Rachel's Reflections

The kids squealed in delight when the light from the projector appeared on the rough cement wall of their house. I smiled as I adjusted the settings. The mother and teenagers showed equal appreciation and wonder at the small device. I felt anticipation swirl around the room as I opened the Jesus Film. The movie started playing. I leaned back against the wall and thanked God for allowing me to visit Pemba the week before. I had been able to get the portable projector and other material to use with the Mwani people in Nampula. Mama Z, her children, and several others enjoyed watching the story of Jesus. Afterward she and her neighbor who had come late talked about the crucifixion scene. They struggled watching how Jesus had been mistreated. I listened to them go back and forth about this for a bit before I said, "He did it for us." "Yes, He died on the cross for our sins," she said. Surprised by her straight-forward statement it took a second for me to agree. "Ye...

"I've been around a long time," *Rosa's mother-in-law said after I greeted her. The statement caught me off guard. I had originally gone out to visit Mama A, but discovered she wasn't home. I had walked on to *Rosa's house but her son told me she wasn't home either. I felt disappointed until he said his grandmother was around. I found myself trying to hold a conversation in Kimwani with her. My uncertainty of knowing how to respond to her blunt statement must have shown on my face. She said something, pushed herself to her feet, and hobbled into the house. I sat  on the empty rice sack waiting for her, listening to the sound of ants eating away at the bamboo fence in front of me. I glanced around and spotted a USAID bucket, I chuckled and snapped a picture of it. When the grandmother came back out she handed me her I.D. card before lowering herself back to the hard ground. I looked at the card and saw the year 1945 listed next to the birth date. "You ...

When I left Pemba in April I had mixed emotions. I knew it was the right decision and I had peace that God was in it. Yet I had a hard time saying goodbye to people, not knowing when I would come back. The Holy Spirit reminded me that He would still be in Pemba. He would still be working in the hearts of the people. These past few days I had the privilege of seeing God's faithfulness in that. I'm back in Pemba right now to grab some things and check in on a few people. While here I enjoyed attending a Mwani Bible study on Thursday and the Mwani fellowship this afternoon (Saturday). The strong faith of the believers touched my heart and encouraged me. I sat in the sand under the mango tree listening to one of the women share a testimonial. She boldly proclaimed the Word of God to a man claiming to be a Christian but had acted inappropriately towards her. Her faith had stood strong in a culture where inappropriate behavior is normalized. Another Mwani believer, a fter being snubb...

What heart connection could be formed between such contrasted lives? The older veiling her hardships with a look of indifference, the younger learning to smile through her suffering. Could a connection be made in a short amount of time? Getting ready to leave Thursday morning I heard someone coming to the door.  I craned my neck up to greet Esther, a  young lady from the Congolese refugee camp . She wanted to hang out with me .  "I'm on my way to visit one of my young Mwani friends to help her with English," I told Esther, then I had an idea. "Do you want to come with me?" Esther  sometimes translates for the missionaries who work in the Congolese camp. She speaks great  English from having lived in South Africa. "I know my Mwani friend would love to hear you speak English," I told her. "Sure," Esther replied with a shrug of her shoulders. When we arrived, I greeted everyone as usual with a mixture of Portuguese and Kimwani. Esther asked me w...