After five days of driving, walking, visiting and surveying, four tired men returned from a trip to northern Mozambique. Last year we had several men from Kentucky who came to help us in our Associate Cluster and Team Strategy Leaders meeting. From that time, Kentucky has begun an 18 month “Initiative” with the hopes of getting their churches more involved with the work in the Zambezi Cluster. The initiative could potentially lead to several levels of involvement – from committing to pray for certain peoples and ministries, teaching in seminaries for a determined amount of time, assisting ministry teams with their strategy to Kentucky Baptists themselves engaging an unreached people within the Zambezi Cluster.
Scott Pittman and Jeff Wallace, both from Kentucky, along with Jeff Polglase (missionary in Malawi) and David went to our “old stompin’ grounds” in northern Mozambique. The purpose for this trip was to give our Kentucky folks a glimpse of Mozambique, see first-hand some of the unreached peoples, and have a better understanding of the layout of the land if it grew to the point of Kentucky Baptist engagement in Mozambique.
One of their objectives was to visit with the handful of believers and just try to encourage them. In order to meet up with one of the leaders, it required a lot of asking around as to where the man’s fields were and eventually a 2 hour hike into the bush. They finally found P. and his wife out in their remote corn field. They were so thrilled for the unexpected visit. After the 2 hour return hike to the car, there was question as to the "success" of that long day out in the bush. However, it was far from a failure or a waste of time. Taking the time and effort to seek out and visit people speaks volumes of sacrificial love that is beyond measuring. It is this type of effort that is needed in these remote unreached places to get the Gospel out and to encourage the saints. We have to be willing to get out and seek the lost, get to where they are…don’t expect them to come to us. It was a difficult day for all with the heat, lack of water, long distance walking, etc…. but one that will never be forgotten by those visited!
Exhausted missionaries, but greatly encouraged believers! It is worth the pain!
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