Salvador, August 8, 2012
This is a small letter to my sisters and brothers who
don’t speak Portuguese and want to know about my trip to Mozambique-Africa. It
was there July 19th through August 2nd. First of all I would like to say that
these days changed me a lot, among the many things I saw the most important
thing: The realization of how much God loves these people, and the way He
revealed Himself to me. Each day was very different from the other; God was
always surprising me and the team. Relying on God is always the best!
On July 19th we left from Sao Paulo to Johannesburg on
an 8 hour and 20 min flight (more or less), from there we went to Maputo where
we waited for four hours before flying to Quelimane. All connections were
smooth, even though everybody was pretty tired we got to our destination safe
and sound.
A brief report:
Day 1 - Saturday July 21,
2012
Matabichamos (had breakfast) At Débora and Cléber’s
home and that morning we went by taxi (bicycle) to the place where we were going
to stay for one day with youth group in Quelimane. On the way to the camp I
felt I was actually in Africa, going by bike allowed us to see and feel the city, watching
people, houses, everything.
When we got there the place was full of young boys and
girls waiting for us Brazilians, it was a time of great excitement to learn all
the names and greet everybody, learn songs with the girls, and learn the dance
steps. This was a very good first contact. It was wonderful to spend the day
with those kids - watching them, singing with them. To hear them sing was a
privilege (like a choir). That day I thought of the day when finally Jesus will
come and great crowds of all nations will be worshiping one God. Hallelujah! It
was also a time to try new things such as eating with our hands, sleeping on
hard ground, no bathing, waking up at 4:30 am with a camp fire and beautiful
songs, etc.
Day 2 - Sunday July 22, 2012
We were together for worship at Life Church with six congregations in one place, Tony preached that
day. The Spirit of God moved in a powerful way and many people were impacted, It
felt like my family. God has something wonderful to do in Quelimane through the
church there.
The worship this day also impacted me a lot, songs in
Portuguese, English, dialects and everything with lots of dances to God. I was
very happy to be part in that moment and share that joy.
In the afternoon we had lunch together and all the
young boys met with Tony and girls with Neilza, they taught about family and
the word began to move them. With the girls I saw that many hopes began to
renew.
Day 3 - Monday 23 July 2012
Early in the morning, we took a boat and a minivan and
headed for the island of Inhanssunge. There we had breakfast at pastor Máquina’s
house with his family and there we prayed for his daughter, Lasmin, who had
malaria. She was healed at that very morning and could come with us to the
conference in Inhaminga.
That morning was dedicated to children. It was wonderful
to hear about the good things that God is doing on that island through Pastor Máquina’s
family.
We had the experience of “maticar” part of a house (“maticar”
means building a house with mud) it’s very common in that island and in many
parts of Quelimane we saw mud huts with a thatched roof. The man who we helped was
thankful for our help.
In the afternoon we went out right after lunch, on our
way to the minivan I felt God's care for us there. God gave a tree for us to
wait, a good wind and out of nowhere a man came with many chairs for us to sit
down! That man had a very ill foot and we had the chance to speak of God's love
and pray for him. It was the right time for our transportation to arrive. God
is perfect and gives exactly what we need neither more nor less! I saw God's
care with us and with that man.
Day 4 - Tuesday July 24,
2012
In the morning in Quelimane we had a really good time.
Evangelism with the children, it was a spontaneous time to talk about our
friend Jesus, and we were able to touch and bless the children.
In the afternoon we had lunch together with Pastor Pio
and family. It was an afternoon of great expression of God's love, of being a
church and what is to be family.
Day 5 - Wednesday July 25,
2012
We left at 5:30am towards Inhaminga where we met with
young people from various provinces to a conference that had as main theme the
Kingdom of God and His government, the culture of the kingdom and no other,
because everything changes when the government of God is established. We
arrived at 10:30 am in Inhaminga.
God is rising up a generation like John the Baptist, a generation that makes God known instead itself
(John 1:15 - 17).
Day 6 - Thursday July 26,
2012
The word we heard that morning was about the kingdom
of God as a place where the government is Jesus the King and it is also a place
of voluntary obedience to the Father. At the meeting in smaller groups there
was a really good time listening to each other and making a commitment that
each of us would let go and change our attitudes because of Jesus. I think it
was a time of repentance and change.
Day 7 - Friday July 27, 2012
The word we heard that morning was about the calling
that we have in the Kingdom to be children of God, to witness and to make
disciples. It was a wonderful time to think about this and to see those Mozambicans
who had so many pains in the life opening their hearts and being broken.
In the afternoon we (Brazilians only) went to the
villages to preach the gospel, the people there speak only Sena (dialect). I
began to understand some of the things I’d heard before. Things like men having
more than one wife, the woman feeling worthless and hopeless, and the lack of
many things for survival, etc.
Day 8 - Saturday July 28,
2012
The word we heard that morning was about the family as
an expression of the Kingdom of God. This word really impacted Mozambicans life.
We later saw this in smaller groups as we listened to their testimonies. The
principles of the Kingdom began to impact their lives in a very powerful way!
Day 9 - Sunday July 29, 2012
This day we visitied congregations and preached house
to house in small groups, this time mixed with Mozambicans. My group went to a
small congregation that meets outdoors, they have many children and elderly
people. That group had recently separated from his previous Pastor because he
had problems with alcohol.
We spent the morning dancing with sisters and
brothers, sharing the Word with the adults, hearing testimonies, and speaking
about the love of Jesus with children. In the afternoon we had lunch and went
from house to house. It was quite impacting to me how these women are devalued
because of their own culture, they would not even pray to receive Jesus because
their husbands were not at home at the time.
Day 10 - Monday July 30,
2012
The word we heard that morning was about the church as
a manifestation of God's kingdom on earth. We were very impacted by the word
that the church is the Embassy of God on earth. It was a good time as we learned
together about being a family, bonds of affection, care of the father, son and
brother and the importance of the various parts of the body of Christ.
Day 11 - Tuesday July 31,
2012
On the last day in Inhaminga the Brazilians prepared a
special breakfest. It was a very good time to share as a family together. Three
people were baptized and had the Lord’s Supper together. It was time to seal a
covenant with God, with each other and also the time to say goodbye. We left
that day to Quelimane.
Returning to Brazil we spent a night in Maputo. From
Johannesburg to Brazil our flight lasted 10 hours.
I feels like God had given me new eyes to look at
people after the time I spent in Mozambique, I also feel like someone "had
entered the house and moved all the furniture around." This house is me
and this person is God. Thank you all for your prayers.
Love,
Isabelle
S. Gomes.
