"Clothing factories" in the bush

It is hot and humid in the bush with still no sign of rain. Women are working on their fields preparing themselves for the coming rainy season.

While there is somewhat of an expectancy in the air the Women Outreach program started their own clothing factories in the bush. The bush "factories" each got their own sowing machine, materials and other tools to produce a wide variety of products. These "clothing factories" in the bush are currently:

• Producing clothing for our ever growing orphan numbers;
• clothing for our orphan babies;
• producing new uniforms for our bush schools - that is uniforms for more than 200 kids;
• supporting more than 5 women schools,
• supporting families totaling more than 75 people;
• and providing jobs for hungry woman in our communities.

We even have our own support team to service machines monthly. After the "factory" has been setup (grass roof, chair and working space) machines are being installed by our "Service Inspector", Gabriel Lucas. Ready to lock and load (or something like that)!

Left and right: And the factory is producing! Isabella and Eunice showing their latest fashions.

Even the kids are enjoying their new jerseys and are taking part in the fun. Little Barbara enjoying her time with the team.


While woman are being taught how to use the sowing machines it is also a change to show Christ's love to all involved. On the photo above Alta reaches out to a community leader in Macadeira. They both are students in some of the Women Schools in the area. They have also received their first Shona Bibles which is extremely scarce in our area.

After graduation and getting your "sowing license" it's time to get to the basics ....... and drive the machine. Ok I am not a lady ........... but you know what I mean.

"Running with God"

Had a great day with the community yesterday again! As always I stand in awe when I see the joy of the people when they gather. We are in a difficult season with little or no food available for families. To worsen the problem we still have many Zimbabweans that fled Zimbabwe because of the political turmoil and arrogance of Robert Mugabe. The Zimbabweans have no food at all and even in Zimbabwe many are living from tree roots. Nonetheless ..... when people get together they sing, dance and laugh and find delight in the smallest things.

For Tabita (10)the day was very special. Tabita has only one leg and are always singing and dancing with the other kids. To survive in rural Mozambique is a daily challenge but to do it with only one leg is nearly impossible. It's difficult to carry water, help on the fields and doing other home tasks.

A wonderful friend Koos van der Merwe (Yip as South African as you can get) visited one of our rural churches with me when he saw Tabita. He was moved by her energy and great spirit and decided to get involved. Tabita was struggling with an old wooden crutch that was too small and hurt her as she was moving around. Koos is a min of few words, but his actions speak for them self. He immediately organize 2 brand new crutches and I invited him over to hand them over.

The joy was overwhelming for both Tabita and her mom. The church and their reaction was something to experience. They jumped up in joy and danced around Tabita - sharing her joy. The adjustable crutches will help Tabita to move around much easier.

There would never have been enough money from the church to afford crutches for this little girl. Thanks to all who made this possible. Thank you for praying for Africa and Mozambique. Because of your caring many will have the change to live and feel valued ...... and meet the One who loves and values them.

If you feel like sponsoring a child or helping one of the 700 orphans in our program please feel free to contact us.

Heaven ...... pleasure factory?

" The largest gap exists not between seekers and believers, but between less mature Christians and "Christ-centered" Christians. The less mature believe that: "God is for me, my plans, and my agenda in this world." But the truly Christ-centered have given up their lives and dreams in complete surrender to him. " A big honkin' thing has to happen for a Christian to move from self-centered to Christ-centered."

- Bill Hybels (Willow Creek - 2008)

What is the gospel? Folks in the most interesting places are asking that question these days. When I was growing up, in the 1890s, no one had to ask what the gospel was. We knew. It was the answer to the question: "If you were to die tonight, how do you know for sure you'd go to heaven?" The gospel was what got you saved. We knew what getting saved was, too. Getting saved was being placed in the heaven-bound category. And we knew what heaven was. Heaven was the pleasure factory where everybody wanted to go after death.

But now folks like N.T. Wright (from a New Testament historical perspective), and Dallas Willard (from a spiritual formation and discipleship perspective), and Shane Claiborne (from a community perspective), and Brian McLaren (from a general gadfly perspective), are calling us to rethink what the gospel really means. Recently someone asked me to comment on it. (Actually it was my wife. And she did so only because I asked her to ask me to comment on it so I'd have an excuse to write about it.) So here are a few thoughts.

Continue reading this article at (it will blow your mind) http://www.christianitytoday.com/leaders

Kingdom currency VS US Currency

If you are living on planet earth I guess you are somewhat (maybe) like me! I followed every news article on the current economic crisis we are dumped in. I wonder who started it all? Ok ... I won't blame Bush. I recall all the news headlines:

"US$700 Billion aid package by Bush doesn't calm fears!"

"World heading for major economic meltdown"

"European banks close doors"

"Pensions wiped out for old couples."

And so we can go on and on and on. No doubt the world is in a crisis. Even Mozambique was not spared! Food is scarce due to many factors but no doubt the current economic crisis played a role.

All of this chaos made me think of something though. We are surrounded by people and Western societies who worships and idolizes their appetites for consumerism. Kingdom currency is so different. The currency of the Kingdom is LOVE. Through all the chaos this is one gift we can all give and it might cost you something but the return is so much more than any other investment (that is about to be wiped out as I write this!)

Won't you think about this for a while? What have you done lately to invest in Kingdom currency?

Is my baby a muslim now....?

I was just heading back to my house on a hot summer's day when our first aid officer at one of our clinics stopped me. He was anxious to ask me something. Before he could speak I asked him: "So how is your baby today?" He has been struggling for some time now and took his baby on several occasions to the clinic and the hospital in Chimoio.

"That is strange", he says ..... "I was just about to ask you a question about my baby." "How come" I replied. "Well" he said with a frown. "Something interesting happened as I visited the hospital in Chimoio yesterday. " Without even catching a breath he continued his story. "The doctor said that my baby needed a blood transfusion today. Unfortunately there was no blood available in the hospital and my blood group didn't match my baby's. Just as I was getting discouraged a Muslim (I recognized him because of his clothing) heard what was happening. He told me that he would be willing to donate his blood to my baby. I was overwhelmed that he would offer his blood for free!"

"He voluntarily gave his blood with a smile not asking anything from me. But now I have a question." He looked me in the eye ...... "Do you think that my baby is a Muslim now." "How come" I asked. "Well because he gave his blood ...... do you think that my baby will become a Muslim now?" I wanted to laugh ..... but a few things struck me:

1. How childlike people in the bush is;
2. How great this Muslim guy was "being there" and ready to lend a hand to his neighbour;
(maybe I can learn something from this)
3. Isn't it wonderful to know that when God gave His Son - Jesus we that accept him has been
washed in His blood - and DO BELONG to Him because of His blood.

I answered "no" to Ernesto and explained how different the blood of a human is to the power of the blood of Jesus. He laughed as I explained ..... and left with a smile.

It made my day!

Modern-day Acts .........

Meet Onesphore! He lives in Burundi. I met him in Uganda and on a trip to Rwanda in 2007. I met him again this year in Rwanda at the Amahoro gathering with African leaders. Onesphore studied and practiced law as an attorney. He gave up his job to become what he calls an "evangelist". We are trying to get Onesphore to visit Mozambique to share his passion for the lost with the leaders of Mozambique. He is a fearless servant of the Lord ...... as you will see in his story that I just received.

Are you ready for some weird, wonderful and whacky stories of God at work in Burundi? Some stretch credibility, particularly for a Western mind, although an African wouldn't blink twice about what I'll share with you. It's quite long, but it'll blow your mind, and is worth the read!

Well, as usual, I am beautifully blown away by what happened. If you take a fresh look at the Acts of the Apostles in the Bible, you could almost substitute Antioch or Ephesus with Burundi and it would read in a similar vein. Here's a sample of what happened:

In Muyinga, a prostitute called Victoria was kidnapped by cannibal witchdoctors who took a bite out of her thigh but found she tasted bitter (it sounds almost comical except that it is true - “ one of the female members of the team later on asked to see it to verify that she wasn't lying, and the mouth-shaped wound needed serious medical treatment). So the witchdoctors didn't eat her.

Instead they cursed her and she became dumb. For three weeks she hadn't said a word when the evangelists arrived. She'd gone to the local administrator to press charges, and he challenged the team: "If you want us to listen to you about your Jesus, then do something for this girl." They promptly gathered around her, prayed in Jesus' name, and Victoria began speaking again!

The whole community was blown away by this obvious demonstration of God's power. The administrator promptly offered them land to build a church, and two months on there is a church of a hundred members meeting there. Victoria is now a reformed ex-prostitute. At Mukabira, a powerful witchdoctor was converted. On the spot he became an evangelist(!), and invited the team to join him in addressing six other witchdoctors. Those six duly gave their lives to Christ. They brought out all their charms, idols and spells, and had a public burning session, at which point the local craftsmen who had made the idols were in uproar (remember what happened in Ephesus?).

They complained: "How dare these people come from outside and introduce strange ideas which take away our business?" They complained to the local authorities. Three of the team were arrested and beaten, and held overnight. In the morning, when it was established that they'd done nothing wrong, they were released. As they were sat outside the police station, still talking to several policemen, a tornado flared up. It is generally believed here that a tornado is actually an angry python underground sent by witchdoctors. The policemen fled as the tornado approached, but the three believers stood their ground, at which point the tornado split in two, went around them, and demolished two houses on either side of them. The policemen then returned totally awestruck, asking: "Who are you people? What is your secret?" They replied: "The One who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world." More people were converted.

Another example of Acts-style persecution involved a group being invited into a house under pretense to share Christ. However, once inside, they were beaten with sticks and a hoe. One young lad was seriously wounded in his head and spent three days in hospital. Although they were the ones attacked, the evangelists were the ones arrested. Onesphore drove there immediately, mediated, the aggressors begged forgiveness, and yet more people were touched by the power of God. Vincent was steeped in witchcraft. He had made a pact with Satan, and for twenty years hadn't been able to wear clothing, as it felt like pins were pricking him when it contacted his skin. He hadn't cut his hair in that time either, and looked completely deranged. The whole area around Bubanza submitted to his spiritual leadership and lived in fear of him. He refused to listen to the team's first attempt to tell him about Jesus, but they persisted and returned. He was delivered, and when he burned all his charms, the community was so astonished that on the spot twenty other people gave their lives to Christ.

There are many more stories, but those are a selection. You get the idea. Our God is a big big God! May He forgive us for keeping Him caged and domesticated.

Meet our witch doctors (why do they call them doctors, I wonder?) in Mozambique. We have had some very interesting endeavors with them. Many rituals and weird items are being planted on the base regularly. God still loves them so please keep on praying that they too will see the light.

Some stories used in the Article published with permission from my friend Onesphore and Simon Guillebaud from Burundi. Please keep them all also in your prayers.

Snake season ..... again!

With the soaring temperatures we are currently experiencing we have had many snakes trying to find shade ...... in our garden offcourse. A few minutes ago we had a very close call with a interesting snake trying to attack our gardener. Well the snake just had a snack so we could easily dispose of him.

It looked like he was burned with the many fires surrounding us ..... ! We are still trying to figure out what kind of a snake this was. Maybe someone out there knows!