Assumane, Mozambique
Sunday, February 28, 2010
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8 Baptisms in Assumane
Today was a very special Sunday for us. Today we went to see some of our Mozambican family baptized in the river!
.
We drove up to our thatch and bamboo church building with smiles on every face we passed by. We had a short service, with some worship and a 10 minute teaching from Jesse. Then we all walked down to the river.
.
Well, we never actually reached the river (it’s a long walk), but we stopped by a smaller water hole and baptized them all there. We saw eight people baptized, including a new couple who had just given their lives to Jesus.
.
It was a great day, but everything comes to an end, so we packed up all the sound gear and headed home.
.
Sunday Mornings at the Church of Assumane
A typical Sunday morning for us isn’t what yours might be. We come into the village of Assumane, and you see little African kids with ear-to-ear grins, yelling out, “Jonasi! Christiano! Ajesse!” [often they are also singing worship songs they learned at church as we enter the village as well]. Then you get to the church building and everybody there smiles as you approach. You’re with family!
.
Then we [usually] set up our sound system and the generator and get the music started! On normal days we have upbeat music that everyone can dance and worship to. Once that’s over we usually have some worship with my dad’s guitar accompanying the voices [along with indigenous drums and other percussion instruments].
.
After that we have our Mozambican family give testimonies of the Lord’s goodness throughout the week. Then either dad or Jesse or one of our Mozambican leaders preach [in the Portuguese and Yao languages]. After [or before] the sermon’s over (usually 10 to 15 minutes) we have some of our Mozambican family do a drama about what was preached [or what will be preached].
.
[The cool thing we have been seeing lately along with the Yao believers performing dramas to tell a biblical story is that after the drama, they get into a group and begin to sing an original Yao song. Some from the group will even come in front of the group and begin to testify even more of the truths they acted out and are singing about. This is an answer to our prayers as we believe that this indigenous style of worship is unique to the Yao people. We have been praying that the Yao believers here would not simply copy other forms of foreign worship, but from their hearts, express their worship to God in their own way. Praise God for this!]
.
At the end while we’re packing up, we usually have more singing and dancing. Once we’re ready to set off for home, we give our family a big “goodbye,” and we get in the trucks to go back to the house. [We also experience times when the Holy Spirit just says to do something different. There is so much freedom for this. Often there are times when we pray for people’s healing and deliverance, which might seem weird to some to see a demon manifest in someone who is getting prayed for. Family is a good term for what is happening here in the Church of Assumane. This is just Sundays. The Christ-followers of the Church of Assumane are also taking care of one another during the week and praying for one another’s healing. They also carry the glory of God to other surrounding villages of their own accord, evangelizing and making disciples. We are so excited about the Church of Assumane, as it is our first church plant of many more to come in the Yao villages north of Lichinga.]
.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
.
8 Baptisms in Assumane
Today was a very special Sunday for us. Today we went to see some of our Mozambican family baptized in the river!
.
We drove up to our thatch and bamboo church building with smiles on every face we passed by. We had a short service, with some worship and a 10 minute teaching from Jesse. Then we all walked down to the river.
.
Well, we never actually reached the river (it’s a long walk), but we stopped by a smaller water hole and baptized them all there. We saw eight people baptized, including a new couple who had just given their lives to Jesus.
.
It was a great day, but everything comes to an end, so we packed up all the sound gear and headed home.
.
Sunday Mornings at the Church of Assumane
A typical Sunday morning for us isn’t what yours might be. We come into the village of Assumane, and you see little African kids with ear-to-ear grins, yelling out, “Jonasi! Christiano! Ajesse!” [often they are also singing worship songs they learned at church as we enter the village as well]. Then you get to the church building and everybody there smiles as you approach. You’re with family!
.
Then we [usually] set up our sound system and the generator and get the music started! On normal days we have upbeat music that everyone can dance and worship to. Once that’s over we usually have some worship with my dad’s guitar accompanying the voices [along with indigenous drums and other percussion instruments].
.
After that we have our Mozambican family give testimonies of the Lord’s goodness throughout the week. Then either dad or Jesse or one of our Mozambican leaders preach [in the Portuguese and Yao languages]. After [or before] the sermon’s over (usually 10 to 15 minutes) we have some of our Mozambican family do a drama about what was preached [or what will be preached].
.
[The cool thing we have been seeing lately along with the Yao believers performing dramas to tell a biblical story is that after the drama, they get into a group and begin to sing an original Yao song. Some from the group will even come in front of the group and begin to testify even more of the truths they acted out and are singing about. This is an answer to our prayers as we believe that this indigenous style of worship is unique to the Yao people. We have been praying that the Yao believers here would not simply copy other forms of foreign worship, but from their hearts, express their worship to God in their own way. Praise God for this!]
.
At the end while we’re packing up, we usually have more singing and dancing. Once we’re ready to set off for home, we give our family a big “goodbye,” and we get in the trucks to go back to the house. [We also experience times when the Holy Spirit just says to do something different. There is so much freedom for this. Often there are times when we pray for people’s healing and deliverance, which might seem weird to some to see a demon manifest in someone who is getting prayed for. Family is a good term for what is happening here in the Church of Assumane. This is just Sundays. The Christ-followers of the Church of Assumane are also taking care of one another during the week and praying for one another’s healing. They also carry the glory of God to other surrounding villages of their own accord, evangelizing and making disciples. We are so excited about the Church of Assumane, as it is our first church plant of many more to come in the Yao villages north of Lichinga.]
.
Jonas Young [and Christian Young]