Making History...Yao Conference 2013

Through God’s faithfulness, grace and goodness, through the faithful prayers of many, through a year of planning and a team of faithful servants (thank you YWAM), through several gifts from the people and interested parties this past week we made history!!! The first ever conference for the Yawo church. It was a ton of work and a total team effort, but what a blessing and amazing week. Our God can move mountains and this week He moved a big one. On Monday over 150 Yawo believers from Mozambique converged on a small village, Chiconono. This area was perfect for the conference because it is said to be the actual birthplace of the Yawo. For three days we celebrated what God is doing among the Yawo.

Ninety-five percent or more of the Yawo are Muslim so it has been a slow process to sow and reap the fruit of Christ’s work. But slowly God has moved throughout many different villages and His word has begun to penetrate hearts and minds. Now small groups of believers have sprung up. These believers are few and far between and many times receive persecution and / or expulsion from their families (This is an ultimate low for a Yawo. Death would be preferred). Because the church is young and small, believers do not have a church or a group of believers to disciple, encourage and help them on their newfound path. In an effort to network, disciple, encourage and help the Yawo church this conference was created.

This was the largest Christian gathering among the Yawo in Mozambique ever so first let me just say that it was just a blessing to be a part of this and to see the people in unity dancing, singing, praising God, giving testimony and fellowshipping together. The Yawo love to sing and this week was no different. Many of the praises are original to each church since there is no established church tradition. I don’t think words can really describe what we witnessed only know that it brought tears to our eyes. We gathered. We sang. We danced (with a dirt floor it got pretty dusty J). We praised God. We taught songs. We learned songs. Pastor Amosi Phiri Asabiuya, a mature Yawo believer from Malawi and Pastor Mwanja Mangoni, a Yawo believer from Tanzania as well as a veteran missionary from South Africa came to speak about our identity in Christ. It was so special for the Yawo believers in Mozambique to see and hear a mature believer because the believers in Moz are almost all babies in their faith. It was amazing to see the people devouring with attention the seminars. We talked about marriage, funerals, parenting, initiation (called unyago) and traditional medicine. The last day we all walked down to the river and baptized 20 people!!! For us, though, there was one thing that stands out above all the rest, the testimonies. We heard personal testimonies from many about their decision to follow Yesu. Our pastor in the States always quotes a formula: pain + perseverance = joy. This is the story of many Yawos as they were told to leave their homes and to never come back. One man told of how his wife’s family told him that they didn’t want to hear about her even if she died, but yet she chose Yesu. We heard the testimony of one chief who has recently put his faith in Yesu, a big step for a leader amongst the Muslim Yawos. The people gave testimony of how their lives had changed. Parents have begun to disciple and teach their kids. Parents explained how many of them cannot read but that does not mean that they cannot teach their kids the Word of God, so to show everyone this reality many of their children stood up and quoted verses. (I think at that point I lost it.) The theme for the week was Identity in Christ and for the first time I understood its significance. Many times the Yawo have to decide if they will lose their familial and earthly identity to be identified with Christ. They will truly be blessed for their decisions. As they sang - Kwenda, Kwenda, Kwenda ni Yesu (Walk, walk, walk with Jesus).

Fred, a veteran missionary from South Africa, used to work in a small village amongst the Yawo. For over 10 years he faithfully persevered reaching out and loving the Yawo. He led some of the first believers to Yesu. He said this was the most encouraging event he has ever witnessed. He saw the Spirit’s fire working and moving. We really believe and are witnesses to the fact that God is moving among the Yawo. He is doing amazing things and the harvest is ready to be gathered.                                                                                        New Life In Christ!

 

Traeger and some kids playing soccer before the conference started.

The younger kids in the children's program.

 



The dishwashing area.

Our main meeting center.

We decided to sit out and have a little snack and almost instantly we are surrounded by kids who just watch us and we sit and talk.

The sessions beginning in the meeting center.

One of our main speakers, Pastor Mwanja, and a translator. He spoke in Yao and they translated to Portuguese.

My girls sitting in the meeting with us.

One of my good friends, Lucia. Tim and I have been doing marriage counseling with her and her husband Paulo. They have been attending YWAM's discipleship training school. They are now doing their practical work and were here serving everyone by doing the food prep and cooking.

 

 



 Every afternoon we played soccer. It was tournament, each different Yao church against each other.

 



 We had to bring our adopted serval cat, Niassa, with us. She didn't mind the tent at all and made herself right at home! She slept in Traeger's sleeping bag with him every night.

 





Waiting in line to get food. We ate shima or rice every meal with fish, goat, beans, or greens.

 



In the blue, is another one of our main speakers, Pastor Amos, from Malawi. He also is Yao, and spoke in Yao and they translated to Portuguese.

These are the showers for the conference. There are 4 different little rooms with a hose hanging down to shower with.

 Karis and Kallen participating in the children's program.

 



 The kitchen.

 

 



Another view of the kitchen, where they did all the cooking for 200 + people.

 



The chidren saying prayers during their teaching time.



Worship time - one of the true highlights for them and for us.

All of us ready to hear God's word.

 

Living in a cloud of dust...

Sometimes I wonder what "ministry" means here in Mozambique. Sometimes you feel like you are just an exhibit and people only listen to you or want to know you because of the white skin. Like the picture of Karis above. Everywhere we go, we are surrounded by people (mostly kids). They don't really care about you or what you have to say, they just want to watch you or get a hand out of some sort. Then you have people like Emisio (see picture of his family with Tim's brother and family). Emisio came to us one day to ask if we would help him learn English and in return he would help us with our dogs. He is the local "vet". He works for the government and goes around giving vaccines and treating sick animals. Tim began meeting with him to help him with English and they have really grown into close friends. When he found out Tim's brother was visiting, he decided he wanted to have us all over to his house for dinner. He planned this for months and because their houses are so small, he built an entire outdoor dining area in order to house our big group (our family of 6 and Jeff's family of 5, plus their own family of 4). He had an incredible meal and really sacrificed a lot of time and money in order to welcome us into his home. He regularly brings us vegetable from his garden and even brought us a pig leg one day. It is a friendship of mutual giving and receiving and he and his family have been a huge blessing to us. We are not sure if Emisio is a Christian or not, but he has a catholic background and Tim and him have had many good conversations about God and what it means to be a Christian. We continue to pray for him and his family.

On another note, it is the dry season here, and the cool of winter is warming into spring, which quickly jumps into summer. We are beginning the worst time of the year here for me, dust, wind, and heat--not a good combination in my mind. We live continually in a cloud of dust. Dust that fills your nose, eyes and lungs to the point where you constantly feel like you have a cold. It also covers the table, the counters, and the floor. Everything, from trees to people are an orangy brown color. From this day until the first rains in November, I increasingly become more and more homesick. I love the fall in Michigan. It is my favorite time of year there. I love the colors, the coolness, the smells, football...Luckily here we stay really busy this time of year with ministry. Tim is, as I write this, making his way to Mechaneles, a village about 8 hours from here. He will be doing a marriage and family seminar there. I normally like to do the marriage seminars with him, but these far away village seminars are difficult. Besides the long drives, we have to stay in a tent and eat local food and use pit latrines and bathe in rivers or with buckets. It is very difficult with all the kids and almost impossible to do school, so I am staying back. Tim will then come home on Monday. Then next Thursday we will be heading to Malawi for some days of rest, and then some days of car repairs and doctors appointments. After we get back, it will be some crazy weeks of meetings and organizing for the Yao conference on the 16th of September. On the 12th, we are welcoming a family friend, who is interested in full time missions. She will helping out at the conference and here with homeschooling. Then the end of the month one of our supporting churches are sending a couple people to visit and see what we do here. They will be here from the 27th until the 30th. Then Oct. 1st, we leave for Mocimboa de Praia, where Tim will be teaching a 2 week class on Bible survey at a leadership training program, run by some Kenyan missionaries. I and the kids will probably stay with some colleagues in another village 2 hrs from where Tim will be. In November, Tim will be going to a personnel training workshop in Kenya for a week, which is a requirement for his new role as Administrator. Then the very next week, I am hosting a home school conference for all the homeschooling moms in the area. We have some ladies from England coming to run it for us. By that time, it should be raining regularly and everything goes back to being green and beautiful! We can enjoy the holidays with rain and thunderstorms, our favorite time of the year here.

Please keep our upcoming busy schedule in prayer. We need prayers for safety in travelling, wisdom in planning and organizing. Pray for the people involved, that God would soften their hearts and prepare them for the teaching and training. Also, pray for our perseverance through these busy and dreary days of the next couple months. Thanks for all your encouragement, love, and support!

Summer Update....

It has been way too long since we updated this blog. Our life has been busy as usual and between travelling and computer and Internet problems, I have not had time to post anything. So this will probably be a really long post.

Early June, we were in Muapula again for another STS training. This one was for a group of Bible students, studying in Maputo. They were in Muapula doing practical training and we held an STS training for them. It went really well. Our family also enjoyed a week on the farm there. We churned butter, helped tag and vaccinate all 183 sheep, we watched them slaughter and butcher a couple sheep, Jurnee fell in love with a 1 day old calf and spent her days at his side. It was really a nice week.

Then we had to make a trip to Malawi to add pages to my passport and do a few things at the embassy in Lilongwe. We also took a few days and relaxed in Zomba. It has been so busy around here, we needed to get away for a few days. The kids rode horses and we took some walks and toured the dam on top of the mountain. It was really nice to just be away with just our family.

Then the end of June, we went back to Malawi and picked up Tim's brother, and sister-in-law, and their 3 kids. It is our first family visit besides our parents, so we were so excited to spend some time with them. We visited a couple of game parks in Malawi and then returned to Lichinga, where we took them to church, did a couple village visits, went down to the lake, where they got a great African driving experience. We got stuck twice. The villagers had to literally pick up our car and move it to get us out. It took about 10 of them, but they did it. We have really enjoyed showing them our life here. Grant, their youngest, and Traeger are just 3 days apart and they celebrated their birthdays together. They are great buddies and Traeger is loving having his cousin here.

Tim will leave on Saturday to take them back to Malawi. We then have one week left until our Spiritual Life Conference. I am planning this conference again, and I have been shopping, planning, cooking and organizing this conference for 50 people. It is a lot of work, because we have it down at the lake and there is no electricity, only charcoal to cook on, everyone has to camp. We have to prepare for everyone to have filtered water and bring down everything including tents, bedding, dishes, cooking pots, utensils, food, etc... It is quite a task. Please pray that is goes well and all the details fall into place.

In August, Tim is teaching at the YWAM discipleship school. He is teaching on missions. Please pray that he will have time to study and prepare and that the week of teaching goes well. We have one couple we are mentoring and doing marriage counseling with, that are attending the school. They are doing great and really enjoying it. We are excited about what difference this can make in their spiritual lives as well as their marriage. They have had no Bible training previously and are leading a small church in Lumbiza. Pray for them and that God really works in their lives through this and they come out with a stronger marriage.

Tim also will be doing another marriage/parenting seminar in a village with the local Uniao Batista Church the middle of August. Please pray that this also will be a success and that the people's hearts will be open to hearing God's plan for marriage and families.

Then in September, we will be having the Yao conference. Plans seem to be moving along for that and we have had a couple days of meetings and prayer and we have had great attendance. Just please continue to pray that people will attend and that the details will come together and that it will be great tool for connecting the Yao believers and strengthening their faith.

One of the small groups during STS training in Muapula

 

Jurnee's favorite little friend. She has learned the word cow now and every animal she sees is "cow".

We would often find the girls at 6am in the sheep pen chasing around the baby sheep and holding them.



Kallen and her favorite.

 

 Karis and her favorite.

  We found this chameleon and notice his markings now. He is very agitated as Traeger is holding him.

This is the same chameleon after we put him back, completely comfortable now and completely green. They really are an amazing creature. Proof of an amazing Creator!

 

 

Zomba mountain.

 

 

Horse back riding on the mountain.

 

Thanks to Tim's parents we were able to spend a couple days with his brother and family at a safari lodge in Malawi. It was an incredible place. To get to it, we had to cross this rope bridge and then they picked us up in safari vehicles to take us to the lodge.

 Kallen and Karis' room.

Our view from the veranda.

Kallen says to me as we are getting ready for dinner. Mom there is an elephant at our room. I said, sure, okay(she often makes things up). She said. really there is an elephant, come and see. Sure enough, right outside their bedroom was this elephant chowing on the bushes. And the rooms don't are completely open to the outside. There is no windows or walls--just open to the river.

We could watch the hippos from our veranda.

 Our bathroom.

 Nyala antelope

 

All the kids at Mkulumadzi lodge.

 

 Jurnee's favorite toy, a giant millipede.

 Jurnee enjoying bath time.

 Another elephant we saw on our game drive.

 A beautiful African evening.

Enjoying the pool looking over the river.

It was our first time seeing a savannah monitor lizard. He was huge.

 A herd of elephant crossing the road right in front of us.

 

Also our first time seeing a python.

 Traeger and Grant celebrating their 9th birthdays together.

 They just have so much fun together.

Enjoying the lake.

All the cousins, Megan, Jurnee, Grant, Traeger, Leah, Kallen, and Karis.

 

All that is wrong and all that is right....

One thing we are learning while living in Mozambique is how to cope with losses. For the Mozambicans it is just a way of life. Nothing is certain, with life expectancy at 40 years of age, they don't expect to live long and they experience death of loved ones on a regular basis. Our house helper, Clara, asked me today if she could have tomorrow off because her niece had suddenly died last night. She came to work today and worked all day, I had no idea. Then right before she left, she told me and asked if it was okay if she took the next day off to help out her sister. I know if my niece died, I would be a basket case, but here, they have to learn to cope  with that type of loss or they would not be able to live. We have to tell our workers that they can only have extended time off when immediate family dies, because otherwise, they would be gone weekly for funerals and family sickness.
This past week, we experienced loss. Our dog, Vader, died while we were in Muapula doing the Simply the Story training. We received a message that he had suddenly died. When we left on Tuesday he was fine, but on Friday, apparently he died. When you agree to take on a pet here, you have to be ready for the reality of it. There are no vets. There are no humane ways to put an animal down if it is suffering. There are no vaccinations for your animals, so you take a real risk by bringing them into your home and loving them. A missionary's life is filled with goodbyes. So our kids have had to say goodbye many times. Goodbye to friends and family in the States, goodbye to friends here as they go back home on furlough, or are moving to a new location. Saying goodbye is nothing new to them, but this is the first time the kids have really experienced losing something to death and they are realizing the reality of it. In reality, we really have been blessed and losses for us here, don't normally come in the form of death. We also lost our cell phone and computer cord this week. These are the everyday things, that when they break or simply cease to function, are not easy to replace. We have to deal with how are we going to replace them, how long can we function without them if we have to have them shipped in from the States, will we be able to afford to replace them. Nothing is easy to replace here. They are just material possessions, but with our link to home being via the computer, when you lose a computer, you lose your connection to home. It is possible to exist without it, people did it for years and years before they were available, but for us, we have to learn to cope without them. It is constantly a learning process. So, we are trying to remind ourselves and teach our kids, what is really important in life. Things come and go, and every living thing, including us, will have to die, but what will never leave and what will never change is our God. "We long for the day when all that is wrong, will be made right." And we will never again have to say goodbye.

On another note the storying seminar in Muapula went really well. There were 24 people who participated. Everyone worked hard during the week to grasp the teaching and during the seminar everyone had an opportunity to present stories as we broke into small groups. The missionaries that live and work in Muapula, Frits and Nickey, are committed to storying and have been advocates of storying as well as such an encouragement to us as we try to teach and extend the reach of this storying method.
It is always amazing to see people stand up and tell a story from the Bible in their own language. And then for them to discover the truths that lie within that story - wow!!! We are blessed! The only downside is that eventually time runs out and the seminar ends, but the upside is they get to work on the storying with their family, friends, and neighbors.
We will be doing another seminar there the beginning of June for some Bible students. Tim will also be doing another marriage/parenting seminar in a village called Nimpepe the middle of this month with a local church. Please pray for us as we are extremely busy with admin and then trying to keep up with the teaching and training as well.

 

This is Raimundo. He told one of the stories he learned in the seminar at church on Sunday. It is always so exciting to listen as they quote entire stories directly from the Bible.