Our church's first worship album!

Our church, Peniel Worship Center, put out a new album of original worship songs! Here is the translation of all the songs on it. You can download the album on iTunes, Amazon, or the Google Play Store, it's called "Africa o Tempo de Adorar", or "Africa, Time to Worship". Check it out!

1. Africa

Africa, it’s time to worship

In spirit and in truth unto the Lord

Rise up and shine in the Lord

Shine as glory comes over you

Many come to you to celebrate

Many come to you to worship

Hearing what God has done for you

The nations will come to praise

The nations will come to sing

Hearing what God has done for you

Many come to you to

Praise, dance, and celebrate!

2. Atrios (Halls)

I want to come into Your halls

With a grateful heart to worship You

In Your holiness

You are my best

There is no other I want more than You

You are my God

Who reigns in glory

Who heals and sanctifies

Who comforts hearts

And proclaims liberty

To the captives and the oppressed

What I long for more than anything

Is to live close to You

In Your house, Lord

My desire is to worship You

In Your holiness, Lord

In Your holiness

To worship You

I spirit and in truth

Lord

3. Geração Santa (Holy Generation)

A holy generation

Ones who will celebrate

Ones who will worship in holiness

I know that Your eyes

Are over the earth

Searching for a redeemed people to worship You

Who will be filled with the power of the Spirit

And live in Your holiness

A holy generation

Those who celebrate

Those who worship in holiness

A holy generation

Those who seek you

Those who value everything

But don’t sin

You are holy

4. Não Há Barreiras (There Are No Barriers)

If I cry out I know that You will come

If I call Your name, You come

Oh my Lord, come help me

Come rescue me

Yes, I will listen to Your voice

And I will accept the change

Come oh Lord and give me a character like Yours

Transform who I am

Give me Your character

I want to be a mirror

Wherever I go

Lord, transform my life

Give me Your character

I want to be a mirror

Wherever I go

There are no barriers or limits

Wherever I go

Others will always see the Lord in me

5. Renova o meu Carácter (Renew My Character)

I fall prostrate at Your feet

I want to learn from You

Who are meek and humble

Teach me to live with Christian character

Because I want to honor You with my attitudes

Because I want to honor You with my attitudes

Renew my character

Renew my thoughts

Let whatever You want be done in me

Guide my steps

Guide who I am

I want to live Your will

Because I want to honor You with my attitudes

6. Emanuel (Emmanuel)

You have the name above all names

Jesus, Jesus

All dominion is under You

Jesus, King of kings

You reign with power and glory

And Your Kingdom is established with justice

Immanuel, You are wonderful

Prince of Peace

You are the eternal God

7. Quero ser Santo (I Want to be Holy)

Purify me

Purify my soul

Purify my heart

I want to be holy, oh God

I want to be holy (3X)

8. Quero Ir Além (I want to go Beyond)

Whom do I have in heaven besides You?

Where could I go, if life is found in You?

I want to go beyond what my eyes can see

Set the oppressed free

Announce Your peace, oh Lord

To be a lighthouse in the middle of the darkness

Give me Your vision

I want to go to the nations, Lord

The generation that takes on the vision of God

We are, we are

9. Visão (Vision)

Place in me Your vision

The target I will reach

Place in me Your dreams

I will bring forth Your vision

Because this is the time

That the visionaries will run with Your vision

Vision (3X)

Of an eagle, I want to have

Vision (3X)

To see what God sees

This is the time to raise up visionaries

That will rise up like the eagles

This is the time to raise up visionaries

Who will run with vision

10. Frutificar (Fruitfulness)

Lord, here I am

I surrender myself at Your feet

Lord, here I am

I want to go and announce

You are the true Vine

Whoever is in You

Will bear much fruit

I want to be with You
Oh, my Lord
I want to be... Oh Lord

My heart is on Your altar

I want to receive so much more

To give fruit in Your temple

The season has arrived

Fruitfulness

The season has arrived 


Great songs, right?!
As a little bit of back story, songs #5, #6, and #9 were written (and performed on this album) by a girl named Maninya who passed away in January. The whole church was shocked and saddened, she was so young and talented, had impacted so many lives, and left a gaping hole in the community and church family. Pastor Mario prayed, as I'm sure so many others did, "Why, God? Why now?" He felt the answer was, "Because her mission was complete."

All that God had planned and set out for her, she accomplished faithfully. And she's left this legacy behind her, I think about her every time we sing one of her songs in church. She had a gift for bringing others into God's presence, because that is where she habitually dwelt.

Well done, good and faithful servant.

What is the mission God has for you? What are you doing to live it out?

Exciting possibilities and good news!

An update from Equip Mozambique! View this email in your browser While 2015 will involve a lot less travel than 2014, it promises to be just as exciting for the Equip Mozambique team. We continue to relish our role of discovering, partnering, and empowering - finding out what God wants to do in the church, the city, and in individuals then equipping them for that role. Radio Station The church just got the equipment for most of a radio station from Brazil. They have been actively praying and seeking this opportunity for 5 years, and now it’s within reach. While there are individuals in the church with experience working a radio station, no one has put a station together before or understands how the equipment works together. As always, God seems to have a plan and Jon at least understands the basics. He has been poring over manuals and physics equations from his college days in order to fit the station together in the best possible way. When we left the US, we never thought ‘bearing much fruit’ (John 15:16) would include a radio station, but here we are! Peniel Peniel Leadership We have all enjoyed working under the leadership of Peniel. Even though we’ve only been here a short time, the church really does feel like a ‘home church’. Pastor Mario is a man who has a thorough knowledge of the Bible, a vibrant relationship with God, and is passionate about equipping other Mozambicans to bring positive change to their society. He speaks the truth in love, but he isn’t afraid of causing offence or taking a stand against the ungodly aspects of some of Mozambique's cultural norms. We have all benefitted from his teaching, and have been encouraged and challenged by the dedication with which the other church members live out their faith. A BLOG from Jon about various job opportunities here in Mozambique. Kyran balancing between two puddles on our street. It has been raining a lot lately, and much of Mozambique is flooded. Thankfully our area isn't that bad! Janie has been blogging about her many encounters HERE. Facebook Website YouTube Email Donate Equip Mozambique is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, so all donations are eligible for tax-exemption. Education Research   Our interest in helping Mozambique in the area of education is taking on new and exciting turns that we never would have expected. In order to get a better picture of the education landscape and opportunities, we've been interviewing some teachers and parents to get their opinions on the current state of schools and what is needed. One parent told us that some teachers don’t even show up for whole weeks at a time, and if they do come, they’re drunk. She was upset that the kids are expected to pass the standardized tests at the end of the school year when they have so little instruction. Another parent said a student could have 9 classes on their day's schedule, but only 3 teachers would show up that day. Two college professors lamented that many of their students - who graduated from high school - can’t even read.  They simply passed from one grade to the next, and then to graduation, by bribing the teachers for good grades. This explains two other major issues: corruption and the fact  that students of all ages just don’t seem to be motivated or care about learning. These are sadly common stories we’re hearing, so it’s pretty clear that  some drastic changes are needed to ensure a higher quality of education. Parents as Teachers   Carla has started homeschooling Kyran and Jariel, thanks to another missionary family that generously loaned us a complete kindergarten curriculum and set of books. The kids have been loving it, and are learning in leaps and bounds. Through conversations with Mozambican parents, we've come to realize that it is a completely foreign idea for them to be actively involved in their children's education. They've been shocked that almost-5-year-old Kyran can read and do two-digit addition problems, and 2-year-old Jariel knows the alphabet and can locate several countries on a world map. They didn't even realize that such young children were capable of thinking like that! This has given Carla the idea of starting a 'Parents as Teachers' kind of class at church to help parents give their kids a headstart with a desire to learn. This could transform at least some of Mozambique's educational woes from the bottom up. Job Opportunities Jon has also been busy looking for business opportunities and finding the right people to take advantage of them. If you want to know more, read his blog post “Want to Quit Your Job?” Please be praying for Bernardo and Dino, brave Christians who had great jobs but whom God is calling to step into the unknown. Janie Janie’s been spending time with several other girls from church in order to form friendships and keep learning Portuguese. Every day is a new adventure, whether it’s being asked to cook ‘American food’ for a friend, committing hilarious linguistic blunders, or having random conversations in stores and parking lots. She also got to do some photos for the wedding of a Mozambican couple. The wedding included multiple locations, lots of dancing, and lots of food. The whole affair lasted for about twelve hours, and it was a great experience, though it made for a very hectic day. Janie got the chance to photograph a Mozambican wedding. DIREs!   In order for us to do any ministry, there is a lot of administration that has to take place in the background. We have finally succeeded in getting our residency approval! It has been a long process including unexpected flights, emergency documents, and mailing shenanigans but God is good. We are so grateful for all of your prayers and the support of those here who have helped us through the process. To give some perspective on how big of a blessing this is: Jon and Carla were here for three years previously, and were never able to get their DIREs (the Mozambican equivalent of a US green card). This is a major praise report for us. Thank you for your prayers and partnership! Praises We're thankful to finally have our DIREs! We were able to find and buy a vehicle that looks like it will suit our needs well. It's currently en route from Japan and should arrive at the end of March. For God's faithfulness in opening doors and showing us more areas for ministry. For the kids' homeschool curriculum and the inspiration it provided to help other parents.   Prayer Requests That our car would arrive safely and that we wouldn't encounter any problems with the import process. That God would continue to guide us to the right people who need equipping in order to live out their calling. For Bernardo and Dino, the two brave men who are looking into starting their own businesses with Jon's guidance. That we would know which projects to take on and which ones would only distract us from the best that God has for us.  Reinagel family at the beach Thanks for reading, please remember us in your prayers!