Mozambique and Paris

This afternoon I had a meeting at church with a fellow American co-worker named Randy. Randy is actively involved at the Belleville Church, notably with a ministry called "Quartier Libre," which has some historic roots with Bill Wilson's ministry among children in Brooklyn, NY.

Several years ago, we discovered that my father was the youth pastor of Randy's mother in the 1960s at Central Northwest Presbyterian Church of Detroit. Pretty wild and strange to think back to then.

Anyway, the meeting was to discuss the involvement of current Belleville intern Tricia with Quartier Libre. But before getting to that, Randy told me a little bit about his summer in Mozambique with "IRIS," a ministry where Heidi and Roland (?) Baker work.

They are seeing some pretty miraculous stuff taking place. Many people are coming to personal faith in Jesus Christ. They are also regularly seeing healings, miracles, and even people being raised from the dead. They are starting churches and training leaders for these churches. Randy was very impressed with the work there and spent a month in training there.

One thing that struck me was that Mozambique, like Ethiopia, was a country dominated by a Marxist government in the 1970s and 1980s. Both are very poor countries as well. It seems like God has shown His power there despite these totalitarian governments. I also wonder if there is a link between the physical poverty of these countries and the spiritual readiness and dependance upon God.

I wonder what the Church in France (and in the West) has to learn from the Church in Mozambique. Lots probably.