Rural African Pastors
“The African rural pastor – a unique breed of men and women which you will not find anywhere else. To truly understand who these men and women are you have to see them in action, move with them, listen to them, stay with them … and hear them preach and pray. Over many many years I have carefully explored their hearts and watched them closely – trying to understand what makes them so very unique.
Taking of course into consideration that this courageous breed do not get any salary, no thirteenth cheque, no car or house allowance … never mind an i-pad to read your notes from. They travel by foot, bicycle or even dare to get on the local taxi to visit churches. They travel light. No extra baggage (they don’t own any), no extra food – God will provide on the way. But so is their passion for souls and planting new churches that this doesn’t stop them from pursuing souls. I know of a pastor that sold his last chicken so he could afford to travel via local transport to share the Gospel.
This breed is always friendly, always ready to share a word of encouragement and ALWAYS ready to bring a Word of Hope to a lost and wondering soul. They don’t have to prepare long sermons or spend many hours trying to Google another preaching theme…it’s in their heart. They carry the fire of God and it pulls them continually to do ‘what God wants them to do’, a pastor answered me.
I visited one of those churches today. A typical African grass roof church. Where Pastor Mafuta was teaching students the word of God. Many of these students had been attending the Bible Study for the last 5 years continually. I was humbled when they asked me to ‘encourage’ them. I mean…they just encouraged me!! Where do I find the words to explain how wonderful they were in the eyes of God. These men, this breed…is still untouched by ‘prosperity theology’ or ‘liberation theology’ or any other form of ‘theology’ – just a passion and love for Jesus Christ that makes them…’move’ as they like to explain when I ask their secret.
Today this is to all those men and women who are unfazed by ‘theology trends’ or other ‘world trends’. They themselves sometimes live in extreme poverty with very little material possessions – but they are unmoved by this.
They simply just LOVE God, they LOVE man and they LOVE to share to whoever would listen. Pastors, I salute you!
We currently train more than 700 of these pastors alongside the Zambezi river and other areas in central and northern Mozambique. Many of these pastors started their own orphan programs and agri-businesses to feed many in their communities. They are the true heroes of Africa.”
Written by Francois Rauch
Unique Christmas Gifts For Mozambique
Five new desks were purchased for the school in Mozambique this week from donations given towards Unique Christmas Gifts. These five desks are a very welcome addition to others that have been given over the years, but we will need even more desks since enrollment has increased significantly! Higher enrollment has also put more pressure on our feeding program, and we have had to increase our monthly food purchases in order to keep up.
The Mucombeze pastor’s association celebrated the official delivery of a plow this week. These association pastors are enrolled in the mission’s leadership training program and these gifts will greatly increase the production of the food needed to help feed widows and orphans in their churches and communities. It will also enable better nutrition for their own families as well. Two cows were purchased and delivered earlier this month.
Please pray with us as we serve the educational and nutritional needs of children, and as we partner with local pastors to meet people’s needs in the rural area of Mucombeze!
Trained Leaders Impacting Others
Tony and I have had many opportunities to teach pastors and church leaders in Brazil, Russia, Moldova, and now in Mozambique, but we can’t recall a time when we were so impressed with a group of people as we are with this one on the picture. Pastor Antonio Zimbulane (second from left) invited us to teach at his village on a hot January weekend.
The church building was packed with over a hundred people, including church leaders and their wives from a few different congregations in the area. Pastor Antonio values education. He loves to learn from God’s Word. He can’t get enough of it. He was one of the first graduates from SAM Ministries’ Leadership Training program. But that was just the beginning. He does not want to stop learning. And he does not want his congregation, and others that he supervises, to stop learning either.
We were so amazed by the involvement of Pastor Antonio’s church in their community. They minister at the local jail, at the hospital, cleaning streets and public areas, assist orphans and widows, offer literacy programs, and much more. What an inspiration! We came back home physically and mentally tired by the intensive hours of teaching over the weekend, but very encouraged by what we saw and heard. Our hearts were filled with joy from the fellowship with these African brothers and sisters. There is a good reason for us to be here, in the bush of Mozambique. God is at work. His light is shining through His people, His love is touching hearts, His Spirit is transforming individuals and communities. All we need to do is to make ourselves available to God. What a privilege to be a tool in His skilled hands.
(Tony and Leila have been seconded by World Team to work with SAM Ministries in Mozambique.)
Using The New Facility
Intensive Seminar is underway once again, but for the first time ever it is being held at the new Training Center. Although the new building is still undergoing finishing touches, it was deemed close enough to completion for hosting the seminar. The pastors and monitors rejoice not only that they don’t have to sleep in tents this time around, but also that they can attend sessions in a proper classroom rather than outside under the trees.
