Fwd: Advent: We are not alone or insignificant

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: César García <Kitchener@mwc-cmm.org>
Date: Fri, Dec 9, 2016 at 6:15 PM
Subject: Advent: We are not alone or insignificant
To: Phil & Kelly Horning <philandkelly@gmail.com>

December 9, 2016

Dear Phil & Kelly,

I recently asked several people to explain why they value Mennonite World Conference. One reply that caught my attention came from Paul Phinehas in India: "Now we know that we are not alone, abandoned or insignificant, because we are part of the body of Christ knit together with brothers and sisters across the world." That is the impact of your gifts in supporting MWC, helping people in big churches and little churches all over the world to feel encouraged and supported.

A few months ago Barbara Nkala, one of our volunteer Regional Representatives, made a visit to an MWC member church annual convention in Mozambique. This is her story of her visit:

The first day was quite dramatic as I foolishly thought my hosts had forgotten to call me from my room to go to church. After communicating with difficulty with the receptionist and a friend who only spoke Portuguese, and I only spoke English, I found myself hopping onto a motorbike, and holding onto the shoulders of this helper for dear life, feet astride and hitting the ground sometimes - thank God it was dark - quite a spectacle!

I had been told the church was just down the same street, so I had expected that it was less than a hundred metres away. I panicked when we kept going and sent some desperate prayers to the Lord for protection. And then this dear brother stops suddenly by the side of the road. He indicates that we have arrived. There is no big church. There are no lights. There are some people milling around. I am struggling to communicate that he cannot dump me there, when I see a face I had only seen in pictures: Rev Bisani. He assures me I am in the right place.

Mozambique Choir

I have to repent. The meeting place is a shelter of bamboo and some old canvas material and reed mats. Not everyone is in the shelter. It is a chilly evening. I am in my warm coat. There are many women sitting on bamboo mats, some on the cold ground - children as well. Most of the women have chitenges (thin cotton material in various colour design prints) to protect them from cold. Some children are poorly clad in short sleeved dresses, others in torn attire. But, they all listen intently to the Word spoken. When they sing, heaven comes down and glory fills my soul.

Do they truly know they are not alone, abandoned or insignificant? That there are brothers and sisters all over the world thinking about and praying for them? That was Barbara's message that she shared with them – they also belong to a global Anabaptist family who cares about them and prays for them. Please remember to pray for the Brethren in Christ Church in Mozambique.

Thanks to your support for MWC, you are helping Anabaptist churches the world over to know that they are not alone, abandoned or insignificant. Your assistance makes a difference, whether to churches in Europe, Latin America or Mozambique.

Larissa Swartz, a Young Anabaptist from Ohio, says that "MWC is valuable in reminding us and teaching that there is value in non-western perspectives on the Anabaptist faith, and challenging us to be more intentionally involved and connected with our multicultural Anabaptist family. It's a temptation for us in the West to think we have everything figured out when it comes to faith and theology, but the reality is that cross-cultural relationships expand our understanding of who God is in more ways than we could imagine!"

Would you consider making a year-end donation to our global church family? Your contributions are what make possible these meetings for sharing joys and sorrows. You can make a contribution on our website (www.mwc-cmm.org/donate), or you can mail a contribution to our mailing address in Canada or the USA.

Thank you for walking alongside our Anabaptist brothers and sisters.