Mission: Mozambique
GO FORTH!
"And rising very early in the morning, while it was till dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place where he prayed."-Mark 1:35
"And rising very early in the morning, while it was till dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place where he prayed."-Mark 1:35
Hello dear friends and family! The last 90 days have been so full of seeing the Lord quench peoples thirst for Him as well as a lot of waiting! It has also been full of intense and unexpected change. Our family had an expected change after returning from furlough that we would have documents in place with our organization that would immediately answer the call to expand. When we arrived, we discovered that the registration needed for this to happen was not finalized. This was very difficult news, and led to a two and a half month waiting period. Things for the process to be finalized were beginning to come together in mid February so we decided to make a visit up North. We renewed our year long residencies for the third time and headed North to visit as well as attend a homeschool conference at the end of February. Our hope and goal was set on being able to have this be our final trip up North, work on the water well, and be able to settle into the new call amongst the Yawo people. At the end of our first month of settling in, working on the well, and finding favor within the new community of locals and missionaries we were hit with what has been one of the biggest challenges of our lives. Our organization had not been able to secure the needed registration.
If we were to continue the call up North, we would need to transfer to another organization that had their national registration secured already or go back to America and essentially start over. Our process of prayer in coming to Africa began by believing whole heartedly in who God had directed us to partner with...being faced with a decision to switch was heart breaking. But God quickly reminded us that His call on our lives as a family was the focus. It was a time of reflecting on our own mistakes, learning from them, asking for forgiveness and releasing what we could not control. A fellow missionary and dear friend gave us a word and we embraced it not only as a promise but a command...be still and watch Him be your salvation. We continued to pray for His grace, mercy and justice.
This change would have to be on a very quick time frame due to visas and immigration laws. We wanted to honor all people and organizations including the government in this process, always keeping in mind we are guests and it is an honor in itself to be allowed to live in this foreign land that has become our earthly home. By the Father's perfect plan, other missionaries came along side us and we were able to be prayerful about seeing what door He was opening for us to continue in the call. We became hopeful for a swift salvation. We spent a night discussing, shedding tears together, and praying as a family. The words of the boys were confirming. Gideon saying, "I don't want to go back," Tobiah pondering and responding, "It would be foolishness for us to start over." Finally after prayer the words from Jaidan, "Dad, God just told me YWAM." This seemed to usher us into the next step in the journey.
Approximately 12 hours later YWAM leadership called us and invited us up to their town to start the interview process which at the end of the meeting turned into a transfer process! Amazing! We were even more encouraged as we sat amongst the four couples and 3 out of the 4 were Mozambicans. If you know our hearts and philosophy of ministry, you know that the Gospel and any work started in ministry must be transferred to those at a local level for it to truly sustain and change lives amongst those of different culture. There also must be strong relationships and friendships while living life as a family on mission. This of course comes with great risk and insecurity as you open yourself up to disappointment and hurt but it is what Jesus does for us daily. So.....we are excited to share with you all a new partnership with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) for the next two years in Northern Moz. We will still fundraise independently and live independently in our own home as we have already come alongside our peers, mentors, friends in our new town...the Dollar family. In partnering with YWAM, we will collaborate in ministry at times as we enter into a relationship of accountability and learning from one another, attend trainings and meetings and be available to support how we can. We will also simply live life together as families on mission. They have an incredible presence and fruit in these southern countries of Africa (and as some of you know all over the world) and a kindred heart with our mission to see the Yawo people come to Christ and make disciples. We are so grateful for how they have rallied around our family. This very rapid transition in a country like Moz created some very fun God stories of how He worked this out and protected us. We will send another letter with some of those stories in the future. For now we will leave you with the stories that have brought us the most strength and hope during this difficult time.
MAKING DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS
One of the greatest stories has been the rapid growth and maturing of the students and leaders of the Tree of Life School.
Knowing we would only be in central Moz a short time, our focus was on exhorting and training the believers to feel independent of us. We are happy to report, we just received a call from the leadership that the new group of first year students have had a great start and it is a full group of 30 participants again. Then he went on to tell us that the 2nd year disciples were thriving and growing together in what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, and that they would be going out into villages near by for the next two weeks to share the Gospel as planned! I am waiting to hear back on how their first journey went. They are spending two weeks each month reading the word together, sharing, praying and ministering to each other, and then two weeks going out in twos and fours to live it out. Please keep praying for them to have boldness, courage, and Love for their neighbors in the precious name of Jesus! In this process Antonio and I also pressed into the local young man who has been radically saved along with his family in the last 6 months. This young man has been baptized and begun baptizing, and teaching others how to study the Word. Antonio and him are meeting weekly and it has turned into a group already with the young man leading the group. The young man called me the other day and my heart lept, as I could hear the joy in him of all God is doing! It is very similar to the group that began in Malawi with us and our friends Jeff and Clara. In fact, that man in Malawi is growing exponentially and on fire, going into the villages and preaching with boldness and praying with the locals. So the Lord in His faithfulness has shown us clearly that though we are in a very difficult transition the seeds of what has been sown in the last two years have taken root!
MOVING FORWARD WITH THE YAWO
We are so excited to settle in here into the northern area, and have already started local language lessons and interaction with the community. The Father has made the plan clear
to pray strategically weekly for these hungry people, and to consistently be
in a posture of worship daily. Moving forward we will press into a rigorous schedule of language/grammar learning, prayer walking (and running :-)) in specific areas, waiting on the Holy Spirit to point out people of peace, be vigilant in learning the subtle,
and drastic cultural differences in the area, and be a bridge however we can to the other missionary teams around us while we continue to homeschool the boys and invest in family life. God is doing an incredible work here among these people and walls are coming down. Please pray for this long awaited time of revelation for them.
TRUSTING
There are still some challenges to overcome as we shift gears in partnership. The only big town for supplies (without having to cross a border) is 100 miles north of us on a very, very, bad road. Our wonderful little Toyota Rav will not survive long on it, and unfortunately the truck we were borrowing has to be returned. This presents a safety issue for us as a family and the challenging position to have to reach out to all of you to help raise support for a new bush ready vehicle. We plan on selling the Rav to help with funds.
Instead of sharing specific needs this month, other than the truck, our focus will be on our monthly support need. We would like to invite you to be apart of our monthly financial support team if you are not already.
We are looking to bring on 30 new supporters who can commit to anywhere from $5-$200/month
We are currently at 50% of total budget with a monthly shortfall currently of $2,500. Looking at this it can seem overwhelming but really our daily needs have been adequately met on the other 50%. The last half will really help us save for the big one time needs each year that come with being a missionary. (One time needs each year such as: residency fees, emergencies for health and travel, visa fees, medical insurance, major vehicle repairs, furlough flights every 2-4 years etc...can be met each year by meeting shortfall monthly)
***Also please feel free to share these needs with others you know that have a heart for missions***
Thank you and know we love you all dearly and are so grateful for you prayers that we can tangibly feel!
PRAISES AND PRAYERS
If we were to continue the call up North, we would need to transfer to another organization that had their national registration secured already or go back to America and essentially start over. Our process of prayer in coming to Africa began by believing whole heartedly in who God had directed us to partner with...being faced with a decision to switch was heart breaking. But God quickly reminded us that His call on our lives as a family was the focus. It was a time of reflecting on our own mistakes, learning from them, asking for forgiveness and releasing what we could not control. A fellow missionary and dear friend gave us a word and we embraced it not only as a promise but a command...be still and watch Him be your salvation. We continued to pray for His grace, mercy and justice.
This change would have to be on a very quick time frame due to visas and immigration laws. We wanted to honor all people and organizations including the government in this process, always keeping in mind we are guests and it is an honor in itself to be allowed to live in this foreign land that has become our earthly home. By the Father's perfect plan, other missionaries came along side us and we were able to be prayerful about seeing what door He was opening for us to continue in the call. We became hopeful for a swift salvation. We spent a night discussing, shedding tears together, and praying as a family. The words of the boys were confirming. Gideon saying, "I don't want to go back," Tobiah pondering and responding, "It would be foolishness for us to start over." Finally after prayer the words from Jaidan, "Dad, God just told me YWAM." This seemed to usher us into the next step in the journey.
Approximately 12 hours later YWAM leadership called us and invited us up to their town to start the interview process which at the end of the meeting turned into a transfer process! Amazing! We were even more encouraged as we sat amongst the four couples and 3 out of the 4 were Mozambicans. If you know our hearts and philosophy of ministry, you know that the Gospel and any work started in ministry must be transferred to those at a local level for it to truly sustain and change lives amongst those of different culture. There also must be strong relationships and friendships while living life as a family on mission. This of course comes with great risk and insecurity as you open yourself up to disappointment and hurt but it is what Jesus does for us daily. So.....we are excited to share with you all a new partnership with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) for the next two years in Northern Moz. We will still fundraise independently and live independently in our own home as we have already come alongside our peers, mentors, friends in our new town...the Dollar family. In partnering with YWAM, we will collaborate in ministry at times as we enter into a relationship of accountability and learning from one another, attend trainings and meetings and be available to support how we can. We will also simply live life together as families on mission. They have an incredible presence and fruit in these southern countries of Africa (and as some of you know all over the world) and a kindred heart with our mission to see the Yawo people come to Christ and make disciples. We are so grateful for how they have rallied around our family. This very rapid transition in a country like Moz created some very fun God stories of how He worked this out and protected us. We will send another letter with some of those stories in the future. For now we will leave you with the stories that have brought us the most strength and hope during this difficult time.
MAKING DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS
One of the greatest stories has been the rapid growth and maturing of the students and leaders of the Tree of Life School.
Knowing we would only be in central Moz a short time, our focus was on exhorting and training the believers to feel independent of us. We are happy to report, we just received a call from the leadership that the new group of first year students have had a great start and it is a full group of 30 participants again. Then he went on to tell us that the 2nd year disciples were thriving and growing together in what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, and that they would be going out into villages near by for the next two weeks to share the Gospel as planned! I am waiting to hear back on how their first journey went. They are spending two weeks each month reading the word together, sharing, praying and ministering to each other, and then two weeks going out in twos and fours to live it out. Please keep praying for them to have boldness, courage, and Love for their neighbors in the precious name of Jesus! In this process Antonio and I also pressed into the local young man who has been radically saved along with his family in the last 6 months. This young man has been baptized and begun baptizing, and teaching others how to study the Word. Antonio and him are meeting weekly and it has turned into a group already with the young man leading the group. The young man called me the other day and my heart lept, as I could hear the joy in him of all God is doing! It is very similar to the group that began in Malawi with us and our friends Jeff and Clara. In fact, that man in Malawi is growing exponentially and on fire, going into the villages and preaching with boldness and praying with the locals. So the Lord in His faithfulness has shown us clearly that though we are in a very difficult transition the seeds of what has been sown in the last two years have taken root!
MOVING FORWARD WITH THE YAWO
We are so excited to settle in here into the northern area, and have already started local language lessons and interaction with the community. The Father has made the plan clear
to pray strategically weekly for these hungry people, and to consistently be
in a posture of worship daily. Moving forward we will press into a rigorous schedule of language/grammar learning, prayer walking (and running :-)) in specific areas, waiting on the Holy Spirit to point out people of peace, be vigilant in learning the subtle,
and drastic cultural differences in the area, and be a bridge however we can to the other missionary teams around us while we continue to homeschool the boys and invest in family life. God is doing an incredible work here among these people and walls are coming down. Please pray for this long awaited time of revelation for them.
TRUSTING
There are still some challenges to overcome as we shift gears in partnership. The only big town for supplies (without having to cross a border) is 100 miles north of us on a very, very, bad road. Our wonderful little Toyota Rav will not survive long on it, and unfortunately the truck we were borrowing has to be returned. This presents a safety issue for us as a family and the challenging position to have to reach out to all of you to help raise support for a new bush ready vehicle. We plan on selling the Rav to help with funds.
Instead of sharing specific needs this month, other than the truck, our focus will be on our monthly support need. We would like to invite you to be apart of our monthly financial support team if you are not already.
We are looking to bring on 30 new supporters who can commit to anywhere from $5-$200/month
We are currently at 50% of total budget with a monthly shortfall currently of $2,500. Looking at this it can seem overwhelming but really our daily needs have been adequately met on the other 50%. The last half will really help us save for the big one time needs each year that come with being a missionary. (One time needs each year such as: residency fees, emergencies for health and travel, visa fees, medical insurance, major vehicle repairs, furlough flights every 2-4 years etc...can be met each year by meeting shortfall monthly)
***Also please feel free to share these needs with others you know that have a heart for missions***
Thank you and know we love you all dearly and are so grateful for you prayers that we can tangibly feel!
PRAISES AND PRAYERS
- Praise God that our new brothers in Central Moz have now begun to teach and baptize others with Antonio and a small group has formed.
- Pray for full monthly funding and a solution to the need of a new truck.
- Praise God for a generous gift to pay for our yearly medical insurance....again!!!
- Pray and Praise God for this unexpected transition!
- Praise God that 'Tree Of Life Bible School' Year 1 new students have started and the Year 2 disciples have started their training and living out the Gospel in their communities.
Want To Partner With Us?
If the Lord is prompting you to partner in mission with us there are a few different options.
Just press here hope giving form to mail in an offering, or you can go directly to our home church website
and set up an easy online offering or monthly partnership through this link click here
(under giving type select GENNARI MISSION)
Follow our stories
www.whenlovecompels.blogspot.com
www.walkingassons.blogspot.com
COMING ALONG WITH US
So how can you help and be a partner with us? The first way is to make yourself acquainted with the mission itself by visiting:
www.ireachafrica.com
The release of Ian's new CD has been going great! If you have not heard yet we will be using all the proceeds from the album help with the mission needs in Mozambique. This is a wonderful way that anyone could help the family out by purchasing an album and sending friends to do the same. You can pick up the new CD by looking up Ian Kristofer on iTunes or simply going here: www.cdbaby.com/cd/iankristofer
So how can you help and be a partner with us? The first way is to make yourself acquainted with the mission itself by visiting:
www.ireachafrica.com
The release of Ian's new CD has been going great! If you have not heard yet we will be using all the proceeds from the album help with the mission needs in Mozambique. This is a wonderful way that anyone could help the family out by purchasing an album and sending friends to do the same. You can pick up the new CD by looking up Ian Kristofer on iTunes or simply going here: www.cdbaby.com/cd/iankristofer
You can also hear more about how the ministry works by simply emailing or calling us:
compelledones@gmail.com
602-703-0245
Where is Mozambique? Mozambique is located on the southeast coast of Africa. It is bound by Swaziland to the south, South Africa to the southwest, Zimbabwe to the west, Zambia and Malawi to the northwest, Tanzania to the north and the Indian Ocean to the east.