Mozambique By the Numbers

Population: 21 Million
Life Expectancy: 41 years
Hospital Beds per 1000 people: .87
Fatalities per Year for Children under 5 Years: 118,000 Percentage of Children under 5 who are Underweight: 24 %
Percentage of Children under 5 who have stunted Growth: 41 %
Percentage of Children under 5 Sleeping Under Mosquito Nets: 10 %
Percentage of people using adequate Sanitation Facilities: 32 %
Estimated Number of People with HIV: 1,800,000
Estimated Number of Children with HIV: 140,000
HIV/AIDS Deaths per Year: 110,000
Estimated Children Orphaned by AIDS: 510,000
Estimated Children Orphaned Total: 1,500,000
Percentage of Population living on less than $1 / Day: 36 %
Statistics taken from Unicef
 

History

In 1975, the Portuguese left Mozambique with a significant amount of infrastructure, including good roads and well-built buildings. The new Mozambican government decided to side with the USSR and become communist in exchange for money. The democratic nations of Rhodesia and South Africa that were right next to Mozambique felt threatened economically by Mozambique, and decided to start a civil war. They financed RENAMO, the Mozambican resistance movement, along with the US and several other countries that wanted to topple Mozambique's communist government. After almost 20 years of bitter fighting and almost no infrastructure left, the government decided to change to a democracy and incorporate the resistance faction into the government.

Because the borders of Mozambique were closed while it was a communist country and because Mozambique's national language is not English, the country was and still is the least evangelized country in southern Africa. Mozambique is also one of the poorest countries in the world, but the government has been stable since changing to a democracy and the standard of living continues to improve.
There are over 40 languages in Mozambique, and in those languages there are many dialects. Only a small percentage of people speak Portuguese as their heart language. With each group of people comes a different set of values, traditions, and mannerisms, some of which even change from village to village! We minister in an area that is mostly Senna, with a decent sprinkling of Ndow. There are a little over 1 million people that speak Senna, and fewer that speak Ndow. The Bible has not been translated into either language yet, but Wycliffe is working on a Senna translation.

About Jon

Jon went to college planning on being an Aerospace engineer. God had other plans. In his freshman year, Jon got saved and gave his life to God. Jon became obsessed with seeing one person saved - he figured that if he got one person saved, then he would have done his part to keep Christianity alive. That was back when he thought Christianity was dying. That summer, he counselled at a summer camp, where he ran smack into the power of God to change and transform lives. 11 of Jon's 14 campers gave their lives to God and Jon began to realize Jesus's power and plans were greater than Jon could have ever guessed. After that, he listened to one too many of God's leadings and found himself on the mission field in the Philippines. In the Philippines, God asked Jon to give up his career and girlfriend. That began Jon's life of following God, no matter how crazy God's leadings are. The rest of Jon's time in college were marked by working as a Resident Assistant, leading small groups, organizing prayer watches, and occassionally doing homework. He still primarily considers himself a discipler and there is no where he is happier than sitting down with someone and talking about what God is doing in their life.

About Carla

Carla grew up in a very missions-focused family--they lived on a Youth With A Mission base in Texas for two years and then her whole family moved to Russia for two more years when she was 9. As long as she can remember she had a heart for taking the good news about Jesus Christ to people around the world. When she graduated from home schooling, she attended Rosedale Bible College in Ohio for two years before embarking on her first mission trip without her family, going to Bangladesh for six months. There she fell in love with the people, the culture, and the opportunities she had daily to share God's love with the people around her. She also had her first experience with teaching English as a second language, which she enjoyed immensely and decided to pursue as a career. When she got back to the States, she attended the University of Missouri-Rolla for English and Education to take steps toward that goal, and it was providentially where she met Jon. He had just returned from a mission trip to the Philippines, and she knew they were meant to be when he told her his life goal--to teach in a university in a closed country in Asia while doing undercover mission work--which was exactly the same as her life goal. While still going to school she got a job teaching English for international students, and she spent a summer vacation in China doing the same.

Life Together

While they are in the United States, Jon and Carla live in Rolla, Missouri. Carla taught English to international students and organized events to give those students a taste of American culture and living. Jon tutored college Physics and designed websites. However, they have spent half of their life together in southern Africa, feeding the poor and preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. Currently, Jon and Carla have stopped their traveling around and are working near the Mozambican city of Beira as the "baby missionaries" at their base. They are in charge of hospitality, the kitchen, and learning the language. If you would like to visit, please contact us!