Insights to the past three weeks

We have completed 3 weeks of work on the new church building.  The days are long as we begin with prayer between 7:15 and 7:30 and work until 5:00 and some days part of our team stays until dark. 

The local church began the foundation in 2005 so they have waited  for 7 years for a team to come and work with them to complete the church. The church  assigns a different congregational team leader to work with us each day and this team leader coordinates the work of the day with our mission workers. Sometimes it is a real challenge to understand each other because  we are trying to communicate in four different languages.

Last Wednesday we had approximately 50 women and 6 men show up to work. It was a task to try and keep all of them busy and working efficiently.

They make their work day into a social gathering and they bring a lunch to share with each other. Some days it is only manioc root. They were asked,

“Are you modern day women building a church? ”. “No – they replied we are Old Testament women”. Again they were asked. “Can women build a church?”.

“Yes – see there are 50 women and 6 men working today”, they replied.

Mannie, a representative from the truss company, drove for two hours to  come and show our team how to assemble the trusses. Each truss has approximately 27 pieces and 130 screws. There are over 10,000 screws required to completely assemble the total roof structure and it is a challenge to keep our battery powered drills charged.

The spirit of the Mozambique people is wonderful. They sing when we sit down each morning for prayers to start the work day, they sing while they work and some days when they are leaving to go home. They are a happy team and they raise our spirits. Even women with babies strapped to their backs come out to work a full day, pushing wheelbarrows full of sand, cement, gravel, concrete and mortar.  

Thanks for all you prayers for us and the people of Mozambique.

Penny and John