Apr 3

Written by: ngreditor
4/3/2009 8:19 PM 

Missionaries bring news from Mozambique

Kenneth Purscell

Several years ago, says missionary Tim Wood, he was driving through Mozambique. “Suddenly I found that the bridge I thought was there wasn’t. When I finally got the vehicle stopped, the front wheels were over the edge and we were literally teetering. Fortunately, another driver soon came along and was able to tow us to safety.

“It shows how utterly dependent we are on God, and on our prayers for one another.”

Tim and his wife Beth were describing one scene of adventure for members and friends of the Rose Hill Evangelical Free Church at their Family Night gathering Sunday.

Since 1995, the Woods have been bringing words of hope to people in southeast Africa. They and their children Jonathan and Sarah are currently on home assignment.

Beth is the daughter of Pastor Cliff Branson and his wife Mary Alice of the Rose Hill Church.

The Woods work for Africa Inland Mission in a country where most of the people are subsistence farmers. Literacy is very low, and HIV/AIDS is very common. “Nearly 25% are infected in some places,” said Beth. “We see the effects of the disease everywhere.”

Nearly half the country’s population claims some form of Christian faith, although that can be a somewhat shaky claim. “The leaders of local churches are often untrained,” said Tim. Through Faith of the Apostles Church in the coastal city of Beira, Tim provides counseling for couples joined in traditional marriages. “We are trying to strengthen family life in the face of AIDS,” he says. Many church leaders are now also taking Christian marriage vows which emphasize fidelity and monogamy.

Beth works at translating Sunday School material for local churches from Portuguese (the official language of Mozambique) to native tongues. With these materials, she is hoping to equip leaders to train local teachers for young people.

Some of the material has been published. She is also at work translating materials to teach literacy and AIDS prevention. This has been a slow and expensive process in a country where money is scarce.

Tim has been working with the coaching of church leaders. The bible institute where he works as an education consultant now has its first Mozambican leader. Construction continues on a building where a Bachelor of Arts education program will be underway. But construction is expensive and slow, and more teachers are needed.

The children attend school (taught in Portuguese), help with the chores, and enjoy riding horses with Beth.

“The people raise rice, corn and sorghum,” said Tim, “and there are some cattle, goats and chickens. The women, though, start farming very young. They attend what is called ‘the university of the hoe.’

“The youth do wish to learn English, and in school they start to learn it at grade 7. This way they can go to South Africa and find work.”

The family hopes to return to Mozambique in June. Some prayers are needed. “Please pray for the papers we need to return. We will need a letter of invitation signed by the director of religious affairs for the province. The director has not been signing these letters, which we need for visas.”

Tim and Beth, Jonathan and Sarah will be in Newman Grove until the end of school in May.

Copyright ©2009 Newman Grove Reporter