The Besfords in Mozambique
July, 2005
From Steve and Rebekah Besford, in Maziotela
World Outreach Missionaries starting
out
Email: beks_moz
yahoo.com
A big hello to you all from the Besford family. I was reading this last week from Jeremiah 17v7 “But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him”. For the three of us it has been a step of obedience and trust going to the north of Mozambique. We truly have received His blessing before, during and after our short visit to Maziotela.
We’ve come back with a deep sense of peace from the Lord that Maziotela is where He wants us to serve Him long-term. This is vital, because despite our previous work in Mozambique, the north is very different and a tough place to live. Maziotela is in a more isolated rural setting on the site of a 1,000 hectare cashew nut farm. Let’s take a look at the three areas of work at Maziotela.
Community Development
Maziotela provides jobs for up to 15 local people in a variety of roles. A team of guys are working with Colin (team leader) on the farm currently clearing old cashew trees, which are no longer producing, in preparation for planting new cashew trees. Myriam (nurse) has people working with her growing and preparing natural medicines (e.g. artimeter for treating malaria) and establishing basic health care in three local villages. A couple of people work to help around the homes at Maziotela. There is also a goat herder.
Colin & Jenny have had a vision on their hearts for over 3 years to build a cashew nut processing factory at Maziotela to create jobs for up to 300 local people. In an area of Mozambique where unemployment is as high as 90%, giving a person the ability to work and earn a wage to put food on the table is a real need. Of course over time there will be opportunity to build friendships with the workers and introduce them to Jesus. The project will be undertaken in partnership with a Non Government Organisation (NGO) Technoserve (www.technoserve.org) who have already helped set-up other cashew factories in this area of Mozambique and have an established market for the sale of processed cashews. There is a real sense of waiting for the Lord’s timing to start the building of the cashew factory. World Outreach is supportive of the project and the business case has been drawn up. Praying in and finding the up front finances will give the green light for this project to go ahead.
Medical Missions
A feeding programme at Maziotela provides maize, rice and peanuts to 120 malnourished children on a weekly basis. Formula milk is given to babies who are badly malnourished and whose mothers aren’t producing breast milk, often because of their own poor nutrition. Carers are encouraged to take sick children to hospital facilities in the nearest town Monapo, 10kms from Maziotela. It is a difficult balancing act between showing compassion and avoiding dependency.
Casa de Lazarus is a home on the farm where particularly sick babies or young children can stay with their carers for up to six weeks. Food and regular supervision are provided to nurse these little ones. Again opportunities arise to build relationship with the carers and for the team to show God’s love by spending time with people.
The natural medicine programme has two main aims. Firstly to grow natural remedies for treatments, for example the moringa tree leaves can be dried and pounded to a powder and added to porridge. The leaves contain all essential micronutrients needed for healthy growth. Secondly to spread this knowledge through establishing health care centres in three nearby villages. A training programme has started this year to equip local volunteers as health care workers in each village.
Church Leadership Training
Maziotela runs a Church Leadership Training school for four days per month. Working in partnership with three senior Mozambican pastors from different denominations, 35 of their church leaders attend a two year programme covering many aspects of the Christian faith, from worship to spiritual warfare. The training is a combination of videos in Portuguese from internationally known speakers followed by discussion classes covering the same material in the local language Makua with Mateus and Rashide (Mozambicans on the Maziotela team). The challenge is helping these young leaders to retain what they learn from Scripture and take it back to their congregations. A representative from Maziotela visits the leader in their church on a regular basis, and we have been encouraged to see many of these local bush churches flourish and grow.
The first Sunday School leaders training programme took place whilst we were at Maziotela. This is a new programme in its infancy, seeking to train up local people in children’s ministry. Church services rarely cater for children and their spiritual needs need to be met.
Our roles at Maziotela
We have spent much time discussing, thinking and praying through our roles at Maziotela, conscious that we are both called to Mozambique and both desire to work as well as bringing up Nyasha. Steve will take on administration at Maziotela, releasing the rest of the team from the pressure of paperwork and has a role which is set to grow as Maziotela expands with the cashew project. He will also go on church visits on Tuesdays and Sundays to encourage the church leaders and to build relationships.
Rebekah takes on responsibility for Casa de Lazarus, including a longer term project to rebuild this facility and employ a local woman to work full-time. Rebekah will also have a back-up role in the feeding programme, helping with patient records and organizing supplies, and develop Maziotela’s Tree Nursery. She also plans to assist with Sunday school leaders training and any future children’s ministry.
Where do we go from here?
We are back in the U.K. until the end of August and staying in Farnborough. We have a packed timetable - helping at a holiday club at St. Peters church, attending a World Outreach course in Leeds, a holiday with Rebekah’s mum in Dorset and support raising.
From September to February we’ll be studying Portuguese full-time in Porto with a personal tutor who has taught other missionaries. This includes a break at Christmas in the U.K. and further support raising.
We plan to return to Mozambique in March ’06. Some of you will realise this is a couple of months later than originally planned, because Colin & Jenny are on furlough and don’t return to Maziotela until March, and to arrive in January in the middle of the wet season (also very hot!) when getting things done is more difficult anyway is not a good idea. So we’ve decided to take the opportunity to spend extra time studying Portuguese, which we now know, having visited Maziotela, is essential.
Thank you for all your love, prayers and support as we have started on our journey. Without you we would not have the privilege of serving God in Mozambique..
Steve Rebekah & Nyasha
“And what does the Lord require
of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Micah 6v8
If you would like to contact Steve
and Rebekah please use the following email address: beks_mozyahoo.com
When they return to Mozambique, please do not send attachments of any kind to this address as they cannot be downloaded in Mozambique without considerable cost.
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