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Welcome to Roofs for Africa!

 

Here are the quick facts

CHURCH ROOF PROJECT

 

TETE AREA CHURCH CONSTRUCTION - HOW IT ALL BEGAN

 

During 2002, Albino Banda, Asst. Area Coordinator, Area # 3, Tete, went to the Chikhoswe  Church and preached a message on TITHING.  As a result of that message the congregation became convicted and started to tithe their crops, livestock and income.  God was faithful to His promise and “opened the windows of Heaven and poured out on them His blessing which they were unable to contain”.

Our, Carol and I, first visit to the Chikhoswe Church was in early August of 2004 while serving as Area Coordinators in the place of Jim and Arla Jeanne Buchanan while they were on furlough in the United States of America.  On that visit we were accompanied by Banda and Pastor Mbewe (TEE Trainer for this area) and we found the blessings being poured out on this community as a result of the churches faithfulness.  Their corn cribs were full and peaked to the top, their vegetable gardens were very lush and full of beautiful perfect carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage and other produce.  We took pictures of the abundance that God had “poured out” onto this community.

On our arrival, we went to the pastor’s house and there we were treated to a soft drink, prayer, and fellowship with the pastor and his family as well as some of the leaders of the church.  There Pastor Rulakasoni Zakunka Banda (pastor of the local church, also named Banda) showed us in his house the tithe of his congregation as well as his personal tithe.  There were many sacks of corn and some garden produce there ready to be taken to market and sold to pay the tithe of the congregation.

We left the house about 9:30 and headed to the church.  When we arrived there were many people already there and they were singing and dancing and praising God.  We had a few moments to look around the church and found that some excavation was going on with a few stones gathered around but nothing to really raise ones curiosity.  The church was constructed of clay bricks that had been fired and the roof was of grass with very adequate ventilation.  The roof was supported by a ridge pole that was braced by upright poles down the center of the church.  The grass was laid on smaller poles (1-2 inches in diameter) tied in a lattice work pattern which extended from the sides of the building to the ridge pole and tied there with vines or anything else that could be found to secure them.  The grass was then tied to these poles and cross poles.  There was plenty of light as the sky could be seen easily through many “vent” holes in the roof.

Our service was lively with great singing, lively dancing before the Lord, fervent prayer and a great offering with the offering plates full to the top with paper money as well as coins.  I delivered a message (Albino Banda interpreted) on what it means to be a Nazarene (Christian) and encouraged them with their commitment to tithing and when finished, the altar was full of those who wanted to pray.  Following the altar call, the congregation presented us with many gifts of garden produce and peanuts.  There was at least 200# of produce.  They were very gracious and loving to us.

At the conclusion of the service we loaded all the produce and they led and followed us in quite a procession about 1km to the parsonage again for a good meal prepared by the pastor’s wife and other ladies of the church.   We had the traditional hand washing which is customary due to the lack of indoor plumbing and running water.  Ncima (milio) and chicken were the main course with wotswa as a dessert.  We did not participate in the wotswa.  Utensils were not available so we ate using the original utensils of our fingers.  It was a great meal shared by the Pastor Banda, Rev. Mbewe, Rev. Albino Banda, Carol and I.

We had more good conversation with the pastor and met all his children and left the community and headed home to Tete with our car loaded down with the great gifts given to us by the congregation of the Chikhoswe church of the Nazarene.

 

NEXT VISIT

 

On about the 26th or 27th of September we received a letter from the Chikhoswe Pastor that said essentially “Greetings Missionary, we have completed out church building and now we need help with the roof”.  The dimensions of the building were included, being 20m long X 8m wide(66 X 26 ft).  It was accompanied by a list of needed materials to complete the job and signed by the pastor and Rev. Luis Pinto Mbewe.

Albino Banda received the letter first and when he brought it to me he was excited.  He read the letter to me and we immediately started making plans to revisit the Chikhoswe Church.  Banda needed to see the doctor in Malawi so we decided that we would go on Sunday, October 3, 2004 to the Zobue Church of the Nazarene and from there we would go up into Malawi and over to the doctor in Lilongwe on Monday and back to Chikoswe.  We had some delays and stayed overnight in Lilongwe and returned to Chikoswe on Tuesday morning.

Pastor Banda of the Chikoswe church had not been informed, to my knowledge, that we were coming to his church, however, he announced to his congregation that the missionary was coming that week.  This could have only been by God’s information system as I know no one who could have informed him.

We arrived in Chikhoswe via their little bush road from the highway in Malawi.  Chikoswe is not approached from the Mozambique side of the border even though it is located in Mozambique.  To drive there one must approach from the Malawi side of the border.  On arrival at the pastors house, he was nowhere to be found.  Someone said he was in his machamba (garden).  We were directed through the village on a track that led through a corn field to a low land on the far side of the corn field.  There we found the pastor in his tomato patch.

The vines were heavy with tomatoes.  God was surely blessing the pastor.  He came hastily from his garden and put long pants on as he was working in knee boots and short pants.  I thought he was properly outfitted wearing shorts.  We observed some eucalyptus trees growing next to his garden and I commented that he could use some of these trees for his rafters and purloins.  After taking pictures of the garden we all jumped in the car and headed for the church.  Going through the village I commented to the pastor about the pretty designs on some of the homes of the village.  They were made with different colored mud from the stream banks there.  We proceeded on to the church.

The church was a beautiful site.  The old church was a pile of old broke bricks at one corner of the “new” church.  The new church sat on a heavy stone foundation and footing and was brick to the top.  We went inside to find the windows were installed with brick burglar bars and the floor was somewhat level.  It was not cemented but of broke construction material and sloped about 1 foot from one side of the building to the other but it was not completed.

 I had priced roofing while in Lilongwe and knew how much the project would cost roughly.  We looked around the building and took a blackboard that they had been using to teach Portuguese to a group from their congregation and I drew out how to put the roof on and how much roofing it would require to do the job.  I then counted out $600 for the roofing and $100 for the extras like nails and wire and transportation.  The pastor received the money with much gratitude and we took pictures of everyone.  The pastor signed a receipt for the money and we said our farewells.

When we returned home we called Rev. Mbewe and asked him to go in two days to Chikhoswe and help the pastor make the money exchange and purchase the roofing.  We got a call two days later that they had purchased the roofing for a better price than I had been quoted and a better exchange rate than I had found also.  Albino Banda tells me that I am paying for my skin (color).  They had also yarded up some of the eucalyptus and had them already pealed for the trusses.

From the enthusiasm that this church had shown for THEIR new building, and the message that I had been preaching on being a good Nazarene (Christian), part of which is tithing, the Lord spoke to me about having others churches tithe and get THEIR church the same way.  There are rocks everywhere in Tete Province for footings and foundations, there is clay almost anywhere there is not rock.  All it takes to build a church here are some willing participants and a person willing to tell them they can DO IT.

I changed my message on tithing!  I spoke to 3 other churches before leaving for the United States on furlough for three months.  I still told them everything I had told them before about being a good Nazarene, but I used the Chikoswe church as the example.  This was an “African” church that had done it themselves with God’s help and inspiration.  I explained that “if the church would tithe and wanted a new building, they had all the necessary ingredients to make that happen.  I told them I had good news and bad news for them.  The “good” news was that they had all the money they needed to build their church.  Oh, they got excited about that.  Then I told them the “bad” was that the money was still in their pockets.  Oh, they laughed, but it was that uncomfortable laugh that accompanies the hearing of a truth.  I told them that they had the rocks for the footings and foundation and that they had all the clay for the bricks.  They knew how to stack and fire the bricks.  They could lay the bricks and build THEIR church to the gabled ends.

This completed, I then gave them my “Promise”.  I promised them that I would go to the United States and tell the people of the Church in the United States their story.  If someone in the United States heard their story and wanted to help them put a roof on THEIR church, I promised I would bring the money back with me to put the roof on THEIR CHURCH.  Before we left for furlough three weeks later there were 5 more churches that had started making bricks or had fired bricks.

During the furlough to the United States Carol and I spoke in 6 churches and several homes and were blessed with almost $9000 for putting roofs on churches in Tete Province.  Since returning to Tete last February, we have helped to put roofs on 4 more churches and a four apartment complex at Quinta das Pompas TEE Center here in Tete City.  We have a list of 9 more churches that need roofs and will be visiting 6 of those this week end starting on Friday, May 13, 2005.  We returned to Chikoswe Church again to find the roof installed and made just a suggestion that they should plaster the church and put some of the beautiful colored mud in the designs.  I have been informed that the church is now plastered and the Lord continues to “open the windows of Heaven and pour out a blessing which they cannot contain”.  It has not been contained!!!  It is spreading like wildfire across the bush of Tete Province.  Banda was in my office this week and was very excited.  He was waving his arms and saying, “I hear of churches way out in the bush, the bush, they’re way out in the bush that are making bricks.  I don’t know haw we can get roofing to them.  They’re on bush roads like we have been on.  GOD WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN.

I can’t wait to get back to Chikoswe where it started with Albino Banda preaching a sermon on tithing in 2002 to a congregation that the Lord had prepared their “ears for hearing” and hearts for receiving and their minds for taking action.  I can’t wait to see what the Chikhoswe Church looks like now.  I can’t wait!  There will be more pictures.

 

 

 

THE REST OF THE STORY

 

We are now ready to leave Africa for furlough of 6 months in the United States.  The building program in Tete Province has continued and now we are happy to report that in the 5 months from February 15, 2005 to July 15, 2005, twenty four churches have been constructed by the congregations of these churches.  God is continuing to bless His people with inspiration and motivation.

When we left Tete on the 16th of July, 2005, there were 18-20 churches in some form of construction and when we arrived in Maputo we were asked if this program pertained strictly to Tete Province.  I informed them that we would go anywhere God was interested in having His church built.  They then informed us of 4 more churches in the Matola area needing help with roofing. 

So the challenge was left with the Mozambican Church.  If you build your church to the gabled ends, we promise to take your story to the United States and tell the people there what God is doing in Mozambique.  If there are people there who wish to help you put a roof on your church, we promise to bring the money back to help you do that.  I truly believe that 50 churches can be built in Mozambique by the local congregations during 2006 and that God has the finances available to assist them with the roofing.  God is alive, well and active in the Mozambican Church of the Nazarene.  It is a pleasure to be in the center of His will and a privilege to be working along side of Him and even following Him sometimes when we can’t keep up.  He is Good All the Time. 

 

THE LATEST NEWS - 3/14/09

 

As of this date, 201 churches have been helped with roofing.  We have received emails from our area coordinators in Tete and Zambezia Provinces and they report that there are now 136 new churches built and await roofing to be delivered. We are praying that they have put grass roofs on these churches so the rains do not damage the churches before roofing can be delivered. The financial need for providing the roofing for these churches is approximately $120,000. What can you do to help?

                       

                                                                        John Fillmore