Dear Friends and Family,
David and I are in South Africa...again. We were here recently for an Affinity Group Leadership Team meeting and then had one week home before we headed back down here in our car via Mozambique.
One of our favorite part of the Cluster Strategy Leader’s role is being able to visit with our missionaries in their homes, see their areas of ministry, take time praying with them and at times, playing! (Have I written this before?!?) We have several “new” missionary units in Mozambique that we wanted to visit so decided to do this on our way back down to Johannesburg for some training that David is helping to lead this week.
We started our trip with a visit with a South African couple, Keith and Christeen Moller who are working among the Yao in Malawi. We worked indirectly with them when we were in Mozambique. It was good to just listen to their victories and challenges and pray with and for them. Would you please pray for Keith and Christeen Moller and their four young children, Hannah, Michael, Mary and Karen? Praise the Lord with them as they are beginning to see more fruit of their labor. Pray that God would continue to supply all their needs, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Leaving from the Mollers place, we traveled a long 12 hour day, dirt road all the way, to the city of Nampula. Billy and Sara Turner have come to Mozambique for a two year Logistics Coordinator position. Billy and Sara have such a love for our Father and desire to live and serve in this part of Mozambique. They lived and worked in Mozambique about 5 years ago and now have returned! They have just moved to Nampula to begin their work from there. Would you please pray for Billy and Sara as they begin their work in Northern Mozambique? Pray for them as they seek for the right church family to plug into and people to minister to while they are in Nampula.
NAMPULA
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| Billy and Sara Turner |
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| Billy's office.....for now! |
MOCUBA
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| Visiting on Oetter's front veranda |
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| Sunday at worship was a hot day! |
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Jim at the well with his "helpers" |
QUELIMANE
From Mocuba, we had an even shorter 21/2 hour trip to the small city of Quelimane. John and Wanne Dina have lived and worked in Quelimane for many years and now have new team members that they are supervising and coaching in their work. They also have taken on the role of providing a well-planned language and orientation program along with mentoring new missionary personnel who are coming to Mozambique. Please pray for John and Wanne as they work with new personnel in language and cultural orientation. Pray for joy, wisdom, patience, discernment and physical and spiritual strength. Pray for them as they continue to work with their national leadership among the peoples of Zambesia.
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| A well and pump funded through stateside Baptist churches |
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| Wanne and John |
In Quelimane there are two Journey-girls. Jessica Riemersma and Sally Hamrick. Jessica is focused on working with high school and university aged girls, mentoring and teaching God’s word to them when she can. She also is involved in teaching out in some rural coastal areas and seeing God move among the Moniga people! Sally is focused on teaching young children to read and helping out with children's Sunday School classes in a church nearby. Sally also will be working with some new MK’s giving them a supplemental education beginning January 2012.
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| Janet with Sally and Jessica |
Would you please pray for these two girls, Sally and Jessica as they continue with their work in Quelimane? Pray that they continue to find real joy and purpose in their work. Pray for their physical and emotional protection.
MAPUTO
Our journey continued for the next two days making our way down to the capital city of Mozambique, Maputo. Presently there are two couples living there, the Jacksons and Brains and another family, the Lechners who are currently stateside.
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| What a nice setting for a visit! |
We had a wonderful visit with Steve and Karla Jackson and their son, Jared. Their three girls are in Kenya attending Rift Valley Academy, so this has been quite an adjustment this year with the girls gone. We got to talking about “fun things” we like to do, and one of those in common is visiting in game reserves. To our surprise, the Jacksons said, “why don’t we just go together to Kruger tomorrow?” (It was on our way to South Africa) So, we got up at 4 a.m. and took off for Kruger National Park and spent the day together having fun! Granted, we couldn’t visit much while driving, but times we stopped for eating and rest breaks were sweet.
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| We had a sweet encounter with this mama and her little one! |
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| Kruger has many White Rhinos! We haven't seen these for a LONG time in other parks. |
We had a great visit together that evening and the next morning. Would you pray for Steve and Karla as they work among the people in the Maputo area? Pray for Karla as she home schools Jared. Pray for their three girls, Christa, Abby and Bethany who are at boarding school in Kenya. Please pray for Jacksons as they carry on the work in Maputo.
Todd and Tia Brain and their two children are Logistics Coordinators and will be leaving Mozambique in January 2012 for their first stateside assignment. Please pray for the Brains as they seek direction as to where to serve in the future.
So…. Another 7 hour trip to Johannesburg that ended this part of our trip. Ten days after driving out of our driveway, we "clocked in" 56 hours of riding in the car and 3,575km! We praise God for safety in travel, a dependable vehicle to drive and for great health. We arrived quite exhausted but just so thankful for God's mercy in our travels. Return trip..., we'll be traveling back through Botwana and Zambia.
Thank you so very much for your continued prayer support for us, our work and travels.
From Nampula, it was a short 5-6 hour ride into the town of Mocuba where we have another precious couple, Jim and Susan Oetter who are seeing ways of growing the Kingdom of Heaven during their two year commitment. They have really struggled with not having running water in the town and have had to draw water from wells just outside town. This has turned out to be a blessing in some ways as there have been great opportunities to sow the seed of the Gospel with those who come to the wells for their own water! Please pray for the Oetters as they seek the best ways to encourage the local town church while at the same time, reaching out to the many small missions in their district. Pray for perseverance, joy and clarity in teaching God's Word to those around them.