By Luiz Sinzker
In his heart man plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps. Pv 16: 9
Mphatso means “gift” in the Chichewa language, which is the name of one of the synods of the Reformed Church in Mozambique, and is also the name of a farm located in the district of Angónia, province of Tete. The Reformed Church in Mozambique had its beginning in this place, where the farm is located, in 1908, with the arrival of a missionary from South Africa.
We had already visited the site last year and we could feel the confirmation and peace in our hearts, that this was the place where God would take us and do great things through that church. This farm, which by American standards can be considered small, has a total area of around 40 ha (100 acres), which, if managed properly, can provide sustainable food production. Our main objective in this work is to make the farm self-sustainable, and no longer always depend on external donations to remain productive. And from that, it will function as a model farm that will bless the life of the entire community with demonstrations and training so that other farmers can obtain better results on their own farms.
Earlier this year, in March, we were excited to finally travel to this place and start to adapt to this new country. We were dreaming of meeting the local people, learning their language, and begin working with them in a place full of potential and with opportunities that will give the Church a chance to bless the life of the community as a whole.
As much as we make all our plans in dependence on the Lord, it is He who sets the right time for all things, and teaches us through it.
However, on March 20th this year, the day before we got our visa, the issuance of visas was canceled, as well as air travel by the Mozambican government due to Covid-19. We were very saddened by the whole situation, but understanding that in this case, in order to respect the rules of security and containment of the virus, we have no alternative but to wait. For that reason, I can't think of any verse other than the one we used at the beginning of this article. As much as we make all our plans in dependence on the Lord, it is He who sets the right time for all things, and teaches us through it.
In this way, we would like to share with you some prayer requests:
May the Lord continue to strengthen us in this waiting period, and keep the flame burning in our hearts;
Pray for the brothers of the Reformed Church in Mozambique who have been waiting for us since the beginning of this year;
Pray for the Ngodi people, who suffer from lack of food, mainly during periods when rains are not abundant;
Pray that when the borders open, we will be able to carry out our trip, safely and without presenting risks to the local population.
Join us! Be part of this dream called Mphatso.