The first event I wanted to write about took place on the first weekend, and it was one of the most challenging weekends of the entire summer. Most of the school, which was 270 of us from 27 different nations, drove twenty minutes away to a village called Maize where Iris was having a conference for about 40 pastors from the joining provinces. It was the bumpiest ride I have ever been on but absolutely worth it. Right when we arrived, kids ran up from all over to give us hugs, jump all over us, and touch our crazy white people hair; I loved how fascinated they would all get by the simplest things. After hanging out for a bit, we went into a bamboo fenced in area where they usually keep all the goats only to find out that this is where we were sleeping for the weekend. The ground was complete dirt but thankfully softer than expected. We all set up our tents then made our way into the church which was basically a big dance party that lasted for a couple hours because dancing is a huge part of African culture. During this time, all the Mozambicans would point and laugh at all the foreigners; thankfully this didn't damage my self esteem as much as I thought it would.
After the dancing and worshipping, there was a short sermon that was translated from English to Portuguese, to Makua (one of the many village languages spoken there). We sat on either grass mats of wooden benches with kids climbing all over us and to be honest, I loved it and wish church in our culture was most similar to theirs. Because these people are so poor, it makes them so much more dependent and trustworthy of God's provision. Most of them have to be on their hands and knees praying for daily necessities such as food and water. Even those these people might be physically poor, in my opinion, they are spiritually much richer than most of us in the West. The Mozambicans have discovered secrets that many of us have yet to find. They know how much they need Jesus and our so thankful for every little gift from above. Jesus loves the poor so much because they are desperate, needy, dependent, and hungary for more of Him. Just because we are not physically poor, doesn't mean that we should be satisfied; we need to be just as desperate, thirsty, and hungary for a touch of God. The Western church also needs to thank Jesus for EVERY single gift and take nothing for granted. I'll end with a mental picture that I pray I will never forget: many of us would take our water bottles and pour water into the children's mouths. Every child would crowd around and even push others out of the way in order to get just a sip of water. I can see it now, the children standing in front of me with their mouths wide open for a drink. This leaves me with the question: are you that desperate and thirsty for MORE of the living water that Jesus offers to us?
