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This is our archive of prayer requests and answers.We send out these prayer updates once a month so that people who are interested can pray about what's about to happen, and praise God for what has just happened.
If you'd like to be part of our prayer team, just send me an email :-) |
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Isabella has a lovely book called “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day.” For Alexander, everything goes wrong on that day and he just wants to escape to Timbuktu. August has been that sort of month for us. Several things including missing school work, persistent tummy troubles, and a busy church conference have all combined to make August a “THNGVB” month :)
Dear praying friends,
Isabella has a lovely book called “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day.” For Alexander, everything goes wrong on that day and he just wants to escape to Timbuktu. August has been that sort of month for us. Several things including missing school work, persistent tummy troubles, and a busy church conference have all combined to make August a “THNGVB” month :)
But there were also some very good things that happened. A team from South Africa arrived and blessed our team with their company and helpfulness. And I appreciated again just what a blessing we have in working with a godly pastor. Pastor Marcelino is a wise and godly man, who consistently wants to see people saved and the church grow in godliness. He is not a pastor to gain status or money – he is a pastor because God has called him. I enjoy his company and the chance to work together on church issues and plans. In him, we see hope for the future of the church in Mozambique.
Give praise:
- That many people were encouraged by the provincial church conference that was held at the end of August.
- That we've finally recovered from a persistent tummy bug
- That our church is growing in numbers
- For my lovely wife who tried hard to give me a nice birthday despite the circumstances that fought against it
Please pray:
- For me as I teach Acts during September. Pray that I will be organized, and will teach in an interesting manner. Pray that the students will learn well.
- That our school mailings would be more reliable. Packages both from and to Australia have gone missing, which makes home schooling difficult.
- For our church's leadership as we hold more meetings to try and overcome the mistrust and misunderstanding that exists.
- For our holidays that we will hopefully take at the end of September. Pray that we will be able to find some nice accommodation at missionary prices :)
All our love,
Phillip and Nicola
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love” (Rev 2:4) This is always an uncomfortable verse. I can never read it without knowing that it is speaking to me. I remember being passionate about Jesus, but I know that I am rarely that way now. I still know that Jesus is the most important person ever, but I don't give always treat Him like that, especially in terms of talking with him. Life always seems more full of things to do than time to do them, and praying always seems the first casualty.
Dear praying friends,
“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love” (Rev 2:4) This is always an uncomfortable verse. I can never read it without knowing that it is speaking to me. I remember being passionate about Jesus, but I know that I am rarely that way now. I still know that Jesus is the most important person ever, but I don't give always treat Him like that, especially in terms of talking with him. Life always seems more full of things to do than time to do them, and praying always seems the first casualty.
Thankfully, God's faithfulness does not depend on me. He is always faithful and reliable, even when I am not. It is Jesus who saves me, not only 21 years ago, but today as well. So I continue to try, because I know that is what God wants, but I know that even if I mess things up, I am still secure in His love, because my relationship with Him depends on Jesus, not on me. Praise God for that!
Give praise for:
- The team from the UK, whose visit was a great encouragement to us all. In fact, life seems a little empty with them gone. They were full of love for Jesus and enthusiasm to see people know Him – a fairly sharp prod to my complacent relationship with God.
- The visit to South Africa to renew our passports, which was nicely uneventful. Unfortunately, there were a couple of hiccups with the process and we still do not have our new passports.
- A week-long teaching seminar for Mozambican bible college teachers. It was great to build contacts with teachers from other cities, and to see that we are part of a general improvement in theological education in northern Mozambique.
- Our visits to outlying villages were an encouragement. At one village, we baptised six adults. We also managed to break our record for most people in our car: 23 adults, 3 children and 4 babies! It will be good to spend the next couple of weekends at home with my family.
Please pray:
- For our church which seems to have fallen flat in the past month or so. Pray that the Holy Spirit will animate our dry bones J , that people will hear and obey God's voice, and that the back-biting will cease/diminish.
- For my preparations to teach Acts in September. I have not taught this subject before so everything has to be prepared from scratch.
- For protection from spiritual attacks, which seem to have been more intense for past week or two.
Our website is still stalled.
Together in His service,
Phillip and Nicola
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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We were returning from our week's retreat. About 15 minutes outside Cuamba, I suddenly felt darkness pressing in on me. Though I dislike the cliché, it was like a weight pressing down on my spirit. After being in a Christian setting for a week, the spiritual darkness of this place was depressingly clear. Nicola experienced the same heaviness, as did our team leaders. I am embarrassingly unspiritual sometimes, but this was a clear reminder to me that our work here is against spiritual powers. They control this area and do whatever they can to hinder our efforts to serve God. Please pray that Gods power will break the spiritual forces of darkness here.
Dear praying friends,
We were returning from our week's retreat. About 15 minutes outside Cuamba, I suddenly felt darkness pressing in on me. Though I dislike the cliché, it was like a weight pressing down on my spirit. After being in a Christian setting for a week, the spiritual darkness of this place was depressingly clear. Nicola experienced the same heaviness, as did our team leaders. I am embarrassingly unspiritual sometimes, but this was a clear reminder to me that our work here is against spiritual powers. They control this area and do whatever they can to hinder our efforts to serve God. Please pray that Gods power will break the spiritual forces of darkness here.
Praise:
- For a wonderful weeks retreat in the middle of the nowhere with 14 other missionary families from northern Mozambique. A South African group called Mozambican Hub organised the retreat and they did a great job. Our kids behaved wonderfully (forgive me if I sound surprised)!
- The Gospels course went well with most students managing to stay awake for most lessons J One student in particular showed a marked increase in understanding which I found very encouraging.
Pray:
- We had to fire one of our guards to stealing and lying. This man has been working for us for 4 years. He is an elder in a local church. Please pray that he will experience God's transforming power in his life. Also pray that there will not be any legal complications.
- I will be travelling to South Africa on 27 June to try and renew my passport and the children's passports. Pray that everything will go smoothly and that I will be kept safe.
- We will be visiting several outlying villages this month, for teaching and baptisms. Pray that these small churches will be encouraged by our visits.
- Pray for Nicola's ladies group as they continue to develop spiritually. Pray that Nicola had wisdom to know best how and what to teach the group.
- A team of 6 young people is coming from the UK to help our team for four weeks. Pray that we would know how to best use their abilities, that things will fall into place organisationally, and that they will see a bigger view of God's work in the world
Together in His service,
Phillip and Nicola
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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Sadness has been the key note of the past month. The marriages of two people close to us broke up. Someone else that we trusted stole something valuable from our house. There has been sickness, injustice, and blatant sinfulness -- and not all of it by me :).
Dear praying friends,
Sadness has been the key note of the past month. The marriages of two people close to us broke up. Someone else that we trusted stole something valuable from our house. There has been sickness, injustice, and blatant sinfulness -- and not all of it by me :).
Praise
- Joshua's and Drew's school work has arrived.
- Some encouraging progress with some local projects
- The harvest this year looks as if it will be enough for the people who were able to plant.
Pray
- We have been praying and fasting about several issues for about 4 weeks. We are yet to see God's answer to these issues, and in fact several of the situations seem worse now than when we began. Please pray that God will bring real and lasting changes in peoples lives, and that we will not become discouraged as we wait for Gods response.
- I need to travel to Johannesburg next month to renew several of our passports. Please pray that all the required organisation will fall into place, and that I won't forget anything essential.
- I am teaching the Gospels course until 30 May. Please pray that I will teach this course well, and that the students will be interested to learn.
- Please continue to pray for Dinho. We still see him occasionally, and his life choices are not promising. Please pray that God will break through to him.
Our website hasn't changed recently. Lack of time and lack of photos have combined to produce a complete lack of updates. Once the course has finished, I will try to bring this source of information back up to date.
Together in His service,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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It seems like a long time since I wrote the last prayer update. This is certainly not because there has been nothing to pray about. But, as usual when I have too much to do, prayer is the first casualty. Far from a wise approach to life.
Dear praying friends,
It seems like a long time since I wrote the last prayer update. This is certainly not because there has been nothing to pray about. But, as usual when I have too much to do, prayer is the first casualty. Far from a wise approach to life.
Praise:
• Joshua's school work finally arrived.
• Nicola's ladies group at church continues to grow spiritually
Pray:
• Our relationship with Dinho – who has been our third son for several years – came to a conclusive and unpleasant end this month. Please pray that God will challenge Dinho about the life choices he is making, and that Dinho's heart will be opened to God.
• Between discipleship groups, home schooling, bible teaching, and church preaching, we are finding our life is very full. Pray that we will use our time wisely, and that we will deal graciously with each other when we are stressed.
• I am teaching Systematic Theology until 1 April. Three weeks later, I will start teaching The Gospels. Pray that I will teach these courses in an interesting and challenging fashion.
• Pray the God gives us wisdom and courage as our church deals with some clear cases of serious injustice between members of our church.
I have not had time to update our website in a while. Only my journal has been updated. There are no new photos – and there will not be for a while. In a clear sign of increasing age, I fell heavily while leaping from rock to rock up a creek bed with my boys. I was carrying our camera at the time. My vanity and the camera were the only injuries J
Together in His service,
Phillip, Nicola and hordette
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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Thank you for praying for the church meeting last month. I’d like to report that it was a great victory for unity, but, in truth, I’m not exactly sure what happened.
Dear praying friends,
Thank you for praying for the church meeting last month. I’d like to report that it was a great victory for unity, but, in truth, I’m not exactly sure what happened.
The church meeting was true cross-cultural experience: I heard everything and understood very little :-) I chaired the meeting, so I really did hear everything that was said. But at the end of the meeting, I had no idea if the issues had been resolved.
To me, it seemed we sorted out some procedural issues in the church: who reports to whom; how will money be tracked; what reports should leaders make each month. However, the relational issues that were at the core of the complaints seemed completely unaddressed. Worse, even more relationship problems surfaced. So, I was expecting people to come away from the meeting dissatisfied. However, to my amazement, they said how good the meeting had been and how it had really helped.
I really didn’t understand that reaction. What had helped? Were they telling the truth or just telling me what they thought I wanted to hear? Were the relationship issues solved by just having the chance to be heard? Were they solved by some other mechanism I didn’t see? There were many things that I didn’t understand – a very normal situation :-)
Regardless, this month and next will show the result of the meeting – if the protagonists stay in the church and remain involved, it will have been a success. We will just have to wait – another very normal situation :-)
Give praise:
- For a good church meeting, that seems to have resolved the major issues, without splitting the church
- Nicola has returned from the MK education conference with new ideas and encouragement. Also give thanks that the kids survived being looked after by me!
- For continued growth amongst the ladies of the church, as well as some new growth among the men and young adults
Please pray:
- For Dinho, our 15 year old semi-son, who has made his already difficult life much complicated than it needs to be. Pray that he will truly give control of his life to God, as Lord not just as saviour. Pray that God will bless him as he copes with all the difficulties in his life.
- That God will bless Nicola’s work with the ladies in the church, and my work with the men and young adults.
- For the water situation as many wells in town are already running dry. For grace for us to cope with the hot, dry, dusty weather (38 during the day, 31 at night).
In yet another example of bizarre contrast, our town does not have enough water, but does now have broadband connections and is being upgraded to have a fibre optic connection. So we now have a permanent (more or less) connection to the internet. Consequently, our website is completely up-to-date, with photos and journal entries. See here for another example of contrasts.
Together in His service,
Phillip, Nicola and hordette
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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The trouble with clichés is that, many times, they are so accurate – otherwise, they wouldn’t be clichés. It is a truism that Christian life is a battle. In our church we can see the typical attack-counterattack of a battle being played out.
Dear praying friends,
The trouble with clichés is that, many times, they are so accurate – otherwise, they wouldn’t be clichés. It is a truism that Christian life is a battle. In our church we can see the typical attack-counterattack of a battle being played out.
God is working through the ladies to move the church into Satan’s terrain. They are praying and fasting together regularly. Nicola has been teaching them. People are being saved. One lady brought her neighbour to church and the neighbour decided to accept Jesus. While the ladies were praying for her, she went ridged and her voice changed and she shouted, “It’s burning! It’s burning! I’m coming out.” Then she relaxed and started singing Hallelujah. She says that she used to be troubled by many nightmares about evil spirits, but now she sleeps without any fear!
But Satan’s counterattack is also obvious. He is stirring up strife within the church’s leadership. There have been petty squabbles over money and who gets visited.
Some aspects of this battle will come to a head tomorrow (Tuesday 23rd Oct). Some key leaders have grievances that they want to tell the pastor. We are going to have a leadership meeting and try to resolve some of the supposed grievances. Please, please, please pray for this meeting. God will bring good from whatever happens, but I would prefer a more obvious “discord removed and unity restored” type victory.
Give thanks for:
- God has continued to bless Nicola’s work with the ladies of the church. The ladies have continued to grow in unity and in power.
- Nicola’s Mum and Dad visited us in September and we had a lovely holiday together.
Please pray:
- The meeting of our church’s leadership group on Tuesday, 23 Oct at 3pm. Please pray that God will give people a desire to find solutions rather than just complain. Pray that I will have wisdom to direct the meeting.
- An active member of the ladies group, Maula (who is an elder) has been having many serious health problems herself and with her son. Please pray for healing and protection.
- Nicola is going to a MK education consultation in Thailand. She will leave on 31 Oct and come back on 15 Nov. Pray that she will have an encouraging and informative time. Pray that we will cope with her being away :) Pray that the boys will cope with me being their teacher, and vice versa!
- For God’s blessing over our finances. There are always many more needs than means.
Together in His service,
Phillip and Nicola
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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Studying wisdom literature always put me in a reflective frame of mind. What does it mean to be a wise man? Am I a wise man or a fool? How much of this wisdom do I really understand? While reading Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes this time, I’ve been struck by the relationship between them.
Dear praying friends,
Studying wisdom literature always put me in a reflective frame of mind. What does it mean to be a wise man? Am I a wise man or a fool? How much of this wisdom do I really understand? While reading Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes this time, I’ve been struck by the relationship between them.
Proverbs is the basic text for wisdom. In it, the fear of the Lord is the foundation of all true wisdom. Based on this foundation, a wise man sees a person’s intentions, correctly anticipates the consequences of his words and actions, and understands God’s normal pattern of working in the work. He acknowledges that his understanding of all these things is limited and patchy.
Job shows wisdom misused. Rather than admit their limited understanding, Job’s friends become fools (and cause a great deal of pain) as they wrestle to fit life into their categories.
Ecclesiastes shows the limits of wisdom. Despite the best efforts and claims of wise men, there are things that no one understands. The problems of injustice, innocent suffering, and futility refuse to be unravelled. Most frustratingly, death is an opaque boundary. Confronted with death, wisdom is reduced to nervous silence.
Ecclesiastes would be a sad last word. But we know that it is not: we have Jesus. In Jesus, God’s wisdom has broken into this world and it can never be the same. With Jesus’ resurrection, death is no longer the frustrating end; it is the glorious beginning of real life. Like all good things, wisdom finds it’s highest expression in Jesus, since in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Please pray that I would become a Christ-based wise man, fearing the Lord and proclaiming Christ’s resurrection: “the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” (Mt 13:52).
Praise for:
- Nicola’s Friday teaching sessions with the church ladies have been going very well. There is a real and increasing sense of unity as the ladies study God’s word and pray together.
- The return of our team leaders, Steven and Jo Wheatley, from home assignment in England.
- An encouraging visit from Janice Peters, the SIM leader in Mozambique.
Please pray:
- For the Wisdom Literature course I am teaching at the local bible college. Please pray that I will be able to explain things clearly, and that the students will be interested in learning.
- For relaxing time together with Nicola’s parents when they come visit us in September. Please pray that things will go well while we have a couple of week’s holidays together. During this time, Nicola and I will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary!
- For a blessing over our finances.
Our website has been completely overhauled. It has a new, cleaner look and a new Factoids section. My journal and the photos are up-to-date. Check out the new look and tell us what you think.
Together in His service,
Phillip and Nicola Piper
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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I did enjoy the peace while it lasted. This month has been the storm.
Dear praying friends,
I did enjoy the peace while it lasted. This month has been the storm.
Praise:
- For a wonderfully encouraging visit from Dave Mansfield and Doug MacLennan. They ran a two day Christian Family conference, in which Doug and Dave tended to hit the men fairly hard – exactly what was needed! Nicola and I shared the translation tasks, which was a stretching experience.
- For productive visits to several surrounding villages, which showed us both ends of the spectrum of church life here.
- For the generosity of several people wanting to help some of the poorest widows and orphans that we know here.
- For an improvement in Joshua’s and Drew’s attitude to school.
- For a good start to the Hebrews course at the Bible college. The students seem keen to learn.
Please pray:
- For spiritual renewal in our church as it copes with some cases of immorality within the leadership (thankfully, not including Pastor Marcelino).
- For spiritual revival in us as we cope with some physically low times.
- For the rest of the Hebrews course, that it will continue in the same positive manner that it has begun.
- That the local telephone company will give attention to our complaints about being overcharged (normally our bill is more than twice the amount that it should be).
Our website has been brought up to date with new journal entries and other bits and pieces. The photos are still lagging behind.
Together in His service,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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April feels like the calm in the eye of the storm. The boys have been on holidays for last two weeks; I have been preparing to teach Hebrews; Nicola has been visiting and organising school work. Apart from beating off a sustained ant invasion, life has been fairly calm.
Dear praying friends,
April feels like the calm in the eye of the storm. The boys have been on holidays for last two weeks; I have been preparing to teach Hebrews; Nicola has been visiting and organising school work. Apart from beating off a sustained ant invasion, life has been fairly calm.
May will not be like that. School will be in full flight. I will be teaching at the bible college. Dave Mansfield is coming to visit for a week. Our church has planned visits to the surrounding towns and villages. I suppose I should enjoy the peace while it lasts.
Praise God:
- For a good time of encouragement and refocusing during the Theological Educators conference in Jo’berg. Apart from meeting lots of godly people from all over southern Africa, it gave me a couple of new ideas about how to teach better here in Cuamba. It also challenged to be purposeful about whatever I am doing: think critically about what I want to happen, and then makes plans for that to happen.
- For the generosity of so many people that enables us to serve Him here.
Please pray:
- Our colleagues, Jenni Larter and Nate Schoen, have left Cuamba and going to the United States to be married. Please pray for God’s blessing over their lives together.
- Jenni’s departure means that Nicola is back to being fulltime teacher. Please pray for her as she adjusts to that role again, and for the boys as they cope with Nicola being both Mum and Teacher. Please pray that the boys will do their work to the best of their abilities, rather than just doing the least work.
- In the past month, we have had many requests for help from various people: people needing food; people wanting to rebuild their houses after the floods; others wanting to start businesses, or to learn to drive, or to buy bicycles to reach outlying churches; still others needing school fees, or university entrance fees, or back rent. Please pray that God will give us wisdom when we’re deciding who to help.
Our website is still waiting for cheaper internet connections :-)
Together in His service,
Phillip & Nicola
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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Time compresses and expands in most unfair ways. On our two week holiday with my parents to Capetown, time compressed to be finished almost as soon as it has started. It seems only a few days since I wrote our last update, but the calendar says two months have passed. But, in contrast, during our return journey, the 5 hour trip from Mandimba to Cuamba (145kms) expanded to fill at least a week! There should be someway to arrange these things better :-)
Dear praying friends,
Time compresses and expands in most unfair ways. On our two week holiday with my parents to Capetown, time compressed to be finished almost as soon as it has started. It seems only a few days since I wrote our last update, but the calendar says two months have passed. But, in contrast, during our return journey, the 5 hour trip from Mandimba to Cuamba (145kms) expanded to fill at least a week! There should be someway to arrange these things better :-)
Praise God:
- For a lovely holiday with my folks in Capetown. Nice roads; interesting shops; fun things to do; good food, coffee and restaurants: exactly what a holiday should have!
- The Pentateuch course has been going well, though not always smoothly.
Please pray:
- I will be going to a consultation on theological education in Johannesburg, March 19-23. Pray that this would be a time of new insights and encouragement in what can be a discouraging task. Please ask God to look after my family while I’m away.
- Pray also for safety for all the people attending the consultation – Jo’berg can be a dangerous place.
- There has been too much rain this year, as well as swarms of rats that have eaten the baby maize as it grows. Please pray for God to bless the crops as they are. Without a major improvement, there is going to be a lot of hunger at the end of this year.
- Joshua entered high school this year, and his workload has increased. Please pray for concentration and determination for him, and patience and clarity for Nicola, as they work out the best way to deal with these extra demands.
Our website has been neglected for that past few months. Slow internet connections and ridiculous internet charges have both played a part in that neglect. I’m hoping to do a major update while I’m in Jo’berg.
Together in His service,
Phillip and Nicola Piper
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
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It’s an odd time of year. Many people are away from the city, working in their fields. Church life doesn’t exactly come to a stop, but it certainly slows down. All our group teachings are on hold until January. Plus the rains have started, so it’s been hot and humid – 35 degrees and 75% humidity!
Dear praying friends,
It’s an odd time of year. Many people are away from the city, working in their fields. Church life doesn’t exactly come to a stop, but it certainly slows down. All our group teachings are on hold until January. Plus the rains have started, so it’s been hot and humid – 35 degrees and 75% humidity!
Give praise:
- Jenny Larter, our home school helper, has announced her engagement to Nate Schoen, one of our missionary colleagues in Cuamba. Congratulations, guys!
- We and several other missionaries went for an “escape” weekend to a tea plantation in Malawi. Praise God for beautiful gardens, relaxing walks, and for not having to cook!
- Our car developed engine trouble on the way to the “escape” weekend (which in itself was not a blessing) but it was able to be fixed relatively cheaply and easily – which was a blessing.
Please pray:
- Evelyne, another of our missionary colleagues in Cuamba, was seriously injured when a tree fell on her. She was airlifted to South Africa, and is recovering from a fractured pelvis and other internal injuries. Please pray for her complete recovery, and for peace and grace for her husband and children.
- The aftermath of Mama Louisa’s death has been complicated. Some members of her family are saying that Mama Louisa was cursed by someone who wanted to take her job. Please pray that the people making these accusations will be convicted to stop. Also please ask God to give us wisdom to know how to defuse the situation that has occurred.
- Dinho has returned, but things are not the same. Nicola is still running EE-based studies with his mother. Please pray that both of them with come to know Jesus, and that we will have wisdom to know best how to love them.
- While many church members are away, Nicola and I will be preparing courses and studies for next year. Please pray for Nicola with her bible stories course for ladies, for my preaching course, and for the Pentateuch course at the local Bible college.
Our website has been lagging behind. Our internet access has been slow and unreliable. I’m hoping to bring the website up to date real soon now, but reality may dictate otherwise.
Together in His service,
Phillip and Nicola
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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It has been a complicated month.
Dear praying friends,
It has been a complicated month.
- Mama Louisa, who has been our house helper since we arrived in Mozambique, died suddenly this week. She became sick, and then developed pneumonia. Despite our pleadings, she refused to go to hospital or to take the antibiotics she’d been given. We drove her to her home village (a very distressing voyage), and she died a few days later. I still can’t really believe it.
- Dinho, the lad who is virtually our third son, announced to us that he had to leave Cuamba. He would not give any explanation. After some pressing, he said he had to leave or he would be killed. He needed money and wanted to take our mobile phone (how we came to have a mobile phone is another complicated story). There was something very fishy about the whole situation, but we certainly didn’t want him to be killed, so we helped him as he wanted.
- Isabella crushed the end of one of her toes, under the leg of a falling coffee table.
- I’ve been teaching a course on John in the bible college, to a class of not always enthusiastic students.
- The hot season has arrived. There have been several days of 40 degrees in the last two weeks.
Give praise for:
- Isabella has been happy to be looked after by her “Tiwee.” This is real answer to prayer. Also, her toe is recovering well.
- Nicola has been running one-on-one bible studies with Dinho’s mum, as well as teaching a group of church ladies. Praise God because both of these studies have been going very well.
Please pray that:
- Mama Louisa’s family as they come to terms with the loss of their mother and grandmother.
- Some people that we have trusted have been stealing from us. Please pray that God will give us wisdom to know how to deal with these people, showing both mercy and justice. Also pray for a healing of our spirits because we feel betrayed and hurt.
- Financially, we are still finding there is more month than money. Please pray that the money will stretch.
- I will be able to teach my diverse set of students, without becoming annoyed or discouraged.
Our website is completely up to date as of the beginning of October.
Together in His service,
Phillip and Nicola
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This prayer update is a little different. Rather than explain what’s been happening, I’m going to try and explain one of the more vexing aspect of our life. Next month, we will return to the regularly scheduled updates.
Dear praying friends,
This prayer update is a little different. Rather than explain what’s been happening, I’m going to try and explain one of the more vexing aspect of our life. Next month, we will return to the regularly scheduled updates.
Understanding Mozambican culture is a key process for our work. Our central tasks – communicating the Gospel and bringing about growth in godliness – require deep insight into people’s lives. So, “understand the culture” is a critical piece of advice. But it’s also a frustrating piece of advice, on par with “expect the unexpected.” Culture is a shared web of understandings, many of which are deep, mysterious, and completely unguessable. The superficial aspects of culture are easy, but it’s the deep aspects that jump up and bite you unexpectedly. We think we understand what is going on, and then “clang” something happens that shows we haven’t understood at all.
For example, the relationship between Nicola and I. Our relationship is very different from most Mozambican husbands and wives. It’s based on Christian ideals and on our own cultural background of chivalry. So, we help each other; I cook dinner and (sometimes) look after the kids; I carry the heavy bags. We’re consciously trying to set a counter-example to the more common “economic-model” of marriage: the man gives food and security and, in exchange, the woman gives marital privileges and takes care of the house and children. We assume that when people see us, they see that counter-example. To us, it seems obvious. But, as we’ve discovered, what is “obvious” is cultural determined too.
Recently, someone explained to us that he understood how our (Nicola’s and mine) relationship worked. Nicola regularly gives me drugs (from the curandeiros) to make me hopelessly in love with her. Because of those drugs, I am a pateta (“fool”) for her, doing whatever she wants me to do. And Nicola does this so she can sit around and be lazy. To him, this was the obvious explanation.
We were completely surprised and a little amused: how could someone think that? Apart from not matching reality (Nicola is never lazy), his explanation simply made no sense to us. We would never have imagined that someone could look at us and come up with that explanation. Yet, for this person, that explanation made sense – more than that, it was obvious. It made more sense to him that a wife would bewitch her husband than that the husband would serve his wife. A husband voluntarily helping his wife was just as unexpected to him as a wife drugging her husband was unthought of to us.
Once we had digested this revelation, other questions naturally followed: what do people see in other aspects of our life? What do people really hear when we preach about grace, or forgiveness, or holiness? And most profoundly, how will we know? How will we know when people have misunderstood? We think we are being understood; they think they understand. But, because of some deep cultural differences, we have actually completely miscommunicated. With our relationship, we thought we were showing God’s plan for marriage, but he saw an advertisement for the power of the curandeiro. It’s daunting and a little discouraging to think that everything we do could be misinterpreted, and misinterpreted in a way that dishonours God.
So, in the face of such potential miscommunication, what are we to do? Clearly, we’re not going to curl up into a ball and do nothing!
- We have to work to form trust relationships with people. It is only when someone trusts us will they risk telling us what they really think. That is the chance we have to find out where our understanding is faulty. In that regard, please thank God for the gift of friendship between us and Pastor Marcelino’s family. In them, we have friends whose advice and opinions we can trust.
- We have to also pray and ask God to cover over our mistakes and misunderstandings (as well as our outright sins) so that, somehow, people really see and hear the Gospel through us. We are limited by our faulty understand, but God is not. He can advance his Kingdom even through our mistakes.
On a more normal “points for prayer”:
- Jenni Larter, our home school helper, is away in another city for the next two months. Please pray for Nicola as she returns to full time home schooling, and for our family, as we return to the limits that that places on our ministries. In particular, please pray that Isabella will be content to be looked after by her “teewee” while Nicola is teaching.
- I will start teaching the book of John in the Bible college in October. Please pray that I will prepare well, and be able to teach in the best way to help my students learn.
- As always, there are many more things than time to do them in. Please pray that God will give us wisdom and determination to use our time well.
Together in His service,
Phillip and Nicola
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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While we were on home assignment last year, the church we had been working with split. Since we’ve returned, we have tried to work with both “halves” of the church, but it has not worked well. After a month of prayer, we have decided to have a year of separation from both parts of the split. This has been a hard decision, but we are praying that it will show itself to be the wisest decision.
Dear praying friends,
While we were on home assignment last year, the church we had been working with split. Since we’ve returned, we have tried to work with both “halves” of the church, but it has not worked well. After a month of prayer, we have decided to have a year of separation from both parts of the split. This has been a hard decision, but we are praying that it will show itself to be the wisest decision.
Even before that decision was made, we had been becoming more involved with a nearby AOG church. We have slotted into this new church very neatly. I have been preaching regularly, and Nicola has had opportunities to teach as well. We have made a couple of trips to outlying churches, including overnight trips. The marriage seminar we ran last week was with this church. Like any church, it has its share of problems, tensions and failings, but if we waited until we found a church without any of those, we would be waiting for a long time – and then we would ruin its perfection by joining!
Praise:
- Isabella has had grommets put into her ears, and the infections have reduced considerably. Isabella and Nicola flew to Johannesburg to have this operation done, rather than waiting for the specialist to come to Malawi. Please thank God for very helpful SIM people in Malawi who arranged the flights and the permission for the flights, and to the SIM people in Johannesburg who took very good care of my girls while they were there.
- We held our long-delayed marriage seminar last weekend. It ran well, though not at all how we had planned. We had organised a very nice timetable: start at 10am, morning and afternoon tea breaks, finish at 5pm. When we arrived at the church at 11am (already an hour late), there was not one person there. The building was locked and completely deserted. We eventually started at 3pm, with 5 people. By the time we finished at 6pm, there were more than 40 people there, of whom 15 came forward at the end for repentance and prayer. The talks and studies were well received, and did seem to have some impact on people.
Pray:
- We will be showing the Jesus film several times in the next two months. Most of the showings will be in existing congregations, helping people to have insight into Jesus’ life. But some of the screenings will be in Muslim areas, without any existing church – a sort of first-stage evangelism/awareness building. Pray that people will come to know Jesus or to know Him better through these showings.
- That the people who were at the marriage seminar would remember what was taught, and that the Holy Spirit would give them a new desire to love and care for their partners, especially by being faithful to them.
- There are the beginnings of a possibility that an English-speaking school might open here in Cuamba. Such a school would free Nicola to be far more involved in ministry than she is now. Pray that it will go ahead, if that is the best thing.
Together in His service,
Phillip and Nicola Piper
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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There was still quite a bit of flour and rice in the pantry when I looked yesterday, and that’s a good indication that the worst of the hunger has passed. There are still two or three people each day that come to ask for things, but the requests are back to “normal” – i.e. more for money to pay for something, rather than for food to feed a hungry family. :-)
Dear praying friends,
There was still quite a bit of flour and rice in the pantry when I looked yesterday, and that’s a good indication that the worst of the hunger has passed. There are still two or three people each day that come to ask for things, but the requests are back to “normal” – i.e. more for money to pay for something, rather than for food to feed a hungry family. :-)
Give praise:
- That the Heresies course went well – even better than last time. Studying how the gospel of grace has been twisted or distorted in the past, has helped me to appreciate again the wonder and the mystery of what Jesus did for us.
- For a good Easter celebration. We showed the Jesus film on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, and it drew a big crowd both times.
- The generosity of several families who, without prompting, gave money to help with those who were hungry.
- For God’s protection and deliverance through a period of intense spiritual attack.
Please pray:
- For wisdom as we decide what our ministry involvements are going to be. We have been becoming more involved with a nearby AOG church. We’re both keen to run some small discipleship groups, but finding the best people to fill them isn’t obvious. Please pray that God will show us the people He wants to be in these groups. I also have the chance to be involved with leading/teaching a pastors prayer group, but things are rarely as straight forward as they appear, so please ask God to give me wisdom about this.
- Isabella’s ears have been giving problems again. She has had three ear infections since we returned. We’re trying to make an appointment with a specialist in Malawi to see what can be done. Organising such things internationally is tricky. Please pray that Isabella’s health will improve and that we’ll be able to see this specialist sometime soon.
- For a Christian marriage teaching weekend that we will be running in May at a place called Mandimba. Both Nicola and I will go, and Jenny will stay in our house to look after our kids (brave girl).
Our website is completely up-to-date. Even this prayer update will be there by the time you read this.
Together in His service,
Phillip and Nicola Piper
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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At the moment, the word we hear most often when people come to talk to us is “fome” (“hunger”). The situation here isn’t famine, where there’s literally no food and people die, but there is hunger. Food exists, but not enough of it and not at a price that people can afford. So people don’t eat as often as they should, and they eat things that aren’t very nutritious. There’s more disease too as people aren’t as strong as normal. A friend had five people in his immediate neighbourhood die in one night from various illnesses (mainly malaria) last week.
Dear praying friends,
At the moment, the word we hear most often when people come to talk to us is “fome” (“hunger”). The situation here isn’t famine, where there’s literally no food and people die, but there is hunger. Food exists, but not enough of it and not at a price that people can afford. So people don’t eat as often as they should, and they eat things that aren’t very nutritious. There’s more disease too as people aren’t as strong as normal. A friend had five people in his immediate neighbourhood die in one night from various illnesses (mainly malaria) last week.
What should be our response in these times of need? The verse “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you” has come to mind several times when I’ve been considering whether and how much to give people. Better to err on the side of generosity than to turn away hungry people from the door.
Praise:
- For being able to distribute 100 sacks of grain in three needy villages.
- That our Portuguese has returned without any difficulty and that we’ve been able to make a good start at learning Makhua (due largely to Nicola’s determination :-)).
- For a good sense of unity in the Cuamba team.
- For the boys’ good attitude towards school and the help that Jenny has been with their schooling.
Please pray:
- That God will provide food for those with very little over the next few weeks. The first harvests should be ready by mid-March, but there are a lot of hungry people that need to survive until then.
- That we will all have wisdom and compassion as we deal with lots of needy people (as well as a few dishonest ones).
- That God will show Phillip the best way forward for ministry. The church situation has changed considerably since we left, and it’s no longer obvious how best to be involved.
Our website is up-to-date with photos and journal entries. For the technically-minded, our journal now has an RSS feed, so you can get updates through an RSS aggregator. If all that makes no sense to you, you probably won’t be that interested :-)
Together in His service,
Phillip and Nicola Piper
Internal Virus Database is out-of-date.
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Version: 7.1.375 / Virus Database: 267.15.6/257 - Release Date: 10/02/2006
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After a year of encouragement at home, we’ve returned to Mozambique.
Dear praying friends,
After a year of encouragement at home, we’ve returned to Mozambique.
Getting to Mozambique was not as smooth as we might have liked. The trip to South Africa was as good as a 13-hour trip in a confined space with an active two-year old could be expected to be. In Blantyre, Malawi, things went a little astray. My criminal record check had refused to arrive before we left Australia, and has resisted all efforts to be couriered to Africa – it’s around somewhere, but we and Malawi Post we didn’t know exactly where. Worse, the rear differential of our car disintegrated the first time we drove it, leading to a week of waiting and some costly repairs. To top things off, all these delays had led us to overstay our tourist visa in Malawi by 2 days, and so we had to pay a fine at the border! I was not a happy puppy.
But now we’re back in our house in Cuamba, and things are beginning to settle into a routine.
Praise:
- we've arrived safely in Africa. Our luggage decided to spend an extra day sight seeing in Jo'berg but turned up intact the following day.
- for a warm reception from the team in Malawi and our colleagues in Mozambique.
Pray:
- there is real famine here. Pray that God will provide for those with literally nothing to eat, and that we will have wisdom to know what to do to help.
- that our visas will be accepted without trouble and processed quickly (a replacement copy arrived in Malawi today, 23 Jan).
- that our kids will adapt to the change of lifestyle and routine in Mozambique. Particularly, that Isabella's sleeping habits will adjust.
- for Phillip as he returns to teach in the Bible college, and working with church leaders. Pray for some intellectual WD-40 to loosen the rusty cogs of Portuguese.
- for Jenny Larter, who will be helping with home schooling this year.
I can’t miss this opportunity to plug our website, www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper. It’s been streamlined visually. The journal section has been updated, so that older journals are now available. The journal is up to date, but the photos are lagging behind.
Together in His service,
Phillip and Nicola
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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God is amazingly good! In the last three weeks, He has raised up all the money we needed to return to Mozambique.
Dear praying friends,
God is amazingly good! In the last three weeks, He has raised up all the money we needed to return to Mozambique.
Last month, it seemed impossible that we’d be able to go back to Mozambique in January. Almost a whole year of support raising hadn’t managed to raise what we needed, and the probability of raising substantial support in the few remaining weeks seemed vanishingly small. But God is a God of improbabilities. Many members of our local church, and the church as a whole, showed deep generosity towards us, giving us all the money we needed to return to Mozambique for another 4 years. [I’m not going to think about what it means when the people who know you best are willing to pay money to get rid you J]
Because of this generosity, we’re now free to invite everyone to our commissioning service! This service will be held at Figtree Anglican Church, 6pm Saturday 17 December. Please come along. We would love to see as many people as possible here – it will probably be our last chance to see many of you before we leave. Please pass on this invitation to anyone who you think would like to come along.
Together in His service,
Phillip and Nicola
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Phillip Piper
www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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In-between times are the time for faith and trust. Specifically, the time between when you pray for something and when God answers that prayer, is the opportunity to show trust and faith in Him. While you are waiting for His answer, you can either act with peace, trusting God to answer, or fret and worry, unsure of God’s response. Once the prayer is answered, the chance to show trust is gone. You can praise Him for the answer, but you can’t trust that He will answer – because He already has! So, it’s in the in-between times that God gives us the chance to show our trust in Him.
Dear praying friends,
In-between times are the time for faith and trust. Specifically, the time between when you pray for something and when God answers that prayer, is the opportunity to show trust and faith in Him. While you are waiting for His answer, you can either act with peace, trusting God to answer, or fret and worry, unsure of God’s response. Once the prayer is answered, the chance to show trust is gone. You can praise Him for the answer, but you can’t trust that He will answer – because He already has! So, it’s in the in-between times that God gives us the chance to show our trust in Him.
At the moment, we have the chance to trust. We don’t always do that, but we certainly have the chance. We’ve asked God to provide the finances we need to go back overseas, but, as yet, God hasn’t answered that prayer. So now, in this in-between time, we’re trying to exercise our faith and patiently trust Him until He answers our prayer. Our success varies: on good days, we trust; on bad days, we fret.
Praise God for:
- Many opportunities to talk about our work within small groups from several churches, and the many positive individual responses that came from those presentations.
- The generosity of friends and family who made it possible for Nicola and I to spend a couple of days away together.
- The support and love shown, in many ways, by family and friends.
- Enriching times spent in God’s presence.
Please pray that:
- God will raise up the support we need to return to Mozambique
- We will continue to show trust and faith in God as we wait for Him to do that
- We will use our remaining time in Australia effectively
- We will be able to get a hold of resources which will help us minister back in Cuamba
Together in His service,
Phillip & Nicola
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
Internal Virus Database is out-of-date.
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We have been at home in Australia for six weeks now. It's hard to say what we've enjoyed the most but a list of top runners would have to include: family dinners; beaches and swimming pools; espresso coffee bars; services where we understand what is being said (and that are less than 3 hours long). We have moved into a new house, close to our parents and to the boys' school another answer to prayer.
Dear friends,
We have been at home in Australia for six weeks now. It's hard to say what we've enjoyed the most but a list of top runners would have to include: family dinners; beaches and swimming pools; espresso coffee bars; services where we understand what is being said (and that are less than 3 hours long). We have moved into a new house, close to our parents and to the boys' school another answer to prayer.
In Mozambique , the new missionary family, the Kocks, have just arrived and moved into our house there. Our terrific, tireless, team leaders, Steven and Jo, are helping them to settle in, as well as helping other missionary families move, visiting sick people, arranging guards, home schooling, Bible teaching, reconciling with the IUB, and doing the other 1000 things that missionaries do to survive each week. Please pray for all of them and our other wonderful co-worker Margy, that God will give them strength, grace and peace.
We are making plans to visit churches, speaking about what God has been doing in Mozambique . If you would like us to come and visit your church or home group, we would love to hear from you. You can get in contact with us on our new phone number, 02-4271-3580, and we even have a mobile: 0410-575530. Our email remains the same: phillip_piper@bigfoot.com .
Praise:
- For family and friends who have blessed us immensely since we arrived home.
- That the boys have settled well into the new school routine.
- That Nicola has a break from home-schooling this year. J
- God provided a great place to live with all the furniture either loaned, given or purchased very cheaply.
Pray:
- Our support level has dropped significantly since we've returned home. Please pray that God will raise up new supporters for us and that existing supporters would remain faithful.
- For the Kocks family as they face the shock of settling into life in Cuamba. Pray particularly for their little girl, Emma, whose health has been variable.
- Pray that Phillip will have courage and determination to deal gracefully with the parts of home assignment he finds difficult.
Together in His service,
Phillip and Nicola Piper
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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Our huge mango tree was awash with flowers. Two local pastors commented that this was a bad sign. "There will be a lot of hunger this year," they both said. In years of hunger, the mango trees always give more fruit, helping people to survive until the next harvest.
Dear praying friends,
Our huge mango tree was awash with flowers. Two local pastors commented that this was a bad sign. "There will be a lot of hunger this year," they both said. In years of hunger, the mango trees always give more fruit, helping people to survive until the next harvest.
But, so far, food does not seem to be a problem. From all accounts, there were good harvests this year. The real problem -- again and as always -- is water. Hot weather has returned, and several wells have already run dry in town. Each afternoon we have a line of people in our yard waiting to fill buckets and containers with water from our taps. And it's still only October, with another two months of dry hot conditions before the rain.
Praise:
- For big improvements in Isabella's sleeping habits, and in her happiness levels overall. After 10 days of controlled crying, involving lots of noise and tension, she has learnt to sleep well at night, and mostly well during the day. This is a major improvement in our lives, especially in our ability to sleep at night. Praise God!
- For a profitable and interesting Heresies course. Teaching heresies necessarily involves teaching correct theology as well. Some of our most interesting lessons were those in which we struggled to understand what we has always been taught as true, but had never really thought through before: how can Jesus be human and divine at the same time; how did Jesus save us by dying on the cross; why can only Jesus save us?
- The help and friendship of Bethan Plant, a short-term missionary from SIM is officially opening its headquarters in Mozambique on 22 October. This marks SIM's official return to the country as an independent organisation, and signals our intention to be working in Mozambique for many years to come. Praise God for the way He has used a variety of difficult circumstances to refocus and revitalise our ministry here.
- Our church conference went off well. Representatives from eight of our churches were at the conference. We were taught well about God's grace. The church also had the opportunity to discuss and decide upon some long-standing and crucial issues.
Please pray:
- There are still several difficult issues facing our church here. Please pray that God will bless the church leaders here with faithfulness and protection from temptation. Pray that Pastor Augusto and I will have wisdom and strength to deal wisely with these issues.
- That the water situation will improve, that God will provide some short rains to tide people over until the true rains arrive at the beginning of January.
- That the boys will adjust well to some changes in the home schooling routine. Pray also that Nicola will have grace, patience and wisdom to deal with two very active, and more-than-occasionally reluctant, students.
- We are coming back for home assignment during all of 2005. Please ask God that He will provide opportunities for us to speak in churches and home groups. Also pray that He will raise all the support we need so we can return to Mozambique in 2006.
The power supply on my computer fried itself again at the end of September. That is the third power supply in 12 months! In comparison, not one other piece of electrical equipment has been burnt out! I was one unhappy camper when I realised what had happened. Dell SA wanted my first-born in exchange for a replacement power supply, before deciding they couldn't ship internationally. So I hauled a very old laptop out of the cupboard, and have been fighting to restore all my work to this old and slow machine. As a result, our website has not been updated for a while. But, thankfully, everything seems to be almost restored now, and I should be able to update the website in a week or so.
We are looking forward to seeing many of you in only 12 weeks time :-)
Together in His service,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
This email
goes out once a month to people who we think are interested in praying for the
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God pressed the fast-forward button during all of July and August. Life shot past with scarce time to take in details: two more overnight church visits; our annual conference; two jail breaks in front of our very eyes; a presidential visit (to the town, not to us); two serious church discipline cases; a trip to Blantyre; an operation on Isabella's ears; my birthday; a few days break on the shores of Lake Malawi; and many wakeful nights.
Dear praying friends,
God pressed the fast-forward button during all of July and August. Life shot past with scarce time to take in details: two more overnight church visits; our annual conference; two jail breaks in front of our very eyes; a presidential visit (to the town, not to us); two serious church discipline cases; a trip to Blantyre; an operation on Isabella's ears; my birthday; a few days break on the shores of Lake Malawi; and many wakeful nights.
Praise:
- For a successful operation (insertion of grommits) on Isabella's ears. Thank Him for Christian brothers and sisters (the McGraths and the Gilberts) who really helped us during some stressful days in Blantyre.
- For a couple of relaxing days spent on the shores of Lake Malawi.
- For a successful and encouraging SIM annual conference.
- That God has helped us when we've been tired, discouraged and overly busy.
Please pray:
- That Isabella's appetite will improve, that sleeping would be a less traumatic experience, and that she'd return to being her normal happy self. The operation appeared to be a success but she was unwell a few days afterwards and has still not recovered.
- For our church's annual conference, 24-26 September. Pray that God would give us his message for the church, and that the church would be encouraged to live a Christ centred life.
- For wisdom for Pastor Augusto and myself as we deal with several tricky situations within the church.
- For the Heresies course, which I will begin teaching on 23 September. One of the Brazilian missionaries offered to teach the first half of the course, which was a great relief to me.
Our website has changed completely. I grew tired of the popup ads which wanted me to buy Viagra or participate in online casinos etc. So, with the co-operation of Figtree Anglican Church, we now have an ad-free web site, and a completely new look.
The address is the same, www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper, but everything else is different. Drop by and have a look.
Together in His service
Phillip
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
This email
goes out once a month to people who we think are interested in praying for the
Piper family, who are Christian missionaries in Mozambique. If you would prefer
not to receive this email any more, or you have received it and have no idea
why, please click
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The blur of activity over the past few weeks must have been June. It's already vanished from the calendar and I didn't really notice its going.
Dear praying friends,
The blur of activity over the past few weeks must have been June. It's already vanished from the calendar and I didn't really notice its going.
Travel accounted for much of our activity this month. We made weekend trips to four outlying villages, where we taught about God's plan for marriage. Marriage is treated as a very light thing here. Getting married is as simple as moving into the same house, and getting divorced is as simple as moving out again. Our teaching focused on the fact that God intends marriage to be for life, and that He demands faithfulness within that marriage. We also taught about the responsibilities of both partners within marriage. In two places, the women cheered when we described the responsibilities of the husband :-)
I also drove for 6 hours to attend the second general meeting of ProForte, the organisation that is co-ordinating and encouraging higher theological education in northern Mozambique. Although there has been much enthusiasm for this organisation over the past few years, some of the real world difficulties of actually putting this good idea into practice have become apparent. Please pray that God will give everyone involved wisdom and will to do what needs to be done.
Praise:
- Good church visits to the outlying villages. Also give praise for safe travel on these trips.
- Improved health for Isabella. The persistent ear infection has cleared up, and she (and thus we) have even had one or two nights of almost peaceful sleep
- God's provision of a couple to run the children's programme at our SLC in August. They are from Alaska! God's organisational skills are mind-boggling.
- Productive meeting of ProForte.
Please pray:
- For three more visits to outlying villages in the next four weeks. Pray especially for Nicola as she copes with Isabella and the boys by herself while I'm away on overnight trips.
- That work on our houses will be completed before the end of July. Steven and Jo, our team leaders, are heading home for home assignment in mid-August, so everything has to be finished before then.
- Preparation for the Heresies course that begins in August. This course is going to be considerably more difficult to teach than previous courses, both in terms of the language required and the subject material itself. Please pray that God will give me wisdom to know how to teach this course well.
- For Nicola as she struggles to juggle the many demands on her time and energy. She would like to be more involved with bible teaching, but the demands of home schooling and baby raising leave little time for anything else.
I'll put in my standard plug for our website. Our website has
photosand
journal entries
that give a much better window onto our life than these prayer updates can explain. Please excuse/ignore the popup ads - unavoidable on free web site hostings.
Together in His service
Phillip
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
This email
goes out once a month to people who we think are interested in praying for the
Piper family, who are Christian missionaries in Mozambique. If you would prefer
not to receive this email any more, or you have received it and have no idea
why, please click
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Weve moved
in our house! Steven worked liked a Trojan to get the house finished so quickly
and so well. Its a big house, and even after moving in all our boxes, were
still rattling around in the mostly empty space. The guesthouse has also been
put to good use. Already 4 people/families have stayed there, and weve only
been in the house two weeks.
Dear praying friends,
Weve moved
in our house! Steven worked liked a Trojan to get the house finished so quickly
and so well. Its a big house, and even after moving in all our boxes, were
still rattling around in the mostly empty space. The guesthouse has also been
put to good use. Already 4 people/families have stayed there, and weve only
been in the house two weeks.
The
Prophets course has finished. We only looked at Jeremiah and Amos, but that was
more than enough material for the five weeks. The message of Amos in particular
was startlingly relevant to many situations in Mozambique today. Nicola made a
cake for me to bring to the last lesson, so Ive been voted Teacher of the
Year again! (just kidding)
Makua
classes have made a stumbling beginning. Listening to our language tutor
reminded me once again just how difficult it is to learn another language. Its
unpleasant to return to being completely ignorant, to being unable to understand
what people are saying. But we have to begin sometime,
and its better to start now than to wait for some other time later.
Praise:
- For two days of rest and
relaxation in the company of several, very hospitable South African missionary
families.
- That Steven and Jo had an enjoyable time of rest in Cape Town.
- The help and friendship of Bethan Plant, a short-term missionary from Britain. She has helped Nicola with home schooling, taken care of Isabella, and generally cheered us up.
Please pray:
- Phillip is planning to begin some new Bible studies with groups from three local churches. Pray that he and the pastors involved will have wisdom to know how to best use these opportunities for study.
- Spiritual Life Conference is coming closer. All aspects seem to be well in hand, except the children's programme. Please pray that God will provide someone to run this important part of the conference.
- That God will provide materially for the young men in the discipleship group. Several of them are separated from their families, and have difficulties in gaining even the very basics each month.
- That God will provide the things needed to make the guest house function properly. We have beds, but still need linen, cupboards, a sofa and the hundred and one other things that a house needs to work properly.
Regards,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
This email
goes out once a month to people who we think are interested in praying for the
Piper family, who are Christian missionaries in Mozambique. If you would prefer
not to receive this email any more, or you have received it and have no idea
why, please click
here to unsubscribe from our list.
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The rains have finished here in Cuamba, and it's now just hot. We've lain on top of the sheets every night since we arrived, which makes making the bed easy in the morning. We've had no trouble settling into the dependencia . We have electricity almost 24x7, and the water from the well is back to normal. The only thing that we're really waiting for is running water so we can have a shower. Bucket baths work, but showers are nice!
Dear praying friends,
The rains have finished here in Cuamba, and it's now just hot. We've lain on top of the sheets every night since we arrived, which makes making the bed easy in the morning. We've had no trouble settling into the dependencia . We have electricity almost 24x7, and the water from the well is back to normal. The only thing that we're really waiting for is running water so we can have a shower. Bucket baths work, but showers are nice!
Isabella is a delight. She smiles a lot and is even starting to laugh! She can be grumpy at times (which proves she's my daughter), but mostly she's very well behaved. Both boys are rising to the challenge of being good big brothers. The only trouble is that I think I'm too old to be the parent of a baby - I just don't have the energy :-)
Our house is going ahead well. After many renegotiations and several "last chances", Steven (our team leader) has terminated the contract with the previous engineer, and has taken over supervision of the construction himself. Though we did not want this to happen, the building has progressed well since the handover occurred. There has been a marked improvement in quality, promptness, and pride in the work since then. All being well, the house should be finished before the end of April.
Praise:
- That Isabella sleeps well at night, and is (overall) an easy baby.
- That Steven has taken over the building of our house, and the good changes that have happened because of that.
- For a renewal of our ministries and our language ability.
Please pray:
- Jo (Steven's wife) has hepatitis. They are going to Capetown for 4 weeks to have tests and to rest. Please pray that she will recover well. Pray also that they will have a physically and spiritually renewing time.
- For the Prophets course that Phillip will teach this month (30 March - 11 May). Pray that he will have God's insight into these books, and that he'll be able to communicate these insights well. Pray also that he won't get distracted by less important pursuits.
- That Isabella would settle into a routine with sleeping during the day, so Nicola and the boys can settle into their routine with school. Pray particularly that she will learn to sleep in the cot, rather than just in people's arms.
- For our annual Spiritual Life Conference in August would come together well. In a moment of temporary insanity, Phillip (the organisationally-challenged ) volunteered to organise it! Most aspects are under control (at the moment), but please pray for two or three helpers to take care of the children's program.
As always, our website ( www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper ) is a good source of more information. The pictures are a bit behind (unreliable Internet connections), but the journal section is update to date.
Regards,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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After a wonderful break in Australia, we're back in Cuamba.
Dear praying friends,
After a wonderful break in Australia, we're back in Cuamba.
Australia was a time of great blessing for us, not least because of our new baby daughter. We felt surrounded by love and encouragement as we spent time with family and friends. Isabella was so showered with gifts that we didn't need to buy a single thing for her to bring back.
God took care of us on our return trip. A helpful lady from South Africa Airways arranged for our luggage to be sent straight through to Blantyre, which meant that we didn't have to take care of it on our over night stay in Johannesburg. Our internet-booked motel in Johannesburg was actually expecting us, and was fortuitously right next to a big shopping centre, where we could get dinner and some extra medications we needed.
After a few busy days in Blantyre spent arranging immunisations and a visa for Isabella, we drove the seven hours back to Cuamba. Here again God took care of us. Rather than being muddy and impassable as we expected, all but the last 20 km of road was in superb condition!
We had been hoping that our new house would be finished by the time we came back from Australia. It wasn't (and still isn't), which was quite a disappointment. It also meant that we didn't have any place to stay. Our team worked like Trojans to make the very newly finished guesthouse liveable. We are slowly becoming acclimatized to the new (and hopefully very temporary ) accommodation.
Praise for :
- The many people who made our time in Australia a wonderful time by their warmth and their generosity.
- Safe travel back to Cuamba.
- Great team members who did oodles of work to make a place ready for us to live in.
Pray that:
- Our house will be finished quickly and well. Pray that all the money issues would be worked out honestly and amicably.
- We would be able to sort out some routine of home schooling, baby care, and Bible study preparation.
- We will have grace to be patient and godly when things aren't exactly what we would like. Cuamba is hot and wet at this time of year: 35 C and 90% humidity. Combine that with broken sleep, and you get some very crabby missionaries J Pray that we will still be led by His Spirit.
- Phillip would be able to prepare well for his course on the Prophets that is coming up in March. It's another one of those 5-week long, 4-nights a week intensive courses, so he needs to be both diligent and inspired.
Thank you for all your prayers and support. Through these things, you make it possible for us to serve God here in Mozambique. May God richly bless you for the blessing you are to us.
Together in His service,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper
phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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Isabella Grace Piper joined our family at 1:45pm, 11 January. She's a healthy 6 pound, 6 ounces, 43cm long.
It's a girl!
Isabella Grace Piper joined our family at 1:45pm, 11 January. She's a healthy 6 pound, 6 ounces, 43cm long.
Nicola is tired and a little sore, but otherwise in perfect health. The rest of us are full of surprise and delight at the unexpected but still very welcome extra X chromosome.
Buzzing with joy,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper
phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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Drew has been sick for 4 days with an unexplained fever. Malaria tests have shown negative. Nevertheless, we have treated him for malaria, with slight improvement. He has also developed mouth ulcers and tummy pains. At the moment , he is one unhappy little boy, and we are two worried parents.
Dear praying friends,
Drew has been sick for 4 days with an unexplained fever. Malaria tests have shown negative. Nevertheless, we have treated him for malaria, with slight improvement. He has also developed mouth ulcers and tummy pains. At the moment , he is one unhappy little boy, and we are two worried parents.
Please pray that this fever would pass, and that he'd return to being his normal happy self.
Together in His service,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper
phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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Drew has improved tremendously in the past two days. His fevers have completely disappeared! This is a great relief to us, as they were the main worry for us. He still has several mouth ulcers that are causing him grief, especially at night. But even these are beginning to heal.
Dear praying friends,
Drew has improved tremendously in the past two days. His fevers have completely disappeared! This is a great relief to us, as they were the main worry for us. He still has several mouth ulcers that are causing him grief, especially at night. But even these are beginning to heal.
Thank you so much for praying for him, as well as for the messages of support and encouragement that so many people sent to us. They mean a lot to us. It is wonderful for us to know that we have such a prayer force, willing to intercede for us at a moment notice. May God bless you all.
Together in His service,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper
phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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It's moving towards the end of the dry season here in Cuamba, and everything is drying up except the heat. Thankfully, there is still some water in the taps (30 minutes early in the morning, 30 minutes at dusk), and we still get at least 6 hours of electricity each day. By comparison, this time last year the water had already been off for 3 weeks and we had only 4 hours of electricity daily. God is gracious.
Dear praying friends,
It's moving towards the end of the dry season here in Cuamba, and everything is drying up except the heat. Thankfully, there is still some water in the taps (30 minutes early in the morning, 30 minutes at dusk), and we still get at least 6 hours of electricity each day. By comparison, this time last year the water had already been off for 3 weeks and we had only 4 hours of electricity daily. God is gracious.
The young men in the discipleship group (Sergio and Oflio) are still a great encouragement to us. At the beginning of the year, I asked each of them to start a discipleship group of their own. Through this year, these other groups have been running with fluctuating degrees of success. In our last meeting, Sergio and Oflio each told me that they had tried to stop their own meetings, because school was ending for the year. But the young men in their groups would have none of it. They wanted to continue meeting, because they were learning things that they could then take and teach within their own churches. I found this so encouraging because that is exactly the sort of thing that we wanted to achieve in coming here: teach a few people, who then teach others, who can then go and teach the churches.
Not quite so uplifting is the on-going saga with our house. The work continues, but it seems very, very slow. The guesthouse is almost finished, but the main house still has bare walls and no roof. The rains will begin in a few weeks, and if the roof is not in place before that, there is no way the house will be finished before we return in February - and that would makes things difficult.
Our work in the churches has been going well. Nicola has been teaching the ladies in her Bible study. This group still presents challenges as she tries to come to truly come to grips with another culture. I've visited more outlying churches : one newly formed, with converts from Islam and other religions; another recovering from the fall of the church leader; and the third making good progress in loving one another. I've eaten goat's liver and an unnamed smoked game meat - the origin of which was not explained and I did not enquire too closely. I've also been offered cane rat ( think: two-foot long guinea pig) mixed with entrails, which I was able to decline - coward, I know.
But looming large in our minds is our return to Australia and the birth of our next child. What can I say but "Yahoo!!"
Praise God:
- For a group of friends from Figtree Anglican church who combined to buy us new tyres for our car. This has been a great blessing for us. Our two-tonne car now sticks to the road, rather than wandering around on top of it.
- For the love and generosity of our families, who made it possible for us to come home at Christmas for the birth of our child.
- For the encouragement that we find in the faith and enthusiasm that Sergio and Oflio consistently display.
- For the successful launch of the ProForte organisation. Until now, there have only been discussions and planning, but this month, the organisation was officially constituted. ProForte has the charter of organising and developing theological education in Mozambique. In a move that demonstrates God's sense of humour, I was chosen as treasurer!
- For the successful completion of the advanced-level Gospels course in the local Bible college. I personally found it challenging to once more struggle with what Jesus actually said and did, especially as recorded in John's gospel.
Please pray:
- That Nicola would be able to cope with the sometimes oppressive heat, especially when matched with a paucity of electricity. Sleeping on hot, breeze-less nights with a built-in hot-water bottle isn't easy J
- Both Nicola and I have been convicted that we need to be doing something to develop the existing leadership within the churches we're involved with: me with the pastors and elders, and Nicola with their wives and other female leaders. We're not exactly sure of the best way to do this. Please pray that God will show everyone involved the best way to achieve this development.
- That God will encourage those involved in the construction of our houses to work diligently and well. Pray that our house will be finished before we come back from Australia in February.
As always, our website has lots of photos and journal articles about what's been happening. Check it out: www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper .You can see the cane rats (still intact) here .
Together in His service,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper
phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
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Our big news is that Nicola is pregnant! All being well, the newest Piper-zinho will arrive in January next year. And the bonus is that we are coming home to Australia for Nicola to have the baby (big thanks to our folks for making this possible). We will be arriving home in the beginning of December and returning to Mozambique at the beginning of February 2004. We're excited at the prospect of spending our first Christmas at home in over 3 years!
Dear friends,
Our big news is that Nicola is pregnant! All being well, the newest Piper-zinho will arrive in January next year. And the bonus is that we are coming home to Australia for Nicola to have the baby (big thanks to our folks for making this possible). We will be arriving home in the beginning of December and returning to Mozambique at the beginning of February 2004. We're excited at the prospect of spending our first Christmas at home in over 3 years!
The dry season is taking hold of life in Cuamba again. The fine dust has returned to covering everything. Power shortages/rationing are again daily occurrences (thank goodness for batteries and kerosene lamps). Thankfully, there is still water in the town, so I'm not in danger of breaking any more back windows just yet :-)
Praise:
- That the Betnia church conference went really well. Praise that we were eventually able to get home [full story] .
- For a good time of teaching and relaxation at SIM's annual Spiritual Life conference, and afterwards in Malawi, as Nicola went for a pre-natal check-up.
- For good opportunities to minister in local churches. Last week, we taught in a completely new "church:" 9 men, 4 women, all new believers, meeting together in a house for only the fourth time.
Pray:
- The housing situation has returned to being complicated. The local officials, having already reneged on two signed agreements, have upped the stakes and are taking our team leader to court! The court case will be heard on September 16. Please pray that justice will be done. Thankfully, the local judge is a strong Christian, so we can be sure that he will do what is right as the law allows.
- Home schooling continues to present its own unique challenges. Please pray that the boys will have a good attitude to doing their schoolwork, and that Nicola won't become discouraged.
- I'm going to teaching another intensive course at the local bible college. This time the topic is The Gospels. The course starting on September 18, 1.5 hours each night, 4 nights a week, 5 weeks in a row. Please pray that God will give me inspiration and ability to teach these men well.
- For wisdom and insight from God about how to tackle deep seated cultural issues, such as fear of spirits and curses. These things run deep in many, many people, especially in the women. Pray that God will give us the ability to bring the power of gospel to bear on these issues.
I've updated our website recently with lots of new photos and journal articles. Check it out: www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper .
We're looking forward to seeing lots of you at Christmas time.
Regards,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper
phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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This is just a quick update to let every one know
that the Church Conference went very well. The talks went well, the
loud system (more or less) worked, there was a good audience of 80-150
people (depending on the number of interested bystanders), and there
were no trouble from hecklers or officials. The only minor hiccups were
on the return trip home, which should have taken 2.5 hours, but in the
end took 9 hours!
Dear praying friends,
This is just a quick update to let every one know
that the Church Conference went very well. The talks went well, the
loud system (more or less) worked, there was a good audience of 80-150
people (depending on the number of interested bystanders), and there
were no trouble from hecklers or officials. The only minor hiccups were
on the return trip home, which should have taken 2.5 hours, but in the
end took 9 hours!
Many, many thanks for praying for protection and
enabling.
Together in His service,
Phillip Piper
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper
phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
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It was precisely one year
ago that we arrived in Cuamba. When we arrived, I could barely speak
Portuguese, we didn't know anyone, and we were living in small, hot
apartment. One year later, we have relationships with lots of people,
we're living in nice, three bedroom house,
and I can speak Portuguese (more-or-less) fluently. When we arrived, we
were not at all sure why God had called us to come here. One year
later, we can see that God does have a plan for us being here.
Dear praying friends,
It was precisely one year
ago that we arrived in Cuamba. When we arrived, I could barely speak
Portuguese, we didn't know anyone, and we were living in small, hot
apartment. One year later, we have relationships with lots of people,
we're living in nice, three bedroom house,
and I can speak Portuguese (more-or-less) fluently. When we arrived, we
were not at all sure why God had called us to come here. One year
later, we can see that God does have a plan for us being here.
A large part of that plan
is for us to teach and encourage the churches here. In fact, all the
other work - home schooling, building houses, gathering water, and the
million other things that need to be done - are all to make it possible
for us to teach and encourage. I have a great opportunity to teach
coming up. On 1, 2, 3 August, I will be teaching at the annual
conference of the Igreja Betania. The theme of the
conference will be
"Jesus - The End of Fear." Fear seems to be one of the largest problems
here, especially fear of witches and curses. I will be teaching about
how God is great than any demon, witch, curse, ancestor spirit, or even
Satan himself.
Praise God:
- For some positive
developments with SIM's houses. The local
officials seem to be satisfied and the less than reliable local
businessman has agreed to sub-contract the remaining work to someone
more reliable.
- For some school
packages
that arrived late. They were six weeks overdue, and we thought they had
been lost in transit or stolen. But they were just late and arrived
intact and untampered.
Pray:
- Pray the conference
will
have a big impact on people's lives, setting them free from their fear
of Satan and helping them to grow in their faith in Jesus. Pray that I
will have confidence to speak in the face of such a large audience
(large for me, that is :-). Pray also that my
voice will be up to the task, since the whole conference is outdoors,
under an enormous mango tree.
- Pray for protection for
our family as Satan tries to distract and disrupt us from teaching
against his power.
- Pray for wisdom in how to
use our finances. There are always more people with needs than we have
capacity to help. Pray that God will show us which need is genuine and
which is more important. For example: should we give $50 to the man who
wants to properly bury his child who has just died, or to give it to
the man who wants to start a new business milling rice?
As always, our website
has more details and photos of what's been happening in our lives: www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper.
Together in His service,
Phillip Piper
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper
phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
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The
Pentateuch course will finish this week. Thank you to everyone who prayed for
this. Although it’s been difficult, it has turned out to be a real blessing. My
language ability has improved immensely. I still make lots of mistakes, but I
speak off-the-cuff most of the time, and don’t have to read from my notes at
all. In the classes, it was good to see that, sometimes, the men really get the
point. I’m actually looking forward to teaching the next course, which will
probably be Acts, in a few months time.
The
Pentateuch course will finish this week. Thank you to everyone who prayed for
this. Although it’s been difficult, it has turned out to be a real blessing. My
language ability has improved immensely. I still make lots of mistakes, but I
speak off-the-cuff most of the time, and don’t have to read from my notes at
all. In the classes, it was good to see that, sometimes, the men really get the
point. I’m actually looking forward to teaching the next course, which will
probably be Acts, in a few months time.
Praise God:
- For helping me do well with the Pentateuch course. Praise for the improvement in my language ability.
- For mending the marriage of a leader in our church and that the wife was willing to listen to Nicola’s counsel.
- For giving us a great team of colleges here. Praise for the encouragement and support that we can give each other.
- For leading us to local church where we can be helpful.
Pray:
- Home
schooling continues to presents its own challenges. Please pray that Nicola
and the boys would have renewed determination to work together well in this
area.
- ProForte
is the group that’s trying to organise higher level theological education in
northern Mozambique. The next ProForte meeting on June 12-13. This meeting is
important because we will be asking organisations to make an actual commitment
to the programme, including financially. Pray that I will be able to organise
the meeting, including meals and accommodation. With me being
organisationally-challenged, I suppose this shows God’s sense of
humour!
- Igreja
Betania’s annual church conference is on August 1-3. I will be speaking, and I
need to find another speaker too. Please pray that I will speak with wisdom,
and that I will find another speaker!
Together in His service,
Phillip Piper
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper
phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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It has been a while since our last prayer update. This is
certainly not because we don't need your prayers. We have
had some computer troubles. The power supply to our main computer
fried itself, and I have been working to get our backup computer
up and running.
Dear praying friends,
It has been a while since our last prayer update. This is
certainly not because we don't need your prayers. We have
had some computer troubles. The power supply to our main computer
fried itself, and I have been working to get our backup computer
up and running.
Ministry-wise, we have had enough to keep busy. I have preached
in a few more churches, made few pastoral visits into the
barrios, and been to the hospital to pray. The local theology
school has asked me to teach an advanced course on the Pentateuch.
Nicola and some other missionary ladies have begun to teach
in the local girl's home, where many girls from the high school
stay. Their first talk was a powerful message about keeping
yourself pure and "unhandled." Nicola has also been teaching
about the parables to a women's bible study group.
Praise:
- For God's provision of the money for Nicola to return
home for her Dad's 70th birthday. Her parents didn't know
she was coming, and were suitably surprised when she arrived
at the door :-)
- For continued improvements in our abilities to speak Portuguese.
Even Joshua and Drew are beginning to make themselves understood.
- Great improvements with our water and electricity situation.
There has been water in the city since the start of January.
And power has been available most nights and some days,
as well. These things make our lives far easier.
Pray:
- For wisdom in deciding where is best to focus our energies.
There are many options. For example, the bishop of Igreja
Betania church has asked Phillip to consider giving "leadership
and direction" to the church in this province, as he feels
he is too old to do the job well. If we understood correctly,
it seems he was asking Phillip to be a pseudo-bishop for
the province. This would be a lot of responsibility, but
also a great opportunity.
- For the preparations for the course on Pentateuch. The
course is an intensive course of 4 nights each week for
5 weeks. Each lecture is 1.5 hours long. This means I have
to prepare 30 (!) hours of lectures in Portuguese before
the course begins in April. This is a lot of work. Please
also pray that God will give me courage - I'm a little worried
that I've bitten off more than I can chew :-)
- For encouragement for Pastor Augusto, pastor of the local
Igreja Betania church and our friend. He has many responsibilities,
and sometimes not many sources of encouragement.
- For Phillip and the boys as we cope with Nicola being
home in Australia. We all miss her lots.
As always, our website has the latest happenings
for you to read. The journal section,
in particular, is completely up-to-date.
Regards,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper
phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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The water has just returned to Cuamba after being off for 18 days. That first shower felt wonderful! I appreciate running water far more now after living without it again for a while. Fetching water every second or third day becomes a little aggravating after a while, especially when you shatter your back window on one of the 44-gallon drums. I was not a happy water-gatherer that day
Dear friends,
The water has just returned to Cuamba after being off for 18 days. That first shower felt wonderful! I appreciate running water far more now after living without it again for a while. Fetching water every second or third day becomes a little aggravating after a while, especially when you shatter your back window on one of the 44-gallon drums. I was not a happy water-gatherer that day
On a much more positive note, ProForte held a meeting here in Cuamba last week. ProForte is a local organisation that is working to help theological education in northern and central Mozambique. There were 40 people in the meeting, representing 27 different organisations. There was a good feeling of co-operation and initiative at the meeting, which was encouraging. Several important ideas were proposed and approved, all of which were steps towards achieving ProForte's goal. God really seems to be using this organisation to promote and organise theological education here in Mozambique.
One of the ministries that we've wanted to be involved in here in Cuamba was hospitality. There is certainly the need for it. In the short time we've been here, we've been amazed at how many missionaries have stayed in Cuamba while travelling to somewhere else. One of the houses currently being built in Cuamba for SIM has a small building suitable for use as a guest house. Furnishing this guest house could cost up to three thousand dollars. We have managed to buy some furniture and appliances second-hand but there are still many items needed. If you or your Bible Study group like to help provide this facility, you could send a gift marked for "MZ 96263 - Cuamba Guest House project" to SIM Australia, P.O. Box 42, Penshurst, NSW, 2222.
Praise God:
- For good progress towards ProForte's goal of advancing theological education in Mozambique
- For the chance for the whole SIM team to spend some days together, this was an encouragement for everyone.
- That the boys have been much more willing to do their school work.
Pray:
- We are preaching in four different churches over the next four weeks, two of them in villages outside of Cuamba. Please pray that God will give us the ability to preach His word well, and will open people's ears to hear.
- That God will give us wisdom to discern what is true and who is trustworthy. Pray also that He will give us grace to forgive those who sin against us.
- For protection against sickness and low-spirits. A stomach bug has been doing the rounds and has laid a few of us low. It's easy to become discouraged when you are feeling unwell.
- SIM bought a couple of half-finished houses a few months back, and they are slowly advancing towards being usable. The work on one is being "complicated" by some local officials and the work on the other has been stalled by a less than reliable local businessman. Please pray that God will remove all the obstacles to these buildings being finished, and that He will inspire honesty and integrity within those involved.
As always, our website has more details and photos of what’s been happening in our lives:
www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper
Together in His service,
Phillip Piper
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper
phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
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Nicola has come back! From my point of view, that's by far the most important news item this month :-) I'm glad that she enjoyed the time away, but I'm not keen to do it again - three weeks without her is just too much. The boys and I survived the first two weeks reasonably well, but the third week seemed very long! On her side, Nicola had a wonderful time in Australia visiting friends and family. She felt so welcomed by so many people. And her parents were very surprised when she showed up unannounced!
Dear friends,
Nicola has come back! From my point of view, that's by far the most important news item this month :-) I'm glad that she enjoyed the time away, but I'm not keen to do it again - three weeks without her is just too much. The boys and I survived the first two weeks reasonably well, but the third week seemed very long! On her side, Nicola had a wonderful time in Australia visiting friends and family. She felt so welcomed by so many people. And her parents were very surprised when she showed up unannounced!
My course on the Pentateuch starts on Friday, 4 April, and runs for five weeks, 4 nights a week. Preparing this course has shown me just how far I am from my goal of impromptu public speaking. It has been enjoyable researching the course, but I'm still somewhat scared of actually delivering the course. Again, that verse about "when I am weak, then I am strong" has been floating around my head for the past few weeks. It is certainly going to be put to the test during this course.
Nicola launched back into her responsibilities almost as soon as she returned. Home schooling the boys is the most frequent, and sometimes it seems the most difficult, task. Her weekly Bible studies with the ladies from the church are also challenging. I think it is in that group that the differences in our cultures are most strongly seen. The problem is that it's almost impossible for us to tell what people are thinking or feeling. All our cultural cues are out-of-place. During the last study, Nicola finished the group thinking that almost no one had really understood or been interested in what she had taught. But on the way home, one of the ladies told her what a good study it was, how she would have to behave differently because of it, and repeated (in her own words) the main points. That lady had certainly got the point of the study, but Nicola hadn't seen that because we still don't know the cultural cues. This can be a bit discouraging sometimes.
An update to our last prayer update: as to the request to be "pseudo-bishop," I asked that the request be deferred for six months (that's a very polite way of say "no"). Leadership belongs to the Mozambicans, not to foreigners. The way I want to have influence is through teaching about God's Word, not through an official position in the church. Thank you to everyone who provided wisdom to me on this issue.
Praise:
- For the wonderful time that Nicola had in Australia. For the fact that she's back home again!
- For the generosity of so many people in supporting us while we are working here. Please pray that God will return ten-fold blessings on the people who have blessed us.
Pray:
- For the Pentateuch course. That I will have the ability to teach the things that God has taught me. And that I will be able to understand the discussions that happen in class.
- Joshua and Drew are still adjusting to home schooling. Please pray that both of them would have a good attitude to schooling. Also please pray that they would both be less distractible.
- For the discipleship class that I'm running. I recently challenged the guys in the group that each of them should begin to disciple a little group of their own each week. They are going to start these "offspring" groups in April. Please pray that these groups would proceed well, and that the process of making disciples would multiply.
- For Nicola's weekly Bible study on the parables and her talks in the girls home. Please pray that she will have wisdom and insight to understand the ladies/girls.
Together in His service,
Phillip Piper
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper
phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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It seems incredible but we have already been back in Australia for three weeks. The flights back were happily uneventful, and the boys were wonderfully well behaved (thank goodness for in-flight entertainment systems!). Since then, we have been enjoying the company of our families and friends, and basking in the luxury of 24-hour electricity, running drinkable water, and a head-swirling variety of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Dear praying friends,
It seems incredible but we have already been back in Australia for three weeks. The flights back were happily uneventful, and the boys were wonderfully well behaved (thank goodness for in-flight entertainment systems!). Since then, we have been enjoying the company of our families and friends, and basking in the luxury of 24-hour electricity, running drinkable water, and a head-swirling variety of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Nicola is in good health, and everything is well with the baby too. The little one is scheduled to arrive in the second week of January, but if this one is like his/her brothers, he/she will be champing at the bit to get out into the world and begin the exploration of noise, food, and mum's handbag. The boys are having a grand time being spoilt by grandparents, and running wild with cousins and friends.
Australia has been a complete shock for me. Everything seems so perfect here. But , for me, the perfection is seductive. It's easy to forget God: there are so many nice things to enjoy, and so many other things clamouring for attention. Please pray for us that Satan will not be able to use God's blessings to wrap us up and draw us away from Him. Pray that the Giver will be much more important to us than the wonderful gifts He gives. We will pray the same for you too.
Enjoy Christmas and all it brings. Thank you once again for all the gracious and faithful support you have given us in so many different ways throughout the year. Many blessings,
Regards,
Phillip, Nicola, Joshua and Drew
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper
phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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We have seen God's power and His mystery at work this month.
He provided the rain that Cuamba has so desperately needed.
He advanced the plans to establish a higher Christian education
facility here in northern Mozambique. He continued to work
to grow and protect the young men in the discipleship group.
And He saved me (by inches) from running over a small child
who ran straight in front of our car.
Dear praying friends,
We have seen God's power and His mystery at work this month.
He provided the rain that Cuamba has so desperately needed.
He advanced the plans to establish a higher Christian education
facility here in northern Mozambique. He continued to work
to grow and protect the young men in the discipleship group.
And He saved me (by inches) from running over a small child
who ran straight in front of our car.
We have also been confronted with God's mysterious ways of
working. We discovered that someone we had trusted had been
lying to us and stealing from us. Thieves snuck into our house
twice and stole things from our house. Our colleges have experienced
several disappointments and frustrations in a row.
When I went out to preach at another "edge of the world"
location, I preached on Paul's comment, "For when I am weak,
then I am strong." It seems that in God's mysterious ways,
He has been showing us our weaknesses, calling us to depend
even more on him. We don't always respond to this call - sometimes
we just feel down or sorry for ourselves - but with God, we
always have hope.
And it's this hope that calls for our attention this Christmas
and every Christmas. God's miraculous intervention in our
world, bringing hope in the midst of disappointment. May you
have the opportunity this Christmas and New Year to reflect
on and rejoice in the certain hope we have in Jesus.
Thank you for your faithful support in prayer, letters, parcels
and finances this year. We know that whatever God manages
to do through us here is only possible because of what you
do for us there.
Give praise:
- For the discipleship study group Phillip teaches.
- For open invitations to teach in churches and in the community
next year.
- For the rains that have finally begun in earnest.
Please pray:
- That Sergio and Ophelio will continue to grow in wisdom
and passion for the Lord.
- That electricity and water will be restored some time
soon.
- That the New Year will bring less frustrations and disappointments
for our friends and team leaders, Steven and Jo Wheatley.
Together in His Service,
Phillip, Nicola, Joshua and Drew Piper
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Phillip Piper www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper
phillip_piper@bigfoot.com
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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We have finished our time in Malawi
and have returned to Cuamba. Up until yesterday, Cuamba
was the same hot, waterless place that we left a few weeks
ago. But last night and today, it poured with rain. The
change in temperature is a welcome relief, but more important,
people can now start planting their crops in the hope that,
this year, they might have a good harvest. I (a city-dweller)
have never really understood that life in the country really
does depend on the simple fact of whether or not it rains
when it should.
Dear praying friends,
We have finished our time in Malawi
and have returned to Cuamba. Up until yesterday, Cuamba
was the same hot, waterless place that we left a few weeks
ago. But last night and today, it poured with rain. The
change in temperature is a welcome relief, but more important,
people can now start planting their crops in the hope that,
this year, they might have a good harvest. I (a city-dweller)
have never really understood that life in the country really
does depend on the simple fact of whether or not it rains
when it should.
Our night guard is an elder of a
local church named Senior Faia (pronounced "Fire"). While
we were away, his wife suddenly died. He believes that he
has been cursed, and there may be some truth to that. His
infant son died in April, and several other losses, thefts
and misfortunes have happened to him. We missed attend the
funeral, but we sat with him the morning after we got back,
and listened for more than an hour as he talked about what
had happened. Because the tribes in this area are matrilineal,
he now has to leave his home and fields and return to his
father's house. If he had any children, he would have to
leave them behind too, since they "belong" to his wife's
family. So, not only does he lose his wife, but his house,
lands, and children too! There are some things here in Africa
that seem very sad to us.
Praise:
- For a great time of rest and refreshment
in Malawi. Praise that many things were fixed on our car.
- For the start of the rains.
- For the good relationships that God has given us here with Mozambicans.
- For a visit from the President of
Mozambique to Cuamba. The power stayed on for a whole day,
and we were able to freeze some things!
Pray:
- For a break through of God's power
in the life of Senior Faia. Also, that we will know how
best to encourage and strengthen him as he copes with the
loss of his wife, and deals with the issues in his life.
- That the rains will continue, and
that there will be a good harvest this year.
- Nicola has the chance to do some
part-time voluntary work in the local hospital. Relationships
between the Cuamba Health Department and missionaries are
somewhat tense at the moment. Pray that we will know what
is best for Nicola to do.
- That we will both continue to have
courage to reach out and take risks.
- For Phillip as he preaches at another
village on the "edge of the world" this weekend (30 Nov-1
Dec).
Much love,
Phillip and Nicola
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Phillip Piper
Death is the
confirmation of the believer's creed.
For the skeptic,
it is a discovery -- immense and late.
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Last weekend, I went with a team
from one of the local denominations to Entre Lagos - a small
town on the border of Mozambique and Malawi. It's only 90km
away, but it takes two hours to get there. Whereas Cuamba
is mostly dust, Entre Lagos is mostly sand.
Dear praying friends,
Last weekend, I went with a team
from one of the local denominations to Entre Lagos - a small
town on the border of Mozambique and Malawi. It's only 90km
away, but it takes two hours to get there. Whereas Cuamba
is mostly dust, Entre Lagos is mostly sand.
Four churches had sent their pastors
and elders "to be taught by the missionary", as they put it.
So, on the Saturday afternoon, I had my first opportunity
to teach in Portuguese, and on Sunday, I preached my first
sermon in Mozambique. They were reasonable, but showed that
I still have a lot of work to do on improving my Portuguese.
But, as our pastor friend jokingly told me, "The only way
to learn to ride the bike is to ride it, even if you do fall
off."
Our time in northern Malawi at our
mission's annual Spiritual Life conference was very good.
We received excellent teaching and even better fellowship.
The campus on which we stayed was beautiful - peaceful, green,
grassy, full of trees and flowers. There was even a nice swimming
pool. The only bad thing was that our car died on the way
to the conference. About 30 minutes after we left Cuamba,
the engine overheated and simply stopped. We towed it to the
nearest town and left it there. Then all 9 of us and our luggage
piled into one car (very cosy) for the 11 hours drive to the
conference. We were very glad to arrive!
Praise:
- We think that we have found a
half-finished house with a big plot of land that we will
be able to buy. This will serve (eventually) as the main
base for SIM here in Cuamba. Praise God for this answer
to prayer.
- That the trip to Entre Lagos went
well. That Nicola and the boys were safe while I was away.
- Great time of refreshment during
the Spiritual Life conference.
- A cool spell in the weather has
been an unexpected but very pleasant surprise. We even had
to wear light jumpers for a day or two.
Prayer:
- That several complications with
the house and land that we want to buy will be worked out
smoothly and completely.
- That God will give us wisdom to
know how to proceed with our work here. There are several,
very different options available to us at the moment.
- That God will provide the SIM
team with a telephone line.
- That we will not have any more
problems with our car.
- We have both felt some pangs of
homesickness. Please pray that God will give us grace to
get through these without becoming discouraged.
As always, you can read the latest
happenings in the Journal section
of our website (for example, you can read all about the Entre
Lagos trip). The Photos section
shows what's been happening, but it's often a little behind
because Internet connections here in Cuamba are a bit slow.
Together in His service,
Phillip and Nicola
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip
Piper
A man's life
does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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Cuamba is a typical rural African
town: dust roads, lots of people walking, mud brick houses
with thatch roofs, almost all businesses owned by Indians,
power outages, not a blade of grass to be seen. Also typical
is the presence of lots of little, separate churches. There
are apparently 29 (!) different denominations just in Cuamba
itself. During the three weeks we've actually been in Cuamba,
we've managed to visit three of the 29, leaving quite a few
to still go and see. Tricker than just attending the churches
is that task of building trust relationships, and deciding
with whom and how we are going to work to build disciples
in this city. We can (and will) do the legwork, but only God
can show us the right way forward.
Dear praying friends,
Cuamba is a typical rural African
town: dust roads, lots of people walking, mud brick houses
with thatch roofs, almost all businesses owned by Indians,
power outages, not a blade of grass to be seen. Also typical
is the presence of lots of little, separate churches. There
are apparently 29 (!) different denominations just in Cuamba
itself. During the three weeks we've actually been in Cuamba,
we've managed to visit three of the 29, leaving quite a few
to still go and see. Tricker than just attending the churches
is that task of building trust relationships, and deciding
with whom and how we are going to work to build disciples
in this city. We can (and will) do the legwork, but only God
can show us the right way forward.
Click
here to see some photos of Cuamba and our apartment. Click
here to see fairly detailed description of a day in the
life of a missionary in northern Mozambique.
Praise:
- Our week of team building for
the SIM Mozambican team was good. It was helpful to be all
together and get to know one another better. We also had
a great time of learning at an SIL cross-cultural course,
run by the head of Missions at Fuller.
- God has given us some good contacts
in a couple of the local churches, and we have the very
beginnings of some friendships with some Mozambicans.
- The boys are beginning to make
some little Mozambican friends, which they are just loving.
Pray:
- That God will keep us safe as
we travel to SIM's annual Spiritual Life Conference, held
in the north of Malawi. It will take about 11 hours to drive
there from Cuamba. Pray that God will speak to and refresh
all of us during this time.
- That God will provide longer-term
accommodation for us that will allow us carry out our ministries
more easily. At the moment, we are finding that we are treading
on each other's toes in our little apartment.
- That God will provide our team
in Cuamba with a telephone. We are currently making occasional
use of a phone in another missionary's house, but we don't
want to trouble them for much longer.
Together in His service,
Phillip and Nicola
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip
Piper
A man's life
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We have arrived in Mozambique! More specifically, we have arrived in Cuamba
and have even settled into our apartment. We have been there
for five days now, and it’s starting to feel a little
more like home.
Dear praying friends,
We have arrived in Mozambique! More specifically, we have arrived in Cuamba
and have even settled into our apartment. We have been there
for five days now, and it’s starting to feel a little
more like home.
Maputo (the capital) is very different to what we remember from when we
were here in 1994. It is much more prosperous and self-confident.
There are two new 5-star hotels on the beachfront. There is
even a supermarket where you can buy just about everything,
and it was full of Mozambicans, not expatriates, doing their
weekly shopping. However, the wealth that is so obvious in
Maputo is nowhere to be seen in Lichinga or Cuamba. Cuamba
is poorer and more run-down than we had been expecting. Even
within the town centre, the roads are dirt and filled with
deep potholes. But the people seem friendly and the other
missionary families in town have given us a warm welcome.
Many thanks to everyone who contributed to or prayed for the provision
of our car. We picked it up in Lichinga, the provincial capital.
It’s not a lot to look at (in fact, it’s decidedly
ugly and battered J), but
it’s mechanically solid and built like a tank –
perfect for northern Mozambican roads. We drove it from Lichinga
to Cuamba, and that was my introduction to rough-road driving:
it’s only 300km but it took 9 hours to drive. Click here
to see the beast (if this doesn't work, this means that
the phone lines in Cuamba are particularly slow and I haven’t
been able to upload the changes yet).
Things to praise for:
- Safe and (mostly) sane journey
from Portugal to Maputo, Maputo to Lichinga, and from Lichinga
to Cuamba.
- Great team members who have helped
us at every step of our journey: welcoming us, feeding us,
buying and fixing our car, finding and arranging our apartment
for us. They have made our initial experience of Mozambique
as pleasant as it could possibly be.
- Faithful and generous supporters,
without whom we could never have arrived here.
- Our computer broke in the trip
from Portugal (that’s not the praise item), but it
was able to be fixed again by a company in Malawi! Praise
God that it could be repaired because the prospect of trying
to replace it was fairly depressing.
Things to pray for:
- Transition is never a comfortable
experience. Pray that God will give us grace to cope with
new circumstances, and courage to face the many new challenges.
- There are so many things that
could be done here. Pray that God will give us wisdom to
know where to invest our energy.
- Pray that God will give us Mozambican
mentors and friends. We are also going to need someone to
help around the house fairly soon. Pray that God will bring
us someone trustworthy, and to whom we can be a blessing
as much as they will be a blessing to us.
- While we were walking home from
a team meeting yesterday, Joshua pulled the collar of his
black shirt up over his ears. When asked why he was doing
that, he replied, “So I look like the Africans.”
When we said that doing that didn’t really work, he
said that maybe he could get a good suntan, and then he
could be African. I think that he had just had enough of
being stared at for one day, and didn’t want to look
different. Pray for our boys as they adjust to always being
different, and to often being the centre of attention from
laughing Mozambicans.
- We have an important team-building
week coming up next week. Please pray that this time would
significantly strengthen the SIM team in Mozambique for
the task of reaching people with the gospel.
Regards,
Phillip and Nicola
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip
Piper
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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I took Joshua with me into Lisbon
today. We went to get an official stamp in our health booklets
saying that we have had the required number of jabs to complete
our rabies vaccinations. At the vaccine centre, I explained
to the doctor that we had already had our course of injections,
and now only needed to get our booklets signed. This done,
we returned to the railway station to catch a train back,
but the guard there said we couldn't because there was a problem
with the rail line. I asked if a nearby station had the same
problem, and he said no, we could still catch trains there.
On the way, Joshua accidentally knocked a lady's shopping
bag, and she gentled chided him. I apologized for him, but
she wasn't at all annoyed. She started chatting, asking if
we were French. "No, we're Australians", I replied. "Ah, but
you speak Portuguese?" she said. And I thought about it for
a second, "Yes, I suppose I do."
Dear friends,
I took Joshua with me into Lisbon
today. We went to get an official stamp in our health booklets
saying that we have had the required number of jabs to complete
our rabies vaccinations. At the vaccine centre, I explained
to the doctor that we had already had our course of injections,
and now only needed to get our booklets signed. This done,
we returned to the railway station to catch a train back,
but the guard there said we couldn't because there was a problem
with the rail line. I asked if a nearby station had the same
problem, and he said no, we could still catch trains there.
On the way, Joshua accidentally knocked a lady's shopping
bag, and she gentled chided him. I apologized for him, but
she wasn't at all annoyed. She started chatting, asking if
we were French. "No, we're Australians", I replied. "Ah, but
you speak Portuguese?" she said. And I thought about it for
a second, "Yes, I suppose I do."
This will be our last email from
Portugal. Our frustrating, depressing, humbling, but ultimately
satisfying two years of language learning have finished. We
will fly out on Friday, 28 June, and arrive (quite a few hours
later) in Maputo, Mozambique.
One of the many big changes (for me anyway) during our first few months
in Mozambique is that our access to the Internet is going
to be severely limited. We will not have a telephone in our
apartment in Cuamba, so we will have to borrow someone else's.
Because of this, we will only be checking our emails about
once a week, and we will not want to take too long each time
to do so. Please don't send us any large files, or forward
us circulars or jokes. We still really want to hear from you,
so please write!
In keeping with the high-tech nature
of our world, I've created a Piper family website: www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper.
It has lots of photos of Portugal and our time here. When
I get the chance, I'll try to put up some shots of Maputo
and Cuamba as well.
Regards,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper
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There are less than two weeks until we leave! We're feeling
a little anxious at the moment: apprehensive and excited at
the same time! Packing has begun in earnest, so our apartment
is dissolving into messy bits on the floor and into boxes.
All the farewell lunches/dinners have begun as well. After
all these big meals, I think I'm going to be charged excess
baggage just to bring my stomach on the plane! :-)
Dear praying friends,
There are less than two weeks until we leave! We're feeling
a little anxious at the moment: apprehensive and excited at
the same time! Packing has begun in earnest, so our apartment
is dissolving into messy bits on the floor and into boxes.
All the farewell lunches/dinners have begun as well. After
all these big meals, I think I'm going to be charged excess
baggage just to bring my stomach on the plane! :-)
Our relationships within the church just continue to improve.
I think my language skill level is getting to the point where
language is no longer the barrier to forming relationships
that it was 6 months ago (Nicola reached this point long ago
:-)
In my spare time (read: instead of sleeping), I've been putting
together a web site for the Piper family. It is now officially
open and everyone is invited. It can be found at www.bigfoot.com/~phillip_piper.
One of the big changes in Mozambique (for me at least) will
be that our apartment will not have a telephone line. This
means that, if we have any access to the Internet, it will
be by begging time on someone else's telephone. Because of
this, please do not send us large emails or forward any humour
messages to us. Also, please remember that it will take us
at least a week for us to reply to messages. But please do
still send us emails because we love to receive them.
Things to praise God for
- My first sermon in Portuguese. God gave me a good sermon
to preach, which helped a lot. After putting in lots of
practice, God made it work out well. People seemed to understand
what I said, which was very encouraging.
- Providing a new digital camera for us after our previous
one was lost/stolen.
- New friendships formed with Portuguese people.
Things to ask God about
[Some of these points are the same as last month, but that's
because we'd still appreciate prayer for them]
- For our friends, Ricardo and Paula, that they would be
open to the gospel, and that we will know how to witness
to them in these last few weeks.
- For good accommodation for us and the other missionaries
in Cuamba. Pray for grace for us to accept what God provides.
- That all of us, but especially the boys, will cope well
with the big change in lifestyle that is coming.
- That God will continue to provide what we need to cover
all the expenses that are coming (or have already arrived!)
Together in His service,
Phillip
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Phillip
Piper
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We have just over four weeks until we leave Portugal and
things are starting to come together. We have our entry visas
for Mozambique. Amazingly, we were able to arrange these on
the first try without any fuss or complication! We have finished
our series of rabies injections, and have only a few more
jabs to go. We have investigated various options of moving
our belongings to Cuamba - none are cheap but some seem outright
ridiculous! We have gathered lots of good cardboard boxes
and made a start at the task of moving things from shelves
to boxes.
Dear praying friends,
We have just over four weeks until we leave Portugal and
things are starting to come together. We have our entry visas
for Mozambique. Amazingly, we were able to arrange these on
the first try without any fuss or complication! We have finished
our series of rabies injections, and have only a few more
jabs to go. We have investigated various options of moving
our belongings to Cuamba - none are cheap but some seem outright
ridiculous! We have gathered lots of good cardboard boxes
and made a start at the task of moving things from shelves
to boxes.
This Sunday, I (Phillip) am going to preach in our church
again, but this time in Portuguese! Strangely enough, I am
more at peace about preaching this time than I was last time
when I preached in English. This time, I feel that God has
given me some specific teachings, and I know that what I am
going to say is what God wants said. I'm still nervous about
my ability to speak well, so your prayers are well and truly
appreciated.
SIM has been looking for accommodation for us in Cuamba,
but this is not an easy task. Our current best option is a
second floor, two-bedroom apartment that has a good water
supply. Unfortunately, the apartment is hot (hotter than normal
hot) during the hot season, which starts in September L. It
also does not have a telephone, which means no Internet access!
This is not quite what we had hoped for. We have been praying
specifically for a place with: outdoor space for the boys
to play safely; a separate room that can be designated 'school';
electricity, water, and a telephone. But God does know what
is best, and we will trust Him with what He provides.
Praise God:
- That we were able to get our entry visas for Mozambique
so easily.
- For all the help the SIM team has been to us with things
like arranging accommodation, buying a car and getting it
fixed, all before we've even arrived in Mozambique.
- For four unexpected gifts that precisely covered the cost
of each of the rabies injections and the cost of the Mozambican
visas.
- For the continued generosity of so many people towards
the cost of purchasing of our car and of moving to Mozambique.
Please pray:
- That Phillip's sermon will go well, that he will speak
clearly and pronounce the words well, that God will convict
people through what is said.
- For good accommodation for us and the other missionaries
in Cuamba. Pray for grace for us to accept what God provides.
- That all of us, but especially the boys, will cope well
with the big change in lifestyle that is coming.
- That God will continue to provide what we need to cover
all the expenses that are coming
Thank you for carrying us along by your prayers.
Regards,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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We were delighted to find out last week that our offer to buy the Landcruiser
had been accepted. We now own a car in Mozambique, for about half of
what we were expecting to pay. God is indeed very good!
Dear praying friends,
We were delighted to find out last week that our offer to buy the Landcruiser
had been accepted. We now own a car in Mozambique, for about half of
what we were expecting to pay. God is indeed very good!
It's a funny feeling knowing that there is something there in Mozambique
that belongs to us. It is the first step of us moving to that land -
the first drop in the bucket. Our arms have been jabbed several times,
and the remaining few have been scheduled. Our travel plans are firming
up. The dream is becoming reality.
Praise God:
- For Jesus, without whom our lives would be nothing
- For the generosity of family and friends, whose kindness to us just
continues to go on and on
Pray:
- For both of us as we both have preaching engagements coming up -
and we will be preaching in Portuguese! Needless to say, we are both
somewhat nervous about this process. Please ask God to give us wisdom
and peace about these occasions
- (still) that we would get done the 9,000 things that we need to
do before we can arriving Mozambique
- That the Landcruiser will work out to be a blessing for us and our
ministry, and that God will provide all the finances we need to pay
for it and all the other expenses to do with moving to Mozambique
Yours in Him,
Phillip and Nicola
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip Piper
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Our colleagues in Mozambique have been working hard to find us a good
car, and they think they have the one! It's a ToyotaLandcruiser
Troopcarrier with about 140,000 km on the clock. It currently belongs
to another mission that is downsizing.
Dear praying friends,
Our colleagues in Mozambique have been working hard to find us a good
car, and they think they have the one! It's a ToyotaLandcruiser
Troopcarrier with about 140,000 km on the clock. It currently belongs
to another mission that is downsizing.
We are going to offer AUS$20,000 for the car (which is about half of
what we were expecting to pay!). If this offer is accepted, we will
need to pay this amount in the next few weeks. Thanks to the generosity
of some of our supporters, we already have $10,000 raised! We would
like you, our praying friends, to pray that the remaining $10,000 would
be provided, and that it be provided within the next few weeks. God
is able!
If anyone you know would be interested in helping, then any contributions
to the cost of the car would need to be sent to SIM Australia and marked
as being for 'Phillip and Nicola Piper - Ministry Fund'.
Thank you for holding us up in your prayers. We will let you know what
happens in two weeks.
Yours in Him,
Phillip and Nicola
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip Piper
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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The blur of Christmas holidays is over already. We shared our Christmas
Day
with two other families, which was really nice. This year winter has been
cold rather than wet. I had to scrap ice off our windscreen one morning
so I
could drive the boys to school. I bet they don't put that in the tourist
brochures!
Dear friends,
The blur of Christmas holidays is over already. We shared our Christmas
Day
with two other families, which was really nice. This year winter has been
cold rather than wet. I had to scrap ice off our windscreen one morning
so I
could drive the boys to school. I bet they don't put that in the tourist
brochures!
Praise God:
- that we are getting closer to the goal He gave us so many
years ago - serving Him in Mozambique.
- for a really enjoyable and relaxing holiday over Christmas
- for the generosity of family and friends that made our
Christmas tree here just as full of gifts as it would have
been at home.
Please pray:
- that we will be able to remember and organise the ten
thousand things that need to be done before we leave for
Mozambique in June.
- that we will be able to be His witnesses and servants
here, and especially that we would be able to share the
gospel with our friends Ricardo and Paula.
- that He will provide all the financial support that we
will need to finish our language classes and to get to Mozambique
- as always, that we will have (and take) lots of opportunities
to practice speaking and listening to Portuguese.
Kind regards,
Phillip
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip Piper
Death is the confirmation of the believer's creed.
For the skeptic, it is a discovery -- immense and late.
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Thank you for praying for our lunch with Ricardo and Paula. God made
everything work out well, though we were a little nervous in the beginning.
We spoke Portuguese as much as we were able, though being able to fall
back on English certainly made several topics much easier to talk about.
Pray that God will give us opportunities to speak with them about Jesus.
Pray that God would speak to Ricardo though a book that we gave to him
to read.
Dear friends,
Thank you for praying for our lunch with Ricardo and Paula. God made
everything work out well, though we were a little nervous in the beginning.
We spoke Portuguese as much as we were able, though being able to fall
back on English certainly made several topics much easier to talk about.
Pray that God will give us opportunities to speak with them about Jesus.
Pray that God would speak to Ricardo though a book that we gave to him
to read.
We continue to be amazed at just how much you need to learn in order
to speak another language. We learnt today how to use reflexive verbs
with indirect object pronouns to make emphatic statements! Yet another
thing to try and remember when trying to figure out what someone else
has just said! Please pray that God will help us to remember all the things
that we've learnt, and that we'll still be determined to continue to learn
all the things that are still left. Also ask God to give us more chances
to talk with people.
Please pray for the SIM team as they begin to plant a new work in northern
Mozambique. There are many frustrations with working in this remote environment,
but the potential Kingdom growth is huge. Ask that God will help them
(and us) to lay good foundations for the future years of ministry. Pray
that permanent housing will be found for all the missionaries, that good
relationships would be established with the local authorities, with any
existing churches, and with other mission organizations.
Please pray for Phillip as he preaches in our church on December 2. He
won't be preaching in Portuguese - we're not that good yet - but it's
a good chance to be involved in the ministry of the church.
Much love,
Phillip and Nicola
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip Piper
Death is the confirmation of the believer's creed.
For the sceptic, it is a discovery -- immense and late.
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Following a meeting of the SIM Mozambican team in mid-August, SIM has
decided to focus its efforts on the Niassa province of Mozambique. Niassa
is the northwestern corner of Mozambique, and it's the least developed
portion of the country. There is little or no Christian witness in many
parts of the province. In the north are the Yao people, a Muslim tribe
that is one of the largest unreached people groups in the world. In the
east are the Makua people, who have shown openness to the gospel in the
past. SIM has formed two teams to further investigate working with each
of these groups.
Dear friends,
Following a meeting of the SIM Mozambican team in mid-August, SIM has
decided to focus its efforts on the Niassa province of Mozambique. Niassa
is the northwestern corner of Mozambique, and it's the least developed
portion of the country. There is little or no Christian witness in many
parts of the province. In the north are the Yao people, a Muslim tribe
that is one of the largest unreached people groups in the world. In the
east are the Makua people, who have shown openness to the gospel in the
past. SIM has formed two teams to further investigate working with each
of these groups.
Praise for a good meeting of the Mozambican team. Pray for God's wisdom
to direct SIM's investigations. Pray that all team members will be placed
in situations where their gifts and abilities will be best utilised.
Praise for continuing good relationships with our friends in the grocery
store, Ricardo and Paula. We have invited them to have lunch with us next
Sunday (5 October). Please pray that this lunch will work out well between
our families, and that we will be able to move them one step closer to
Jesus.
Thank God for some great times of refreshment with family and friends
over the holidays.
Thank you for your prayers.
Much love,
Phillip and Nicola
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Phillip Piper
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What a blessing family and friends are! In the past few weeks,
my parents and two sets of friends have come to visit, and
what a great and encouraging time we've enjoyed. But that's
not all: Nicola's parents arrive tomorrow, and then some more
friends. It's almost too much blessing, but we're certainly
not complaining ;-)
What a blessing family and friends are! In the past few weeks,
my parents and two sets of friends have come to visit, and
what a great and encouraging time we've enjoyed. But that's
not all: Nicola's parents arrive tomorrow, and then some more
friends. It's almost too much blessing, but we're certainly
not complaining ;-)
I wanted to tell you about our lunch with the grocer and
his family (they're names are Ricardo, Paula and Rita). We
ended up all going to a restaurant together. Restaurants are
sometimes problematic for our two little "pod people", but
they behaved well for (almost) the whole meal. We tried speaking
in Portuguese most of the time, falling back into English
when we needed. After the restaurant, we walked around a little
park nearby, and played some mini-golf on a very old course
- Ricardo said he used to play there when he was a boy! The
whole afternoon was a very good next step in building our
friendship.
Praise God for the good time our families had together. Thank
Him for the boys behaving well. Pray that we will be able
to continue to build our friendship, and that we would be
able to share the gospel with them.
Praise God for lovely times had with family and friends.
Thank Him for giving them the funds and the inclination to
come and see us. Pray for Nicola's parents while they're with
us, that they would come to know Jesus.
Praise God that we've still had lots of chances to practice
our Portuguese, even though we haven't had classes (it's summer
holidays). We've had to renew our visas in the past month,
and that was a major language practice exercise!
As always, thank you for carrying us along our way with your
prayers.
Together in His service,
Phillip and Nicola
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Phillip Piper
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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Sorry to bother you again so soon, but I really want to tell you that
God is very good!
Dear friends,
Sorry to bother you again so soon, but I really want to tell you that
God is very good!
When we arrived at our school yesterday, there was an envelope waiting
for us. Inside were all of Nicola's credit cards and her passport! Our
tutor said that someone had hand delivered it yesterday afternoon. Not
having to replace the passport or try to have her student visa reissued
are two very big hassles off our back!! Praise God!!
Praise God for saving us from considerable bureaucratic trauma!
Pray the God will put a blessing on the person who took the trouble to
return all of Nicola's things
Something else to pray for, too. Over the past six months, I've been
building up a nice friendship with the owner of our little local supermarket.
Last night, he rang us (at 10pm!), and invited us to come and have lunch
with him and his family this weekend. We were very happy to accept, but
now we're feeling a little bit nervous. As far as we can tell, it's a
big thing to be invited to someone's house. We've been here almost a year
now, and no one, not even from the church, has ever invited us to their
house - even after they have come to our house for a meal.
Please pray that:
God will work out this lunch well.
We'll be good witness to them, and that we might be able to move them
one step closer to God.
We'll be able to understand each other.
Our children will play well together - they have one gentle girl about
8, and we have our two pod people from the planet Destructor :-)
Thank you for all the prayers that you give that carry us along.
Regards,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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Nicola had her handbag stolen yesterday, for the second time in the three
months. In addition to the normal annoyance of cancelling ATM cards and
credit cards and having replacements issued, Nicola's passport was also
in the handbag. This is a major annoyance, trying to arrange a replacement,
as well as getting her study visa reissued. "Que chato!" ("How annoying!")
Dear praying friends,
Nicola had her handbag stolen yesterday, for the second time in the three
months. In addition to the normal annoyance of cancelling ATM cards and
credit cards and having replacements issued, Nicola's passport was also
in the handbag. This is a major annoyance, trying to arrange a replacement,
as well as getting her study visa reissued. "Que chato!" ("How annoying!")
I know that Paul says we are to "give thanks in all circumstances" but,
in truth, I don't think my reaction fitted that description. Instead,
I was positively grumpy (to say the least) and very short-tempered! That
night, Joshua prayed that Daddy would trust God and wouldn't get so angry.
I walked out of their bedroom suitably chastised.
Things to praise God for:
- Nicola had just withdrawn 30,000$00 (AUD$300) from an ATM, but had put
it into her pocket (which she never does) rather than into her handbag.
If she had put it in her handbag, we would have had that stolen too!
- A really good weekend camping with our tutor and some of her extended
family. This was a good language learning experience for us, as we had
to listen to Portuguese and try to speak it all weekend.
- Continued improvements in our ability to speak and hear Portuguese. We're
not fluent by any means, but we are beginning to be able to understand
people when they speak, and can usually think quickly enough to formulate
simple responses.
- Improvements in our relationships with people in our local church. Nicola
is really enjoying being part of the ladies prayer meeting. Phillip went
to help paint the church recently, and although he still hasn't managed
to get all the silicon off his hands, it was a good step forward in his
relationships with the men in the church.
Things to ask God about:
- Our families are coming to visit us for holidays during some of August
and September. Please pray that we will all enjoy this time together,
that we will be good witnesses to them, and that we'll still be able to
keep up our language skills while they're here.
- SIM in Southern Africa is going to have an important meeting on August
12-16. In this meeting, they will discuss their vision and plans for SIM's
future work in Mozambique. Please pray that God will give all the participants
wisdom and unity of vision.
- Please pray that God will provide all the finances that we need to be
able to continue studying here next year.
Together in His service,
Phillip and Nicola
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip Piper
Death is the confirmation of the believer's creed.
For the skeptic, it is a discovery -- immense and late.
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God has given us some great blessings in the past month.
Dear friends,
God has given us some great blessings in the past month.
SIM received its independent registration in Mozambique. This means that
our door to Mozambique has opened again. This is a great answer to prayer.
My brother was able to come and visit us for a few days. The boys loved
seeing their uncle, and I know he loved seeing them. He had tried to come
at Christmas but had been prevented (at the airport) by visa restrictions.
For the record, Australian citizens no longer need visas to visit Portugal
as tourists.
God has given us another family to be friends with. They are American
missionaries, and have four active children who get on famously with our
boys. We've found them to be an encouragement, and I think we've been
an encouragement to them too.
My language skills have gone up a 'notch'. I can now understand much
more of what's said by people. I held two reasonable length conversations
with people from church last week, understanding most of what they said
and even making myself understood!
Things to pray for:
- Wisdom for the SIM survey team as they look at the exciting new possible
ministries in Mozambique.
- We've had a few minor health issues, which are more irritating than serious.
Pray that God will protect our health.
- That God will provide the financial support that we need to keep learning
here in Portugal, and that we'll continue to trust Him to do this.
- As always, that we'll continue to improve in our language, and that we'll
be determined to put in the effort to make this happen
Fond regards,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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When I opened my email on Saturday night, I received a very pleasant
surprise. Again, I should let Jim Pfeiffer (SIM's area director in southern
Africa) speak for himself:
Dear friends,
When I opened my email on Saturday night, I received a very pleasant
surprise. Again, I should let Jim Pfeiffer (SIM's area director in southern
Africa) speak for himself:
From: James Pfeiffer [mailto:jimrobpfeiffer@compuserve.com]
Sent: Friday, 11 May 2001 4:31 PM
Subject: SIM in Mozambique
Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
"I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too difficult
for me?" Jeremiah 32:27
I am thrilled to report that we received formal notification today that
SIM's application for registration in Mozambique has been approved!
The letter from the Department of Religious Affairs invites us to coordinate
with the Director a public ceremony at which SIM is formally placed in
the "Book of Registry of Organizations". The letter was
signed by Sr. Job Chambal, the Religious Affairs Director whom Stuart
and I met with just 6 weeks ago. This government approval comes
4 months to the day after our agreement with IUB was suspended.
Join me in giving praise to our Great God, whose ways are higher than
ours and whose plans for us are good.
Yours in Christ,
Jim Pfeiffer
This is great news, and a great answer to prayer. This independent registration
will remove several of the issues that had proved frustrating to SIM in
recent times. It will be exciting to see what new paths God opens in Mozambique
through this change.
For us, our goal is still serve God in Mozambique. To that end, our studies
continue (our current challenge is the intricacies of indirect speech).
Thank you for your prayers.
Regards,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper
Death is the confirmation of the believer's creed.
For the skeptic, it is a discovery -- immense and late.
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I used the wrong words (in English) three times at breakfast this morning.
Even allowing for my normal morning vagueness, this is unusual. Apparently,
as you come to grips with another language, your fluency in your mother
tongue can drop a notch or two. The brain gets muddled, and even simple
things can prove to be confusing. Over time, your mother tongue fluency
returns, and your fluency in your new language increases. At the moment,
I'm accepting that on faith alone
Dear friends,
I used the wrong words (in English) three times at breakfast this morning.
Even allowing for my normal morning vagueness, this is unusual. Apparently,
as you come to grips with another language, your fluency in your mother
tongue can drop a notch or two. The brain gets muddled, and even simple
things can prove to be confusing. Over time, your mother tongue fluency
returns, and your fluency in your new language increases. At the moment,
I'm accepting that on faith alone
Things for praise God for:
- More time being spent in speaking and listening to Portuguese, and
an improvement for both us in these areas.
- Positive steps towards SIM being able to return to Mozambique.
- Warm, sunny weather.
Things to ask God about:
- Nicola's sister is coming to stay with us for two weeks, starting
Thursday, 26 April. Please pray that we would be able to show her and
her friend Christian love during their time with us. We’re all
going to the Algarve for 5 days, so also pray that this will be a relaxing
break.
- Protection from discouragement. This often starts as the feelings
“We’ve made so little progress” and “There’s
still so far to go”, and spirals down from there. Pray that God
will help us to cut off these thoughts, and give us the grace to accept
each day as it stomps on us
- That He will give us chances to make some deeper relationships at
our church.
If you have things that you’d like us to pray for, we’d love
hear them. appreciate the chance support in prayer, same way are supporting
us.
Together in His service,
Phillip
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip Piper
Death is the confirmation of a believer's creed. For the skeptic, it is
a discovery -- immense and late
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We have a received a progress report about SIM's efforts to gain permission
to re-enter Mozambique. Again, it's probably best to just relay to you
exactly what we received.
Dear friends,
We have a received a progress report about SIM's efforts to gain permission
to re-enter Mozambique. Again, it's probably best to just relay to you
exactly what we received.
From: SIM Mozambique [simmoz@teledata.mz]
Sent: Friday, 30 March 2001 11:55 AM
To: Bob Talbott; Walter R Zigrang; Tim Kopp; Stuart J. Foster; Steven
Wheatley; Milie Webster; Ker, David; Phillip Piper; Ryan Hannah; Janice
Peters; Steve Groves
Subject: To SIM Mozambique Team: Answered Prayer
We have just left the office of Sr. Job Chambal, National Director of
Religious Affairs. It was a meeting much prayed for. We went there with
tremendous uncertainty, even about what to say beyond reporting our suspension.
The Lord has remarkably answered and has exceeded our most optimistic
imaginings. Sr. Chambal asserted that the IUB's internal problems should
not require SIM's departure from Mozambique. He said that he had in fact
already summoned IUB leaders and told them so. He urged us to immediately
continue with our independent, interdenominational registration. When
asked about DIREs he assured us that he would deal with immigration on
our behalf.
This obviously means massive changes of plans. We'll be in touch with
each of you. Pray for us, pray for each other! Thanks be to God!
Jim [Pfeiffer] and Stuart [Foster]
This is certainly a good start towards SIM gaining independent registration
in Mozambique. However, there are still many things to be done. We would
really appreciate your prayers that everything will continue going smoothly
in the process of registering SIM. Could you also please pray for wisdom
as SIM begins to consider exactly how it will operate as an independent
body, including issues such as team leadership, which ministries to undertake,
and what areas to work in?
Given the tentative nature of these developments, it would be best if
this information was not to become public just yet. Please feel free to
use this information to help you and your prayer partners pray in a more
informed manner.
Regards,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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The sun has come! I know the saying about small things and
small minds, but the end of the rain has been a major boost
to my spirit. The sunshine let's us do things with the boys
that make life far more agreeable. For example, yesterday,
we walked to the park (buying a few nice little cakes on the
way), then sat in the sunshine and had a very pleasant morning
tea, before playing soccer and "tickly monsters" with the
boys. Try doing that when it's cold and rainy :-)
Dear friends,
The sun has come! I know the saying about small things and
small minds, but the end of the rain has been a major boost
to my spirit. The sunshine let's us do things with the boys
that make life far more agreeable. For example, yesterday,
we walked to the park (buying a few nice little cakes on the
way), then sat in the sunshine and had a very pleasant morning
tea, before playing soccer and "tickly monsters" with the
boys. Try doing that when it's cold and rainy :-)
A good friend of ours sent us Phillip Yancey's latest book, "Reaching
for an invisible God." It is thought provoking book that has challenged
me to face some of the deeper issues that I often skim over. Just what
can we count on God for? How do we know what to expect of God, and how
do we deal with it when He doesn't do what we expect? It has encouraged
me to try and live life more centred in His presence - though Nicola would
be able to tell you that I haven't had too much success yet J
Some things for thank God for:
- SUNSHINE!
- Books and authors who challenge and deepen our relationships with God
- Recovered health. I spent four miserable days knocked completely flat
with some flu, while Nicola valiantly held the family together
Some things to ask God about:
- Mozambique's floods. I suspect it hasn't made the news, but Mozambique
is in serious trouble again with more flooding. Pray that the international
community will help once more, and that they will honour commitments
made during the last crisis. You can find more information at http://dailynews.yahoo.com/fc/World/Mozambique
and http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/archive/mozambique.phtml.
- Perseverance with language learning. Nicola's ability to speak and hear
is improving. My ability to hear has improved somewhat, but my speaking
is still atrocious - there are still many of those "I have no clue what
you just tried to say" looks on peoples' faces.
Regards,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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The first hints of Spring have been noted.
Today was a warm, sunny day, with cool air and no cloud. It
was also a public holiday, Carnivale. Carnivale in Portugal
is the source of the now much bigger Carnivale in Brazil.
However, the flavour of Carnivale here is quite different,
being more involved with families (and clothes!) than it's
Brazilian offspring. Only the children dress up in costume
- it is very cute to see an entire playground full of little
princesses, ducks, Robin Hoods, Zorros and pirates!
Dear praying friends,
The first hints of Spring have been noted.
Today was a warm, sunny day, with cool air and no cloud. It
was also a public holiday, Carnivale. Carnivale in Portugal
is the source of the now much bigger Carnivale in Brazil.
However, the flavour of Carnivale here is quite different,
being more involved with families (and clothes!) than it's
Brazilian offspring. Only the children dress up in costume
- it is very cute to see an entire playground full of little
princesses, ducks, Robin Hoods, Zorros and pirates!
Praise:
- that God continues to work in our lives,
teaching us to worship Him, and how to serve Him better
- for the unfailing generosity and encouragement
that so many people have shown to us
- for continued good relationship with our
friends, Ricardo and Paula.
Please pray:
- that God will help us to stay well and
emotionally level as stress and uncertainty increase over
the next few months
- that He will help us to remember and organize
the nine-thousand-five-hundred things that need to be done
before we leave for Mozambique
- that He will provide all the finances we
need to buy a car and set up a house in Mozambique, and
that He will give us faith and peace to trust that He is
going to do this
- as always, that we will have and take more
opportunities to practice listening to and speaking Portuguese
With much love,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper <mailto:phillip_piper@bigfoot.com>
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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The cold and the rain continue to dominate Portugal. Many areas of Portugal
are experiencing floods, and in some places mud slides. These are the
most dangerous. Thankfully for us, our area is not prone to flooding,
but the rain is still trying.
Dear friends,
The cold and the rain continue to dominate Portugal. Many areas of Portugal
are experiencing floods, and in some places mud slides. These are the
most dangerous. Thankfully for us, our area is not prone to flooding,
but the rain is still trying.
Praise for:
- Being able to be get the boy's long term visas
- A good start into language learning
Please pray:
- That the rain will abate and the floods subside
- For the missionaries and local church leaders in Mozambique as they all
come to terms with SIM's withdrawal
- That the Piper family will have patience with each other as the cold
and wet continues
- As always pray that we will have determination to carry on with our language
studies, and the grace to take one day at a time.
Regards,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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Today we received the following email from the Director of SIM Africa
South East Area:
Importance: High
Dear friends,
Today we received the following email from the Director of SIM Africa
South East Area:
From: James Pfeiffer [mailto:jimrobpfeiffer@compuserve.com]
Sent: Monday, 15 January 2001 8:01 AM
Subject: Mozambique Withdrawal
Dear Friends,
Gen.50:20 "...God meant it for good." It is with
great regret that I
must report to our SIM missionary family and supporters that SIM's
partner church in Mozambique, the Igreja Unio Baptista de Moambique,
has suspended its agreement with SIM and its other partner, INTERACT,
with immediate effect. The decision was announced by church leaders
at
a meeting requested by the missions. The purpose of the meeting
had
been to review and affirm our joint vision for the spiritual needs of
Mozambique. Though we were and are stunned by the announcement,
we
affirm our confidence that God is able to use this for the eventual
purification of his church. We ask our brothers and sisters to pray
for
the 20 SIM missionaries and 3 INTERACT missionaries involved as they
begin the difficult process of leaving their ministries, moving and
waiting on God for their futures. This withdrawal must be completed
by
15 July 2001.
James Pfeiffer, Director, SIM Africa South East Area
This news was a complete shock to us, as it was for the entire SIM team
in Mozambique. As the above email requests, please pray for these people
as they go through the emotional and difficult process of leaving.
What does this mean for the mission and for us?
SIM is (understandably) still coming to grips with this event. They will
shortly begin to consider their options for further ministry within Mozambique.
For us personally, our call to Mozambique is unchanged. With God's help,
we will still serve Him in that needy country in the next year or two.
We still need to learn Portuguese, and this remains our goal for the next
18 months. We will keep you updated as to what transpires with the mission
and our future work in Mozambique.
Regards,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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Could you please pray for an important meeting that is about to begin
in Mozambique between our mission (SIM) and the church (IUB)? The leaders
of the church and mission will be meeting on 10-16 January 2001 to discuss
lots of sensitive issues on which decisions are needed. Pray that God's
mind may be evident in the discussions, that personal ambitions would
be set aside, and that wise and godly decisions would be made.
Dear friends,
Could you please pray for an important meeting that is about to begin
in Mozambique between our mission (SIM) and the church (IUB)? The leaders
of the church and mission will be meeting on 10-16 January 2001 to discuss
lots of sensitive issues on which decisions are needed. Pray that God's
mind may be evident in the discussions, that personal ambitions would
be set aside, and that wise and godly decisions would be made.
Regards,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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After a couple of stressful of phone calls, we have managed to arrange for the boys visas to be transferred to Madrid – at least, we think that’s what we’ve done J
Dear friends,
After a couple of stressful of phone calls, we have managed to arrange for the boys visas to be transferred to Madrid – at least, we think that’s what we’ve done J
So, we are travelling to Madrid today, so we can try to pick them up, and we will probably stay there for a few days.
Please pray that everything will work out at the Portuguese Consulate in Madrid, that they would actually have the visas and that they would give them to us. Pray that we would be able to find some nice accommodation at a price we can afford. Also pray for safety on the road and for good weather – it was sleeting there last week, with top temperatures of 5 degrees!!
Regards,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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The week between Christmas and New Year is always a little disconnected.
It's that limbo time of year: the old year has finished, but the new hasn't yet begun. We're at a little bit of a loss to know what to do with ourselves at the moment. Our language school is on holidays. It is cold and it is raining - actually, it has rained almost every day for the past three weeks.
Given all that, Nicola and I have taken turns at feeling melancholy :) But God understands us and our weaknesses. It was sunny yesterday (yeah!) so we went outside and let the boys run around like mad things. That cheered us up a lot!
Dear friends,
The week between Christmas and New Year is always a little disconnected.
It's that limbo time of year: the old year has finished, but the new hasn't yet begun. We're at a little bit of a loss to know what to do with ourselves at the moment. Our language school is on holidays. It is cold and it is raining - actually, it has rained almost every day for the past three weeks.
Given all that, Nicola and I have taken turns at feeling melancholy :) But God understands us and our weaknesses. It was sunny yesterday (yeah!) so we went outside and let the boys run around like mad things. That cheered us up a lot!
- Praise for a good if quiet Christmas. My brother had planned to visit us from London, but was prevented at the last moment by visa troubles. So it was just us and the boys for Christmas. Regardless, Joshua and Drew still had lots of fun opening their presents. We all enjoyed a very nice roast turkey lunch.
- Praise God for the generosity of family and friends who blessed us over Christmas.
- Praise for two consecutive days of no rain and even some sunshine!
- Pray that we will be able to get the boys long-term visas. Their tourist visas have expired and they are technically illegal immigrants! We need to travel to Madrid to pick up their visas, so that's where we'll head in the next week or two.
- Pray that God will give us renewed enthusiasm to tackle language learning in the new year.
Thanks for your prayers and your support.
Regards,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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We really appreciate all your prayers for us. We hope that these updates will help you to help us :)
Dear friends,
- Praise for progress in language learning: I'm reading Asterix comic books to our boys, (more or less) translating as I go; Nicola is picking out more and more of what is said in the news, even if the meaning still isn't any clearer.
- Pray that our language classes wouldn't be sidetracked into non-productive avenues.
- Praise for some days of sunshine to break the gloom of constant rain and clouds.
- Pray that we will know how to disciple our boys with patience and love.
- Pray also that they would learn to be content.
We really appreciate all your prayers for us. We hope that these updates will help you to help us :)
If you don't want to be on our prayer list, just let me know and I won't bug you with them.
Regards,
Phillip
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Phillip Piper
A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions
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new look |
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We've changed completely the look of our website. This new design is a clean, minimal approach, emphasising
legibility and affordance (things do what you expect them to do).
Click here to let us know what you think.
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[2007-07-03] |
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recent changes |
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It's been a while since we've been able to update our website. Here are some of the changes:
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[2007-05-31] |
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new rss feed! |
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For the technically inclined, our journal now has an RSS feed. Use your favourite news aggregator or your Yahoo home page to see what's been happening to the piper family.
To copy the URL, right click on the RSS link above, and select "Copy Link Address". |
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[2006-05-23] |
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random photo |
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 On our way to lunch after the service. The house is the grass roof, center right. They brought the chairs for the guests to sit on. [taken: 2003-05-25 13:13:52] |
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