On my way back to Moz

I left Ontario Oct 1st. I spent two days in Kansas visiting a friend there. Thanks to many of you who were praying for him. Our visit went very well, but it would be good if you could continue to keep Scott in your prayers.

October 4th Bethany picked me up at the airport in NC. On Tuesday morning Bethany and I ran a few errands and bought ourselves some running shoes. That afternoon I helped Bethany's dad take off some siding on their house that wasn't installed properly and then reinstalled it.

Wednesday bethany took the day off work so we went for a hike up to Table Rock in NC. It was a 7 mile hike and we got our exercise getting up to 3,000 some ft.

The view from the look out half way up.

Standing on top of the world aka Table Rock

Thursday morning I went to a men's breakfast with Mr. Barron and when we got back from that I helped him with some work on his shed that I helped him build when I was here last time. That evening while Bethany was still at work David and Laurel (Bethany's siblings) came over and we play Uno Hearts together. It was a good time to get to know them more.

Friday Mr. Barron, Mr. Johnson a man from their church and myself worked on putting up a utility shed for a lady in their church. We thought it would just take a few hours but we worked on it all day and still didn't even get the roof on. It seems projects often take longer then we think. That evening I went to a football game with Bethany that she was working at.

These pictures are not from Friday night but from when I was in SC last time at a game.

Bethany is an Athletic Trainer and does sports medicine which means she is there to take care of any injures the athletes may have. Here she is doing what she does best.

Saturday evening all of Bethany's family minus her brother Will were at her parents place for a BBQ.

L/R Laurel, myself, Bethany, Sadie(daughter of B&A), David, Bill(Allene's husband), Allene, Mrs. Barron, Kara(oldest daughter of B&A), Mr. Barron

Sunday we went to the church that Mr. Barron pastors. I have gotten to know some people there from the couple times I have been there so it was nice to be able to see them and say goodbye. After church we went out for lunch with Bethany's parents and her brother David.

Before Bethany and I left for the airport David snapped these pictures for us.

Bethany and I said our hard goodbye in Charlotte airport before be parted for the next eight and a half months. We really feel that God has things to teach us through this time that we might not be able to learn any other way. The separation will be hard but we both feel that we are where we are supposed to be and that makes it much easier.

Right now as I type this post I am in the Johannesburg airport in South Africa. I have three flights and 20 hours of flying behind me with two more flights and four hours of flying still to go. I have an eleven hour layover here before I fly to Maputo Mozambique. Then Lord willing I will be staying in Maputo for two days and then flying up to Lichinga on the 14th. One of my two bags did not arrive here in Johannesburg with me. It is supposed to come on the next flight tomorrow night. This is maybe a blessing because that bag would put me quite a bit over my luggage allowance of the Mozambican airline. But with my bag delayed it may mean that it will come after me and that it just might get shipped through for free. This has happened to me in the past and I have been hoping it would happen again. You can pray how you feel comfortable about that, just as long as I do eventually get my bag I will be happy.

Thats all I have for now the next post here will be from Lichinga Lord willing.

Lots of News

It is kind of hard to know where to start when I haven't updated this in over a month. I will let the pictures do most of the talking. I guess I can start back in Africa. I had a good safe flight from Lichinga Mozambique, up to Atlanta on July 14th. That was only 3 flights and 21 hours of flying but didn't feel that long. Maybe because of who was waiting for me at the airport.

My biggest news is that four years ago I met Bethany she and I were two of four leaders on a Teen Missions team to Ethiopia. We were leading a soccer team and we were using soccer as a means of sharing the gospel. At the end of this past January God gave us peace to begin a relationship. Bethany met me at the airport in Atlanta. I then spent a week with her parents in Greenville SC. It was a very happy reunion to see each other after four years.

Our first picture together.

While in Greenville I got to help Bethany's father build a 24/16 foot shop in his back yard. It was nice to spend time with him and get to do some North American still construction which I had kind of missed while working in Mozambique.

Bethany's brother Will in the white shirt came to help us put the roof on.

Mr. Barron and I working on installing the last bits of sheeting on the walls.

After a week in South Carolina, Bethany and I flew up to detroit where Rob and Ada picked us up and brought us up to Ontario. Bethany stayed for a week. It was a very busy week seemed like we were always running somewhere.

That week my whole family minus my sister Joia and her husband Philip and their two children took a small train ride on a very old train.

My grand mother passed away on July 24 at the age on 91. She was a Christian and her health hadn't been good and she was ready to go home to be with her Lord and Saviour.

All five of us siblings at the visiting. Tim, Mark, Rob Joia and Me.

Here is a family pic of all of the Woodford side of the family that was at the funeral. Very rare that we get a picture like this.

My niece Moriah hold a rose from one of the floral arrangements.

The week that Bethany was here came to an end all too soon and on the 29th of July she flew back to SC. We are very thankful for the time we had together and we are continuing to seek the Lord for his direction for us. We would covet your prayers.

The first week of August our whole family spent a week together at a cottage in Blue Mountain near Collingwood. It was a large octagon cottage with eight bedrooms. We had a very fun week together. Our whole family doesn't get together very often now and seeing as we are all spread between four countries and two continent that makes things harder as well.

Our whole crew.

Mom and Dad (aka Bruce & Judy)

Tim, Steph, Mika Shaelyn, Kyla and Vivian

Mark & Rebekah

Rob, Ada & Brayden

Joia, Philip, Keenan & Moriah

Moriah, Kyla and Me

All us bros and Dad

This is an air filled ball that kids can get inside and be rolled around in. This kid was a bit too big to play with it properly.

After the cottage week I started back to work with my boss that I worked for while I was here in Canada before. He was even willing to take me back even after I left him for nine months. What a blessing he is to me.

You may remember that I had written the test last July to try to get my motorcycle license. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get it while I was home last time, because all the drive test centres went on strike. Fortunately I still had till the first of September this year to take the driving test. I just went yesterday and took it and I passed so I finally have my motorcycle license. I have gotten it so that i am able to ride larger motorcycles in Mozambique so far I have only been able to drive 50cc motorbikes.

My friend Albert lent me his bike and riding gear to use for my test. Thanks so much Albert.

I am allowed to take a passenger but this might be a bit too many.

It has been good to be back in Canada to reconnect with friends and family. I would like to get to see as many of you as possible while I am home so if you have a free night let me know I would like to get together with you.

Leaving For Canada in a Few Days.

What a privilege is ours to partner with the King of Kings to see His Kingdom come to those who are in darkness brought into His marvellous light. We can often see that Satan is keeping people bound and enslaved to Him and in darkness through witch craft and the traditions of their forefathers. They don't know anything different until they hear about Jesus and that He came to set them free. We are seeing people set free from Satan's chains, those that were possessed by demons are now possessed by Jesus set free from Satan and living lives to the honour and glory of their Lord and Saviour.

The Lord looked down from His Holy height;

from heaven the Lord looked at the earth,

to hear the groans of the prisoners,

to set free those who were doomed to die,

that they may declare in Zion the name of the Lord.

Psalm 102:19-21a

This past Sunday I was in Assumane gathered with the Christians there and as we were worshiping I was just thinking about Lucia a lady who was sitting next to me who was demon possessed and everyone in her village called her crazy. Her uncle brought her to the missionaries here for pray and she was set free. For many months she would walk three hours each way from her village to come and worship with other Christians on Sunday. Just recently some of the Christians in Assumane coordinated by Jesse(One of the missionaries here in our team) have been able to build Lucia a house and she is able to live closer to her church family. She is a godly lady and mother of four children who is living her life for the Lord. What a testimony she is of the power of our God. I was so encouraged to see her there with her children on Sunday, the Joy of the Lord on her face and to see the Lord restoring what Satan had stolen.

You will know the truth

and the truth will set you free.

John 8:32

Debbie, Lucia, Annelisa & Mikila

I have been reminded in the last few weeks of the brevity of life. Two weeks ago I drove Kevin's truck to carry the casket of Victo's two year old nephew. What a vivid reminder this was of how short life can be and the importance of redeeming the time. There is so much that can eat up my time but I must be focused on those things and people that will last for eternity. I often get very focused and have many things to do but Jesus gives me opportunities to show his love to someone through spend time with them or speak into their life if I am willing to set my schedule aside and join Him.

It is hard to think that almost nine months have gone by since I arrived here in Mozambique. Mozambique now does feel like home and it is hard for me to say that I will be going home in a few days, as Lord willing I will be flying out of Mozambique on the 13th for a visit back in Canada. I will be looking forward to returning home in a couple of months, they say "Home is where the heart is". God has placed his love in my heart for this land and these people. This past Tuesday I went again to the prison with Victo. I really love being in there and worshiping with those men. God is placing love in my heart for them that is only His and it is hard to explain, but I start to see his heart and plan for them and I want to see them catch the vision that although they have messed up God looks past that and loves them and first of all is calling them into deeper relationship with Himself so that they can be those laid down lovers who will also be partners in seeing His kingdom established here as it is in Heaven.

Me teaching in the Bible School and Victo translating

The second week of the second semester of the Bible school has just finished. Most of the same students have returned with one or two new ones. I had the chance again to teach a little this past Monday in the school. It is always a joy to be able to be apart of the journey that God has each of them. They continue to have burning desire to share the gospel and are motived by their love for the Lord to often go on their own or with another fellow student to the villages to preach the gospel. This weekend the students are going on their first outreach by them selves, a totally Mozambican team. They have been trained and they are now ready to run with the Lord and blaze new trails into the unreached villages of Mozambique.

Arise shine, for your light has come

and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

Isaiah 60:1

These last two weeks I have been trying to lend a helping hand to Kevin and Katherine on the construction of their house. We have been so blessed by the amount we have gotten done as a couple Mozambican brothers, Kevin and myself have worked away. We have built them a round house a bit smaller then the one I am living in right now. It will be cozy for them but it will wok for them. We are all just amazed at what the Lord has been able to accomplish through us in such a short time.

The beginnings of what would soon be a round house.

I have never gone in circles so much in one day.

Our team R/L Antonio, Luciano, Acristopher, Kevin & myself

The Wilcox's left the middle of last week to go to a conference in Pemba over on the coast about a 14 hour drive away and so that left me all alone up where I live except of course for the dogs and the cat which I have had the privilege of feeding while everyone is gone. It hasn't been too bad. Kevin & Katherine and Jesse & Tanya have felt a bit sorry for me I guess and they have invited me over to their places a few times for dinner, which I have enjoyed very much. It's always nice to eat someone else's cooking. The Wilcox's got back Friday evening and it is nice to have them back for the last few days before I leave.

I am looking forward to catching up with as many of you as I can will back in Canada or the US. I am not really looking forward to leaving Mozambique, but for me to visit with you it is kind of hard to do it without leaving, unless of course you came to visit me here which you are always more then welcome to do.

Next time you hear from me I should be in North America somewhere Lord willing. I would appreciate your prayers for my travel. I have around 23 hours of flying to get back to Canada, so it is nice to know that I am going to get to meet many of you to make it worth the long journey.

A Couple Videos

I have wanted to get these posted for a while but just didn't have the time or the internet. the first video is a little taste of what the gatherings in the village of Assumane are like. The second one is from our Fun Day back in April, I hope they play for you.

Residence Visa Finally

I am sorry I wrote this a week and a half ago just getting it posted now.

As I write this I am sitting in Blantyre, Malawi having just returned from the Mozambican Embassy and finally after trying for about six months I have my residence visa. This now allows me to return to Mozambique and start the process to get a one year visa that at the end of the year I can renew with out having to leave the country. It will be nice not to have to be leaving the country every two or three months to get a new visa. Thanks so much for your prayers for this. Please continue to pray for the process of getting my one year visa. The one problem I may have is that they want an up to date police check on my criminal record. I got one of these just before I left Canada but that was back in October of last year. I haven’t been back to Canada since and thus there won’t be anything on my record for that time but please pray that they might accept the one I have, otherwise I will have to wait until I go back to Canada and then start this whole procedure over again when I return. This is all in the Lord’s Hands and I am trusting Him with it.

Peter, Annelisa and Antoinette arrived back here safely in Lichinga two weeks ago after spending about ten weeks in Europe and ministering in churches in four different countries but mainly in Spain. They were so happy to get home and be reunited with their family again. Antoinette spent just over a week here before she returned to Pemba this past Tuesday. It was a joy for us to hear their testimonies of what God was doing while they were there in Europe.

Praise the Lord my back has fully recovered from the injury I had about six weeks ago. Thanks to all of you that were praying for my back. It has been such a blessing to not have to do a lot of really strenuous work during this recovery time. We have hired a dear Christian brother, his name is Mateos and he is doing all the plastering of the walls on the admin building as well as pouring the floors. He is doing such a good job and has a real heart to serve the Lord. He is such a blessing to us. With Mateos doing these things I have been able to be involved in some other ministry as well as work on some other projects.

I meant to mention about the Greater Harvest School in my last email but forgot to. This school is for training and discipling the Yao people (The Chi Yao tribe is the people group that we are mainly working with here.) to be equipped to be able to go out and bring their own people to the Lord.

In their small groups for devotions in the morning.

The whole student body plus teachers.

There are about 25 students in this first class. Many of them live quite close and walk about 20 minutes to get to the school but some of them ride their bicycles two or three hours to get to class which starts at 7:30am. This shows that they have a real hunger and desire to learn. It is so encouraging to see their eagerness to learn and be discipled. This week they are finishing up their first six weeks of the school year. There will be three six week periods in all I believe. Two weeks ago I helped with teaching one class each day that week.

Kevin is speaking and Jesse translates into Portuguese and then Victo translates into Yao

A time of worship and prayer

The three main men.

Christian, Jesse and Kevin

Kevin, Jesse and Christian are the three that have really spear headed this school and saw that it got off the ground and running. Their goal is to see these students sent out in groups of two or three to the rural villages in the Northern part of the Niassa province where there has been no Christian witness yet. Already the Lord has put different villages on the students hearts that they feel called to. We just received the testimony of a couple named Condela and Anita. You may remember that they were a couple of the people that I sent the testimonies about, a few weeks ago. They had gone to a village and I believe that there was an Anglican church there and they wanted to find out who the pastor was. They asked around and found him. They told the pastor that they just wanted to see the kingdom of God be advanced in that place. Condela and Anita joined them for their church service and part way through the pastor said “We have some visitors here that I want to come and share with us.” They got up and shared about the transformation the Lord has made in their lives. They shared the gospel and then welcomed anyone who wanted to give their lives to the Lord. The pastor was the first one to want to accept the Lord then there we many others. They also prayed for the sick and many were healed one person completely healed of malaria. They really wanted to go to a second village but as they were trying to leave the first village people were bringing all their sick people out to the road and asking them to pray for them, so they never did get to the other village.

We are seeing that many of these villages are very ripe and ready for harvest. Jesse and Christian went out before the rainy season started and gave out some audio Bibles in the Yao language that are solar powered to some of the chiefs in these villages. After rainy season, once the roads were passable again they have been back to visit these chiefs and several of them have said “We have been listening to the Bible and we believe what it says. We believe that Jesus is the Son of God and we want you to come and teach us more about Him. “These are very Muslim villages and it is a big step for them to say that they believe that Jesus is the Son of God because they are taught that He is just a prophet and he is only the son of Man and not the Son of God. There are whole villages ready to give their lives to the Lord and they need people to disciple them and this first class of students are more than willing to take on the responsibility. Please pray for them for their protection and provision that they would have all that is needed to be able to fulfill the call of the Lord on their lives.

I had the privilege of going to the Hospital with Victo and a few of the other young brothers. We go to try to show them some love, befriend them and share the gospel and give them a chance to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Many people in there are hurting physically but even more importantly they are hurting and are spiritually sick and need a healing touch of the great Physician. It is a joy to be able to introduce them to the Great Physician and allow them to make their choice.

I went with Victo to the prison this past Tuesday and had an amazing chance to speak to the guys. They want to see the kingdom of God come and bring revival to that prison and see it radically changed for Jesus. There is a core group of about 15 or so Christians that we meet with and then there are about a hundred other guys who sit around and listen to us. Each time I have gone there are guys who are asking for Bibles, they have a hunger to know more. We have to be careful and find out why they want the Bibles because some of them will use the pages of the Bible to roll up there tobacco and make cigarettes, but many of them do have an honest desire to study God’s Word.

Since Mateos has been doing the plastering I have been able to get a kitchen built in the admin building. I haven’t been able to get the cupboard doors made yet because I am waiting and waiting and waiting on the wood to make them. I was able to get their solar system hooked up for Rachel and Melissa so they can charge a few things and have also been able to get them running water in their kitchen and bathroom. They have jokingly said that they are not sure if they can call themselves missionaries anymore now that they have a few more conveniences. We know that our living conditions have nothing to do with whether we are missionaries or not, it was just a joke. That was kitchen number four that I have built here and now I am working on number five. The Wilcox’s house was the first building to be built here on the base and now the last one to finally get a bit of a kitchen. I just started on it two days before we came here to Malawi.

The Kitchen in the Admin Building

These are a few pictures to show the progress on the Wilcox's Kitchen.

Victo was kind enough to give me a hand with the pouring.

The almost finished product, need to take of the forms and sand and wax it then it will be ready for use.

Lord willing I am planning to return to Canada on July 22nd for maybe about two months I am not sure exactly how long. I will be leaving Mozambique on the 13th and spending a week with some friends in South Carolina, so that means I only have about one month left here in Mozambique. These nine months have really flown by very quickly. I will look forward to connecting with as many of you as I can. If you don’t live very close to me and would like to get together sometime while I am home it would be best to make some plans for that in the near future, because last time I was home it seemed like some people forgot that I was leaving till about a week or two before I was to leave and then I was very busy trying to make time to see people. Just a little FYI.

I think this will have to suffice for this letter. Thank you, thank you for your continued prayers and partnership in what God is doing here in Mozambique.

These are just a couple random pictures.

These are the puppies the Wilcox's got a couple weeks ago. They will eventually be guard dogs.

It is getting very dry now and this is the time of year when people go out into the bush and cut grass for roofs and fences and carry it back into the city to sell or use themselves. This is a group of ladies doing just that.