Limitless

How about that for a title?  We had an incredible day today, none of us could have imagined a better ending to our mission trip.  We spent time with friends, loved the children at the local orphanage, and had a wonderful serenade from a local, singing songs of praise to the Lord. (this local who sang to us had his daughter kidnapped and eventually she returned after she had been  missing for 5 years) As we prepared to go to sleep, we all did so thanking the Lord for everything he has given us this week.  God provided us with an incredible ending to a wonderful week.  All of us are excited to see you all and share the stories of how the Lord changed our lives.  Thank you all for giving us a gift that none of us can repay.  Our Lord has been in Xai-Xai with us all week and he was able to use each of us to serve His children mightily this week.  The love in the faces of the people we met this week will last forever in our pictures, and are permanently burned into our hearts.  We all hope that each of you gets to feel the love of Christ the way we have felt each day we have been here.  Again thanks.  The sunrise today was beautiful, and the next two we experience will be on a plane headed back to the U.S.  Please pray for travel mercies for us, and we will see ya’ll on Easter!

Hey, can we help you!?

Hey, can we help you?  That’s how our incredible day just ended, we just helped a couple from South Africa get un-stuck from the sand as we headed home from our dinner together.  So, let’s start from the end of our day this time out.  After lunch with a World Hope staff we were given gifts from another staff to have in appreciation for our service this week.  They were some of the most beautifully decorated pieces of fabric you have ever seen.  The women here in Xai-Xai use them for many purposes, and we will treasure them forever.  Before our lunch we sat and spoke to a “rural” village about the love we felt being welcomed so warmly by their village, and how we could all feel God’s presence.  Hanging in their church (which was about a 8 X 8 hut) was a cross hung over a small pulpit for worship, with a floor covering and about 9 plastic “out-door” chairs.  Wow, talking about feeling the presence of the Lord.  He was all over that small village, giving us a soft breeze in the African sun, and placing some clouds to cover the heat as we looked over the villagers cattle.   As Jessica walked out of the hut, Todd mentioned to her, “ I feel like today we are being given a hug from the Lord.”  Today was one of the most relaxing, laid back, days we have all had in a while, and you could see it in the faces of the team. We again, thank you all for giving us such a wonderful gift.  For the first part of our drive, we were able to stop by the World Hope head quarters and were able to sing “happy birthday” to one of the staff.  Before the song we were able to have breakfast together, and before that we saw an amazing sun rise.  What a day it was, and in just a few short days we will be home excited to share stories, show you pictures, but most of all give you a hug.  Thank you for the prayers and for the strength you have given us, we have been blessed many, many times friends.

God Prompts

Like yesterday, no words can’t describe the day we had!  Today started with a beautiful sunrise seen by Todd, Adam, and Tom.  As the other team members were (sleeping in) getting ready for the upcoming day, none of us could have prepared for the day we had.  Some of the activities we enjoyed were, singing, dancing, digging, shoveling muddy dirt, having food together, sharing the love of Christ were just a few.  Jessica and Jackie were invited to go inside to some of the villagers homes.  Wes and Jeff helped the men of the village install the final pieces of the well, and Todd and Tom were able to share in the joy with the villagers when they had crystal clear water come from their new well.  By the way, after Adam shared the story of Christ with the village children we saw over 50 children receive Christ as their savior, what an awesome blessing that was!  Having clean water delivered to hundreds of people, singing songs of praise and thanksgiving, and we also ate caterpillars (that’s right caterpillars)(well, almost all of us ate the furry critters)……..Anyways, today was amazing everyone.  Thank you for your prayers, please keep them coming.  Tomorrow we will visit the “bush” to see a cattle project that World Hope has completed, and share God’s love with that village.  We will head to bed in just a short bit all of us tired, but ready to see how The Lord will use each of us tomorrow.  With many thanks from today still ringing in our heads, we are eager to get out and serve the Lord’s children tomorrow.  Oh yea, we re-visited the well site from Monday too and this time when Todd pumped the well, it came out crystal clear!  Praise the Lord!

No Title Needed

An incredible sunrise for a beginning, and songs of praise and thanks for an end.  God was so amazing today everyone, He showed His love to us in many ways and we returned the love to the villagers we met.  As our ceremony began, we were ready to dedicate the well to another village, and this time when the water was pumped, it came out crystal clear.  The cheers that came from the people of the village could be felt to your bone.  The thanks they wanted 12stone to know came along with some of the most beautiful smiles that only God could give.  We were so thankful because we knew the same God that created the ability to smile gave us some of the most beautiful we have ever seen.  What was felt by us was truly a gift.  Thank you all for supporting us through your prayers, and we would like to let ya’ll know that what you gave each of us today was a wonderful present.  As we prepare for tomorrow we want you all to will be going back to the first well site again to dedicate the pump, and share The Lord’s love with them.  We will follow it up with a trip to an active well “drilling” site.  It should be another amazing day, and we want to thank each of you in advance for putting us in your prayers.

Greetings from Mozambique

Greetings from Mozambique!

  After our short hour and a half flight we had lunch at a curbside café in Mozambique called Bicafe.  We arrived at the Lehman’s around 3. We saw our first glimpse of the ocean!  It is absolutely gorgeous.  Since they have gotten so much rain here lately is is so lush and green!  From our traveling to Maputo to Xai Xai, we saw so many people…from children running barefoot, to car parts for sale, and people selling cashews on the side of the road.

  The Lehman’s are so welcoming and warm. They are so friendly and have huge servant hearts.  They have such a lovely home here right across from the ocean.  We had some friends of theirs over tonight and we all had dinner and had wonderful conversation.  Ori Lehman told us stories ( as Adam and Wes nodded off J) listening to the breeze through the windows of the ocean.

  God is really present in our group tonight.  Adam woke up at 3 this morning and really heard Him speaking for our entire group.  Jeff isn’t feeling well so please say some extra prayers for him.  We can truly feel the Holy Spirit in this beautiful city.

  Tomorrow we will visit the World Hope staff and have our first visit to our well site. Please pray for our direction as we go to our first village.

It Rained Taxis

Today, wow, where do we start?  We were led by a beautiful sunrise at 6 am, to the laughs of our funny misinterpretations from the day.  Today we were blessed by the Lord in so many ways. It  marked the first day of well dedication ceremonies for the team.  When the village greeted us with songs of praise and thanksgiving we all were over-whelmed.  As the ceremony progressed we felt a certain uneasy feeling from the villagers that was not expected.  When Todd started to pump the well we were all suddenly aware of the uncertain feeling.  It was muddy water that came from the well, not crystal clear, but the kind they were bringing back home after walking for miles to get.  Then we all knew that this well dedication was going to be unlike any before.  So internally we all began to pray and nothing changed, the water that kept coming from the well was not any cleaner looking.  As the day progressed, and we all separated into groups, the children were laughing out loud as Tom, Jackie, and Jessica taught them about the game duck-duck-goose.  The laughter from the 3 team members along with the children was very encouraging to Adam, Wes, Jeff, and Todd while they met with the men, and felt the pressure of the moment.  The end of the day was closed by Todd leading the village in a closing and it rained, from the minute he started speaking to the second he stopped.  It was through this rain that there were smiles from the men and they again had the hope that there was something else moving through their village other than the love that the team from 12stone was bringing.  As we all looked back on the day we were aware of the presence that we felt both with, and against us.  We know that your prayers and more importantly the Lord will be with tomorrow as we head out to another village.  Tomorrow will be an awesome day and God will guide us as He did today.  Thank you all!