Rodger and Lynne Schmidt MOZAMBIQUE

4th of July

2009-07-06T08:52:00.003+02:00

It's happening again! About 1 year out from our next home assignment, we're missing family, hot dogs, big macs and American holidays! Sometimes we get to spend holidays with other Americans, but this year, God chose to give us a different kind of July 4th celebration. We celebrated with people who had no idea what day it was for us. It was "Family Day" for our interns. They invited their families and pastors or church reps to celebrate what God is doing in their life through International Internship in Mission and MozOvos. It was a great day!

We had a special celebration service with music and special dance numbers by our interns!

Family members were given the opportunity to express their love for their interns and joy of what God is doing in their lives.
We could feel the love!
The young girls of the church (along with Lynne) worked hard to provide good food for approximately 150 people.

Our Girls?

2009-06-30T10:03:00.006+02:00

You hear alot from us about "our boys"! As the parents of sons and parents/mentors/cheerleaders of our nine interns, our lives are full of "all things male." Male voices singing, bouncing basketballs, broken windows from overzealous soccer players in our yard, boys dorm type pranks, advice giving on girls and relationships and choosing a mate. Our interns are not permitted to date while participating with us in the program, but that doesn't stop them from thinking ahead! :)

We've noticed, however, that BECAUSE we have 9 handsome, gifted, EMPLOYED young men at our house, the "stop bys" to our house for any reason under the sun by young ladies is increasing. In our 25 de Junho ministry, the number of young ladies who attend on Sunday FAR outnumbers the young men. Some of these young ladies are quite forward, verbally expressing their interest in one or other of the boys.

Even just a little farther outside of the city of Maputo, in our Agostinho Neto location which is very rural, the ministry is almost entirely young men. Young women are busy working at home. They often tend to be less forward and much more timid around young men. Still, we need to reach them.

The question is always in our thinking, what do we do to reach and teach these young women, even if their intentions for coming are only focused on the young men in our midst?

At this point, Lynne and Mary are the only women, grounded in their faith, here to work with these young women and Mary's effectiveness is somewhat limited by the fact that her language skills are still very basic, she works another full time job and has small children at home.

Well, we pray ALOT, especially Lynne, for wisdom and a keen intuition and look for opportunities to "go deeper" with the young women the Holy Spirit points out to us. To give us a heart for those we are to pour our lives into.

This is Martinha, 20 years old, she is a student at the Institute of Technology, studying to be an accountant. We met Martinha through her mother who works at a local store Lynne discovered while exploring the neighborhood two years ago. Lynne and Martinha's mother quickly struck up a friendship when they discovered they are both followers of Jesus! Martinha's mother is a single mom who works seven days a week and worries about her young adult children. The church they were trying to attend was very far away from their house and she was eager for Martinha to get involved with our ministry. Martinha is also a believer in Jesus.

Katia is another young lady who just recently came to faith, though she has been attending church regularly for the past 9 months or so. She is just about to complete the first discipleship course. She is a high school graduate and preparing to take the entrance exam for university.

In the last two weeks, God has given Lynne some great opportunities to get to know these girls better.

Will you pray for them to go deeper in their faith and become passionate followers of Jesus? Will you pray for more of the girls in our ministry to come to faith in Jesus?

Will you also pray with us for another young woman(American, Brazilian, Mozambican, Portuguese) to work alongside us, helping and mentoring these young women, maybe even starting up an internship program for them as well? As a "icing on the cake" kind of request, will you also pray with us that this young woman would already have a basic understanding and ability to converse in Portuguese? We believe nothing is too hard for God and He DESIRES to give us "icing on our cake" when we come to Him in faith, deeply desiring for these young ladies to bring glory to Him with their lives.

These young people are the future of Mozambique!

25 de Junho

2009-06-27T14:50:00.006+02:00

I spoke to my neighbor on Thursday, "Feliz Dia de Independencia, Joana"("happy independence day, Joana"), to which she replied "Estamos livres!" ("We are free!")

25 de Junho is both the name of our town and the date of Mozambique's Independence from Portuguese colonial rule in 1975 after a decade long war for their freedom. Below are some photos of our town.

Men wheel these pushcarts around all day, laden with a variety of things.
25 de Junho Market area
A view from in front of our house
The flag of Mozambique
Neighbor boys
Hot, fresh bread daily...carried and sold from a plastic tub on top of the head.
All that and carry a baby too?

A random sweet old man!

Six Years!

2009-06-17T10:36:00.009+02:00

June 4th marked 6 years in Mozambique! We thought we would celebrate by sharing some of our "firsts" photos!

Our first week in Mozambique, staying at Oasis guesthouse. All the boys did for the first week is catch lizards and get filthy every day! They were 6 and 9 years old.

Our first trip to the beach!

Our first pets, Jack Russell Terriers, Max and Fudge.

Our first house and chance to do yard work. As seminary students, up to this point, we had only lived in apartments.

Our first Thanksgiving. We celebrated with our British, Brazilian and Mozambican friends.

Our first church family, in front of our first meeting site, the primary school in Djuba.

Our first Christmas program. Can you find the "branca"(white girl)?

The first church owned land in Djuba. Clearing it by hand.

After the land was cleared, our first church "building", a giant blue and white tent.

First signs of falling in love with a beautiful people.

Answered prayers!

2009-06-17T10:33:00.000+02:00

Thank you for praying for Felix and Mary, the Rwandese couple who have come to work with us. they have both completed the residency process and are now free to settle and work with us in Mozambique! God is so good!

CONFIRMED!!

2009-06-12T06:33:00.003+02:00

With our friends, Terri and Reid at Silver Spur restaurant.
Andrew in English class

Often, a battle rages in my mind and I find myself crying out to God, aloud, when I'm alone...the battle usually centers around fear or loss or fear of loss and the pain that comes with that.

On my trip to Nairobi this past week, I was hit hard. FEAR and the pain that comes with LOSS.

I am a fearful person. Maybe you could call it my "thorn in the flesh". So, boarding a plane ALONE to another country is a fearsome thing.

The first time I had to do this, I was a 19 year old college student. I had never been on a plane before and was expecting to be flying with friends to the Philippines, but due to a mix up, found myself traveling ALONE from KC to Dallas and then on to LAX where I would meet up with my friends. I remember telling the trip leader, Mr. Ken Liles, on the phone, "I can't do this! I've never even flown before."

I still hear two voices every time I have to fly alone. Mr Ken Liles: "I have faith in you. You can do this!" My husband: "Being brave isn't the absence of fear; it's facing your fears, and you are the bravest woman I know!"

So, on Friday I boarded a plane for Nairobi to see my first-born. I knew that when I got there, I would have to get in a taxi with a stranger. I knew that while I was there, I'd have to get in a car and drive in some of the world's worst traffic to "places unknown." I have a terrible sense of direction!

All of this wasn't the most difficult part, though. As someone who VOWED she would never send her children to boarding school, I faced another battle: once again having to leave my fiercely loved 15 year old at boarding school on Tuesday and that inevitable "hole in your heart" kind of loss.

You might say I had developed a bit of an attitude about Rift Valley Academy. As if they were holding my son hostage. I was looking for any excuse to not send him back there next year!

Monday night, terribly exhausted from my emotional battle, I gave up and cried out to God, "God, if this is REALLY your plan for Andrew's life, I'm asking you to give me some confirmation, because I just want him home with us." At that moment, any choice would have been preferable to boarding school.

Tuesday morning, Andrew asked me to go to classes with him. Mother with a bad attitude meeting teachers! I feel like a liar when I have to hide my feelings!

First period English class: A brand new teacher. I expected the students to take advantage of her, misbehave, be uncooperative. She told them they were going to do a project and asked for immediate participation. Brave girl to do this on her first day! I didn't expect to see what I saw: kids with their hands up, interacting, showing excitement about "A Tale of Two Cities." HMMM!

Second period Algebra class: The teacher made a special effort to talk to me. This is Andrew's most challenging class. He wanted to make sure I knew he was committed to helping Andrew through.

Third period Bible class: The class was studying, verse by verse, John chapter 11. The story of Lazarus. Once again I saw a passionate teacher and passionate students. They were interacting, their insights were AMAZING, they were being challenged to live their faith when Satan tried to get them to question God's goodness or God's power.

Add those three experiences in with my observation of my 15 year old son as a respectful, loving, caring individual...

mix it all together and you have a mom who left there crying tears of joy, not sadness. Her cries to God had been answered.

CONFIRMED! Rift Valley Academy is the most AMAZING school I've ever seen! CONFIRMED! God is working out a wonderful plan in Andrew's life. I can't wait to watch it unfold.

Finally! Some Help!

2009-05-10T06:51:00.003+02:00

Meet our friends: Felix, Mary, Angel and Angelo!

We have enjoyed getting to know them over the past year and a half since Christian Academy introduced us, said that we were neighbors and suggested we carpool.

Felix and Mary are Rwandese refugees who came to Mozambique seeking a new life for their family. Once they learned we were starting a church, they have been on board, even when their lack of Portuguese severely limited what they understood. They host a weekly prayer meeting in their tiny home and have established a sweet relationship with our interns. They have struggled to eek out a living, but we have seen their love for the Lord and their perserverance. Several months back, Felix began working for MozOvos and the relationship continued to grow.

For more than a year, we've had our eyes open and have been praying for a solid, trustworthy couple to help us in the administration of the internship. We never really considered Felix and Mary until a few weeks ago, when the Lord began to work in their hearts and ours simultaneously. Felix was hoping to be able to participate with the guys in their weekly soul care studies and meetings. We began to recognize that their Portuguese skills have dramatically impoved and that they would be a natural fit for this ministry. We are so grateful to God for sending them our way.

Will you please pray for us that Felix will be able to complete the very lengthy process of establishing residency in this country? Will you pray for good communication skills and a relationship of mutual encouragement and accountability?

We have high hopes for this young family!

Easter Sunday

2009-04-13T18:20:00.003+02:00

Happy Birthday MozOvos

2009-04-07T13:14:00.007+02:00

Today, we celebrate the 1st anniversary of MozOvos, our egg farm!!!! Here are some before and after pics!
This was what the land looked like when we started. Just a snake infested, overgrown mess.
The building was in terrible shape.
Alot of blood, sweat and tears later....
This is MozOvos today! An established part of the community with a beautiful, well cared for piece of property.
A very nice building to house up to 5,000 hens!

Producing nearly 200 dozen eggs daily which are selling just as fast as "our ladies" can produce them to restaurants, bakeries, stores and even the U.S. Marines!
These are the people who make it all happen! 9 interns, several employees from the community, 2 drivers, a manager and administrative assistant. Oh, and the veterinarian just happened to be here today, so he's in the picture too! We celebrated how God has provided for all of us in different ways through MozOvos. Our internship ministry will one day very soon, God willing, be completely funded by MozOvos. Manager Bule and all our community workers depend on MozOvos for their livelihood! WE are pleased and happy and all of us gathered around today to thank God for all He has done.

Thankful

2009-03-27T23:35:00.015+02:00

We always share our ministry life with you, so this week, I thought I'd share the more personal side of our life with you.

Recently, my friend did a blog post of all her simple gifts; small things that give her joy. She unknowingly inspired me to keep track of every small or big thing that I am thankful for. So, this week, I kept a record of every thankful thought that came to my mind and found that I had a GREAT week, remembering my blessings and praising God for each one. I'm posting a few below. They are in completely random order. Some of them have pictures, some do not. Needless to say, this list is just a drop in the bucket. I hope that YOUwill be inspired to count your good gifts this week!

So, I'm thankful for:

my son Stephen who is so funny and "quirky", even when he sleeps! Yes, he really IS sleeping in this picture.

Laughter, fun and good food with friends.

Creativity! The kids had so much fun doing a graffiti wall in Andrew and Stephen's room on Friday night.

Do the numbers ring a bell with anyone?

Having my oldest son home from boarding school and hearing about the last term. Here he is with another one of our blessings, his good friend Reid.

The wonderful husband God gave me. We're coming up on 18 years of marriage next week and each year is better than the one before.

Dr. Grimbeek, the South African doctor who is making it possible for Stephen to have straight teeth!

New glasses so I can enjoy reading once again!

My neighbor ladies, Lidia, Laurinda and Joana! It's taken some time, and alot of hard work, but they are opening up to friendship with a white girl!

My friend Pam who is so good at remembering birthdays and anniversaries. Something I admire since I'm so bad at it! THANKS FOR THE CARD, PAM J.!!!!

Crazy, wonderful sons who love each other!

Amazing friends to "do life" with. This is my bible study group. We were celebrating a birthday.

They bring me so much laughter and joy.

Precious little girls who give me hugs and draw me pictures and stuff.

Andrew's amazing dorm parents, Nathan and Stacey. This is Stacey, his "mom away from mom".

COOL STUFF!

2009-03-15T15:41:00.006+02:00

It's definitely been one of the biggest challenges of our lives but also one of the biggest blessings as well! The International Internship in Missions had it's first birthday in February. MozOvos, the egg business created to sustain the internship, will have it's first birthday on April 1st. When we get discouraged, all we have to do is LOOK BACK! God has done some amazing things in this year! The business has been a huge learning experience for us all, but we are seeing more and more eggs every day. We are becoming quite an "operation" as we supply eggs for many bakeries, cafes and restaurants in Maputo as well as to the U.S. Marines guarding the Embassy!

Here are the guys, counting eggs. The guy in the tie? Well, hens still need to eat on Sundays! It was Sunday morning and it was his turn to preach!

The other cool thing about our lives is helping these 9 interns find, define and then use the gifts God has given them. The fruit of this is lives being transformed. Not just their lives, but lives of those who need Jesus all around us. We are amazed every time one of these nine stand up to preach. We are amazed when we see young men they have been playing soccer with start to articulate their faith to their peers. We are amazed when we see the children in the sunday school class able to repeat almost WORD FOR WORD the bible story from the week before and what it means for them. Below is Luis who is very gifted with children. He teaches the bible story in a very simple and clear way and then gives the children a chance to tell the story in their own words. With him is one of the children, taking their turn to tell the story of Jesus calming the storm.

My Mozambican Wedding Story, by Lynne

2009-02-28T15:00:00.003+02:00

I'm the kind of person who doesn't like the spotlight, not even for a minute. I like to "blend in". Though I like and enjoy people in small numbers, I'm not extremely social and HATE large crowds. Imagine my distress this past Sunday when, in an effort to be a part of the community in which we live, I attended the wedding of my next door neighbors. I was to be accompanied by several of my Mozambican sons, but they all bailed on me for various reasons, so, I went alone.

It started out okay. I sat and chatted with a group of women under the shade of a tree. It's hard to "blend in" when you are the only white person, however, and I was soon "promoted" to the table of the wedding party. There I sat with the bride, groom, matron of honor and best man...sticking out like a sore thumb! The meal went off without a hitch. I chatted with the matron of honor and we exchanged phone numbers AND THEN it happened! The gift giving part of the celebration began!

I've lived in Mozambique for 6 years now and I KNOW what this means: Each family group presents the gift they have brought with singing and dancing. I had brought a gift, but was the only one from my family group there. I CANNOT TELL YOU the terror that struck me when I thought about the possibility of presenting the gift, the lone white lady, singing and dancing? I looked for an escape but I was quite literally backed into a corner.(See the lady in the background with the yellow dress in the first picture? I was sitting in the empty seat next to her.)

It was then one of the neighbor kids approached me and asked, "Tia Lynne, are you going to give your gift alone?" "I don't want to", I told her, "what should I do?" "Come with me," was her response. She proceeded to round up all her brothers and sisters and relatives, about 20 people in all. Much to my relief, they let ME carry the gift and THEY did the singing and dancing. Just when I stopped shaking and sweating, IT happened: one of the girls grabbed me and, in moves that I can only compare to "The Funky Chicken", she demonstrated how she wanted me to dance. It was do or die! I can only say that I am eternally grateful that there was no video camera. My neighbors and all 150 of their friends and family, however, were delighted with my efforts! After all was said and done, I received lots of smiles and warm embraces. Hopefully, I opened the door of relationship just a little wider. I firmly believe in what our friend Duncan once said, "Belief follows belonging."

Do you think this is what the Apostle Paul had in mind when he said, "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some."? (I Corinthians 9:22) If so, I will say with him, "I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." (9:23)

The bride and groom are 60 years old if they're a day! They have many children and grandchildren together. Some are pictured below. In Mozambique, most young couples cannot afford to get married. The cultural mandates make a wedding financially unattainable.

Party in Heaven!!

2009-02-10T21:11:00.004+02:00

Just a quick note to let you all know that you have 6 new brothers and sisters in Christ this week! 6 out of our 18 pre-evangelism/discipleship class members have made decisions to believe in Jesus and receive His gift of grace.

This is in the midst of one of our most personally discouraging and trying weeks ever. He is mighty to save us...our souls and far beyond!

Discipleship

2009-02-07T08:00:00.002+02:00

We started discipleship classes 2 weeks ago in our 2 locations. The interns are teaching the classes and doing a great job. The books are simple and understandable. Last week, our lesson was on "New Birth". The verse we memorized together was John 1:12.

The discussion around "believing and receiving" Jesus went like this:

Artur: "Who here has received Jesus as Savior?"

The class: no hands up except those of our interns and my own. Dead silence

Artur: "It's a simple question; who here has received Jesus?"

The class: 2 tentative hands go up

Arture: "Katia, how do you know you have received Jesus?"

Katia: "Because I have done what the verse said, I believe in Him and I received Him and now I am his child."

Artur: "Manuel, how do you know you have received Jesus"?

Manuel: ""Because I prayed to receive Jesus and invited Him to be my Lord."

Artur: "Mama Ana, have you received Jesus?"

Mama Ana: "NO"

Artur: "Rita, have you received Jesus?"

Rita: (giggling) "No".

Artur: "Have you received Jesus?"

Fabiao:(eyes downcast): "No"

Artur: "Why have you not received Jesus as your Saviour?"

Mama Ana: "Because we don't understand it all yet."

It was that bold; that direct and a really painful interaction for my "oh so non-confrontational" ears to hear. It brought tears to my eyes to hear two twenty-something young people verbalize their faith and to know that, as we continue on, the others WILL understand and come to faith.

Thanks for sending the Schmidt's to Mozambique. The work we are all doing together IS so very important and life-changing.

2009 Internship kick-off retreat

2009-01-13T11:10:00.002+02:00

All of our guys, joined with 3 friends from Lakeside Church in Folsom, California for our 2009 Internship Retreat at a beautiful spot in Chizavane, Mozambique. They camped for 2 nights. During the day, the studied, together with Pastor Jeff Kreiser, about what it means to have a "missional life".

Tim from Lakeside Church came along to give a series of guitar classes to the interns so they can lead in worship at church.

They enjoyed wonderful meals prepared by our friends, Fatima and Maria! These ladies made it possible for Lynne to stay home and recover from malaria.

Our friend, Jon, from Lakeside Church, led the group in several team-building excercises.

A great time was had by all!

This week in Mozambique:A photo review

2009-01-05T05:28:00.004+02:00

Move in day for the interns and lots of work to be done.

We painted their rooms, so they all slept in our living room for 2 nights. 9 guys!

Moving everything back in

Washing all the dust covered dishes.

Setting up the kitchen.

Building a new table

Even the youngest of us were exhausted and ready for Mom's chocolate chip cookies.

Team

2008-12-03T11:35:00.004+02:00

One of the things we have most loved about our time in Mozambique has been the sense of "team." We have had great team members to be sure! We

We were privileged to be a part of a great team for Jim and Corinne Thorp for several years and then with Ken and Arlene Flurry for 3 months until their recent departures.

We are privileged to work as a team with our interns in the start up and daily activities of the business and church planting effort.

We eagerly anticipate the day when our newest team members arrive. The young lady above, Honey Davidge, is our "newest" team member! Honey will be an invaluable team member as she comes to teach our son Stephen's class at the Christian Academy in Mozambique. WE LITERALLY CAN'T DO OUR JOB WITHOUT HER!!

Please pray for her to raise her support by late June! SHE IS VERY MUCH NEEDED HERE!!! If you would like to help her reach her goal for this one year commitment she has made, please contact Worldventure at 720-283-2000 and tell them you would like to contribute to the support of Honey Davidge. In doing so, you will abundantly bless the Schmidt Family and the work in Mozambique.

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR WORLDVENTURE TEAM MEMBERS!!! They are all in various stages of support discovery.

Rob and Heather Blanks
Dave and Amy Terpstra
Dr. Brian and Megan Meyers
Honey Davidge

137!

2008-11-30T14:50:00.002+02:00

137!

This is the number of dozens of eggs we need for the month of December to make budget at MozOvos! Will you please pray with us about these things?

1. 137 dozen eggs is needed to buy chicken feed and pay salaries.

2. The vendor that was providing us with hens went bankrupt, leaving us high and dry for the remaining 3,000 chickens he was to provide. This is a serious setback, but we keep reminding ourselves this is God's work, not ours.

3. Pray that we will learn the lessons God has for us to learn. That our faith will grow and as we pray together and see God answer, God will strengthen the faith of our interns as well.

WE EXPECT GREAT THINGS FROM GOD IN ANSWER TO OUR COLLECTIVE PRAYERS!

Crazy Story!

2008-11-22T08:35:00.002+02:00

"TIA-This Is Africa!!!" A common saying for us. This crazy story will explain what we're talking about.

Daudi, the young intern from Mbezi Chapel in Tanzania, has had to overcome a number of obstacles to participate with us. It all started when he tried to get his passport in Tanzania and found out that he is not legally a citizen of Tanzania, though he was born there. Some issue with his grandparents and parents being from Mozambique and not registered in Tanzania. Obtaining Tanzanian citizenship seems impossible or at best, extremely difficult. He has been a man without a country, but was given travel papers by immigration in Mozambique to be in the country for 1 year. Daudi had to learn portuguese, live with people he couldn't communicate with and try to figure out life here. He has done very well and is adored by all of us.

Through some investigation here in Mozambique, we discovered that due to a huge number of unregistered births in Mozambique, there is a legal process for adults to obtain a birth certificate. So, on Thursday, Daudi signed his own birth certificate here in Mozambique! He is a citizen of Mozambique!

24 hours later, he was detained in handcuffs by the civil police who didn't understand the documents issued to him by Mozambique immigration. Thankfully, he was with another young man who was able to help him prove his legal status and he was released.

We live in a country that we often don't understand, the system often seems illogical and is so opposite to our system in the USA. For example, here, as in Daudi's case, if there's a question of guilt, you are "guilty until proven innocent."

It's no wonder we are so tired at the end of days like yesterday. We can only do this because God has given us such a love for this country and it's people.

Thanks for your faithful prayers for us.

7 Reasons to Praise and Some Prayer Requests

2008-11-12T11:14:00.009+02:00

Here are photos and a short bio of our much loved interns! Please pray for them as they take a break and return to their homes during the month of December. Pray for them to remain strong in their faith, to resist temptations and to continue with the spiritual disciplines they are learning. Pray for them to be salt and light in their homes and communities. All but Daudi plan to return for the second year of the program which means a great deal more leadership and business training and responsibilities for each. Pray for us because we will miss them terribly. Pray for the 4 new interns we hope to add to the program in January. Rafael is our youngest intern and is 18 years old. He came under recommendation of his pastor from the baptist church of Hulene. He is in high school. Rafael is very gifted musically and has been leading our worship services since the first Sunday we started the church.

Reginaldo came to work with us on recommendation of the national director of Youth For Christ, where he has been a volunteer. Reg is extremely quiet, hard working and studious. Reading is very difficult for him, but he doesn't let it stop him, even from reading aloud in church! He has a way with kids and all the children in the neighborhood love him.

Luis is from a town 1 hour north of Maputo and was sent by his church, The First Baptist Church of Maputo. He is a gifted servant of God. We have seen the most growth in Luis in the area of his preaching skills.

Daudi is from Mbezi Chapel in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Daudi had the most to overcome as he came here needing to learn Portuguese. He has done so well! He is a gifted drummer and has a very natural way of connecting with children. Pray for Daudi as he leaves us to return to Tanzania for a time. Pray for a godly wife for Daudi. Pray that we will be able to help Daudi resolve his citizenship issues. Right now, he is a "man without a country."

Jose Macuacua is from a small village outside of Maputo. His father is the leader of the baptist church there. Macuacua came to Maputo to live with family members and go to high school as his village has nothing beyond elementary school. Macuacua was painfully shy and stuttered severely when he came here. He has blossomed into a confident student and preacher of God's word. Pray for Macuacua as he returns to his village in December. He's looking forward to speaking at his home church.

Aderito came to us under the recommendation of his church Evangelical Church of the Grace of God. Aderito most definitely has the gift of evangelism. He passionately shares Christ with others and is a gifted preacher. Please pray for Aderito as he finishes up his school year and studies hard for his exams.

Artur was recommended by his pastor at the Baptist Church of Bagamoyo. He has served faithfully as a leader of one of this churches mission works. Artur is a natural born leader. He is also very insightful and we seek him out for advice all the time. He is passionate about God's word and is an extremely gifted speaker as well.

Many Reasons to Celebrate!

2008-11-02T20:31:00.011+02:00

The problem with "blogging" is that some of us just aren't very good at it! :) We are now more than a month since our last blog and many, many things have happened. Good things and bad things. Today, we will choose to celebrate and praise the Lord for the good things. We'll give you "snippets" of our life this past 5 weeks.

Andrew-we were able to spend a week with Andrew in Kenya. He's doing very well in all areas of school life.

Stephen-Makes us laugh, has lots of friends who are here to play every day, is now the proud owner of 2 chameleons and 2 other lizards that look like miniature dinosaurs.

MozOvos-the egg business is doing well. Our "ladies"(what we call the hens) are producing over 60 dozen eggs a day. We are all working hard to sell them, get contracts with restaurants and stores, etc. We are still waiting on many more hens to arrive.

Ministry-always exciting! Yesterday, we had a unified service for the 2 congregations; the one that meets at our house and the one that meets at MozOvos. 71 were in attendance and it was a great celebration time! People came that we have been in relationship with for the many months we have lived at this location and it was their first time to come. Rui-the representative for our landlord, who comes to collect our rent each month. The auto parts shop owner from next door. Eugenia, the lady Lynne has made friends with, who works in a shop nearby. Many people who participate in soccer each week came as well. Our dear friends, Charlie and Angie(IMB missionaries), came and their presence was a huge encouragement to us.(They are the other white faces in the group photo!)

We'll try to write again this week and share some prayer needs!

In the meantime, enjoy the photos and short video of our celebration service! Both are poor quality due to the fact that our good camera has been stolen.

Pay close attention to the little guy in the red shirt! The people are singing "Our Jesus is Good."

A Life Story, from Lynne

2008-09-25T05:58:00.006+02:00

Felismina, the girl in my story, is the bigger girl with the big, beautiful smile. This was us doing the "Roo-chi-cha chant" at our vacation bible school. Double click for a bigger picture.

I love Mozambique. I love the people. I love walking through the markets and talking to people. I love that we have neighbor children playing in our yard on the weekends. I love the noise of our interns practicing music for Sunday. I love the laughter of lots of teenaged girls when the Youth For Christ kids come over to meet on Wednesdays.

I love our life and ministry here...most of the time.

There are those days, however, when the strain of life here brings out the worst in me. Usually, it's after a series of events where I feel powerless to do anything or know that whatever small thing I do is just a temporary "fix".

Here's my story for this week:

Sunday a.m. as we prepared to greet people for church at our house, we discovered a woman lying face down in the sand outside of our gate. We weren't sure if she was alive or dead, drunk or sleeping. We decided to leave her be until after the service, thinking maybe, if she was drunk, she'd sleep it off and be on her way. I had trouble sitting through the service and, actually, didn't make it to the end before I went back to check on her. She was on all fours, trying to get up. I called Rodger and he came out. She was very old, very toothless, very spunky and didn't speak a lick of Portuguese but had alot to say nonetheless! :) I ran to get her some water which she refused as she continued to talk non-stop. Rodger went back to the service and I called a young man who was walking by to come over and translate for us. She said she wasn't thirsty, she was hungry and weak. I ran in the house, got some fruit and a piece of leftover chicken and knelt beside her in the sand. I told the young man to tell her that we were not rich people but that we wanted to give this to her to bless her in the name of Jesus. Well, I know enough changana(her language) to know that he left out the "in the name of Jesus" part, so I asked him to say it again! :) She accepted and smiled a toothless smile. My heart felt light at being able to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Fast forward to Monday, our day off. It was a beautiful, sunny day and I was gathering up my bible study materials, water bottle, and chair to sit in the sun and enjoy my time alone with God. About the time I was ready to sit down, my 13 year old neighbor girl came in. A young lady who has been part of our neighborhood bible clubs. Right away, I was feeling frustrated at the interruption. She came to tell me that she was hungry and they had no food at their house. I told her to wait and came in the house to talk to Rodger.

The conversation was one we've probably had a thousand times before and went a little something like this:

Me: "Well, once again, I can't even sit in my own yard on my day off without being interrupted. (Heavy sigh). Felismina is here. They have no food at their house. What do we do?"

Rodger: "Honey, if we start this, it will become a pattern that we can't stop. Then where do they get food for tomorrow and then the next day?"

Me: "I know, but I can't let that little girl go to school hungry."

Rodger: (Heavy sigh). "give her something and tell her that you need to speak with her mother or father. There are 11 people living at that house. We can't afford to feed them all."

I put together some bread and butter and gave her some eggs. I told her I needed to speak to her mother and sent her on her way. My heart felt heavy, discouraged, annoyed...most of all, I felt tremendous guilt. Guilt that my first response was about the fact that I was being inconvenienced. Guilt that, just yesterday, I was thrilled to be the hands and feet of Jesus, but today, on my day off, I didn't want to be. Guilt that I was about to eat leftover pasta and vegetables. Frustration that we're perceived as "rich" Americans. Frustration that there are SO MANY all around us just like Filismina and we could have a line at our gate all day every day of people needing assistance.

At this point, there was absolutely no way I could concentrate on my bible study. I told Rodger I had to get away and went over to the Flurry's house, knowing that they were not home and I could have some time to think. I sat on their front porch and cried out to God about the condition of my heart. I asked Him to remove my "heart of stone" and give me His heart. I asked for wisdom and I asked for it IMMEDIATELY, before I had to talk to this child's mother.

He was faithful again and gave me an answer. " Help this mother start something."

So, 1 hour later, with a heart that felt "right" again, I sat face to face with this woman. I asked her questions and let her talk about why they have no food. She said that she and her husband both need jobs. I explained to her that we aren't yet at a place in the egg business to offer employment to others outside of our interns but that, as a family, we wanted to offer a gift to help. We bought 15 dozen eggs for her as "start-up". I explained that she can sell them for a small profit, keep the profit, reinvest to buy more eggs to sell. She was pleased and is giving it a try. Please pray for her!

Please pray for us in these situations we face each day. They absolutely wear us down when we try to handle them in our strength and that was where I was on Monday.

The truth is, we ARE powerless.

Please pray that we will CONSISTENTLY learn to handle these situation with the grace and wisdom that comes from God alone. I am so glad His ways are perfect, trustworthy and true.

"WHAT?"

2008-09-20T17:08:00.007+02:00

One of our son Stephen's favorite words is "What?" Not a calm, cool response to his mother's call, but a screeching, face contorted "WHAT?". Like what you would say if the Internal Revenue Service announced there would be no tax refunds of any kind this year for any American.

Well, it's what we heard from Stephen's mouth when he discovered that his father and the Flurry's were going to Mozambique Island for 3 days and we were staying home to have school. Inside, I, too, was screaming, "WHAT?"

Here is a pictorial review of why this news evoked such a strong response from those of us who were being "left" behind:

The first few pictures of what we see and do every day in Maputo.

Now the "fun" starts! Ken, Arlene and Rodger went on a vision trip to the island and to continue talking to the local leadership about opportunities for us there.
BEAUTIFUL VIEWS!
And AMAZING seafood! The big, blue fish is "papagaio" or "parrotfish".

Sacrifice

2008-09-04T09:47:00.012+02:00

After we said our good-by's we cried a river all the way down the mountain. For the first time in over five years I feel like being a missionary comes with great sacrifice. This has been the hardest thing we have ever been asked to do.

With that said. We still beleive it is right and good. God surprised us with Andrews good friend from Mozambique that moved away three years ago is literally living across the hall from him. They are hanging out together and both are already making friends, playing basketball, and doing ok.

Andrew said his room mate (10th grader) plays guitar so hopefully they can find some common ground. Always growing and being stretched. We are anxious to meet him and others. We will be back in Kenya in October for mission meetings. Afterwards, we are planning to spend a few days with Andrew during his mid-term break.

Andrew is living in room 6 of the Westervelt dorm. We really like his dorm parents (former military). They have two little girls and seem to really have a heart to minister to the guys. They spent quite a bit of time talking to us and letting us ask questions. We feel real supported and invited to participate as well.

We spent 1.5 days in orientation. It was so good and we left reaffirmed that RVA is one of the most special places on earth. We are so impressed with the wisdom, care and commitment to provide a positive, healthy and spiritual environment for Andrew.
I don't know that we have ever experienced such physical pain as we realize the hole Andrew leaves in our day to day lives. However, We believe in him and what God's plan is for him over these next years. Our influence is not lost. We have a pretty cool opportunity to begin to think differently about parenting and as to how we influence him. Actually, it kind of cool to be afforded the opportunity to look at parenting and influencing from a fresh and different point of view.We love you guys and thanks for praying for us. Andrew is in good hands. Stephen is really missing is brother. He had such a good time himself while at RVA. He said, "You can leave me too if you want". I know what you are thinking....All in good time. We still have two years before Stephen is slated to go.

Andrew would love to hear form you. His e-mail address is: aschmidt12@kijabe.net

Thanks for praying for us during this transition.

Love you all,
Rodger, Lynne and Stephen

New Video Link

2008-08-26T07:18:00.003+02:00

Hi everyone!

Check out our new VIDEOS! link to the left of the Blog page.

In the next few weeks we will have some new exciting videos for you to view and share. Now that we are slowly catching up with technology (so we think), we will be able to provide videos to communicate better the vision and that reality of our life and work here in Mozambique.

You can even down load them to your personal computer and share with friends, church family, and others who might me interested.

Thanks for praying,

The Schmidts