Saturday, November 7, 2015

Exciting Months in Mozambique



The last few months have been filled with travel, a new project, and exciting things happening at Peniel.


Job Training for Widows

Carla has found a ministry opportunity that fits right in with her skill set as well as Equip Mozambique’s goal of equipping and training Mozambicans to be self-sufficient. Along with the leaders of Peniel’s widows’ ministry, she has started giving sewing lessons to widows who want to learn a new skill. Many of these women are elderly, and there aren’t many other work opportunities open for them. Most of them are dependent on charity or relatives for support. But, with some training, they will be able to have the dignity of earning a living once again. Capulana notebook covers Carla’s first project was teaching the ladies how to make notebook covers out of the bright capulana material that is popular here. The design was very quick and easy to learn, so even their first sewing efforts were able to turn over an immediate profit. There is nothing like these notebooks in the market here, and they’ve been a big hit! They are selling as quickly as the ladies can make them, and we expect our next projects of capulana purses, wallets, shopping bags, and especially Bible covers will be equally successful. The profits from selling their products goes toward buying each of the widows their own sewing machines, so they can set up their own small businesses to support themselves and their families.



Jon's U.S. Trip

As we write this, Jon is in transit back home from a whirlwind 3-week trip to the States. He was able to speak at several churches and college groups and do TV and radio interviews, in addition to one-on-one meetings to talk about the progress we’ve made in a year on the ground. He was also able to interview a few people considering visiting us or even joining us long-term, and we are excited about the prospect of having more help! Our workload is getting to the point where we need a bigger team; the opportunities here are endless. The fields are ripe and the harvest plentiful!


Church Construction

After many years of red tape and holdups, Peniel’s new church building is finally underway! This past week the main metal frame of pillars and trusses went up, and it is so exciting to see the visible progress every day. This building is calculated to seat 8,000 people, and with the way God is moving in this city we have no doubt that every seat will be filled within a very short time!