tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48488342063071480482024-03-13T19:39:33.668+02:00vathi va toko wirimu"Vathi va toko Wirimu" is the Makua-Metto way of saying "on earth as it is in heaven." Alan and Rachel Howell are working towards seeing what Jesus asked for in the Lord's prayer happen in Montepuez, Mozambique.Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.comBlogger194125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-21060622106496592202018-11-20T18:29:00.000+02:002020-03-18T03:36:49.847+02:00November 2018 – Our Last Newsletter from Mozambique…<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hVEgRLPCXXk/W_QxWQJMHCI/AAAAAAAABRM/aNvshQM1TWUG_L4zUAEUa2YhnYDD1zV-gCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_7104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hVEgRLPCXXk/W_QxWQJMHCI/AAAAAAAABRM/aNvshQM1TWUG_L4zUAEUa2YhnYDD1zV-gCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_7104.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Greetings one last time from Montepuez! </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Our hearts are very full these days, but
heavy as well – we leave in less than one week, ending this season of ministry
as residents in Mozambique.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We have
appreciated so much the encouragement and affirmation from so many as we try to
wrap up 15 years of ministry here in this part of Africa which has been our
home.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HvneAzlRfmw/W_QxHfYVd4I/AAAAAAAABQ4/7y4RrtkQFo4CSeTXRoFnaViodE9w8ERAgCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_7028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HvneAzlRfmw/W_QxHfYVd4I/AAAAAAAABQ4/7y4RrtkQFo4CSeTXRoFnaViodE9w8ERAgCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_7028.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I am writing this newsletter at a card table in our empty,
echoing house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Earlier this month we
loaded a shipping container with our belongings to be sent to the US, which
made the (previously) surreal experience of moving much more tangible and concrete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are grateful to our teammates, to missionary
friends Jon and Marijane Beutler, and to Mozambican friends who helped pack and
load all our things in the midst of their own busy lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rp4ZG95jjcc/W_QxiVJ-c0I/AAAAAAAABRg/jPO2L_1nN4Ihr0e7adffzHr3ogk4tUNmACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_7147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rp4ZG95jjcc/W_QxiVJ-c0I/AAAAAAAABRg/jPO2L_1nN4Ihr0e7adffzHr3ogk4tUNmACEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_7147.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Over the last few months we’ve been experiencing lots of
lasts. I taught my final</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> classes at the Theological Institute – the week-long courses
on Preaching and the “Giants” (equipping the church to address the five big
challenges we are facing in this context) as well as using the recordings from
a previous class to offer an independent study for a church leader.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Rachel finished up teaching the Sermon on the
Mount with women from two areas: the Nekwaya cluster and in the village of
Mpuhu.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We were also so happy that to
receive one last set of visitors from the States – Darrin and Cheryl Ruddy were
able to come and it was so great for them to see life here in Mozambique and to
have them here in our home.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jessica, Goncalves Inacio and I also finished up the last seed distributions
and final visits with the farming associations – please keep praying for them,
that this year’s rains will be good and that God will provide an abundant
harvest.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CNhesN3zj-8/W_QxoBA1OQI/AAAAAAAABRY/OHjrJn0hqno_UP49Jky7d7KR1P-8liD0ACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_7176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CNhesN3zj-8/W_QxoBA1OQI/AAAAAAAABRY/OHjrJn0hqno_UP49Jky7d7KR1P-8liD0ACEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_7176.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">God’s work continues to bear fruit, sometimes in new and
surprising ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">graduation requirement
for students in the Theology Institute is completing a capstone project that
puts what they are learning to use in service to the church.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Two weeks ago, two local students started a
Sunday School program for children before worship service for the church that
meets here on the team’s property, and the kids have been crazy excited! </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Early Sunday morning we could hear them singing
loud and clear even inside our home, and afterwards, when I told one of the
leaders of this program how much I enjoyed hearing the kids, he expressed a bit
of sadness that they had waited so long to get started, but I encouraged him
that now the time is ripe.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Please pray
for their energy and enthusiasm to continue to open their hearts wide.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eVkNsccemWg/W_QxkPwjp9I/AAAAAAAABRA/R_1hU0kYu5Ms5as9ul5xAek7NeNAVIeCQCEwYBhgL/s1600/MZDU1450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eVkNsccemWg/W_QxkPwjp9I/AAAAAAAABRA/R_1hU0kYu5Ms5as9ul5xAek7NeNAVIeCQCEwYBhgL/s320/MZDU1450.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Four months ago, Rachel and I sat down and mapped out our last
Sundays and last visits to different places and individuals to make sure that
we were saying goodbye well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our team
works with a network of 84 Churches of Christ and also enjoys deep connections with
other local denominations as well, so we knew it would be impossible to visit
all of them one last time on a Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In these last weeks we’ve made dozens of goodbye visits with different churches
and families who we love, and we’ve been showered with gifts – <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>dried cassava from the church in Milamba,
sacks of peanuts in Chipembe, corn flour, bananas, chickens, and so much
more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On our last Sunday in Balama, the
church dressed our family in African fabric and said that since we have done
battle with Satan here and have been victorious, that they wanted to send us “home”
dressed as warriors.</span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qUubmgXzp_Y/W_QwwmbgSlI/AAAAAAAABQg/FcW-Z_Ieftg8RtfHJA-2jtUL7nqfipRzwCEwYBhgL/s1600/CKGJ0748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qUubmgXzp_Y/W_QwwmbgSlI/AAAAAAAABQg/FcW-Z_Ieftg8RtfHJA-2jtUL7nqfipRzwCEwYBhgL/s400/CKGJ0748.JPG" width="300" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Village leaders
have come and expressed their gratitude and sadness that we </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">are leaving; our friend,
the local traditional king, even gave me a carved scepter, and another friend
bought a shirt for me and had the outline of Mozambique sewn onto it as a reminder
of where my heart is. This last Sunday, our teammates and the church here in
Montepuez invited our friends and gave us a goodbye blessing and meal together,
and later that afternoon our team gathered for a ceremony to celebrate God’s
faithfulness through the hardest times. Rachel and I have been part of this
team since December 1999 – before we were married – so this is a major
transition point for us all.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It has been
so good to be able to both celebrate and mourn everything that is changing.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2SixDxc9Y64/W_QxSgyt4BI/AAAAAAAABRE/vwmOSBuWjeI4H2WiOec33kchGALzstgmgCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_7068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2SixDxc9Y64/W_QxSgyt4BI/AAAAAAAABRE/vwmOSBuWjeI4H2WiOec33kchGALzstgmgCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_7068.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Over the last few weeks I have been talking a lot about Paul’s
last words to Timothy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been
preaching from 2 Timothy 4 where Paul charges his young apprentice to keep
preaching God’s words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is interesting
and ironic to me that his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">final</i> word
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EYFMZlzIcDI/W_Qw1U0zuQI/AAAAAAAABQ4/DcbLYN1qPJAVPdGyruyp7GmwVsfMIcUNQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_6603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EYFMZlzIcDI/W_Qw1U0zuQI/AAAAAAAABQ4/DcbLYN1qPJAVPdGyruyp7GmwVsfMIcUNQCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_6603.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Traditional singers/storytellers among the
Makua-Metto will pause often to sing </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a song that ends with the call “Saminiya”
(Makua-Metto for open flame kerosene lamp).</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This final word, sung like a chorus by all the participants present, is
a way to say, “bring the lamp/light… don’t stop… keep going… keep telling the
story.”</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">These traditional
singer/storyteller performances often go late into the night and singing
“Saminiya” is a way to encourage everyone involved to continue - even though it
is getting dark, the song needs to continue.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As we leave to take the light to other places, we are calling our Makua-Metto
friends to keep telling the story and to keep bringing the light into dark
places in Mozambique.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the next few days we will finish packing our bags and celebrate
Thanksgiving with our team and other expats and friends in the area; we will then
go to Pemba for two days with our team before our departure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are taking the advice of missionary-care
counselors and stretching our travel over a couple of weeks so that the family transition
of moving continents isn’t too abrupt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
will land in the US just before Christmas, and in early 2019 we will have a final
furlough to see family, friends, our Donelson church family in Nashville, and
others who have supported us over the years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And then… our hope is to settle in to wherever God is leading us next
during the summer of 2019.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZAgpu-zAhk8/W_Qxo0hi-zI/AAAAAAAABRc/MIDIzOWTQqIGjXeBOn3n0qSmRyx6QnxtQCEwYBhgL/s1600/YEIA9920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZAgpu-zAhk8/W_Qxo0hi-zI/AAAAAAAABRc/MIDIzOWTQqIGjXeBOn3n0qSmRyx6QnxtQCEwYBhgL/s320/YEIA9920.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Please pray that the churches here would be hungry for God,
captivated by a </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">vision of Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pray that God would continue this work in new
and surprising ways – raising up disciple-makers, defeating the Giants, and
saving the Makua people in every way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Please pray for our family – that God would provide a place
for us to flourish and serve and that God would be gentle and gracious with us
in the midst of all these transitions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grace and Peace,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alan, Rachel, Abby, Ellie and Katie Howell<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">P.S. Mark your calendars - On June 21-22, 2019, Pleasant
Valley Church of Christ in Little Rock, AR will host a gathering of supporters
of the work among the Makua-Metto people. Details to come! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-26033805538054700952018-08-10T10:10:00.002+02:002018-08-10T10:10:20.630+02:00August 2018 Newsletter<div class="m_8305534090073746601ydpeb437346MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Greetings from Montepuez!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We’re emerging from our winter here in northern Mozambique,
putting away our jackets and beginning to wipe layers of dust from everything
and everyone.<span> </span>We’re also just under the
four-month marker for our remaining time in Mozambique, which carries with it a
swirl of conflicting emotions!</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nm_ISNqgfMs/W21EiCZ3KOI/AAAAAAAABPs/6eLSThHBE3sQ7a0eQVNOGRLv2qI-PhbiwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_5794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nm_ISNqgfMs/W21EiCZ3KOI/AAAAAAAABPs/6eLSThHBE3sQ7a0eQVNOGRLv2qI-PhbiwCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_5794.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Shortly after our last newsletter we hosted an “ikoma” for
Abby; this is the ceremony/celebration in this culture that marks children
growing into adults.<span> </span>About 100 women
spent the night at our house singing and dancing and sharing gifts and counsel with
Abby as she ventures into adulthood; it was a bit of mash-up of Mozambican and
American expectations, and it was so very beautiful to have so many friends
here to celebrate our oldest daughter – many of them have watched her grow up
here!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just a few days after the ikoma, our team received eight interns
from Harding University.<span> </span>They spent six
weeks job shadowing us, getting to know our friends and ministry partners,
eating in our homes and out in villages, and getting a feel for life in this
part of Africa.<span> </span>While the interns were here
in Montepuez, the churches we work with hosted a Women’s Conference on our
team’s property.<span> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9lRJwE5tTLA/W21EmtxCBOI/AAAAAAAABPw/CSxVSCx7KFkpmPSYKy8rQCXQebszfHD6QCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_5858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9lRJwE5tTLA/W21EmtxCBOI/AAAAAAAABPw/CSxVSCx7KFkpmPSYKy8rQCXQebszfHD6QCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_5858.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was the first
province-wide gathering for women since major leadership changes in the
churches, and it was absolutely beautiful.<span>
</span>Over 230 women from six different districts came to enjoy each other and
to worship, dance, and learn together, with the theme of the conference being
the Whole Story of God-With-Us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Starting back in May and continuing through September, Rachel
is studying through the Sermon on the Mount in two different women’s groups;
they’re in some pretty remote locations, and together with a few women from
town they worship and study together, and they’ve made it about halfway through
the text.<span> </span>They are enjoying being
together and wrestling with Jesus’ provocative invitation into this different
kingdom!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This has been a season of travel for our team; both the
Smiths and Westerholms have traveled out of the country, and we also were
delighted to receive Brian and Laura Beth Oliver and their kiddos to visit us
here!<span> </span>We tried to take them around and
give them a taste of Montepuez life; they got to meet a bunch of our friends
and have some cultural experiences like frying bajias, worshiping with a
village church, climbing our mountain, experiencing a local/famous singer/storyteller
performance, and a couple days all together at the beach in Pemba.<span> </span>We are so thankful they were able to come
visit, and we treasured their time here with us as a precious gift!</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qR5E_eceIio/W21HILk3t-I/AAAAAAAABQA/N_aInrBxmmU9RKzGV5mLk7-WE7BEVqCugCLcBGAs/s1600/Ithele.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1600" height="189" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qR5E_eceIio/W21HILk3t-I/AAAAAAAABQA/N_aInrBxmmU9RKzGV5mLk7-WE7BEVqCugCLcBGAs/s320/Ithele.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the end of July, I spent a weekend with church leaders
from the Balama District. We spent one day in a workshop setting discussing initiation
rites for boys and how the church could think creatively about this practice. Then
the next day we had a mini-retreat together; we went to a waterfall about three
hours away were we talked about the power of living water and the need to be
“funnels” and share the blessing of living water with others as we make
disciples of Jesus.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After that weekend I
went on to a village on the other side of Balama where one of our students in
the Theological School was doing a seminar with churches in his area.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was beautiful to hear him using the
materials that he learned in the school, making it his own and sharing it with
others, which of course is our hope – that church leaders will share what they learn
and to bless others in their neighborhood.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s4zUxb84YkI/W21EleGjVEI/AAAAAAAABP4/0fooN15n-IsdEUkdm9H8Ic4hEthlgak2gCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_1839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s4zUxb84YkI/W21EleGjVEI/AAAAAAAABP4/0fooN15n-IsdEUkdm9H8Ic4hEthlgak2gCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_1839.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week we hosted a sustainable agriculture seminar here
with about 30 representatives of farming associations from 5 districts.<span> </span>This seminar focused on how to make communal vegetable
gardens (as opposed to the larger crop-farms) and we took a field trip to see
some other associations growing cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, onions, etc. It has
been great to help connect people we care about with those who can teach them
how to produce more in their farms and gardens.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Later this month we will begin the second semester of 2018
in the Theological Institute; I will be teaching classes on preaching and on
the “Giants” (challenges facing the Church in Cabo Delgado) and Rachel will be
teaching the class on church history.<span> </span>The
first semester was pretty intense for us; in a ten-week span, Rachel and I
taught six week-long classes (and may have almost worn ourselves out…).<span> </span>We were thankful for the stamina to make it
through that stretch, and we hope that God will continue to use the school to
bless these students and the churches they serve.</span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EXozS1QHw78/W21EwjIdrHI/AAAAAAAABP0/FTjIS4zgU_sZiM0pFQWt3xqj_xezHBb6ACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_6104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EXozS1QHw78/W21EwjIdrHI/AAAAAAAABP0/FTjIS4zgU_sZiM0pFQWt3xqj_xezHBb6ACEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_6104.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our departure from Mozambique is coming up quickly on the
horizon; it is a big transition, and we have never done this before!<span> </span>Rachel and I have conspired together several
times to dream and plan and figure out what it looks like to “leave well;” how
to honor the relationships with teammates, churches, and friends that we’ve grown
especially attached to in our fifteen years here.<span> </span>Since our team works with over 70 churches it
is a challenge to figure out how to say goodbye well to people spread out all
over the southern half of this province.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Right now we are really, really (really!) grateful for wise counsel from
mentors to “take a year to say goodbye” as part of healthy leave-taking.<span> </span>We’re also making plans for packing up a
container and stepping through the logistics of moving internationally, so our
brains are going in multiple directions!<span>
</span>Our plan is to arrive in the United States in December and to spend time
with family and supporters in the first few months of 2019 while also looking
for jobs and discerning the direction of the next chapter of our lives.<span> </span>We don’t know where God is leading us next,
so please keep this transition in your prayers; thanks again for supporting us
and this ministry!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Please join us in prayer:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For a good second semester in the Theological Institute</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For resolution of our document issues</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For wisdom and peace about wrapping up our time in
Mozambique well and trust about what God has for our family in the future</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grace and Peace,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alan and Rachel Howell</span></div>
Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-69885618495294245752018-07-06T14:25:00.000+02:002018-07-06T14:50:08.552+02:00Stories Reveal Systems: Using Harry Potter as a pathway to understand The Ideal Team Player<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A few months ago, I read</span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">
</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Patrick Lencioni’s </span><i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">The Ideal Team
Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">He uses a narrative to present what he believes
to be the most important qualities for an ideal team player: Hungry (motivated
or driven); Humble (not greedy, concerned with status or selfish) and Smart (in
interacting with other people, empathetic and plays well with others). </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">These three virtues/skills can be learned and cultivated
in everyone’s life.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The ideal team
player is strong in all three of these behaviors and can be found where the
three circles overlap. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For a summary of Lencioni’s book and definitions for labels on the diagram, click here (</span><a href="https://joemcfadden.blog/2016/07/25/the-ideal-team-player-by-patrick-lencioni-notessummary/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">link</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ideal
Team Player </i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">material is fascinating and I thought it would be interesting to share with
the older kids on our mission team (6</span><sup style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">-9</span><sup style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> grade).</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was pretty sure they would enjoy it, but I
didn’t want to present it in a way that was merely theoretical or based on
stories from my own experience.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I
wondered if it would be possible to use a case study to lead them through a
journey of discovery and</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> wanted them to apply these ideas by exploring it from the angle of characters and stories they
are all familiar with (I'm a big believer in leadership case studies and the power of fiction - see <a href="https://missionexus.org/the-occult-in-mozambique-dramatic-case-studies/">here</a>, <a href="http://missiodeijournal.com/issues/md-8-2/authors/md-8-2-howell1">here</a> and <a href="http://missiodeijournal.com/article.php?issue=md-4-2&author=md-4-2-howell">here</a>).</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> After</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> considered asking
for examples from Star Wars or Ninjago or books they’ve read, it hit me
that J.K. Rowling’s materials were a treasure trove of developed characters to
choose from that all of us were familiar with.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It ended up being an even richer experience than I imagined!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I began by presenting Lencioni’s ideas, definitions, and his
Venn diagram to them and then we tried to place different characters from the
Harry Potter stories in their proper locations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Check out what we came up with:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Some of the characters were easier for us to place than
others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gilderoy Lockhart is obviously a
“Charmer.” And Professor Umbridge occupies the position that Lencioni believes
to be the most dangerous spot on the board: “Skillful Politician.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But other characters were harder to place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, we realized that Neville begins
in the category of “Pawn” but learns to assert himself and moves towards the
intersection of all three virtues (this led to a discussion on how people can
grow and change for the better). Harry is in the center of the map, but was
often tempted to move out of that space (here we recognized that it takes vigilance
to remain an ideal team player).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
kids had fun noting similarities in the origin stories of Voldemort and
Dumbledore and the differences in their life choices (we noticed that having
good parents or a loving community could put someone in a position to succeed
and move towards the center of the diagram). We even had fun guessing where the
Hogwarts’ sorting houses would be located on the diagram (our guesses… Slytherin-Hungry;
Hufflepuff-Humble; Ravenclaw-Smart; and, of course, Gryffindor-Ideal).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Using the Harry Potter story to reveal and better understand
Lencioni’s system helped us then move into the practical questions of how the
kids themselves would define what it means to be hungry, humble, and (people)
smart in their own school setting?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Harry
Potter story helped us bridge the gap from Lencioni’s theory to practice – what
it would look like to make use of these principles in a company, on a mission
team, a group of interns, students working on a project together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It led to reflection on how this knowledge
not only helps us to be better team players but also helps us identify the kind
of team players that we want to work with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After using the Harry Potter story, I gave everyone time to
reflect individually on their own story:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Where are you on this chart?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where
are your strengths and weaknesses?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
circle has the strongest gravitational pull for you (Hungry, Humble or (People)
Smart)?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can you improve and move
towards becoming an Ideal team player?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How can we respond to the challenge to cultivate these virtues?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I really like the way Lencioni’s book (which also, we should
remember, uses a narrative to present these concepts!) ends with a reflection
on the story of Jesus and how Christ’s story also reveals the truth in his
system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Ideal Team Player</i> ends with a final thought that points to
Jesus as the embodiment of all of these virtues – especially the key virtue of
humility.</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“The most compelling example of humility in the history of
mankind can be found in Christ, who humbled himself to share in our
humanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He attracted people of all
kinds when he walked the earth, and continues to do so today, providing an
example of humility that is as powerful as it is countercultural.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so, it is my hope that readers of this
book will take something else away with them and apply it in their lives: an
appreciation for the true gift that it is to be humble and the divine origins
of that virtue.” (215)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From start to finish, Lencioni uses stories to reveal
his system, and Abby, Ellie, Maggie, Luke, Andrew and I found that the Harry
Potter story was a helpful and enjoyable way to explore this material together.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grace and Peace,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">P.S. Special thanks to Ellie Howell for the drawings of these diagrams! </span></div>
<br />Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-27042091277932196402018-06-18T20:55:00.002+02:002018-06-21T17:26:30.036+02:00New Article in Missio Dei Journal!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The “New Perspectives on Paul” has shaped my teaching of the book of Romans in Mozambique. One way to think of it is as a re-contextualization of Western historical-critical scholarship for our setting in Africa... though it is not nearly as boring as that may sound to some... Check out my new article on this topic here:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<a href="http://missiodeijournal.com/issues/md-9-1/authors/md-9-1-howell" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Romans, Reconciliation, and Role-Playing in Mozambique: Benefiting from the "New Perspective on Paul"</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> in Missio Dei: A Journal of Missional Theology and Practice 9, no. 1 (Winter-Spring 2018).</span>Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-19523747218465099172018-06-04T12:16:00.001+02:002018-06-04T12:16:45.939+02:00Book Review: Towards Respectful Understanding and Witness Among Muslims: Essays in Honor of J. Dudley Woodberry<span style="background-color: #783f04; color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Check out my review of <a href="http://missiodeijournal.com/issues/md-9-1/authors/md-9-1-howell2">Towards Respectful Understanding and Witness Among Muslims: Essays in Honor of J. Dudley Woodberry</a> in the Missio Dei Journal.</span>Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-41865653257939898242018-05-21T12:58:00.000+02:002018-05-21T12:58:12.063+02:00New IJFM Article- Jesus as Mwalimu: Christology and the Gospel of Matthew in an African Folk Islamic Context<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A Christological motif that has the potential to be
especially powerful in African Folk Islamic contexts is the idea of Jesus as
holy teacher, or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mwalimu </i>for
Makua-Metto speakers. Matthew’s Gospel is an especially effective guide for
this path as it presents Jesus as the new rabbi, surpassing even Moses. A former intern, Andrew Montgomery, and I wrote an article that evaluates the usefulness and appropriateness of this Christological
approach in northern Mozambique that was published recently in the International Journal of Frontier Missiology. To check it out, click <a href="http://www.ijfm.org/PDFs_IJFM/35_2_PDFs/IJFM_35_2-HowellandMontgomery.pdf">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grace and Peace,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alan</span></div>
<br />Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-3551824992535653832018-05-09T10:43:00.003+02:002018-05-09T10:50:13.047+02:00Story Warren: Parent as Poet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qK5cGuWf6Jw/WvKznx8IVxI/AAAAAAAABOM/hNA6b8YJTCgKP2rhwCf0DYVeUoVvwjMrgCLcBGAs/s1600/Lyre%2BPlayer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="1024" height="216" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qK5cGuWf6Jw/WvKznx8IVxI/AAAAAAAABOM/hNA6b8YJTCgKP2rhwCf0DYVeUoVvwjMrgCLcBGAs/s320/Lyre%2BPlayer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This image has meant a lot to me as I've considered how the vocations of Preacher and Parent intersects with the role of Poet and how understanding the power of words to take flight in the lives of those around us connect us with the Epic Poets of old, like Homer. To read more check out my post, "Parent as Poet" at Story Warren, <a href="https://storywarren.com/parent-as-poet/">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grace and Peace,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alan</span></div>
Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-68035443604504157122018-05-03T20:18:00.000+02:002018-05-03T20:18:37.922+02:00May 2018 Newsletter<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Greetings from Montepuez!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The rains seem to have finally stopped and the weather is
starting to get a bit cooler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s
been a nice change as we’ve started wearing long sleeves and light jackets in
the mornings and evenings this week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We’ve also experienced a big change in our ministry recently
with the inauguration of the Theological School (“Instituto Teológico de Cabo
Delgado” in Portuguese) facilities on April 13th.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Church leaders and government officials and
friends all gathered (around 140 people or so) to cut the ribbon and celebrate
this new stage in the life of the school and our team.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was a beautiful day and went amazingly
smooth. We are so thankful for all the hard work that went into that day –
especially on the part of the Smiths who spearheaded the construction and the
inauguration itself.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bTORalKHwM8/WutPtqr8PMI/AAAAAAAABNQ/_U5ug9QFEp0SmIhwmIPpmR4rBgjQ1haHACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="1600" height="105" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bTORalKHwM8/WutPtqr8PMI/AAAAAAAABNQ/_U5ug9QFEp0SmIhwmIPpmR4rBgjQ1haHACLcBGAs/s400/IMG_1610.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CJ6GuZOXbb4/WutR5_qmbpI/AAAAAAAABNg/XYH40sMGYVA6uGRoW0n7YaXWmEz_DltKgCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-04-13-PHOTO-00001092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CJ6GuZOXbb4/WutR5_qmbpI/AAAAAAAABNg/XYH40sMGYVA6uGRoW0n7YaXWmEz_DltKgCLcBGAs/s320/2018-04-13-PHOTO-00001092.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g51939GFwe4/WutR50L5-WI/AAAAAAAABNk/RK4wfW0_h8coYVolQM5RgIXjcO5Ga_LygCLcBGAs/s1600/2018-04-13-PHOTO-00001102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g51939GFwe4/WutR50L5-WI/AAAAAAAABNk/RK4wfW0_h8coYVolQM5RgIXjcO5Ga_LygCLcBGAs/s320/2018-04-13-PHOTO-00001102.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mM2FK-t2ulw/WutPswStz2I/AAAAAAAABNU/tAijkSeOmq0XM7BM1EaTT62V2vvdUiVnQCEwYBhgL/s1600/DODA6350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mM2FK-t2ulw/WutPswStz2I/AAAAAAAABNU/tAijkSeOmq0XM7BM1EaTT62V2vvdUiVnQCEwYBhgL/s320/DODA6350.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our first semester of classes kicked off a few days later as
I taught the “Introduction to Theology” week-long intensive course with a great
group of 31 students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a mixture
of new and returning students – made up of people from different districts of
Cabo Delgado and a few from Nampula and Zambezia provinces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was such a blessing to use the classroom
after meeting in an open-air pavilion for classes in 2016 and 2017.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our ministry has shifted to spending more
time giving formal training to church leaders with teammates teaching different
week-long classes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This week, I am
teaching a class on “Evangelism, Disciple-Making, and Church Planting” then a
few weeks later a New Testament Survey class and then a couple weeks after that,
Rachel will teach Church History (a class she taught last year).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We recently realized that in a 10-week span,
Rachel or I will be teaching week-long classes 6 times!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So please pray for us to have stamina and
that God will use this time to bless these students and the churches they
serve. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We had a chance to use these new facilities back in March even
before they were finished in order to host the bi-monthly meeting of deacons of
communication and collaboration from all over Cabo Delgado.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were scheduled to meet in a more remote
area but some washed out bridges meant that the location was changed to
Montepuez.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These meetings are important
times where representatives of the 70+ churches gather together to plan and
give counsel to each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that
point the kitchen was still being run out of our family’s yard, but we were
able to use the dining area and classroom to meet in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later that night I realized that the two main
topics they had spent time addressing were deciding on what issue we all would
choose to pray and fast about for the churches in Cabo Delgado and making a
plan for supporting the upcoming women’s conference – Wow - how far things have
come! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is encouraging to see us shift from
all the issues with the rogue church leader and dealing with the ramifications
of his divisiveness in the past to meeting about more constructive topics
regarding the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">During that first week of classes in the Theological School,
Rachel left for Kenya to participate in a women’s retreat there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She really enjoyed getting to fellowship with
other women in ministry in this region of Africa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also left the girls in charge of our
kitchen while she was gone!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Abby (14),
Ellie (12) and Katie (8) did an awesome job making sure we all were fed and
taken care of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is so amazing how much
these girls have grown – we are so proud of them!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In just a few weeks our interns from Harding University will
be here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The eight of them will be
spending six weeks with us learning language and culture and job-shadowing
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the beginning of June, while they
are still here, the churches will host a women’s conference on our team’s
land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has been a few years since they’ve
had on a women’s conference – please pray that God would empower women to shine
the love of Jesus in their homes and communities!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another thing we would like for you to continue praying
about is our team’s residency documents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This issue has been prolonged and complicated and has dragged out for a
couple of years now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please continue to
pray with us as we are still working towards the resolution of this
issue. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DZI2-Ey9cKM/WutPVhoYFwI/AAAAAAAABNE/jLt6bntveyEIOOEJAIUmRCG9uYr7WqCrACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DZI2-Ey9cKM/WutPVhoYFwI/AAAAAAAABNE/jLt6bntveyEIOOEJAIUmRCG9uYr7WqCrACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_5254.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The rainy season started early and went later than normal,
but unfortunately</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <span style="text-align: center;">crops have not done well this year. </span><span style="text-align: center;">Please be in prayer about that as well, our
friends are not in crisis mode, but as so many of them live on the edge, having
an off-year of production makes things more difficult.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">Please pray that God would provide more than
enough so people can share.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">Back in
January, Rachel went with some of her friends to work with them in their farms –
it was a fun time to be together in our last rainy season here.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We mentioned back in January that after a two-year process
involving prayer and input from American and Mozambican colleagues, we’ve
decided to leave Mozambique at the end of 2018 and return to the United States
following a calling to do ministry there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It will be a big transition for the work here and our mission team –
there is still much to be done among the Makua-Metto people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please keep this whole process in your
prayers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our family wants to “leave
well,” not underestimating the impact of stepping away from Mozambique after
completing a commitment to serve 15 years here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We plan to make return visits to remain connected to the work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That upcoming transition is affecting our lives more and
more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our team has begun to shift some
responsibilities off our plates and to others -which has been good, but also a
strange experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We recently bought
plane tickets and will arrive in the United States in December – so the reality
is sinking in more and more!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re
talking about it often as a family and are having a complicated mix of emotions
as we finish out our final year in Mozambique. Please keep this process
in your prayers, both our leaving Mozambique and our moving to the States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks so much for supporting us and this
ministry! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Please join us in prayer:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For a good internship, women’s conference and classes in the
Theological Institute</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For resolution of our document issues</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For wisdom about wrapping up our work in Mozambique well and
trust about what God has for our family in the future</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grace and Peace,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alan and Rachel Howell</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-41739105762014869022018-02-07T18:30:00.000+02:002018-02-07T18:30:10.549+02:00On the Longevity of Bands and Mission Teams<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was listening to a podcast recently where they talked
about how rare it is to find bands that are able to stick together for more
than a few years. They noted that music
groups that can stay together for 10-15+ years while remaining relevant (the U2’s
of the world, for example) are the exception, not the rule. Most bands have much shorter shelf lives. Since that amount of time is as long as our
mission team has been serving together in Mozambique (!), that got me thinking
about potential connections between the longevity of bands and mission teams.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After doing some poking around on the internet, I found that
back in 2015 Dave Segal wrote two pieces on bands from Seattle that either
stayed together or didn’t. While unfortunately
these articles have some bad language, I did find a few interesting quotes from
the pieces that seemed relevant to the lasting power of mission teams as well: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From “Why Do Bands Break Up? Seven Now-Defunct Seattle
Groups Share the Stories of Money, Ego, Bad Luck, and Audience Indifference
That Made Them Call It a Day” (click <a href="https://www.thestranger.com/music/feature/2015/10/14/23005248/why-do-bands-break-up">here</a>)</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Bands are fragile, fraught things. They're like families,
except even more combustible, because art is involved. So many things can go
wrong in a band: Egos can spiral out of control, personalities can clash, drugs
and alcohol can be abused, sexual intrigue can ensue, digestion issues can
wreak havoc. There could even be skill envy. But sometimes the reason things
end is more mundane, if no less emotionally wrenching.”</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From “Why Do Bands Stay Together? Seven Veteran Seattle
Groups Share the Secrets of Their Longevity.” (click <a href="https://www.thestranger.com/music/feature/2015/11/04/23105349/why-do-bands-stay-together">here</a>)</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“If you think it's easy to hold a group of unstable
egomaniacs together while creating music that everyone in said group can stand
playing over and over, well, you've probably never been in a band.”</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the band members “attributes punk and hardcore's
ethos of egalitarianism as another key factor, ‘where everyone has an equal
stake in publishing and money.’ Having no leader…, ‘helped keep any weird,
out-of-control ego fights at bay.’"</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Dunn and drummer Don McGreevy cite communication and mutual
respect as integral, too. Beyond that, Dunn says it's key to understand "‘what
each member is good at within the context of the band. Everybody in this band
has so many different skills. No one person is being satisfied 100 percent of
the time. We try to play to each other's strengths instead of alienating
people.’"</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nokes stated, “‘Like any healthy long-term relationship,
it's about patience and knowing each other's quirks so you can approach
conflict without a meltdown. Being in a band is absolutely insane and
ever-changing, so I guess it's about finding comfort in what can be really
uncomfortable and/or sharing the best moments of your entire life with people
you actually like.’ Further, Nokes states, Tacocat are ‘democratic to a fault...
We each excel at our own corners of band biz, but no one really wants to be
'the leader.' We're each 25 percent of this thing, and that is that.’"</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Not all bands can be the Stones or Rush. The center usually
cannot hold. Dunn puts band dynamics into perspective: ‘We're all… dysfunctional,
semi-nihilistic maniacs just to do this… anyway.’"</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was a lot in those pieces about the longevity of bands
that I resonated with (from structure, to leadership, to buy-in, to basic human nature...). In the context of
a mission team, it can be a challenge to have to keep on playing the “same songs”
and using the “same instruments” and to feel like you are always “on the road
together.” I have heard a number of long term missionaries say that some of the
best and hardest parts of mission work came from the context of the team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just finished reading<b>
</b>Patrick Lencioni’s <i>The Ideal Team
Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues</i>. He talks about how the most important qualities
for an ideal team player are that they are hungry, humble and (people) smart. That is certainly true in the context of a
mission team and my hunch is that it is true in the context of a band, as
well. For a good summary of Lencioni’s
book click <a href="https://joemcfadden.org/2016/07/25/the-ideal-team-player-by-patrick-lencioni-notessummary/">here</a>.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is good to recognize that some band members may need to
express their creativity outside the team’s ministry and do something akin to a
“solo album.” Having an outlet for a different
kind of expression can be really, really helpful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The basic truth, though, and the reason we’ve been at this
so long in Mozambique, is that if a mission team can work effectively, the
synergy they create allows them to make beautiful music together – producing something
even better than what we could each accomplish alone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grace and Peace,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alan</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-13467433016021159982018-01-23T13:17:00.001+02:002018-01-23T13:17:20.780+02:00Poverty: Then and Now<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How should we think
about poverty’s causes and effects?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That question has been an important one for us in our
ministry here in Mozambique. It led me
to do research and interviews resulting in a project that examined the “Giant
of Absolute Poverty” among the Makua-Metto.
You can read more about that project <a href="http://missiodeijournal.com/article.php?issue=md-6-2&author=md-6-2-howell">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’ve been reading through the Edmund Morris’ trilogy on
Theodore Roosevelt – it’s terrific! In his second book, <i>Theodore Rex,</i> I stumbled across a quote that succinctly
encapsulates a part of the problem of poverty that my article didn’t address,
its one I know others have been considering for a while, and I’m becoming
convinced that it needs more attention. In a discussion of both rural and urban
poverty during Roosevelt’s time, Morris notes,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“A laborer might trade his hoe for a hammer, for a few extra
dollars a week, but the increment was meaningless, given urban costs.” (37)</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That sad summation – people who flee poverty in rural areas
and can find a job in urban ones often find they don’t gain any economic ground
because of increased expenses in the city.
I’ve seen this dynamic played out over and over here in the Montepuez
area. We have a number of friends who have
moved from a village setting to leave behind subsistence farming in order to
come to a city to make a living. While they
may find employment, the increased costs of an urban area make the improvement
minimal at best. The hidden expenses of “city
life” swallow up the extra money that can be made in a town like Montepuez.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is a reality that we need to consider carefully – it is
an old problem, and one that is certainly not going away. Urbanization affects how we think about
poverty and how we should think about ministry.
In his book, Understanding Christian Mission, Sunquist notes, “In 1800,
only 3 percent of the world’s people lived in urban areas; by 1900 the
percentage had grown to 14 percent. Over
the next fifty years the number grew to 30 percent, and today it is over 50
percent. Thus, most of the people who are in need of Christian mission and
ministry live in urban areas.” (344) Urbanization
is not inherently bad, instead it can be empowering when we realize that it “creates
traction… God is scooping the masses and placing them carefully together,
making it easier for the gospel to get to them.” (McManus, An Unstoppable
Force, 47).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our team’s work has focused mostly on unreached or
under-reached villages, but it is important to remember that “earliest
Christianity was mostly urban” (Sunquist, 355).
The way of Jesus has found a way to thrive in cities since it's beginnings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The rural/urban difference offers challenges to the way we
think about both poverty and ministry. I
want to keep chewing on these connections and their significance for our work
here…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grace and Peace,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alan</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-30803245875344593892018-01-18T07:48:00.000+02:002018-01-23T13:18:08.261+02:00Chickens vs. Rubies... and the importance of telling One Story<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Chickens are a part of everyday life here in northern
Mozambique. Their behavior <i>really</i> is puzzling. I never fully understood the origins of jokes
made at their expense until I began living among them and had to learn to dodge
them with our car (“Why <i>did</i> the
chicken cross the road?”). They wander
all over the place, pecking here, scratching there, obtaining seemingly
insignificant bites to eat as they scramble haphazardly around. It often seems to me that they must expend
more energy rushing around looking for food than they actually consume...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Digging for rubies, on the other hand, is a process that
looks <i>very</i> different. Rubies were discovered not that far from our
town and the methods that independent miners use for locating and acquiring
them is something that our friends are very familiar with. It involves picking a spot, digging deep, painstakingly
transporting the dirt, and diligently sifting through that dirt to find
something of value.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We work with mostly first-generation Christians here in
Mozambique and a common trap for preachers is attempting to try to say too much
and/or try to use too many biblical texts in one sermon. I teach the Preaching class at the
Theological Institute here in Montepuez.
So, I often reference this comparison between the way chickens eat vs.
digging for rubies to encourage the students to pick just ONE BIBLICAL TEXT and
ONE IDEA to share with the church. We
talk about the importance of not preaching like a chicken (wandering from
biblical text to biblical text, from idea to idea, picking here, pecking there
in a futile attempt to feed on God’s word).
Instead we focus on learning how to encourage the church to follow the
preacher in, using the right tools, digging deep into God’s Word and finding
beautiful, life-changing rubies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another example that illustrates this dynamic well, in my
mind, comes from “Phineas and Ferb.” Unfortunately, our Mozambican friends have
yet to discover this amazing show(!)… so this example would be lost on them…
but I will share it with you. In the
episode, “Norm Unleashed,” our heroes have created nanobots and have used them
to do one amazing thing after another. Their sister Candace, who in every
episode is doing her best to catch her brothers in the act of inventing or
doing something incredible, corners their Mom, attempting to tattle on the
boys: </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Candace:</b> MOM! MOM! Phineas and Ferb are making a
giant tape dispenser, but it's also a faucet, and a rowboat, a baseball hat,
and gingerbread man with a fist for a head, and a pig face --</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Linda:</b> Stop. Okay, your stories are <i>always</i> full
of holes, but it's usually just one story. Here, let me demonstrate. I'll be
the "Candace" and <i>you</i> will be the "beautiful
mother". <i>(Clears throat)</i></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>(Imitating Candace)</i> Mom, Phineas and Ferb have brought Genghis
Khan back from the past and he's teaching the neighbors to throw hatchets from
horseback. <i>(Normal voice)</i> You see? One story.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Candace:</b> <i>(long pause)</i> They'll
probably do that, you know.</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One story! Candace’s
Mom gets this right. This key is telling
one story… digging deep into one text.
That is how you share a message that is meaningful and powerful and
resonates with hearers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Instead of teaching and preaching that wanders around like a
chicken, powerful preaching looks more like digging for rubies and focuses on One Story, inviting the
church along in the discovery process to find life-sustaining treasures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grace and Peace,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alan </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-44793254289373390212018-01-05T11:13:00.000+02:002020-03-18T03:32:11.915+02:00January Newsletter and an Announcement<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Happy New Year from Mozambique!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-76MmNIijQew/Wk88WNPP5kI/AAAAAAAABMY/_tgKLNQuUt4F2Mx-e6U7cGyYW_QVtMqqQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_4966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-76MmNIijQew/Wk88WNPP5kI/AAAAAAAABMY/_tgKLNQuUt4F2Mx-e6U7cGyYW_QVtMqqQCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_4966.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Many of our friends have moved out to their farms, the rainy
season is off to a healthy start, and we are so grateful. Ripe mangoes
are everywhere, mosquito breeding season is in full swing, trees are lush and
green, and the roads are full of potholes! With the strong winds and almost
daily rain, though, we’ve had some problems with our power lines – I’m writing
this newsletter to the rattling and humming of our family’s generator (we are
thankful to have a back-up power supply when the electricity goes out so often
and so unexpectedly!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As seems to happen every year, October through December were
over-full, and it felt like a sprint for Rachel and I to make it to the
holidays. So many projects and programs are concentrated during the dry
season while the roads are still passable and before our Mozambican friends
begin tilling, planting, and hoeing in their farms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H3W1DCPdpJ0/Wk88Fc8VcmI/AAAAAAAABMY/KlDwDFgZt_09vKz6dEAHMG3sIQRuvlzxQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_1046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H3W1DCPdpJ0/Wk88Fc8VcmI/AAAAAAAABMY/KlDwDFgZt_09vKz6dEAHMG3sIQRuvlzxQCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_1046.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In October, I spent a week in Nampula participating in the
translation check of the book of Acts in Makua-Metto. The full
translation of the New Testament into Makua-Metto is still incomplete, and our
teammate Chad Westerholm works regularly with the translation team.
Spending a week observing and assisting with the consultation was an
eye-opening and stretching experience for me; I really enjoyed working with
translation team. To read more of my reflections on this experience check
out the blog post <a href="http://howellsinmoz.blogspot.com/2017/10/acts-and-allies.html">"Acts and Allies"</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AbMzhUPJOHw/Wk9BDKYqD3I/AAAAAAAABMs/jHVWBPfyzqoGjh7XhFHUIA8K51ebVVcmQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AbMzhUPJOHw/Wk9BDKYqD3I/AAAAAAAABMs/jHVWBPfyzqoGjh7XhFHUIA8K51ebVVcmQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_4742.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You could say that long term transformation of individuals
and communities into new creations really is the ultimate goal (here and
everywhere!) – and this makes mentoring leaders so crucial. A few months ago,
one deacon serving in the area of communication and collaboration for his
church cluster was removed from that role for stealing church funds for his
personal use. So, on a recent Sunday those five churches from that area
worshiped together in Nikanda and chose a new deacon to serve in that
role. We first met Pedro, the man they all agreed on together, years ago
when he became a Christian as a teenager; please pray for him and other
leaders, that they will not cultivate selfish power but instead to grow into
servant leaders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LAt94DB1bxA/Wk88D3w6gZI/AAAAAAAABMY/dOOD1WJkztcp4M7c6vgMPoCmiJzFS_uOACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_1134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LAt94DB1bxA/Wk88D3w6gZI/AAAAAAAABMY/dOOD1WJkztcp4M7c6vgMPoCmiJzFS_uOACEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_1134.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The sustainable agriculture program has been going well.
After the training seminar in September Jessica put together a report
using the participant data to help us decide what future directions to take;
eventually we decided to buy high quality seed for distribution to the
different village associations this year – we’re hoping that will not only
increase their production but also improve seed quality in their areas.
These associations are spread out over five different districts and are our
primary avenue for teaching and encouraging conservation agriculture principles
in local farms. Jessica also has been organizing short videos in
Makua-Metto about sustainable farming practices for us to share on SD cards.
The long-term teaching potential of these videos is exciting; having
short training videos available for people to watch on their phones and share
with their neighbors can help spread the information about increasing crop
production to reduce the yearly hunger season and increase the church’s
capacity to share.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OxO9GZ-e-Ro/Wk88H4y9YVI/AAAAAAAABMY/ut__5dObbp4UOWqIrrbpVCY6-XD7OCAPACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_1442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OxO9GZ-e-Ro/Wk88H4y9YVI/AAAAAAAABMY/ut__5dObbp4UOWqIrrbpVCY6-XD7OCAPACEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_1442.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In December, I was able to reconnect with two young men that
we’ve been discipling over the years; they both have had scholarship sponsors
to begin university study in nearby cities, so it’s difficult to see them
except when they are on school holidays. It was a blessing to get to work
with one of them who took the initiative to put on a youth conference in
Montepuez for students on school holidays. That same week I got to study
through Ephesians with the other young man, and also spend time exploring the
ways God is working in the Makua-Metto culture. Helping students to
further their education is an important investment for the future of the church
in Mozambique. We still need to find scholarship sponsors for these two
young men and another young woman (between $1000 and $2000 for each of them –
that amount covers all their school fees and room and board for the year –
pretty good deal!). If you are interested in helping with any of
these scholarships, let us know and we can send you more information.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NDwx-T9yuIs/Wk8_sjQf6YI/AAAAAAAABMg/ts1VOkKONmQv1IMil6Jda4t2CxVr4SIOACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NDwx-T9yuIs/Wk8_sjQf6YI/AAAAAAAABMg/ts1VOkKONmQv1IMil6Jda4t2CxVr4SIOACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_5036.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The bulk of our team’s time and energy these last three
months, however, has been invested in the Theology School (“Instituto
Teológico de Cabo Delgado” in Portuguese). Jeremy Smith has been working
hard on the construction of a classroom building and cafeteria/kitchen;
construction is almost complete and should be ready for inauguration right
before classes start in April. It is amazing and encouraging to look back
over the development of this school since its beginning a few years ago when
our team recognized that it was time to begin offering more formal training for
church leaders. In year 1 (2016) of the Bible school, we had 51
different students. Including the data from year 2 (2017) our total number of
students is 121! These students come from 8 different church backgrounds,
5 districts from Cabo Delgado as well as students from Nampula and Zambezia
Provinces.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lgXuXr2AclM/Wk88EsMIquI/AAAAAAAABMY/F6dahIkNmhQo4UWscHElZLuqK8dIfyCVwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_1118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lgXuXr2AclM/Wk88EsMIquI/AAAAAAAABMY/F6dahIkNmhQo4UWscHElZLuqK8dIfyCVwCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_1118.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Over the past two years our team has taught 22 classes
(offering 10 out of the 14 required courses). I recently taught the
New Testament Survey class in September, a class on “Giants: Challenges Facing
the Church in Cabo Delgado” in October, and a Preaching class in December, and
Rachel taught a week-long, intensive Church History course; she had 15 students
and they loved her class. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rGOPugG-YCc/Wk88YV2r4bI/AAAAAAAABMY/250e20nQMRwvZpRlsYjM_M1OHRfTeig3ACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_5015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rGOPugG-YCc/Wk88YV2r4bI/AAAAAAAABMY/250e20nQMRwvZpRlsYjM_M1OHRfTeig3ACEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_5015.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Over the past three months Rachel finished up studying
through the Sermon on the Mount with women in the Ancuabe district as well as a
few other studies in other villages and in town. She also juggled an
online theology class from HST, participating in young women’s initiation
ceremonies, teaching some science and some Portuguese in our team school, as
well as taking our team kids through a survey of the Old Testament culminating
in Advent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_5j3Wv43d8o/Wk88KQRBhtI/AAAAAAAABMA/Scfo3h4kbGcQOZAPZccpZN-sZ6QS8C7mQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_5j3Wv43d8o/Wk88KQRBhtI/AAAAAAAABMA/Scfo3h4kbGcQOZAPZccpZN-sZ6QS8C7mQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_4566.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We mentioned difficulties with our team’s residency
documents in the last <a href="http://howellsinmoz.blogspot.com/2017/09/september-2017-newsletter.html">newsletter</a>; thank you for praying
about this with us! This issue has been prolonged over more than two years now,
and has been further complicated by some religious violence in a city about
five hours away, and then additionally delayed by leadership changes at the
provincial level. Please continue to pray with us as we are still working
towards the resolution of this issue. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HnJK5qnSEv8/Wk88TSQSAYI/AAAAAAAABMM/Zp6vol4OI5Me9Fwc-Z6boJWreZm1IosgACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HnJK5qnSEv8/Wk88TSQSAYI/AAAAAAAABMM/Zp6vol4OI5Me9Fwc-Z6boJWreZm1IosgACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_4893.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The big news for our family, though, is that after much
prayer and seeking input from American and Mozambican colleagues, we have
decided to leave Mozambique in December of 2018 and return to the United States.
It is strange to begin wrapping up this chapter of life for our family – we
love our work here, and our girls have grown up knowing Mozambique as home.
We’ve begun to experience a swirl of emotions as we try to intentionally plan
our final year in Mozambique; hope for the future and also grief in the
upcoming goodbyes. That decision to leave is popping up in more and more
conversations with Mozambican church leaders as plans are being made for this
year and beyond. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--uTZ4bdXjUM/Wk88OYJjSII/AAAAAAAABMY/tpa1yvl6VvcMHXrwN-h1MfWNMs_p0SXigCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_4770.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--uTZ4bdXjUM/Wk88OYJjSII/AAAAAAAABMY/tpa1yvl6VvcMHXrwN-h1MfWNMs_p0SXigCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_4770.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Please keep this process in your prayers, both our leaving
Mozambique and our moving to the States. We want to “leave well,” not
underestimating the impact of stepping away from Mozambique after 15
years. We also want to move forward in trust; we don’t yet know where we
will be going or what we will be doing next, and we are waiting on God.
Thanks so much for supporting us and this ministry! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Please join us in prayer:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li>For healthy farms and healthy people during the rainy season</li>
<li>For church growth and maturity</li>
<li>For resolution of our document issues</li>
<li>For wisdom about wrapping up our work in Mozambique and
peace about what God has for our family in the future</li>
</ul>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grace and Peace,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alan and Rachel Howell</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-89233784566113970802017-11-17T09:08:00.002+02:002017-11-17T09:10:23.871+02:00Into All the World<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Harding University Alumni Magazine asked a few missionaries serving in different parts of the globe to write a letter to the people they serve. It was a difficult prompt for Rachel and I (hard to be concise!), but it was a good exercise. You can check out the piece, "Into all the world," <a href="https://hunet.harding.edu/wordpress/harding/2017/11/14/into-all-the-world/">here.</a></span>Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-32102934951680917352017-11-17T08:54:00.001+02:002017-11-17T08:54:44.889+02:00Review of Canoeing the Mountains<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a9EI9y5hVyI/Wg6HaISjhbI/AAAAAAAABLg/mLIXt3s7uIMG_FiM0rw1L5W6XEAaSrp5wCLcBGAs/s1600/Bolsinger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="186" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a9EI9y5hVyI/Wg6HaISjhbI/AAAAAAAABLg/mLIXt3s7uIMG_FiM0rw1L5W6XEAaSrp5wCLcBGAs/s1600/Bolsinger.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Check out my </span><a href="http://missiodeijournal.com/issues/md-8-2/authors/md-8-2-howell2" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Review of Tod Bolsinger, Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory</a><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> in Missio Dei: A Journal of Missional Theology and Practice 8, no. 2 (Summer-Fall 2017).</span>Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-66973947776737139002017-11-03T08:17:00.002+02:002017-11-03T08:17:34.556+02:00New Article in Missio Dei Journal<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Check out my new article in the Missio Dei Journal - <a href="http://missiodeijournal.com/issues/md-8-2/authors/md-8-2-howell1">When Having a Bad Leader is Good: Processing a Negative Experience and Applying Leadership Lessons from the Kings</a>!</span>Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-17580763371959834192017-10-25T20:20:00.002+02:002017-10-25T20:20:48.035+02:00Team Missions as a Collective Game<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i89iPcVUd2c/WfDV589ZCFI/AAAAAAAABLQ/2qI1QbhWoH0BAQJThVIelP2hp6RVu35nACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i89iPcVUd2c/WfDV589ZCFI/AAAAAAAABLQ/2qI1QbhWoH0BAQJThVIelP2hp6RVu35nACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_1100.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Game playing has been a part of our mission team’s culture from
the beginning. While we were still
living in the USA in 2000-2003 we would meet regularly to do team formation
activities, work out details about where and how we would serve in Africa, meet
with missions teachers and mentors… and have fun together, too! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even now, after being in Mozambique for almost 14 years,
game playing is still part of our team culture.
Every Tuesday night we share a meal, worship together, put the kids to
bed, and play games. Each family has
their own collection of games and depending on whose house we are at that week,
there’s a bunch of different game options that we can bring to the table. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are basically two kinds of games. There are <b>competitive games</b>, where individual players, or a team of players, is
trying to beat the other participants (like Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne,
Settlers of Catan). In contrast, <b>collective games</b>, on the other hand,
are different in that all the players are working together to win as a group (like
Pandemic, Forbidden Island or Flashpoint).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While our team enjoys <i>playing</i>
both kinds of games, we <i>function</i> best
when we remember that what we are doing here in Mozambique is not a competitive
game, it is a collective game. When we
get distracted and start thinking or worrying about which one of us is “winning”
(who gets the credit for this or that), then we’ve begun playing the wrong kind
of game. If we forget the truth that we
all win or lose this thing together… that’s when things start to fall apart. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Often that means that team members end up “taking one for
the team” and do things behind the scenes that could often go unnoticed. So, one of the keys has been remembering to
name and celebrate together our collective wins. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We win or lose this
thing together.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In my mind, Romans 12 may be the most underrated… and yet the
most important chapter in Paul’s letters for team missions. It provides a powerful vision of what it
means to serve and minister together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">May God help us see clearly that <i>we win or lose this thing together</i> in Jesus’ name.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grace and Peace,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alan </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-76765794388722144862017-10-23T13:19:00.000+02:002017-10-23T13:19:08.421+02:00Story Warren: The Soundtrack of Childhood<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br /></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Check out a new post I wrote for Story Warren, </span><a href="http://www.storywarren.com/the-soundtrack-of-childhood/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The Soundtrack of Childhood</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, for some thoughts on what it means
for the Islamic Call to Prayer to be a part of our lives here in Mozambique. Enjoy!</span><br />
<br />Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-78459967927955556902017-10-11T20:56:00.001+02:002018-05-16T20:24:40.920+02:00Acts and Allies<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Lately, the story of Philip has captured my imagination. Acts 8 tells the story of his encounter with the
Ethiopian Eunuch. It is a powerful story
of the first convert to Christianity outside of Abraham’s family. And it is a fun story to teach here in
Mozambique. The area we live in is
predominantly Muslim and a critique often leveled by people here against
disciples of Jesus is: “Oh, Christianity, that’s a European religion… the true
religion of Africa is Islam.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, it is inspiring to walk through this text with our Makua-Metto
friends and point out that the first story of an individual non-Jew or non-Samaritan to become a
Christian was not of an American, Portuguese, Korean or Chinese… he was an African. AND his baptism and subsequent return to Ethiopia
happened roughly 600 years before Muhammad was born and about 700 years before
Islam eventually made its way to Africa.
So, Christianity existed on this continent for around seven centuries
before Islam did. That fact may not mean
much to you, but it does to them. It has
been fun to see how moving it is, both encouraging and empowering, to tell
first generation Christians in this area that Christianity is THEIR religion! An African paved the way for the rest of us
Gentile Christians, myself included, and they should be proud of that! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another reason why this story has been appealing to me is
that I have found myself identifying more with Philip. Philip is called outside of his normal realm
of experience to play a role that he surely didn’t expect (he’s already moved
from Jerusalem to Samaria and now this?).
Philip certainly isn’t the hero of this story and it would be difficult
to prove that the Ethiopian Eunuch is the main character either. Instead the real protagonist is the Holy
Spirit. It is God who is primarily at
work to save and to bless. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M53oVJz_-ss/Wd5pFneUMzI/AAAAAAAABLA/S4QmCAs23YsX43EGViYoD3lgwnOtcD-9QCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M53oVJz_-ss/Wd5pFneUMzI/AAAAAAAABLA/S4QmCAs23YsX43EGViYoD3lgwnOtcD-9QCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_1046.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’m in Nampula this week helping out with the consultation check
of the translation of the book of Acts in Makua-Metto.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now, I’m not a linguist or a translator so it
has been a stretching experience – a challenge to know how to help
appropriately. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On my first morning
working with the translation team, our friend Domingos Aurelio shared a
devotional thought from Mark chapter 2, the story of the four friends who
carried the paralytic to Jesus.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">He
talked about how all of them had to work together to carry the person. They even
had to break a hole in the roof to lower this man down to the Lord.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the same way that they had to be careful
to match each other’s speed and follow each other’s lead to effectively work
together to meet a common objective, we too needed to pay attention to each
other and find a way to collaborate to bring this translation work before the
Lord and the people of Mozambique.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I recently read Drick Boyd’s book, <i>White Allies in the Struggle for Racial Justice</i>. As someone who has struggled to understand my
role as an outsider working to be a blessing here to our African friends and
neighbors, I have hungered for appropriate models of what it looks like to do
that well. Boyd tells the stories of white
Americans who resisted the pull of their own cultures to participate as
partners or allies with African-Americans to make a more just system. It was encouraging and challenging to read
about how these men and women allied with neighbors of different backgrounds
and skin colors at, sometimes, great personal cost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This language of “allies” is controversial. Some find it patronizing while others believe
it is appropriate. I don’t have the
answer to that question or know a better label that should be used. What I do know is that the language of “being
allies” has been a helpful way of framing our engagement with the work in
Mozambique – both in relation to what God is doing and what Mozambicans are
doing themselves. Philip was an ally to
the Ethiopian Eunuch – helping and blessing as he could. The four friends were allies to the paralytic
– doing what it took to bring about his healing through Christ. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is a debate in missions about where the vision for
ministry or development should come from. Ideally it should come from insiders,
correct? Does it invalidate a vision then
if it comes from outsiders? And what if insiders
have yet to recognize the need or don’t have the resources to respond? And if insiders and outsiders do work
together <a href="http://howellsinmoz.blogspot.com/2014/02/understanding-partnership-in-missions.html?m=0" target="_blank">what should partnership look like?</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Those are challenging questions without
simple answers. But, I find it
instructive that in the biblical narrative we see the vision for change in a
given region coming from both insiders and outsiders. For example, the prophet Amos was an outsider.
He left his home in the southern kingdom of Judah to go to preach a message of
repentance to the wealthy in the northern kingdom of Israel. But, Micah was an insider who preached his
message to the people of Judah, his own region.
God can use both insiders and outsiders to cast a vision for what life
should look like.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Going through the book of Acts this week, considering Peter
and Cornelius, Paul and Tabitha and others, I’m reminded that whether
we are insiders or outsiders what matters most is allying ourselves with the
mission of God and finding others who are on that path, who are partnering with
God as well, listening well and allying ourselves with them, too. It won’t be easy, like Philip we may end up way
outside our comfort zones, but it is there that we will likely see the power of
God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grace and Peace,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alan</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-66859727147049996152017-10-05T08:11:00.003+02:002017-10-05T09:48:16.665+02:00Charcoal and Rejection/Redemption<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cnYKcuObWh8/WdXMjY8xDwI/AAAAAAAABKw/LcSTMlTCdDsksdUBsSI5CIX3mOTG9GHiQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cnYKcuObWh8/WdXMjY8xDwI/AAAAAAAABKw/LcSTMlTCdDsksdUBsSI5CIX3mOTG9GHiQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_1025.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I remember clearly the day that we learned the word for coal
in Portuguese - carvão. Our mission team was in Lisbon to learn to speak the
national language of Mozambique, a former Portuguese colony. It was pretty early in our language study and
when we saw “carvão” in class we pictured large train cars full of coal that
had been mined underground. “Well, this little word certainly won’t be useful,”
we thought. “We should be learning more meaningful, practical words.” Our team
joked that this was an insignificant word, unimportant, and not worthy of
remembering. Little did we know that
charcoal or carvão would be a common things we encountered in northern
Mozambique - it is everywhere in Makua-Metto culture. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Early in the morning, here in Montepuez, you can hear men walking
through town yelling out: “Makhala, Makhala.” They are announcing in the Makua-Metto
language that they have charcoal for sale as they carry their big sacks on the
back of their bicycles. It plays an
important role in the local economy - Mozambican men go out into the woods and spend
days making the charcoal to then sell it to others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When we go out to villages for visits or teaching, people
often ask us to transport sacks of charcoal for them. When we do, the fine, black powder of
charcoal dust covers the back of our truck and gets on my hands and
clothes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Charcoal, Carvão, Makhala – whatever you want to call it, it
is everywhere! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In John’s Gospel, the word for “charcoal fires” seems insignificant. But it plays prominently in the story of
Peter – at his betrayal or rejection of Jesus at the house of Caiphas as well
as his redemption on the beach having breakfast with the risen Christ. Eugene Peterson summarizes the story well:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“It was a cold night, and Peter and others were warming
themselves at a charcoal fire (<i>anthrakian</i>,
18:18). Peter was questioned by other
spectators in the courtyard that night about whether he knew Jesus. Peter answered three times with a denial… Now
on the Galilee beach, Peter has just eaten a breakfast cooked by Jesus over
another charcoal fire (the same word, <i>anthrakian</i>).
When the Galilee beach conversation started, Peter couldn’t have known where it
was going. But when Jesus put his
question to Peter a third time, Peter’s three denials the week before, while
warming himself at a similar charcoal fire as Jesus was on trial before
Caiaphas, pulled the memory of that awful night of shame into the present. So <i>that’s</i>
why there are three. The three Jesus questions
on the Galilee beach reverse and redeem Peter’s three denials at the trial the
week before in Jerusalem. The three affirmations
of love harness Peter into continuing Jesus’s work – ‘Feed my sheep’ – a change
of vocation, no longer a fisherman but a shepherd following in the steps of the
great Shepherd of the sheep. It is a remarkable story. Peter… is now forgiven,
is restored to continue Jesus’s work. Peter, for as long as he lived, never
forgot the link between the night of denials and this morning of grace.” (Peterson, As Kingfishers Catch Fire, 355)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The word for charcoal (<i>anthrakian</i>
in Greek) could justifiably be perceived as insignificant in the New
Testament. If my counting is correct, it
only occurs these two times (Jon 18:18 and 21:9). But my hunch is that this
word is anything but insignificant for Peter. His rejection happened in
conversation around a charcoal fire at night and his restoration and
rehabilitation occurs in conversation around a charcoal fire in the morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It makes me wonder if every time Peter smelled a charcoal
fire or got charcoal dust on his hands or clothes he remembered those charcoal
conversations and how Jesus could even use seemingly insignificant things to help turn rejection into redemption. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grace and Peace,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alan</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-54207648383906764012017-10-02T21:45:00.000+02:002017-10-02T21:55:49.434+02:00Counting and Makua Culture<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NMAqewNpvw0/WdKMjoByoVI/AAAAAAAABKc/glcQFatklw86qcpqmsF08P1TscYI1JVpgCLcBGAs/s1600/Metodo%2BMacua%2BBook%2BCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1150" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NMAqewNpvw0/WdKMjoByoVI/AAAAAAAABKc/glcQFatklw86qcpqmsF08P1TscYI1JVpgCLcBGAs/s320/Metodo%2BMacua%2BBook%2BCover.jpg" width="230" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We speak the Makua-Metto language, but in the province south
of us, Nampula, they speak a different dialect known simply as Macua or Makua. Most of the villages we work in speak
Makua-Metto (in the districts of Montepuez, Balama, Namuno, Ancuabe, Pemba) or
Makua-Saka (in the district of Chiure). But in the southern part of the Namuno
district in the administrative post of Macoka, near the Lurio River, the people
there speak the Makua dialect from Nampula. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This Sunday, I traveled down to worship with churches in
that area. Along the way, a few of us
talked about something I’ve been curious about for a while – their counting
system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here’s a video of our friend Aquimo Saibo counting from #1-30. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy7LOY_lIxiDpi1KGS_PcbR2hr4jeybmZ9x_IuDgFQEegaCOhdIxtHmSvKmcDsB64ds6YW6qYuP7vDTLGXxZA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now you might think it is interesting the way Aquimo starts
counting with his pinkie finger and then when he gets to ten, he shows that by
putting his fists together. My
Mozambican friends often think it is odd if I start counting with my index
finger… (for more on culture and body language differences in Moz see my post from a few years back: <a href="http://howellsinmoz.blogspot.com/2013/11/whats-in-shrug.html" target="_blank">"What's in a Shrug?"</a>) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anyways, what I think is really interesting is their
counting system as a whole. We’ve wondered
if it is should be categorized as a base-five number system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here are pages 225 and 226 from Gino Centis’s book <i>Método Macua</i> (2000), along with a few
observations for clarification:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Both Makua-Metto and Makua use a noun class
system and numbers must correspond to the noun class of what you are
counting.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">For example, in Nampula Makua,
if you were counting people you would say: mmosa, ànli, araru, axexe, athanu.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">But if you were counting goats you would say:
emosa, pìli, tthàru, xexe, thanu.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Those
are examples of two different noun classes and their impact on the counting
system.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">The four columns that follow on
the page are examples of each of the four noun classes.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">(Ah, so fun and complicated…)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">As you go down the list you can see that literally
the way they count is:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->One to Ten: 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 5+1; 5+2; 5+3; 5+4;
10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">b.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Eleven to Twenty: 10+1; 10+2; 10+3; 10+4; 10+5;
10+5+1; 10+5+2; 10+5+3; 10+5+4; 2 of 10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">c.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Twenty-One to Thirty: (2 of 10)+1; (2 of 10)+2; (2
of 10)+3; (2 of 10)+4; (2 of 10)+5; (2 of 10)+5+1; (2 of 10)+5+2; (2 of
10)+5+3; (2 of 10)+5+4; 3 of 10.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">d.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Once you get to 100 (on page 226) – it is
literally “a group of ten of ten”).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-auSwmM8dk-8/WdKMdFPEAXI/AAAAAAAABKU/fyCxEqts_8IbLdUCui-SbYWknVtN-afbwCLcBGAs/s1600/Metodo%2BMacua%2B-%2BGino%2BCentis%2Bp%2B225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1151" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-auSwmM8dk-8/WdKMdFPEAXI/AAAAAAAABKU/fyCxEqts_8IbLdUCui-SbYWknVtN-afbwCLcBGAs/s640/Metodo%2BMacua%2B-%2BGino%2BCentis%2Bp%2B225.jpg" width="456" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-46-QbVQFFKI/WdKMeVkaSnI/AAAAAAAABKY/vBYLtPYQ5rk5EOxqGorcEzR7LE8qzh7MgCLcBGAs/s1600/Metodo%2BMacua%2B-%2BGino%2BCentis%2Bp%2B226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1147" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-46-QbVQFFKI/WdKMeVkaSnI/AAAAAAAABKY/vBYLtPYQ5rk5EOxqGorcEzR7LE8qzh7MgCLcBGAs/s640/Metodo%2BMacua%2B-%2BGino%2BCentis%2Bp%2B226.jpg" width="457" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Some more observations:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Interestingly, if you look up the word they use
for ten, Muloko, in </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Dicionario
Macua-Português</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"> (1990, p. 151), the first meaning that is given is “group,
line or list”; then the secondary meaning that is given is “ten or group of
ten.” So, in Nampula Makua, Muloko is “group”
or “ten” and Miloko is the plural form which means “groups” or “tens.” As a side note, that word Muloko is also used
among the Lomwe people (a sub-dialect of Makua) as a name for the church. The churches of Christ among the Lomwe
people, for example, often refer to themselves as “Muloko a Kristu,” or “the
group of Christ.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">If the Makua Nampula number system seems cumbersome to you,
rest assured that Makua people that I’ve talked to also find it difficult. They say that once you count to 20, 30 or above,
Makua people will almost always switch to Portuguese (the national language
that is taught in schools).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">For the Makua-Metto people in Cabo Delgado, their number system
follows a 1-10 system. Their numbers 1-5
are very similar to Makua from Nampula, but 6-10 are normally borrowed from
Swahili (the language spoken in Tanzania just north of us).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’m not exactly sure, but as far as I understand what the
Nampula Makua speakers are using is not truly a base-5 system. Instead it seems
like a hybrid system where “two groups of fives” forms a “ten group” that is
added to from there. I would love to
hear any thoughts on what this system should be called. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thanks for indulging my curiosity for a few minutes! I hope it added up to an interesting blog
post on the intersection of counting and culture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grace and Peace,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alan</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-60855422724071273732017-09-29T15:20:00.000+02:002017-09-29T15:23:18.941+02:00Ty Cobb, the Wrath of God, and the Power of Fake News<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ty Cobb, as baseball fans are aware, is famous for being an
amazing player. He was the first person
voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and still holds the record for having the
highest lifetime batting average. He is
also certainly one of baseball’s most <i>infamous</i>
players - widely known for being an angry, racist, and wrathful individual.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Charles Leerhsen, author of the award-winning book <i>Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty</i>, in a
fascinating <a href="https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/who-was-ty-cobb-the-history-we-know-thats-wrong/" target="_blank">speech</a> shows
that much of what we think we know about Ty Cobb is… wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Leerhsen tells the story of how in doing basic research by using
original sources, he quickly discovered that, while Cobb was not perfect, he
was certainly not the rage monster popular opinion has made him out to be. It turns out that a man named Al Stump, a
hack writer, wrote a scandalous piece about Mr. Cobb that was shared over and
over by people who were trying to correct its errors but instead ended up
perpetuating a lie.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yes, it seems that Ty Cobb’s legacy was a victim of fake
news.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And it seems that popular culture wanted to believe in a
caricature (“Cobb was a wrathful person and player”) more than they wanted a complete
picture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But, Ty Cobb is not the only “wrathful” victim of fake news
– there is another whose reputation has been misshaped and mishandled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Many people have misperceived God as a mad, violent
deity. This is an extremely popular view
(remember, the most famous and formative sermon in American history is Jonathan
Edwards’ “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”!). Many of us have heard and incorporated
narratives of God as wrathful and those misconceptions have taken on a life of
their own. That “fake news” has become
the story we expected, wanted and embraced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But if we follow Leerhsen’s example and do a little digging,
will the research support that perception?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the New Testament, the Greek words often translated as
anger, rage, indignation or wrath are used both in reference to God and in reference
to humans. I’ve categorized the verses below
using the NIV:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Texts that caution humans against being
wrathful/angry/indignant:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->1 Cor. 13:5 – Love, “does not dishonor others,
it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">b.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Eph. 4:26 - “’In your anger do not sin’: Do not
let the sun go down while you are still angry,”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">c.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Eph. 4:31 – “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and
anger”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">d.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Col 3:8 – “rid yourselves of… anger, rage…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->1 Tim 2:8 – “lift up holy hands in prayer,
without anger or disputing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">f.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->James 1:19 – “everyone should be… slow to become
angry.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">g.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->James 1:20 – “because human anger does not
produce the righteousness that God desires.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Texts that tell humans to hate evil and
wrongdoing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Rom 12:9 – “Hate what is evil; cling to what is
good”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Texts that refer to a connection between law and
wrath:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Romans 4:15 – “because the law brings wrath. And
where there is no law there is no transgression.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Texts that refer to Jesus being angry:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Mark 3:5 – Jesus, “looked around at them in
anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man,
“Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely
restored.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Texts where God is described as having anger/hate/wrath:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->John 3:36 – John the Baptist says, “Whoever
believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see
life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">b.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Rom. 1:18 – “The wrath of God is being revealed
from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the
truth by their wickedness.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">c.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Rom 2:5 – “But because of your stubbornness and your
unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of
God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">d.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Rom 2:7-8 – “To those who by persistence in
doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who
reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Rom 3:5 – “But if our unrighteousness brings out
God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in
bringing wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.)”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">f.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Rom 9:22 – “What if God, choosing to show his
wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his
wrath – prepared for destruction?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">g.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Rom 12:19 – “Do not take revenge, my dear
friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to
avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">h.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Rom. 13:4 – Christians should respect human
government because “He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment
on the wrongdoer.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">i.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Eph. 5:5-7 – “For of this you can be sure: No
immoral, impure or greedy person – such a man is an idolater – has any
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because
of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not
be partners with them.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">j.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Col 3:6 – Paul instructs them to leave behind a
list of sins… “Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">k.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->1 Thess. 2:16 – The people persecuting the
Christians “heap up their sins to the limit.
The wrath of God has come upon them at last.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">l.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Heb. 3:11 & 4:3 (citing Psalm 95:11) –
Because of Israel’s disobedience and rebellion… “I declared an oath in my
anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">6.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Texts that refer to the destruction of Jerusalem
or a future punitive judgment<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Matt 3:7-8 & Luke 3:7 – John the Baptist
says to the Pharisees and Sadducees, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to
flee from the coming wrath? Repent!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">b.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Luke 21:23 – Jesus in talking about the upcoming
destruction of Jerusalem says: “How dreadful it will be in those days for
pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land
and wrath against this people.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">c.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Eph. 2:3 – “All of us also lived among them at
one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and
thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">7.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Texts that refer to the way Jesus saves us from
wrath or future punitive judgment:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Romans 5:9 – “Since we have now been justified
by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">b.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->1 Thess. 1:10 – Paul refers to how they’ve
stopped worshipping idols and are now following Jesus, “who rescues us from the
coming wrath.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">c.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->1 Thess. 5:9 – “For God did not appoint us to
suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">8.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Texts that refer to wrath in the book of
Revelation<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text">a.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Rev. 6:16-17 – “They called to the
mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits
on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! <span class="text">For the great
day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="text">b.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Rev. 11:18 – “<span class="text">The
nations were angry, </span><span class="text">and
your wrath has come.</span><br />
<span class="text">The time has come for judging the dead, </span><span class="text">and
for rewarding your servants the prophets </span><span class="text">and your people who revere your name, </span><span class="text">both
great and small—</span><br />
<span class="text">and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">c.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Rev. 14:10 - “they, too, will drink the wine of
God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They
will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of
the Lamb.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">d.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Revelation 14:19 – “The angel swung his sickle
on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of
God’s wrath.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Revelation 15:1 – “I saw in heaven another great
and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with
them God’s wrath is completed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">f.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Revelation 15:7 – “Then one of the four living
creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of
God, who lives for ever and ever.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">g.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Revelation 16:1 – “Then I heard a loud voice
from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven bowls of
God’s wrath on the earth.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">h.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Rev. 16:19 – “The great city split into three
parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the
Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">i.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Rev. 19:15 – “Coming out of his mouth is a sharp
sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron
scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While there certainly are a basketful of references to God’s
anger/wrath, it would be interesting to follow that up with a study of how many
times God described as loving or holy or good.
My guess is that there would be significantly more than references to
his wrath…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But, my objective in this post is not to ask you to ignore references to anger/wrath/indignation on God’s part. Instead, I think the references to wrath of
God have been misread and have distorted our image of God. There are two examples that I’ve found helpful
in trying to understand the relationship between anger and the Almighty. </span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Memory
and Children – Let’s imagine a mother who asked her grown daughter to relate
how she remembers her childhood.<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The
daughter responds by saying that her clearest memory is of her mom grabbing her
gruffly by the side of a busy road.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The
mother’s mouth hangs open in shock as she considers all the eating and playing
and enjoying each other’s company that happened over the years. As they discuss
the memory, it turns out that what the daughter is recalling is the one time
when the mother had to save the daughter by pulling her out of a busy street to
protect her from a passing car.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Could it
be that the stories of intense emotion, the ones that may stand out the most, may
not be the ones that should define our overall experience of God?</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">If they seem out of character, could there
be a good reason for that?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Maps
and Globes – Taking a 3D object and turning it into a 2D image inevitably
distorts it. Because of this most
of the maps in our classrooms and offices are wildly inaccurate. Greenland looks to be the same size as
Africa in those pictures, but the truth is tha</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t is laughably
incorrect.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Any time we squash
something flat to get it to fit on a page, we will alter what it is in
reality.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think that is similar to
how we have misinterpreted the wrath of God – by smashing a view of God
flat on a page we have distorted God’s important desire for justice as modeled
in Scripture and made it into a dominant feature on the theological
landscape when in reality – it is just cold, small, (and relevantly minor)
Greenland.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the rest of this post I would like to examine this topic
by asking a few questions and sharing some observations. So here goes…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Does the phrase “wrath of God” mean what we
think it means?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One text from the Old Testament that can help us address
this issue of God’s wrath is found in Psalm 7:10-16. That psalm talks about God as a righteous
judge who prepares to go against the ungodly **in wrath** but interestingly the
examples given in the following verses show that the damage done to the
disobedient people is all self-inflicted.
Could we say that God’s wrath is a dish best served cold, or maybe more
simply put, God’s wrath is a dish that is… self-served? When we live contrary to the essence that God
has called us to be, we cause trouble for ourselves and initiate our own
destruction (we serve the dishes of wrath to ourselves). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Is “wrath” even really the best word for
what God experiences? <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’m not convinced that “wrath” is the best translation of
what God experiences because in modern English it tends to mean uncontrolled
anger or rage. Would it be more accurate
to use different terms like God’s “righteous anger” or God’s “deep commitment
to justice”? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In talking about this topic with our Makua friends, they
differentiate between three different words: “Urusiya” means to be upset or angry. “Uviruwa” is a stronger reaction that could
be violent (they brought up the examples of the flood in the time of Noah or of
Jesus cleansing the temple). But the
word that sounds the most like wrath is one they borrow from Portuguese, “raiva,”
which means rabid anger or rage and is interestingly also the word for rabies! The Makua Christians I’ve talked to say they certainly
see how a “just anger” is a good and important part of God’s character but they
don’t believe that God has “raiva.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If wrath is uncontrolled anger or rage, does that seem to
fit with the character of God? I don’t think so, especially if that that is the
kind of anger that human beings are specifically instructed in Scripture not to
have. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18; Psalm 86:15; Joel 2:13 all say
that God is slow to anger and abounding in love. The Apostle Paul certainly knew those
scriptures and that is why I don’t think he would ever see wrath as a
definitive quality of God. A God that
doesn’t get angry at injustice wouldn’t be good, but serving and worshipping a
rage monster wouldn’t be good either. What we need here is more than a caricature
– we need a complete picture. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In talking this through with Rachel, she has shared the example
of how if one of our daughters gives the stink-eye (an expression of contempt) to
her sister, something like anger flashes inside of Rachel, an intense reaction
that serves as a catalyst for a stern intervention – necessary to deal with the
way they are treating each other. God
gets angry at our sin and injustice because of what it does to us, how it
divides us, and how we are enslaved and trapped by it more than his own personal
offense at it. God is more angry at sin
and the way it holds us captive to sin, death and Satan because what we do
shapes who we are as individuals and how it effects the way we treat each
other. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, re-framing the wrath of God does not mean perceiving God
as a “pushover buddy” who enables your bad behavior. Instead, he is more like
the true friend who calls you to live at a higher level – he takes away your
keys so you won’t drive drunk, but it you are hell bent on doing things your
own way and reject being in relationship with him… things will not go well for
you. So, God’s response to injustice is
not generally to “nuke the place,” but may be more like a smart bomb to address
the heart of the problem. It seems to me
that what God experiences is less like wrath and more like a “judge’s
legitimate emotional reaction to injustice.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Is Jesus saving us from God’s wrath? <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Certainly not. God is NOT like a wrathful, abusive parent who
is interrupted in his plans to inflict harm on us by our benevolent older
brother (Jesus) stepping in to take the beating for us. The Scriptures affirm that God’s
character is revealed fully in Christ (John 14:9). God and Jesus are not doing some kind of divine
good cop/bad cop routine. Jesus is not
saving you from God.<b> </b>God loves
you immensely. Nowhere in the Bible does it explicitly says
that God poured out his wrath and punishment on Jesus instead of on us. God doesn’t kill Jesus. Instead, incredibly, God deals with our sin
by submitting to all the brokenness that we throw at him – through his own death
on a cross. God didn’t kill Jesus – we did! (that’s what Peter says in Acts 2:36
– human beings did this!) But that’s not the
end of the Story – Christ triumphs! We
don’t have to live under guilt, shame and fear because Christ has defeated Sin,
Death and Satan! That is really good
news! Instead of being stuck in Darkness
– God brings us into his kingdom of light and love and life!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Conclusion<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On a recent podcast, I heard Leerhsen describe his surprise
at the push-back he has gotten from people who are angry at him for questioning
the dominant narrative about Ty Cobb as a wrathful player. It makes me wonder if whether followers of
Jesus who try to counteract fake news about God as a wrathful deity should be
prepared for push-back as well…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thanks for reading… this is certainly still a work in
progress. My hope is that we can keep
learning and growing and begin to see a more complete picture of the God revealed
in Christ and move past the destructive caricatures of a God full of wrath. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">May we grow in our understanding of both the love and
justice of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Grace and Peace,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Alan</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-17157238921056525022017-09-22T20:20:00.000+02:002020-03-18T03:39:24.912+02:00September 2017 Newsletter<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hello everyone,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-brQV6N46AS8/WcVNlk83WdI/AAAAAAAABJI/SSo4cFP-JaQ022l6ooHqKbYEh-eZE63ywCEwYBhgL/s1600/family%2Bpic%2Bin%2BSouth%2BAfrica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-brQV6N46AS8/WcVNlk83WdI/AAAAAAAABJI/SSo4cFP-JaQ022l6ooHqKbYEh-eZE63ywCEwYBhgL/s320/family%2Bpic%2Bin%2BSouth%2BAfrica.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We’ve had an intense few months and wanted to share some of
what has been happening over here with you.
Back in April, I had surprise hernia surgery – it still amazes me that
Rachel and I were able to travel down to South Africa, get a diagnosis, have surgery
and return home to Mozambique in less than 2 weeks! My recovery has definitely been slower than I
expected but I’m feeling almost all the way back to normal. We are so thankful for all the love and
support we’ve received from so many of you.
Thank you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TEYd0erQ7sY/WcVPBpf02_I/AAAAAAAABJQ/C-cdjHWa5hY1AQbeI5HYSHxo-13H8dcqACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TEYd0erQ7sY/WcVPBpf02_I/AAAAAAAABJQ/C-cdjHWa5hY1AQbeI5HYSHxo-13H8dcqACLcBGAs/s200/IMG_0607.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately, not long after our return to Montepuez there
was a different kind of drama – this time surrounding documentation. Our team’s status and the process of our
personal residency documents became rather complicated. In July, thankfully, we were allowed to renew
our family’s permits, but we still would love your prayers for resolution of
this issue for our team as a whole. We are
grateful that the church’s own documentation issues are finally resolved. At a gathering
back in May, we witnessed a beautiful ceremony where local church leaders
chosen by the people were given the paperwork they needed from the person who
fills that role at the national level.
It was a great day and big sigh of relief for everyone involved. </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2QDKPBm69Ao/WcVP0yQt0NI/AAAAAAAABJc/zbFQJKle9FgjLyqjsk-_vTSwd0fOS4I0wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2QDKPBm69Ao/WcVP0yQt0NI/AAAAAAAABJc/zbFQJKle9FgjLyqjsk-_vTSwd0fOS4I0wCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_0734.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Besides our regular meetings with church leaders and
deacons, two ministry events stand out in our minds.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One was the inauguration of the church building
in the village of Siwewe – it was such an encouragement to see many members
from other churches in the area gather to celebrate the completion of their
place of worship – one man had walked for over three hours to get there!</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The teaching and singing that day were lively
and it was amazing to think about how far that church community has come.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MbchORuMCE0/WcVPPfGt1YI/AAAAAAAABJU/AS9u9AREI7INxPrPOvsbLHAX8eBvxCwJgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MbchORuMCE0/WcVPPfGt1YI/AAAAAAAABJU/AS9u9AREI7INxPrPOvsbLHAX8eBvxCwJgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_0776.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another memorable event was spending a few
days with a new church plant in Merenge. At earlier stages in our team’s work
here we were much more hands on with helping new churches get off the ground.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But these days, especially in certain
regions, new churches are planted and we often do not visit until the community
is more-or-less established.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, back in
July, it was fun to spend time worshipping and doing baptisms with the new
church plant in Merenge.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Church leaders
from nearby villages had done the visits and evangelism and it was a blessing
to get to participate in a small way with them in this effort. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-abis8XZimts/WcVS8K9qOnI/AAAAAAAABKI/sWc4iprY2W0FZ156lZ9UUkBr4oYJVyZBQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Alan%2Bteaching%2Bin%2Bthe%2BBible%2BSchool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="960" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-abis8XZimts/WcVS8K9qOnI/AAAAAAAABKI/sWc4iprY2W0FZ156lZ9UUkBr4oYJVyZBQCEwYBhgL/s320/Alan%2Bteaching%2Bin%2Bthe%2BBible%2BSchool.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These days, our time is spent more working with the Theology
School (“Instituto Teológico de Cabo Delgado” in Portuguese). I have taught five week-long classes over the
past few months on the subjects of: Preaching, New Testament Survey, and a
class on the Giants (Defeating Problems Facing the Church in Cabo Delgado). Next month, Rachel will be teaching on Church
History, her first class in the Theology School. Typically, these are
intensive, one-week classes and our team usually offers 2-3 of them each month,
mostly here at the team property, where we are in the midst of a building
program to construct classroom and dormitory space as well as a cafeteria. For now, the food preparation is based out of
our family’s yard, so it will be nice when the Theology School can move into
the new buildings :). Special thanks to
Jeremy Smith for leading the construction! Over 110 students have taken at least one class in
the Theology School so far – a pretty amazing number considering that this is
only our second year of operation in this format. We are excited to see how God can use this
school to bless the churches in Mozambique. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In June and July, we hosted 10 great interns from Harding
University. They learned to speak some
Portuguese and Makua, job-shadowed us as we went about our normal ministry
routines, and also spent a weekend by themselves staying with a trusted
Mozambican family. Our kids love having
interns and this group was no exception.
They were a blessing to have in our homes and in our lives for the
six-week summer internship. Here is a picture of our early worship together at the beach in Pemba on the Sunday before they returned to the United States.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y2XpaZ-5kEQ/WcVRPBQ29kI/AAAAAAAABJs/mVZLnXgFzW4V9aO8hVTJ5cRjca4Mm-ZBwCLcBGAs/s1600/Howells%2Bon%2Ban%2Belephant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y2XpaZ-5kEQ/WcVRPBQ29kI/AAAAAAAABJs/mVZLnXgFzW4V9aO8hVTJ5cRjca4Mm-ZBwCLcBGAs/s320/Howells%2Bon%2Ban%2Belephant.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Near the end of the internship, Abby and Rachel left
Mozambique for a three-week trip to the United States. She’s working on a Master’s Degree in
Historical Theology from Harding School of Theology in Memphis and it was a
blessing for her to take a class on campus this summer. While she was in class and researching her
paper in the library, Abby traveled around with my parents to see family in Tennessee
and Alabama as well as getting to reconnect with friends she made during our
year in Searcy, AR. They also got to see
Rachel’s parents and many, many, many other special people (I tried not to be
too jealous)! Their visit to the USA was
capped off beautifully by attending the wedding of former interns, Ethan and
Morgan McGaughy. On their way back home,
they met up with Ellie, Katie and I in South Africa for doctor and dentist
visits as well as some vacation time. We
enjoyed zip lines, game drives, lion petting and elephant rides (of course!) before
returning to Montepuez.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the beginning of this month, Goncalves Inacio, Jessica and I hosted a Conservation Agriculture Seminar for the farming
associations we have been working with over the past few years. About 50 people attended this refresher course
where we reviewed key principles and practices, made compost together and covered
some new territory about grain storage and marketing. It was a good event and we also collected
data on the different associations to assess how we are doing at meeting the
goals for the program. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lately, Rachel has been going through the Sermon on the
Mount with women from the Menhuene cluster in the Ancuabe district. This is an area that the Westerholm family
has spent a lot of time with and she has enjoyed getting to know these
women. This group has many more literate
women than the clusters she has worked with in the Montepuez district but they
have not spent much time studying together.
Please pray for the Kingdom of God to take root and produce fruit in
their lives!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The team kids’ school just started last week and the girls
have really enjoyed it. Katie is in 2<sup>nd</sup>,
Ellie is in 6<sup>th</sup> and Abby is in 9<sup>th</sup> grade… wait, how did
that happen? How can we have a high
schooler??? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are so thankful to have Cindy Mercer with us.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She retired after a career teaching in Ohio
and bravely decided to come join us to teach the team’s kids.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We usually have two teachers for the four
different grade levels but we still need one more teacher.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So… if you, or someone you know would be
interested in teaching at our team school in Montepuez, please let us know and
we can send more information.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Also, at a recent meeting of the church leaders in our
Province, they decided to set aside the week of October 1-7 for prayer and
fasting about true conversion (including repentance and life-change) and true
love (and unity) among the believers and churches in Cabo Delgado. You are
invited to join us in this time of prayer and fasting for God’s Kingdom in
Mozambique!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Please pray with us:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For resolution for our team’s document issues</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For God to use the Theology School to bless the churches</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the followers of Jesus to live lives marked by true
conversion and true love</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Grace and Peace,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Alan and Rachel</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-43218722769549276412017-09-22T14:20:00.000+02:002017-09-22T14:20:05.223+02:00Raising Rebellious Teenagers: The Gospel as an Anti-Rebellion Rebellion<div class="MsoPlainText">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IFaMykyOk4A/WcT_deC8nLI/AAAAAAAABI0/rjVZotxVjZU59J7pjh3rOlmq5M5H2shpgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IFaMykyOk4A/WcT_deC8nLI/AAAAAAAABI0/rjVZotxVjZU59J7pjh3rOlmq5M5H2shpgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_0980.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">School just started for the
kids on our mission team last week here in Montepuez and I’ve been thinking
about a video that Abby and I did for the Downtown Church
of Christ youth group at the beginning of the 2016-17 school year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Abby and I were asked to share about the
meaning of the Gospel and we set it in different terms than are usually used to consider
it:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Gospel as an anti-rebellion-rebellion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We hoped to show how, in significant and real ways, following the Gospel
for me (Alan) as a parent means… raising rebellious teenagers. Here’s a slightly adapted text of what we
shared. Hope you enjoy it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-----<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matthew 9:35 says, “Jesus
went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and
sickness.” (NIV)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The word “Gospel” literally means good news. And the good news that Jesus announced over
and over again was that the kingdom of God was at hand and everyone was invited
to enter it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here in Mozambique, our friends are very familiar with
the idea of kingdoms. I’ve known kings
and queens and even a 'king of kings.' So,
when we talk about Jesus’ Gospel or good news with our Mozambican friends it’s
natural to talk about contrasting kingdoms: the Kingdom of Light verses the
Kingdom of Darkness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our African friends also know what it is like to announce a
new, coming kingdom. Back in 1975,
Mozambique won its independence from the Portuguese colonial powers. People who heard the good news of the victory
would go to neighbors and friends and share the good news that the old Empire
had fallen – there was a new regime.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of my favorite verses is
Matthew 9:35 because it summarizes Jesus’ ministry so well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matthew tells us that Jesus traveled to a bunch of
different villages announcing the good news that the Kingdom of God was near.
He taught in the synagogues about how to live lives pleasing to God. And it
says that he healed people of all sorts of physical and spiritual diseases.
When the church is acting like the body of Christ, it follows his mission. By
doing those three things it serves as a sign of God's coming kingdom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In that way, the church functions as 'God's Kingdom
Embassy' set up here on earth… An embassy that exists in enemy territory. So, people who are dissatisfied with life in
this world - a kingdom reigned by sin, death and Satan - have been issued a
standing invitation to leave that corrupt kingdom of darkness and begin to live
under God's good reign. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What that means is that Christians are part of a
rebellion – okay technically it is an anti-rebellion-rebellion. Satan first rebelled against God and set up a
competing Evil Empire. And Christians
are those who live in open rebellion to Satan’s Kingdom of darkness. So, followers of Jesus are those loyal to the
true king. You are part of that
rebellion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis says, “Enemy occupied
territory – that’s what this world is.
Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might
say, landed in disguise, and is calling us to take part in a great campaign of
sabotage.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“A great campaign of sabotage.” I know it may not always look like it in
Searcy, AR, but to the Powers and Principalities of this world – what you are
plotting to do as a youth group is sabotage – it is seditious to the Kingdom of
this world. Now the way we do this, our
rules for engagement mean that we don’t have to carry weapons or coerce people
by force. No, we are part of a peaceful
insurgency. And I know it takes a lot of
work to remember who we are, because the world pummels us with messages that
call us to assimilate to their ways, but the truth is that the Powers are
threatened by your presence. So, as you get ready to go back to school, you
don’t have to tell anyone that you are part of this rebellion – just go out and
act like Jesus. Follow the way of the
Gospel - the good news. Announce the
Kingdom (invitation). Teach the way of
the Kingdom (initiation). And display
the Kingdom of God by your actions (demonstration). That’s good news as Jesus told it and lived
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The gospel is the good news
that the kingdom of God has come near and you and I can be a part of what God
wants to do in the world. We don’t have
to live in a kingdom of death and darkness and disease… The good news is that we are invited into a
kingdom of light and life and liberty and love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Abby was baptized, her
Mom and I were so excited, but we also knew that what she had done was really serious.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She’s now a full-follower of
the Gospel and is part of the great anti-rebellion-rebellion against the forces
of darkness in the world. And if you are
a Christian you also are called to be a rebellious teenager, subverting the
Evil Empire and your leader is the true King of Kings. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-37367343174742667392017-09-18T17:14:00.003+02:002017-09-18T17:14:48.354+02:00Christendom, Scholarship and Kierkegaard<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="about:invalid#zClosurez" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Image result for Kierkegaard a single life" border="0" 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" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just finished Stephen Backhouse’s <i>Kierkegaard: A Single Life</i> and enjoyed learning about the famous Danish philosopher</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">’s thinking and influence.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Backhouse frames Kierkegaard in his context – one defined by Christendom.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While that is certainly very different from
the setting we find ourselves in Mozambique (!) I thought this one section, in
particular, was very insightful:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“‘Christendom’ does not begin and end with the established
church. In short, the ‘established
church’ might well be Christendom, but not all ‘Christendoms” are established
churches. Christendom is a way of being,
thinking and feeling that has far more to do with the cultural appropriation of
Christianity than it does with any specific legal agreement between church and
state. Christendom is what happens when
people presume they are Christians as a matter of inherited tradition, as a
matter of nationality, or because they agree with a number of common-sense
propositions and Christianized moral guidelines. Kierkegaard sees Christendom as a process by
which groups adopt, absorb, and neuter Christianity into oblivion, all the
while assuming they are still Christian.
Christendom is adept at shielding itself from its own source, for
Christianity’s original documents offer a deeply challenge precisely to the
form of civilized life that Christendom represents.” (Backhouse 172)</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kierkegaard himself puts it this way:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“The matter is quite simple.
The New Testament is very easy to understand. But we human beings are
really a bunch of scheming swindlers; we pretend to be unable to understand it
because we understand very well that the minute we understand we are obliged to
act accordingly at once. But in order to make it up to the New Testament a
little, lest it become angry with us and find us all together wrong, we flatter
it, tell it that it is so tremendously profound, so wonderfully beautiful, so
unfathomably sublime, and all that, somewhat as a little child pretends cannot
understand what has been commanded and then is cunning enough to flatter Papa.
Therefore we humans pretend to be unable to understand the N. T.; we do not
want to understand it. Here Christian scholarship has its place. Christian
scholarship is the human race’s prodigious invention to defend itself against
the N. T., to ensure that one can continue to be a Christian without letting
the N.T. come too close… I open the N.T. and read: ‘If you want to be perfect,
then sell all your goods and give to the poor and come and follow me.’ Good God,
all the capitalists, the officeholders, and the pensioners, the whole race no
less, would be almost beggars: we would be sunk if it were not for… scholarship.”
(Backhouse 172-3 quoting from <i>Kierkegaard’s
Journals and Papers</i>, 2872 (X3 A 34 n.d., 1850)</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ouch – for someone who has benefited from and finds much
value in scholarship this last comment hits a little too close to home… but I can certainly appreciate
that the temptation to let scholarship stand between us and the clarity of the
biblical text is a real one. A temptation that seems
especially powerful for cultures shaped by Christendom. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Backhouse neatly summarizes Soren Kierkegaard’s position like
this: “The Christianity of Christendom is not the Christianity of the New Testament.”
(180)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I want to continue reflecting on what the connections between Christendom, Scholarship and Christianity mean for both
our host culture in Mozambique and our home culture in the United States.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grace and Peace,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alan </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4848834206307148048.post-57801441212333553202017-09-17T19:30:00.001+02:002017-09-17T19:34:50.708+02:00New Post at Story Warren<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check out my new post at Story Warren: <a href="http://www.storywarren.com/embracing-a-pigpen-spirituality/" target="_blank">"Embracing a Pigpen Spirituality"</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grace and Peace,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alan</span>Alan and Rachel Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08896677866185339729noreply@blogger.com0