We are changing Mozambique ..... but slowly!

Hopefully we all like change for the good? In Africa though change do take a long time. I though of blogging a bit different this time sharing some of the interesting parts of the country with you.

The first two pictures were taken of Beira, Mozambique in 1975 and the other two in 2007.

The 30 year old war devastated Mozambique and cities were not spared. Here is one of the most famous hotels in Beira before the war. It was well known and the destination of many Europeans and holiday seekers.

This is how it looks today - 2007. Not much has been done to renovate this hotel and many people seek refuge in this hotel even today.

Not much to look at these days!

Even the swimming pool is still empty and desolated.

Keep on praying for Mozambique as the country is slowly but surely standing up from the ashes more than 10 years after the war.

Thanks to Johan van Loggerenberg for the photos he passed on to me.

A thunderstorm in the bush!

So at last the rain came - we prayed - but wow the Lord hit us hard with so many showers of refreshing that we are still gasping for air. 155 mm in 2 days - now that's a lot of rain. I am still looking for some of my flowers that I planted - I think it is floating somewhere in a river on its way to the sea.

Wish you could experience a real African storm though - so unique with the thunder, orange lightning and then those huge drops bombarding mother nature.



Rain is good - if it comes during the day .... I think. Nope not in Mozambique - it comes at night and this storm came at 02:00 in the morning. I ran out to cover my motorbike just to realise it is laying upside down as the soil was to wet to hold up the bikes. Soaking wet at 02:00 we tried to rescue our garden and bikes. That was just the beginning though - our river pump decided to submerge itself in the water.




Now - my wife can't spell the word fear! She jumped into the river to save the pump. Needless to say when the river comes down it is usually full of crocodiles. What could I do - jump in with her with our guard and Charles our foreman. I kept on scanning for crocodiles as they loosened the bolts to save the water pump. And save we did!!

After being submerged for some hours we dried it, put it up in the son ..... and ....... zzzzzzzzz (NO gaboem) - it worked again.
Did I mention my wife got washed out of the river because of the strong flow - she started swimming (oh .... and did I mention I am not a good swimmer?). I am verbal - and motivated her from my safe spot to safety.
Praise God - we all survived another day in Mozambique. Please keep on praying for the following:

* It really is crocodile time during the rainy season and we have already lost one child who fetched water at the river.

* Many people have lost babies and family members due to many illnesses and diseases. Please pray for all!

Smiles - balloons - no teeth - sweats and many more!

Do you remember the last day of school just before the summer holidays? No worries - just smiles - beaches - sun - ice cream and no more "go to bed early" in the background. Well in Mozambique things are a little different. What is going on in the head of a Mozambican child who is spending his last day before the "rainy holidays". I spoke to a few and here is some of the answers.

Tutu: "I like school and don't want to leave because my house leaks and the school a nice roof."

Fernando: "School prepares me for what I dream to become - a mechanic. If I have no school my dream becomes vague."

Celistino: "I don't like holidays because then I must work in the fields of my parents."

Anna: "I need school everyday because we get "nicey" food at the school kitchen."

Sortinho: "I don't like holidays because I am only at my home and not seeing all my friends."

Manina: "I love my teachers and now I will not see them for a long time."

Joao: "No ..... take holidays away ..... I like learning ..... all the time!"

Psalmo: "I like Bible stories - I don't hear them at home."

Ok I have to stop here - they went on and on. Quite different than our viewpoint. We sell dreams and hope at the schools and kids are responding daily. It made me feel bad closing the school after VBS - but the poor teachers need resting. Our grade 5 students are still writing exams until 8 December.

Here is our top student in grade 4 receiving his brand new bicycle. His mother ran forward waving her capalana in the air yelling. That is what you called a "proud parenting moment". Cool!

We had our closing down ceremony with great prizes to be won for the best student. Thanks again to all who made this possible. I need to thank:

• The University of Stellenbosch for the bicycles donated;
• Daisy Phillips and David and the whole family who made the party possible for the kids - a hug from all our kids to all of you.
• Michelle Groenewald for all the Escholinha training material - we love ya!
• All the supporters from Canada and around the world who made it possible to have completed this school with its roof and all the other improvements. May God bless you all.

Will put on a slide show soon so you can see all the photos!

Some of the kids queuing for the last feast. Sweats, biscuits and cool drink can be enjoyed after the parents had theirs first. Simon Nicalau is our pre-primary teacher in the background (with the tie) trying to organize the joyous crowd.

Our top students for 2007 and our proud teachers from left to right in the back row:

Tito Mabuleza (grade 2); Simon Nicalau (pre-school); Paulo Inacio (Grade 1 and 5); Jaoa Feniassi (Grade 3 and 4) and Francois Rauch.

5 Different kinds of Christians. Which one are you?

I find I am increasingly uncomfortable using the word "Christian" to describe myself or my belief in Jesus

Christ. A recent study done by Leadership Journal titled, Five Different Kinds of Christians, convinces me that I am on the right track.

Years ago Dr. Francis Schaeffer reminded us that "God words" are increasingly meaningless. Reading this aritlce will help you understand why Dr. Schaeffer said we have to find fresh language to communicate our beliefs in a post-modern world, and understand why I don't describe myself as a Christian.

It is a thought provoking study and one that might be good fodder for a discussion with those in your circle of influence.

What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus?

Two things are certain for me:

• I am committed to being a fully devoted, obedient follower of Jesus
  
• I am open to those who are just beginning their journey with Jesus to discover what that means for them through relationship with myself or others who love and obey him
  

It is not possible to draw a box around Jesus and easily say people are either in or out of the box, nor is it possible to ignore the fact that Jesus is dangerous. He is not a domesticated pet that we keep on a leash, ready to obey us when we need him.

As I said, this article, and hopefully my letter, will provoke you to probe the question of faith in Christ more deeply with those who are important in your life.

Blessings - just wanted to throw something out there!

Your beloved bush brother - Francois

VBS a hit with children!

Every year we spend a few weeks during the end-year holidays on our Vocational Bible School for our kids. This year was no exception as we focused on:

• Character building
• Bible stories
• Road Safety
• Health
• Arts and crafts

Eunice, our lady ministry co-coordinator was called in to help and presented the arts and crafts lessons. Here is some of our kids enjoying the session. Our aim and objective with our Vocational Bible Study program is to make sure the kids have 100 % fun (without any school work) but learning at the same time.

While children are playing and using all their senses we are in the process also teaching values like loyalty, honesty, good work ethics, good self esteem and other valuable characteristics.

On the left you can see as some of the younger girls get involve in teamwork. Here they are being taught bead work and how to make necklaces from tree seeds. Seeds are drilled and painted to make every necklace unique. By using seeds kids learn that is not necessary to buy beads but that they can use nature around them to make beautiful things. Even the bigger boys quickly got the hang of it and they didn't want to leave as soon as they mastered the technique.

Here are some of the older boys getting ready and organized.

We help to open doors ..... literally!

Meet Pastor Kwaramba- it's the one a little bit darker than I am. I just love this man ...... he carries a great passion for the lost, started 5 new churches the last 2 years and added another 580 people to his 5 churches. I have been working extremely close with him - preaching every Sunday in some of his churches.

Pastor Kwaramba is currently building a huge church which his own congregation is funding. We have come alongside to help him and purchased these doors to help the church. They will be the front door of the church and are beautiful.

Thanks to the help of 2 great people and close friends, Niel and Helane Keyser - they donated funds to help church planting in Mozambique. May the harvest that comes through their and other peoples generosity be plentiful.

Churches are growing rapidly in Mozambique - it is in fact the fastest growing church in Africa (if not in the world) currently. We need strong leaders and will have to connect via good relationships and training even more in the future. Thanks for caring and making a huge difference in the lives of Mozambicans!

Churches are growing through chaos!

We might be struggling on the mission base with water, power and what have you but the ministries are experiencing phenomenal growth as we edge closer to the end of the year. Sunday was a busy day as we interacted again with all the churches. I preached on how to love God - and what a response from the church in Pungwe - wish you all could be there.

I love the church in Africa. Everyone takes part in the church service - as you can see all the kids dancing.

We don't have formal areas where mothers take their children to be quiet! Everyone participates!!

When the Word is preached everyone that has a Bible studies with you. It is absolutely fantastic to experience how serious everyone is when they are being taught. No sophisticated theology here - no debate if heaven or hell is a reality or just a theological problem in eschatology. Nope - real words - life changing experiences! You just have to love the church of Jesus Christ.

And hey .... if you have not experienced this yet ..... I think it is time. Visit us!

Chaos at the mission base!

IT'S THE SMALL THINGS

...that dictate the success (or lack thereof) of larger things. For example, this past week a rather small ball bearing in our (Lister) generator-that-we-depend-on-for-everything apparently was having ‘trouble’. It was a new bearing, so it shouldn't have. It should have been fine. It was making a new noise when it ran so we did the routine checks plus a few extras. We couldn’t see where the problem was so we were faced with having to find a mechanic, somewhere, somehow, who could give us some kind of advice. That’s not so easy way out here. The closest Lister agent is a 2 day drive away.

While we were contemplating what to do, and in very short order, the troubled bearing bade a final and destructive farewell . We knew there was trouble when the lights went off at 7 pm instead of 9 pm. We grabbed our flashlights and headed up the path toward the generator shed. We met the guard half way there. “There’s a big problem! The generator started squealing loudly, then shut itself off...I wasn’t even there...I didn’t even shut it off...It just made a loud noise and...”he managed between breaths. He’s rather excitable and when he has adrenaline surges he talks very fast. He was talking very fast then! We arrived at the shed to find columns of smoke rising from the machine and the ‘excessive speed’ warning light lit. Hmmm. This can’t be good!(see the metal pieces at the bottom of the ring? Yeah, that's NOT good.)

The following day we spent half the day pulling the alternator off of the diesel engine. This is no small task. The thing likely weighs a couple hundred pounds since it essentially consists of a thick metal casing and bundles upon bundles of tightly wound wire inside. Think: lead. With the help of a block and tackle, 2 tire irons, assorted tools, some serious pushing, pulling and grunting AND, let me not forget, my handy 'this-is-serious-business-leather gloves, we got it apart! One small bearing having ‘trouble’ led to many small copper wires being torched, which brought a large powerful unit to a screeching halt. Now that it’s apart, we’re faced with the same old challenge as always...getting it somewhere to someone who can do something with it! And our trusty old back-up generator isn’t performing at the moment either. *sigh* For now, our nights are just a little darker.

(Written by Lynn Lagore)

One school finished ......... one to go before end 2007!

"Education and all aspects that goes with it is not just very close to my heart it is burning inside me." - Francois Rauch

In Mozambique that statement is beating even stronger in my heart. The children of Mucombeze, Mozambique have to walk between 15 and 25 km daily to reach their closest school. It will be their only means if they want to be educated. Education is a right to all - but not all Mozambicans have this privilege. We work non-stop to ensure that children, women and the illiterate gets the opportunity to be educated.

Here is an aerial photo of our school just finished - new roof and all. Our primary school houses about 200 children who are also fed daily at the school. (See the kitchen to the right!)

We do not have school desks at the moment and children need to sit on the floor. We are currently sponsoring 4 teachers who teaches not only the government syllabus, but in addition to that teaches Bible Education, character and leadership development. We have a pre-primary school with a teacher and and all out sports program.

BUT - WE ARE NOT FINISHED YET

WE now need to finish our other school before the end of 2007. Thanks to the help of Derick Hammond (Faith in Action) some money was donated to fix this school before the rainy season starts. We are still short about R15 000 to complete this project before we can continue the next school. Although we have excellent relationships with government they do not have funds to build schools currently in our area. 150 Grade 1 students do not have a school currently and are sitting under trees at the moment. Please pray for us so this project could be finished on time!

COMMUNITY HELPS

Where our community has no means to support financially they have started making blocks so we could complete and fix up this building that has been destroyed during the long civil war. RPG holes and machine gun fire can be seen in the walls. The costs unfortunately for the school is in the expensive roofing and trusses.

Thank you for praying with us so we can finish this project as soon as possible. Oh ...... yes .... and thank you for caring and reading this blog thing! Bless ya all ..... and yes off course e love you!

Make poverty history!

Mark Twain once said, "Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society." Although the line is worth a laugh, it rings true. What we wear says a lot about who we are, and the idea that our clothes could have an impact on society and the fight against global poverty is no laughing matter.

With that in mind I am proud to announce the new ONE shirt from Edun. Edun is a socially conscious clothing company founded by Ali Hewson, Bono, and New York clothing designer Rogan Gregory. For the second year in a row, this remarkable company has produced a cool ONE shirt that has a powerful story to tell.

You can buy your own ONE Edun shirt at the ONE store.

The story of the Edun shirt starts with cotton grown and processed in Africa. The fabric then goes to a factory in Lesotho, where people working in fair labor conditions produce some of the best t-shirts in the world. Socially conscious production like this is just what the people of Lesotho need to work their way out of poverty and help jumpstart their country's economy.

But buying the Edun shirt doesn't just help provide jobs to these cotton farmers and factory workers. $10 of every purchase goes to ALAFA (Apparel Lesotho Alliance to Fight AIDS), which provides life-saving AIDS treatment to factory workers and their family members. The remainder of the profits go to ONE and help us, among other things, to advocate for programs like ALAFA.

You can support the communities that produce these shirts, ALAFA, and ONE by buying this shirt at the ONE store.

As if that weren't enough, right now Edun is auctioning off the shirts that were customized by the celebrities who participated in the recent ONE Edun shirt photo shoot featured in Elle magazine. All of the proceeds from this auction go to ONE, helping us to build this movement of millions of Americans demanding more effective action against extreme poverty.

You can bid on one of the shirts customized and worn by Ben Affleck, Ellen Pompeo, Kerry Washington, Laila Ali, Chris Daughtry, Raquel Welch, Kirsty Hume, Donovan Leitch and their daughter Violet, Courtney Love, Gwyneth Paltrow, The Citizens Band, Rashida Jones, Liv Tyler, Michelle Monaghan, Julianne Moore, or Waris on the ONE Edun auction site.

I hope that you enjoy these new shirts and the opportunity to wear your beliefs, quite literally, on your sleeve (and all over the rest of the shirt for that matter).

Thank you for your voice,
Josh Peck, ONE.org