Jonathan & Lisa Parker Your Ministry Partners in Southeast Africa Thanksgiving…
Table is set!
There is absolutely nothing other than our American calendar that reminds us that Thanksgiving and Christmas are upon us. No holiday decorations in the stores, cheery Christmas tunes on the radio or Salvation Army volunteers ringing their bells. Instead of long sleeves and jackets for the cooler temperatures we are experiencing indoor temperatures of 90 degrees or higher. But even though we are a very long way from our family and the normal Thanksgiving context we were able to enjoy a pretty traditional Thanksgiving dinner with some of our co-workers.
First of all we celebrated on Saturday since Thursday was a normal work and school day here in Mozambique. Turkey was substituted by chicken, due to the high prices but we had most of the other traditional trimmings such as stuffing, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, green beans and baked corn. After dinner we enjoyed watching a football game via the internet in air conditioning. Some of us really enjoyed the game others mostly enjoyed the air conditioning. It was definitely a special treat. For dessert we enjoyed apple and pumpkin (squash) pies, banana bread and of course coffee. Don’t get me wrong…we are not longing to be back in the US but it is always nice to experience a little bit of “home” now and again.
Ready to dig in!
Enjoying some football...
No matter where or how we celebrate Thanksgiving, it is always profitable to pause and consider all the things we are thankful for. Especially during the season of “Wish Lists”. This time last year we were only “dreaming” about being in Mozambique and had no idea if it would turn into reality. We are very thankful for all the Lord did to make it all happen and for the way He has sustained us these past four months.
One huge blessing this year is being able to finally settle into one place for a while. We have been playing musical homes since we left Missouri in May. It is nice to be able to settle in for the next couple of years. We are thankful for the space which allows Lisa to have a craft room and a guest room for anyone that would like to come for a visit. We are thankful for being in the part of the city that gets water consistently after being in places where we were excited when water came in more than once a week. Of course when the electricity goes off our electric pump can’t get the water to us but so far that has not been too much of a problem.
As far as ministry goes, we are thankful that Lisa has been able to slowly get back into language learning and I am very thankful for co-workers who continue to do a good job of training me in the office. I will pretty much be in charge of everything that goes on in the office next month. It is pretty amazing that our “dream” is quickly becoming a reality and even though we still have a lot to learn and still do not know all the ways He wants to use us here in ministry we are thankful for the opportunity to be used of Him.
Hard at work!
Community
Enjoying a Sunday meal with everyone at our place.
I can’t really say enough about how blessed we are to be part of our small church community. It has not taken long for us to realize how important “community” is here in Mozambique. We have seen the church body rally around its members for happy occasions like weddings and very difficult times such as funerals as well as lending a hand for special projects. It is pretty much expected that folks participate or at the very least give a monetary donation to help. I was told after attending a couple funerals that if one expects to have others come along side and help when there is a death in the family, than it is extremely important to be there for others, even if it means dropping all ones plans for the day at a moment’s notice. I believe it is a good example of the way the Body of Christ should function. On the other side of the coin we have seen how joining the church community is more for the “physical” benefit than as a follower of Jesus. Sounds a bit like some of the people during Jesus’ time on earth. Anyhow, I thank the Lord for the opportunity to function as a part of the church body here in Mozambique and trust the Lord to be able to participate even more in the future as we continue to learn the culture and language.
Church work day - replacing the thatch around the restroom.
Machetes make great shovels...
Adding the thatch...
A job well done!
Our Visit to the Indian Ocean
It is no surprise that living and serving the Lord in a foreign country, especially in the beginning does have “down sides”. But I must admit that there are “up sides” as well. For instance, we have had the privilege of seeing many beautiful sights and experiencing special things in our 26 years of ministry. We were blessed this past weekend to enjoy the beauty of the Indian Ocean that is just under 200 kilometers from where we are currently living (approximately 124 miles for our friends in the USA). We had not been out of the city since our arrival about ten weeks prior until we received a last minute invitation to accompany our co-workers, Pete and Charity with their three kids to the beach for the weekend. It took us about two and a half hours on mostly asphalted road to get there. Our accommodations were modest yet adequate and best of all very close to the beach. I am pretty sure I have never been in such clear blue ocean water or walked in such fine white sand before. What a beautiful setting to get a little R & R from the city and enjoy great fellowship with our co-workers. Spending time at the ocean always seems to draw my attention to our powerful Creator God; everything from the mighty ocean itself to the many beautiful sea creatures and especially the beautiful sunrises. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and came back on Monday, a holiday here, refreshed and grateful for the Lord’s goodness in allowing us to enjoy a special “perk” of serving Him here in Southeast Africa. Thanks Pete and Charity for letting us “tag” along.
Enjoying an early morning walk on the beach with my Creator!
Samuel
Need I say more?
We have a special little visitor that comes with his mom several times a week to help Lisa with Portuguese. Instead of getting strapped into a car seat he gets tied to his mom’s back for the 10 to 15 minute walk to our house. By the time they get here Samuel is usually asleep but tends to wake up once the lessons start. He is only a few months old but he lies quietly for the most part unless he decides it is time to nurse.
Lisa with Samuel at the wedding
We first met Jorgina and Samuel at church and then again at the wedding we attended soon after our arrival. Lisa attached herself pretty quickly to little Samuel especially since we left our own little grandson behind not long ago. She has really enjoyed being able to hold and care for him as well picking up a few things at the Sunday market for him. How cool that the Lord knew we would have someone here to dote on and spoil a little bit.
I am reminded of the promise that the Lord Jesus gave His followers in Matthew 19:29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.”
No matter what sacrifice is involved in serving Him it is impossible to out give our faithful God!
Samuel "helping" mom with the lesson...
Prayer Meetings
Imbondeiro tree
One thing that we are learning here in Africa is that prayer is an important part of life. Often at 4:30 am and throughout the day we hear a call for “prayer” coming from different areas in the community. Our church has scheduled prayer meeting three times a week to specifically pray for Africa, our country, city, neighborhood and church family. On Tuesdays and Thursdays prayer time begins at 5:00 am and for those who can’t make it during the week there is a Sunday afternoon meeting. I have been going on Thursday mornings. Even though only a couple of us have been in attendance it has been a special time of seeking the Lord together and getting to one another better. I am thankful the church is only a 10-minute walk from our house. I walk past a public high school on my way to and from the church and there is usually quite a bit of activity going on early in the morning. On my way back last Thursday I walked by two teenage young men dressed in their school uniforms who were hanging out underneath one of the “Imbondeiro” trees that are growing in the street. One of the young men was sitting on a root with his head bowed towards the tree while the other was standing nearby apparently waiting for his friend. Even though I am still learning about these things, I am pretty positive this was another kind of “prayer meeting”.
Driving between the sacred trees...
We have been told that the “Imbondeiro” tree is sacred; so much so that it won’t be cut down even if it happens to be growing in the street. We have had a couple people tell us that it is common for people to bring food or other items to the tree as an offering to their dead ancestors if things are not going well in their lives. They trust that their ancestors will somehow be able to change their fortune and make them successful or healthy whatever the request may be. I was impressed with the young man’s diligence but was saddened to think that here I was leaving a time of prayer to a living, caring, almighty Father who is willing and ABLE to answer prayer and this young man would leave his prayer time no better off (maybe even worse off) than he was before. We continue to ask God to help us understand the belief system and worldview of those around us so that we can better communicate truth when God gives us opportunity.
Our City’s 55th Birthday Celebration
Trying to squeeze a few more in the chapa...
Yesterday was a holiday to commemorate the city’s birthday so we asked our friends Michel and Margarida along with Jordina if they would be willing to accompany us into the city to observe and participate in some of the special activities. We left to catch a ride on a chapa around 8:00 am. We got off the chapa at the “Park of Heroes” where we followed the crowd to the center where we waited for quite a while for the ceremonies to begin. After about an hour or so a ceremony began in which local authorities, military personnel, local police and special guests walked up single file to place flowers at the foot of a memorial for those who had fought for independence.
Let the ceremony begin...
The military band played various numbers through out the whole time as the rest of us stood and watched. After it was over we took some time to walk around the park, take some pictures and then we hiked through the city by all the closed stores and shops to the municipal building where the rest of the activities would take place. By the time we arrived the crowd had pretty much closed off the view for about everyone but me and those who were able to climb up in one of the trees that lined the street. I was very thankful for my height as I was able to stand behind everyone and hold my camera up over my head to get some photos.
The gathering of leaders and special guests
The local police force paraded in front of the local dignitaries and special guests after which each one was given an opportunity to greet the crowd. Once the final greeting was made there were some groups that presented cultural dances for entertainment. The morning festivities ended around noon so we headed home. All in all it was a fun morning where we were able to get to know the city and some of its history better, interact with our new friends and definitely enjoy more African culture.
Lisa at the memorial of the Heroes
Note to self...don't agree to take kids picture near a special site again
Face Painting
Lisa with Jordina & Margarida
Best seats in the house
All dressed for the occasion
No city celebration complete without Clowns...
Our Neighborhood
Our church is only a few blocks from our house
Now that we have been here for just over a month we are beginning to feel a bit more at home. We have had several opportunities to walk around the neighborhood for various reasons such as going to catch a “chapa” ride into the city, going to church, going to market or just taking time to meet new people.
The very first people we met were Claudio and Femida who own a small store right across the street from us. It has been super convenient to
Claudio & Femida's store
have a place so close that we can buy groceries in a pinch but more importantly Lisa has begun to develop a friendship with Femida. After a few days we were invited to see their house and it wasn’t long after she found out that we did not have an oven that she offered us to use hers when we needed to bake something. Since Claudio is working out of the country for a while, Femida has to work the store on her own so Lisa goes over and sits with her to keep her company.
Jose is a man I met one day I was out just taking some photos around the neighborhood. He was sitting under a tree, in the street, selling some little donut like things. I stopped to talk with him for a while and found out he works for the lady that makes them. He is married and has a couple small children. Since then I have had the opportunity to stop and talk with him and he always seems to enjoy my visit.
Juma's welding shop
Juma is a welder who set up a small shop under a thatch roof on the street corner across from our house. His main project is making charcoal stoves that are used by most people here. Occasionally someone will stop with a quick project for him. We hear a lot metal banging which makes it hard to know if someone is knocking at our gate. Anyhow, I stopped to meet him and talk with him just the other day and I found out that he is quite friendly and enjoys talking. We ended up talking for about an hour about our families and about life here in Africa and the USA.
We know the Lord does not bring people into our lives by chance so we want to continue to pursue deeper relationships which will not only help us learn more about life here and feel more at home but also be an avenue of sharing the Lord Jesus.
Where I first met Jose, under one of the two sacred trees left in the street
Emmanuel Mission Church
Brothers Fernando & Chuveque bringing the message
Special Music
We have been blessed to attend a small congregation here in our neighborhood for the past three Sundays. It is only a few minutes walk from our house. It is a “mission” church because it is a church plant from a larger Baptist church in the city. The church agreed to host us which means they have taken the responsibility of helping us during this time of adjustment. A small group came to the airport to greet us upon our arrival and accompanied us to our house which they had helped clean up and get ready for us. One of the men, Michelof took a couple days to teach us how to use the public transportation known as a “chapa” (12 to 14 passenger van) and showed us around the city. He and his wife, Margarida came one afternoon for a visit and see how we were doing. We have enjoyed learning about the culture as well as new vocabulary from them. Even though we still feel like outsiders we are slowly building closer relationships.
One of our younger members
The church services are in Portuguese and Makuwa languages. We are able to sing along with the Portuguese hymns and choruses but when they break out in Makuwa we just listen. We have had a couple of people at least translate some of the words. We especially enjoy the fact that instead of the worship team having instruments, the congregation uses instruments. The drums, tambourines and rattles are handed out before we start to who ever is willing to participate. We are learning that music is an important part of the culture here and they seem to have a song for about any event!
We have enjoyed our times of worship together, times of fellowship around a meal and in participating with the wedding that took place last weekend. This weekend we will be having a potluck as a farewell to another missionary couple who are returning to Brazil for six months to treat some health problems. Lisa has been invited to help in the food preparations, which will start at 5:00 am on Sunday morning. It will be a time of learning how they cook but also a time for her to get to know the ladies better.
Our "Welcome" potluck food preparation
Enjoying time together
Building relationships
The chima & mataba are ready...
Let's dig in!
We feel so blessed and privileged to be a part of what God is doing here in Southeast Africa through the Body of Christ world wide. We look forward to seeing how He wants to use us.
Best Wedding Anniversary Ever!
Our First & Only "Snail Mail" from Home...thanks Mom
Today (Saturday August 6, 2011) we celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary! What better way to spend our first wedding anniversary in Africa than attending a wedding! A couple from our host church were the ones getting married so the first thing that happened was that Lisa had the option of getting a blouse and skirt made to match the other ladies from our church who would be attending. The ladies were all excited when Lisa showed up this morning in the skirt, blouse and head piece she had made just this past week. We left our house just before 9 am to walk to the church and we did not get backhome until after 6 pm. We got a ride to the center of the city where the legal ceremony took place then caravanned through the city, stopped for some pictures in front of a new hotel before we came to the church for the actual wedding ceremony. After a 3 hour ceremony we drove just outside the city to a Baptist Bible Institute campus for the reception. Everything was ready but we waited for the bride and groom to arrive before being seated and eventually getting fed. The main food was rice, beans and chicken. But there were other special foods as well including a beautiful wedding cake! There was a lot of food and it seems like everyone got plenty to eat.
Lisa doing her best to blend in...
Adopting grandkids...
Because it was a Christian wedding there were a lot of things done that were similar to our wedding 28 years. The bride and groom were dressed in what would be considered traditional apparel by US standards. There was music, preaching, exchange of vows, a ring ceremony and the groom was told he could kiss the bride. Even the weather corresponded with our wedding in August many years ago with the heat. Of course our ceremony was not done in a mixture of Portuguese and Makhuwa, nor did we have the pastors, wedding party and ourselves dance down the aisle. We are slowly learning that the people here seem to have a song for about any situation and love to break out in singing. There were various groups represented at the wedding including a couple different churches and the families of the bride and groom. The ladies of each of the groups wore clothing made from the same fabric and when it came time to give gifts and greet the newly weds each group formed a line and sang and danced to the front where the couple was, greet them, leave a gift and then dance back. Lisa and I did go down front to leave a gift and greet the couple but we left the dancing to them.
The Bride Arriving...
The Newly Weds with the Best Man and Matron of Honor
Our church group singing to the couple.
The reception had some similarities to our’s as well. There were tables set up for only a certain number of guests to sit and a head table for the wedding party. The wedding cake was cut by the newlyweds then after they shared a piece it was served to the guests. What made me feel a bit sad though was seeing young kids so excited about getting some left over rice that had been burned on the bottom. You would have thought they had won the lottery.
Reception set and ready...where are the Bride and Groom?
A Beautiful Cake
Although it was a tiring day we could not think of a better way to spend our anniversary. I don’t remember ever having a bigger anniversary celebration than this one. We feel like we were able to cultivate our relationship with our new church family through the extra interaction. We are beginning to put names with faces now.
We Made It…
Ready to check in...
For those who follow us on this site, mylast post had us heading off for our long journey to Africa. I know it would be much more interesting if we had some stories of all the problems that came up along the way but I am very GRATEFUL to say that our trip was completed without any real glitches! The Lord provided a ride to the airport and we are thankful that Chuck and Valerie went above and beyond the call of duty by helping us repack our hand bags because of the weight, then were willing to deliver the things left behind back to Williamsport.
First Leg finished...
The first word of encouragement was that we would be able to check our luggage to our final destination and when we got to South Africa we were even more blessed to find out that they actually got there and transferred. One piece of luggage ended up coming off the carousel which was the very one Lisa wanted for some overnight items.
Our first flight lasted about 18 hours total with a stop in Senegal along the way. Since we had an overnight stay in South Africa we were able to spend the night with Tony and Maria. They were kind enough to pick us up at the airport, open their home to us for the night and back to the airport the next day. Thanks guys, for your hospitality! Our 2 1/2 hour flight the next day went well and we landed in Mozambique right on time. We were greeted by a small group from our host church as well as a few of our co-workers. We spent quite a bit of time in customs since they seemed pretty interested in what was in our luggage. They were not real careful about how they searched through everything so we were glad we were able to fit everything back in.
Ready for the final leg...
Arrival
Once we actually got our passports stamped, met everyone and got our things loaded we were taken to our new home. Once again, we were blessed by the fact that so many people had helped us by getting the house cleaned up and getting the refrigerator and shelves stocked up with enough things to get started. It was hard to believe that we had finally made it after so many months of planning, preparation and faithful prayers of God’s people.
New "Home Sweet Home"
