On Nov. 11, we traveled to Mocuba, Mozambique, to address a large group of pastors from across Zambezia province. Though Bob has recently been using Portuguese in informal gatherings of pastors, this meeting marked our first attempt at formal “vision casting” in the Mozambique national language.
We addressed the pastors Nov. 12; then we continued on to Nampula for our first Portuguese language evaluation.
We really were eager to score well on that evaluation, because we must master Portuguese before we can begin learning another African language that can help us reach the non-Chichewa-speaking Lomwe people.
The Lord answered our prayer request concerning the evaluation in the most spectacular and unexpected way.
Recently a woman named Maria showed up at our gate. Maria has moved here from Quelimane, Mozambique, and speaks Portuguese even at home with her children. She knows only a few words of Chichewa, the language we currently use, and no English. Maria came to our house looking for some work, because she is here alone with the children.
Long story short, 30 minutes later — after an interview in which our Portuguese skills were stretched to the limit and beyond — we hired her, initially on probation, to come and chat with us in Portuguese four hours a day: two hours for Bob and two hours for Pam. God is so good.
Bob and Pam Brownfield
Thyolo, Malawi
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