Rachel's Reflections

The AIM Crisis Consultant Manager moved the status of the Pemba team up because of the situation in northern Mozambique. We are now in the orange zone. What does that mean for me? Green Zone = Relax           Yellow Zone = Be Alert                     Orange Zone = Be on High Alert                               Red Zone = Seek Safety Immediately This information in no way hinders my desire to return and share the Gospel with the Mwani people. It does, however, mean I need to be prepared when I go back. My counselor and I started discussing what it will take for me to live under such conditions. First and foremost God must be central to any plans I come up with or my plans will fall flat on their face. God's Word is a solid foundation and has never failed me, so I started thinking: What does the Bible say about avoiding danger vs. facing danger? A time to avoid :  * Believers fled persecution in Jerusalem after Stephen's stoning and the Gospel spread.  * The Jews in Damascus plo

Imagine walking down a grimy hospital corridor, the smell of dirt, blood, and urine hangs in the hot, humid air. You turn into a room with six beds and approach a young woman lying on one of the thin, plastic mattresses. A bundle wrapped in a patchwork of cloths is nestled at her side. You greet her and smile down into the precious face of her newborn baby boy. The instinct to protect and care for her baby is evident in the woman's eyes. She wants to do what's best for him. She keeps her son wrapped up in the patchwork of fabric as you drive her back home. But, within a week or two, the baby has a heat rash all over his body from being bundled up too much in the sweltering heat. --- I saw little babies with heat rashes many times in the community in Mozambique. Women would come to me and say "Look, my baby has a problem." I had to bite my tongue to keep from accusing the well-intentioned mothers. In August, I thought of a crazy compromise. I started learning how to cr

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried. Quietly, patiently, lovingly, He replied. I pleaded, and I wept for a clue to my fate, And the Master so gently said, “Child, you must wait.”   “Wait? You say wait??” my indignant reply. “Lord, I need answers, I need to know why. ... “My future, and all to which I can relate Hangs in the balance, and you tell me ‘wait’? ... I heard this poem by Russell Kelfer when I was in my second year of college. I wrote it in my journal and have gone back to read it many times. It feels like this has been my exchange with God lately as I wait for an answer about my return date to Mozambique.   ... Lord I’ve been asking, and this is my cry: “I’m weary of asking: I need a reply!”   Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate As my Master replied once again, “You must wait.” So I slumped in my chair; defeated and taut And grumbled to God; “So I’m waiting, for what?” Why should I have to wait so long to receive a return date from the AIM office? What could be

What good can come from violent attacks and burned villages? Community. A few Mwani believers lived throughout the northern villages of Mozambique. Due to the attacks, the believers have now converged on Pemba. They gather for worship, Bible study, and fellowship on a regular basis. Gathering of Mwani believers What can be given to those whose daughters were kidnapped? Or to those who huddle on beaches because their homes were destroyed? A Community of Hope. My team leaders in Pemba are seeing a community of hope begin to form. They host the fellowship of Mwani believers every Saturday. They invited neighbors over to watch the Jesus Film in Kimwani. (A powerful presentation of Jesus' death, resurrection, and His promised return.) What better way to cultivate hope than in a community? Especially in a culture where community means everything. Neighbors watching the Jesus Film I grieve over what is happening in northern Mozambique. I mourn with those who lost loved ones and homes. Yet