From this point out my posts might seem a bit repetitive, but I will do my best to include the many things I am sure to learn and see.
I woke up early to have a wonderful Skype video call to my girls, it was great to see their faces and Claire was far more talkative then when I was gone on my previous trip. Joy didn't say much, haha.
After breakfast, we left the Dina's house at around 7:00am. From there we picked up several pastors and then gathered together in the teaching center at Nicoadala. Oh man, I am NOT good with names so after meeting all the pastors/students I realized I am much worse at names I can hardly understand. It is one of my personal goals to get to know each pastor, and make sure I know each of their names. All of them have such fascinating stories, testimonies, and strong faith. As I came to realize last year, these men have so much more to teach me than anything else. I look at these men and find myself lacking in soo many areas in my life & in my faith. The Gospel is in its most pure form here...and it is powerful.
Each day, I'll be blessed to hear a devotional from one of the local pastors. Today, Juan (or John in English) started the day off in 1 Samuel 1:9-18 and then 2:12-17. He contrasted the faith of Hannah, verses the wickedness of Eli's sons. It was an incredibly powerful message, that truly convicted me which I later told Juan. Juan, is actually not a pastor...at least not yet. He is the leader for a theological group here and was discipled by another local pastor, Olympio. Juan has just started his first project as a church leader in Quilamanie, without having Olympio around to guide him. Juan also speaks a little English, so he is helping me with some Portuguese and Chawbo phrases.
After the devotional attendance was taken, and some old business stuff had to be taken care of. Apparently two of the pastors had missed some days from the prior trip lead by John Dina and Jim Otter. Juan, who is leading these meetings, said that each of these pastors needs to stand and explain why they were absent from these meetings and then the group would vote to see if these two should continue in the teaching...
I looked at John to see if this was seriously happening. He explained that it was a form of accountability among these pastors and that the training was taken VERY seriously. Here in Africa, being taught the Word of God is a privilege and that is how it SHOULD be across the globe. Not so much in America...we treat it as if it were a chore and often dismiss the knowledge of the HOLY as trivial. We are also horribly unaccountable to one another. People can miss one Sunday, two weeks, two months and walk right back in without a word being said. Often if I call a student, just to say that I've missed him/her from small groups, I'll be told it's "none of my business" why he/she was gone.
How about a new method. If you miss a Sunday, or a small group, or any time the Word of God is bring taught, especially if you've committed to it...then you must stand up and give an account as to why you were absent. Then the group will decide whether or not you DESERVE to continue being taught God's Word if you show no desire to learn it.
Suddenly "I just slept in", or "just too busy", or "not on my calendar" doesn't seem like such a great excuse anymore, huh? To be taught God's Word is a privileged, do you treat it as such?
Anyways....back on the trail
After the business meeting it was my turn. My goal for the day was to get through 1 & 2 Kings, and 1 & 2 Chronicles. The books are essentially the same story, but told from different angles. So getting through them shouldn't be a big problem (If Pastor David & Charles are reading this, I'm sure they're laughing), especially since all the notes had combined the chapters. Long story made very short...I got to 1 Kings 13. I had two teaching times today, and probably will tomorrow as well. I think I taught a total of about 4 hours, most of that time however was due to note taking but this won't be a problem after today.
After my first teaching, we took a "bread brake" for about a half-hour and then Pastor Rick began teaching on funerals. He did very well, and has TONS of experience in dealing with many different types of funerals and how to reach out to those who are grieving. Pastor Rick didn't get through the entire lesson as well (which is fine) because of many ritualistic blocks that exists here in Mozambique. However it did open up great discussion, which he'll be opening up with tomorrow.
After Pastor Rick's teaching we broke for lunch. (rice, beans, hot peppers)
When people rest here, it's all about talking and relaxing. Getting to know one another, joking around, and being with good friends.By the time lunch was over, it had to of been around 2:00pm. I taught the last session and went to about 4:15pm. I had a few questions on Solomon, as to why he had so many wives if it was against God's Word. The question itself really addressed the cultural issues here, so it was very good.
Afterwords I learned some Portuguese from Juan, played a little frisbee, and broke out the "Belas penas" which is what they call the Chinese toy that Tim gave to me. Let me tell you, Pastor Orlando was giving me a work out! I got 5 hits though, and he only got 4...so, I win. haha.
So, after that, we drove the river to show Rick the view. Went home, had a great meal and just talked. Tomorrow we'll be getting back into it and getting used to the routine of things.
I can't wait!
Things for me to remember...
"I'm gonna take it from here" -John Dina
Favorite picture...
Gotta love those kids!
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