Raley Family Blog: Lorraine Baptist Church Outreach in Panhame, Mozambique

Thursday, June 28^th we left Mugwambani and headed to Panhame. We were able to get on the road before 10 am. Cody drove the MAN truck all the way to Xicumbani and then Darren drove the MAN truck from Xicumbani to Panhame. As we started our journey to Panhame we were having to stop every 30 minutes and as the trip continued our stops were getting closer together and by the time we were almost to Panhame the last stop to fix it was 9 minutes apart – there was a valve that was causing problems and restricting the flow of the fuel.

Here are a few of the pics from traveling to Panhame. The Man Truck was a little too big to get under this tree. Darren had to reverse and go around.

Yes, that is Luke on the side!

Just a little damage to the tree.

Another branch blocking the road.

We arrived in camp around 4:30 pm and began to unload with the help of a few locals and began to set up camp. We were very grateful to Hannah and Seraiah who prepared our chicken and potato salad the day before for our dinner when we arrived in Panhame. By the time we got the kitchen and 5x5 tents up, the showers and the toilets prepared and our personal tents we headed for the showers and got in bed at 12:30 am. Friday, we got up after 8 and finished setting up camp and relaxed a little and really enjoyed sorta kinda Mexican food for dinner!

Julia rolling out the tortillas

Seraiah cooking the tortillas

Saturday morning we got up and started washing clothes and making sure camp was ready for the arrival of the team from Lorraine BC in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The guys made sure we had plenty of water and firewood and we made sure camp was cleaned up and ready. We thought the earliest the team might arrive would be around 2 pm. As 4 pm hit, we were waiting by the fire at the showers and heating the water so that showers would be ready for the team. It started to get dark and they still had not arrived so we decided that some of our setup team would go ahead and shower. We couldn’t fix dinner because the Vaughan’s were bringing the food in with them and we had used the last of our meat the night before. At 6:30 we finally saw head lights and were excited that they had finally arrived. As we greeted the vehicles we realized that the Vaughan’s, who were supposed to be bringing in Darren’s vehicle and a trailer with the food, were not there. We began to ask how far behind they were and Rodney said they are not sure maybe 2 hours! They had vehicle problems and William told them to travel on ahead. We helped the team get settled and they began to take their showers and head to bed. We offered cereal for those that wanted but most were so tired they went to bed. This team had traveled for 3 days by vehicle to get here and were ready for a great night rest. The rest of us went back to the fire by the showers and waited for the Vaughan’s who were also with Derrick and Julie. At 9:30 we saw their lights. The first thing we noticed is that they were not in Darren’s vehicle but were in Gideon’s bakkie. Gideon and his wife Cornie had traveled in with the group to stay in Xicumbani and prepare for the team that was to arrive there on Monday. We found out that they were not able to drive Darren’s vehicle any further so when they reached Mugwambani Gideon had to tow them behind the 7 ton truck for 55 kilometers which because of the conditions of the road took them almost 5 hours to get to Xicumbani. You can imagine how much dirt they inhaled during that 5 hours! Once they got to Xicumbani they hooked the trailer up to Gideon’s bakkie and drove the next hour and a half to Panhame. Needless to say they were exhausted and DIRTY!

This week was a great week and we praise the Lord for sending this team to Panhame again this year. Pastor Pedro’s wife has been sick for a few years and she passed away last month. We were so thankful that the Lord allowed this team to be in Panhame at the time. It was great to see them encourage and pray for him and his family. Each day when Darren and Cody would go get water they would stop at Pastor Pedro’s house and fill up his water containers for him. Pedro would come and spend time with the team in camp and was very involved with the ministries. We also found out that Jeremiah, one of the leader’s in the church, had a son die during that same month that the Pedro’s wife died. These two men had been through a rough year but they still choose to stand and praise the Lord for all he has done. Please pray for Pedro and Jeremiah in the coming months as they continue to grieve the loss of a wife and son.

Cody filling Pastor Pedro's containers

Ministry began on Sunday morning with church around 10 am. Mark preached from Ephesians 4: 17-32 how Paul talks about putting off the old sinful nature and putting on the new man. Mark uses an illustration of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly to show a change that takes place and that they never go back to being a caterpillar. He also shares from Proverbs 6: 16–19 and Galatians 5: 19-21. While going through how scripture describes the old self he puts dirt on his shirt and then when he goes back to Ephesians and he takes the old dirty shirt off and puts on a new clean shirt showing a transformation from the old self to the new self.

Mark preaching Sunday morning

On Monday the different ministries began and we used this day to review what they had learned the last few years in the teachings. Darren did the review with the men, Derrick reviewed the children and Sharyn and I reviewed with the women. Sharyn did the talking and I showed the pictures and shared my testimony at the end. I also asked if there were any women who wanted to share something the Lord had done in their life over the last year. There was an older lady who shared that she had suffered with illnesses over the years and that she had gone to the witch doctor several times and nothing changed. She said that she praises the Lord that He has allowed her to see this day. She knows that God is in complete control and praises Him. I spoke to her afterwards and thanked her for sharing. Her name is Samaria (pronounced Sa Maria).

Sharyn and I during women's ministry

This team from Lorraine was involved in men’s, women’s and children’s ministry, hut to hut visitation and evening services. They also introduced “Farming God’s Way” and show the people an new way to farm. Rodney also held his annual tennis clinic.

Men's Ministry

Women's Ministry

Children's Ministry

Tennis Clinic

Again, there is never enough time and really not enough words to really show what all the Lord did in and through the team on an outreach. I wanted to share a few highlights from some of the team members.

Cody, who is one of our Outreach Missionaries this year, had a chance to go on hut to hut one day with the Lorraine team. Here is a recap in his words from his visitation… “David, JoAnn, Nicolette and I were able to visit with a young lady who had just returned from school at Mapai. I shared the Gospel with her making sure that she understood that she was a sinner and because of that sin she was separated from God. When she acknowledged that was true of her, I shared the Good News that God because of his great love for us made a way for us to have a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. I proceeded to share my testimony with her explaining how I was convicted of my sin and it was Christ who saved me from it. After that she said she believed that what we said was true and expressed a desire to commit her life to the Lord. We told her that if that was truly the desire of her heart that she should pray and express those things to him. We invited her to women’s ministry and the evening service, told her if she wanted one we get her a Bible and prayed for her. She came to women’s ministry and was given a Bible.”

Helmer, from the Lorraine team shared that, “the most memorable part of this outreach to Panhame was seeing our daughters willingness to interact with the children in the village, participate and help with the children’s ministry, and adjust to camp life for a week in the bush. Even our most girly daughter got the hang of the long drop potties and showering under a baobab tree! I found a guy in the village who played guitar and another who played the drum and we enjoyed entertaining the local children with music from Mozambique and the US. The kids circled the 3 of us clapping and dancing. It was my first “international tour”. My payment was the smiles of the children in Panhame!”

Helmer hanging with the locals

Gerhard, from the Lorraine team shared that, “Farming God’s Way is not just a technology but a well-balanced biblical management and technological solution for the agricultural domain, to equip the poor to come out of poverty, with what God has put in their hands and to reveal the fullness of His promised abundant life. The highest yields ever recorded was under a hand planted, rather than machine planted technique, because of the precision in seed placement and covering operations. This week we had the privilege to teach the people of the village of Panhame the basic concept of farming God’s way.
1.) Protecting the land from the harsh elements by covering fields with leaves, grass etc. called God’s blanket.
2.) Precision planting by stations
3.) Fertilization can be manure, ant hill as well as compost.
4.) Making of a teren rope (marking rope with exact measurements) with what is available in the village, bottle tops, pieces of plastic etc. which can be used to direct where to make the holes.
Our hope is that the concept of covering the ground so that it can hold its moisture so that they can still get a crop in major drought. Also, that they don’t need as much seed and fertilizer for their crops and they will get a much better yield from a small area."


Gerhard introducing Farming God's Way

showing them how to plant the seed

the locals participated in the seed planting

covering the field with "God's blanket"

Several from this team went out each morning around 6 am and took candles and matches and gave them to people they would see out at their homes. Each morning they would hand out around 80 candles and cover about 1/3 of the village. On the last full day in camp they handed out around 150 and covered 2/3 of the village. Vic, from the Lorraine team shared about the walks early each morning … “the simplicity of walking and passing out candles and matches to the people. They don’t have much but they receive the candles with such gratefulness and joy.”

One evening in the service Pastor Pedro and Jeremiah, another church leader, shared their testimonies.

Pedro shared that he was drunk and said the village could testify to that. He said he drank all kinds of beer. His sister went to South Africa and while there she attended church. When she returned to Mozambique she came back to him and told him he needed to stop drinking. He didn’t really listen to her. One day when he was asleep, he had a dream that Pastor Albert from Xicumbani came and found Pedro drinking then Pastor Albert grabbed that cup Pedro was drinking with and he threw it away. Then when Pedro woke up he started to think about the dream that he had. From there he started to be selective about what kind of beer he started to drink and he didn’t drink the kind that Pastor Albert threw away in his dream. At a certain point, he realized that drinking was useless. From there he started going to church and has never looked back from there.

Pastor Pedro and Aaron

Jeremiah was born healthy and was crippled from the age of 4. His family took him to several places to see if they could heal from a witch doctor. They witch doctors failed and he was never healed. His mother took him to a pastor and the pastor prayed for him and that is when he started to get better. His mother used to carry him to church. His condition improved and he can now walk with a limp but no pain. At the age of 18 he joined the political party and he gave an oath that he would not believe in God. He did what he wanted and he stopped following Christ. At a certain point he came to his senses and realized he was in a critical condition and he realized God helped him. He realized that if he were to get sick again who would there for him. His could carry him anymore. He remembered back to his childhood and he was recommitted his life to the Lord. To this day he is still serving the Lord!

Jeremiah and Aaron

One afternoon I saw Jeremiah’s mother sitting in the place we do women’s ministry by herself waiting … she was an hour early. I took a photo of her and then went to show her. I sat down with her and in my best Shangaan, which isn’t much, tried to explain teaching would start soon. I even did hand motions and tried to show her they would sing soon by singing a few words to the “Halleluiah Hosanna” song. She started to raise her hands and sing with me and together we sang a few verses to the song. It was one of the sweetest times I have had … just the two of us and the Lord!

Jeremiah's mother waiting for Bible study

Here are a few pictures to highlight this outreach in Panhame. You will find more pictures on our Samaria Mission facebook page.

Luke loved having a lot of kids on this team

Luke having fun at Children's Ministry

Jeremiah gather grass for "God's blanket"

Game Time

Brit enjoying playing her guitar with Helmer

Walking back from tennis

I wanted to show off some of the photos Brit took.

William had to make a "day trip" to South Africa for parts for Darren's vehicle on July 3rd. Mark is always joking with William anytime he left us in Mozambique to bring him ice cream. Well, William left at 4:30 am and made it back sometime after 8 pm and look what he brought! We all enjoyed ice cream in the bush!