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Monday, August 26, 2013

God's glorious riches...


I will never get used to the poverty that I see in Dondo. This is Lusita and her family. Her husband is an electrician.  I think about some of the men I know in the States who are electricians.  They live in nice houses, their children dress well and they have food on the table three times a day. But physical poverty is only temporary. It is the spiritual poverty that saddens my heart the most. I am thankful that Lusita is now involved in our Bible studies. We have received many new visitors this year in our Project Life Bible studies. And my God will supply all your (Lusita's) needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
 Philippians 4: 19. 


This is Chico. He too is a new visitor to our Bible studies.  He is blind.  He was spiritually blind too. But this last week he accepted Jesus as his Savior. Pray for Chico and those like him who are new to the God's family and need to grow. Pray for the activistas who will continue to teach the Bible studies in my absence.

I am actually writing this blog from my home in the United States.  We were called home because of a family emergency. From the time we secured our plane tickets home, we had just one day to make arrangements, tie up lose ends, try and meet commitments, and pass the baton. Not an easy task. 

I had read in my Bible that morning, a scripture that touched my heart so deeply that I knew God was saying something to me to prepare me for what was ahead..."lead me to a rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge...Psalm 61: 2b-3a. 

While I was hurting for my family and hurting because I had to leave Dondo, I looked outside my window and saw a group of people walking up the road. The entire Mafarinha Bible study had walked to my house to pray with me.  And they did what they always do when they are hurting. The most precious thing that they have taught me in the years I have been with them. They danced and sang praises to God. You see, Satan has to leave in a hurry when He hears us singing. It is the best strategy to keep our focus not on our pain but where it should be....in a loving God who has not forgotten us. 

We are thankful that the Green Door will continue under Manuel's direction and finish the 24 houses we committed to build. The activistas will continue the ministry in the bairros, Bible studies and the hospital. It has been a privilege to be a small part of the huge story in what God has been doing in Dondo. Thank you to all of you who continue to give so these ministries can go on. May God supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus!


Saturday, August 17, 2013

Wins and Losses



Last week I went over the fine art of running your own business in the open market for two of the blind men that received Green Door houses. Notice the man in the wheel chair.  I have no doubt that he begs too on the street and was very interested in what we had done for the blind men.  Truly there is a whole ministry opportunity here in Mozambique ministering to the handicapped. Lord, please send someone here with a heart for the handicapped!  


It was a sad week as we buried Domingo Adelino, one of our orphan children whom we built a Green Door home for last year. He came down with pneumonia and just couldn't fight it. We were thankful for what we could do to help him through Project Life. His grandma that took care of him and she will remain in his Green Door home. We were able to go their today and bring the gospel to those that attended the funeral.


Part of Project Life is to teach God's Word. This is the Macharote Bible study this week. We minister to 160 adults in Project Life each week. For some, our Bible studies are the only church they attend.


Without a doubt they like to dance and sing in our Bible studies. They come sick, tired, discouraged, and sometimes with deep sorrows, but they never fail to get up and sing and dance to praise the Lord.


I had to laugh because they were dancing so much that they had to stop and sweep off the mat before we could resume the Bible study. Now that's enthusiasm!


But don't be fooled by the jubilation. They truly suffer so much....beyond comprehension sometimes. This is Rosa, who struggles with elderly abuse by her son. She has been beaten by him so many times that they finally put him in jail. But she is worried for her life when he is released. Mariana, an elderly woman in this particular Bible study who is partially blind, lost her only daughter this week.  All I could do is hold her hand because there were no words to convey how deeply I felt for her loss.  She looked me in the eyes and put her hand over her heart. She will be taking the responsibility of her grandchildren and she has no job and no means of support. And sometimes we think life is difficult?


Moms bring their babies and children to the Bible studies. This is Pame....she is listening but trying to catch some zzzzz's at the same time.


Sometimes we are asked to name a baby. It never ceases to catch me by surprise because that is so foreign to our culture and often I want to say, "No!  This is YOUR baby and YOUR privilege to name it." But that would be culturally incorrect so I name the baby. Since we are studying David at the moment, then you can guess what this little one's new name is....:-)


We pray over the soup before we go to the hospital each day to serve it. But the food we serve best is God's Word. The man who I mentioned in my last blog that accepted Christ (the trucker who had never heard the name of Jesus before) passed away this week. It only takes $200 a month to do this ministry, but it is a wonderful avenue to share Christ's love to people. Thank you to all of you who give to this ministry.


This little guy was sick in the hospital. Not unusual to find sick people in some of the strangest places sleeping in the hospital - including the floor. We love sharing with the moms and their children at the hospital. We commend them for not taking their children to the witch doctor. I was so saddened this week to find out one of our ladies in Project Life, who has a mentally and physically handicapped son took him to the witch doctor. Now we will have to go ask her to choose between being in Project Life or the witchcraft. Please pray for us as we speak to her this week.


Two more houses were dedicated today - Ana's and Lucinda. Ana's house was the first house we have built in Bairro Central!  It was a great testimony to the bairro leader. And the American cookies and pop were new to the children....they weren't too disappointed! :-)


This is Ana's daughter.  I am teaching Ana to make the cookies for the Green Door houses. So today's cookies were made by Ana and they were a hit!  I am hoping that Ana will be able to make these cookies to sell to restaurants, stores and in the open market so she will have a permanent job to help her family. Both Ana and Lucinda are widows.


We are looking forward this week to begin building houses 19 & 20. If we meet our goal before we leave Moz this year, we will have built 76 houses in the seven years that we have been here. One of the comments Noemia heard today was, "only the love of God could accomplish this!" I so agree....God has been so good and so faithful in this ministry.  I shake my head sometimes in wonder!  Truthfully, it is pretty amazing what God's people can do when they do it together.....united in His love. Thank you for all of you who over the years have been part of this ministry. Cessitos, CRI, and all of you who have given so sacrificially!

I also want to thank those of you who prayed for me this week after I hit a motorcyclist and his passenger in Abe, the Green Door truck. (No fault of my own except being in the right place at the wrong time.) Those of you who have lived in third world countries understand how difficult it can be to remain safe on the roads. At first, I didn't want to get back in a car again. But God healed my heart as he is healing the passenger who was hurt. Please continue to pray for us as we navigate these roads trying to avoid all the obstacles - both physically and spiritually! Your prayers are so important to us. :-)

Thursday, August 8, 2013

A Thankful Heart

 You have changed my sorrow into dancing. You have taken away my sackcloth and clothed me with joy. You wanted me to praise you and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever! Psalm 30: 11-12


There is so much to be thankful for. I visited Manuel, the handicapped man unexpectedly to see how he was doing in his new business. I found that he had not been afraid to set up his new business right in his neighborhood. He was so proud of his banca that he was just beaming! His children looked so proud of him too. I had to look away for a moment. I was fighting tears because it was overwhelming to me that just $200 can change someone's life here so easily. Of course he still lives in the slums, his house is still a shack with holes, the children wear used and tattered clothing. But he can say that he does not have to rely on charity to feed his family. Something I wish for every human being...a sense of dignity and worth and the realization that with God's help, anything is possible.  And thank you dear supporters - you don't know how many times God blesses your dollars in so many different ways here in Mozambique.


The Bible study class of the Consito bairro decided to give Simone and Emmalee a surprise goodbye party. They collected bits of money from each member and presented Simone with a capalana shirt and Em with a capalana skirt. Both are back in the States now.  Pray for Em as she moves towards becoming a full-time missionary and Simone as he goes to school at NWC.


I know I take a lot of pictures of children!  They are not only so fun and willing to pose but they remind me that we are working hard today in Moz to help ensure their future. If we can bring them Jesus, there is hope for their future.


This little girl was practicing the art of carrying things on her head and not dropping it. It was funny because a few seconds later everything in the bag fell out on the ground.  


One of our moms in PL at the Bible study. My prayer is that each person in our hospice program lives to raise their children to adulthood. Pray for a cure for AIDS. 


I love the full attention the people give to the Bible studies. Many can't read so this is the only way they can understand the Bible. I am so thankful for the spiritual growth I see in them.


We did a Green Door house celebration for two blind men this last weekend. Lucas and Chico. This is a part of a bairro that we haven't built a lot of houses in so a Green Door celebration was new to these children. We are always thankful to help the blind walk one more step out of poverty.


He wasn't sure if he wanted his picture taken....he wasn't used to being hounded by the paparazzi.


Another cutie that agreed to her picture being taken.


This is Lucas and his wife. They have six children although some are married. Their donor for their house also gave us extra money to help them so we are going to put them in a business so Lucas does not have to beg on the streets to feed his family. Pray that this new business will work out for him.


More cuties posing.


Capalana dress.


Checking out the Green Door house.


Although I am sad that everyone has gone back to the States this week, my heart was warmed and encouraged by a couple of things that happened:  
......A truck driver who had never heard of Jesus accepted Him in his heart yesterday in the hospital. And as we were leaving, he asked for the directions to our church so he could attend when he gets well. 
.......Today, just as Caetano (our activista) was about to speak at the hospital, he abruptly stopped and asked how Turk, my brother-in-law was doing. He said he had been praying for him at his house faithfully. (You know that someone is sincerely praying when they follow up and ask about them!)  And God was merciful to so many prayers on behalf of Turk as he is now recovering from his brain surgery in Seattle.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Crossing the Road


This is Manuel's house...a handicapped man in Beira who begs for a living. Notice the blocks that he used to stuff the hole in his house with. Termites ate the wood that weakened the walls and caused it to collapse. Read about Manuel in my story below.


Between the houses and some low spots is a lot of trash.  It is used for sidewalks because when the rains come it is impossible to walk - the water becomes too deep and the mud too thick. This is life in the slums.



These precious little girls live in the slum. I spent some time singing with them. We sang "God is So Good" in Portuguese and then I taught them our version in English. When I left, I could hear them singing away in their new language. It would be a joy to be able to go there every week and teach them about Jesus.


For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. Philippians 2: 20-21

We chose our friends.  We are careful in our selection.  Usually it’s those who can benefit us in some way: either by how they make us feel, or how they treat us, or if our association with them will grow us, or make us richer in some way.  But it is….all about us.  How many of us choose a friend purposely so we can benefit them, make them feel better, grow them, or make them richer in some way?

If we see someone who obviously has issues, looks needy, or doesn’t have anything to offer, we often just pass by them. That kind of relationship takes time and money, a costly and draining proposition. Perhaps we cross that road and take someone on…as a project.  We give, we give, and we give. Nothing comes back in return. We have our expectations, and when the person doesn’t comply to the vision of our investment, we wash our hands and walk away.

I think about the good Samaritan. He crossed the road.  It cost him time and money. We don’t even know if the man he was trying to save lived or died. The hard truth to understand is this….he didn’t do it for the investment. He didn’t receive anything in return.  So why did he cross the road to his own peril to help an enemy to live?

I wrestle with that question sometimes here in Dondo. There isn’t a single man lying on the road here.  There are thousands. It is easy to slip into the idealogy of taking on a project or two. It is easy to triage, apply a bandaid and move onto the next patient. It is easy to put a coin into a beggar’s hand and walk away.   

Manuel is a beggar in Beira. I have passed by Manuel a few times. When I had coins, I handed them over to him muttering under my breath that he, like so many, is capitalizing on his handicap.  He is after all, one of hundreds begging on the streets. Finally one day I decided to quit passing by him.  I decided to get to know him.

Manuel has been in a wheelchair since polio changed his life at age five. Surprisingly, he is married with six children.  I decided to accompany him to his home to see what conditions he lived in. The area of Beira he took me to was nothing shy of squalor. The houses were two feet apart, with wall to wall garbage for sidewalks. The water level was too high for the location of the tiny dwellings. Manuel’s house had been constructed of bamboo poles, rocks and cement.  Part of his house had collapsed because of the termites on the wood so he had stuffed blocks in the hole for some privacy.

His wife was blind in one eye due to a cataract. His children ranged from two years to fourteen. Only two were in school because his earnings from begging did not entitle the rest to afford school. I sighed wondering if I had the energy to help one more person. I asked him if he wanted to get out of begging and earn his own living. He almost cried when I mentioned it. He admitted that in 2007 a missionary lady had briefly helped him to build this home.  She hadn’t taken the time to understand that termites weaken bamboo and houses with termites don’t last.

We went to wholesalers and bought all kinds of food products to sell.  I gave him a Bible and prayed over his business before I left.  But this is not the end of the story.  I will return, time and time again because this is only the beginning. If I am really going to help, it is going to cost me more than a band aid.  I have to cross the road, give up my time and money, endure the disappointments because he will fail more than once.  Poverty is deep and complicated. I have no guarantee that he will successfully pull out of poverty any more than the good Samaritan could guarantee the man in the road would live.  So why bother?

Because this fight exemplifies and glorifies God. It is exactly what He did for us and so much more. In all our egotism, it is easy to forget our own desperate condition.  The next time you choose a friend, seek out someone who cannot benefit you; a friendship that will cost you. Someone who stands a chance of surviving because you laid aside your earthly investments in the hope of an eternal one.  It’s just not all about us.

And when you think of it...pray for Manuel, Lourenco, Antonio, Fatima, and others we have started in a business. May God help them to succeed!

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Losing My Right Arm

This is my right arm....and I am about to lose my right arm. Simone has been my translator and right-hand-man for seven years now.  Next week he flies to Maputo to get his visa and then one week later, to the United States to go to college.  I am very happy for this opportunity for him because he is an orphan here in Africa and this kind of opportunity is rare.  But it is no small matter to lose him here in this ministry. It is not just that he translates in Portuguese and Sena for me (we have already created and translated 170 Bible studies), but he has taught me so much about the culture; opening up my eyes to the struggles of the poor. We have a lot of memories we etched over the years.  Some memories were funny. 

Simone was with me the first time I had to take a body to the cemetery in old White Lightening.  During a funeral, people accompany the truck by walking on both sides solemnly singing all the way to the cemetery through all kinds of traffic.  Now it just so happened that old White Lightening was a bit revved up and first gear was more like third gear.  I tried very hard to keep it slow especially since Simone kept patiently telling me to SLOW DOWN!  I looked in my rear view mirror and I could see the people far behind jogging, panting and puffing trying to keep up with me!  

Another time we went to a funeral of someone in Project Life, not really knowing the family but just the dead child. We wanted to pay our respects and quietly leave. The person to officiate the funeral did not show up so the mortician asked me to pray recognizing me from several other funerals.  I obliged not thinking much about it.  As we took the body out of the mortuary, we were informed that Simone and I were in charge of the entire funeral from that point on!  So Simone graciously performed the ceremony and I did the preaching. We might have pulled it off well except after the fact we found out it was a Catholic funeral! 

Some memories were scary; we have been robbed in Beira more than once. Some memories were sad. The loss of his father, the loss of our activista Fernando, and the loss of little Eva. The best memories though were all the times we were teaching God's Word, either to the activistas or out in the bairros, and to the number of people in the hospital. 

Please pray for Simone as he leaves on his new adventure and future. It will not be easy to come from a skeletal education in a third world country to the level of college in a different language. Pray with me that God will use Simone mightily as He did King David.  Pray that he will find favor with the U.S. Embassy in Maputo next week to obtain his visa, and for protection both here and in the U.S.  Thank you everyone who had a part in this special opportunity for him.  Pray for me as I adjust to ministry here without him!



The Activistas gave one more party for Piepers to hug them goodbye this week. We baked lots of cookies so the children outside the bakery were delighted to receive a chocolate chew cookie!


Just more children in Mafarinha this week.


I wondered why this little girl was not in school.


We went to Savane last Sunday to speak. This is their worship team instruments. I know some people who don't like to hear the drum in church.  This is ALL the instruments they have in Savane.  


This is the offering plate.  I like the size - it can hold a lot of metacais.  The people dance and sing all the way to the front of the church and put in their offering.


This is little Pam. She will be two years old this week. She found her spot to sit during the church service, She is a little independent....mmmm......


Every time I go to Savane, this little boy is wearing this shirt. I have got to buy him a different shirt!


Some of the cute little girls out at Savane.


We did two more Green Door dedications today. One for Samson, who is an orphan and is in the 10th grade. Here he is with some of his friends and kids from the church. 


We have in place now a document that protects the rights of our recipients and those that will inherit their Green Door home.  We especially wanted widows and orphans to be protected and not have their home taken from them. It is the culture here that when someone dies, rather than the wife or children receiving the home, another male relative can come and take it and leave the family with nothing.  I saw this happen with one of our earlier mud homes that we built.  Now, the recipient can choose who will inherit their GD house. Many people sign this document and it is officially stamped. Lourenco and the bairro leader are two of several who signed today. 


Lourenco is getting his key to his new Green Door home from Noemia.


Little bundles of joy always join us in the celebrations.


Eyes peeking out. Not sure if she wants her picture taken.


I noticed today a number of children eating funny things. This little girl was eating her shirt.


This little girl was eating a stick. Yum.


This little girl was eating a string. Glad we served them cookies and pop,


This is the man who sews for me the bags that I take back to the U.S. to raise money for the Green Door. I had to show you his shop and his sewing machine. Just has to peddle away!


This is the shoe store where I took Aida today. Always on the ground in the open market.


This is Aida.  She is Fernando's sister.  Her life has not been easy. She lost her father, her mother, her older sister, and last year she lost Fernando.  For a thirteen-year-old this kind of loss is confusing and devastating. I put her back in school last year and expected great things when I came back to see her.  What I discovered is that the public school put her in 6th grade.  She can't read. She doesn't do any of the work because she can't understand it. Next year they will pass her to 7th grade and then she will drop out of school.  It is the policy of the schools to not flunk anyone from grade 1-7.  They don't fall through the cracks, they fall through crevasses. I have decided Aida will go to El Shaddai.  She may end up in the second grade.  But she will learn to read.  She will have a school that cares about her future. 

We went shopping today for school clothes, notebooks, a backpack and shoes. We went to the beach so she could enjoy life like any thirteen-year-old. She is very quiet but sweet. Pray for Aida, that she will learn, grow and thrive at El Shaddai.