The following several posts are excerpts from my personal journal during a mission trip I took for two months at Mozambique, Africa, in 1997.
(Since this Sunday's sermon will be about Missions, I thought it'd be a good introduction.)
These are just bits and pieces of (though word-for-word) entries from my journal, so I've edited here and there to make more sense out of choppy portions.
Hope you will be blessed!
Mon., 9:48pm 7/7/97 (US time: Mon., 3:41pm)
Praise Jesus! I’m here at Mozambique (Maputo). It was a long day, but God was there…Got ‘caught’ for taking pictures at Maputo Airport—not real authority…[they] wanted [to confiscate] my camera. They were suspicious of us all…
Heidi’s (Missionary) words still hang in my mind: “It’s a spiritual warfare!”
…a Mozambican teenager with no right arm came begging for something, mumbling weakly in Portuguese (national language). I couldn’t understand so I tried to ignore it. Was I supposed to help or was this another trick? When Heidi came, she asked to open one of our bags (we had brought 15 bags of donated clothes and shoes and other basic supplies) with sweaters in it. She said simply (as she handed out the clothes to the begging street boys), “These kids are street kids and they are cold…I know these were for our kids (at the mission center) but these kids are cold, and if nothing else, now they’re happy—that we know.”
Thurs., 12:05am 7/9
…Heidi shared her joy of hearing Beatrice’s testimony today at the outreach—a testimony by a girl who was found almost dead with worms filled in her swollen belly and toes, dying. She [had] almost died four times and at the beginning [when Heidi had brought her to the mission center] wouldn’t ever talk, but today she gave a testimony smiling!
Heidi said, “If I have to go through a lot of hell—and I do a lot—seeing Beatrice saved like that, hearing her testimony, it’s worth it!”
Thurs., 7:24am 7/17
I am afraid, Lord, and now I face my fears—
Heidi (who’s been a missionary in Mozambique since she turned 18; she was then I think near mid thirties) said she gets the diseases (especially malaria) or live or things like that at least once a month. More than I want to admit it, I fear. God help me!
Fri., 4:47am 7/18
…I don’t know what I’m feeling. Somewhat confused, disappointed… (?) I don’t know what to feel…
Sat., 12pm 7/19Mat 26:58 “But Peter followed him [Jesus] at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest…”
Do I fear being identified with Christ in suffering? Am I following Him at a distance? Afraid of what might happen?
-to be continued...
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