Sunday Sermon

This week has flown by. Having classes every day and the newness of it all makes the days go by fast. We have guest speakers most every day and that is nice to add variety to each day. Heidi has really been stressing that we are to get to know the Mozambicans and that missions is all about relationships. It appears that the Mozambicans have some frustration with Westerners being here in their country. It is most likely because of the differences in culture and economy. But I can understand, as we are a foreign people invading their country. We have not expereinced any hostility. I just assume she deals with this in running mission centers across the country. So it is crucial that we form relationships with the people, share our stories with one another and realize how much we all have in common. So, yesterday two of my roommates, Terra and Loren and I struck out with three of the pastors from the Bible School and went out into a local village. We met with three different groups of women and they were amazing. It was neat to see their tidy little homes and how efficient they are in keeping things in order. They were generous in sharing what they had with us and were very friendly and kind. One woman had us pray for her baby who seemed to be covered in scabies or some type of bad skin disease all over his body. One woman invited us in for peanuts and also asked for prayer. Their faith is super strong and they rely heavily on God for provisions. Their faith is a beautiful thing to witness. As we were walking through the village (breathtakingly beautiful by the way, views of the crystal clear ocean and there just happened to be a rainbow in the sky yesterday) a little girl ran up behind me and grabbed my arm and led me to her home. Three women were sitting out in the back yard. Two on their version of a bed, handmade wooden frame with cloth straps. One lady looked ancient, no teeth and was braiding her hair. The other was kinda pudgy and so jovial and another, Beatrice. I sat with them and used by horrible Portuguese to find out their names, ages and how many children they had. The pudgy one was 37, has two children and grandchildren! We laughed at my poor Portuguese and they helped me learn to tie my capalana tighter as it always seems to be falling off. I learned that we do share so much in common and regret not speaking the language because I am sure I could learn a lot from these women. I went into town this morning to buy rice and beans to take to them today and hoped to have lunch with them. However, this is Africa and nothing is as planned and the language barrier makes things worse. We had scheduled to meet the pastors outside our base at 11:00 but no one came. We saw them around 12:30 as we were headed to the beach and their answer to all my questions was “yes”. It is so frustrating! “Are we going?” “Yes”, “Are we staying here?”, “Yes”, “What time can we leave?” “Yes”, “Do you know if the NASDAQ is up or down?” “Yes”. So we just gave up and went to the beach. Hopefully, they will show up for church tomorrow and we will again attempt to set something up with them.
I keep forgetting that I live on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Google “Wimbe Beach” or “Pemba, Mozambique” and you can most likely find photos of this gorgeous coast. I tried to snorkel yesterday morning. I went with a friend and when we got out there (I still have not been by the way) someone stopped us and asked if we wanted to go out on a boat. The reef is a pretty long swim away. It is doable, just far and we are limited on time in the mornings. So we decided it would be worth it and agreed to let him take us out. I thought he really had a boat boat...you know, motor, steering wheel, more than one seat, a couple of life jackets...No. THIS IS AFRICA...It is a tiny little handcarved amazing little skiff. I don't have a photo, but I did notice them along them beach in some of my searches of Wimbe/Pemba and you may be able to find one. Anyway, we get out to the reef and I have all my things with me...capalana, flip-flops, housekey, snorkel gear. The man stands up and the boat flips over and in the water we all go. The boat was thus full of water and I am diving under to grab all my stuff. I lost my snorkel! He is bailing our our boat and I am treading water and trying to get my flip flops. Brock is doing the same. Thank goodness another larger boat (still no motor) came along and picked us up. The boat was full of people who had just been out and were anxious to get back so we had no choice and I had no snorkel so we just went back in. Oh well, I guess I will try again later.
In regards to teaching, my favorite was Rolland Baker's message that I alluded to earlier. We do hear a lot, in the church, about loving one another. Also, here as missionaries it is our job to love the Mozambicans. Christ told us, the greatest of these is love. However, we simply do not have the capacity to love others, until we get a full and complete grasp of Christ's love for us. It still blows my mind, but it is all so true. We were created by God to engage in fellowship with Him and to have relationship with Him. It is impossible to love others without feeling loved yourself. So how much like a Savior can you treat God? He wants to be treated like a Savior who can save you from yourself. No matter how hard we try we can never truly change ourselves to be come patient, humble or anything else. We often think of Him like a vending machine, trying to just get stuff out of Him. God wants us to understand that He loves us and that you can entrust your life and future to Him. It is the answer to undefineable joy. If one can feel so loved and so full that you will be okay. Just like in dating relationships when everything is wonderful, all is well, the world is good, so it is when we are in a good relationship with our Father. So, I am trying to understand and comprehend the love of God and become confident in His companionship so that I have what it takes for me and for others. Afterall, what the point in serving Him if we don't enjoy Him?