Ann-Christin, from Germany, has had a heart for cross-cultural work in Africa since she was a child. When she was 16, she knew that God was calling her to be a long-term missionary. Now, six years later, after Bible school, missionary training, and other preparation, God opened the door for her. At the end of June, she arrived in Mozambique and was warmly received by the host church that will take responsibility for her during her time of language and culture study.
When she arrived, the sights, sounds, and smells reminded her of her time in Malawi several years before. It was a huge blessing to be met by Pastor Benedito, his wife Natalia, and a few others with Visão Integral (Integral Vision). The welcome continued after she arrived at her new apartment and was greeted on the front porch by ladies from her host church and her new language and culture helpers with gifts and singing. They brought her a capulana and lenço, the traditional pieces of cloth used as skirts and head coverings, which she needs to wear when she goes to church.
For 20 years now, we, as an organization, have purposefully worked at fostering relationships with the local church and learning from them. Today, we are reaping the fruit of this relationship with our African brothers and sisters in Christ. God desires for all believers to have a spirit of humility and it is with this same spirit that we interact with our Mozambican brothers and sisters, knowing they have a lot to teach us.
Pastor Benedito and his wife Natalia play a big part in this, and we are grateful to them as they open their hearts and home and make time to visit and help with any questions and concerns that may come up. They also give our mission leaders guidance and direction in how to interact with local churches and they help spread the vision for reaching the unreached. We trust that this is just the beginning of a rich and beautiful relationship between Ann-Christin and her hosts which will one day result in the church being one step closer to reaching another people group who has little or no access to the gospel.