An evening to remember!

There has been great joy and excitement here over the last few days, as the first of the new churches that we are building is now finished. Built by our trainee pastors, it's a simple pole and reed constuction 8 metres by 6 metres with a tin roof. The new building can just be seen at the back of the photo.

John, one of Armindo´s trained leaders, will head up the new church. He has worked hard over the last six months, and there are now 20 new Christians, who until now have gathered under the shade of a tree for their meetings.

During this last week, as the church was being built, we held our evening meetings under the stars amongst the coconut trees. We set the equipment up early in the afternoon. Then as evening approaches, Filimon, our very own home grown worship leader starts to play his keyboard, and the people begin to come from all directions, attracted by the powerful halogen lights and the sound of music.

After slipping away to get changed and prepare for the evening, I return, driving back along the winding tracks, through the twisted coconut trees and past the occasional reed house. From some distance away I can already hear the music and singing. Around the next corner, I can see a bright glow in the clearing where we are holding our event. A haze of red dust can be seen above the crowd in the lights and my excitment grows as I get closer.

After a time of worship Armindo introduces the next part of the evening. We show the Jesus film, projected onto a large bed sheet, stretched across some poles, high up so everyone can see. The people watch fixated as the life of Christ is unfolded before them in their local village language. After the film, Armindo and I preach the gospel, and many of them respond. These people are hungry for spiritual truth, and it is so exciting to see God touching lives. The evening's event concludes with more singing and rejoicing, before we pack up, returning home tired but enormously fulfilled.

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Our program for the next few months

The last two weeks have been very busy, firstly getting our Land Rover serviced and a few small repairs done in South Africa, then facing the challenge of finding a company to build our trailer, for the evangelistic side of our mission.

I'm pleased to say we now have a fantastic, ruggedly built, off-road trailer, able to go anywhere that the Land Rover can, in order to bring the gospel to the most remote of locations, with its large off-road wheels and tyres and a large steel lockable lid, that doubles as a platform to preach from, during our night time outreaches in the villages, under the stars.

Pastor Armindo and I have just spent the last few days praying, and planning our work for the coming months. Our program consists of building several churches around the outskirts of Maxixe. The first of these we start tomorrow. Our aim is to physically build the church during the day time, then to bring the gospel to the people during the evening, and finish with the installation of one of the pastors, who have undergone pastoral training over the last two years under Armindo's teaching.

We are all so excited about the work which God has given us to do, seeing men and women coming into a relationship with the one who created them, and loves them the most. To see them grow in their relationship with God, and ultimately to find their own calling, and being released in that... how exciting is that?

Please pray for us over these next few weeks, as we seek to establish the first of our church plants, that God would help us and anoint us, and that many people would come to know Him.

Armindo is also looking forward to the commencement of the building of his new permanent house.

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News from the Orphanage

It was a great thrill to see the wall that's been built around the Orphanage, during the last few months at Malavela. It has two functions. To keep rebels out, and to help keep in the most fantastic kids in the world.

We now have ten children in the orphanage, and as many more on our feeding program, where the children are supported in what is left of a family environment, after disease and sickness has taken its terrible toll on these poor and beautiful people.

It was a particular thrill for me and my father who is currently visiting Mozambique, to take the children to the beach for the day. I'm sure that we were as excited as they were, seeing the children enjoying the sea, some of them visiting the coast for the first time, great cries of delight and excitement ringing out as they splashed around in the warm water.

Martha and I were so excited to hear the news that the funding for the medical centre is coming in so well. We plan to build this certre next year. It will not only be a huge blessing to the needy children at the orphanage, but also to the surrounding area. We are so grateful to Deborah Roberts who has currently taken on the task of raising the funds, by her sponsored walk across the country.

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