There is hope at Hope Farm

• Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.
• Let your Hope, not your hurts, shape your future.
• May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in Hope. Romans 15:13
• For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a Hope. Jeremiah 29:11

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Hope Farm is a Catholic project that is involved in several areas of work in the community. The farm is located in the Dombe district, which was one of the places that suffered most from Cyclone Idai, and also one of the places where most people lost their lives and practically all villages lost everything. I met the person in charge of the farm at a meeting organized by the Brazilian consulate at my home with all the Brazilians who were affected by the Cyclone. We talked and the idea came together from BMS and hope farming to help one of the communities with a mill to clean the corn and also make flour, which is one of the main foods here in Mozambique. I had the opportunity to go to Dombe and stay at Hope Farm, visit the projects and stay where they have a drug rehabilitation centre for people with all types of addictions.

It was a very good time, where I could hear from some young people. They are real people, with real stories. There was this young man who lived with his mother and every day she would leave at the same time to go to church. Time passed and one day he went to her bedroom to call her and she was lying in bed dead. That young man was just a 7 year old child and the negative impact that had on his life led him to the world of drugs…… but God with his grace has given hope to that young man.

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Hope Farm has a rehabilitation center with 48 men and a house with 45 women and they are from all parts of Mozambique. The other day I had the opportunity to speak to the young people who were in recovery. The word that God put in my heart was about choices; all of our choices have consequences, good or bad and whatever we plant, we will reap. So it is very important to think about what we want to reap, as all our dedication effort will have an effect on our lives. We cannot control what happens around us, just as the planter does not control the climate, but we can control our actions and choices.

The idea is to set up a mill in one of the family settlements that started after the river flooded due to Cyclone Idai. It will benefit more than 200 families. Pray for these young people and so many others in the world who suffer because of some form of addiction and also for their families. We believe that there is hope in Christ.

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We are orphaned….

This week we had the sad news that one of the pastors who worked very close to Sergio died. This left us very shaken and with a heavy heart. Pastor Jemuce was the president of the mission department of CBM (Baptist convention of Mozambique) and had a deep love to reach people for Christ. He was the founder of several congregations that became churches, a man with a heart to raise new missionaries and train them for the Kingdom of God. A great loss for the gospel in Mozambique, but a great joy for heaven. Linda who works for us (Liz commented on her in our last prayer letter)(https://www.bmsworldmission.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/0620-Vilela.pdf), said a phrase that is making me think a lot…..”Now we are orphaned of a pastor”.

Pastor Jemuce speaking after Liz gave a talk on child protection to CBM missionareis.

The word orphan means to ‘lose someone very dear who supports and protects and now that person is abandoned and helpless’. The pastor who was a figure of caring and protecting, left a Church with a feeling that many people in Mozambique know very well, the feeling of being an orphan. As in England, Mozambique faces a shortage of young people willing to exercise the pastoral call for various reasons, but mainly because the majority of pastors here are not paid and receive only a living allowance. This is a reality in a country where the majority struggles to bring food into the house.

We know that we must pray that the lord of the harvest sends workers, but as members of the body of Christ, we must love and honour our pastors. If you are a pastor of a church and are reading this post, I want to thank you with all my heart for your willingness and work in the kingdom of the lord. I know that this choice has caused you hardship and pressure not only on you but also on your family, but I want you to know  that your labour is not in vain in the Lord(1 Cor 15:58).

If you are a brother in Christ, I ask you to pray for your pastor, encourage your pastor, be someone who sees the positive in the church. Love and honour your pastor. I also ask that together we pray that God will raise up more pastors here in Mozambique in the UK and everywhere on this earth, knowing that one day we will be gathered together before our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.

“We prefer to die from disease than from hunger.”

Here in Mozambique lockdown is a very distant world from the reality of Mozambicans. The vast majority of Mozambicans work today to eat tomorrow and lockdown is a luxury they cannot afford. The other day I had to get a xopela (tuc-tuc type transport) and as  always I like to talk and I started asking the driver some questions. First I praised him because he was wearing a mask and I asked, “Do you think the Government will impose lockdown in Mozambique?’’

He was straightforward and very clear in his response, “Boss here we work today to eat tomorrow and there are people who work in the morning to eat at night. We would rather die of disease than die of hunger. Hunger is the worst thing there is. I went hungry during the war, my father and mother walked with us for days during the war looking for food. So here we would rather die of illness than die of hunger.

Mozambicans buying fish to sell from the fisherman.

Below are some interesting thoughts by an unknown author, of which many can relate to where we are….

“The phrase that many people have spoken in this time of pandemic is to keep in isolation, because we are in the same boat. Maintaining social isolation is very important, but we are not in the same boat, we are experiencing the same storm, but in different boats. For some the quarantine is being great! Moment of reconnection .. work is going smoothly, etc. For some it’s being a crisis! For others, peace … a time of rest. Holiday. For other times of torture: “how am I going to pay my bills ?!” Some are concerned that they will have bread to eat by the end of the week, if rice and beans will be enough. Some are in the home office on the farm … others are picking up trash to survive. Some want to go back to work because they have no money left. Some want to kill anyone who wants to go back to work because he is not thinking about money, after all he already has a reservation, no need to worry about it. Some are with faith in God that we will see many miracles in 2020. Others say the worst hasn’t even come.

So … No friend, we are not in the same boat. We are going through the same moment but with COMPLETELY different perceptions, experiences and needs. And we will each get out of this storm. So at this moment it is very important to see beyond what is seen. Seeing beyond the political party, beyond religion, beyond the navel itself … don’t underestimate the pain of the other because you don’t feel it, don’t judge the other person’s good life because you don’t know what he went through to get there … just don’t judge. Let us judge less. Both those who don’t have much, and those who have plenty. Both those who want to go back to work and those who want to stay at home.

 After all .. we are in different boats brother! Speak for yourself .”

There are few cases of covid-19 here so far, compared to other countries, but we have seen a rise in cases most days over the last week. We hope that it won’t spread as widely as it has done in Europe. The Government has put in some restrictions over the last month and a half. Schools, Churches and places of entertainment are closed at least until the end of May.

The BMS team are involved in some prevention projects, such as the distribution of masks, soap and information and teaching how to wash your hands and what the symptoms are, but also how to help overcome this difficult moment. Pray that God will give us the grace and wisdom to walk and help others in this time of despair, that we will shine the light of Jesus in any way possible so that in times of difficulty, people have hope.

Saving lives!

Regularly here you meet children with burn marks or you hear stories of children that drowned or were knocked over by cars. We know of a child that drowned from falling in a puddle of rain water and a boy that fell into a well and died and a child that knocked over a pan of hot oil. Many times these accidents are preventable. Information can save lives!

Last Thursday and Friday, 44 teachers from PEPEs in this area came together so that Joao Paulo and myself could train the teachers to teach the parents of the children that go to PEPE. The themes that were included were good hygiene, safety at home, accidents, violence, and how to encourage and empower your child. At one point they had to draw the plan of their house and look to see if there was any way of improving safety and hygiene in their home.

There was a lot of discussion and my eyes were opened once again to such different ways of parenting. It was encouraging to hear people who recognise the importance of respecting children and fighting for their rights. On the other hand, there were concerns raised as to how children are nurtured at home and the great risks children have of being abused by family members and having no one that is brave enough to say ‘ENOUGH/CHEGA’. Sharing information and educating can rescue and save lives.

I give thanks to God for this opportunity and privilege to work with a team of people here to be able to pass on information that can help to save lives. Due to poverty the reality of preventing these sorts of accidents are difficult. For example people tend to cook outside as they don’t have a kitchen so there is more chance of a child getting burned if they aren’t supervised. There aren’t any pedestrian crossings (where the pedestrians have the right of way) so crossing the road is dangerous. However, while we were away the Chinese built some bridges over the main road to improve safety….. only you don’t actually see anyone climbing up and down the steps to get to the other side as to them it’s much more convenient to cross the road as they have always done….. Education and creating awareness of the dangers is the key to saving lives!

In the evaluation of these two days, everyone said they had learnt new things or become aware of some changes to be made in their own home, and they were enthusiastic to go back to their PEPE and teach the parents. I am enthusiastic to know that this vital information and teaching is happening and pray that God opens peoples hearts and minds to make changes in order to increase protection and safety in their homes for children who are vulnerable to so much. May lives be saved and changed through this training programme.

Construction in Progress!

Several reconstructions are being made after the passing of Cyclone Idai. With the help of the Churches in England we are helping to rebuild rooms and bathrooms of approximately 13 PEPE ( https://www.pepe-network.org/en/ ) units here in Beira and other cities.

And building here is always a challenge, because as you know Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world, with over 50% of the population living on less than $ 1 a day according to the World Bank. It is a country where poverty is a major risk for children, and PEPE is a safe place where children gain knowledge and are also fed for part of the day. For one of the churches that we are helping, we are building a bathroom because what they had besides being very precarious, part of it fell with the force of the wind during the cyclone.

When visiting I heard a very interesting story: the bathrooms here are usually built outside and to the sadness of the church leadership the bathroom doors had been stolen, and now what to do? The blessing of having little is that the main resource you have is prayer, and that’s what the church did, it prayed; so one of the ladies of the church went to visit a cousin and getting there her cousin was arguing with a man about a debt so she asked what the debt was about. He said he had bought 2 doors from this man so she asked to see the doors and said he was pretty sure they were the doors that had been stolen from the church. So they called the leader from the church to confirm that the door belonged to the Church. They called the police and the man confessed that he had stolen them, and the Church managed to retrieve the bathroom doors.

Prayer must always be our first option. So I would like to challenge you to pray first for something that you might think is impossible and don’t forget, nothing is impossible for God. Pray also for Mozambique and especially for the children. We also praise God for the generosity of the churches in the United Kingdom, and for you, because you are the church and your help has transformed many people’s lives. Thank you for your generosity.

On Saturday our Church went to visit our Church plant and donate food and clothes to the people. It’s a poor area and many were very badly affected by the cyclone because it is very open and prone to flooding. It was great to be able to be together and after we gave our donativos, they gave us food they had cooked to say thank you!

This is a picture of the Church building…..

 

The Bible says ‘What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.‘ (James 2:14-17)

 

18 year anniversary of PEPE!

This month we attended the annual PEPE National Conference, where all those that serve in the PEPE preschools run by Churches in Mozambique can come together to learn, give support and encourage, and worship God. The expectation was that 100 people would attend and in the end around 130 people were part of this special week, travelling from the North and South of Mozambique to our home city of Beira.

Liz had the opportunity to speak about child protection using the verses of love in 1 Corinthians 13 to demonstrate that when we love we protect, so if we don’t protect we aren’t showing love to those around us. Actions speak louder than words and that love needs to be shown in the way each person looks after the children in their care.

Liz also spoke on nutrition and stated the facts on the maximum amounts of oil, salt and sugar we should consume daily. They were aksed how much oil they consume in one month and the majority said 5 litres. So when I told them they should be using just 1/2 litre a month, there were gasps around the room. Also showing them the amount of sugar in a can of coke shocked them. Hopefully they will take this on board and make some changes in their own hosueholds as well as in the food they provide at PEPE.

We were privileged to host Terezinha, who is the Brazilian missionary that helped to start PEPE in Mozambique 18 years ago, as well as Sheila, who was able to show her experience and expertise with everyone there. In this photo, she was telling the story of Cinderella with a Christian message and used a special dress to tell the story. Many were moved by hearing the story because no one had ever told them a story like that before.

At the end of the week, we had a celebration service, which included the graduation of some PEPE teachers.

 

 

Don’t give up!

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

A few weeks ago, I was going about my normal routine when I witnessed something (I won’t go into details here) that made me angry and frustrated. I saw a few people doing something that they have been taught not to do yet they carry on doing it, without thinking about the consequences to their actions. This particular situation made me reflect a lot on why I am here, why I’m doing the work I am doing, and what is the point if people don’t change. I might as well give up on these people!!

As I was thinking about this, I thought of all the other times that Sergio and I could have given up being here in the last five years, yet we are still here. How? Somehow without us even really realising it, God turned our frustration into perseverance, anger into determination, disappointment into hope.

We can give up on someone today and feel like there is no point, but we don’t know what tomorrow can bring in that person’s life. Tomorrow could make all the difference, yet we give up being used by God to fulfil his purposes! Imagine if God gave up on us…… but he never would:

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22

No matter what we do, God pours his mercy on us every morning and he never gives up on us, just as we shouldn’t give up on others. Whether it is someone you are praying for to know Jesus personally, or someone who is sick, or difficult people in your life…. don’t give up on them! My experience a few weeks ago has helped me to have more compassion on the people I work with. I need to have patience, love, and hope in order to fulfil the work that God has called me to do here, no matter how many times things don’t go the way I had hoped and planned. God doesn’t give up on me and I won’t give up on others, no matter how difficult it can be!

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

 

 

6 days in a truck…

Last week I, Sergio, and some pastors here from Beira were in the district of Buzi. To give you a background, Buzi was one of the places most affected by the Cyclone Idai, besides the winds of more than 200Km per hour, it was also hit by heavy rains for days and the river broke its banks and several houses were covered by  waters. We were with the pastor of the Buzi Baptist Church and some brothers and we heard stories that shocked us and showed how these brothers suffered, but kept their faith and hope, and how their courage encourages and confronts us to fix our eyes on Christ.

Brother Joao (a fictitious name) told me that when the water began to rise, he, his wife and son decided to leave the house and look for a place of refuge, the only place that the water had not yet entered was in the Catholic church. They sat on the bench, but after some time the water started to come in and they sat on the back of the seat, but the water kept rising so they decided to leave the church and seek shelter elsewhere.

Then walking in the dark of the night, they found a truck that had been abandoned for years and they climbed in the back of the truck, and they stayed for 6 days, having the minimum to eat and no toilet to use …

___ I asked, but how did you cook? And where did you find food? he told me that when they were leaving home his wife decided to take some rice, charcoal and other things, and near the truck there were some other families that were on the roof of a house and had a small charcoal stove, so they lent the stove to brother Joao to cook. Six days they were in the rain and waiting in hope that someone would come help them or that the waters would go down.

We had the opportunity to take food, clothes and also Bibles to them. To be able to listen to these brothers and to collaborate in being able to help in some way from what they have been through and are going through was an opportunity from God.

Please pray for the people of Buzi, a people that have suffered greatly, that they can find peace and consolation from Christ.

Life after the cyclone

 

It’s strange but also amazing to see how life continues even after a catastrophic natural disaster. To see how people pick themselves back up again and continue with life in the best way they can. Life for us is quite busy and we are involved in organising and doing some relief work as well as getting back to normal with our Church life, home school/nursery, etc.

At our Good Friday service, Liz sung and danced with the women of the Church. The Church was full and it was a great moment together. As you can see in the videos below, our Church is looking much better than on our last blog post! Thanks to God who provided for our needs.

On Easter Sunday, we celebrated 3 baptisms, a couple and also a husband of someone who has already been baptised. We gave thanks to God that there was enough water for the baptisms! It was a great day to celebrate Jesus rising to life and also these 4 people becoming new creations.

Sergio and Carlos have been and are still busy giving food kits to those most in need in the Baptist Churches, from money that was donated to the Baptist Convention of Mozambique (CBM).

Also some friends asked Sergio to help them distribute food to families of a rural PEPE, and it was a great opportunity because Chloe came and helped …

We give thanks to God for all that He is doing in the lives of the people here after such an awful event, and the way he has united people from all over the world to help others.

Please continue to pray for Mozambique as cyclone Kenneth and the floods has caused more destruction and fatalities in the North. We live far away from that area but lots of others have been affected by it and it’s so tragicomédias to have two major Cyclones come to Mozambique in six weeks. We look to the hills and where does our help come from? From the Maker of heaven and Earth!