and we chatted for a while.
Malawi is very green in this region and living standards are higher than in Mozambique. There are many more cars and the roads are tarmaced. There were various military checkpoints during our transit and at one of them Dani thought he had been waved on when he hadn't. This resulted in a bit of a tense moment when the soldier said: why are you in such a hurry? As in all situations Dani remained calm and friendly and we got on our way without having our luggage searched.
We had several rain showers during the day and by the time we arrived at Hefsiba the temperature dropped to 24 degrees. The college looks like a tropical botanical garden. Tomorrow we are getting the guided tour.
The welcome from pastor Samuel Matunda was unlike anything I have ever seen. He greeted me and the others like a long lost son/daughter. We are staying in a lecturer's house which is empty this week and will be occupied again from next week.
Pastor Samuel is going to the local restaurant for dinner with us in a few minutes.
We are thankful for safe travels on the boggy roads of Mozambique. We also thank Cobus and Nana for their hospitality.
We pray that the efforts of Espanor will come to fruition according to their plans.
Monday 6 December 2010
Monday Update
Just a short update as we've just started a meeting which will last all evening.
Started in Ile this morning, saw pastor Ualize again, stopped at the Anamed project where we saw how they make medicine from plants. We bought some Morimba.
We then drove to Mussi. The pastor was working in the field and didn't expect us. He had not received the message that we were on our way.
Nevertheless his wife and daughters rustled up a lunch of rice and Sardines. George knocked his head on the roof and drew a little blood - an opportunity for Nicky to get out the first aid kit.
Then on to Milange where we are right now, meeting with Espanor to discuss how they might be able to move forward.
We are thankful for safe journeys through flooded and muddy roads.
We pray for the congregation of Ile once more that they may reflect on the events and discussions from yesterday and jointly find good solutions to their questions.
Started in Ile this morning, saw pastor Ualize again, stopped at the Anamed project where we saw how they make medicine from plants. We bought some Morimba.
We then drove to Mussi. The pastor was working in the field and didn't expect us. He had not received the message that we were on our way.
Nevertheless his wife and daughters rustled up a lunch of rice and Sardines. George knocked his head on the roof and drew a little blood - an opportunity for Nicky to get out the first aid kit.
Then on to Milange where we are right now, meeting with Espanor to discuss how they might be able to move forward.
We are thankful for safe journeys through flooded and muddy roads.
We pray for the congregation of Ile once more that they may reflect on the events and discussions from yesterday and jointly find good solutions to their questions.
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