New Hope S.o.S./Mozambique Blog "Sharing our Strength"

S.o.S.: New Hope Church members and friends "Sharing our Strength" in Mozambique, Africa (July '08)r

What started as a personal invitation to go to Africa from Monty Jacobs, long-time Maranatha Volunteers International (MVI) board member, to friend Dave Wooster, head of "S.o.S." missions at New Hope, somehow blossomed into a group of 39 people on a mission trip to Mozambique. On Sunday, July 13, the group of members and friends of New Hope in Fulton, Md headed to Africa for a 2 1/2 week mission trip. After a 17 hour plane ride to Johannesburg, S. Africa, the group boarded a bus for a 9 hour ride to Maputo (the capital city of Mozambique) where they stayed in tents at the MVI volunteer camp which was their home for the next 12 nights.

Mozambique, among the poorest nations in the world, was chosen by MVI to receive 1001 churches, 8 schools and a water well for each of those structures. MVI moved into Mozambique in February, 2007 and has currently completed around 50 churches (with more under construction) and is working on their 2nd school, with the assistance of the New Hope group on this trip.

The New Hope group divided into 4 crews for the specific missions that were planned for this trip:

1) A BUILDING crew helped to construct a 400-capacity school in the area of Mahotas. The crew consisted of anywhere from 20-24 people of all ages, with only one person in the group having laid brick before. Approximately 40% of the school was completed while they were there.

2) A WATER WELL DRILLING crew assisted Garry Berndt, who is heading up the water well project in Mozambique. The New Hope group helped drill 4 water wells, 2 of which were at the school property. The first well they drilled at the Mahotas school was designated as a community well, providing water at no charge to the local community, who were there daily, anxiously watching the whole process.

3) A MEDICAL MISSION team went out into remote villages and treated over 900 people in 8 working days. Most everyone they saw suffered from illnesses as a result of poor nutrition, dehydration, and parasites in their drinking water, in addition to AIDS/HIV, tuberculosis, etc.

4) A VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL team shared the simple and pure gospel message of God's love with a group of kids that grew from 80 the first day, to over 500/day by the end of the trip. The kids were also taught about simple hygiene and given bars of soap that New Hope sent over after learning how precious this item is in Mozambique.

What struck the New Hope group most about Mozambique was the overwhelming amount of poverty that they saw: people living in little more than shacks, children taking care of children (often scarcely dressed with no shoes), and rampant hunger and disease. The medical team drove 1-2 hours one-way, everyday, to remote villages to offer medical care to those who have no money or means to get it on their own. "The poverty was so overwhelming that we didn't even realize until our third day on the same route that there was an ocean laying just beyond - "The poverty was just so devastating, it's all we could see. It was like watching a bad movie." commented one team member.

The primary goal for this trip was to follow the Matthew 25:35 principle, which states "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Being the "hands and feet of Jesus" and meeting basic needs in this tangible way was the most powerful evangelism tool we could ever use.

MOZAMBIQUE STATISTICS

Geography: The Republic of Mozambique is in southeast Africa. It is bordered by Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Swaziland and the Mozambique Channel of the Indian Ocean. Maputo is the capital city and a major port. Other important ports include Beira and Nacala.
Mozambique has a long stretch of coastal lowlands, with higher terrain inland and some mountains. Major rivers are the Zambezi and the Limpopo.

Weather is tropical to subtropical with the rainy season between November and March. Severe weather conditions include drought and floods.

Environment: Wildlife in Mozambique's conservation areas suffered great loss of life during wars from the 1970s until the early 1990s. At the end of 2004, the government of Mozambique formalized their partnership with the African Wildlife Foundation to improve the conservation of Mozambique's wildlife. The Niassa Reserve was the most resilient of the wildlife reserves and by 2004 supported herds of antelope, zebra and buffalo as well as larger animals such as lions and many species of birds.Other National Parks in Mozambique include Banhine National Park, an important wetland, Bazaruto National Park, one of the largest marine parks in the Indian Ocean and Quirimbas Archipelago National Park, which has one of the world's best areas of coral reef.

Architecture: The Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama arrived in Inhambane, one of Mozambique's oldest towns, in 1498. The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Conception, in Inhambanem, is a reminder of the Portuguese colonial era.Mozambique Island, a World Heritage site, is a fortified Portuguese trading post dating back to the sixteenth century. The small island, not far from Mozambique's mainland, has a variety of architecture including Christian churches and Islamic mosques. The capital city of Maputo and the second city of Beira also have examples of Portuguese Colonial architecture, although years of war have taken their toll on the buildings. It is also interesting to note that Maputo has a railway station designed by France's Gustave Eiffel (1910).

Population: The population of Mozambique was estimated at 20,905,585 in 2007.LanguagesPortuguese is the official language although English is widely used in business. Other languages spoken include Lomwe, Makhuwa, Sena and Tsonga.

Religion: Over forty percent of Mozambicans are Christian and around eighteen percent are Muslim. A number of people follow indigenous beliefs.

Food: The cuisine of Mozambique has been influenced by centuries of Portuguese colonization. Crops grown by the Portuguese in South America were introduced to Mozambique. The best example is maize, a native plant of the Americas.Millet and sorghum, also grown by Mozambicans, are more drought resistant crops.Maize and cassava are both made into porridge. Stews and soups are popular, for example, bean soup and squash soup. As well as meat and fish, shellfish, such as shrimps and prawns, are eaten. "Piri piri" a hot pepper sauce or marinade is used in meat and fish recipes.

History: Mozambique has been inhabited since early times. Hunter-gatherers lived in the area in the Stone Age and Bantu speakers migrated to present-day Mozambique around the third century AD. Arab and Asian merchants traded along the coast from the sixth century.The first Europeans, the Portuguese led by Vasco da Gama, arrived in Mozambique at the end of the fifteenth century. In 1884 Mozambique officially became a Portuguese colony. British and French companies rented land for plantations. Portuguese direct rule began in 1932 and by the 1960s many more Portuguese had arrived in Mozambique. About this time Frelimo, the Mozambique Liberation Front, began a long campaign for freedom.Finally, in 1974 Portugal and Frelimo signed the Lusaka Accord and Mozambique became independent in 1975.Renamo, the National Resistance movement of Mozambique, backed by white governments in South Africa and Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) fought against the Frelimo government. Between 1977 and 1992 war and famine killed around a million people in Mozambique.

Economy: Following independence and the subsequent civil war, the government of Mozambique introduced a number of economic reforms. Together with foreign aid and investment these measures led to significant improvements in the country's economy. Unfortunately, Mozambique suffered severe flooding at the turn of the century and reconstruction costs were estimated at over four hundred and thirty million dollars. A large percentage of Mozambicans work in the agricultural sector; many are subsistence farmers. Livestock is reared and crops include maize, millet, sorghum, cassava, beans, sweet potatoes, sunflowers, groundnuts, cashew nuts, coconuts, citrus and tropical fruits, sugarcane, tea, cotton, sisal and tobacco.

Industries are energy, petroleum products, chemicals, fertilizers, aluminum, asbestos, cement, glass, textiles, food, beverages and tobacco.Mozambique's long coastline is beneficial to the country's fishing industry and the tourist trade. Big game fishing, scuba diving and snorkelling are all major attractions for tourists. (2006) ArtsCrafts include basketry, wooden carvings and sculpture. Malangatana Ngwenya, a versatile artist known for his dramatic paintings, has also been inspired by Mozambican crafts. Malangatana, born near Maputo in 1936, is considered one of the greatest African artists.Music is an integral part of Mozambique's culture. In 1979 the National Song and Dance Company of Mozambique was formed by musicians, dancers, storytellers and actors. Today the Company regularly presents Mozambican culture at a variety of international venues.

Sports: Popular team sports in Mozambique are basketball and football. The Federacao Mocambicana de Futebol is affiliated to FIFA.In athletics, Mozambique's Maria Mutola won the country's first Gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2002. Mozambique's long coastline offers plenty of opportunities for sports such as scuba diving and deep-sea fishing.

New Hope S.o.S./Mozambique Blog "Sharing our Strength"

AFRICA SLIDESHOW

4/30/08

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S.o.S.: New Hope Church members and friends "Sharing our Strength" in Mozambique, Africa (July '08)r

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