I usually keep our blog light and full of bird pictures since our newsletter tells more about the ministry side of things that we do here in Mozambique, but I wanted to do something a little different today.
The other day I was praying to God to help me reconcile gratitude and suffering. I was thanking Him for my health, our home, and that we have plenty of food, while at the same time recognizing that there are so many chronically ill, hungry, and homeless. Shortly after, our friend and neighbor, Victor with YWAM, called to ask if I wanted to go with him to the food distribution they do weekly for some of the refugees coming from Cabo Delgado. A bit of God’s providence, I think.
If you are unfamiliar with the situation, over 500,000 people have been displaced from the region to the north of where we live, a predominately Muslim area, due to violence in the area. Villages have been burned, people killed, and there is frequent conflict between armed forces and insurgents. People have left their villages with little to nothing and have moved (or been driven out) to other cities and towns to escape the violence. Some of the IDPs (internally displaced persons) have come to Nampula (where we live), and our YWAM neighbors have had a tremendous outreach to help. Through their involvement in local churches in the community, they have been able to identify and locate refugees who need help. Using funds that have been donated to them, they purchase and package some basic food items like beans and rice along with soap and oil to give to the families. Several of the teens that I teach martial arts to spend each Wednesday afternoon packaging the food.
When I arrived at YWAM’s community center, the food bags had already been placed in a pile and the people were gathered around. After a short time of prayer and a gospel message in their local language (a different language than what is spoken here), names were read from the list and people came to get their bag and bar of soap. They brought their own water bottles to collect the cooking oil. Each week the same families come (which helps ensure that actual refugees are being helped) and there is a chance to build relationships. They have come to a new city, leaving what they know behind, and here is a chance to show that they are cared for and loved. They are not just a number in the crowd. Unfortunately more people come than they have food for. If someone doesn’t show, they will give what is left to the newcomers. YWAM will continue to do this for as long as they have the funds, as it allows the people to get by while they get reestablished in a new place and new refugees will continue to arrive.
 |
| Dispensing cooking oil |
 |
| Receiving a bar of soap |
Afterwards, as we were driving home, we gave a ride to a woman and several kids who received a food bag. Victor explained to me that her husband had been killed by the insurgents. Contrast that with what awaited me at home. I went into my home to start preparing for friends coming over that evening for a game night. We would sit in the AC cooled room, eat homemade pizza, and enjoy each other’s company in peace and security.
We know that just as Christ suffered, we too should expect suffering. We know God is our comforter. We know that we should not weary of doing good and that God uses us to be His hands and feet. I pray that through these traumatic events that these people are suffering, that this expression of God’s love for them will bring them to an encounter with Jesus.
If you want to donate to help with this ministry, you can go to https://giving.ywammontana.org/support and under “Designated For” select YWAM Nampula Training Center. Your donation will help the food distributions to continue.
At this same community center, they are planning to build a pre-school, however the property has quite a slope. Now that it is the beginning of our rainy season and the ground is a little softer, they decided to do some earthwork to level out the area where they will be building. Dave, having former experience doing survey work, was able to go out several days in a row to “shoot” levels so they could know the elevations as the work progressed.
One of the things we love about serving overseas, especially in a technical ministry, is how we clearly see God working through the body of Christ and how we can be His hands and feet in different ways. We have different gifts and abilities, and yet God uniquely allows us to serve Him and each other to make a difference.
Bonus Pic (they can't all be birds!)
 |
| This chameleon made our veranda its home for a couple of days |
