NEWS FROM MOZAMBIQUE

NAMPULA | Bro Alphonse MauridiI Kasindi

Brothers, I am going to summarize my answer to your questions and if, perhaps, you will need more details, feel free to ask more questions. I was born in a Christian family. My parents were both full church members of “Brethren Church” in Congo. When I was born I was brought up in the same faith as my parents. When I was subject to persecution and torture in my home country by members of my extended family due to property, plantation and other assets that my father left, after this I felt compelled to leave the country because they realised that I am heir of those belongings, and while I am still alive they will not possess them with a full freedom. So I left the country and looked for asylum in another country far from them.

This incidence took place in June 2004. My intention was to look for asylum in South Africa where I could be far from my enemies. On my journey when I arrived in Lichinga, the capital city of Niassa province in the west of Mozambique, I met by chance one of my cousins on the side of my mother who was a refugee there. He welcomed me and we stayed together for 7 years before we were separated. It is from him I knew about Christadelphians because he was also of this faith. He had many literatures and books and some copies of Bible Correspondence Course. As we lived together, one day he told me about Christadelphians, but I replied him that there is no other belief than what I believed in before. And I told him not to pay attention to join any denominations because the world is corrupted and many are Devil worshippers and anti-Christ, referring to his belief. As I did not have any occupation yet, and my hobby is reading, I began reading the literatures and other books which were in the house. When he came from job he found me reading from time to time and he used to tell me there is no other true belief than the Christadelphian one. Because other churches teach the Bible in a wrong way, he added. But even if he told me that, I continued to harden my heart and told him that each one says what you are saying. As I continued to read those literatures, books and Bible correspondence course, after 4 years of study, I was convinced and found out the difference from Christadelphian Bible teachings and other denominations, including mine (Brethren Church). For example, other denominations teach that: Jesus is God; There is God Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; The kingdom of God will be in heaven; satan is a rebelled angel of God; Jesus existed since the creation of the world; someone with the Holy Spirit can speak in tongues ... all these are false Bible teachings.

After finding the truth I agreed with my cousin and told him he was right because his belief teaches the Bible the way it must be taught without adding or omitting. Then I asked him what can I do to join Christadelphians. He replied, that I have to be baptized. I asked him why, as I have already been baptized. He replied that the baptism I received was from a wrong belief. This means it was a wrong baptism. This also took me a good time meditating on it. Finally I found it was true, because the Bible declares: “There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism” Ephesians 4:4-5. To have the same faith we have to have also the same baptism. And on September 15, 2010, when one of our brothers from UK came to visit Mozambique, he baptized my wife and I after an interview that lasted about one hour. This is a short story of how I became a Christadelphian. God bless you. Bro Alphonse MauridiI Kasindi

C/O UNHCR-NAMPULA C.P 173 MOZAMBIQUE

TETE | Bro Emmanuel Maugente

I do thank you for the CD, and ‘The Real Devil’, which is really helpful and deals with the history of the idea of Satan. It helped me to understand the Satan in the book of Job. If possible I would like the CD in Portuguese and also the book, The Real Devil, the CD on refugees and other CDs of our Christadelphian songs.

I thank Bro James Hunter of Canada for the 40 lessons in Portuguese and the pamphlets. May the Almighty God bless this work. We are all fishers of men as in Matthew 4:19, “Jesus said unto them, follow me and I will make you fishers of men”.

At the moment I am in Mozambique in the central provinces, living in the city of Tete, which has 152.909 inhabitants. The province has 1,832,339 inhabitants and the Mozambique area is 799,380 square kilometres and population 20,530,714 inhabitants, Tete Province area is 100,724 sq. kms., native language Nyungwe and approximately 26 languages from Romana to Maputo. Tete is a province known for its blistering heat and burgeoning coal economy and is considered to be a place best suited to men. At least 52 nationalities are represented in the province with a colourful mix of the first and third world cultures.

I hope this letter will find you well. Please continue sending me more books, C.D.s and videos, both Portuguese and English and Sunday School material about the Lord’s coming. Tete/Mozambique is still needing the push start from the U.K. in terms of the Gospel. I have been blessed to have been visited by brothers and sisters from the U.K. – Trevor and Denis and Mary Woodgate and I have been happy now to have baptised brothers and sisters in the city of Tete after a long period of isolation and hope to have more people knowing the Truth here.

I have explained to you in my previous letter that there is so much to do and everyone over here really needs your help so I am going to make one request of you. Keep Mozambique in your thoughts and prayers and try to involve yourself in it either through prayer or some other means. God really has been blessing us here. God bless you from the bustling cities and deep jungles of Mozambique; I think that just about sums up Mozambique – it is a gold mine for the Truth waiting for us and you to reach out and pull these people out of the soil of death. Over here we have a chance to share the hope we possess with a people who without us will never have this hope.

Bro Ricardo King and his daughter Laura

Tete gathering

Tete Ecclesia

I am personally doing what I can. Who are the missionaries? The missionaries offer the pearl of great price, they open doors, they are members of the family, they are the arm of the Lord. Missionaries are not ‘them’, they are who have a responsibility to preach to whomsoever, (Joel 2:32). Small in number they may be but their enthusiasm in serving God is an example we can follow from week to week. I will be looking forward to hearing from you.