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GOOOOOOOOAL!!!!

A Jon Post

It seems like there’s something new to talk about every week recently. It’s funny because I struggle with wanting to keep these posts short enough to be readable (I understand the “DEATH BY HUGE WALL OF TEXT” syndrome that so many internet readers suffer from), wanting to keep everyone up to speed on latest news in our lives and ministry, wanting to give you all the individual stories and a glimpse into the emotions, and wanting to put a bunch of pictures up so you can SEE what we’re doing.

So I’ll put it to our readers. Chose one of these and let us know what you are looking for from jonandlayne.com. If you have thoughts or more suggestions that just a vote in this poll leave a comment and let us know how you’d like us to communicate with you here.

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Anyway… I’ll do a newsy, pictury post for this one until I hear more from you about what you’d like to hear.

This week we’ve been pretty busy every evening. Our Portuguese missionary friends (Jorge and Alice) invited us to be a part of showing the African Cup of Nations soccer games in some townships around Maputo. The African Cup of Nations is a HUGE deal here in Africa as each African nation competes to be the best soccer team in Africa. People love it and it’s a great way to connect with the average African. We partner with a pastor who has a church in an area of town, go to a soccer field very near the church and set up a satellite dish, projector and 8×6 foot screen and draw huge crowds. The pastors get a great opportunity to speak of the love of Jesus to the entire neighborhood in the area of his church, the people get to see a soccer game, and we get to set it all up and cheer and laugh and connect with people on a great personal level. Our new Land Cruiser serves as a wonderful mobile-soccer-game-show.

The showing of the games is a bit of an evening commitment and we have been spending each night from 5:30 until 11:30 out in the townships to do it. It’s thrown us a little off in our schedule but it’s just for this month and we’re happy to be a part of it.

Click on the picture below and hopefully you can get an idea of what we’ve been doing.

We’re still going to the hospital on a near daily basis to visit and love the friends we’ve made in the oncology ward. I’d like to write more about that but I think I’ll wait and tell you more next time I post.

Thanks for reading, voting, praying, giving. We are so proud to tell people here of our incredible support base. You are the envy of many missionaries we’ve met. We love to boast about you.

January 17, 2010
JonandLayne.com, Mozambique
9 comments

News

Has it really only been a week since we updated on here?

I feel like so much has happened since we last “talked”. I have some good news and some sad news. I’ll start with the sad, so that we can end positively…

Our new friend at the hospital Joaquim lost his life Thursday morning. We knew it was coming. Everyone did. Death loomed over him for about two days. Each hour he lived we felt like a miracle had happened.

He was fine. He was laughing and having spirited conversations with Jon just one week earlier. But then it seemed like we came in one day and he had taken a turn for the worse. Two days later he died. It was a blow.

I have never been involved in ministry like this. Watching people die. Loosing people so regularly.  It is changing me. I cannot pinpoint exactly how, but I feel it; I know it is happening. Lord, you must know what you are doing. ..

I wrote a bit more about Joaquim at www.africangypsy.blogspot.com

And for the good news. The Angola news. That’s right, Angola news again! Thank you for your prayers. You have been a part of all of this!

Jon and I needed to head to South Africa this week to reset our Mozambican visas, and as I told you a couple weeks ago we had and interview with a potential ministry to partner with for Angola. Well after 11 hours of travel south, we had the interview, and it went really well!

The couple we met with have a really neat heart for the Lord and His work. Their views and approach to ministry seems to line up well with what we believe. This was important  for us to feel connected in this area! They have been in Angola since 1996 and have established relationships with the government and people. (Huge advantage!)

The organization is call “Operation Mobilization”. Many of you may have heard about them. They have a small team working up in Luanda and then do work part of the year in a town called Menongue, however there are no permanent missionaries there. If we begin working with them, we would be permanently in Menongue (pronounced maNONgay). You may remember us talking about the town of Namibe, where we originally wanted to work. After talking and praying we feel a release and peace about changing locations in our hearts if all were to work out.

Our hearts remain focused on the orphaned and vulnerable children, especially those affected by HIV/AIDS. Their ministry has already started construction for a children’s center in Menongue, but it has yet to be completed, and they have no one to run it. We are praying about being the ones to do just that.

Here is the approach we would like to take towards pursuing this:

We would like to get a temporary visa (3 month) and do a bit of a trial run with them. We would go visit both the Menongue site and the one in Luanda. We could get a feel for the town and the local people.  We would work out all details and get all questions answered. (One meeting over lunch is hardly enough time!) If we can, Lord willing the paperwork can get processed quick enough, we would like to meet them in Menongue, Angola on February 20th.

If paperwork does not work out, we would push that date back until May, when the couple would return to Menongue.

From there, if we receive confirmation from the Lord and things work out, we would be required to leave Angola until our work permits could be processed. That could could take about 3 months to 6 months. During that time it is yet to be decided what we would do. One possibility is that we would return to Mozambique and continue working here while maintaining our Portuguese.

Here are ways you can pray for us:

  • That our paperwork for a short-term visa would be processed quickly
  • That the Lord would continue to speak to our hearts and confirm His plan for us
  • Wisdom and discernment

We welcome advice or thoughts on any of this! Thanks for your constant love and support. We could feel the prayers during our travels to South Africa and on the day of our meeting.  We love you!

Enjoying Tiramisu coffee and a Hazelnut/Caramel coffee!

(This is the only coffee shop we know of in all of southern Africa that has flavored coffee. Yum! )

January 10, 2010
Angola, Mozambique, Travel
10 comments

My Friends’ Memories From 2009 and Plans for 2010

A Jon Post

“What is the best memory you have of 2009?” I ask in halting Portuguese.
S, the quiet yet confident one responds and tells me, “No, I have been here. I don’t have any good memories.”
“But you haven’t been here all year!” I reply, “What is the best memory you have from the WHOLE year?”
“Ah,” S responds, “Well, I got a job (a missionary from Northern Mozambique hired him as a guard outside his house) with a good salary and I was able to provide for my family. That happened in March!”
“And you T? What is your favorite memory?”
“None Jon, I have been here since January. I have no good memories from 2009.”
“Nothing, T? Come on there must be some good memory from this year!” I respond, trying to sound positive.
“No Jon… nothing beautiful happened to me this year. I have been here.”
Try as I might, I can not get T to tell me a good memory from last year.
“Ok,” I say, trying a new tactic and to sound positive, “When you guys are better what are your plans for 2010?”

Suddenly the smiles are set free and we talk about going home to family, getting jobs, moving to better places, providing for sick and dying uncles or other family members. J tells me about his children back home waiting for him to return. T tells me about getting a good job, buying some good land and farming on it. S tells me about his 6 children who he is so proud of who all passed the school year (a very rare thing here) and the two oldest who he hopes to send to university this year.

And all of us smile and laugh and enjoy the hope that has crept back into our conversation. And all of us try to ignore the black truth that looms over the entire oncology ward. These men will probably be dead before these plans come to pass. They will probably be dead before the end of this year.
“What are you thankful for this new year?” I ask.
“That we saw 2010! And we just pray that we see 2011” J responds with a large smile.

This is life here in the oncology ward at the Maputo General Hospital.
This is life… a nearly infertile soil where roots of hope occasionally writhe their way out to see the sun.
This is death… a black mass of poison growing deadly hideous… worms of cancerous cells tracing their fatal path across skin, bone, flesh, eyes.
This is life… and death… in the oncology ward at the Maputo General Hospital.
What part do I play in it? Not much I think. Enough, I hope, to see Jesus lying on dirty, sweaty, uncomfortable sheets on a thin mattress. Just enough to show the love of Christ with a smile, a prayer, a kiss, a cool cloth on a sweaty forehead.
And to hope. To hope in this mystery… that the sting and victory that death has now will be swallowed up.

January 3, 2010
Mozambique
9 comments

Our Christmas in Mozambique

A Layne Post

Jon and I spent our first Christmas in Africa as a couple… and it was good. Of course there were plenty of people and things we missed; however, our new experiences here were priceless.

We spent Christmas Eve with three other missionary families; a Portuguese family, a Brazilian family, and an American family. Our traditions were combined as we ate chicken wings and quiche for appetizers, a yummy fish and potato dish that is common in Portugal for dinner, and cupcakes and snickerdoodles for dessert. Though it may sound odd to you, it was really good!

Ladies on Christmas Eve!

And the men!

We also exchanged small presents in a gift exchange, complete with the opportunity to steal gifts. I think Jon and I ended up with the best gifts; Jon got a headlamp and I got a bottle of cocoa butter lotion! Nice!

Not sure if Jon was ready for the pic, but he is cute.

Christmas day I decided to keep with my tradition of making cinnamon rolls, and I do believe this year they were the best yet! I have to tell you a secret… We ate the whole pan before the night was over. YES! All of them!

Cinnamon rolls with cinnamon cream cheese icing... yum.

After breakfast we had previously made the decision to spend a couple hours at the hospital in the Oncology ward, where we have been volunteering for the past couple of weeks. Many of the patients are too far from home to leave for the holidays, so they were going to be alone and far from family. We could kind of relate. That time was definitely the highlight of our day. Funny how you go to be a blessing, and in return you are the one that is blessed. (More at: www.africangypsy.blogspot.com)

Later that night we were also grateful to have the opportunity to join our families for a few festivities via Skype and webcams. We seriously felt like we were sitting in the room with them. Awesome.

Angola Update:

We have a little bit of exciting news. Yes news! It has been awhile!

I recently decided to go ahead and send another round of emails in search of connections in Angola, and quite honestly I thought I would not hear anything until the New Year, but guess what? I already got two replies!

One is probably not going to be of assistance with a visa, but is still a good connection. The other is with a ministry that is already established in a couple cities there in Angola. (Remember we must come under an already established NGO to even submit an application for our visas.) What is exciting is that they are potentially interested in working with us and want to have an interview!

The lead couple is in South Africa for the month of January, and on the 7th Jon and I were going there anyways to renew our visa for Mozambique. The trip will be much longer now, but we feel it is more than worth it, and is nothing compared to needing to travel to Angola. We consider this a huge blessing!

So here is how I would ask you guys to pray for us. This interview will be two-sided, as we want to get to know their heart and mission as well. It is no small thing to partner and come under a ministry or organization.

While I would like to get terribly excited and say how perfect this could be, how the timing is fabulous, how things could line up beautifully… above all we want the will of the Lord. If this is His open door, we would like it to be clear and confirmed to both parties involved.

We love you guys! I pray your holidays were blessed and that you had the chance to reflect on the goodness and faithfulness of our Lord and Savior.

December 26, 2009
Angola, Mozambique, Visas
5 comments

Merry Christmas

A Jon Post

What an amazing God we serve.
In light of the recent “extended text” versions of these blogs I’m going to keep this one short. I just want to say a few things since this is good ol’ Christmas Week. A role model of mine often makes lists of things he’s thankful and it is always pretty moving so I think I’ll model that today.

Thing’s I’m Thankful For This Christmas

  • Singing and laughing with 75 orphans and vulnerable children at a children’s ministry yesterday
  • Being back in Africa after a year away
  • Fans (when the air is so hot, moving it around the room REALLY makes a difference)
  • The way people here in Mozambique smile and say “Bom Dia” with such a welcoming voice
  • When my wife looks at me with her smiling eyes. It melts my heart every time. I could not have chosen a more lovely or loving woman to join with me in living the epic
  • Finding the family of Christ all over the world
  • Banana bread
  • That my wife can make some INCREDIBLE food with really really basic ingredients
  • The love of Christ that Africans (Angolans, Namibians, Batswana, South Africans, Mozambicans) seem to be so good at showing
  • My Chaco sandals (I’ve had these for 5 years and there’s no reason to think they won’t last another 5)
  • My family back in Arizona and Texas
  • Supporters who pray so hard for us

We have a quick year end letter to all of our supporters. If you have time you can download and read it. For those of you who like to paste Christmas cards up on your mantle we have one here as well

Christmas Letter

Christmas Card

Merry Christmas from Mozambique

Merry Christmas from Mozambique

December 20, 2009
Mozambique
8 comments
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