Update from Danny Bravo in Malawi and Mozambique---Hippos too!

Hi again prayer partners. Here's an update on the last email/prayer request I sent - a little shorter this time.

 

We've finished the current outreach into Mozambique mostly to visit the new churches, back in Malawi now preparing for the next one in 9 days including the US team.

 

COMPLETION OF CHURCH VISITING OUTREACH

By the end of the trip, there were 25 new churches started as a result of Wheresoever (I knew of 24 when I wrote the last email), accounting for more than 500 new Christians. Many of you may remember the village chief who was drunken & violent, and after his baptism started being sick each time he tried to take a drink, leading to a total transformation of his life.  Turns out he has been going around sharing his experience of Jesus with many villages on the bike we gave him - he started this last church during one of his trips, over half an hour driving from his village so who knows how long on his bike, and he goes to worship with them all the time now. 

 

 

We did spread many Bibles (Chichewa language) across all the villages we were able to visit, leaving very basic instructions for Bible studies and what to do with their questions - let's pray for abundant Holy Spirit revelation as they read it.

 

 

The mass baptism we were preparing for turned out to be very good, but not as big as we had hoped.  In between unexpected funerals, heavy rains in the morning, and pick-up times that had to be delayed due to circumstances, we ended up with only 5 churches participating.  Later in Angonia, two of the new churches we had hoped to visit were not reacheable by car due to floods and mud - and we did not have enough time to reach them by bicycle.  But God is in control and He definitely knows what He's doing - "and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him" Rom 8:28.   I'm sure we'll find out the real purpose of this someday.  By the way, crocodiles did not present any problems, and the 2 hippos we spotted were in another river - good to be under God's protection.

 

 

NEXT OUTREACH INCLUDING US TEAM    
The US team leaves Raleigh NC on 20 March, arriving Malawi 22 March when I and the Malawi team meet up with them (and I finally see Lindy again), and we cross into Mozambique on 23 March. (dates for you to pray over)

 

We will be running a 3-half-day seminar for current and future leaders up in Angonia, to help equip them for the big work coming up.  And then repeating the seminar down in Moatize near Tete.  The topics to be taught are not yet finalized, and we find ourselves struggling a bit due to ineffective and expensive communication with the US, so please pray for God's wisdom and revelation. 

 

The format is to run the seminars in the mornings when many of the locals are busy working in their "gardens" which can be a long way from their homes. Then in the afternoons and evenings we visit new villages to introduce them to the "Lord of lords and King of kings" Rev 17:14.  We have now chosen 4 of the 6 target villages, some of them today controlled by Jehova's witnesses and Church of Abraham (they believe in polygamy).  Please pray that the Holy Spirit clearly reveals to us the last 2 villages out of our shortlist.  We intend to visit each village twice as we have found that many times it is during the second visit that God's miraculous signs and wonders start showing up. And we hope to also reach villages in addition to the initial target of 6, depending on time available.  We are also in process of asking government permission to visit one or two prisons along the way ("I was in prison and you came to visit me" Matt 25:36).  

 

As you pray over all you read above, please also include some specific prayer for our health. It seems like everywhere we go there are so many people with Malaria.  On our team, Christiano has just recovered from it and Kenneth suspects he may have it.  Christiano's brother-in-law has his life in danger from it, and his mother and niece are also suffering from it. 

 

Well, I was going to keep it short this time, but I blew it again.
God bless all of you. WE REALLY REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR PRAYER.

love,
   Danny