Com'on in boys the Water's fine

Give me bush bush any day. We left on Thursday leading the optional outreach out of Pemba then down a dirt “road” for another hour till we came to our village in dire need of encouragement. Iris had visited this Muslim village only 3 months ago and were able to start a church. The time in-between allowed for some angry locals to pull the new pastor and his wife out of the house and beat them severely but they were able to greet us with thankful smiles alongside the chief of the area. Our tents hardly fit into the back yard of our host who’s family continually gave us mangos, coconut, and sugarcane.

As the Jesus film was playing on the first night Heidi showed up and just began loving the people. Some were healed from various hurts and pains, we prayed for several children who suffered from night terrors, and many received Jesus for the first time. The next morning, as part of our group helped with a children’s discipleship, we took some to the river who wanted to be baptized. The water was muddy and one of the locals said something about a crocodile but we paid no mind. People started entering and Heidi asked me to help baptize.

“One question”, I asked, “I haven’t been baptized, would that be a problem?”

I technically been baptized as a child before I ever loved Jesus and He said “repent and THEN be baptized” so getting it out of order isn’t a legal baptism, otherwise what are you baptized into? I threw Melody the stuff in my pockets and waded in. Heidi smiled big and said,

“In the name your Father who loves you, in the name of Jesus your bridegroom, and in the name of Holy Spirit who fills you” she pushed me under and I came up feeling fresh and happy. I couldn’t think of a better way to be baptized. Now I can help. Many more went under, including a blind man who received enough of his sight back that he said he could walk home by himself!

As we were celebrating in the river my wedding ring slipped off my hand. Everyone stopped moving but you couldn’t see anything. I dove down groping blind at the mucky bottom, nothing. Dove down a second time, still nothing. As I came up I said in desperation “Jesus I need my ring back!” and dove a third time grabbing my ring in the first handful of mud! Dying in the river of God takes away all sin, hopelessness, and lack; and this one even took the heaviness that made its way over our marriage from the rough season of travel. New starts are always welcome! Jesus is soo good!

November

Only 3 weeks till this mission training school graduates to then go where they are called to shine the light of Jesus’s face to every nation. I knew our time here in Mozambique would fly by and yet I’m still surprised. November greeted us this year with joy and revelation. On November 3^rd Spencer and I led a team of students along with a group of Mozambiquan Bible School students out into the African bush. Two hours away from the busy Pemba is a quiet remote village almost untouched by western invasion. Doing our best to learn cultural dress, language and customs the Bible school and Mission school students arrived to bring the hope of Jesus to this small village. We spent three days sharing the gospel message, providing medical help, praying for the sick and mentally tormented, making new friends, learning from the locals, playing and feeding the children. One evening a momma came to me with her sick baby asking for me to pray for the aching stomach. We prayed, the momma breast fed some more and then she handed me the tiny naked baby gilrl. I propped her up and burped her and rubbed her tummy and realized all that was wrong with this beautiful little girl was just a little gas. I realized then that it is really true that a lot of sickness and discomfort in these remote villages is simply because of a lack of knowledge about their bodies. Mommas run out of milk for their babies ‘cause they don’t realize that they need to drink water. Babies cry from stomach aches ‘cause of not being burped. These trips to the African bush are so important for so many reasons.

Our last morning in the bush was also my 23^rd birthday and being put in a circle of village people, Bible school students and mission school internationals singing Portuguese and English “happy birthday” was awkward and awesome. After that we headed back to our home in Pemba and were greeted with running water! (Every weekend previous we have been without running water on base so it was kinda a big deal) Cards, gifts, cakes, letters and lots of love came in at every angle and made November 5^th a great birthday.

Four days later one very special and loved man woke up for his 24^th birthday to find out that the 12 girls in our house planned a big breakfast birthday party for their new “dad.”  We feasted on french toast, pancakes, coffee, juice, and toast and invited other close friends to join in the front porch party. The cards, gifts, cakes, letters and lots of love came in at every angle and made now November 9^th a great birthday.

One particular gift made both November 5^th, November 9^th and November 14^th (our 6 month wedding anniversary) extremely special. A group of probably 20 or more students pulled their money together to bless Spencer and I with a weekend at a hotel and nice dinner. We stood in awe for over a minute not really even knowing how to receive such a big gift. 

November has shown us that we are extremely loved and in realizing this it has made us even more grateful for all that we have received in the past and in the present.