Adeus Cyclone Flavio - hello rushing rivers!

While everyone is waiting for the 79th Oscar awards and others are swiping credit cards - life has to go on - Cyclone Flavio has hit Mozambique hard. People are recovering and re-building. God sure did make human beings fantastic - always ready to pick themselves up to go on. Our base survived and was not in the direct path of the cyclone. We did experience strong winds, some trees blown over .... and 170 mm of rain!!!! Washed out and roads were difficult to drive on. By the grace of God all survived and at least in our area in Manica Province crops survived the onslaught by Mother Nature.

The photos included will show you how our river is doing just a few metres away from our house. They are roaring and mega tons of water are flowing through the rivers.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1. Please pray for the people of Mozambique rebuilding their properties and lives.

2. Please pray for me and Alta going through some interesting and challenging times!

Bless ya all!

Waiting ......waiting ..... waiting!

It's 17:43 and we are waiting for cyclone Flavio to arrive. It is dead quiet around here, hot and humid and the first clouds have arrived without much applause. Everyone around us in their grass huts are waiting and praying. They only have that much of maize on their fields and it is the food for the year ..... with a cyclone it might just be destroyed ..... with their houses. The drums in the bush has been playing the whole previous night! WE are all waiting. Will keep you updated early in the morning as the sun is setting in the west.

Cyclone Flavio - Please pray for Mozambique

Cyclone brings new flood threat to Mozambique

By Charles Mangwiro

MAPUTO, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Officials warned flood-ravaged Mozambique on Tuesday to brace for a tropical cyclone bearing down on the country, threatening high winds and heavy rains in a region already struggling with disastrous flooding.

Cyclone Flavio was located in the Indian Ocean less than 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the Mozambican Channel and was intensifying, with winds forecast to strengthen to 160 kph (100 mph), the national meteorology agency INAM said.

"We call upon authorities in the provinces of Sofala, Inhambane and Gaza to take preventive measures," INAM spokesman Acadio Tembe told Radio Mozambique on Tuesday.
Mozambique has already seen more than 100,000 people displaced and 40 killed by serious flooding in the Zambezi river valley, straining disaster relief efforts as officials battle to get food and clean water to people in evacuation shelters.

The government has been operating with only a single helicopter to convey supplies to evacuees cut off by flooding and washed out roads, but officials said on Tuesday they were looking to acquire two more, either through repairing broken aircraft or purchasing the copters second-hand.

"We are in the middle of a flooding scenario here in the central region and a cyclone is threatening to hit the coastal parts, so it's quite impossible to operate with just one helicopter," Paulo Zucula, director of Mozambique's national disaster agency, told Reuters.
Zucula said thus far 120,791 people had been rescued from flooded regions around the Zambezi with 49,105 people placed in temporary evacuation centres.

While moderate rains are expected this week, officials say the country could be hit with much heavier downfalls by the weekend, worsening the existing flood crisis.
The Mozambican government has warned that as many as 285,000 people could be affected if the floods worsen and would need food, aid and other help, while many are already at risk from water-borne disease, malaria and hunger.

Destructive cyclones have hit Mozambique in recent years and played a big role in one of the country's worst flood disasters in 2000-2001, which killed 7,000 people and made almost half a million homeless.

The U.N. World Food Programme said on Tuesday it plans to buy around 5,000 tonnes of food, mostly maize, within Mozambique to feed people hit by the floods.

Check out my Slide Show!

On the African rivers!

As you might know we are working on a project to put a boat (what we call the "Love Boat") on the mighty Zambezi river. It is a huge project which involves a lot of people, finances and even more networking. The purpose of the boat would be to:

(a) Eleviate poverty by reaching out to the people next to the river by providing health and

education services.

(b) Be a vessel that would be available to help out in times of emergency like the current

flooding where tens of peoples have lost their lives.

(c) Spreading the Good News wherever we are on the river by using the Jesus-film and by

connecting with our more than 350 leaders close to the rivers.

IS IT A DREAM?

"A man that does not believe in his dreams can never be a realist!" What have we achieved thus far:

(i) We have a team of doctors ready in Stellenbosch who would be willing to join us during

different times of the year on the boat for about 2 weeks at a time.

(ii) We are in the process of setting up a base next to the Zambezi in a town called Mutarara.

This is also currently the town that has been devestated by the floods and where 200 000

people are in need of food.

(iii) We are in the process of planning our boat.

(iv) We still need all the Government roleplayers to assist us on the project.

Please pray that God will help us to make this dream a reality in 2007.

Here we are with Nat Zook (USA, Pensilvania) - a missionary that has joined us for another two years after spending 2006 with us - enjoying a lunch on a boat on the Msika river/dam infested with big crocodiles!!

Oh captain, my captain - do I have to say anything more!!!! No we did not get lost on this mighty Msika - I am not good at any type of navigation (although they trained me in the army) but ..... we got back safely.

This is on the river - but Nat was looking for some Tiger Fish and got a crocodile instead. He survived though!

In Mosambiek doen ons kerk so ..... dink ek!

Ek het die volgende great deeltjie raakgelees op www.sg.org.za - Stellenbosch Gemeente se webblad en dit het my laat terugdink aan hoe ons kerk hier doen!!

Ek plaas so min Afrikaans op my blog omdat dit deur soveel Engelse lesers gelees word, maar ek kon nie help om die stukkie te plaas wat deur Dr. Theo Geyser geskryf is nie. Enjoy!!

HOE LYK DIE REGTE KERK?

In die 2de eeu ná Christus het gelowiges se lewens aan ’n draadjie gehang, sê Joubert. Hulle kon kerkwees nie formaliseer nie.

Hulle moes teologie on the run doen.

Toe was die kerk nie ’n institusie nie – dit was ’n beweging.Iets daarvan hoor ’n mens terug as Niemandt sê in die emerging church, of ontluikende kerk, is die kerkverband onbelangrik. Die mense is post-denominasioneel.’n Koninkryksteologie is deel van dié beweging se DNS.

Jesus is hoof van die kerk.

Daar is nie hiërargieë nie en leiers beklee nie hoë ampte nie.

Joubert het dit teen die “drie goor G’s” wat so belangrik vir baie kerke geword het: geboue, getalle en geld. Dít was nie aan die begin deel van kerkwees nie.Hy verwys na ’n koerantberig oor ’n kerk wat afgebrand het.Nee, sê hy, dis nie die kerk afgebrand het nie, dis ’n gebou wat afgebrand het. Die kerk kom nie tot ’n einde as hy ’n gebou verloor nie. Die kerkgebou, sê Joubert, is net die gim.

Die speelveld is die lewe daarbuite. En dis nie genoeg om net te gim en nooit op die speelveld te kom nie.Dié gedagtes eggo in Niemandt se verduideliking dat die ontluikende kerk nie onderskei tussen die kerk en die sekulêre nie.

Die kerk is nie wat op Sondag gebeur nie. Die gemeente is gerig op wat jy 24 uur per dag uitleef.

As jy nie kerk toe kom nie, is dit nie die ergste nie. Wat belangrik is, is dat jy verskil maak aan die wêreld daarbuite.

Hulle meet ’n kerk aan die impak wat dit op die gemeenskap het.Joubert wys ook daarop dat die vroeë kerk nie ’n rusdag gehad het nie. Hulle moes Sondae voor sonop of ná sononder byeenkom.

’n Vraag soos of winkels op ’n Sondag mag oop wees, het nie vir hulle bestaan nie.

Mozambique Warns of More Flooding

Saturday February 10, 2007 1:16 AM

By EMMANUEL CAMILLO

Associated Press Writer

MAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) - Water released through floodgates at a mighty dam in northern Mozambique is worsening floods that have already killed dozens of people and swept away hundreds of homes, the prime minister said Friday.

Torrential rains have unleashed devastating floods in southern Africa since January, submerging roads, damaging bridges and power lines and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless in Angola, Mozambique and Zambia.

In Angola, 71 people have drowned and 29 in Mozambique, officials said. The flooding has also aggravated a cholera outbreak.
Already raging waters in Zambezi River are expected to rise further with a large flood wave traveling down from the huge Cahora Bassa hydroelectric dam in northwest Mozambique.
On Wednesday, authorities trying to secure the dam doubled the discharge from its floodgates to nearly 350,000 cubic feet per second, even amid fears of the danger to people along river banks, said Prime Minister Luisa Diogo.

She said the lower Zambezi Valley is threatened by swollen tributaries of the Zambezi as well as the walls of water descending from the Cahora Bassa.
Diogo, who flew over the Zambezi River valley Wednesday, said only the rooftops of a few houses could be seen poking above floodwaters.

Military helicopters and civilian canoes have been rescuing trapped people. Riverside dwellers who ignored warnings to move to higher ground have survived by clinging to trees in northern Manica province, the daily Noticias newspaper reported, quoting a district administrator.
Mozambique, one of the world's poorest countries, suffers from frequent flooding. In 2000 and 2001, floods killed more than 800 people, left hundreds of thousands homeless and severely damaged roads and bridges.

This year's floods are not expected to claim as many lives because of disaster-management services set up after the last catastrophe, and early warning systems.
The U.N. World Food Program said Friday it would call for international help, estimating that 37,000 acres of crops have been lost in Mozambique and that up to 285,000 people will need food aid.

Mozambiquean swimming pools!

Have you ever heard the laughter of children in Africa? It is dangerously contagious!!! They have nothing to offer but their friendship. Through trials and tribulations they stay the same ..... you see it is because God has dipped his joy into their hearts. Everyone is always looking for an oppertunity to have fun. After the rains the river came down and just the place to cool down in the Mozambiquean sun.

Oh ... nearly forgot . Some competition for U2 down below!

What is a Bible worth in Mozambique??

It's 2007 - the rest of the Western world is somewhere hooked up via internet - sending e-mails, browsing ... perhaps downloading the next 77 versions of the Bible on e-Sword for FREE. In Mozambique though this is not true. Why? Well for starters we have NO ELECTRICITY or phone lines. Books and Bibles are a truely rare commodity. Is it possible that in the 21st century people still long to have their own Bible in their own language ..... and to actually OWN their own Bible?

It's late when I arrive in a small village far in the bush. I cannot spend much time there .... gotto get out before the rain comes and the river comes down. I bring good and bad news. I ask them: "What do you choose - good or bad news?" "Please BAD NEWS first .... we want to go to bed happy" they reply in a choir of voices. "Well .... I could not bring Shona Bibles" their local mother tongue. Their faces drop and some tongues are clicking in the background to show their dissapointment. "But", I said with a smile "I brought 20 Portugeuse Bibles for those who can read and write." I choose the local pastor to come forward, but his church followers are following him on thier knees as they are creeping forward to thank God for the Word of Life that came to them today. I have never seen anything like this ....... As with so many people that we hand out Bibles to - they start kissing the Word of God. And then .... singing, dancing and screams of joy as they open the brand new Bibles and start reading ...... anywhere ..... does'nt matter.

We have a shortage of SHONA and SENNA Bibles currently in Mozambique. Because of political and economic problems in Zimbabwe we are unable to obtain Shona Bibles. To print Shona Bibles in South Africa we need to print a minimum of 5 000 which is very costly. Please pray so that God will intervine and quensh the thirst for the LIVING WATERS.

Here I am handing out some Bibles that was donated by Dr. Tielman Marais from Stellenbosch to a pastor from the Gorangoza district.

Mission schools open for 2007 - without a roof!

The opening ceremony of our bush schools are always a highlight for the community. This year was no exception and everyone turned out for a day of singing and the introducing of our new teachers. We had to gather under the trees because our mission school is being renovated. The old roof of the school was made out of grass and after many years of rain and wind storms the roof became too dangerous.

It is currently raining season in Mozambique but our opening day luckily did'nt rain out. For 2007 we have a record of 160 children which was registered and they will be led by 5 teachers this year. We put a lot of emphasis on character building in our schools and from grade 1 to grade 5 our children are being taught all the principles that will make them not just to become a good citizen but to become a relevant christian even at a young age.

We will this year start our new "escolinha" (pre-primary school) in Mucombeze with a "Bless kit" that will introduce them to the 60 character traits that Jesus had. This will be taught untill they reach grade 5.




Here is Francois with the 5 teachers for 2007:
From left to right:
Mathew Hurekure, Tito Mabuleza,
Joao Fenniassi, Joao Benjamin and
Paulo Innacio. Mathew is responsible for our
Bible education program which has changed many young lives. Even parents commented on how their lives changed at home because of their changed kids!!!