Mozambique: an evening outreach

Tonight, the scent of sweat and dirt is overwhelming. We are on a local outreach just a few miles away from the orphanage. We get lost on the way there, which is disconcerting because we don't know where we are going, don't speak the same language as the driver, and can't communicate with him anyway, since we are in the back of the camion. The first time we made a U-turn, I suspected there was a problem. The second time we made a U-turn, I was sure of it. We did the only thing we could -- pray for direction. And suddenly we were there.

The other camion had already arrived, with the sound system, and people were already dancing in the backyard of the local church. There is a big spotlight on the truck, which is blinding, and makes the dark corners of the yard seem even darker. It is hard to describe how dark it is (although you can get a little bit of the flavor in the dim video below). I try to dance along, but I'm hopeless at it, which isn't surprising. I don't dance at home, so why would I suddenly be good at it just because I'm in Africa? One of the dances has a complicated step, but that isn't as bad as the one with all the arm motions. I flail my arms about, half a beat behind everyone else, and realize that there is a reason I never managed the Macarena. Finally I copy one of my team-mates who has taken the hands of a child and is simply swaying to the beat together. I can do that!

The smell of sweat and dirt becomes stronger and stronger as people dance and stir up the dust. In the spotlight we can see dirt literally hanging in the air -- millions of tiny specks dancing into our lungs as we dance underneath.

There is a short drama, which I don't follow, since it is not translated, but the locals clearly enjoy it. Then H. preaches briefly, and calls people up for prayer. I try to get near the truck so I can participate in prayer. Heidi prays for one man who had an infection in his eye. The scene is chaotic but finally we get the story. He was healed of his infection, but was still blind in the other eye. He was thrilled however, because he was afraid he was going to go blind in both eyes, and now he has one good eye back again. In the middle of what seems like chaos to me, God is touching people and healing them.

Click here for video from the outreach.