Changing Lives

On Thursday, we went to the hospital and prayed over men that were in the orthopaedic wing. Many of them had had surgeries or injuries that was causing them to be bed ridden. We split up into two teams and was able to pray, talk with, give bananas and pictures some of the girls had drawn on base to them. It was a great time to see them encouraged.

We also went back to the Bocaria on Friday. Cheyenne, Shantae, and I with other visitors walked around the neighborhood to pray for people that were sick. Anna went to the top of the dump to pray. This time we weren't as taken back by their living situations, but instead were able to focus on the needs there and ask for God's Kingdom to come and change the area.

We also spent time on base just hanging out with the kids. We went to Catherine's dorm; she has mainly 4 and 5 year olds which include some of the kids we've been spending a lot of time with. We colored a butterfly and made cross necklaces with them. We also went to the girls dorm again to color with them, paint their nails, and make things with gimp. It's been so much fun we are sad to see it come to an end.

On Saturday night we went to the prayer hut to worship. God really spoke to the girls their. On Sunday, we had a group time where we shared some of our favorite moments over the last few weeks as well as what God has been doing in our lives. I don't want to give away the stories, but I can assure you that God is changing live here.

Today is our last day, so we are spending it just hanging out with the kids and playing. We wake up at 4am tomorrow to travel to Krueger National Park for our Safari. After that we begin our trek home.

Prayer requests:
Safe travels over the next 3 days
No lost luggage
Great health as we travel

We will see you all in a few days and can't wait to share pictures and talk to you about the wonderful things God is doing in Mozambique!!

Street Ministry and Machave

I just want to start of by saying how humbled I am being here. I've heard stories of how some of the children ended up living here and I am so moved to see how the long term missionaries accept and love new children immediately. These children have been abandoned, given up on, and left behind by their families. The missionaries welcome them with open arms and love them so unconditionally. It's wonderful to see how Jesus is working here and how love is just given away so freely.

On Tuesday, Brieonna, Shantae, Cheyenne, Anna, and Keisha went on street ministry. They were split into two groups and went to two different prisons. Keisha, Brieonna, and Shantae went to one and two of the inmates accepted Christ. Anna and Cheyenne went to the other and Cheyenne prayed over the inmates and was sharing what God was putting on her heart. After that, they went to the abandoned house again. Anna taught and the presence of God was strong. Cheyenne again prayed over a girl that lived there and the girl was very happy with the prayer. 

On Wednesday, we went to Laura's Dorm which houses about 27 boys. We had a group of about 9 boys and we made cross necklaces with them and made some fun things with the gimp. It was great to get to get to interact with this group. We also made friendship bracelets with the girls in their dorm. It was less chaotic than the time with the gimp so it went smoothly.  Cheyenne and I went to the Machave Iris Base with a group of other visitors to drop off donations there. It's outside the city of Maputo. This bases houses about 90 children that are 4 or older. They have a building that has a hair and nail salon and a sewing room that teaches the girls skills they can use when they get older. It was a beautiful base with many different tree and flowers. It was very peaceful there. 

We are having a great time as our time dwindles down. Please continue to pray for us.

Prayer requests:

Keisha's eye: It has been swollen and watery for a few days

Brieonna's throat: It has been sore today

Homesickness

Obeidence in the spirt

Bocaria and Shopping

It's been a few days since the last time I was able to post, and in those few days we've done quite a bit. On Friday, all six of us went to a place called the Bocaria. It has a cool name, but it's the city dump. There are many people that live at the bottom of the trash mountain and during the day, they climb to the top or dig through the hill looking for things that can be recycled or used for the different businesses they have. It was Heidi Bakers first church when she came to Mozambique. Five of us went to the top and prayed for many adults and children. Brieonna went with the other half to pray for people in the community surrounding the dump. I prayed for one lady who was searching for fake hair that was thrown out. She was putting it all back together to sell. Others wanted prayer for their families or their businesses. It was heartbreaking to see how they lived and what they did every day. When a new dump truck came in, many would run to it to be the first to go through it. Brieonna got to pray for a man that could not walk. Once the team was finished praying, the man stood up! We then went back to the little church and sang worship songs, introduced ourselves and said something that was encouraging to the kids and adults. We also gave out bread and beans to the children and baby clothes to the little guys. Most of us are going to back this Friday. Iris does many of the things that we've done on a weekly basis so we will get a second chance to do some of the ministries.

On Saturday we got to go into the city to some shopping for our friends and families. I guess you'll have to wait and see if you're one of the lucky ones :)  We also got to eat down by the beach. It was great to eat chicken and french fries. It was a change from the rice and bread we've been eating most days. We also go to put our feet in the Indian Ocean. That was pretty neat!
Saturday evening we attended a weekly youth service. They really know how to dance and get into the spirit of worship. We all worked up a sweat following along with the others that already knew the moves.

Sunday was church and then we just hung out with the children jumping rope and coloring. It was a nice relaxing day.

Today, Anna, Keisha and I helped pack 68 boxes of food and supplies for families in the community. They get a new box every two weeks. It has 2 bags of rice and sugar, 1 bag of beans, washing detergent for dishes and clothes, cooking oil and soap. It was hard work, but I can see how this project blesses those in the area. The girls have been having a blast just hanging out with the kids. Cheyenne has taken a liking to the nursery and has been playing with the little babies, feeding them and putting them down for naps.

We are all growing in our relationship with God in different ways!

Prayer Requests:
I have a small sinus infection that I would like to not have.
Anna's hands - they are improving but aren't 100%
Car sickness when we travel to the different ministries
Continued growth and risk taking
Deeper positive interactions with the kids at the base
To get as much out of this mission as we can in our last week here

Thanks for your prayers and support! We love and miss you!
Crystal