First rains, first English church service, first pit latrine finished. These have been the highlights of November.

We have only ever known Tete as dry, brown and dusty. Suddenly it is fresh and green and you can actually see where the footpaths are. The people are busy planting their maize fields, the dirt roads are full of new pot-holes, and everyone has discovered which parts of their roofs need fixing. The down-side to the arrival of the rains is the surge in the mosquito population, but despite that we thank God for his faithfulness in sending the rains and pray they continue well. Our boys had great fun dancing in the puddles and collecting the hundreds of flying ants that swarmed around our outside lights.

Our English church service got off to a slow start in our house, with only one white Zimbabwean family joining us. However, with the help of João Cafuliza we have now managed to rent an old cinema in the city for £10 per Sunday (he negotiated down from £50!) It is not exactly luxurious as many of the fittings have been pilfered over the years. Nevertheless it holds 250 in comfortable cinema seats, has a full screen for projecting songs etc, and boasts fantastic acoustics. It is a well-known landmark on a main road. Since moving there two weeks ago we have had nine young men join us. Some of them are very excited to have an English service and are actively inviting their friends and family. Our Mozambican friends are asking why we are not translating into Portuguese, and this has confirmed our thinking that we  should go on to launch a Portuguese service later. We will probably start this early in the new year.

The pit latrine at our church in Samoa is now complete thanks chiefly to the hard work of Pedro, one of our church members who is a builder and electrician. It took more visits and more bags of cement than we had anticipated. However as an exercise in partnership it has been a resounding success. The men of the Samoa church turned out and worked together, digging the pit, moulding and baking the bricks, and helping put up the structure. The women carried water and cooked lunch for the workers. Gregory joined them 3 times in total, getting filthy and sunburned in the process! Now that it is done, there is a real sense of achievement and togetherness among the church members which is good to see. The Moatize church has been spurred on by this example and they have bought their bricks (a local Moatize by-law makes it illegal for people there to bake their own) and dug their own pit.

You can see pictures of all of these 'firsts' on the photos section of this website.

After rather a lot of travelling in October we have now got back into our routine of weekly Bible studies in Moatize. I am experimenting with a new system in that each week I do 20-30 minutes on a topic related to health/family life, and then a more standard session of Bible teaching. The health talks are discussion-style using handouts of pictures without writing; a method I learned from Peg when I visited her. And the Bible studies are all based on Jesus' teaching in the gospel of Luke, which is the only gospel yet available in Nyungwe. I had hoped that by including health teaching the meetings would have wider appeal even to non-church members. However although the church women are enjoying themselves, they have been slow to invite outsiders. That may change this week as we are looking at the parable of the sower, and they have prepared a drama to perform. I have encouraged them to think big and to invite as many of their friends and neighbours as possible to come and benefit from the teaching. Running a meeting aimed at non-members seems to be a first for them, but I pray this will certainly not be the last time.

Daniel reminds us daily how few days are left before Christmas. It is probably just as well he does, since with no commercial hype, no frenetic social programme, and certainly no snow, it is easy to forget about it.  We don't as yet have any particular plans for the Christmas season, but we will aim to make it special for the boys and to encourage our members to honour the Lord for the sacrifice he made in coming to live among men. We pray that each of you will enjoy a peaceful and joyful Christmas.
 

Please Pray

Praise God for a good start to the English church, for the affordable rent, and for those who are inviting people along Pray that the congregation will grow and that we will build something lasting in the lives of those who join us Pray that English-speaking families will join who can be friends with our boys Praise God for the teamwork that saw the latrine in Samoa completed Pray for good rains and an abundant harvest throughout this region of Africa Pray for safety in travel and protection from malaria and water-borne diseases during this season Pray that our church members will catch the vision to reach out to others with the Good News of Jesus Pray that I will know the Lord's leading in how to develop the medical aspect of the work Pray that we know the Lord's joy this Christmas

Grace to you

Sharon and Gregory Kane

_______________________

Sharon's 'Joke of the Month'

* The Senator *

While walking down the street one day, a senator is
tragically hit by a truck and killed. His soul arrives in
Heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

"Welcome to Heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in,
it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official
around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do
with you."

"No problem, just let me in," says the senator.

"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What
we'll do is have you spend one day in Hell and one in
Heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."

"There's no need! I want to be in Heaven," says the senator.

"I'm sorry, but we have our rules." And with that, St. Peter
escorts him to the elevator, the doors open, and he rides
the elevator down, down, down. When the doors open again,
the senator finds himself in the middle of a beautiful green
golf course. In the distance is a club, and standing in
front of it are all his friends and other politicians who
had worked with him.

Everyone is very happy and in formal dress. They run to
greet him, and they reminisce about the good times they had
while getting rich at the expense of the people. They play a
friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster and caviar.

Also present is the Devil, who is very friendly and
has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having
such a good time that, before the senator realizes it, it is
time to go. Everyone gives him a big hug and waves while the
elevator rises. The elevator goes up, up, up, and the door
reopens in Heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him.

So 24 hours pass with the senator joining a group of
contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp
and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes
it, the 24 hours have gone by, and St. Peter returns.

"Well, you've spent a day in Hell and another in Heaven.
Now, you must choose where you want to spend eternity."

He reflects for a minute and then answers, "Well, I would
never would have thought it, I mean Heaven has been
delightful, but I think I would be better satisfied in Hell."

So Saint Peter escorts him to the elevator, and down, down,
down he goes into Hell. Now, the doors of the elevator open,
and he is in the middle of a barren land covered with waste
and garbage. He sees all his friends dressed in rags,
picking up the trash and putting it in black bags. And it's
hot, hot, hot, and the odour is just horrible.

Sweltering hot. Hot and miserable. The Devil comes over to
him and smoothly lays his arm around his shoulder.

"I don't understand," stammers the senator. "The day before
I was here, and there was a golf course and club, and we ate
lobster and caviar and danced and had a great time. Now all
there is is a wasteland full of garbage, and my friends look
miserable."

The Devil looks at the senator, smiles, and says, "Yesterday
we were campaigning. Today you voted for us."