There is much time and love to be invested in preparing to clearly and accurately share the gospel.
The end of 2013 and beginning of 2014 is a good place for perspective on this preparation, missionary Jenny Schafer writes. “It seems hard to believe that we have been living in this village for a year and a half. Looking back over the last year, it has been neat to see what the Lord has been doing in our lives.”
Even though their life in Mozambique has not been easy in many respects, Jenny and her husband, Kent, are confident that this season of learning the Maindo culture and language is time that God has used to mold them further into the image of Christ and to prepare them to clearly present the gospel to the Maindo people.
The last few months have been busy ones for Jenny and Kent. They have experienced “a whirlwind of traveling and meetings,” Jenny says. There was the language advisor course they took in November. “The course was held at a beautiful camp in the Tanzanian highlands and it was a wonderful time of rest and encouragement in addition to learning more about how to learn a language,” Jenny shares.
A beautiful truth that was reinforced during that week was that “even before we open our mouths to speak a language, or before we are able to speak it well, we can still be showing Christ to the people around us,” Jenny explains.
Instead of focusing only on learning the cultural realities and the grammar and vocabulary of the Maindo people, Jenny and Kent were encouraged again to remember that the most important focus in preparation is on understanding and participating in the lives of the people around them.
“It was a good reminder,” says Jenny, “that our daily language sessions and conversations with our Maindo neighbors and friends are opportunities to more deeply understand them and for us to become molded into ambassadors for Christ who will be able to speak into their lives.”
In the days following this course, Jenny and Kent had the opportunity to spend some time “hanging out with NTM co-workers. It was encouraging to hear what the Lord has been teaching them! We were also able to visit a local church to see how God is building and maturing His church there!”
Soon after, Kent and Jenny traveled to attend church planting meetings. “This was an encouraging time of thinking about what God wants to do among the Maindo people and how we can best be a part of it,” Jenny says.
You can participate with Kent and Jenny’s ministry to the Maindo people by faithfully praying for them. “Pray that we would be focused on Christ, living in His strength and daily showing Him to our Maindo neighbors and friends,” Jenny writes.
Jenny and Kent know that seeing the world through Maindo eyes is very important as they prepare to share the Good News of Jesus.
But pray also for God’s work in preparing the Maindo people to hear this message of hope. “Pray that their hearts will be open and that they will desire to hear about God’s plan of redemption through Christ,” Jenny asks.