Here is one big reason why I came to Mozambique and what it is that keeps me here…

Back in February, i went with a few friends to a refugee camp to help give out donations and spend time with some of the people who were displaced.

Massive flooding in the province of Gaza had washed away homes of thousands of people and they spent about two months in the refugee camp waiting to return to their land to rebuild.

This is the first camp I visited and I had no idea what to expect. But what I found totally surprised me. I had expected to meet people who were angry and distraught by what had happened to them. And with good reason too. It is no easy thing to cope with life after your house and your possessions and your land get bogged down in so many feet of water.

However I met people who still knew how to smile and still knew how to have a good time. And in particular, the children at the camp showed me how to dance and have fun despite the loss they had endured.

Aren’t these little ones just gorgeous?! I was totally blown away by their freedom and simple joy. This is what I love most about these people; they are able to find happiness in the midst of great hardship.

It is these precious kiddies who understand what it means to have nothing, yet possess everything (2 Corinthians 6:10). What a reality check i got that weekend! This is what keeps me here in Moz… these moments where I see such beauty and discover a new depth to life.

Becky and I have been praying and trusting these past few weeks. We’ve been waiting to see what God will do to provide for our residency fees. As time has got closer, I have been struggling to maintain a sense of peace, as I’ve realised that the thought of not being able to live in Moz would be devastating for me.

We are due to pay our fees in four days time.

The night before last, we prayed as a family. I told Becky and the girls that I was sure God was going to provide the money, but that it would probably arrive late, and that is ok. When Gracie heard me say this, she said ”we should pray for the money to arrive on time daddy. That would be much better wouldn’t it.” I wish i had the same simple belief that she’s got. So pure and trusting!

Yesterday morning I opened my laptop and found a very sweet email from some friends in Bath, along with their testimony of provision. This was encouraging.

Then an hour later, another email came in from people who offered to pay for all four of our residency fees!!

I was in shock and elated.

I guess I have to accept that the provision never stops, but we just have to be patient at times… Though my faith has gone up and down like a yoyo these past weeks, thankfully there was never a moment of doubt in God’s mind. He chooses the time and the hour to release provision. So I have to eat humble pie and admit – he is always on time and never late

This is not a picture of me… obviously. It’s a guy who i don’t know – Brett Robert. I “borrowed” his picture from the net because it perfectly demonstrates what I feel Becky and I are doing right now. Here’s why:

I like God. I do really like him. I like the way he works with us, the way he achieves what he wants in us and he does so while keeping us soft in his hands, pliable like clay.

Sometime ago, we received a prophetic word from a friend about finding our home in God. She spoke about how God was making a home in us and that he was enabling us to feel at home wherever we are. It was a good word, it was right for the time and season that we were in. The friend also said that part of our calling was to straddle England and Mozambique, as in we would be coming and going, back and forth. And in this nomadic lifestyle, God was telling us that the roots we are to lay down are not in a specific location, but we are to lay roots into him and allow him to be our home.

I remember thinking at the time, “oh that’s a nice word” and then I just put it on the shelf and forgot about it.

Well, it’s now four years later, and this word could not be more relevant and true today than when it was spoken. What I mean is that it feels like we are doing the splits right now… just like Mr. Brett in the photo. One foot in England and the other in Mozambique. We seem to be replicating the word exactly, going back and forth, back and forth. And the more often we go, the more stretching it becomes.

As Becky and I are thinking forwards to the year ahead, we are acutely aware of the sense of nomadic-ness that we still live in, knowing there is more travel to come and realising that we don’t have a permanent home in either of these countries. But I think this is exactly what God wants for us right now. This is how he has ordained it and if that’s the case, then it fills me with a sense of peace and contentment. He knows what’s going on and he is in control. That’s a weight that we don’t need to carry.

The word is about finding our home in God, putting our roots down in him; its about investing in a home other than the one we live in, it’s a place of security and safety where we learn to feel totally comfortable whatever situation we are in – either the location or circumstances. Becky and I are both homemakers and we are often tempted to chuck the towel in and ignore this word, just choose one country where we can settle down and enjoy our own home-life. But if we did this before the right time, then something would die in us, we would get bored and lifeless.

I have no idea why God has called us to this lifestyle of back-and-forth travel, of friends and family in both continents and of dreams and promises in both countries. But as we allow him to do what he wants, he forms something that is of his making and is more beautiful than anything I could make myself.

So it’s time for Becky and I to get on the gym mat and practice our gym moves, supple up those muscles and get ready for the year ahead…

Since moving on from our life and work at Zimpeto in August, I have lost count of the amount of times we have been asked ‘so what are you doing now?!’. An excellent question, and one that we have not always known how to answer succinctly.

Transition is a wonderful ‘catch all’ word that helpfully bridges the gap between what has gone before, and the path yet to unfold. And this is probably the best way to describe where we are right now. It isn’t always the most comfortable position to be in, as the unknown can be overwhelming and sometimes downright terrifying! Right now we feel like we are in a holding pattern, with glimpses of a vision that needs some fleshing out, and big questions about how it’s going to happen.

I believe that every child has a right to a healthy family life. Sadly we may never see that as a reality in our lifetime, but if there is something I can offer to help make this a reality for one or two (or 10 or 20!) then my heart is open and my hands are ready.

The main goal of our vision is to find Mozambican families who have the desire to care for orphans, but maybe not the means to do it. Through relationship and a network of connections, we want to help lift these families out of poverty, to find a way for them to live sustainably, have their hearts healed and their dignity restored. The end goal being that these families will foster or adopt children who have no other hope of a family life.

Earlier this year, we took some time out to seek direction for the coming months. Through praying, journaling and soaking, I was expecting to have a clear strategy unfold regarding the way forwards with our vision (you know, writing in the sky, audible voice of God, a step-by-step plan miraculously appearing in front of me etc).

One night, I had a very vivid dream about foundations, and I knew God speaking to us in particular about laying good foundations for the vision he has given us – both in our own family life as well as what we put our hand to. I realised the other day that most of our married life, and all of our family life has been spent living and serving in a very large children’s centre. As wonderful as our time at Zimpeto was, I am finally starting to understand why it is such an adjustment for us to live in our own home, just the four of us, in a reasonably small and quiet community. It’s a whole different world.

So……this is where we are; finding our rhythm as a family, giving God time to lay solid foundations in our lives, and leaning on him to put meat on the bones of the vision he has spoken to our hearts. We are so grateful to have trusted friends and family who wholeheartedly accept and support us through this time, and even though we are many miles from most of you, you are very much in our hearts as we celebrate Jesus this Christmas.

The little boy in this shot is her first customer of the day…

Katrina is a good friend of ours. We enjoy giving her regular help and support and this new opportunity has given her a boost of pride and self worth that she desperately needs.

We traded in this…

And picked up this…

We are now living entirely independently in Mozambique… No more community living or corporate decision making. We are paying our own bills and fending for ourselves in the REAL world. It feels like we’ve become grown-ups all over again

This move off the children’s centre is a significant one. It was a God-move, full of unexpected provision and good timing. We’re feeling totally blessed and incredibly loved by a heavenly Father who knows all our needs.

It is also a symbolic step as we begin the end of our time at Iris Ministries. The past 7 years with Iris have been marked by hard work and  exertion of our own effort. We’ve pushed and struggled, through sweat and toil, stayed loyal and given every ounce of our energies. As we begin to follow the next steps of our journey, we want to make a change of tack.

I love this verse: “In repentance and rest is your salvation; in quietness and trust is your strength”. It’s a totally opposite approach to how we are used to living. There is no mention of toil and human endeavour. It is about rest and trust. Rest and trust. As the reality of this profound truth dawns on us, we begin to feel a breath of fresh life in our veins and a new sparkle back to our eyes. Our way of doing missions here has become tired and dry.

This new house is a symbol for us of rest and trust.

Gracie and Honor are loving their home too. They have adapted amazingly well and love the space of the garden. We all miss our friends and the children of Zimpeto, so have to make more than weekly trips back there to keep our connections going.

Have a look at a few more photos of our fond new home

The lifestyle that we lead here in Mozambique, requires flexibility and a lot of moving around. It never ceases to amaze me how well my girls cope with the transitions each time. Either they are just very adaptable children, or there is a peculiar touch of grace on their lives. I suspect it’s a beautiful blend of both.

Apparently, ‘Mabuda’ means ‘place of dreams’. This was the reality for us in so many ways during our time there. Not only did we have the time to dream a little about future plans and how our vision may unfold, but we also both experienced some vivid dreams at night, that spoke right into the heart of our journey at the moment.

For the first week we were there I worked  hard to try and drum up a strategy for how to raise funds, build foster homes, train parents and search out needy children. When the plans I came up with didn’t seem to settle in my heart, I begged God to speak to me and give me some divine guidance.

Silence.

One night during our second week, I had a very clear dream concerning our family. I woke unsettled and after spending some time journaling, it soon became obvious to me that I was doing things in the wrong order. I clearly felt Father say ‘You need to have things in order with your own family first’. Of course….why hadn’t I seen this before?

Our Father cares so deeply about ‘family’, that he wants us to know peace, security and healing in our relationship with him and our own family, before he lets us loose on others. For me, our time in Mabuda will always be remembered as one of beautiful connections, restored intimacy and family fun. Along with the delicious fresh pickings from the veggie patch of course!

Soul stirring and full of peace.

One man with his book and journal, drinking in the colours and absorbing the textures of nature.

There are so many different shapes and curves, everything is so vast. The size of my life is put into perspective when surrounded by such majesty.

This is not Mozambique, but it isn’t very far away from home. This month we are staying at Mabuda Farm. It was a bold decision for us because it is more than just a retreat; it is also a statement for our lives… Time to make a change, a letting go of the old and embracing the new. A moment where we ditch the heavy burdens and pick up His light and easy burden.

Ok, here’s me trying to get an even better view… That rock was a beast to try and get on top of.

Becky, the girls and myself are all seriously refreshed after a month away from the children’s base, taking time to enjoy the simple delights of what our heavenly Father is giving us. It took a great deal of energy and faith to get here. Finances, work responsibilities and guilt all crowded in telling us that it wasn’t feasible, that we should not consider such a venture.

But thanks to good advice from faithful friends and one or two amazing gifts, we stepped out and have been richly rewarded.

When our heavenly Father gives a dream or calling, it can often feel like an unstoppable burning passion within us. And it often leads to pursuing a new direction in life.

God has a way of working that leaves us ruined for anything less than the dream he puts there. We get captivated, enthralled and totally hung-up on pursuing what he gives us because we realise it has to do with the reason for our existence. And we gratefully embrace the beautiful new life within us because it is His gift to us.

There is nothing else we would rather receive from him than his good and perfect gifts.

This is what Father God has been doing in Becky and I this year; he has given us a tiny conception-stage-little-baby-of-a-dream and it has been growing and forming and taking shape within us.



“To see orphaned and abandoned children placed in Mozambican families, where they can truly come to know Father God and have the best future possible.”

Read our Latest News Email – December edition

We’ve had an amazing 6.5 years in Mozambique and until now our time has been exclusively tied to the Zimpeto Children’s Centre. But our relationship and bond to this Centre is now changing as we pursue the new vision. Our directors, Steve and Ros, are releasing us into this vision and we are praying that God would send others to take our place at the Centre.

We want to remain in close connection with the base – the children, staff and friends – but need to lay down our roles and responsibilities so that we can make time to pursue a different life.

So change is on the horizon and we are starting to picture what this looks like whilst slowly moving towards it. Neither Becky or I are fast paced, high action flyers… we are more prone to really feeling something before we gear into action mode.



Planning for 2012

We believe the first step is to change our physical location; move off the base and begin renting a home in Maputo. Our desire is to do this in the next month or two – either January or February 2012…

From there we will commute into the Iris base every day to fulfil our roles for another six months, but by September next year, we will be in a position to completely devote ourselves to the new vision. Ultimately, we will buy a plot of land and build homes (including ours) in order to realise the idea of children being placed in families.

So 2012 will be a year of laying down the old and picking up the new. The new thing will need time; it will need lots of time. Laying the right foundations is essential and cannot be rushed. The home we rent in Maputo needs to be a place where we can base ourselves as a family and also base ourselves as a ministry.

We believe that God is preparing people to link with us and join with what we do, to be a support here in Mozambique as well as partners in the UK. We are excited to see what God does and the people he brings alongside us.

A mere 2.5 hour plane ride gets you all the way to Pemba from Maputo. I went there in early november with my friend and boss, Steve Lazar, to visit the Iris Ministries base. We had five fantastic days there… here is the proof:

Upon arrival, the first thing one must do is appreciate the beach…

Then one must admire the gorgeously cute faces that one sees…

Then one must find a dodgy night bar and catch up with old friends over a bottle of coke…

A few other highlights that one should mention…

A feeding program that we witnessed at the Iris base – 800 children from nearby villages are served lunch every day of the week:

Donated to the Mieze village just outside Pemba – the most popular toy they’ve ever received. It’s only one week old and these children who previously had absolutely nothing to play with, are in their element. The simple things bring so much joy…

Then there was the powerful prayer time for some missionaries who had been held at gun point:

The crazy missions school…

Not to forget the sneaky bench at church that lies in wait for an unsuspecting visitor…

And finally, a trip to Pemba would not be complete if one did not dabble in the local costume: