Ruvuma Blog

 This is only a start in making a list of some of the most important needs in the Mozambican Church. This will help outreach groups and others in planning. If I talk about church is is wider than the denominations.

I am in contact with the church on the needs and some are from them, but will update as they communicate about it. Any input, especially from missionaries, will also be highly valued.

Wees getuie van hoe die Here die kerk begelei deur die vrees vir geeste, verby afdraaipaaie van mag status en posisie. Hoe lidmate begin besef dat hulle die belangrikste agtente van God se werk in die gemeenskap is. Verder hoe 'n gevoel ontwikkel vir 372 dorpies in die Noorde wat nie weet wat 'n kerk en wie Jesus is nie.

An pastor polished the shoes of an elder with his own polish. Think what it do to an elder that can not read or write with a very low self esteem. Truth of love changes hearts and changes families and communities. Communities that function on God's love truth and serivice spread a wonderfull frangrance into the world, Developement health and all that is good.

This is one of the small but powerfull seeds planted after the vision conference in Chimwavi.

During this last visit to Mozambique I visited a few congregations and participated in one World vision conference with Hope for Africa. In all the visit can be summarized in a focus on what is real and true. The Identity of this truth is love and is demonstrated through acts of service. The consequences of these acts of service is transformation of communities to be more like Christ. Through God's blessings on the communities we visited, we had the privilage to see signs of this happening.

Vir 'n paar dae in Augustus het leiers van ondersteuningspanne van 'n paar bedieninge opgevlieg na Milange Mosambiek. Hulle het met hulle ewekniee in Mosambiek en die Tumbine sinode se leiers gaan gesels oor hulle bediening. Verder het ons iets van die Tumbine sinode se visie en strategie gedeel met hulle. Ek is gevra om die gesamentlike besluite neer te skryf. 

Hierdie dokument begin met ons gesamentlike visie, gee die besluite deur en na die tyd het ek 'n paar opmerkings gemaak oor die belsluite. Die opmerkings is kursief en in groen.

Die uitreikspan het geleentheid gehad om saam 'n kort artikel vir 'n koerant geskryf. Die artikel demonstreer hoe die span God se hand beleef het tydens die uitreik.

This article demonstrates practical results when church life and community life became one. How churches are discovering their calling in the community. The article is written by someone who was involved in a well structured church without influence in their communities.

On our way back from Mocuba at 5:30 the morning we were driving with 4 vehicles. In front were one pick up with 4 people with lights on bright. All the cars drove more or less in the middle of the road because of bicycles on the left. The first pick up saw the big 30 ton road works truck standing in the road on the last moment and swerve around it just in time. The back of the truck was full of mud and therefore there were no reflectors or any warning signs in the road. The driver were sleeping in front in the cab. They immediately warned the other vehicles on the radio system. The second car were a Toyota minibus with 9 people. They were singing and therefore did not hear the warning. The driver did not see anything the first thing that they recognised was the bang. The left side of the vehicle struck the truck at about 90 km an hour. It took away the whole left side of the car and then the car went around the truck and came to a halt in a field of pineapples. We were in the third vehicle and saw the sparks as it happened. When I reached the car the driver were already running and shouting for help. The left side of the minibus were totally taken away. Firstly I discovered the two persons who died, will not go in detail. The driver and four others were already out of the vehicle and we tried to calm them down. The pastor who sat in front left were unconscious with head injuries. Some of the ladies tried to comfort him. The other injured was the wife of the driver, an 65 year old lady Beryl, who complained about pain in the leg and hip. As the message got through to the people in RSA the people start phoning and I tried to coordinate the process. Some Mozambicans stopped and informed the local authorities. We talked to insurers embassy etc. We took the two bodies from the car and covered them. Some Mozambicans came and helped us to take the lady out of the car and lay her down on a mattress. It was a problem to get the pastor out, because his legs got stuck. Some Mozambicans tried to brake open the door, but with no success. Then a crane passed by and stopped, we lifted the car and tried to bend open the front end of the minibus. The minibus hanged in the air before we managed to get the pastor out. At that time the local ambulance arrived. It was an open pick-up. We put a mattress in an loaded the two injured people on it and they went to Quelimane hospital. The embassy helped to contact the doctor there. The pastor's insurance send a medical plane to pick him up and he was flown out the same day. The ladies family organized with their congregation another plane to flow her out the next day. The congregation also send another small aircraft to fly out the rest of the people who was in the minibus accept the driver that was held up by the police. An missionary from Mocuba came to help and helped to transport the members to Quelimane. Another missionary helped to accomodate them. I stayed with the driver at the police. We pitched tents over the road at a Mozambican pub. The police took their time and the process took a lot of time. After a while the process went very slowly with the court. The administrator of the district helped us to take the driver one night to Quelimane. The rest of the time we camped and were helped by local people. At the end the judge were ill and we had to wait more. The accident took place the Tuesday and we were free to go the Monday night. We had to pay bail of R 4000. The same night we drove of and drop the driver in Beira to fly out the next day. Then drove down to South-Africa and were the last of the group to leave Mozambique.
On Monday morning somebody from the group sponsored me an air ticket to fly to Johannesburg to attend the two funerals on Monday and Wednesday and will be back in Cape Town by Thursday evening.
Thanks for your prayers and involvement.
The outreach itself were very good. I do not have time to explain everything, but through service the group demonstrated Christ to Mozambique in such a way that it is part of a transformation process. The Mozambican church spent 4 days at church day and night to pray for the team. I learned a lot and have a lot to share to future outreach groups on how to reach out more effectively.

Taking Hands work closely with Discipling Nations Alliance (DNA) and is greatly influenced by them. This video will give you an idea of what is going on in the heart of Taking Hands. We use the appoach, but adapt it for the circumstances of North-East Mozambique and their supporters.

Wie was daar

Hennie van Deventer (Bybelmedia; Nehemia kursus)

Ryk van Velden (Interkulturele opleiding)

Danie Murray

Bonny Murray

Herman vd Merwe (Voorsitter)

Ab Ijzerman (Wes-Kaap VGK predikant en klasmaat van Danie)

Kobus Odendaal (KGA)

Danie Murray snr (Danie se pa; Kuilsrivier gemeente)

Libby Beck (Deur Skype van Marlow gemeente Engeland)

Opening

Bonny lees gedeeltes wat Tannie Hilda Obermeyer (voorbidder), wat nie meer sulke vergaderings self kan bywoon nie, vir haar deurgegee het. Dit is verse waaroor sy aangespreek voel tov die Handevat bediening.

Is daar 'n behoefte waaraan die bediening 'n verskil kan maak?

Vanuit die opening word dadelik oorgegaan in 'n gesprek oor die bestaan van 'n behoefte. Daar word eenparig vanuit al die deelnemers saamgestem dat die behoefte wel bestaan. Die behoefte is egter nie net in Mosambiek nie maar net so groot onder ons eie geledere as ondersteuners. Ons het mekaar nodig. Die Handevat bediening het dus volgens almal 'n bestaansreg.

Is daar ondersteuning vir die bediening?

Daar word gewys op die tekort van die begroting. Dat die bediening 'n bestaansreg het, beteken nie dat die bediening outomaties suksesvol sal wees en fondse sal hê en nie, daar sal hard daaraan gewerk moet word.

Die deelnemers aan die vergadering is nie mense wat die bediening met fondse sal kan help nie, maar maak baie waardevolle voorstelle in die verband. Die volgende opsies sal ondersoek word:

Baie van die bedieninge wat van Handevat gebruik maak sal nie sommer bo en behalwe hulle eie uitgawes, verder bydraes kan maak vir die Handevat bediening nie, maar dit kan ondersoek word of daar dalk 'n gedeelte van die kostes gedra kan word.

Ander belangstellendes moet opgesoek word om die bediening spesifiek te ondersteun.

Daar kan ook gekyk word na bedieninge met dieselfde strategiee.

Die ander opsie is dat daar vir 'n gedeelte van die jaar 'n tentmaker bediening bedryf sal word. Dit het ook die voordeel dat daar voeling gehou word met die lewenswêreld van meeste van die ondersteuners en dit gee ook meer geloofwaardigheid vir die boodskap wat mens oordra in Mosambiek.

Om self geld te vra is 'n ongemaklike deel van die werk, maar as mens 'n soort van 'n advokaat het wat die saak kan stel, help dit baie, al maak hy net die afsprake. So 'n persoon sal met tyd op hoogte gestel moet word aan die hart van die bediening om ook die werk verder bekend te kan stel. Dit kan ook meer as een persoon wees.

Bestuur van die bediening

Herman, Danie en Marius Oosthuizen van Helderberg gemeente, gaan die strategie verder uitwerk vir die bemarking waarin ook die behoefte van nog mense in die bestuur bekend gestel sal word. Een tot een gesprekke is belangrik.

'n Moontlike vennoot is "gestuurde gemeentes" van Communitas saam met Federick Marais.

Goedkeurings

Ons keur die program van handevat goed, alhoewel daar voorgestel is om die eerste vertrek datum van 6 Mei dalk bietjie uit te stel om meer tyd te gee vir bemarking.

Behoeftes van kerk in Mosambiek

Ons gesels oor die behoeftes van die dominees (lees meer hieroor). Ondersteuning begin inkom, maar ons sal moeite moet doen om die kerk te help om die konferensie wat hulle wil hou gestruktureerd te hou. Ons bid en soek dus verder vir 'n geskikte fasiliteerder van die gesprekke.

Oor die jeugwerk behoefte (lees meer hieroor), word genoem dat ons 'n rol het om die kerk hierin by te staan. Ons moet voort gaan met die gesprekke hierrondom. Die kerk besef die behoefte, maar sien ook dat die Sondagskool en katkisasie sisteem nie lekker werk nie en hulle is bekommerd daaroor. Ons kan gerus hiervoor bly bid.

Ons het nie tyd gehad om die ander behoeftes te bespreek nie.

Ons groet mekaar en (ten minste ek, maar ek dink ook die ander) voel aangeraak dat die Here besig is met Sy werk.

Die dominees van die IRM het laat weet dat baie van hulle selfs bedanking oorweeg as gevolg van veral drie uitdagings: Dominees sukkel met hulle huwelike. Hulle sukkel om finansieel te oorleef. Hulle sukkel met hulle verhouding met die leiers van hulle gemeentes.

Om die rede wil hulle 'n konferensie hou om hulle rol as predikante uit te klaar, in hulle gesinne, in hulle gemeentes en in hulle gemeenskappe. Hulle wil saam bedink oor hoe probleme hanteer kan word. Verder is saam bid en wedersydse aanmoediging baie belangrik.

Om dit te verwesenlik is hulp van ondersteuners nodig. Finansies vir vervoer om al die dominees met hulle vrouens bymekaar te kry. Die sinode het dan ook gevra dat ek moet by wees en vir hulp om so 'n konferensie te help fasiliteer.

Ds Matique beskryf dit so:

The IRM  Tumbine Synod   pastors they are struggling with their
marriages, their finances to survive and with their relationships with
their congregations.
1.There is financial struggles where local congregations do not take
responsibility for their pastors. Especially in the hunger season,
many do not even have money for food. They are in a community where it
is expected of them to help the others, because they are seen as the
rich. Have contact with white western rich people and it is accepted
that they receive even if they deny it. If they do not help they it is
because they do not want to. But in the mean time do they receive a
little, but only enough to help them with their transport. They have
to live out of their own gardens where they do not have enough time to
work. Some spend a lot of time there and therefore are surviving, but
the work in the congregation is suffering. There is in general not
money enough to pay for their children's schooling.

2.The next area of suffering is in families. There is problems in
marriages, to be suddenly leaders in communities needs adaptation and
there are not always support for this process. Therefore they need
help with family problems. Then there is the problems in their
relationship with congregations. Many ways of thinking create
problems. For example, if the previous pastor on the congregations
were an missionary, the congregation many times do not want a local
pastor. The missionary brought blessings which the local pastor can
not bring. Or someone that gets a position in their community robbed
his power to be a leader, from the community. These things and many
more makes relationship with elders and members very sensitive and
complicated. Many  pastors are suffering with these problems and are
not accepted by their congregations. The church are in a crisis  many
pastors are near to retiring form their posts.
To resolve these problems the church is trying to organize a pastors
meeting with their families so that they can encourage one another and
help one another on ways how to handle these problems. The attitude is
very good in such an extend that they propose to look again at the
role of a pastor. They are willing to look at their own leadership.
On this regard the church is  trying to find a suitable facilitator
for this process .

Jozua help ons om die benaderings te verstaan.
Behoefte en nood word gesien, en dan word grotendeels vanuit buite bronne en leierskap (al word saam gewerk) nood aangespreek.
of
Sien en vestaan mense leierskap en bronne in die teiken area en gebruik en ontwikkel dit met sendeling of beweging wat voorbeeld stel van dit waarna gestreef word.

R van Velden explain how important it is for the church in Africa to have ownership of transformation and the importance of incorporating the leadership in the process.

Dis heerlik om al die bekende gesigte weer te sien en dit voel of jy vir Krismis op jou ma se stoep staan en oorlaai word met kos en liefde. Ons gesels ’n hond uit ’n bos, drink saam koffie en word stil voor die Here.

Die huidige realiteit van kerk, regering, wereld, neig om mens in moedeloosheid te dompel. Saam met dit lyk dit dikwels of daar nie 'n salf is wat dit kan genees nie. Dit is normaal om soms moed te verloor. Tog is daar 'n hoop wat meer is as enige realiteit. Hoop gebou op 'n realiteit van 'n Goeie God.

EK is na die konferensie se bietjie wat ek bygewoon het baie oortuig dat ons met siek fatalisme te doen het hier binne RSA. Ons glo nie meer God kan wonders doen en groot dinge vermag nie. God se droom vir SY Wes Kaap en Mosambiek is vir baie baie van ons nie eers 'n vae droom nie.

Wat ons vir mekaar se gebeur op die uiteinde! Dis die probleem! Kom ons neem God op sy beloftes en glo dat HY werklik die Skepper is wat deur te spreek , skep