Friends of Root of Hope,
“ Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and will be repaid in full.” Proverbs 19:17
I just finished having lunch. It is 3PM. Elsa and I went to church and when we got home I left for the gym. As soon as I stepped foot in the house, I showered and then we sat to eat a delicious meal. So many times I struggle to find a them for the monthly letter. I don’t have much space to write so I must be brief but to the point, if possible. While I was chewing the tender piece of beef a thought came and sat on my heart whispering to me about food, more precisely what we eat and what “they”eat on a daily basis. I am speaking for myself so this may not apply to you. We are ungrateful people. With the abundance of food available at our fingertips we are ungrateful. We struggle about what to eat and not about if we have something for lunch or dinner. Our Mozambican brothers are mostly thin people and for that I am covetous.
By experience and not by hearsay our brethren fill – wrong term – their bellies once a day. If they have something for breakfast it will be around lunchtime because they cannot afford three meals a day. While my stew was impeccably done my heart wept with sadness thinking about what they can afford. They don’t eat based on their preferences but in what they have, if they do! I could tell you some episodes but I will skip them. It’s either this kind of mashed corn flour with perhaps some bitter herbs or some other vegetable if available or if affordable. To top if off they may use some sauce consisted of peanuts and a bit of vegetable oil. Rice is also another source of sustenance. It’s not the healthiest of choice but it is what they have. And we have conflicts about what to eat. “Not that again!” As chicken they scratch around for something to feed their bodies. Its not about choice but need. And we complain! It is common to find people at a friends house during meal times not because they want to chat but because lack of food. And there if you have just a few crumbs all will feed on the crumbs. We see this situation many times when we are there and it is a blessing to be able to help the brothers eat something instead of starving. I wish that I don’t get interrupted when eating but if someone shows up at that “inopportune” time we know what brings them to us. Dear friends, during these 19 years of investing in Mozambique we keep on focusing on what’s essential: people, not churches or schools. We realize that at times something must be built but nothing is more rewarding than building lives. When they grow so do we. When they lack we feel responsible for not doing a bit more. They may have empty houses but the more profound emptiness is that in the stomach. It will affect everything else. And we – sorry-, I complain. We could be living a resentful life but the Lord has been blessing with more than we need ( Ephesians 3:20,21).
In our home away from home, Mozambique, all is going well. The elections took place last week and the new government is in place. Flora, the pastor wife, just finished a one year course in leadership. She is proud of the accomplishment and so are we. With the Lords blessing we will send resources to start building blocks so the new classroom in Makamwine will become a reality. Our brothers will do all the labor regarding the cinder blocks and the construction of the classroom. I finalize this letter by thanking you for your kindness, love and sometimes sacrifice towards our brothers in Mozambique. We cannot do more because what we don’t have does not build anything but as limited as we are we still feel so blessed because you make all this Godly work possible and moving forward. As the verse states , you will be repaid in full, not by Elsa and I but by the Lord. Kanimambo.
Root of Hope 