Category: Travel

Sickness and Leaving

Layne with two young girls she's been discipling

Hello blogites,

Well… We’ve got some news. There are quite a few things happening in our near future and now’s the time to share it with you.

The first thing you should all know is that Layne is sick. About three weeks ago she woke up in the middle of the night with intense stomach pain and spent the rest of the night and morning in agonizing pain. We thought it might be a passing thing, prayed, hoped it wouldn’t happen again and waited. One and a half weeks later it happened again. We got a little worried, prayed, thought it might be a food she ate, and waited.
Six days later, two nights ago, it happened again, and it was worse. All night we stayed up, all night I prayed over my suffering wife, all night she waited for the knifelike pain to subside. It was anguish.
We have decided to seek medical help. Because the medical world in Angola is still recovering from the war, we are not confident that she can be helped here in Angola.
Tuesday morning we are driving to Namibia. Namibia has excellent healthcare and we are sure she can be diagnosed properly and treated. Please pray with us that it is smooth and quick.

The second thing you all should know is that we will not be returning to Angola in the near future. Despite the fact that we have felt for so long that God was moving on our hearts to come to Angola long-term, that has changed. Maybe God meant this short time was what He wanted. Maybe He means later in the future.
As we have been praying and seeking the Lord’s wisdom and direction for our future, we have taken the opportunity to look back at the things we felt the Lord initially put on our hearts since the beginning of our journey back to Africa, as well as the things He has pressed on our hearts since. After reviewing those things, and then feeling the peaceful and good moving hand of the Lord in our prayers, we have come to a decision.
For now we don’t know what/if our future is in Angola.
What we do know is that God has moved in us to go back to Mozambique.
Our time in Mozambique made a huge impact in our lives. We made fast friends with fellow missionaries that we respect and love, and we ministered alongside them in various ways and we are sure that God has said to go there and plant roots. We may uproot someday but for now, we have a peace from the Lord that He is putting us there to minister and love people well.

Friends, family… I know we ask often, and I know it gets repetitious… pray for us.

My Beautiful Wife

Pray for my wife… my beautiful… lovely… incredibly giving… passionate wife. Pray she is healed. She is sick and I can barely stand it. I love her so… Join me in prayer over her health.
Join us in this new vision. We will share more soon about what our heart is in Mozambique and how we are transitioning into ministry there.
Pray with us dear friends.
Have faith with us dear family.
These mountains don’t stand a chance. (Matthew 17:21)

Jon and Layne

April 11, 2010

Jon

Angola, Mozambique, Travel

12 comments

It took two hours to upload this video

A Jon Post

So I live in Angola for now. I’ve started noticing differences in how I live as I move from place to place. You just start seeing things differently. I’m not talking about the big “Oh… I just appreciate things so much more now!!!” kind of ways of seeing things. Everyone likes to talk about those things and I think people aren’t as honest with themselves as they like to pretend when they say them. I really do like to eat good tasting things, I like comfortable couches, I like fast internet, I like nice clothes. Now, I’m willing to live without all of that but to try to convince everyone (including myself) that I really don’t want those things anymore is just a bit disingenuous I think.
No… I’m talking about the funny little ways you start seeing things differently.

Spider webs on my ceiling are very good things. They function as a natural mosquito net that catches the bugs that want to enter my house when the lights are on. “Plague” is a good word to describe what it starts to look like if you clean those spider webs out.
Snakes are friends around (though not in) the house. They keep the mice and rats away.
Soap is really an amazing thing. I can work hard hard hard all day and then run water over myself and rub myself with soap and the emotional, psychological, and physical difference is simply astonishing.
Cold drinks are to be savored.
People all over the world are really just after the same things. Culture changes how they pursue them but, in the end, we really are desperate, lonely, frightened creatures that long for love, belonging, and to be part of something greater than ourselves.

I wrote the following down earlier this week. I hope, I hope that I can learn from what happened and see Christ in a person sooner than I did in this story.

A man came early this morning. I wasn’t here and I was told he was belligerent, demanding, and even threatening. Being the only male on the property I gathered myself up for a fight and was ready in case he returned. Suddenly a shout came that he was returning. I puffed out my chest, spoke to myself of my strength and walked out to meet him before he could get all the way to the house.
“Good afternoon sir. How are you today?” I ask, trying to slow him down if, indeed, he is on some kind of warpath. I had been told he disagreed with this ministry’s ownership of the land and was ready to fight for a piece of it.
“Good afternoon,” came the reply, “My name is Isaac and I am the son of…” and he began listing his genealogy and where his father, grandfather, uncles, great-uncles are/were/have lived and why they have a right to be where they are. Placing himself in a long, great list of men who are proud to be a part of the land and the country of Angola.
I prepared myself to answer his dispute of the land, but as I listened… I realized my pre-conceived ideas of what he wanted were wrong. He began to tell me of how he is in the military and stationed far from here and before he left he built a small house just OFF of this ministry’s land. Leaving for a few years he has returned just for a week to see family and has found his house destroyed.
“Why” he pleads “have you destroyed my house when I saw your fence, I had permission from the state and I built on my OWN property?”
I am overwhelmed. Seeing from his point of view I nearly begin to weep for him. ”My friend Isaac,” I respond, “I hear you. I am so sorry. If I knew who had destroyed your house I would help you. I too am angry at what has happened. You are right, you are not on our property. If this had happened to me, I too would be angry and seeking to find out why it had happened. I am angry with you my friend. I see you well.”
“Jonathan my friend,” Isaac looked at me with sorrow, “I too am sorry. When I came earlier I thought people were telling me that I had no right to this land. I am sorry that I blamed you for this. I see that we have no problem with each other. My name is Isaac. I live just there,” he says pointing, “and you may ask me for anything you need in that neighborhood.”
“My name is Jonathan. Thank you for speaking with me today.”
A man came today. He looked ready to fight, but he simply wanted to be heard. He simply wanted to be loved.

Here was Christ. Here was a stranger that I am glad I was able to invite in and welcome and love (Matthew 25:35).

[flashvideo file=/blogpictures/house.flv /]

Layne took this short video and gives a brief tour of our house. I heard that there was some interest in seeing the inside of it so here you all go.

We love you all. Thanks for reading this long post.

March 14, 2010

Jon

Angola, Personal, Travel

16 comments

We have made it to Windhoek, Namibia

A Layne Post

We have made it to Windhoek, Namibia. Again, the Lord has blessed us immensely with members of the body of Christ who have been willing to host us along the way, and going above and beyond what we could have imagined. We remain humbled and full of thanks, encouraged to take these next steps into Angola and confident in the provision of our faithful God.

Yesterday we had an 12 hour drive, in which my husband drove like a stud. He amazes me how he can stay so alert; all the while my head is bobbing around trying to be good company for him. A little pathetic, I know but honestly I feel I have no control. =)

Here is a glimpse into our car:

We started the day in Botswana with lots of clouds and even a little rain. You would have thought me ridiculous if you could have seen me… our air conditioner in the car is quite cool and with the cool weather outside, I was freezing. I had to put on socks, drape my pea-coat over my legs, and put on a fleece. I think this warm African weather has ruined me!

Early afternoon the sun emerged, bringing with it the normal heat, as I shed my layers. I wish you could have been in the car with me. For hours our drive in Botswana was lined with beautiful yellow wild flowers on either side of the road. Swarming above were thousands upon thousands of white and light blue butterflies. Beautiful! ( *clear my throat* We won’t talk of the ones that were plastered to the front of our vehicle.)

Ah! And the birds! I love the birds of Botswana. Especially the lilac breasted roller, which I have yet to spot since being back… until yesterday. I have become an expert at scanning the trees, knowing where to look, and finding the little bright colored beauties. For I while I would tell Jon every time I spotted one, but eventually, for his sake, I stopped.

Also, along the way, we watched patches of rain move across the African sky. I kept hoping we would pass through, but they kept missing us! Finally, just a few minutes after crossing the Namibian border, we went through head on. The rain drops were so large and falling so hard. It was glorious! Huge streaks of lightening danced in the distance, and stray beams of sunlight would force their way through the dominating darkness.

Again, I was humbled, this time at the grandness of our God and the privilege for us to be here on the mysterious continent.

Tomorrow we leave for Angola. We will not actually cross into Angola for a couple of days, as we have a few stops along the way. We anticipate being without internet for a time. Worst case would be about one month, though we will desperately look for options. It is a priority for us to remain connected to you, and we will connect as soon as possible. We are excited to report on Menongue and show you pictures of “the promised land”. ;)

Thank you for your ongoing love and support. Thanks for rising to help us with our needs getting into Angola. We love you, we love you!

February 15, 2010

Jon

Angola, Travel

5 comments

Ways you can help

Well we’re getting ready to start our journey to Angola and with that journey comes quite a few supplies. Because we are preparing to live out of a tent for at least 1 month and live without most basic cooking/living things for the other two months, we went out and made some purchases to try to give ourselves the best shot at success we could get. We realize that we are stewards of the support so many of you give us, so we did our best to go bargain hunting and keep these supplies as affordable as possible (for example, we bought sheets that are 50% polyester, 50% cotton… really? Polyester sheets? OOOk… they’re the cheapest we can find)

We decided we would ask for help with this, since these purchases put us over our normal monthly budget. I know many of you who read this blog already support us financially and, honestly, this request is not aimed at you. I also know that many who read this blog have considered supporting us financially, yet have not made the decision on how much/how often you would like to give. If that is you, we are asking you to consider helping us with these supplies. We’ve added pictures of the things we’ve purchased, and we would ask you to consider “sponsoring” or buying something with us. Can you do that? Would you help us in this way? Below we’ve listed different items and their prices.

Tarp and Ropes – $32 – SPONSORED! THANK YOU JESSICA!

Water Can and Water Bottles – $42 – SPONSORED! THANK YOU OBIDIAH PINNER!

Mosquito Net and Repellent – $59- SPONSORED! THANK YOU STEPHANIE!

Mattress and Pump – $42- SPONSORED! THANK YOU SARAH!

Recovery Spade, Hatchet, Mallet – $57- SPONSORED! THANK YOU STEPHANIE!

Chairs – $80

Bedding – $63

Cooler – $120 – SPONSORED! THANK YOU STEPHANIE!

Tent/Home – $740- SPONSORED! THANK YOU LASSITER FAMILY! THANK YOU PRESCOTT FAMILY!

Yes we realize that some of these things are very expensive. The cooler, for example, can be bought at Wal-mart in the USA for just $36. Unfortunately, here in Africa things like that are pretty expensive. (probably because they’re shipped from America!) The tent is quite expensive as well, however it is made of highly durable canvas, incredibly strong zippers and is one of those things that you buy knowing that this will last as long as you will.

Here is the process to help us with all of this.
Check the comments on this post to see what has already been sponsored. If what you’d like to sponsor is not mentioned, leave a comment telling us what you would like to give. This will prevent overlapping and extra money coming in. You can even sponsor part of an item (such as “$30 towards the cooler” or “$50 towards the tent”).

You have two ways you can get us the money:
1) Make a check to “Voices Of The World” and send it to

Voices Of The World
20595 S. 187th Way
Queen Creek, AZ 85142

2) Click on the “Support Us” tab at the top of this page and make a one time donation via Paypal for the amount you would like to give.

All checks or paypal donations to Voices Of The World are tax-deductible.

Thank you to all of our regular supporters. With your faithful support we were able to purchase all of these items in advance. We could not be here without all of you, and we know that well. Your love, your prayers, your encouragement, your support keep us here. We do love you all.

February 11, 2010

Jon

Angola, Travel

6 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!