In and Out of Season by Mark

The Bible study in Mentz is one that can really take turns and twist so much that being prepared to discuss any Book, Chapter, and/or verse(s) is a necessity. 

 

Today’s lesson was going to take our Mentz Bible study into Genesis 2:18 with hopes of finishing Chapter 2.  Preparing for the meeting, Alicia received a phone call from Meriam explaining that our normal location could not be used this evening and that the Bible study would be cancelled.  Alicia talked to Meriam and they made a plan to let us go to her house to meet.

Upon our arrival, we found that Meriam was with her teenage daughter, Dineo, and another woman, Alizabeth.  I realized that the planned schedule needed to be put on hold and that Alicia and I just needed to visit with the three ladies. 

 

 I asked them what they would like to talk about.  Meriam said she would like to talk about John 14:6.  (My heart jumped for joy as I quickly realized that they wanted to talk about Jesus being the only way, the truth, and the life.)  She said, "I want Alizabeth to know about the Bible!"

We began our meeting by reading John 14:6-7.  Then I took them back to Chapter 13 and we discussed about how Jesus had just made the triumphal entry into Jerusalem and was now in a secluded room with His disciples.  We saw how the Scripture identified Christ as being sent by God and that He was and is God.  We talked about how Christ humbled Himself into a position of a servant by washing His disciples’ feet.  We saw that verse 15 clearly identifies the purpose of Jesus’ action and how being a Christian is not about receiving blessings, but it is about imitating Christ since He is God and set the example for us to live.  

 

We continued with the Scripture and read how Judas was identified as the one who betrayed Jesus.  But we also read something so amazing in verses 31-35 as Jesus explains about the upcoming glorification of God the Father and Himself.   Then we see how Jesus gives a new commandment that will set apart Christians as being His disciples. 

 v 34 - 35 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

 

We finished with our Bible study diving into Chapter 14.  It was exciting to see how God spoke to His disciples and made it available for us today in the Bible.  Jesus gives us a glimpse of Heaven and clearly puts into prospective that He alone is the way, the truth, and the life and that no one goes to the Father except through Him.  We discussed how going to ancestors does not allow us to go to God, nor does our good works, but it is only through Jesus Christ and Him crucified that we can go to the Father.

A Highlight from Mentz

 This past week during Bible study, Mark was teaching from Genesis 2

Gen 2:1-17 ESV ... 1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. 4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up--for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground-- 7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

It has been a few weeks since we have been there because of a death in their family and the funeral.  It was a small group today with only three ladies but sometimes we feel when there are not so many they answer questions and even ask more questions.  

 

Mark spent some time reviewing the days of creation.  He spent some time talking about the word holy and that it means being "set apart."  

 

As Mark was reading verse 7 he began pointing to the dirt and talking about God forming man from the dirt. ... then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature .  Mark pointed out that God formed man and that man was a lifeless form UNTIL God breathed life into him. 

 

I was sitting beside Jackinah and she was staring at the dirt and listening so intently.  When Mark said that God then breathed life into his nostrils, she very quietly said, "Wow!"  I am not sure anyone else heard her at that time.  Mark continued teaching and and asked a question ... knowing that God created everything, how should we treat him?  Well, we did have to spend a few minutes discussing what the word "treat" means and once they understood Mark repeated the question.  Jackinah said, "Well, HE created ME we need to thank Him for that."  I then mentioned that I heard her say "Wow" as Mark was reading that God breathed life into mans nostrils.  I told her that in that moment when she realized that and she reacted with a quiet "wow,"  that she was showing awe and respect to God who created her.  

 

It was a sweet moment, one that I will not forget!  It reminded me of how AWESOME our Creator is!  We are so thankful for the opportunity we have to teach the Bible in a small group in Mentz.   It is amazing to us that these people, who attend other churches like the ZCC and IPHC, have never heard the days of creation.  We serve a MIGHTY God, and we pray that as we are able to continue to work through the Bible chronologically using the New Tribes Curriculum, that their eyes will be more open to the truth.  It is our prayer that one day one (really all) would come to know Christ as their personal Savior and truly have an understanding of what it means to be a Christian, a Christ follower.    We pray that God would raise up believers in the village of Mentz.  Ones that will sing His praises on High!  Ones that will be on fire, take a stand against culture and religion and want others to know the Saving Grace of our Father. 

Foundations for Farming & February Leaders Training

(First, I can't believe that it has been 2 months since we have updated this.  I have no clue where the time went!)

Back to the title of this post ... Foundations for Farming ... yup, we are learning a little about farming.  Here is an update from Mark on what has been happening this past month.

The early part of 2013, Brad and Jill Hixon as well as Doug and Debbie Crawford, attended Foundations For Farming (previously known as Farming God’s Way) training.  The Hixon’s had a vision to help find willing Mozambique church leaders to implement this farming style.  They knew it would have resistance, as this would break multiple generations of traditional farming techniques.  As the months went, circumstances played a significant role in which the vision was postponed.  After the outreach season, Mark and Alicia Raley as well as Doug Crawford, assisted Brad with a test field at the Samaria Mission farm.  The test field was not as successful as they had hoped and realized that farming is an everyday event to weed and take care of the crops God has put into man’s care.  

Brad was able to talk to Ernest Maluleke, Xicumbane Baptist Church’s grounds keeper and orphan garden keeper, in the latter part of 2013.  Brad explained to Ernest the basic steps of this farming method in hopes that Ernest would implement it.  Brad left Ernest in Mozambique knowing that he would not see Ernest until 2014.

In January 2014, Brad and Mark were blessed to attended another training of Foundations For Farming.  In this training, Brad and Mark soon realized some of their mistakes they had made at the Samaria Mission farm test field.  They began to be enthusiastic about training and praying that this farming style would be beneficial to the rural areas of Mozambique where fertilizer is limited and where rain is the main source of watering the crops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the February 2014 Leadership Training, Brad and Mark spent two days with Ernest in Xicumbane repairing the shade netting to the small Church garden.  

 

 They were able to find an old homestead where the thatching from the buildings were on the ground and not being utilized.  Brad and Mark found themselves transporting the old thatching to the garden site so it could be used as “God’s Blanket” that keeps moisture in the ground around the crops.   

 

 

After several trips one day, the thatching was enough to cover the entire side of the garden that will be using the Foundations For Farming.  The next day, Ernest wanted more thatching for the other side of the garden to use it as “God’s Blanket” to help with the other gardening technique Ernest has been doing for years. 

 

 

 

 

While spreading the “Blanket”, several village people came to investigate what was taking place.  This gave Brad and Mark an opportunity to share how God has provided all the nutrients in the topsoil and that tilling the ground disturbs those nutrients and to share how the “blanket” keeps the moisture in the ground so the evaporation does not take place so quickly and to keep erosion from happening as the rains would take the topsoil away.

The implementation of this style of farming is tough at first as to find the heart and will to make it a part of living.  As this style of farming is used, it becomes easier to keep weeds out as the “blanket” also is a type of weeder.  The same planting hole, or planting station, is used every time a new seed is planted.  The hole receives manure in it before the seed so the nutrients that the crop used are being replenished before the new crop is planted.

The Zimbabwean farmer, Brian Oldreive,  who God inspired with this farming technique to help with rural farmers along with other farmers, have estimated that Foundations For Farming technique on a hectacre of land could produce 4 tons of mealies (4000kg of corn) in a single season.  When the season is over for mealies, planting soya beans or bush beans will help the farmer continue with another cash crop.  Not only are these a cash crop, they actually replenish the nitrogen in the ground that the mealies have depleted.

With this training, Brad and Mark are praying that the Mozambique churches involved in orphan ministry will be committed to changing the farm technique to this Foundations for Farming.  This farming could not only grow enough mealies to feed the orphans and widows and their families, but also be able to produce a cash crop in order to pay for fuel for the water pumps and mealie grinding machine, more seeds, and other ministry needs.  Please pray along for God to change the hearts of the people in order for orphan and widow ministries to flourish and to Glorify God.

For more information on Foundations For Farming please look up and read their website at http://www.foundationsforfarming.org

For an update on the February Leaders Training please take a few minutes to look at pictures on the Samaria Mission Facebook page  as well as update on The Crawford's Blog.