Mozambique Report - The Vine and the Vinedresser

A common practice for ANM as we seek to minister in various parts of the world that are physically and spiritually needy is to determine what practical development help we can bring to a community. As DC Lundy and I entered Mozambique, one question we asked the Lord is “what would you have us do here?” Initially, I thought that we might try and find a water ministry we could partner with to install a bore-hole well or some other water system to help the local community as clean water is such a need in Africa.
After sending out e-mail inquiries to certain water ministries as well as nationals on the ground, we did not find a suitable water ministry to partner with. Two days into the trip, it was determined that we would minister in a village called Fidel Castro. That morning, I was reading in the book of John as part of a one year reading of the bible. During this time I was praying for the Lord to lead us in such a way to discover the practical ways ANM could help the people of Fidel Castro. While reading I noticed that that the Lord was teaching using illustrations from agriculture. Then I began to read in John 15 that Jesus is the “true vine and my Father is the vinedresser.” Something clicked in my spirit and I asked the Lord if we should do something related to agriculture and deep within me I sensed the Spirit of the Lord say “yes.”
I then shared this with DC and with the national director and outreach director of Circle of Light, Gildo Cuamba and Marcos Chambole. They each resonated with this idea. At this point, we were not sure what this might mean for the community of Fidel Castro. But, as always the Lord directs our steps. As we visited the Circle of Light energy store in Fidel Castro, the local district official – something like a cross between a mayor and county commissioner was meeting with a couple men about fifty yards away. Marcos asked if I would like to meet him. I said yes, and he went to introduce us but without mentioning anything about who I was and nor the reason we were there. I shared with the leader, Chiluvane, that my father-in-law had held a similar position of a similar size village (18,000). I asked him what some of the strengths of his community were and what some of the challenges were. Chiluvane shared a few strengths and then told me the community is 85% agriculture. He said they have a good climate and soil to grow various crops but that they currently cannot get seed nor hoes for the family farmers. I could not believe what I was hearing! For whatever reason he said, they are having difficulty getting seeds this year and are concerned about planting next years’ crop.
After we heard this, each of us was very excited. The last day of our trip, Gildo made some calls unknown to us and found an agricultural company in an industrial area of the capital city, Maputo. So, DC, Gildo and I went to this store prior to our departure from the airport. We found out what types of seeds are available, costs, what the people tend to grow, and also that this company sold hoes. During this time, the manager came out and spoke with us. He told us that if we were willing to purchase a certain volume then he would give us discounts. Amazingly, we can provide seeds and potatoes for a variety of vegetables as well as a hoe for a family for less than $20. This will not only help them with food for their own consumption but also for excess to sell to meet other needs as well as provide the seed for the next year’s crop.

God is good and He directs our path. So, in May we will provide many farmers and families with seed and hoes so they can meet the “True Vine and Vinedresser.”

Blessings - Mike