Amongst the dry plains, red dirt roads and bright blue seas of Mozambique, there is a spiritual war going on. Christianity since Mozambican independence has become a movement, seeing hundreds of people come to know and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour! But some of the long-held customs and traditions of this African country mean that Satan has ready access to many lives through voodoo and witchcraft practices. Thankfully, in the midst of this chaos and the intensity of spiritual battle, I’ve seen God working beyond what anyone could ever imagine or measure, to see people reconciled to him!

Jessica’s journal from Mozambique. She was amazed by the faith she saw.

Travelling recently to Mozambique for a month as a GodSpeak Advocate with the Bible Society, I have had the blessing of gaining just a glimpse into the seeds God is growing there. While Mozambique held the biggest challenges of my life so far, and the toughest lessons to be learnt, I saw some of the most amazing expressions of faith that I believe I will ever see in this lifetime. The Bible Society Mozambique, partnering with the Bible Society America, are running the Faith Comes By Hearing project, which is seeing the New Testament being recorded in local dialects onto old-fashioned, wind-up, radio-like instruments called “Proclaimers”. With over half of a population of 24 million people being illiterate, the Bible Society are meeting the need and providing locals with a way to engage with God that many have never experienced. On one occasion, I travelled over piles of rubble in the black night, out to a remote village to visit a church listening group. Here I found in a mud and brick building, a group of 30-40 people gathered around a proclaimer listening to the book of Luke, following along in their Bibles. They had walked for kilometres in the dark, to reach a church with no electricity and listen to God’s Word by candlelight! It was such a raw expression of faith and eagerness that has completely changed my appreciation for the ready access I have not only to God’s Word, but to thousands of Biblical resources.

While I was in Mozambique, one of the greatest lessons that God taught me was about having this firm foundation in the Word. Matthew 7:24-29 talks about the wise and the foolish builders who build their houses upon the rock and the sand. This passage reminded me of the importance of having this firm foundation, so that when the wind and the storms come, our houses are firmly planted on the steadfast rock.

Being a Godspeak Advocate this year has been a challenge, but an immense blessing, growing my relationship with God and my view of Him in a way I couldn’t have envisioned. Mozambique was a confirmation to me that God is calling me to long-term missions in a developing country. I can only pray that when he makes that path clear, I have the courage to follow. If you want to walk on water, you’ve got to get out of your boat. Glória a Deus; Glory to God.