It's been a precious time so far. Staying with locals in their home is a far, far different experience than meeting with them in the day and heading back to your hotel at night. Far different and far more meaningful and impacting. The food and welcome have been rich. The concrete floor has felt perfect thanks to the little mat I brought. The outdoor bathing has actually been very refreshing and freeing! Never been naked outside before. ;) I'm just thankful there's a wall to stand behind or these people would've been scarred for life. Selecting and killing two chickens last night was fun. 2 hours later we were eating them. (See pic of Mr. Machavo about to slice the poor thing.)
Yesterday, we held an unannounced DBS in the yard of John's Dad. 20 people attended. Mostly young men 18-30 years old curious about why we were here. It ended up being very special as John, Ernest and Shawn shared with their childhood friends how Jesus had captured their hearts in the last six months.
After this, we attended a local church in this village. It was a traditional African experience. They asked us to share greeting. I did. Then, John, who was interpreting for me followed after me. He stood there in front of hundreds of people that watched him grow up and boldly proclaimed his love for Jesus and the church. Then it happened. John spoke too boldly. With passion, he told the church that Jesus does not require that people come to him with money and certain behaviors or clothing. Rather, he accepts people and loves them as they are and then uses the Holy Spirit to grow them. He declared that the church needs to do the same. At that moment, the Pastor walks up and whispers in his ear. John concludes his sharing within 15 seconds. I was so proud of him and the courage he had. He didn't mean to offend and has had a sweet heart about the incident. We've encouraged him and given it to the Lord. Our job is to be sure that we never begin to think we are better and have it all figured out.
Tomorrow, we pack up and travel another 300km north in to Mozambique to visit more family and friends of Shawn and Ernest. Pray we would be a blessing. Pray especially for wisdom for Shawn as he approaches his Muslim family to share about his new and radical love for Jesus Christ.
I smell the fresh fish on the fire even as I type this. So, I better tune back in so I don't miss out. Thank you for your partnership and prayer for our journey.
Love you,
Noah
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