One Bottle Of Glue

One of the outreach ministries of the Ray of Light is teaching the children of the church plants about Jesus.  At the Mafarinha church plant this takes place in the outside courtyard of the preschool.  This outside ministry is a magnet for all the neighborhood children who can't resist any gathering that looks like it might be fun.  Fun it is because Tatiana (my dynamic Portuguese teacher) keeps the children's attention as she exuberantly explains the Bible story.  To compliment the story the children were given a picture to color and a cut-out piece to add for animation.  My part was to help the children glue on that little piece...a seemingly easy job....until I discovered we had one bottle of glue.  There was a brief moment of frenzy when one hundred hands popped into my peripheral vision.  It took a while to divvy out the glue but each child went home quite satisfied with their masterpiece.  

A Week of Praise

Feliz aniversário!  That greeting rang out several times this week as we celebrated birthdays at five different bairros in Project Life.  Twice a year the ROL likes to celebrate birthdays in the project because it is by God's grace that each of these precious people celebrate another year. It was a pleasure to treat our friends with pop, cupcakes and cookies and watch them dance, clap and sing praises to God for His blessings.  Of course the neighborhood children joined in at each bairro - it was too irresistable! There always is so much to praise God about as He continues to answer prayers in Dondo...

I often pray for people but don't always have the chance to see how God answered.  This week I was blessed to see two miraculous answers.  I was about to get in my car when a woman caught my arm and simultaneously greeted me.  I recognized her face but I couldn't place her.  She proudly displayed her baby girl whom I didn't recognize at all.  Then it hit me!  It was baby Isabel!  In April I had found this frightened, fragile, and failure-to-thrive AIDS baby adorned with witchcraft charms lying in a hospital bed.  I had told Isabel's mom I couldn't pray for her baby if she continued to wear the charms.  We explained the gospel to her and she accepted Christ, took off the charms from Isabel's body and asked us to pray.  We continued to pray for her until they released her from the hospital a couple weeks later. I had no idea what God's plans were for Isabel. Without His intervention I knew she wouldn't live, though I had peace that she was in His care.  Now I was staring at her in disbelief because she had gained so much weight that I didn't recognize her!  God's mercy is great. And it just gets better...

Last year a man came to me in Project Life asking for prayer for his wife who had suffered several miscarriages.  I hesitantly prayed for them because I honestly didn't know what God's will would be for a husband and wife who were suffering from AIDS. I knew God was the giver of life so I prayed in faith that He would make the best choice for this couple.  This week the wife gave birth to a healthy baby girl.  And guess what?  They named her Pam. I can't wait to hold her and see this little black baby that shares my name.  What a great gift God has given this little family.  What an encouragement to see God's mercy on all of us.

The Light

We are often left in the dark in Dondo when the electricity goes off. It is not an unusual occurrence but this week it has been every day and when it goes dark, it goes dark!  It is striking how one lit candle can push away the darkness. This week I discovered another candle shining through the darkness.

I went to the home of my friend Emelia.  It is customary for friends and family to sit with the bereaved in their home for days following the burial of a loved one.  It was heart warming to see the number of people at her son's funeral, but equally so to see the women sitting with her quietly on her cement floor in her small home.  In her usual soft-spoken voice, Emelia shared with me the struggle of the last hours of her son's life. She wanted me to understand the culture, and what Christians are facing in Mozambique.  

After we had taken her son to the hospital, his condition continued to deteriorate.  Her family joined her at the hospital and asked her to take him to the witchdoctor to receive the traditional medicine.  She told them that God was the giver of life and death, not the witchdoctor.  They continued to pressure her by promising to take all responsibility to pay whatever the witchdoctor would ask.  My friend continued to resist.  As a last resort, they accused her son of manifesting evil spirits.  They demanded that the witchdoctor come and call out the evil spirit.  As she held her dying son, she had many accusations thrown at her but she held her ground.  She said she knew Jesus had the power to save him and would accept His will. Within the hour, he slipped away.

The deep darkness of witchcraft continues to permeate this country.  This darkness, however, can never overtake the light.  The candle shines only brighter.