SHARING THE GOSPEL IN AND AROUND
MontepueZ
ABOUT Us
Who Are We?
We are blessed to be here as a team of four families committed to working together to share the message of new life in God's Kingdom among the Makua-Metto, the Makonde, and the Mwani peoples. We see the threads of God's hand in the tapestry of our lives, influencing us to take the steps that have become this journey to working in Mozambique. There is not room enough here to tell all the stories of God working to shape and purify each of us through all those influences, so here we will share only a brief history of how God has shaped us as a team and how he has brought us here.
The initial six families on the team (including the Smiths and Westerholms) met through interest meetings focused on mission work in Africa, and decided to form a team to do church-planting work. After much prayer and research, a decision was made to work among the Makua people of northern Mozambique.
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After nine months of Portuguese language study in Lisbon, they left Portugal for Mozambique in December 2003. In the beginning, much of their time was spent immersed in language and culture acquisition, while maintaining government relations, becoming part of our community, and beginning to work with churches as well. In addition, the droughts of 2005 and 2015 produced hunger seasons much worse than normal, and many supporters gave generously. God loves to show his love through his children!
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The team dedicated most of their time to helping plant new churches and mentoring young believers in our area since 2005. Since that time we have seen the churches of Christ and their members grow from a group of 17 congregations with a membership of 350 (2006) to 72 congregations with a membership of over 3,400 (2021). We are excited to watch God working through his Spirit in his people, and humbled that we are able to participate! Every year is different here in northern Mozambique, and the lives of those on the team change with the seasons. We have worked with a small sustainable stove-building program, sustainable agriculture training seminars, and Alan Howell ran a non-profit egg business for two years on the team land. Martha Smith started running Urerihana, a non-profit jewelry-making and sewing business to empower and improve the lives of women. In 2009, the Roland family returned to the United States for the health of their family and in 2018 the Howell family also returned to America as they felt God calling them to other ministries stateside. The team holds many happy memories of their time with us.
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In 2016 a Theological Institute was created with the idea of training men and women in how to think about God and how to share him with others. This has drawn students from three northern provinces and has served as a unifying force among the churches. To date over 200 students have taken classes and 33 have graduated (2022).
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In 2017 an insurgency started creating a disruption in the northernmost part of our province. As it intensified through 2021, the United Nations has said that about 1 million people have been dislocated from their homes and sought refuge elsewhere. During these years thousands of Makonde and Mwani people came to Montepuez seeking refuge and aid. The largest problem for us was the new language barrier as we could not speak their languages. During a time of prayer, the team asked the Bailey family who were transitioning out of their 16 year ministry among the Sukuma people of Tanzania to join them in Montepuez to help the churches learn how to minister cross-culturally to the people feeling the insurgency. The Bailey family arrived in 2021 and started settling into Mozambique in preparation for their ministry among the Makonde and Mwani people in Montepuez.
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Brooklyn Howard, the most recent of our teammates, worked with our team as a teacher for the team kids in the 2021-2022 school year and felt called to join the team and begin a ministry teaching English as a second language. She moved back to Mozambique in 2023 and has begun the process of building her house and ramping up the new English program.
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In everything we do we are driven by hope - hope in God's working to redeem and reconcile all creation to himself, including the Makua-Metto, the Makonde, and the Mwani people of northern Mozambique. We are humbled and amazed to participate in His work.
Our Vision
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We want to see God-led kingdom movements transformed by Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit among the peoples of Northern Mozambique.
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It is our hope and prayer that by together living and walking like Christ among the Makua-Metto, the Makonde and the Mwani and by sharing Jesus' message in their own language, that the Kingdom of God will take root in hearts of the people, and that they will form communities who together seek to know God more and learn to walk in new life.
We believe that Jesus came to proclaim the message that life in God's Kingdom is available to all who seek it. Our task is to participate in the work of sharing that message with those who have not heard it, and encourage and mentor those who have chosen to follow Jesus.
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We believe that no one culture or language has a monopoly on God's truth, and that the Kingdom of God can translate into, redeem and enrich all cultures. We believe that hearing Jesus' message in the Makua-Metto language and seeing Kingdom life lived out in their own neighborhood is a precious gift, so we are committed to immersing ourselves in and learning the local language and culture.
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We believe that God wants changed lives, and that converting only the mental beliefs of a person falls short of God's desire for transformation of the heart and mind, and so we seek to make disciples of Jesus, not just converts.
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We believe that God created us to live our lives in community - that where the rubber meets the road is how we love and serve those around us, and so we commit to work together as a team in an attempt to model the life of the church.
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We believe that God desires to redeem the whole person, communities, and the structures that affect them. We seek to be holistic in our work and relationships by being a blessing to the community spiritually, physically, and socially.
Our Mission
Through equipping, modeling, and discipling, we will empower the Kingdom movements of Northern Mozambique to seek God.
Commonly Asked Questions
Where is Mozambique?
With a coastline of over 1,600 miles, the nation of Mozambique is in southeast Africa. Across the channel to the east is the island nation of Madasgascar. Mozambique is bordered by Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, and South Africa.
How do you pronounce "Montepuez"?
You're not alone in having difficulty pronouncing our city name. Click the play button to hear an audio version
mon-te-pwez - mõtepuˈɛʃ
What language(s) is/are spoken in Northern Mozambique?
Given that the country is a former colony of Portugal, the national language is Portuguese. This language is used in schools and government offices; and can be seen on signage and most documents. Portuguese is rarely the primary language for people living in the North. Tribal languages such as Makua, Mwani, or Makonde are more commonly spoken.
COME VISIT US
We LOVE visitors and welcome you experience our lives in Mozambique first-hand. Whether you come as an intern or apprentice, a team teacher, or just as a friend, you are welcome here. For more information and helpful tips, click on a link below.