Things I do (very) often ....

So much to do so little time.  I guess the motto of my life is ... JUST DO IT ... whatever your hand finds to do ... go for it.  And there is a lot to do here.  Let me randomly pick some pictures I never publish because they are not always newsworthy.  These are small things I do daily or weekly as they come up ....!  Ok I'll zip my lip for a moment and let the pictures to the talking:


1.  Chasing bats from my veranda

I call him Frankenstein ... and he loves 'hanging' out on my veranda.  Enough is enough .... I am thinking of killing him soon!

2.  Killing poisonous snakes (now and then)

I love nature .... but black mamba ain't no friend of mine.  Our carpenter, Gabriel Lucas was with me when this 'friend' stood between us and the work.

3.  Getting a kick out of our bush school! (Very often ...and many times a week)

My favourite place in the whole world.  THE SCHOOL and its welcoming comitee.  Once you visit us you will fully understand.  Our bush kids are realy great human beings.

Introducing visitors to our schools brings a lot of understanding to all on what we are trying to achieve with the future of Mozambique in front of us.

4.  Outreaches in various amazing communities

Welcome to the Nyanguru village - I love the place and the people and were setting up Jesus film in the area.

And when the kids hear I am coming to show a Jesus film .... everybody start gathering long before the event to play!

The team getting ready to set up the Jesus film equipment

5.  Visiting with friends from all over the world!

One of our teams (Harderwyk, Michigan - hanger team) hanging out with me on vsiting some of our projects.

Got to stop here - you get the picture.  Had to show a little bit of the surroundings.  Hope you enjoyed them.  Many blessings - and thank you for the support and prayers we so desperately need here in central Mozambique.

Operation 'Sunshine'!

Imagine being 55 and have never had the opportunity to hear all the Bible stories of the Old and New Testament?  Imagine speaking about Joshua or David and what God did through their lives to teach us how to look at life and not even know who Joshua or David was ... never mind the lessons there are to learn through these great stories?  This is the reality we face in rural Mozambique daily.  Due to high illiterate rates, no books available and no library getting to know the full Bible story is difficult.  The only 'source' available is the local church.  But even our pastors struggle and many don't even know the 'whole story' or how to apply it.


We have seen this as a big problem in central and northern Mozambique.  Where do you start to fight this problem.  Well - that's easy.  Schools - kids!  And we have many of them around.  We started a project called "Operation Sunshine" where we set ourselves the task to make sure, starting with out bush schools, that every kid will own their own Children's Bible.  I could hardly wait for the school year to start to hand out our new Children's Bibles to our new Grade 5 students.

Grade 5 students receiving their first full Children's Bible - full of color and stories!

Even our teaching staff all got their own Bible from which they can teach grade 1 to 5!

Showing off!

Little Bertinho, very clever boy, was specially glad to receive his own copy of Bible stories.

 LITERACY CLASS - 2012


We have placed special emphases this year on reading and writing skills for grade 1 to 5.  Due to a lack of reading books we are continually challenged by kids who struggle to read, write and comprehend what they are studying.  Throughout the day we collect our kids to attend special classes to help them to love reading and writing.  Our grade 1 and 2 students underneath loves the special attention.

A whole lot of shuffling!

It felt a little like going back to Genesis 1 when I have to tell the story.  You know what I mean .... "The earth was without form and an empty waste ....".  Then God sent people ... and within 30 days they created an amazing hangar for the airfield.  It was amazing to see a miracle unfold.  This was by far the biggest project on the mission farm thus far (although the training center is a very serious project too that is nearing completion).

But it was the way the Harderwyk Michigan team went about it.  They started off at 04:30 in the morning and ending many evenings only at 18:00 without rest and working in extreme temperatures.  Well they are true warriors and left the mission farm in Mozambique leaving a great legacy.  Here is a few pictures as usual to celebrate the event:

The last finishing touches just before we open the hangar officially with a party!

The team getting things done.  Watching them in action putting up this huge hangar was jaw dropping.  The way they went about it .... phenomenal!

And there she is!  I think we will have to give her a name someday!  Even the windsock on top of the building had a miraculous story.  It flew thousands of km's to get to Mitch (Air force pilot than accompanied the team) in Michigan.

And then the party began early morning with song, worship and prayer to honor God for this great gift!

Who said 'white man' cannot dance.  It didn't look as pretty as our local brothers but we all got going on the beat of the drum!  Bernie (architect and planner of the hangar) showing his 'well hidden' moves!

Local delicacies were dished up.  The visiting team baked some choc chip USA cookies which everyone enjoyed!

Gary celebrating the event with Quisito, one of our mission builders.

The whole team together!

Love is in the air ....... everyday!

This week was a hectic week. It started with seriously bad internet service. We are connected via satellite in the bush via generator and even sometimes connected via batteries. Did I mention our service provider sits in the UK? So most of the time we pray that the signal they throw at us will eventually reach is. It does ... most of the time but February was a tough month thus far .... which means less posting unfortunately.


And then malaria struck again. Was just getting ready to post all that is happening around here when, on the much advertised 'St. Valentine's Day', I was in bed with malaria. But as always, and as our name states .... 'love is constantly in the air' around here and everyday is ... well .... Valentine's day.


And where there's love there's people! As you know by know, we run two big orphan programs on the mission. The first one is called the Amigo orphan program which is run locally with about 40 orphans and the second is in northern Mozambique with about 1 200 orphans managed by churches we have relationships with.


It was thus fitting and our privilege to share love yet again with some of our orphan kids who received their school bags for the year!  Great friends from Stellenbosch decided to put a project together and manufactured school bags for all our kids.  Wait for our new photos to see how more than 300 kids each receive their brand new bags too.  Heather Neufeld (Orphan co-ordinator on the mission) was on the scene with her camera to partake in some of the action!

The ladies ministry made some of these bags in the past .... but this batch was send from afar .... with love.  Alta with some of the orphan kids.  (Photo: Heather Neufeld)

Just gotto love those faces!

And the anticipation and joy of having your own school bag!

And a happy family altogether!

"Will it all fit?"

Come away with me .....

I have in the last few months received so many messages from friends and dear partners about them struggling to keep on going.  And life has a way of doing that to you.  Hold on tight - God has a great plan ..... are words I use often and it seems so inadequate in moments like these.  So to all those who have done so much to take God's work forward .... (and we do get tired) ... something to cheer you up: 






Jesus Culture - Come Away found onPop

Center for Women brings HOPE!

Seriously ..... we are on our way to the office!  Francois and Joao in deep conversation on how good God is!!

 On my way to the office this morning ..... I had to stop with Joao to admire what was really going on around us.  Out of the early morning dust .... we stopped at another building site on our base.


Building in Mozambique is not an easy endeavor.  If funding is not tough enough - logistical planning is even a bigger challenge in the bush.  For years the women of Mozambique dreamt of having their own center where they can learn to not just read and write .... but improve their entreprenerial skills through the arts and crafts programs which are presented.






This dream became a reality a week ago when after many prayers the first foundations was dug up!  It's so amazing when dreams meet reality.  There is excitement in the air and you just know God has made all of this possible through wonderful people.  When women pass the construction site .... balancing their water container on their heads .... they stop and with a 'click' of the tongue .... they point at the work ... shaking their heads in unbelief and start off with a song of praise.  The center will not just teach many women to read and write but will also sell crafts which women produced in the area.  The center will contain a arts and crafts workshop where women will be taught new skills.  All the income of these endeavors will be given back to the women participating to sustain their families at home.  Empowering women has always been a dream of all of us on the base and seeing it becoming a reality .... is nothing short of a miracle.


Keep on praying though .... we build in faith in with much hope we believe the rest of the funding will come in to finish the building.

Alta with Peter Manuel (our oldest builder on the mission) getting ready to lay out the Women Training Center

Pythogoras and squaring a building are synonoum with each other - something I seem not to get right.

Without the logistical support of everyone on the base it is impossible to build!

Even Ron Wayner (Mercy Air) had to find a minute in getting some sand for the building - and that while he was building a hanger on the runway.

And then the team .....!

...... and the right mix!

And the people we salute daily ..... who makes everything come together.  Tough guys who are great co-workers with us!

First foundations poured!

BUSH SCHOOLS: A lot of 'movin' and a 'shakin'!

The start of the 2012 school year!

What makes ASAM's Mission school a little different from other schools is the fact that kids really look forward to the opening ceremony of their school.  As I travel up and down I constantly have to stop and answer kids - "Francisco ..... when do we start school?"  And I realize just how important it is to them.  It's not just about enjoying school and the good education - it's the fact that they belong.  It has become a place where dreams are born.  

Take for example on of our top students, Joao Gimo.  He has just passed grade 10 with top honors and has become our highest qualified student that comes from our rural area which we have served since 1997.  He constantly nods his head and says:  "If it wasn't for this school I would have never achieved what I have achieved.  I have a dream to become an accountant and with ASAM's help .... that will become a reality."  That is just one of the many stories here.

Joao Benjamin -  another transformational engineer on our base - speaking a few words of encouragement to the school kids and community.

And so our opening day arrived.  Screams, laughter and a huge turnout as students started registering for the academical year.  We have registered more than 287 children and our school kitchen can hardly keep up to feed the more than 304 kids who pitched up.  It was a festive occasion with many parents congratulating the school on giving their children a new lease on life.  2012 promises to be a busy educational year with 1 new teacher joining us to give special emphasis on literacy.  We have 5 trained teachers who will help us this year.  Special emphasis during this years program will fall on Bible Education, character training and entrepreneurship.  Health education and even a special leadership module will be introduced in this year's syllabus.

And everyone agrees:  Nothing beats teaching a kid to become a true, balanced follower of Jesus Christ!

Parents came in big numbers to attend the school opening ceremony.

Teachers ready to register new school kids.

Teaching team 2012 with Joao Feniassi (School director, front), Paulo Inasio (Grade 5, front) and back left to right - Joao Benjamin, Tito Mabuleza (Grade 1 and 2), Francois Rauch (just a motivator), Sinambale Paradzai (Grade 3 and sport teacher) and Simon Nicalao (Pre-school).

Modern Cowboys

I love cowboy movies ..... and have to admit my favorite cowboy of all times must be Clint Eastwood.  Too young to enjoy John Wayne.  My friend Clint (Eastwood that is if I may call him my friend) had the ability to be cool, calm and collective.  Those focused eyes made me wanna be Clint!  I saw that same kinda focus in a few visitors we received.  They arrived without a horse ..... well came here with a flying horse 747 ..... or so they call him.  'At 30 000 feet they even got a toilet with running water', they laughed.  Modern cowboys ..... Burnie (sheriff and head hunter), Gary (bouncer) and Al (collective).

As you know we are putting up a hanger on our runway that has been officially cleared by government.  Now to put up a hanger here in the middle of nowhere is not an easy thing.  But after the logistics miraculously worked out ..... we only needed a few cowboys from the US of A to make things happen.  And these guys are as tough as they come.  Mean, big, masculine, hardworking - your no-nonsense type of guy.  I mean .... I love Texans .... but these guys from Michigan, USA know how to tackle a problem.  But enough of my cowboy drooling - let the photos do the talking!

Burnie ...... head chief, mechanic and sheriff.  He had all the ideas .... and they worked first time up!  Amazing skills and a strong man.

Tools of the trade to make any job take notice.

Gary putting hanger walls together.

Modern cowboys do still carry a lot of weapons with them.

Ron Wayner .... head of our Aviation Ministry does the quality check at the hanger.  Looks pretty good to me ... but then I ain't no Clint Eastwood.

I tried too ..... got the measuring tape out to help make sure we get the walls all square.  My expertise unfortunately doesn't go very far.  I would probably be compared to ...... the accountant in the bank in a cowboy movie .... lol! 

Time for action ...... getting the trusses ready for the hanger.

The hanger getting its shape.

Lifting the panel into its place.

Big equipment on-site helped to make the job very easy indeed.

Burnie .... making sure with Gary up high that everything locks into place.  I heard them shout in that American Cowboy dialect:  "Hey you .... 5 inches to go .... ok 1 inch".  I mean I work in millimeters and centimeters .... what's this 'inch' thing?

And there we go one section completed!