Spaghetti is traditional here in Mozambique

  I read once that children who have known family traditions while growing up in the home are better adjusted socially and have a more secure sense of feeling that they belong to something bigger than themselves.  Right or wrong, I decided tradition would be a good thing to add to our list of do's and dont's that I wanted to do for my children. Anything that would make them more stable citizens and family members.  After all I am their mother and I am supposed to do everything I can right?

  Each year before Christmas I run around looking for a good buy on PJ's for gifts for my kids and grandchildren.  For many years now this has become one of our family non-spiritual tradition's at Christmas.  Everyone knows they will get something new to sleep in for the new year.  My family can pretty much count on me giving at least this as a gift.  Other families have more exciting and fun traditions but this one seems to work for us.

  Another family tradition is, my sister believes that on Thanksgiving you need to have turkey.  So this is my extended family's tradition.  Then after lunch we all collectively sit around and tell each other what we were thankful for in the current year.  It is fun to watch the kids growing up enjoy this 1/2 hour of accolades to each in the family.  I like this part of Thanksgiving and as our family tradition, this one is my favorite.  Personally I could eat pizza on Thanksgiving and it wouldn't matter to me just so we can sit around and give thanks and teach our children the importance of thankfulness and family.

  I write all of this to tell you what happened to me yesterday at my small church in the bush at Centro Emissor.  Well really, it started the day before when Val and I went to visit a family from church and saw that one of the babies sleeping on a mat on the ground had a cord wrapped around his belly indicating that they had been to the witchdoctor.  Or the witchdoctor had given them a visit.  On any given Sunday, the witchdoctor will travel around the village and visit those who have just come from church and try to sell their goods.  The goods being, spells, cords for health, serums, and their chants and advice.  This is still very common in the bush.  The tradition of witchdoctors is alive and well in Africa.  Probably in America too but under a different guise.

  It is cultural here to go to the witchdoctor for advice.  I was talking with a friend of mine from here one day about witchdoctors and she told me her husband had been married 3 times already and they were not yet 25.  I asked "why?!"  She went on to tell me that her husband had failed at his business of selling clothes in the market place and the witchdoctor would tell him that it was his wife's fault so he kept leaving his current wife to find a new one that would help his business succeed.  My friend is a christian and they no longer to go the witchdoctor they pray to God instead.  But this type of tradition is very real here.

  Back to my story about yesterday........ after seeing this cord around this little boy's tummy, I was horrified.  This boy, his name is Miguel, is the grandson of the leader of our women's group at  our church.  I left their home asking God what He wanted me to do about this.  So I spent the night praying about how I could approach my friend and also practicing my Portuguese because I didn't want to use a translator so no one else would know what we would be talking about.

  When we arrived at the church for Christmas eve services she was the first person God placed before me and I took her aside and said I needed to talk to her alone.  So we went for a walk. I quickly asked the Lord to give me the right words so she understood what I was trying to say and would not in anyway misinterpret my heart or words.  In my very best Portuguese I said to her, "We are friends, we are in this together, this is our work.  We know that the God we worship is the only God we can trust."  She nodded in agreement and smiled. Then I went on to explain to her that I had seen a cord from a witchdoctor on Miguel's belly and this was not a good thing.  She told me that Miguels other grandmother had placed the cord on Miguel while he was visiting her the day before.  And off we marched to my friend's house near by to find Miguel.

  We walked into the yard of their home and there was all of her family member's, their spouses and children.  I greeted everyone and then my friend began to talk to her family in their tribal language about the cord, witchdoctors and that we need to have faith in Jesus for our lives to be good.  She tore the cord off of Miguel and threw it in the bush.  He had no idea what was going on and fell down into the sand crying.  Then we laid hands on him and started praying for his life and protection and favor for his future as a Christian and godly man.  It was a special moment. Miguel's mother is young and still very naive.

  As I share this incident with you I'm thinking about the sower and the seeds.  Our church is full on Sunday's, it's a tradition to go to church here in the bush.  It's like America, many of us go to church on Sunday and many stay home to cook.  The seeds are sown during church by the word of God being shared, our faith increased and then we leave to go home.  Have those seeds fallen on a rocky ground?  Or on some ground that had thistles, or in fertile soil?  Is the thief going to steal the word away from the heart's of those I love here?  And those in America too?

  Would you pray with me about this tradition of following a witchdoctor?  That this tradition be one that is broken and replaced with following Christ!  Would you look into your own heart's and homes to see what traditions are keeping your eyes on Jesus and one's that have become distractions to follow idols?

Miguel and his young mother Sarah

This little guy is healthy and fat!

  I love my work here in Mozambique.  I learn more each day that poverty is found in the soul and hearts all over the world.  I have learned that people may be rich in their souls and have nothing in their surroundings.  And then there are those who have many many things and traditions who are impoverished to the point that they are dead man with bones walking around.

  Thank you for all of the support that you give me spiritually and financially.  Let us do a good work together in breaking the bondages of deadly traditions everywhere.  Speak the name of Jesus!

Obedience,