Briefly at home…

We’ve been home in Australia for six months already. More importantly, there are only six months until we return to Mozambique. Does that mean our time in Australia is half-finished or half-to-go? Either way, the first six months was fun and busy (in that order), and the second six months promises to be the same.

Going to a “normal” school is one of the changes for our family

At the beginning of the year, we tried our best to relax and settle back into Australian life. It was very difficult :-) We were forced to enjoy time with family and friends, eat good food, drive on nice roads, go for lovely walks along the shore front, and even to take a nice holiday on the Central Coast. We’ve also enjoyed immensely our home church, Figtree Anglican, particularly being able to understand everything that was said in the services.

Since then, we’ve moved into full time home assignment tasks. We’ve visited churches, spoken to youth groups, preached in services, and run presentations in home groups. It’s good talking about what God has been doing in Mozambique, and it’s fun showing photos of our life there – the still-warm whole leg of cow, complete with tail, is an audience favourite.

Those home assignment tasks will be our goal throughout the rest of the year, particularly support raising. Our support level needs to rise significantly before we’ll be able to return to Mozambique. As such, we’re keen to visit new churches and home groups. We’re currently in the process of contacting churches, asking if we could come and talk about what God is doing in Mozambique. If you’re a member of a church or home group that would like to support God’s work in Mozambique, please give us a call.

Our churches have many members, but we need leaders who will disciple others

All being well, we’ll return to Mozambique early in January 2006. We’ll go back to Cuamba, to our old house, and to working with the same churches. But our goals this time will be slightly different.

In our last term, we focused on working with pastors. In the coming term, we want to work with the church elders and key congregation members. We want to disciple them, building them into a faithful core, that will be the foundation of a Spirit-filled, evangelical church in the years to come. Our churches in Mozambique are growing; what they need are leaders who are committed to discipling others. With God’s enabling, we’re hoping to be part of the process of growing these leaders.

Without prayer, we do all our work in vain

In Australia, I feel so self-reliant. Life is comfortable (fund raising excepted, of course). Certainly, I feel the need of God’s help more in Mozambique than here, often desperately so. I find it easier to pray there because I know that without His help, nothing will work. This is just as true here, so please remember the following as you pray for us:

Praise God that He has:

·         Provided a lovely house for us to live in while we’re in Australia.

·         Improved Isabella’s sleeping habits enormously.

·         Enabled the boys to settle well at a local school.

·         Given us several helpful (and unexpected) allies in our efforts to raise our necessary support

Please pray for:

·         Our churches and their pastors, in particular Pastor Augusto, that they would thrive in God’s care while we are overseas (and when we come back too, of course).

·         Our team members in Mozambique, that God will keep safe and well and that they will have continued wisdom and strength to minister God’s word.

·         Our support levels. We need to significantly increase our support levels before we can return to Mozambique. Please pray that God will provide new churches and individuals who are willing to support us in our work in Mozambique.

·         Focus and determination for us. There are so many interesting things to do in Australia, and so little time. Please pray that we won’t be distracted from our real task of preparing to return to Mozambique.

With love,
Phillip, Nicola, Joshua, Drew and Isabella