September 25, 2008 

Dear Coworkers in Christ,

Today is a national holiday (veteran's day) in Mozambique and it gives me a little time to get caught up on correspondence and work around the house. I have been busy for the last four weeks teaching every day in the Bible Institute in Beira. I have already preached a number of times in two of the churches. Kathy has been very busy in the house and getting to know the neighbors. She is also training two young people to work in Bible clubs. The ladies' conference in August was a great success with about 35 ladies in attendance and the response to Kathy's teaching was great.

We have been able to get settled a little and find out where to buy food and how to get along in our new field. There are, as we expected, many differences from Portugal. We have to boil or buy all our water; with a little foresight, we brought a Berkey water filter, which has worked out wonderfully. It is a passive filter and we boil the water first. In addition, we have a night guard on the house. We have already had one incident where a man came to the house while I was gone and he was very belligerent with Kathy. The front and back doors have steel cage outer doors so he was not able to get through but she was shaken up a little. Welcome to Africa! Transportation is about what we expected but it has already caused some difficulties. I am sure, when we are able to, we will need to purchase a vehicle. At present that is not an option we can choose due to finances. We are praying that we will be able to buy next year some time. We might be able to purchase a reasonable vehicle that will meet our requirements for $12-14,000; that would be a used vehicle.

In the Bible Institute, our present group of 15 students will graduate this November and return to their homes and churches. The men that are here are a mix of pastors and un-ordained church leaders. (men who lead congregations but are not pastors) We have plans to hold a four-week course in the northern town of Nampula in January, next year. There are 11 congregations in the general area of Nampula and all of the men there need additional training. After that, we will work on plans for the fixed Institute in Beira and further training sessions abroad in the country. The Lord has greatly blessed the training sessions and we look forward to what these men will do for the Lord as they return to their churches. The future need of a building facility for training is already under consideration. It is not a project we will be able to accomplish by ourselves. Besides financing, we will need technical help and plans are already in motion to bring a construction team down next year to help in the construction of a proposed Institute facility.

The church in Beira has been full most Sundays and several people have been saved. The work on the new building is progressing on a daily basis. We hope to be under the roof holding services by this summer, (December) as the rains will inhibit meeting outside. Beira church is reestablishing a mission work in the northern area of the city in view of planting a church there. We will be directly involved in this work and are looking forward to "hands-on" church planting work. We never meant to work only with the training and feel strongly the need to start new churches. We are thankful the Lord is giving us the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of this new work. From the beginning, the work will have a trained African man leading the mission, while we will support the work through evangelizing, teaching and other support activities.

Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support of our work. We are truly dependent on the Lord and His servants that help us maintain a witness and a work in Mozambique Africa. God bless you as you serve Him.

We are your servants, the Harts to the Hearts of Africa in Mozambique,

Alan & Kathy Hart

Field Address: Rua Comandante Gaivao, #375, 2, ESQ, Ponta-Gea, Cidade de Beira, Mozambique Tel: 258-829-574-533 
Dalton Baptist Church PO Box 110, Dalton, Ohio 44618 /  WBF Mission Office, PO Box 13459, Arlington, TX 76094-0459

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