CAM happenings and more...

April 5, 2010

Dear friends and family,

The last month has been a hectic but exciting time for us in Mozambique. The seminary started on February 15th with 30 students and is doing very well. Director Don Hulsey is doing a great job as well as Daniel Maduel and Xavier Massingue who are all teaching the classes, which last each morning from 8 to 12:30. The next part of the curriculum consists of hiring tutors who are teaching the students who don't have a 10th or 12th grade education. These are big milestones for Mozambicans and because of the civil war which lasted 17 years and ended in 1992, we are just now realizing the devistation of the educational system which is now just recovering. I remember talking back in 1996 when we first arrived and seen the poor education standards, if any, and that we realized that it would take an entire generation for the country to improve...and it has. We are finally seeing young people graduating and going to college. A new merging middle class is developing. Mozambique is moving forward, and we have felt it a privilege to have been here and seen it happen first hand.

Each year we take the CAM students on a field trip. Many times we go to South Africa or Swaziland for two or three days. But we have wanted to find something here in Mozambique and this year we were able to go to Maputo Bay Adventures which is a survival camp just a little over an hour from Maputo, or 2.5 hrs by catamaran boat.

The first trip in February was for the 7-9th grade boys. There were seven of them and I (Larry) went as one of the chaparones. The camp is run by missionary friends, Jim and Stacie Bowers, who are using the camp to reach a more educated class of young people in the Maputo area. The camp is quite primative as we stay in tents and rough it a bit in the bush. The food is always great and the activities are full of challenges for the students to stretch themselves as well as develop key teamwork skills.

There were physical challenges and mental challenges associated with learning to use compasses and GPSes to find clues and locations on long hikes. One hike I was on was to be 7.5km but ended up being 15km due to lots of wrong pathes taken. But it was exciting to see the kids work through problems and learn to overcome them. On one long hike they had to find a village, barter their hats and machetes for two chickens, fire wood and manioca (tuber root). They didn't realize at the time that what they got was dinner and they had to kill, clean and cook the chickens and manioca. I have just one picture of "dinner" for the squeemish at heart....:)

A few of the favorite challenges were archery, team work to get everyone over the "Berlin Wall" and climbing the rock wall.

In the late evening all the students had to take turns with "guard" duty for two hours. A staff person was on duty as well and gave opportunity to just talk freely around the campfire about anything, including solving all the worlds problems and great discussions about Christ and what He means to each of us.

The last of the feld trips was taking 22 3rd-6th graders to Swaziland.  Susan  and four adults went along and the kids had a great time and experience.  They left at 6am on Friday and returned Saturday evening.  Their first stop was to a factory that makes specialty soaps out of marula fruit oils.  It was quite interesting as the kids were given a tour and also were able to tun the machine to crush the nuts to extract the oil.  They then drove to Nisela Safaris where they stayed the night in traditional Swaziland bee-hive huts.  The kids loved hem and the challenge was to get in and out of the litle door which was about two feet tall.  The day cntinued with a drive through safari where the students saw man variets of animals and were able to get out of the vehciles and see some close-up.  Fortunately there were no carnivores at this game park.  In the evening the students cooked over an open fire and made up skits to entertain everyone.  It was a very long day and extremely hot so everyone was tired but the kids didn't want to go to bed as the beehives were so hot and had no fans.  Eventually all were told to go to bed as the next day was to be a long one as well.

Saturday morning they left the camp and drove to Manzini where they toured the Swazi Candle Factory and craft shops.  They were given demonstrations by a master candle maker where he was able to make an elephant from a block of wax.  Many of the students were also given wax for them to experiment with. 

All in all, the trip was a great experience for the kids and adults.  They arrived home Saturday evening full of stories and tired from their long days.  We are so thankful for having such amazing students.  Many commented on how well behaved (really?) was the group and we too think they are special in deed.

Thank you for your prayers and continue them as we need the Lord's wisdom and vision to meet the challenges of running CAM school. 

in Christ,

Larry & Susan Weil

Seminary Program Launching 15 Feb 2010

13 February 2010

Dear friends and family,

Tomorrow is Valentines Day. And even in Mozambique there are lots of flowers on the streets and lots of pink Valentine gifts being sold up and down the street. It is one of the few foreign holidays that is really remembered here. And I think that is special...just like Susan is special to me after 28 years of marriage.

So much has happened since I last gave an update, so I am sure I will forget some important things, but what is exciting is that on Monday, February 15th, the seminary will launch its first year program with 30 students. The applicants come not only from our own national church "Living Word Evangelical Church" but from 14 other recognized churches in Mozambique. This will give a great mix of students. Ages range from 21 (minimum required) to 65.

Of course we have had Bible teaching going on since 2001, but only on a part-time basis. Now, these will be all-day students and this is a big change. We are so privileged to have Pastor Don Hulsey as our new seminary director and he has been working closely with our Dean of Students, Daniel Maduel and Xavier Massingue, our Registrar. Between the three of them they will share the teaching load for this first year.

We covet your prayers as we step out in faith to begin the program knowing we don't have the necessary scholarships and sponsorships to even run the program more than a few months, but God knows all this. I have been working hard on a funding letter which is now at OMS USA for editing, and once that is approved, we will be able to mail out to our supporters and interested friends and churches who have a special interest in seminary students knowing that it will be helping our graduates who will soon be pastoring, training and equipping the growing national church in Mozambique for the Gospel.

At CAM school, we are well into our second semester now and in January we added three new students bringing us to a record number of 61 students from 19 different countries. The challenge is that they are Portuguese first-language students and all are needing special tutoring to learn English to integrate into their classes.

We also are enjoying the return of Dr. Claude and Marilynn Meyers (former CAM director/founders from 1996-2006.) The Meyers are with us for five weeks and are helping out with tutoring, swimming and a drama to be performed in early March. The Meyers are staying with us making our home full.

CAM also is benefiting from a security upgrade grant from the US Embassy. Over the past two years many improvements have been made around CAM school and we had about used up the money we received, but about six months ago the plan to add a generator to run the school when power cuts happen was contemplated and submitted for approval. It was finally granted in late November and an extension received to install the generator by the end of February 2010. Well, the generator is resting at CAM and just needs it to be wired to the building. This will be such a huge blessing so that school can run as usual even if the power goes out. Computers and air-conditioners will continue to run and that is important on these very hot days.

Another exciting thing that happened over Christmas. We met a young man from the US who distributes solar-powered hand-held electronic Bibles. He has the ability to put eight Mozambican languages on the units. Well, we have a guard at our home who can't read and I was able to buy an electronic Bible in Portuguese and his HEART language. You should have seen his face when I turned it on for the first time and he heard the Gospels in his own language. He faithfully listens to it and others are asking if they can get one. Looks like I might need to raise some funds for this new need.

Lastly, for the past seven years we have been sharing a small water tank (750 liters) at our home with a home behind us. Almost every day when we would return home from CAM the tank would be empty and we would have no water until the following morning when the local water supply would start to fill up the tank again. Last November a supporting church informed us of some money we could use for a project. We shared the difficulties we had with our water system, and it was agreed. We added a second tank (one tank for each home) new water pumps, new piping and finished cement work around the tanks. Now we are enjoying water every day and that has just made life a bit easier for us. PTL!!!

God Bless,

Larry & Susan

6 February 2010

Dear friends and family,

These are exciting days in the world of OMS. After much prayer and discussion, some of which I had the privilege to be a part of last June 2009 at Missionary Council in the USA, this past month OMS officially changed its name to One Mission Society. Below is the text version of the offical announcement made by OMS president, David Long.

It is wonderful to see that the vision of our founders over 100 years ago is still that same vision today of reaching the world for Jesus.

In Him, who matters most,

Larry & Susan Weil

One Mission Society, Mozambique

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FROM David Long, OMS President:

Dear Friend of OMS,

We have some exciting news to share:

OMS International becomes One Mission Society

One Lord. One Life. One Calling.

Today, we launch a new name, tagline, logo and mission statement. These changes were designed to help One Mission Society better communicate what we have stood for since our inception in 1901 as The Oriental Missionary Society.

But it is important to note, One Mission Society’s sole reason for existence as a mission organization remains steadfast―to see the Gospel of Jesus Christ spread throughout the world and to see God glorified in all that we say and do. This is the command of the Great Commission. This is our “One Mission.”

God has blessed OMS by using us as a tool in His hands for more than 100 years. Today, One Mission Society is seeing, on average, one person come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ every two minutes. In recent years, thousands of new churches have been planted and tens of thousands of people are actively participating in discipleship programs.

These are historic times to be involved in missions. As never before in the history of the Church, One Mission Society is poised to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Make no mistake: the task is huge. OMS recognizes that we are only a small part of the body of Christ and that we join with many other individuals, churches and like-minded Great Commission organizations called and equipped together for One Mission, God’s mission. This is the unity in mission to which all Christians are called in Ephesians 4 by our one God and Father of all.

One Mission Society currently works in 50 countries. We were founded on the principle that the most effective way to share Christ is by training a nation’s people to lead and multiply their churches. That principle still fully applies today and is the basis of our dynamic four-fold focus: intentional evangelism, church planting, training leaders and strategic partnerships.

OMS currently has six international offices from which missionaries are recruited and sent out: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. Today, One Mission Society has 430 missionaries and is a member in good standing with the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

Here is One Mission Society’s new mission statement: By God’s grace, One Mission Society unites, inspires and equips Christians to make disciples of Jesus Christ, multiplying dynamic communities of believers around the world.

David Long

President, One Mission Society

Christmas just around the corner

December 13, 2009

Dear Friends and family,

This past week has been hectic and exciting for us as Christmas draws closer. We have had several Christmas programs and a wedding to attend. Here are a couple pictures from the wedding of Golden and Olivia on Dec. 4th. Golden is Mozambican and teaches 3rd grade at CAM.

On December 11th CAM presented its annual Christmas Program. It was held at the new seminary chapel and we had the largest turnout in CAM history, packing the chapel full of students, parents and friends. We kept having to add more chairs.

All grades presented something special, from verses to musical talent. The main program was a musical and drama presented by the 3rd-6th grade students, with Susan directing. It was called "Legacy of Love" and the kids did a super job. The 7th - 10th grades helped with the behind the scenes planning and set-up. After the program, there was food for all and good time of fellowship.

With a big sigh of relief that the main Christmas program is over for CAM, we now focus on the Sunday Night Fellowship program tonight (Dec. 13th) in which we both will be participating with music. On Tuesday, Susan and I will be hosting the annual CAM Staff Party at our home. We anticipate about 25 teachers and staff to attend. The week ends with school finishing for the students on Thursday and on Friday for the teachers to allow them to get all their grades turned in before the Christmas break.

December 20th we will be celebrating the Igreja Evangelica Palavra Viva national church's 4th anniversary with lunch and program at the seminary. Christmas for us this year will be in Xai Xai, which is about four hours North of Maputo. We will be with friends, Jason and Rachel Helm. They have invited a few others to join them for Christmas, so there should be at least 13 for the holidays.

We have much to Praise the Lord for this past year, and HE has blessed CAM and our ministries in Mozambique. We do have one major prayer request, which involves our association with the Department of Labor. We hope to find some way to work with the government with its strict new rules regarding foreigners working at the school. This affects who and what CAM really is, and we need much prayer and wisdom to know how to find favor with the government hoping that we will be able to continue to offer a Christian American education to the students who choose to attend.

We wish you all a blessed Christmas and a joyful and Spirit Filled New Year!

God Bless,

Larry & Susan Weil

OMS Mozambique

Much to be THANKFUL for

November 22, 2009

Dear Friends and Family,

In just a few days we will be celebrating American Thanksgiving. It is great to be married to a Canadian as we get to celebrate Thanksgiving twice. This year we have much to be thankful for and we just want to share a few of those things with you.

October of each year since we first arrived in Mozambique in 1996, is the month we apply for renewal of our resident visas. We PTL that each year we have been accepted and our visas granted. This year, we decided to ask for the "permanent DIRE (visa)" which is good for five years at a time. We were able to ask for this special visa after being in the country more than 10 years.

After only a few trips to Immigration to see on the progress, I went Friday (20th) not expecting anything, but PTL they were ready. This means a lot to us as we know we have the right to stay in Mozambique for the next five years.

Another answer to prayer is our health. My back (Larry) is doing very well and other than colds and sore throats (like most everyone I know of), we have been healthy. We are looking forward to a few days off over Thanksgiving and will spend a few days in South Africa on dental and car repairs, as well as some rest and Christmas Shopping.

This is also the time when Susan starts baking Christmas goodies and preparing for the annual CAM (Christian Academy in Mozambqiue) staff Tea at our home. The weather the past week has been unseasonally cool and wet, so she has been baking lots to take advantage of the cool weather. Some of the students will be coming to our home soon to help bake and decorate other Christmas goodies. Susan is already counting the days when she will start putting up the Christmas decorations (her favorite holiday of the year).

We can't forget our faithful and loving (sometimes playful) Felix. Felix is now 10 and continues to amuse us. We are "cat" people, so we love Felix and spoil him all the time with goodies and attention.

Yesterday we were invited by some of the young people at our church (which meets at our seminary) for a fashion and talent show. It was totally put on by a few of the young teen girls and was really cute. Clothes were designed and modeled. Singing and dancing were also on the agenda. It was really important to them we attend and we were glad to be able to support them. Here are a few pictures you might enjoy from the program.

In a few weeks CAM will be buzzing with drama and music at the Christmas Program on the 11th. The school year so far has gone well and we are so blessed by a good staff and "mostly" wonderful students. Actually, all of them are special.

If you are American, we wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving and even if you aren't, may the Lord bless you and abundantly. Remember to give thanks to HIM whom we love and serve...Jesus!

God Bless,

Larry & Susan

Empty Nest...almost

4 October 2009

Dear family and friends,

We have been reflecting that since March, we have had at least one and at times three visitors living with us up until yesterday. So, for a total of two days, we are empty-nesters. Feels kinda quiet around the house. But that will change again tomorrow when Pastor Alfy Austin from World Gospel Church, Terre Haute, IN visits us in country for five days. We are very excited as we have not met Pastor Alfy, and he is the first pastor from any of our supporting churches to visit us in Mozambique. It will be a busy week of showing him our various ministries and meeting our team and staff.

Yesterday we had to say goodbye (sadly) to Christina Folchi, (beside Susan in photo) a student teacher from Connecticut that attends Philidelphia Biblical University. She has been living with us the past two months and doing her student teaching with Patricia, our K-1 teacher. Chris has been wonderful to have around and was a great blessing to Patricia and her 11 students. We wish Chris a wonderful transition back to the USA and as she begins her final student teaching assignment in a public school. Pray for Chris as she is seeking the Lord's will for her future when she graduates this December.

We have wonderful news and an amazing answer to prayer regarding our seminary program. Many of you have followed the saga of not having a director to run the program in our new seminary building, then the good news that Mike and Sarah Thiessen joined the team in may 2008 and Mike was preparing the school to begin this year, only to have that vision end when their son, Gabriel (just 2 1/2 then) was diagnosed with liver cancer and they had to return to Canada for treatment. So, for the past six months, it was back to seeking the Lord's will and searching for a new director. We PTL that a good friend of ours and of OMS Mozambique has accepted the position. Don Hulsey and his wife Aleta, have served in Mozambique since the mid- 1990s (as long as we have) and he is already working with our Dean of Students, Daniel Maduel and Registrar, Xavier Massingue. The next few months will be busy as they work on the final curricuulm details, interview perspective students, and prepare for a February 2010 launch date. We do have two classes going right now, but those will be incorporated and expanded upon with the new program. Pray for Don and our team as we too seek the Lord's will for the seminary program.

One serious prayer concern is for some of our evangelism trainers. Sadly we have had to release three trainers recently due to family issues. These three positions leave major gaps in the training and church planting efforts in Northern Mozambique. We need the seminary program running and producing effective and well-trained pastors and teachers to send to these rural areas, which will provide solid Biblical foundations and teachings to these new churches. Currently we have over 100 churches in the country, with the majority up in the Zambezia and Nampula provinces.

CAM school (Christian Academy in Mozambique) is running well and we are coming up to the end of the first quarter this Friday. Thus, this week is full of quizzes and exams for the students. Space is an ever-present problem, and we are working with a contractor about adding on an offic and three small classrooms to the front of our building. Currently, plans are being prepared to submit to the government for approval. This is a big prayer request as we are asking for permission to build to our boundary wall, and that usually isn't granted. Secondly, we need sufficient funds to cover the construction cost. It isn't confirmed but although the construction is extimated at around $60,000, that is still a huge amount for our little school. But God is good and in control.

Personally, we both are doing well, and my back (Larry) is giving me no pain, which I PTL for. We are encouraged as we have several teams coming in the next two months in which there are some people that may be considering working with OMS at CAM and possibly the seminary. Pray for God's leading in their lives. We are also looking forward to our mission retreat in early November.

(see photo: us celebrating our 28th wedding anniversary on Augst 29th)

Thank you each one for your continued prayers and support.

Larry & Susan

August highlights

23 August 2009

The last three weeks have been full and amazing. So much has happened, and it will be hard to tell you it all. So, we'll save you from some of it and focus on three events: CAM schoolyear starts August 6th, Seminary Dedictation August 15th, and Larry's Neurosurgeon apt. on August 19th.

We knew that it would be a busy month before school would begin. We returned July 12th, leaving only three weeks to prepare CAM for classes again. It was apparent that other than our two graduates, all our former students were returning as well as some new students. Thus, we decided to divide one classroom into two to allow for separate classes of 2nd and 3rd grades. We met the deadline by just hours it seems, and CAM started on the 6th with a record number of students at 61. For the first time in CAM history, we have had to turn students away due to a lack of space. This is in the K-1st grades as that classroom is full with 11 students. We now have a few others on waiting list. We also PTL that we have a full contingent of teachers. It is so important for the students to have consistency, and to have returning teachers is so important for the students. We also have some new teachers. David Restrick, CAM grad 2004, is teaching computers for the year. Honey Davidge is from the US and is teaching 6th grade. Joash Tiarks, missionary with New Tribes, has moved his family from Northern Mozambique to Maputo and has enrolled his four children and he is teaching 2nd grade.

Most exciting news this past week was that our textbooks had arrived in port and were finally released on the 18th. Teachers and students are all happy to have the new materials. They "only" took 3 months by sea to arrive....:)

Another exciting event was the formal seminary dedication on the 15th. Three special people were able to come and celebrate with us. Former OMS Mozambique field leaders from 1996-2006, Bruce and Mabel Callender were here to participate in the ceremony, and Michael Thiessen, the seminary director, was able to fly in from Canada to be here. The ceremony was well attended and one of the highlights was honoring the Callenders by naming the chapel in their name (Chapel Callender, or in Portuguese - Capela Callender) and by hanging a picture collage of the Callenders in the seminary foyer.

We have been very encouraged with some future partnerships with the seminary. Please pray for us and the seminary program as we make decisions as to its future direction.

Lastly, Larry had an Dr. appointment with a neurosurgon on the 19th in South Africa to read his MRI results on his back and to determine if surgery is needed. It is hard to believe that just a month ago Larry was in such back pain with a pinched sciatic nerve, and today there is no pain. I credit this to so much prayer and we give the Lord PRAISE. And the news gets better. The Dr. indicated that I am not a candidate for surgery right now. With the pain subsided and that I still have full strength in my leg, I don't need surgery. It seems the ruptured disc piece that had lodged against the nerve has shifted, and the Dr. feels that has been mostly absorbed by the body in the amazing way the body heals itself. It could happen again, but for now we are pleased. Larry does have a bit of nerve damage in his right leg, but that is minimal and controlable. The Dr. encouraged regular exercise and exercises to strengthen abdomen and back muscles to help relieve pressure on the disc. I think that will be actually the hardest part to do.

Our team is doing well and it is such a pleasure having Mike Thiessen with us for two weeks. We PTL that little Gabriel Thiessen is recovering well after his final chemotherapy treatment and we pray he will be and continue to be 100% cancer free. Our home is full and we have currently two ladies living with us. Aimee Howarth will be moving to the North of Mozambique sometime in the future to work with Mozambican women, and Christine Folchi, a student from Pennsylvania Biblical University is doing her two-month teacher training at CAM. Chris is assisting with our K-1st grade teacher. It is a blessing to have both of these fine ladies in our home.

Have a wonderful week!

Larry & Susan