Sunday, December 4, 2011

To Mozambique or Bust

Hello Friends!

Never in a million years did I think that my life would come to this.  Have I really become a "blogger?"  Is my life really that interesting to type about? Hardly.  But, God has been doing some incredibly crazy, amazing things lately.  So amazing, that I can't shut up about them.

Last fall I packed my backpack and headed off to Kenya for three months.  My team was composed of 11 people (that I had never met before) and I had no idea what we were going to be doing there.  Little did I know, that trip was going to change my life and refine my vision for the future.  Yeah, Kenya was cool.  We saw giraffes and zebras on the side of the road, lived with the Maasai tribe in the bush, saw people being healed as we prayed for them, and got to experience the true meaning of community.  But, it was God's voice that changed the path of my life.  It was there that I really got to worship and listen freely to Him.  He called me out. I knew then that things would never be the same.  My heart would forever be tied to Africa, the people there, and the mission that I had been assigned.  I knew I would be back.

Fast forward a few months to another huge life change.  I started hanging out with this guy named Ryan.  We had known each other since 5th grade and he was actually the one who told me about the organization I went to Kenya with.  Our goals, visions, and passions were ridiculously similar... like creepily similar.  The phrase "meant to be" is a little cheesy for my taste, but we simply couldn't ignore how alike we were.  It was encouraging to be around someone who had experienced some of the same things I had and we decided that it was probably best if we stuck together for a while. 

So now, we come to the whole point of this here blog.  Mozambique.  Ryan was in South Africa and Swaziland for 9 months after we graduated from high school in 2008 with Adventures in Missions (the organization we both went to Africa with).  His group was teaching a Bible study of about 50 boys in a boy's high school in Swaziland where he met a student named Mancoba.  Ryan would tell you that this boy was not normal.  He had a fire and passion for the word of God unlike any of the others.  Mancoba was born into a family that practiced witchcraft (which 80% of Swazis do) and was kicked out of his house at 16 when he became a Christian.  The local church let him stay in an extra room they had available.  When Ryan's team left, they put him in charge of the Bible study.  The next winter, Ryan returned to the school without warning to find over 150 boys attending the Bible study.  God was moving in and through Mancoba and had put a dream on his heart - to go to Mozambique.  Through a series of (again) crazy, awesome events, Ryan and Mancoba have been working together to build a school in the once school-less village of Macia.
The school!

The school has been completed for about 5 months now and has around 30-40 kids attending.  Mancoba has been supplying food, clothing, and building supplies for the community with Ryan's support every month.  The food consists of lettuce, tomato, and bread which can hardly be labeled as a substantial meal.  In three weeks, Ryan and I will be going on a "vision trip" to this village.  Our goals are to assess the needs in Macia.  The school, basic needs of the people there, spiritual need, how many orphans are present, and how we can help educate and provide sustainability are some things we will be evaluating.
The kids holding up their "new" clothes.

The lettuce, tomato, and bread that is considered a meal.

Mancoba (green shirt) handing out bread to the people of Macia.

Our tickets, transportation, lodging, and food for the trip has all been taken care of.  However, we are still trying to raise more funds to give the the school while we are there.  We know for sure that this community is in need of a new roof for the school as it is the rainy season and the current roof has been leaking.  In addition, we would also like to be able to buy school supplies for the students.  Would you pray for us? Would you be willing to give $10-$15 dollars towards supplying substantial food, clothing, and school supplies for these kids? I have included a "Donate" button towards the top right of the page that will allow donations if  you feel like this is something you would like to be involved in.  We do want you to know, however, that your prayers are most valuable to us.

Thank you to all who have prayed, encouraged, bought hats, and simply been great friends and listeners to Ryan and I over the past few months. We are truly blessed to have been raised with incredible people.  Please feel free to ask questions, comment, whatever. We need people like you.

Three weeks.  To Mozambique or Bust!

Much Peace, Love, and Africa
Anna

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