Questions

I am a Christian, I am proud to say I follow Jesus and his teachings, I am really crap at it, but I do try and that is all that is expected really. Over the past few years I have had my faith tested to breaking point on a few occasions, and that is where I am at at the moment. Things happen I don't understand, and I see people hurt so bad that it makes me cry and question why? I know there are no easy answers, I know God has never said we wouldn't suffer, he did say he would be with us in our suffering.

I really don't understand why certain things happen, why people hurt each other or why people are taken early? I don't know why accidents happen or incurable illness's take over peoples bodies....I know at the moment I am again questioning...........

Qustions of Faith

My faith is my life really, I know that may sound trite but it is the truth, I try base how I am by what I believe. I am awful at it and in no way an example of a good Christian so please do not look at me and expect something worth looking at.

This is very hard at the moment especially when people I know and care for are hurting. I get angry with God for these people. I don't know why people get ill, I don't understand cancer or why people get it, but it does make me question my faith sometimes. This is no bad thing, when my two friends died in an awful car crash I questioned my faith long and hard. and because of it I believe I am a stronger and better Christian. A young Lady who is one of Mrs E.B's staff has a growth on her brain, why? she is in surgery Today after it being diagnosed on Sunday evening. I pray that God will look after her and after the surgeons and I pray that what they find can be removed with no damage to her brain and she will make a full recovery.

An amazing family I know, the wonderful wife has tumours in her lung and hip, they have two children and have spent many years working for God in the Mission Field in Mozambique...why does this happen? I pray the new treatment will work miracles and the tumours will vanish and she will be healed of Cancer.

I don't understand any of this, my heart is crying, my insides feel awful? I really don't want to praise God at the moment, but these are the times I will Praise God, I don't really want to go to Church or be involved with Church activities, but I will go and do them with even more vigour because I trust God, I am questioning God and this means I am questioning my Faith, but that doesn't mean I don't believe in God or that Jesus died for me, just why God gave man free will and with free will comes all that is crap, why cancer can take hold in his servants when so much work is left to do. Why take the Good and amazing people when there are murderers and evil people about???? I know I wont get the answers I want but I am allowed to question my faith.

Websites and Photos

Wow sorry I haven't blogged for a few weeks.. What's been happening? I have been updating my website I have had a website on www.thebaynhams.com for about 7 years now and it was looking very tired and needed pages taking down and other things doing to it. So I revamped for want of a better description. I have taken all of the old pages down now. I have my CV on there and some of the better photos I have taken that I think people may want to see, I am not saying they are great photos, far from it, but they are composed photos that I have enjoyed taking. I don't have an all singing all dancing megga camera with interchangeable lenses just a Fuji F810 and patience and sometimes I have seen something worth taking a picture of. I hope you like them if you go and have a look. There are several different pages. Underwater, Underwater 2, Animal, Bird, Panorama and General These pages are in an update phase and new photos are being added as and when I find them in my vast files of photos and edit them.

We have been to The Robber Button most weekends and had some fun with friends tootling up the canal. I have been enjoying Easter, the most special time in the Christian Calender, we have been to a wedding and Mrs EB has been working megga hard. I have had a few meetings but nothing I can really write about as stuff is in the air.

I found this on You Tube the late great Johnny Cash


That is about it really.

Boats and Food

We had a really nice weekend, Friday evening we arrived separately at The Robber Button, I arrived about an hour before Mrs EB and I spent the time cleaning the boat and getting it nice and warm. When Mrs EB arrived we drove up to Stone and had a wonderful curry. Saturday was far to windy to go out so we stayed at the marina, I helped Jon and John move a couple of boats and made us all bacon and egg sandwiches.

Sunday I couldn't get out of bed as I had a horrid migraine. Today I went to the dentist ...all very good mouth wise. Then I went to Tesco to do a shop and I also looked to see what they had for a large meal I am cooking for Alpha and Alpha+.

Cooking for Alpha and Alpha+ means cookin for 50 people... I haven't cooked for that many people for many years and I am a little anxious, I went to have a look at the kitchen this afternoon and to see what ingredients they have in the kitchen... they have nothing... Oh well I have a budget of £2 a head and I have 3 or 4 Vegetarians. All good fun.

Passion

I am one of those people who likes the TV on in the evening, but I also surf whilst watching it with one eye. But recently I have stopped watching even with one eye when the soaps are on, there is something so unreal about east enders and coronation street that I have lost complete interest even with one eye. I used to love The Bill and I do enjoy watching that but that seems to have come off the boil... maybe its the budget cuts or maybe I have changed?

I have loved watching Heston Blumenthal's new cooking programme on Channel 4, he is a genius and I love his way of solving a problem... A layered drink... click this link and enjoy I am one of those people that really do want to go his restaurant and try the tasting menu. There are people everywhere in all walks of life who are just natural brilliant people from social workers to brain surgeons, preachers to chefs, we all know them, we have seen them , heard them or watched them they stick out a mile at what they do, Heston is one of those people. It isn't a secret ingrediant that he or they have, it is just a passion for what they do. The greatest of all Passions is about to happen again, the Easter Story, Christ's Passion for Man.

Easter is the most important festival in the Christian calendar. It is the commemoration of Jesus's death and his rising from the dead, also known as the resurrection. It comes at the end of Lent. The week leading up to it is called Holy Week.

Palm Sunday is the first day of Holy Week and celebrates Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Crowds of people came out of the city to greet him, throwing down palm branches on the road. Many churches give out small crosses made from palm leaves, as a reminder of Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem and his death on the cross.

On Good Friday Christians remember when Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples, breaking bread and drinking wine, which is now known as the Last Supper. Since then this meal has been symbolically re-enacted by many Christians as a way of drawing closer to God. This is called the Eucharist or Holy Communion, which means 'thanksgiving'. It is a reminder that Jesus sacrificed his life for mankind and is also a part of many services throughout out the year.

The Bible tells us that, later that night, Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot. After his arrest, Jesus was brought before the Jewish high priests who found him guilty of blasphemy because he called himself the Son of God. They handed him over to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.

As was the custom at the time of the Feast of Passover, Pilate gave the crowds the choice as to which of the two prisoners should be freed: Jesus, or Barrabas, a notorious criminal. Ironically, the the same crowd who had welcomed Jesus with palm branches a few days earlier now chose Barrabas to be released, and Pilate condemned Jesus to death by crucifixion.

On Good Friday, many churches hold services meditating on the events leading up to Christ's death: his interrogation, flogging, the mocking by the Roman soldiers, and his journey with the cross to Golgotha, the place of his death. Finally he was stripped naked and nailed to the cross, where he hung in agony for three hours, jeered at by the crowds, before he died. This is the day when people traditionally eat hot cross buns, because the cross on the bun is a reminder of the cross Jesus died on, and a reminder of the Christian belief that Jesus died to save us all.

Jesus was taken down from the Cross and laid in a Tomb to be made ready for death, this couldn't be done as The Sabbath had started and it would be another dau before Christ could be made ready for a burial.

Easter Sunday marks Jesus' resurrection. The Bible tells us that Mary Magdalene went to the tomb to make Jesus ready, followed later by some of Jesus' disciples. They discovered Jesus' body had gone and that the tomb was empty. Jesus then appeared to Mary and many of his disciples, speaking with them on separate occasions during the following forty days. As he left them for the last time, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit so the disciples would know God would never leave them. He then ascended into heaven. The Church celebrates this on Ascension day.

an update

I have been a little busy so no blogs sorry.

Last week I was here there any everywhere but didn't seem to achieve an awful lot. This week has been very different. The weekend started well, after Friday evening/night Mrs EB was singing at a celebration for 2 years great work by two friends who run support groups for Marriage, Marriage prep and divorced people called Foundations. We went to The Robber Button for the night, when we woke up the weather was good so we went out for our first proper trip of 2009, only a short trip to Tixall Wide, but it was just so nice to get out of the marina.

Sunday Mrs EB was singing at both services and I just enjoyed the services. Monday I asked my Dad if he would help me to sort out a couple of little problems on The Robber Button, I had fixed the leak on the Central heating but I wanted my dad, a retired Plumber to give it the once over, also I wanted him to use his power plainer to shave some wood off a plinth so we could fit a fly screen over our side hatch. This caused so much saw dust it is a joke and it will take forever to clear up. After that wonderful morning with Ronnie. I had to do our weekly shop (urghh). Tuesday was a day of meetings, I had a meeting with the Church Administrator to update me on a meeting I had missed in Mozambique. Then Team Leaders son asked I would do a further training session on Pro Tools with him, I enjoy those as he is very keen to learn and he has specific questions he wants to know answers too, or if I can set something up so he can then do something.

Yesterday I went to the Heart of the Black Country an amazing part of the West Midlands where they speak in their own dialect and it is often mimicked as a thick Brummie, it is wonderful and not dull and thick. Sorry...mini rant over. I went to give some I.T Support for a Christian Organisation, setting up a notebook and laptop and making sure that they were working and all the software was OK. I then went to sort the phones and two other PC's at the office, a very long but very rewarding day. and that is about it really.

New Starts for a New year

The New Year is here and it a blank sheet, with a lot of mysteries around the corner, I like a New year it is a time for fresh starts and new beginnings. I will endeavour to be a better person and fail, but I will try. I will try to get a job, and I will try to spend more time praying and being a better Christian.... I have the best intentions but I am a week human and I guess I am doomed to fail, but I will try my hardest.

The New Year was celebrated with a few friends round at their house, it was a great night with a lot of laughter and just being relaxed and enjoying each others company. It was one of those nights where you just chat and have fun and the next thing you know it's 3:30 am..... So yesterday was just a day of resting for me. Mrs EB went to the cinema in the evening I just enjoyed watching TV and a new Jonathan Creek....worked out the bath thing as soon as they showed you the room!!! It was the only thing it could be. A great programme never the less. I also watch my favourite programme The Bill, a slow episode but a good one.

Mrs EB is off for four days after today and she is taking me to London on Monday to give me my Christmas present on Monday, which I am really looking forward too. Though she heard a track on her IPod the other day and it had a swear word in it!!! So it did shock her! I did say it was an adult show... LOL. Apart from that the world stays the same in my life at the moment. Health is still naff, I am still worried about my hospital appointment at the end of the month...I guess that's about it really.

Father Santa Christmas

I have strong views on a lot of things. I don't tend to sit on the fence. Since becoming a Christian I find the concept of Santa so wrong. There are many reasons... like we don't want children to talk to strangers, don't accept gifts from Strangers. Never let strangers in to your house. Then this total stranger with a false white beard in a stupid red smock (red because of Coke the Coke company not the drug) is supposed to sneak in to your house, and even in some cases into the child's bedroom and leave some presents. I am sorry but that is so wrong!!!! Anyway here is the proof he no longer exists look he is dead. Christmas is about the birth of Christ, it isn't about consumerism and Santa (an anagram of Satan). Christmas is nothing to do with being good or bad and an old guy with a white beard keeping a list. Christmas is about Mankind's salvation and the birth of God Incarnate as Man. I buy gifts and I receive gifts for Christmas, in fact I love Christmas, it's a wonderful amazing time of the year. I really don't get why parents especially Christian parents keep up the awful pretence of Father Christmas.

Lets please keep Christ in Christmas.

Phewwww and now rest

That was a frantic few days...and boy am I tired.

Wednesday evening saw the technical rehearsal for the Christmas Cabaret, Thursday was the rehearsal for the Carol Service. Friday was the first night of the Cabaret, that was a fantastic evening, we had a few tiny problems, the biggest being that most of the cast has colds and sore throats!!! Each act was amazing though. Saturday morning was the technical rehearsal for Sunday Morning's young children's service. Saturday night was the full blown Christmas Cabaret, and what a night by far the best show we have put on, the quality of the acts were just brilliant, each act put 100% into it. Technically I thick we did a top job, over the years we have done a few shows and each one we try to improve on the show. I don't think anyone who came to either show could say they had not seen a show that was not 100% profesional, food that was 2nd to none and not had a great evening.

Sunday morning the young children did their production, called "Stable Manners" it was just fantastic, I laughed and really enjoyed the kids being just kids and really going for it. They all coped really well and the main 5 characters coped so well with the headset mics. Sunday evening was the carol service, and that was so beautiful, Mrs EB's solo was just wonderful and AmyandAmiability's solo was a treat and sounded so fanatsic. But I do have to say I am spent, my brain is all fluffy and my ears are shot.

What is Christmas? Well it's not Xmas!!!

It is Christmas, perhaps the best time to share faith, everyone talks about what they hope to receive as a Christmas present. A couple of year ago at a radio station I was working at someone had sent me an email saying Happy Xmas, I email them back saying I actually found that offensive!!! and explained that I like to keep Christ in Christmas, I was a Christian and that taking Christ out of Christmas was offensive. They emailed me back saying sorry, but it's only a phrase and everybody does it. I said thank you for the apology, but I didn't do it...

I really do hate Merry Xmas I think it sums up the World we live in, we have taken Christ out of it. Christmas has become all about consumerism and spending money, getting drunk, fighting and not about what Christmas is all about. "The Mass of Christ" I do not celebrate Mass, I am not a Catholic, but I do celebrate the Birth of Christ, and I will sing Christmas Carols at my Church on Christmas Morning. We will sing the 6th Verse of "O Come all ye Faithful" that is usually only sung on Christmas morning.

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be the glory giv'n;
Word of the Father,
Now in the flesh appearing,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Christmas is a wonderful time to talk about Faith. I am not a hard hitting evangelist, I don't smack people with theology or condemn people for the way they live, but I do believe in inviting people to The Carol Service, or a special service. I try to live my life in a good way and share the Love of Jesus, hopefully through my actions as well as my words, OK, I know I am not always very good at it, in fact I am pretty lousy at it, but I do try, and that is what matters, as God knows what is in my Heart.

Over the next week Christmas will come and go, Millions if not Billions of Pounds will be spent, millions of gallons of booze will be consumed and hangovers will had, arguments will escalate, and people will be hurt physically and mentally. Just over two thousand years ago in a town in the Middle East a baby was born in the poorest of conditions to a young girl and young man. He would grow to become a carpenter and then a Rabbi. That Rabbi would preach sermons that some would listen too, he would heal the sick, raise people from the dead, he would walk on water. He would be crucified and die for being a Good Man, and on the third day he would be raised from the dead by his Father and over five thousand people would see this miracle over the next weeks. Every sin of man can be carried on his shoulders. They can only be placed there by the sinner themselves, no one else can put them there, no priest, vicar, minister or Pope, only the sinner. Christ will gladly take them and he will forgive each one of us, but there is a clause it is not Santa it is WE MUST ASK FOR FORGIVENESS and accept him into our hearts.

By far the best Christmas Present of all.

Mozambique Mission Part 7 (Nampula and Johannesburg & Soweto)

We arrived back at the Missionary Organisation Campus in Nampula late afternoon, it was wonderful to be back, I was again in the man's house and we had running water and a flushing loo !!!..yay. Though a slight problem we had was; that the shower was either on boiling hot or cold, there was no happy medium, but having a shower that actually works was just so nice. It was American Independence Day and the guys at the Organisation had made us an amazing meal of BBQ chicken, rice and coleslaw, a couple of amazing desserts and bottles of Fanta and Coke. It was just a wonderful meal and a great time of fun and laughter. Back at the men's house, Mr C, Dr S and myself had an evening of reading and laughter... it was one of those nights, Dr S started to laugh and no one could then stop laughing, an evening that will last in my memory for a long time. J had made a visa for each of us, taking the micky out of the Mozambique Immigration Office... I didn't pack my copy just in case it caused problems later... like at Mozambique Immigration whilst trying to leave Mozambique..lol

In Johannesburg R & R met us and it was like seeing old friends, and I guess they are now. They took us home and we had a wonderful tea, it was Piri-Piri Chicken from Nandos !!!! yay!!!woop woop woop. It was wonderful, absolutely fantastic...Mmmmm it was a feast for any ones eyes. The four of us guys Mr C, Dr S, Camerman and I were stopping in a guesthouse as were the girls and Mr and Mrs Teamleader but they were in a different one. I got into my room, a power shower, a flushing loo, and a TV plus a huge double bed with fluffy pillows.... It is amazing, I never missed any of that stuff, but once you have it again it is so nice. I showered and then spent 20 minutes getting rid of 3 huge flying beetles out of my room, then got into bed to find I had disturbed yet anther one!!! got him out of my room and watched 5 minutes of TV to find it loud and annoying and I hadn't missed that at all. I Turned over to find my alarm beeping to tell me it was breakfast time!!! I then had a call from Mr R to say he would be collecting us in 30 minutes!!! eeeek, I rushed to the breakfast room to get some wonderful bacon and eggs...told camerman he would need to be packed up in 25 minutes...he left toot-sweet to pack. LOL he always made me laugh, he always took so long to do things.

Anyhoo we all jumped in Mr R's car and were taken to the lady's guest house to get on the mini-coach for our tour. This tour was totally mind blowing, we had a history of South Africa and Johannesburg and the Gold Mines, we went to Soweto and the Apartheid Museum... I will never understand racism? the colour of someones skin makes people different, how? Robert Mugabe needs to learn this, he is so anti white it is evil.

There must over 600 bricks each one marks someone who died in the anti-apartheid struggle at the Hector Pieterson Museum.

There are a million things wrong with South Africa, but it is really trying to sort things out. The biggest problem I can see is the problem between the haves and have not's, this means anyone with anything has to protect it by guns and barbed wire fences...not nice. This also makes it the most violent country in the World, Johannesburg is the car jacking and murder capitol of the world... I have to say we were all OK and didn't see anything happen.


We visited two museum's the first was the Hector Pieterson Museum, Hector was young boy 13 years old when he was shot in 1976 by the police and was one of the catalysts for the end of Apartheid, a martyr so to speak. Even though it would be another 28 years for this to happen.


We then went to lunch, at Wandies restaurant it's supposed to be really famous and is in Soweto, Richard Branson has eaten there and loads of other people... oh well, food was OK, but nothing to write home about.

After that we went past Bishop Desmond Tutu's house, couldn't see it as it has high walls and razor wire around it...like any other house in Johannesburg. So we saw a white wall really ho humm.

The Apartheid Museum was a museum everyone should see once in their lives really, it shows what man can be like if he lets evil take over his life. Hitler did and look what happened, well this happened in my lifetime in South Africa. I fear it will keep happening in one form or another....Zimbabwe, lots of Eastern European Countries, India, Thailand various South American countries, will we never learn? God made man and woman in his image, black, white, red....what ever colour or sex we are, we are equal in Gods eyes and that is good enough me.

The South African Bill of Rights

A Poster of Nelson Mandela outside The Apartheid Museum

The wonderful Mr & Mrs R

After a wonderful day in Johannesburg we went back to Mrs & Mrs R's for tea, melon and a wash and brush up. Mr and Mrs R are the masters of hospitality and I love them to bits. I could never thank them enough for their warm and genuine welcome and opening up their home to all of us.

Well that is about it really, my Mission Trip to Mozambique, 16 days at times it was hard emotionally and hard on the body, but I have fallen in love with Angoche, it is so beautiful and genuine. I have met some amazing people, spent time with a wonderful team of people, Most of all I have learnt a little about what 4 brave and diligent people have done over 12 years, I am so proud and in total awe of them all. I think I have learnt so much and I think I will be spending the next few months mulling over everything I have seen and been a part of.

Mozambique Mission part 6

This is by far the hardest post of the Mission Trip posts, my thoughts and musings about what I have learnt and taken away from the trip. Angoche is a poor town, I don't mean I can't afford those new Nike trainers poor, I mean hand to mouth poor, so poor that people sometimes cannot afford to eat. Angoche is a town that was once a really splendid town and a town that was once very rich before the Portuguese left and before war. But now it's a tired town, but it is also a beautiful town and a safe town. A town were Children can run around bare foot and play all day long. There are hardly any cars a few motor bikes and lots of pushbikes.

There is a gentleness about Angoche that you would never see here in England, it will take years for that horrid must buy, buy, buy, must have consumerism to catch up, if it ever does. I guess to have that they would need money, and in a way I hope they don't get it, as I like seeing kids playing in the streets being children, though I do wish they were at school at least some of the time. I am not saying the people of Angoche are happy, they are not, but there is a peace from not having to fight to get the latest Wii or PS3 for the kids or the latest BMW or Prada handbag. I saw a little boy playing with a flattened drinks carton with 4 big seeds in each corner pulling it on a string. It was a crude car, he was quite contented. It brought a tear to my eye, not for him, but for me.

I think being there and sharing with the Churches in Angoche spending time with a wonderful team of friends from my Church has shown me that I need to listen to God more. Being in a church and not understanding I spent time listening, I heard God talking through things; seeing someone get a book of God in their own language and hugging it. Having someone serve you by poring a jug of water over a bowl and washing your hands is just so powerful, as Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, these men washed our hands. Catching a Dow a basic wooden boat that hasn't changed in thousands of years and was probably similar to the boat that Simon Peter fished from, the sort of boat that Jesus walked out too. These things spoke to me in a way I have never had before. I was left unable to control my emotions on a few occasions but I didn't really care, I know God was working on me. I don't know yet what he was saying, I need to wait upon God and listen.....see I am learning.

I was part of a team an amazing team, we all bought along our own strengths and weaknesses and it isn't for me to point any of these out about the team. I will say that Mr & Mrs Teamleader did an amazing job, I think a large part of the success of the mission was due to them. and the way they served the team. I enjoyed my time with each member of the team our chats, our evening Devotion's, each night lead by a different member of the team, and each night was just fantastic. I believe I have grown as a person on this trip with the help of this amazing group of people.

One day on the Mission, it was Missionary Man's birthday and to celebrate this an evening meal out was organised, Missionary Girl did this at a restaurant, she pre-ordered the food and it was an amazing buffet of chicken, fish, king prawns, chips!! and Coconut rice. I was blown away by that evening, the food was excellent and it was just a wonderful night, one that I will remember for many years.I am trying to think of all of the emotions I felt during my time there. I had so many things going on in my head I at times I found it hard to cope. I saw things I didn't want to see and felt things I didn't want to feel. Seeing young children with rickets in ripped clothes and hungry it hurts, it cuts really deep, I wanted to hold the child, make everything better for him, but that wasn't why I was there and if I tried, it would cause so many problems.

As Missionary Man said it was all about how we were perceived, so we couldn't go out to one of the small bars and have a quiet ice cold beer. We were a large group of white people, and that caused us to be a crowd puller, we had people outside our house watching us most of the time, I really didn't like that, I felt like I was a goldfish in a bowl and as Missionary Man said whatever we did would be common news around the town within a very short time. So if I went for a beer it would be perceived that we were all drunks, people go to bars to get drunk....that is the perception. So whenever we were on show, which was anytime we were outside of the houses, we had to be on our best behaviour, and as anyone who knows me that isn't always my best trait....but I managed. Though I have to say when it was so hot and so humid a ice cold beer would have been very welcome on more than one occasion. So helping one child would have meant helping every child.... and that wasn't possible, so I would pray for them, it was all I could do at that time.

In our house as I mentioned in an earlier post we had Assani, he was amazing. We would go out, leave our dirty clothes in the bathroom on our return they would be washed, ironed and waiting for us. He would cook us a meal on our off days. He wouldn't use the stove, oh no. Assani would cook via a charcoal burner, and boy could he cook, it always tasted amazing. Assani will be working for a couple who have come from The Mission Centre for a year to help with discipleship, he will be looking after them and will be earning a wage. I know they will be so happy with Assani he really is an amazing guy.

One thing I will never forget are the smells!!! when you live a subsistence existence you can be forgiven for not buying deodorant and I guess if you are really busy you may not wash your clothes. Body Oder is a big thing there or I guess it isn't a big thing, but you can certainly smell people coming.

It wasn't all hard work, we had some great times just being friends and enjoying each others company, one of my favourite times was when we went to the beach, white talcum power beaches with warm Indian Ocean Seas it was just wonderful and relaxing and some great fun swimming and just walking along the sands and letting the mind wander.

One thing about being in Angoche is I don't think I have ever had such dirty feet in my life and I am sure I still have mud and dirt under my toenails, I don't think I have ever had a shower got dressed and needed a shower again so quickly. I also have never felt so hot and so laid back about so many things either. I am guessing as the weeks move on I will feel different and then as weeks turn into months a lot of this will change and I guess I will go back to normal? I want to keep some of this "special feeling" that is one of the reasons for these blogs.

As long time readers of my blog will know I blogged most days after Matt and Chris's accident, this helped me to deal with everything, the feelings, the anger, the grief. So I am hoping in the future I can look back at these blogs and remember how I felt, remember those amazing things I did, the boat rides, the services, the people I met, the food I ate and most of all how God made me feel. I had some amazing times on this Mission, my last post on the trip will be about the last few days of our trip back to The Mission Centre and Johannesburg. In this post I am trying to reflect on the time I spent in Angoche. One thought I did have was, I wonder if this is the pace of life in Britain a few years ago, before the rat race. Though I doubt even Britain was that slow, everything is at a slow pace for a reason, it's so hot you can't do it any quicker.

I will finish this off by saying; Seeing God working through what Missionary Man and Lady have done has been one of the most amazing times of my life. I have a million memories and it is going to take a lot of time to actually sort through everything, so I guess there maybe another post or two about my feelings and how this mission has affected me, who knows? I would like to thank everyone who made it possible for me to go on the mission, those that prayed for me and those that bought the CD and those that gave so generously of time, talent and money, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Mozambique Mission Part 5 (2 Dedications and a Translation Office)

The next dedication was in Angoche itself so didn't require a mega early start, though with it getting light at 3:30am we tended to wake early anyway. The area was called Inguri and again this was outside under a Cashew nut tree. The service was slightly different this time with some drama and a Choir singing for us. The one big difference this time we were next to a water pump well. I managed to move after a short while of sitting on the floor and sat on a small wall by the well and did end up missing a few bits due to the noise of buckets being filled.

The Choir of Ladies singing the Worship


Missionary Man handing over Kithaapu to Jose


Missionary Man playing a Video message from Missionary Lady to the Church at Inguri


Me sat at the well listening to either a sermon or a bucket being filled

The following day was a free day and we did a few things one of them being a hospital visit, I decided not do that and had a slow start to the day along with Mr C and Cameraman. We arranged to meet the team at a certain time at the Church house building in Down Town Angoche. Well that time came and went...I kept forgetting Africa time and Missionary Man was great at keeping Africa time ;-) Anyhoo we were meeting there as The Missionary Organisation are now using a room there as a translation Office and Missionary Man was taking some of his books there for the library, and he thought it would be good for us to see where it will all be happening from now on. Also whilst we were there Dr S joined us!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay.

With Jose taking in some books for the new Translation Office

Sorting the Books for the Library

Happy that Dr S has joined us.

The last dedication was again on an Island and involved and early morning boat ride this the team were split up as it would be on two smaller Dow's. We headed off for Nyaluki at 6am I believe. There wasn't much wind and the tide was very low and our Dow did ground once or twice on very shallow sand banks. I spent quite a lot of this time with my IPod on just reflect on what I had taken in so far. I was also preparing myself to share my testimony. I had spent time over the last few days rewriting what I wanted to say to fit into 5 minutes (including translation) and also to be relevant to the Church and the people there.

The other Dow

So when we moored up at a beach...a quite smelly and muddy beach at that , and then we had a walk.....oh boy what a walk! it must have been a good couple of miles clear across the Island. I haven't really mentioned this before but now is a good time. These are Islands and they are very beautiful but they don't really have plumbing, the villages will have a well or two and that is about it. So trying to find a flushing toilet on the island would be like trying to find teeth on the feral chickens. What the Villagers tend to do is wait for the tide to be out, pop over to the mangroves do what needs to be done and let the tide flush it all away later.

So we had a very interesting and smelly walk through the low tide Mangroves to the first Village, then through that village across to the other side of the island to the other Village. It was so good to arrive there, I was so hot and shattered, walking in the heat and humidity was so exhausting. We were shown into the Church. Most of the Village and a lot of other people were gathering under the temporary gazebo Church not far away. When we got into the Church we were greeted with a wonderful Green Coconut each...I don't think I have ever wanted anything so much as the man with the machete opened my Coconut, it was amazing and so refreshing. We waited in the Church for about 20 minutes or so and then we were called over to the Church.

The Church at Nyaluki

The service followed the usual format for the services of Tarikki ya Hakki so we were introduced and then others were introduced. People had come far and wide and some will have travelled for a maybe even a few days!!! It is so humbling to think that people wanted and needed to come to all of these dedication services. We then had a time of Worship, listening and worshipping I was getting used to some of the songs and I was joining in, I really hope that wasn't videoed ......

After a short time I was asked to give my testimony, I think this was one of the scariest and most amazing things. I would say a sentence or two, this would be translated into Portuguese and then into Koti. I believe that it went well and will have spoken to at least one person. After I had spoken Mrs Administrator and Dr S both spoke and both were wonderful. We then had four Sermons, and prayer. Then we asked if the Church would pray for us on our journey home. The Church did this and it was mind blowing, one of the team described it as a Typhoon of prayer swirling around us.... It did make my eyes leak again. But what else would expect from me?

Jose bringing one of the Sermons

3 leaders from one of the Churches with their new Kithaarpu's!!!

After the service we then went into the Church for dinner, this one was different!!! Coconut Rice, Beans and Prawns and it was a magnificent meal. Again this was started off with the washing of hands. It is such a simple act but probably spoke to me the most.

Leaving the Church our Fan Club

After the meal we headed back to the boats, they had been able to move around the island as the tide had come up. This meant we didn't need to walk for miles, just a few hundred yards, as you can see from the photo it was still very muddy. I think I still have mud under my toe nails!!!!!

Getting on the boats on a very muddy beach

And that was all of our Dedication Services all over and done with, I think the impact of Kithaapu will not be known for several years. I feel very privileged to have been a very small part of the dedication services and being able to see what Missionary Man and Missionary lady and their family have been involved in for the past twelve years.

My Next blog will be a surmise of some my thoughts and what I think I will have taken away from the Mission Trip.

Mozambique Mission Part 4 (8 weddings and a boat trip)

The next dedication was just amazing. We had to be up very early 4 a.m!!!! and walk to the harbour beach to catch a Dow at 5 a.m to an Island called Khelelene (pron Keya-laynee). The boat trip was 3 hours which I loved every second of. We sailed past Islands that could have been in Bounty adverts, I dipped my hand in the sea and it was as warm as a cool bath.

On some of the little islands there would be guys fishing with big nets catching everything they could, these nets would be so heavy when they were pulling them in it would make you wonder if they ever would pull them in.

When we arrived at Khelelene there was a shortish walk to a rest area a small gazebo like area they had built for us. we were then invited into the Church where one of the best things I have ever tasted was waiting for us.

The Church on Khelelene

Fresh green Coconuts!!! I have had a coconut before, they are brown and sometimes they have a little milk inside... naaa. Fresh green Coconuts taste nothing like that. The milk inside is clear and just has a hint of a coconut flavour to it, but they do taste slightly fizzy!!! and it is so refreshing!!! I have never tasted anything like it in my life. God knew what he was doing creating the Coconut. As Ray Mears the survivalist says...If I was ever marooned on an Island with Coconuts I could last forever. The tree gives you... Food, shelter and the best drink ever.

Cutting open our Coconuts for the best drink ever.

Enjoying God's Bounty!!!! without the chocolate.

After a break and time to collect our thoughts we were taken on a small tour of the island and to the beach. We were followed by loads of Children who it seemed were mesmerised by us. They would hold our hands and keep looking at us smiling, it was just wonderful. When we got to the beach I was taken with how beautiful the Island was and how perfect it seemed, I said to Missionary Man that the island was Paradise, to which he replied, Yes if you don't have to live here. Which was very true.

Some of the Children who had followed us to the beach playing in the sand.

A fisherman showing us his catch

Some of the fish caught drying in the sand, if only I could of bottled the smell!!!!

Again this island is a fishing Island and as we headed back to the Church we would come across area's of fish drying in the sun, you could smell them way before you ever saw them!!! We walked back by what must be the High Street!!! half a dozen or so houses with produce outside for sale Mango's, Rice, this root that is mashed up into a porridge that has no taste or nutrients but fills you up, clothes and this shop that even had Haribo!!! Julia you could live here!!!!

A General Store that even had Haribo!!!

As we were walking back to the Church we passed a slightly larger hut that even had a satellite dish next to it, it was a cinema and had a couple of posters up advertising films!! both were the violent types like Fight Club!!! Just before the Church we walked past a small hut and the little boy who was holding Mr Administrator's hand mimed getting drunk and said no and pointed to the Church!!! Then he mimed smoking a Joint and did the same...obviously what goes on that little hut come pub...but at least this little chap of about 8 new it's wrong to get drunk and high....

The service was again just amazing and it left me emotional and totally drained, it is just amazing that during most of the services I didn't really understand the words but I knew what was being said. I can see God working and feel that he is changing the lives of the Koti. Whilst the service was going on a little girl sat near me and would inch her way closer, eventually she got close enough and got up the courage and touched my arm where I have a tattoo and rubbed it gently with her finger then looked at her finger to see if it had come off. I couldn't help but smile.

After the service and a wonderful meal, the same sort of meal we had before Chicken, Beans and Coconut Rice, we had 20 minutes to refresh ourselves before we headed back to the beach to catch our Dow back to the mainland. I looked up at a Coconut tree and there was this little boy maybe about 8 years old, standing happy as anything a good 20 feet up at the top.

The Dow trip back was a little more exciting the wind had got up a little bit and this made the boat rock a little. I thought this wonderful, a few of the team didn't really like it, which is understandable. As we got closer to the beach the boat needed to cross the waves and of course this made the boat rock a lot....Yay I thought, it's like a fair ground ride. I don't think everyone agreed with me.

The next big thing we did was head inland early one morning to attend a wedding, this wasn't a Koti wedding but a Macau Wedding, Macau in an area a little further inland. It was a wonderful honour to be invited to a wedding and I was very excited to attend. It took quite a while to arrive at the wedding because the truck we had borrowed belonged to the shop we had earlier purchased the cokes from and changed our Dollars to the local currency at. Well, he wanted us to deliver some corrugated zinc roofing in exchange for the use of his truck. This involved a trip up a wonderful dirt track to a house nearly finished. We all thought ohh a Church with no roof!!! I hope I have enough sunscreen on. Everyone got off the back of the truck the roofing was removed and everyone got back on and we headed back down this track. It was so funny, as no one knew what was happening.

On the way back down this track I saw a Mongoose!!! Yay I saw some real African wildlife. It took probably another 30 or so minutes to arrive at the wedding, and an area had been saved for us at the front in the shade under a Cashew Nut tree, that was shedding cashew nuts, one landed on my head!!! and it hurt. There were a few sermons 5 I think and Missionary Man did 2 of them, the 2nd one was due to a misunderstanding about a passage and he cleared up what was being said. (Paul and it's better not to marry, Missionary Man explained the context and all was OK)

Sitting under a Cashew Nut Tree (sorry I am yawning) (yes I am in Mrs EB's trousers)

We then went through 8 Marriage ceremonies!!! I know but it was just amazing and wonderful 8 couples wanting to stand up in front of a entire village and say we believe in Christ and want to marry and promise to stay faithful to each other and God. In these Muslim Villages and the culture of many wives and divorce, it is an amazing and brilliant thing. Though affection is not really shown, after the vows (supplied by our Church's previous Minister using the book of common Prayer, the; to have and hold, richer or poorer) The couple give each other a small piece of wedding cake and then some mango juice, wipe each other face and then kiss...well a peck on the cheek. Then it's a big cheer and you then give them a present, usually a small gift, and most people do give them a present, some sweets, a small amount of cash, fizzy pop, a head scarf etc. After the amazing weddings we went to the Church and were given a wonderful meal of Chicken, beans and Coconut Rice and then someone came in with some wedding cake for us. It was possibly the best and longest wedding I have been too, unless of course I was at your wedding and then that was the best wedding.

The next post the last two dedications.

A Mission Trip Part 1

To get to Angoche was a mission on it's own. We left Sutton Baptist Church around 2pm Friday and arrived at Heathrow at about 5:00pm ish. We all congregated at fast check in (Mr Administrator had already checked us in online) and I went to find Mr C (an ex elder from SCBC now living in Devon) who was a few yards away!!!! We said our good-byes to Ms G who was taking the minibus back to SCBC and checked in.

We flew at just after 8pm and arrived in Johannesburg at just after 6am local time . We were met by Mr & Mrs R who work for The Missionary Organisation as fixers, getting things that the guys in Mozambique and other places need. We were taken to their house and made to feel very welcome, we showered and had tea and coffee, melon, biscuits and sandwiches. In the afternoon we went to a craft market, where I met Picaso who sculpts rock, photo below. We then had tea at R & R's a fanastic cooked meal and a time of just wonderful sharing and fellowship. Later Mr C, Cameraman and myself were taken to an amazing guest cottage somewhere in countryside that was so peaceful (apart from the peacock!!)

At 6:30am the next morning (Sunday) we were taken to the airport and off we flew to Maputo (International Airport hahaha) a short 1 hour flight. Maputo is a funny airport for an international airport, it is tiny and cannot receive anything bigger than a 737? ho hum. We had a 6 hour wait also Ms T would be joining us here. We had bumped into her at Jo'burg airport earlier that morning. Two guys had gone to find Ms T from immigration but she had been taken somewhere else. After they had been gone an hour and they hadn't returned I was a little concerned and mentioned to Mr Administrator that I would like to see what was happening. Mrs G and I went outside and were heading to arrivals when I heard a small cry of "English Blogger!!!" I looked around and there was Ms T running up to us. She was OK but a little shaken. Immigration had tried to put her on an earlier plane and other things.

From Maputo we flew to Nampula and 3 and half to 4 hour flight. For a meal we were given a small can of coke and a bag of crisps?. The flight went very smoothly and we met up with E and P in the baggage claim, E and P are friends of Missionary Man and Missionary Lady from Holland, Missionary Lady trained with E as a midwife. Missionary Man and B.G a fellow worker for The Mission Organisation met us at the airport and took us to the Organisation Campus. We had a Boys and Girls house, and a few screams in the night. hahaha none of mine.












After a shared breakfast on Monday we had a tour of the Organisation Compound site and saw the offices and "Kithaapuo" the work that Missionary Man and Missionary Lady Missionary Girl and Missionary Boy have spent the past 12 years working on!!!!











Then we had a dust ride!!!! a 2 and bit hours ride to Angoche, most of the road is a dirt road.......well a dust road and we got filthy our landrover unlike the other two cars going to Angoche had no aircon so we had the windows down....I am sure I still have red dust in my lungs.
Well it was a great ride and I learned so much from our driver, J (who is Missionary Man's boss!!!) he was telling me about the tribal systems and the way things work in the villages and stuff like that it was just amazing. As we were driving we saw hardly any wildlife apart from the odd chicken or goat, Most of the houses along the road were made of grass, mud or weaved palm leaves. It was very Tarzan for want of a better description. I was so amazed at the beauty of the place and how peaceful everything seemed to be.... We stopped a few miles out of Nampula and looked at a Mountain...."Old Man" it's called.....
Hardly any cars or trucks, plenty of push-bikes and people walking. Having a convoy of the three 4x4 vehicles did turn a lot of heads...this would be one thing I did find hard, which I will mention in a latter blog. Anyhoo after just over two hours of dust and very fast driving!!!!! We made it to Angoche safe and dirty Monday late afternoon!!!! 3 days of travelling and we would need to do this again in 8 days time!!!!!

Cast on Mission
Missionary Man (Translated 4 books of the Bible in to Koti)
Missionary Lady (Translated 4 books of the Bible in to Koti)
Missionary Girl (Daughter of Missionary Man & Lady)
Missionary Boy (Son of Missionary Man & Lady)
Mr Administrator (Church administrator & Team Leader)
Mrs Administrator (Team Leaders wife and Joint Team Leader)
English Blogger (Me)
Ms A (a great lady and my seating companion on all the flights)
Cameraman (Videoing the Mission)
Mr C (Ex Elder from SCBC and very wise man)
Mrs G (singer and French)
Miss C (American and Youth Volunteer at SCBC))
Mrs R (Called Pipi "Grannie" in Koti)
E & P (Dutch friends of Missionary Man & Lady)
Dr S (Wonderful Doctor and man of God, and totally bonkers)
Ms T (a Youth worker and new member of our Church)
J (Missionary Man's Boss) + a few other friends from the Organisation.