True Community

Meet the children of Hope House.

These precious children have been brought together by Les and Mark Harper to create a "family" where there was none ~a community gathered in the name and love of Jesus Christ.

This is a "real"community- everyone there knows they need each other and Christ to survive. There is nothing false or superficial in the hearts of these kids who have been snatched from the jaws of the fouler.

This is a "deep community- when one of them is sick, they lay hands on that one and pray for healing. There is no "plan B". Jesus is all they have and they are grateful for his love and mercy. They are expectant that he will supply what they need when they need it.

This is a "whole" community. They have everything in common. They are a family in the deepest meaning of the word.

Last year, we built a training center on the land where Joy House is to be built as an extension of Hope House. Our team will return this June to complete the building of Joy House and help the older boys move into their new home. Here they will continue to be discipled as Christ followers and trained in practical life skills.

The real training occurs, however, in the reverse. Our team will be trained by these orphans in building and being community. We learn so much from our Mozambican "teachers". They are an inspiration! Please pray for us as we minister to them and they minister to us!

These Things You Should Teach

Titus 2: 11-15

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

¹⁵ These, then, are the things you should teach.

In 2009, Crossroads sent a team of teachers to Mozambique to train teachers. Since then we have sent teams to drill and repair wells, to explore possible partnership with a rural hospital, to research small business development and create a business training, and last year as a group of Crossroaders built a training center for the Hope House orphanage, a team of teachers returned to train not only community teachers, but a group of government teachers as well. Every trip has focused on evangelism and sharing the gospel, but it has been deep in my heart that Crossroads is also supposed to develop leaders in Mozambique who will plant churches and disciple leaders and Christ followers. Clearly God has been preparing the way for the people of Mozambique and the people of Crossroads to partner for the full expression of his purposes there.

The time is near. Hearts have been prepared.

God is setting in motion all that is needed for this phase of the work in Mozambique to begin.

In June 2012, a Crossroads team will once again travel to Mozambique to be the hands and feet of Jesus. One group will provide a business training in Xai-Xai while the rest of the team will work at Hope House to provide a Community Bible School for the village where the orphanage is located and provide skill and craft training for the kids of Hope House.

On this trip, a small group of Crossroaders will travel to a distant village to join with a group of Mozambicans to share the gospel with neighbors in a nearby village which has no access by road. So, we will walk. We will carry what we need: food, water, fuel and a generator show the Jesus film. We will share the gospel of Christ and minister in prayer. We will bring the Light of Christ to a place where there was no light and we will plant the seed of Truth in the soil God has prepared.

This Mozambique Monday morning, I am praying for the people of Mozambique that the Light of Christ will overcome the darkness. The people who hear the Word of God will be filled with the Holy Spirit and released from fear and superstition. The Light of Truth will spread throughout the land and leaders will be called by God and guided by His Spirit to disciple those around them so that they will be set free to worship, honor and glorify the one true God. Praise be to God for the work he is doing not only in Mozambique, but throughout the world.

A Thorn in My Side

My instinct in life is to do everything in my power to avoid situations that make me feel weak and helpless, yet here I am facing one of the most difficult tasks I have ever faced. Our team is planning a teacher training for July in Mozambique. In March, I traveled to Mozambique where I visited four classrooms and observed the teaching methods so that we might be able to write a practical curriculum that will be truly valuable to the teachers there. Yet, I still feel completely at a loss as to how we should proceed. I shared with a friend recently that it feels a lot like walking on water! I know Jesus has called Crossroads to make a difference in Mozambique and this is the current task before us, but it's hard to keep my eyes off the waves raging about my ankles!

What seems impossible in the natural realm, becomes possible when I allow God to take the simple things I bring to him and let him make something out of them.This training stretches me so far beyond my own ability that it has to be God's hand that moves and not my own.

He knows the needs of each teacher coming to the training, and the gifts and talents of each person on the curriculum team. He is the master weaver~he will weave a beautiful tapestry with the simple threads we bring to him, if only we let him.

Today, I was brought once again to that Scripture where Paul refers to the "thorn in his flesh" (2 Corinthians: 7-10)

When Paul pleaded with the Lord to take the thorn from him, the Lord responded, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness".

Ignite

"Ignite my heart/ Let your fire burn in me

Ignite my heart/and take all of me."

These words stir my heart. As I burn with passion for God however, I've noticed scorched earth around me. I sense a distance from people who find my passion too intense; my dear husband has no eyelashes or eyebrows!

Sometimes the issue is not burning with passion for God, but learning to burn in a way that does not consume. In Exodus 3, God speaks to Moses by drawing him to a bush that Moses saw burning but not being consumed.

That is how I want to burn for God ~To burn brightly, in a way that draws people close so that God can speak to them; but not so intensely that I burn up whatever or whoever gets close to me.

Sometimes my challenge is to stay engaged in the things of this world-you know, things like cooking dinner, doing laundry, hanging out with friends family! I do these things ~the chores get done, but my energy, my enthusiasm is elsewhere. Even hanging out with family or friends is a different kind of effort these days.

I prefer getting stuff done on the Mozambique work that is before me. I have bowed before God more than once to offer this up to him-willing to give up the work for Mozambique if I am not supposed to do it. I am so undisciplined about spending too much time focused on the work and not enough time focused on the important relationships in my life.

Each time I come to this place, I sense that God is telling me I can continue to work, but I must learn to discipline myself to stay engaged with my world around me. What good am I if I simply burn for him and am not winsome- not drawing people toward the love of God? This is such a challenge for me. There is nothing I long for more than to live gracefully as I serve God; instead, I feel awkward and clumsy-needing to apologize for my behavior more often than I like. It is my prayer that God will give me the grace I desire and my struggle will become a story that will draw others closer to Him.

Back to Bethel!

Matthew 28:19 tells us to go into the world and make disciples, and that is the Scripture that drives the vision of the work in Mozambique that calls me back to Bethel once again. This lovely little place is where my missionary journey began; where God touched my heart and changed it in ways that altered the focus of my vision in remarkable ways. Nothing looks the same.

Last night, I came home after Portuguese class and, as I walked to the house from the garage, I happened to look up. The stars glittered in the sky as only they can on a crisp fall night, and I was taken back in my memory to the stars of the southern hemisphere as I stood still in Bethel for as long as possible to drink in the night sky and the unfamiliar constellations. It' s the ordinary things that I see differently today. While in Mozambique, I noticed that we snapped pictures of flowers, clouds, beaches, boats, birds, each other~ ordinary things that didn't seem ordinary because we were in Africa. When I came home, I began to look at the beauty of the ordinary things around me as if I had a new sense of sight, and that has not faded in two years. I confess, I was a bit that way before I traveled to Mozambique, but something has shifted in me and I experience a heightened sense of beauty in the ordinary.

Perhaps that is what it means to have the "eyes of God". Perhaps when we can look at ordinary things and see extraordinary beauty and value, we are seeing the world as God sees it. I once heard it said that saints were just ordinary people used by God in extraordinary ways~I believe that is true. If we truly allow God to use us in any way he chooses, we will live extraordinary lives, to be sure.

Coming and Going

Coming and going into and out of Mozambique is not always simple. This trip, it was complicated and we found ourselves delayed for two days in Johannesburg. We had prepared to be open to whatever God wanted to do with us on the journey, but it took a little while to get that maybe he had a "plan" for us in South Africa before we ever got to Mozambique.

Her name was Angela~ and she responded to prayer like a potted plant that longed for a drink. She was our cook the first night at the guest house in Johannesburg and we connected with her in prayer the second night. She asked for strength to live the kind of life God would want her to live. She was orphaned and lonely. I believe with all my heart that she was the one of the reasons were were there.

On Wednesday, we finally arrived in Mozambique. We drove through Inhambane to get some metacais (Mozambican money) and while Jill and I waited in the van for the money transaction to take place, two young guys asked us to buy some coconut bread. These are delicious little rolls sold on the streets by kids for about a dollar. Pastor Jonathan bought a bag for the team then went with the others to handle the money transaction. The driver took the van to put some air in the tires then returned to the area where we had dropped off the rest of the team. As we waited, these two boys showed up again. At first we dismissed them~ we had already bought their bread; but eventually we yielded to their winning smiles and started to try to talk with them. In halting Portuguese, I asked their names and they responded: Sergio and Joao. Sergio, it turns out, knew a little English~ whew, that made communicating much easier. I know just enough Portuguese to get myself into trouble. As we "talked", Sergio pointed to the word "Methodista" on the van and said he was a Methodist. I asked him to tell me what he knew about Jesus. At first he seemed stumped, then as I started to tell the story, he began to talk about the third day~ His face lit up and his eyes were alive with excitement. He knew all about the resurrection and was very impressed that Jesus rose from the dead. So, by the way, am I. ( Sergio is the one in red and Joao is in blue.)

Out of nowhere, Sergio pointed out that his friend Joao had no shoes. Caught completely off guard, I looked down and saw that indeed, Sergio had no shoes and it looked like he had never had any. Immediately, we started asking where shoes could be found in Inhambane. The language barrier slowed us down tremendously, but God had his plans.

Pastor Karen came along with the rest of the team right about this time. She saw what was happening and dug her suitcase out of the van, out from under all the other suitcases, right there on the street. She took out a pair of shoes (I believe she had just bought them in Johannesburg) and put them on Joao's feet. He hugged her with gratitude and we all knew that once again, God had his plan. This is only the beginning of our "comings and goings" in Mozambique!

Moments to remember

Summer is such an exquisite time of the year. The annual trek to the lake house with long-time friends was lovely, as always. There is nothing more relaxing to me than floating on a raft watching the clouds shift in shape or staring into the campfire enjoying the silence of the evening broken only by the croak of a frog or the gentle splash of a fish~and, of course, conversation.

But moments such as these must end and we are called back to life as we know it.

The drive back into the city was peaceful enough. Not much happening on the highway at 6:30 a.m.

Serving breakfast to the hungry folks at East Liberty Crossroads campus followed by worship was a good way to re-enter the real world. The day was filled with busyness and meetings and even some frustration, but deep in the back of my mind, I was still floating on the raft. I can retreat anytime I want by simply revisiting that experience~

As I prepare to return to Mozambique this fall, there are memories I revisit to remind me why I want to return. Little Lucas, who was so sick then after prayer was playing and healthy, is a memory I revisit often. It reminds me that God wants to heal his people and he wants to use us to accomplish that purpose! How amazing to be a part of such a moment.

This next trip is stretching me, stretching me beyond my comfort zone to be sure. We call ourselves the "Healing Hands" team, and it is our intention to allow God to use us any way he chooses as we share the good news of Christ and pray for healing for the people we meet while we are there.

In Scripture, healing always seems to go beyond the physical realm to the spiritual. In 2Chronicles 30, Hezekiah prayed for the people who came to the Passover unprepared~ unclean. They had strayed so far from the ways of God, they had forgotten the ceremonial cleansing required by God, and Hezekiah asked God to pardon everyone who "set their heart on seeking God". Then he says, ..."and he healed them". God heals us where and when we truly need healing. When we ask for physical healing for someone, we often overlook the spiritual condition of that person. God does not overlook the spiritual needs; as a matter of fact, he goes right to the heart of the person and heals them from the inside out.

It is my humble prayer that God will have his way this September with the Healing Hands and use us to bring healing, physical and spiritual, to the people we meet in Mozambique.

Tears of compassion

Often when I speak with folks about the work in Mozambique, someone will respond with overwhelm and suggest that we can't really make a difference in a place with such extreme poverty and extensive needs. Recently, I responded to one of those comments that what he was calling a "drop in the bucket" was actually a more like a tear in the ocean ~ A tear of compassion for those who have no justice in the world. When we shed that tear, God takes it and multiplies what we offer beyond our imagination. Life in the Kingdom of God is always unpredictable. From our perspective, the tear would be absorbed, diluted~ Instead of being diluted, our compassion spreads like yeast in dough and is used by God to ripple out through the sea of humanity. We rarely see what God does with our tears, but God is working out His purposes in the world and he invites us to be a part of His plan. No matter how small your offering or how ineffective your acts of love and compassion may seem~remember that in the Kingdom of God it will be multiplied and used by the mighty creator of the universe to bring mercy and grace to those in need.

“Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
Mark 16:3 NIV

The women, who followed Jesus to Jerusalem, to Calvary, and finally to the tomb were totally devoted to him. Motivated by gratitude and love, they bought the necessary spices to anoint his body and waited for the Sabbath to be over. Very early, just after sunrise, as they were on their way to the tomb, they wondered aloud how they would accomplish their mission. They had seen the Roman soldiers secure the tomb with a large stone and had no idea how they were going to roll the stone away. And yet they went.
When they arrived, the stone had been rolled away and an angel told them to “go”~ Go and tell the disciples, "He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you”. Redirected by God, they had a new mission!
So it is with our missions in life~ whether in a foreign land or in our neighborhood~ we gather what we need, we set out, and we wonder how we will "roll the stone away". There are always obstacles that seem too big, too overwhelming for us to accomplish what we believe God is calling us to do. In human terms, it is not possible, but God has a plan that we can’t even imagine.
Think back to the women who came to anoint the body of Jesus~ it wasn't even there. But God had a different mission for them; their mission was to “go and tell”. That is always our mission. No matter what else we are supposed to be doing in this life, we have the great commission to “go and tell”~ tell others that Jesus is risen and will meet us in our deepest need.

Heart for Mozambique

Today they took pictures of my heart.
I can't wait to see them because I know there is nothing wrong with my heart~ it is just changing shape. My guess is that it will look a lot like Mozambique. Whenever he talks about the country to new teams preparing to go on a mission trip there, Pastor Jonathan refers to its shape as "heart like". In an elongated sort of way, Mozambique is shaped like a heart. More importantly, it is shaping our hearts to look more like God intends: caring for others and reaching out with the Gospel of Christ as we become the hands and feet of our Lord among the people who long for the good news of a gracious, forgiving, healing Savior. The Living Water trip is preparing for departure on April 10th. Another trip is forming as a medical trip in August. It is my prayer that God will guide our "missionaries" as we lean into Him for wisdom and discernment regarding His work there and how He wants to use those of us who long only to serve Him from the center of His Will.

A Different Kind of Call

There are all kinds of "calls" in this life. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the "call of the wild". This week has been a challenging week of self-examination and discernment. Whenever I look at the photos of our time in Mozambique, I feel an incredible tug to return. Knowing if that tug is a "call" is difficult. I want to serve God wherever I am, and I am fine with staying home and serving Him right here in the most ordinary of ways. But, what do I do with this "tug" in my heart?
I was reading Isaiah today and came upon a Scripture that spoke to my desire to serve "to the ends of the earth". In Isaiah 49:6b it says, "I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth." Every time I see or hear that phrase "to the ends of the earth", my heart swells for Mozambique.
But is that "swelling" a call of God? Not necessarily~ That's where the discernment and self-examination come in. What are my motivations? Is there anything in me that is wanting to serve in Mozambique that is selfish or part of a personal agenda?
In reality, it would be much easier to stay home, to be sure. I would have to raise funds again, work on writing content, and keep a bunch of commitments I already have in place~ not to mention attending to my family. So why am I even thinking about going? It's this "tug". . . If God does call me to go, He will provide for all of it. My response for now is to simply be willing to go and willing to stay home. I want to do whatever God calls me to do, when He calls me to do it. For now, I will pray and seek His direction.

Living Water

Water in Mozambique is a precious commodity.
Recently, they have had a serious drought and people are dying of thirst! Crops are turning to dust. It rained last week for a bit and the people rejoiced! Continue to pray for enough rain.

While we were there this July, Titus showed us the pump that needs repaired or replaced in order for him and his men to continue to drill wells. Our Clean Water Team from Crossroads UMC is preparing to go in April to facilitate some wells being drilled and hopefully equipping the Mozambicans to continue to be able to drill wells on their own. Like anything else in the world, it will take money, planning, and technical abilities to accomplish this.
But we are seeking to provide so much more than manpower and economic power for the provision of water there. We are seeking to provide the people of Mozambique with water that will quench their thirst forever ~ the Living Water. How wonderful it is that we do not have to have a pump; we do not have to drill a well; we do not have to wait for rain to drink this Living Water. So as we provide materially for the people of Mozambique, let's not forget for a moment that our mission is provide spiritually for them as well. Let's pray that as the wells of the land gush forth with water for their bodies, that the Living Water will flow abundantly into their spirits. Amen.

The Power of Prayer

This is Lucas. During our first two days of teacher training, he slept. At first, I thought he was just a good baby but Tuesday morning, I saw that his eyes were crusted shut and his nose plugged. He clearly was not well.
My heart ached for him. On Tuesday, he was still listless, and I asked a woman who was a nurse from a different team if she had seen him. She had and said his mother was giving him some medicine and that lots of people in his village were sick; even his mom didn't look like she felt well.

"Well, it's good he's getting medicine. Surely, he will get better"....
But little Lucas kept tugging at my heart. During one of the breaks, I found Pastor Jonathan and asked him if he would ask Lucas' mother, Julia, if I could pray for him. He did ask and I prayed.
The next day, I arrived in the classroom to this sight:
Lucas was up and around, bright eyed and ready to play! He looked like a different child.
I am sorry to say I was surprised~
Since I left Mozambique, I have been bothered by my surprise that Lucas got better after being prayed for. What am I praying for if I don't believe God will do the work? So, I have since been praying "expectantly"~trusting God to heal those He brings into my life for prayer. I continue to pray for Lucas and his mother. I thank God for the power of prayer!
Amen.

Passion

While in Mozambique, I discovered a "passion" for sewing. It was not my passion, but the passion of those around me. Darlene brought her love for sewing to the women (and men) we met there. Some already may have had the desire or ability to sew before we arrived with our two new machines, bolts of cloth, sewing kits, and thread; but if they didn't have it before we arrived, they certainly had it afterward. The women were eager learners and worked through breaks and into the evening, racing against time because the electricity went out at 9:30 each night when the generator shut off.
Gito was Darlene's translator. What a great guy he was. He worked hard through the teaching sessions to assist Darlene in teaching the women in her group the things they needed to know to master the sewing projects before them. But Gito wanted to sew himself! He wanted to make himself a pair of pants. And so, it began~whenever he was not needed to translate, he would work on his pants. In the evenings, before the generator shut off, he could be found with several others who could not let a moment of electricity go to waste, sewing in the classroom.
Passion is contagious. The energy of the teachers in both classrooms (the sewing and the teacher training) was inspiring. The Mozambicans and the Crossroaders were all working hard; all of us were learning all that we could in the short time we had together. All too soon, we would have to leave them and they would have to return to their villages where there was no generator, no sewing machines, no concrete classroom with paper and markers and supplies.
But, in a very short time much was accomplished. In the classroom for teachers, the results were somewhat less tangible. Time will reveal the impact of the training. They learned ways they could group their students and use their community resources to increase the effectiveness of their teaching, and much more. But the sewing class was another matter. At the end of three days, they were wearing the clothes they had made. Be sure to check out Gito in his brand new green pants!
Joy is clearly the companion of passion. There was a lot of joy in Beth-El that last day as we all headed out~back to our homes with all we had learned.
We will be back, my friends to learn more from you and to share what we have with you because we have a passion for Christ and He has a passion for you!

Kanimambo Xikwembo Xamatemba

The title is translated "Thank you, Powerful God". While in Mozambique, we sang this sweet song together as a team often as we ended our time together in prayer each day. The tune runs through my mind frequently and especially in times when I am experiencing the amazing presence of God in nature. Today I snapped this photo of one of my Morning Glories reaching for the sun. It seems as fall approaches, the flowers bloom with an intensity reserved for their final fling before the crisp frost that ends their brief tenure here on earth. Perhaps we should all bloom as if tomorrow is the frost~with everything we've got for as long as we last. Thank you, powerful God for today!

Listen to their eyes

Last night I shared my photos (DVD style with African music in the background, thanks to Michael, my son) with my friends who are teaching in the area. When it was over, someone asked "What can we do?"
That is the question for all of us to ask: What can we do?
Crossroads UMC is planning another trip in the near future. We will be drilling wells and researching ways to supply clean water to the communities. You can support that endeavor prayerfully or financially; however you might be led. There is much to be done, to be sure.
Be wary of the tendency to feel overwhelmed (I am coming from experience here). Do not feel guilty that you were born into such abundance~simply share the abundance. Feeling guilty does not help. It will immobilize you. We are called as Christ followers to act, to "do" something when we recognize social injustice and poverty. If you want to do something to make a difference in Mozambique, let me know. I'll get you connected with someone who can direct your desire act on your feelings.
In contrast to this photo, I also want to share this one:
There is a lot in their eyes, too. I see laughter and joy living in the midst of despair. It is difficult for us to comprehend, but let it sink into your heart. Don't be afraid to respond to what you feel. That is the only way you will ever begin to make a real difference in this world.
Look around you in your own community. Look down the street where you live. Let what you see tug at your heart and respond. That is what you can do. Thanks for listening!

Transitions

This lovely little flower seemed so familiar~The sun was blazing through the Southern Hemisphere where everything is different; yet here was this reminder that we are not as far from home as we might think. The corn plants, the pigs, the raised beds of the Methodist farm property where the well-drilling machinery resides were all part of our transition toward home. There was still a long way to go on our journey: through Maputo, through the border into South Africa, through Kruger Park, through Johannesburg, through the air, through Charles de Gaulle airport during the height of a security alert, through regular customs, through agricultural customs ~ through it all we were rising like divers from the deep, trying not to rise too fast, trying not to forget what we saw and felt, trying to breathe in all we were experiencing, trying to reconcile the contrast between one border and the other. Suddenly, we were bouncing into Pittsburgh, rushing into familiar time zones, blinking, crying, laughing ~ happy to be home~longing to hold on to something so fleeting, so beyond our grasp.
Experience changes us~profound experiences change us profoundly.

Transitions

Some things seem to be the same all over the world. As we l

Transitions

Some things seem to be the same all over the world.

Dawn in Kruger/as close as I got to photographing the night sky.