Mecula, Mozambique
Saturday, August 7, 2010
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Outreach in Mecula – The Final Frontier
In
the northern Niassa province, there exists an extremely isolated area
called the Niassa National Reserve. We had heard that in the Reserve
there were many isolated villages with over 25,000 Yao people, spread
out over hundreds and hundreds of kilometers who had never heard the
gospel. We also saw on our map at the Bible School that there was a
village called Mecula that was the furthest village in the northern
Niassa province. A while back, we had said in our hearts, that the
gospel must be brought to Mecula.
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Months
ago, we discovered that the YWAM DTS outreach phase would be in Mecula.
At that point in time, we decided that we would accompany the YWAM team
and assist them in outreach in Mecula and the surrounding villages.
This past week, that which the Lord had placed in our hearts came to
pass. We traveled in Freedom all the way to Mecula. We showed the
“Dreams” film on Wednesday night and the Jesus film on Thursday night.
We preached the word of God, led many in a personal, hand-holding
relationship with Jesus, prayed for many sick and saw them healed, and
even found ourselves interpreting dreams. The people were a mixture of
Yao, Portuguese, Makhua and Swahili-speaking. On Thursday morning, we
had a Spirit-led time of intercession in the one small Assemblies of God
church in Mecula with the YWAM staff and students as well as local
leaders of the church. God really revealed through prophetic words how
key our time together there was, and how from Mecula, that all the
surrounding villages would come to hear the gospel of Christ.
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The
Yao people of Mozambique are spread out throughout the Niassa province
all the way to the Tanzania border. There have been prophetic words over
our team concerning the Lord giving us the Road to Tanzania, and that
the once unreached Yao people would be reached by the gospel of Christ.
Through our travels, scouting trips, evangelism outreaches and studies
of our Mozambique maps, we learned that there are four main roads to
Tanzania. ROAD #1: Last year we traveled the main road to Matchadje at
the Tanzania border. ROAD #2: Earlier this year we took a motorbike trip
past Mavago on the road to Milepa. ROAD #3: Just a couple of weeks ago
we traveled as far up the road to Tanzania as can be traveled by 4X4
along Lake Malawi to Cobue. ROAD #4: THE FINAL FRONTIER. This trip to
Mecula was last remaining area of the Niassa province we were able to
travel to and further the Kingdom of God. Thousands of Yao people have
turned from Islam mixed with animism to Jesus in the hundreds of
villages spread throughout the province. And to know that God has used
us to fulfill His great commission in such a way is amazing. We feel
honored and privileged to have been positioned as such in these last
days. Miracles, signs and wonders have followed us, as He promised they
would. We haven’t just evangelized. We have just planted churches. We
have seen a movement begun that is continuing to extend the kingdom of
God to the places we haven’t been able to travel to make disciples
ourselves, and all through indigenous Mozambicans. WOW! Some
missionaries work for twenty years in one place and have seen no
converts. We have been here for one year and seen so much acceleration
that it is almost unbelievable. Why? I really don’t know. One thing I do
know, is that we have had the faith to see this happen. It was
something God spoke to our hearts and, in faith, we walked out this
plan, purpose and vision to reach the Yao people with the gospel. I
believe that we are seeing just the beginning of the thousands of
unreached people groups of the world being harvested, and how God wants
to continue to use us, His servants, to reach the nations. I look
forward to seeing how God continues to move among the Yao people of
Mozambique and how God will position us in the future to continue to
follow His heart for the lost, broken and hurting of this world.
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We
also got to see some elephants, monkeys, impalas and other wildlife,
which was nice as we have seen these animals in abundance in the other
countries we traveled through in Africa, but not yet in Mozambique. (We
were actually hoping to be able to hunt and kill an impala for our team
to have for dinner, but it wasn't as easy as showing up on their
doorstep) Jesse even pushed the envelope and got chased be an elephant..
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Christian Young