Ministry among the flood victims, Mutarara district, Mozambique.
Saturday March 10, 2007.
Its 4AM and we are barely awake loading the last few relief items into what is already an overloaded Pinzgauer to begin our seven hour journey back to Mozambique to bring hope to some of the thousands who are suffering in the flood zone in Mutarara district. A hired truck loaded with 17.5 metric tons of maize flour has already gone ahead to ensure we will cross the border together later this morning. I’m accompanied by three of our national leaders: Timothy, Ali and Samson, who are squeezed in among the beans, clothing, soap and salt, as well as supplies to sustain us on the journey like clean water and a 100 extra litres of petrol. The rains this week have made the roads more challenging. We take it slow and stop to orienteer our way through each washout before proceeding. The strength and maneuverability of the Pinzgauer get us through difficult patches of flooded road. Likewise, we are carried by the strength of God and His grace sees us through the borders, and to our first destination – a refugee camp we visited the previous week – a place of great despair and suffering.
We pull off the road into the camp and are warmly greeted by the village headman and the other leaders. They are grateful that we have kept our promise to return, and look eagerly to see what we have brought. All are gathered and take refuge from the blazing sun under the shade of a large tree. Our national leaders begin singing praise to God. I start to cry – the situation before me is too overwhelming. Tears of sadness because of the people’s suffering mix with tears of joy because I know that this day everyone will be filled. I hide behind my camera and start taking pictures.
Moments later the truck pulls up … and stops! The despair is quickly lifted from their faces – the songs of worship grow more passionate – hope has come! I watch the village headman as the truck approaches – he looks with disbelief. Can this be true? Is this really happening? Is this food for us? For a moment he looks stunned but then moves in quickly to make a plan for fair distribution. This camp like many others has yet to be assisted. They have been surviving on their own without clean water, food, or plastic paper for their grass huts. Until now they have been overlooked. For weeks they have been hungry, eating grass, roots, bugs and lily bulbs from the crocodile infested flood areas. People are sick with malaria, dysentery, eye infections, skin infections and coughs. I see many babies with puss oozing from their eyes. Children have bloated stomachs and wear rags – many of the young ones have nothing to wear at all.
Ali begins to preach. “We have come in the name of Jesus” – great Alleluia’s are shouted out. “Today we have brought you food but first let us tell you about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who brings you life!” The crowd swells – next Timothy shares the Gospel story and hundreds are led in prayer accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. By now I’ve gathered my composure and continue to teach about the love of the Lord. Over the past weeks these people have witnessed many trucks with relief supplies drive right past them on route to Mutarara where the relief headquarters is located. They have become used to being passed by. I share with them that Jesus knows their pain and He does not pass them by. “The Lord loves you and God wants for you to experience His love today.” I proclaim verses from Romans 8. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship, or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword or floods? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that nothing is able to separate us from the love of God.” People listen intently to the message and are wanting more. I turn to the man to my right and ask, “Would you like the Holy Spirit to touch you right now?” He says yes. I lay my hands on his head and heart and start to pray. I feel the Holy Spirit’s power at work in his life. I ask how he is feeling. He says, “I feel God’s love and peace.” Then I ask the crowd, “Who else would like this?” Hundreds of hands shoot up and our small ministry team goes through the crowd blessing people with prayer. Some evil spirits manifest but are soon silenced and people are delivered. People instinctively open up their hands and receive God’s favor. The mood in the camp is changing – there is hope, peace and joy. Revival has come! Praise be to God!
The 287 families are called one by one to receive food. All is done with order and without any fighting. We had one of the District Commissioner’s representatives witness the distribution as well as volunteers from the Red Cross. As well as 50 kilograms of maize flour which should sustain a family for a month, each family receives a portion of beans, soap, salt and some clothing. The children who are naked receive first. Those children in rags also take priority and receive new clothes. Hours later, and after many thanks, we continue down the road south to Mutarara where 23 of our Iris Mozambique pastors are waiting.
Saturday night:
It is dark when we arrive at Pastor Gastin’s house – we are hungry and Mozambique hospitality is at its best as we are welcomed inside where our meal is ready and on the table. The Iris pastors look really rough – many have no shoes and torn clothes. They are obviously weak and hungry. “Where is their food?” I ask. I am told there isn’t enough for them. My heart is filled with compassion for them. “They need to eat and eat well,” I told Timothy and our host. So the three of us drive to the market and buy vitamin enriched maize flour, fish, oil, sugar, bread and head back to the house. The ladies, with the pastors’ assistance, prepare a nice feast and we are all satisfied.
That evening we hear some of their stories. Many are currently living in one of the refugee camps as they have lost everything. I remind them about the Lord’s love for them and after some teaching we pray for them and call upon the Holy Spirit. These pastors are so burdened – they have almost lost hope. However, Africans are very resilient people and weather the storms of life remarkably well. Westerners wouldn’t last a day in situations where these precious poor live a lifetime. “More of your Holy Spirit Lord – we are desperate for more!” is their cry. Pastors are filled, touched by the Lord’s gracious hand, and the Lord gently loves more of His Kingdom life into them.
After an evening of ministry we all go to sleep on the ground outside the pastor’s house. Some are on mats, some on bare ground. My bug-hut gives little protection from the showers that come and go all night. Morning seems to be slow in coming, but as soon as there is light, we meet again over bread and tea. We share about the 17.5 metric tons of maize flour that is arriving on Monday for the Iris church members spread out across the region (720 families). They are told exactly how much food each is allocated so that they can bring the right number of helpers back with them. It takes us all morning to organize this before they all set off wearing new clothes our pastors at the Bible school in Bangula had donated from the little they themselves had. Our Mozambique brothers know they are loved and not forgotten during this time of disaster.
Sunday afternoon.
We are determined to get into an area east of Mutarara toward the Shire River that was completely devastated by the floods. With the Pinzgauer full of pastors ready to feed with the Gospel of love, we cross the first stream, followed by sandbars and more wetland, into the area called N’Goma. The Pinzgauer is an amazing machine – with low gear 4×4 and front and rear differential lock, we drudge through the marshy roads and paths. We see field after field of destroyed crops, collapsed houses, and several refugee camps with grass huts close together on isolated pieces of high ground. Our pastors in the back are bashed around as we make deep ruts in the muddy road. Mud shoots down the sides of the truck and splashes up on the windshield. After about 10 kms of driving, with heart beating fast, I am soaked in sweat from maneuvering the truck through the challenging conditions. I stop on some dry ground and take inventory of the risks at hand. I turn around to the pastors in the back and say, “You know, if it rains today we aren’t getting out.” Feeling a bit defeated because of my lack of faith to move forward, I decide that we should turn back. “The people up the road need the Good News but we’ll have to wait until the place dries up some more.” My declaration relieved the passengers who had nervously persevered through the journey thus far. We go back a few kilometers to a camp we had passed earlier. We are immediately ushered to the shade of a huge mango tree and before we know it we are singing songs of praise with the 1,500 people in the camp. We are told by the Traditional Authority (Chief of village chiefs) that we are the first people they have had visit since the beginning of February. They are so welcoming. The people are so hungry. They tell us that already one person has died from hunger. As we begin singing, there is confusion as to who we are singing to. Some break out into traditional songs and dances. Our Mozambique pastors step in and declare that we have come to worship Jesus together. The mood changes, and soon everyone has joined in praise songs to the Lord lead by our pastors.
With Timothy translating my words into Chisena language, I speak the Good News about how Jesus invites all who are weary to come to Him. Jesus said, “my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Men, women, and children sit quietly listening – so intrigued by the message of hope we have come to declare. All eyes are glued on us and every ear open. When I finish I turn to the elderly woman who is sitting on the damp ground beside me and ask if she would like to receive a touch from God by the power of the Holy Spirit. She says yes. I begin to pray. A beautiful peace comes upon her face. She becomes relaxed and opens up her hands – lifting them up towards the sky. As the crowd watches and listens, I ask the woman to explain what she is feeling. She says that she is feeling the love of Jesus upon her. Then, like before, I ask the crowd who would like prayer – almost every hand is raised. In their suffering and despair, they are desperate for a touch from God. Our team of Malawi and Mozambique pastors lay hands on the people and we continue praying for all who will receive. The Lord is gracious to them. Many testify to having the same sense of love and peace. Others are set free from demons. Some are healed of sickness. Even men humbly accept prayer and are touched by God. Afterwards the Traditional Authority comes to take my hand – he doesn’t want to let go – he wants more of the Lord for himself and his people. He begs us to return again and bring more Good News. He continues to share how desperate they are for help. He is so thankful that the Lord brought us to them that day.
Monday, March 12, 2007.
On Monday morning in Mutarara we meet with the District Commissioner (the highest government official in the region) who thanks us for the assistance we have given to his district. He pleads with us to do as much as we can. As a Christian, he especially thanks us for bringing the food to the refugees in love. He says he will open up his schedule and worship with us at church next Sunday if we are back. We are invited to pray for him in his office, asking God to give him strength, and wisdom, and also that the food would be multiplied to reach all who are hungry.
Our pastors and hundreds who accompanied them from the camps were waiting for us back at the pastor’s house. The truck load of maize flour arrives ahead of schedule and is quickly offloaded with the help of many hands (actually heads). We spend some time with our pastors teaching them and praying for more of God’s supernatural strength at this critical time. We challenge them to lay down their lives and surrender to God so that they will be pastors who love their people like Jesus Christ loves us. Afterward, Timothy speaks to the crowd of people from the camps who accompany each pastor. All responded to the Good News accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. Revival in Mutarara has come!
In short order, all the food is distributed as allocated, without any arguing or fighting. Women and men from the village had been cooking all morning – there is food for all – they eat beans and nsima before beginning their journey back to their villages or refugee camps.
We leave Mutarara in good time in order to reach the border before closing at sunset. We make sure we have time to stop in at the camp where we distributed food on Saturday. We buy up all the beans in Mutarara we can find, which amounts to 324 kgs, and divide them among the families giving them at least one more meal each. When we arrive back at the refugee camp we are overwhelmed by the joy and thanks from the people. They shout, “Look my clothes are clean, my stomach is full. Look at me, my body is strong; you people have really helped us; we praise your God for such love.” They ask us to come back soon and spend a day and night with them praising the Lord. They want to know more of this love that comes from Jesus.
We arrive back to Bangula late Monday night very tired and dirty. We are praying for the Lord to show us what to do next. There is an urgency to get food to those suffering right now. This is the critical hour – two weeks from now is too late. People are suffering from hunger now and so we can’t stay idle. We must follow the Lord’s lead and press forward bringing love to some of the poorest on the planet. So, pray with us about how to move forward. Pray for an abundance of food and the wisdom to know how to reach those most desperate. Pray for workers to go into these camps under such desperate conditions and bring the love of Jesus to those who will receive. Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
