Dearest Prayers,
Today was a day of celebration of all that has transpired over the last week.
We met the health workers, the health activists, the teachers from the school, Papa Destino, Pastor Joao and his wife Filomena, the Baptist Women's Executive Director for Angola, Joan - the British missionary who has been our hostess, and hundreds of children and adults. It was a ceremony honoring each of the groups that participated in making the past week successful. They took the time to celebrate all parties working together in the sharing of the gospel and the distribution of the Nets.
One beautiful event was a ceremonial handing of the Nets from each team member to 5 pregnant Moms carrying their baby on their backs, 5 school-age children representing the children in the community, and the reading of a letter of appreciation to our church and His Nets for their part in this ministry. It was a great time of rejoicing in God's provision for all He's done both leading up to and during the time spent here.
We made Texans out of the Health Minister of the IEBA and the Pastor of the church by presenting each of them with Lone Star State T-Shirts. Sorry, T and Don and Pastor Greg, they didn't sell any OU shirts at the Texas Bookstore!!!
After the festivities we passed out soccer balls, baseball caps and "beanie babies" to the workers who labored with us. Leslie decided to try some behavior modification with the local kids by offering candy for a piece of trash. In 30 seconds they filled a 30 gallon trash can and we were mobbed by hundreds of kids!!!!!
After leaving the clinic we went to dinner with all of the dignitaries of the Igrega Evangelica Baptista em Angola and evaluated this week's effort. The heads of the convention were very impressed and so thankful that Angola was remembered.
We ended the week following up on the family that we witnessed to our very first day. More people from the neighborhood were present so we shared the gospel again and 8 people prayed asking Christ into their lives. We had saved 8 nets for them and were able to share a suitcase of clothing we had brought with us.
Thank you for the sweet messages of encouragement and continued prayers while we've been here. Only God knows for sure but we think over 100 adults plus children prayed asking Christ to come into their lives. Continue to pray because we aren't home yet (we have to be at the airport 4 hours in advance because of the way things operate in Angola). We'll leave our rooms at 5:30 in the morning on our way to Lisbon, Newark, and Dallas. We'll arrive in Dallas at 6:00p.m. Sunday night.
See you soon!
All of our love,
Your Angolan Team
Norm, Bob, Dave, Leslie and Charlotte
Friday, October 26, 2007
End of the week
The need is great but the Nets are few...got rocks thrown at us because people wanted to see their children saved too and we didn't have enough to hand out!
We have given out our last nets and there are so many people angry at us because they didn't receive one. If we had 100.000 nets it wouldn't have been enough for the area of Terra Vermelha (red dirt) where we were working. The good news is that there were MANY souls saved today. They are so open to listen to the story of God's love for them and when they pray they do it from the depths of their hearts. The Baptist pastor from that area accompanied us and in his testimony yesterday afternoon said that he had felt very encouraged by the way we shared Christ's love and that he had actually learned a lot from the team. Pray for him, Pastor Joao Tuto, who has a monumental job to do right there. He took down the names of those who were praying to receive Christ and promised to go visit them.
Wednesday night we had the opportunity of meeting some of our IMB missionaries and had an American meal (we've been eating boiled bananas and peanuts every day for lunch because that is what they eat)! Luckily the power didn't go out until the food was cooked so we got to enjoy a candlelight dinner. The missionary was trying to decide whether to open the door and let the air in so we wouldn't smother or keep the door closed and the mosquitos out--we kept the mosquitos out :0)!!! Scott Mcainey told us about a near-death experience awhile back when he contracted malaria. The village people thought he had died and had a funeral for him. He did live and sent word back to them because if he showed up in person they would think he was Lazarus!!!
It has been a humbling experience to put it mildly! No words will ever convey to you the poverty and the need of this people. However, they keep smiling and trying. We white people scare them to death and that has been humbling. Some of the children cry when they see us because a local cult church tells them that white people are of the devil and will eat their young.
We are so different and interesting to them that they throng around us touching our arms, feeling our hair, and stare at us like something from another planet. We have literally hundreds of kids following us everywhere so we've used those opportunities to teach them songs, tell them bible stories and just show them God loves them!
Today we will have a closing ceremony with the local authorities. We are somewhat concerned about the big black pot with boiling water they've prepared for us (just kidding)!
We love you and have definitely felt your prayers. Keep praying. We have today's activities and two days of travelling ahead of us.
Your Angolan Team...
Bob, Leslie, Norm, Dave and Charlotte
We have given out our last nets and there are so many people angry at us because they didn't receive one. If we had 100.000 nets it wouldn't have been enough for the area of Terra Vermelha (red dirt) where we were working. The good news is that there were MANY souls saved today. They are so open to listen to the story of God's love for them and when they pray they do it from the depths of their hearts. The Baptist pastor from that area accompanied us and in his testimony yesterday afternoon said that he had felt very encouraged by the way we shared Christ's love and that he had actually learned a lot from the team. Pray for him, Pastor Joao Tuto, who has a monumental job to do right there. He took down the names of those who were praying to receive Christ and promised to go visit them.
Wednesday night we had the opportunity of meeting some of our IMB missionaries and had an American meal (we've been eating boiled bananas and peanuts every day for lunch because that is what they eat)! Luckily the power didn't go out until the food was cooked so we got to enjoy a candlelight dinner. The missionary was trying to decide whether to open the door and let the air in so we wouldn't smother or keep the door closed and the mosquitos out--we kept the mosquitos out :0)!!! Scott Mcainey told us about a near-death experience awhile back when he contracted malaria. The village people thought he had died and had a funeral for him. He did live and sent word back to them because if he showed up in person they would think he was Lazarus!!!
It has been a humbling experience to put it mildly! No words will ever convey to you the poverty and the need of this people. However, they keep smiling and trying. We white people scare them to death and that has been humbling. Some of the children cry when they see us because a local cult church tells them that white people are of the devil and will eat their young.
We are so different and interesting to them that they throng around us touching our arms, feeling our hair, and stare at us like something from another planet. We have literally hundreds of kids following us everywhere so we've used those opportunities to teach them songs, tell them bible stories and just show them God loves them!
Today we will have a closing ceremony with the local authorities. We are somewhat concerned about the big black pot with boiling water they've prepared for us (just kidding)!
We love you and have definitely felt your prayers. Keep praying. We have today's activities and two days of travelling ahead of us.
Your Angolan Team...
Bob, Leslie, Norm, Dave and Charlotte
Monday, October 22, 2007
Angola Day 1
Day 1
Wow, what a day!!! Today was our first day to pass out nets to the people of Angola. We first visited the General Baptist Secretary of the Country of Angola and his first Vice-President. He graciously welcomed us and was quite moved that we would be willing to leave our country to come serve his people. He is already inviting us to come back! Because of the poverty of the country the needs are endless. Due to the overwhelming population and the traffic and lack of paved roads it is a 2-hour journey to get across town. We never travel the same path so its hard to grasp where you are or where you've been.
We returned to the community Terra Vermelha (Red Dirt) near one of the churches we visited on Sunday. This community came about as trash was dumped from the city and people would come and dig through the trash to find sustenance. They stayed and built their huts beside the dump so this is truly a city built amongs the refuse.
We split up in two groups , one at the Health Clinic and the other one walking door-to-door (there are a LOT of doors). We had 10 Angolan health workers from the local church to assist us. For each net distributed we explained its correct use, recorded their address and number of family members, number of children under five, as well as the GPS coordinates of each location. This will allow follow-up mission group to gauge the effectiveness of the nets. We were overwhelmed by the masses of people desiring nets and saddened by their desperate conditions. We had 400 nets to pass out today but within a few hours our quota had been delivered and people were literally screaming for them.
We did have the opportunity to share Christ's message with quite a few people. One man, Joao, came demanding that his family receive a net (he has 10 children). He was soon set in place by "Mama" Charlotte and while waiting his turn we had the opportunity to lead him to Christ. We prayed that God would use his assertive character as a positive force for Jesus within his community. Wherever we went flocks of children followed us. We used those moments to tell them the gospel story and teach them English praise songs.
Angola is a country torn by almost 30 years of civil war. Take notice of the picture of the young boy standing next to a bomb shell casing that was used as a crude decoration in his yard.
We finished up the day with the kids playing soccer with one of the balls donated by our church and passing out lollypops. Having learned from today's experience, tomorrow we look forward to passing out 600 nets and sharing the love of Jesus.
We are all doing real well and are in good health. Such things as frequent power outages, cold showers, and fumigating our rooms before bedtime have underlined the importance of flexibility in our vocabulary! We are cooking our own meals after discovering the high cost of eating out in Angola. So far Norm and Dave have done a good job. Bob, Leslie and Charlotte are responsible for the clean-up!!!
We are having an awesome experience sharing the love of Christ with this needy people. Your prayers are being vital to this mission and we continue counting on them.
In His service,
Bob, Dave, Leslie, Norm and Charlotte
Wow, what a day!!! Today was our first day to pass out nets to the people of Angola. We first visited the General Baptist Secretary of the Country of Angola and his first Vice-President. He graciously welcomed us and was quite moved that we would be willing to leave our country to come serve his people. He is already inviting us to come back! Because of the poverty of the country the needs are endless. Due to the overwhelming population and the traffic and lack of paved roads it is a 2-hour journey to get across town. We never travel the same path so its hard to grasp where you are or where you've been.
We returned to the community Terra Vermelha (Red Dirt) near one of the churches we visited on Sunday. This community came about as trash was dumped from the city and people would come and dig through the trash to find sustenance. They stayed and built their huts beside the dump so this is truly a city built amongs the refuse.
We split up in two groups , one at the Health Clinic and the other one walking door-to-door (there are a LOT of doors). We had 10 Angolan health workers from the local church to assist us. For each net distributed we explained its correct use, recorded their address and number of family members, number of children under five, as well as the GPS coordinates of each location. This will allow follow-up mission group to gauge the effectiveness of the nets. We were overwhelmed by the masses of people desiring nets and saddened by their desperate conditions. We had 400 nets to pass out today but within a few hours our quota had been delivered and people were literally screaming for them.
We did have the opportunity to share Christ's message with quite a few people. One man, Joao, came demanding that his family receive a net (he has 10 children). He was soon set in place by "Mama" Charlotte and while waiting his turn we had the opportunity to lead him to Christ. We prayed that God would use his assertive character as a positive force for Jesus within his community. Wherever we went flocks of children followed us. We used those moments to tell them the gospel story and teach them English praise songs.
Angola is a country torn by almost 30 years of civil war. Take notice of the picture of the young boy standing next to a bomb shell casing that was used as a crude decoration in his yard.
We finished up the day with the kids playing soccer with one of the balls donated by our church and passing out lollypops. Having learned from today's experience, tomorrow we look forward to passing out 600 nets and sharing the love of Jesus.
We are all doing real well and are in good health. Such things as frequent power outages, cold showers, and fumigating our rooms before bedtime have underlined the importance of flexibility in our vocabulary! We are cooking our own meals after discovering the high cost of eating out in Angola. So far Norm and Dave have done a good job. Bob, Leslie and Charlotte are responsible for the clean-up!!!
We are having an awesome experience sharing the love of Christ with this needy people. Your prayers are being vital to this mission and we continue counting on them.
In His service,
Bob, Dave, Leslie, Norm and Charlotte
Sunday, October 21, 2007
ANGOLA
Well, we made it! After two days of travelling we were kind of tired but ready to serve. Even those that have travelled third-world countries before were taken-back by the level of poverty and how it just goes on and on from neighborhood to neighborhood - It just never ends! Even in the downtown area we saw high-rise buildings that were started and never finished and eventually taken over by the poor people. There are no railings, no doors, no windows, and there they are 20 stories up in the air.
Water and electricity are a luxury. The only running water is the kind you run and get! We see kids that are 7 or 8 years old carrying hundreds of pounds of water on their backs. A lot of the women carry everything on their heads -- from bread, to laundry, to water, gasoline...whatever the need!
Yesterday after settling into our apartments which are very modest at best (cold showers -- but we're not complaining after seeing a man bathing in the sewer water --no air conditioning, etc) we went grocery shopping (we are cooking our own meals to save money--eating a hamburger and french fries was $12). After returning we walked past the guarded gate and went across the road where we met 8 families living in one little area. We had the joy of sharing Christ with them and having 3 of them pray to receive Christ into their lives. We left floating on air and thanking the Lord for allowing us to come.
Today has been a great day. We visited and worshipped in 7 (yes, seven) different Baptist churches. We were blessed by some of the prettiest a capella music that you will ever hear. They were singing in the Congo language and even though we couldn't understand we knew they were praising Jesus and we wept!!! People were most appreciative that we were there, and didn't understand why we would come all the way from America to help them. We were accompanied by Mr. Destino Garcia, the Minister of Health of the Igreja Evangelica Baptista de Angola, and Joan Woodyer, a missionary nurse with the British Missionary Society.
The little children are so happy to have their picture taken. As a matter of fact, anybody will stop and ask you to take their picture. We'' will try to send some pictures as soon as possible.
Tomorrow we start the distribution of the Nets so please continue to pray as we have 2000 Nets to distribute in 5 days.
We will get back to you later with more details. Our battery is running out.
In His service,
The Angola Team
Water and electricity are a luxury. The only running water is the kind you run and get! We see kids that are 7 or 8 years old carrying hundreds of pounds of water on their backs. A lot of the women carry everything on their heads -- from bread, to laundry, to water, gasoline...whatever the need!
Yesterday after settling into our apartments which are very modest at best (cold showers -- but we're not complaining after seeing a man bathing in the sewer water --no air conditioning, etc) we went grocery shopping (we are cooking our own meals to save money--eating a hamburger and french fries was $12). After returning we walked past the guarded gate and went across the road where we met 8 families living in one little area. We had the joy of sharing Christ with them and having 3 of them pray to receive Christ into their lives. We left floating on air and thanking the Lord for allowing us to come.
Today has been a great day. We visited and worshipped in 7 (yes, seven) different Baptist churches. We were blessed by some of the prettiest a capella music that you will ever hear. They were singing in the Congo language and even though we couldn't understand we knew they were praising Jesus and we wept!!! People were most appreciative that we were there, and didn't understand why we would come all the way from America to help them. We were accompanied by Mr. Destino Garcia, the Minister of Health of the Igreja Evangelica Baptista de Angola, and Joan Woodyer, a missionary nurse with the British Missionary Society.
The little children are so happy to have their picture taken. As a matter of fact, anybody will stop and ask you to take their picture. We'' will try to send some pictures as soon as possible.
Tomorrow we start the distribution of the Nets so please continue to pray as we have 2000 Nets to distribute in 5 days.
We will get back to you later with more details. Our battery is running out.
In His service,
The Angola Team
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