Of Blocos, Batismos, & Bendita

We have become very well acquainted of late with the typical Mozambican cinderblock brick.  We are using them for the walls of our new chapel construction and they cost about fifty cents apiece.  We happened across the scene above this week as we were chasing down marriage documents with Veronica and Gaspar, the twins parents.  Pictured is a little family brick factory.  They have two molds.  Dad is mixing sand with cement--using as little cement as he can get away with as that is the expensive thing--as a result, the bricks are extraordinarily weak and will break if dropped on a hard surface.  Mom above, with baby on the back is filling a mold with cement and whacking it with a flat board to tamp it down.  Dad will then remove the mold, leaving the brick to dry for a day or so.

The membership of the church in Quelimane increased by 25% today. We had a wonderful and powerful service. Five people were baptized, four from the family of Gildo and Katia, who have been taught for the last twelve months.  Getting them to this point has been a tremendous effort on their part and and that of many missionaries.  We have been here watching them grow and change for the whole time.  It was fun for me to interview them to see of they were ready and prepared for this important step.  Tinoca, who was taught by Debbie and I was also baptized-- I think that she has been the quickest person to join the church here yet, taking a little under two months.  .  She is also perhaps the convert here who had the most powerful spiritual experiences leading to her conversion.  She has been great fun to teach and we have grown close to her.  Debbie played mother, and took her shopping for new church clothes this week.  Tinoca lost both parents before her earliest memory and lives with her grandparents. 

This is a portrait of Bendita (wife of Rui), a recent convert that Debbie and I have taught and nurtured for nigh on nine months.  Words cannot express how impressed we are by this woman.  I cant think of anyone in my life of experience who has more faith.  She does not speak Portuguese well--but throws in a lot of local dialect in her speaking.  She does not read--but is expending great effort to learn as she knows that it will help her grow and serve (which includes walking 5 kilometers to Debbie's reading class twice a week).  She prays her way through life;s challenges and receives answers, strength and power.  When she spoke in church a couple of weeks ago, she declared: "the Lord has told me what to say to you, so you better listen".  And she delivered a very very powerful address.  She is very very simple, but very deep.  If you tell her something needs to be done, she simply goes about finding out how to accomplish what is needed.  We love Bendita and become more impressed with her every day.  I have a nagging feeling that she will be left a widow before too long and I think alot about what we might do to help her get through that.