Still in Cape Town ..... Air Power

Yes, I am still in Cape Town - and working hard but enjoying every minute connecting and meeting good old friends from yesterday, today and tomorrow!  Will keep you updated as I meet life changing agents around me ..... as quick as I can get to internet cafe's!

Some highlights:

PLANES, GUNS AND AMMO - war must be profitable!

Photo:  The mighty Hawk helicopter ..... and I was impressed specially flown by the US pilots.     

The biggest air show in Africa is currently being held in Cape Town.  I was lucky to be invited to an  opening ceremony of the big event.  Like every testosterone filled male I was blown away with the sheer size of the huge war planes.  After holding the 20^th assault rifle in my hands and aiming through the terrifying scopes and watching the heat signatures of humans through night scopes I knew war is a serious business.

I could not help thinking if the grenade launcher I am holding on to would somehow one day kill someone in some foreign country.  Chilling thought!  The USA and the CHINA exhibition didn’t help easing my fears.  Walking into a US cargo plane is something to behold.  Enormous is not an adequate word to describe the feeling.  The US pilot could not hide away his passion for these humongous flying machines as he guided us through the plane.  Chinese officials watched with a careful eye as I tried to gather some information.  “Inglish not good .... try later someone else”.  I never got to someone else but the fact remains:  Weapons were big business.

The passion of the salesmen trying to sell their latest death machines was interesting to watch.  “This one .... well will leave such a big hole ...”, I stopped him.  “With this 50 mm we don’t need you ... we will just blow your house out of the sky!”  And as a South African salesman said:  “Sudam Hussein did great business with us until he perished...”.  And so they continued.

And I wondered about my job!  And they did ask.  And I did answer.  “Transformational engineer”.  “What on earth is that?”  I answered with a smile ... “saving people from your weapons!”  A frown and a smile .... and then just continued with the next willing customer in his shiny uniform with more silver than I own.

May we all one day be bearers of peace and hope and agents of transformation?

The joys of travelling 3 000 km's!

Photo:  Johannesburg - in colour (but only nice if you were born there ... lol!

Photo:  Semi-desert (Karoo region) on your way to Cape Town.  Still 450 km's to go!

It’s that time of the year again I thought as I looked at the odometer of my willing Nissan!  3 000 km laid ahead of me as I left the base early morning on my way to Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa.  Conferences, meetings and lots of other engagements with wonderful people are always something to look forward too ..... if it just wasn’t for the distance .... and the driving.

Photo:  Always great company on the way.                                                

But I again realized that the journey itself is something to look forward too ... well that is as soon as you survive the horrific border posts on the way.  This time around it went smoothly and soon the great scenery changed my mood as I was trying to keep to the speed limit.  A fine in Zimbabwe (all in US dollars these days) made me look anxiously at my speed as I travelled.  After being robbed in Polokwane it was time to move on to Johannesburg - a concrete jungle like no other.  If it wasn’t for the great people I could easily drive around it.

Photo:  Cape Town is just over those mountains!  About 100 km to go!

Nearing Cape Town ..... my birthplace.  Strange how something happens when you get closer to your roots.  Strangely ... the same happens when I pray.  “Maybe I don’t belong here after all!”  But before the Gospel of Evacuation could get hold of me I saw the mountains of Cape Town .... and I fell in love with my birthplace all over again. 

Join me on the journey as I travel the next few weeks .... and meet the great people that makes it possible for us to survive in Mozambique.

Photo:  Morning has broken!

To burn a Quran or NOT!

I walk down a dusty road in Quelimane .... a kaleidoscope of colours greet me in the midday heat.  I never knew Mozambique had so many Muslims in the north east on the coast of the country.  I came because a local pastor invited me with tears in his eyes.  “I love our people ...... and I desperately want them to meet Jesus .... would you come?”  I didn’t hesitate when he invited me.  What was to be a routine visit to an area about 700 km from our base became a very difficult one.  Pastor Pedro Rede, who invited me, died soon after at the age of 30 after a short sickbed.  It was a huge blow.  My own health didn’t spare me much but we continued and pressed on to fulfil our commitment.

I remember walking into many Muslim shops in the area.  Without exception all of them belonged to a Muslim family.  It usually was family owned at a granny, a mother and the rest of the siblings were working behind the counter.  This shop was no exception.  The dad and watchful owner stood on a ladder as I entered.  His son, I guessed quite accurately – was in his 20’s greeted me with the biggest smile I have ever seen.  His eyes – alive – greeted me with a friendly “Salaam”.  After enquiring what I needed he asked me a strange question:  “Are you a Christian?”.  I hesitated as I wondered what his motives were.  But I thought ..... just maybe this could be an interesting connection.  “Yes”, I replied with too much confidence.  It was like a bucket of cold water in his face.  His mother got up and furiously chased me out of the shop with the rest of the family screaming something in Portuguese and Arabic.  The last words from Ached was:  “You Christians burn our Quran .... don’t you?”  They never gave me any time to explain ..... or just tell them that I didn’t know what they were talking about ....... (travelling on the road we were not connected to the outside world!)  I never knew an American pastor wanted his congregation to burn the Quran as retaliation .... aimed against all Muslims.

It took a lot of guts and prayer to return to the shop later the next day.  I asked if I could see Ached which pointed towards the back of their lot.  I explained that I never knew what “so called Christians” were thinking burning the Quran ...... and I don’t even think Jesus would burn it.  I continued as he listened very attentively.  “I know Jesus”, he said.  “I don’t think so” I hesitated saying it .... but before I could even think .... I said it.  “Oh ....”, he replied.  I explained who Jesus was and how great it was to have a personal relationship.  He looked pale in the face.  His questions penetrated my heart.  He had tears in his eyes when he replied:  “Do you think there is a place in His heart for me?”  I hugged him as I did a small prayer in his ear - he responded in a fenomenal way.  To bring hope and life to a troubled soul was worth the threats, I thought looking at Ached's smile and tears - he was still shaking!

My heart was joyous as I left him quietly behind.  Him fearing for his life .....  his decision could have great repercussions.  And I knew ... GOD is alive as I walked down the road.  The colours looked brighter, the smells .... fresher ..... and the dust did not irritate me anymore.

Team Dynamics

Teamwork ............. WOW!  What would the world be if there was no team and everyone ran in different directions .... trying to achieve something wonderful.  I am pretty sure we would not have had Niel Armstrong on the moon ...... or imagine a one-man orchestra ........... or .... well you get the point!

In Mozambique we do everything within our team dynamics.  We have an awesome team  in Dwight & Lynn Lagore (Canada), Rick & Heather Neufeld (Canada), Andy Kuret (Switzerland), Ron and Barb Wayner (USA) and the most amazing Mozambiquean brothers and sisters working hard to make the following possible:

"You are 5 years late!"

"You are 5 years late ....... if you could only come earlier many who died would be saved .... would have had the opportunity to hear the liberated message of how Jesus can set you absolutely free!"  The words of the regional director echoes into our ears.

I am in Quilemane - the north eastern part of the Zambezi Province in Mozambique.  The trip was long and dusty.  Being held up by police at the Sena bridge because they thought we were "Al Queda suspects" (just because we had a sandwich close to the bridge, I might add) was just one of the many obstacles we had to overcome during an amazing time with out Muslim brothers in the far north east.  It all started when a young pastor, Pedro Redi asked me with tears in his eyes to plant a church in Quilemane and not to forget the Muslims of the area who desperately needed the Word and the Good News.  Accompanying me to the dusty roads of Quilemane was 2 extinguished gentleman, Past. Raymond Lombard (Director:  Wheels for God) and Dr. Manning Thornton (Missionary Evangelist) from Alabama, USA.

LET THE WHEELS ROLL

The purpose of the visit was to train pastors in the rural areas in Evangelism and equip them to do the work efficiently.  Past. Raymond Lombard (Wheels for God) was the right  man for the job.  His objective is to use the Heart of Man charts to train and equip every pastor with a bicycle to get the job done quicker from village to village.

We had an amazing group of leaders from every group available in the rural areas.  Young Catholic priests and youth joined us for the training.  Dr. Manning Thornton shared devotions early in the morning and closed our day with wonderful teachings on the topic of Evangelism.  The practical time sharing their faith via the Heart of man chart was simply amazing.  Although threatened many times by many Muslims the conversations and space created to share showed many conversions of many Muslim brothers and sisters.

God did awesome things!  After the successful completion of their course 35 pastors and leaders proudly took hold of their brand new bicycles and evangelism material.