You’ve got to hit the road before it hits you. The fullness of the rains are yet to descend. All Team are safely back in their various locations after being flooded with the Word of God and Holy Spirit energy at our Apostolic Conference in Inhaminga. Many journeys await us yet, but we are ahead of it all, ready for the year of 2023!

Dear Friends,

This year we launched the beginning of the year from a new platform, We invited the young adults (Predestinado Group) to lead us all in worship and follow the direction of Holy Spirit. This was a first time and a big deal for them to take the lead over key pastors and leaders from different provinces. This brought a youthful energy and different vibe which we all enjoyed immensely. 

The Team Teens participated in all the adult teaching sessions also, rather than having separate meetings for their age group. We all ate from the same table, spiritually and physically, as a family of leaders of all ages. It was a tremendous way to transmit the vision of the ministry as a whole to the next generation. The young people discovered a new place of belonging and understanding of their legacy and inheritance as well as their place of responsibility in the nation. The older folks received a deeper understanding of the value of not only teaching their children, but of allowing them to hear God for themselves and to share these treasures with their parents and the church as a whole. 

We believe you will be encouraged to read some of the testimonies that have come in, and enjoy getting to know more of AWYesu family personally.

Rod & Ellie
and all at Afrika Wa Yesu

REPORTS AND FEEDBACK

Pastor Armando

It’s with a great joy that I share about our apostolic conference. It was very powerful, impacting and life changing for everyone, the power of The Holy Spirit was very present throughout the conference.

The Holy Spirit, is an Apostolic Spirit. He is the ‘Sent One’, sent from the Father to help the church and glorify Jesus. This was a time of connection with the Holy Spirit, as a group of the disciples of Jesus. Jesus said we must be filled with the Holy Spirit before we can be sent.

Life in Mozambique is very challenging and uncertain in many ways. People go to sleep, never knowing if they will wake up in the morning. People make a journey with no assurance that they will return in safety. During the year we do a lot of outreaches, seminars and conferences, which demand a lot of traveling through some very dangerous roads and places. Some of our leaders, live in the areas of active shootings every day. 

At this conference we heard the testimonies of deliverance, protection, provision and victories. It was a time of refreshment, renewing strength, refilling the lamps, rekindling the holy fire and encouraging one another to keep moving on. 

A top point of the conference was the concept of bridging the gap. We had a mixture of every generation represented. Though we always have different age groups present, this time we were all involved in the same meetings, making it so special and unique. It was also an added blessing to have a few youth from other churches, creating a new platform of confidence, self-esteem and launching pad for these young people from other denominations in town. 

Our time together was priceless and relevant. Each speaker brought a different dynamic around the theme “Making Disciples”. This is the second pillar of our vision statement “Winning souls, making disciples, training leaders and planting churches that go and do the same.” The Kingdom of God, continues to grow and expand on earth, only through the faithfulness of the disciples, making other disciples, just as Paul told Timothy,

“The things you have heard from me, before many witnesses, entrust them to faithful men who will be able to also teach others” (2Tim.2:2). 

Discipleship must be the lifestyle of every believer. As Afrika Wa Yesu, we have been making disciples from day one; but this year it’s an accelerated part of leadership. We concluded with the exhortation for each leader to intentionally and purposefully focus on raising a minimum of three personal disciples each by the end of the year. I am very excited about all this and the hope for the future is so brilliant.

I am very grateful for the opportunity which was given me to be part of the frontline in organizing the Apostolic Conference, this year. Thank you, Pai Rodney & Mae Ellie, for the great privilege. What an apostolic discipleship this is. 

Together for His glory.

Armando & Lurdes Jo

Pastor Mariano

The ‘Making Disciples’ teaching was very practical and instructive in giving direction for the pastors. Not only on how their own church should be run, but also the National level of our churches. 

I saw the pastors and leaders in total openness amongst themselves, sharing their experiences and testimonies of what they have been through and what they have seen in their provinces, districts and zones.

It was very beautiful to see how the pastors used this time to strengthen their friendships and wanting to maintain contact. They shared their phone numbers in order to keep communicating. They took pictures together as a way of keeping memories of this time they spent together. 

Besides being a strong spiritual time, it was also a very fun time enjoying the conference together. The pastors who came to this conference for the first time told me how important it was for them to sit at the same table with the founders and share meals with them. They underlined that in many ministries this does not happen, the founders and main leaders eat separately, even eating different food, but here we all ate the same food.

Another thing the leaders received was information concerning government requirements and new regulations. All churches have to be registered with the government, also church members must be registered with the church. This is often a complicated thing for some of the pastors, so they received the instruction manuals made in our offices to facilitate them in the job. 

We understand that we live in crucial times, but also opportune days to make Jesus known to all people. In this we work together, believing for much victory in this year.

May God bless you greatly,

Pastor Mariano Nota

Deborah Maas

When we selected the speakers and the worship leaders, it was prayerfully done and important to carefully consider their ability to receive and transmit the heart of God in an effective and engaging manner. The music from the Predestinados group was very good - they clearly had put a lot of time and effort and practice into their performance and had taken the challenge very seriously. This came through in their heart to please God and to bring us into His presence. 

I noted the importance of the ability of a leader to be able to seek out and discover the heart of God in a particular area and a specific season - mostly in acknowledging that we do not and never will know absolutely everything. There is always a new level of development and discovery that we can reach towards in our own human development but more importantly in where God wants to take his Church as a body, as a whole. We should never disregard a theme as too basic - ask God what He wants to reveal and develop at this time in this area.

Another important aspect of ministry and life in general concerns acknowledging the individuality of those around us and those we work with. Recognizing and even celebrating our differences brings us to mutual respect and a greater ability to be able to work together towards the goal, and is key in personal and communal development. While we do not compromise on character and integrity, we can appreciate and utilize differences in personality and gifting - we are all parts of the same body with the common goal of reaching our world for Christ, and simultaneously bringing glory and honour to His name.

It was a truly inspiring start to the year and I feel there were so many aspects which we learned and will be able to implement throughout the year ahead. Thank you for your apostolic discipleship and oversight! We are privileged to be able to grow under the covering of Afrika Wa Yesu Ministries.

Chris Maas

I learned new things like the different types of vision and how it is important to use all of them in your life to get the best. The worship and praise was the best we have had in a long time. Every speaker spoke well and the topics were very interesting and not boring. I learned a lot about the importance of having a disciple and why you should be discipled. It has given me a new energy for the work I am doing by giving me the tools to be a better leader to the people that I am responsible for. It was one of the best conferences we have had.

TESTIMONIES

Ashira Maas

As I listened to a lot of people talking about being a disciple maker, I learned that I can be one at any age, and how I can make them anywhere ~ in school and out of school. 

My favourite time was the worship because I got to stay some time in the presence of God. He didn’t say anything really specific to me but he did say that this is going to be one of the most amazing years of my life and I am accepting that. 

I must say thank for this amazing opportunity and it has been one of my favourite conferences and I can’t wait to go and participate in another soon.

Mikayla Maas

Josué Lino

I am 15 years old. I was born in Inhaminga and am now in Gorongosa Wa Yesu Church with my parents. My heart's desire has always been to participate with the adults but it wasn't possible. 

Something personal that God has done in my life is to break my shyness I wasn't one to talk a lot or even open my mouth in front of many people. I love to play instruments, namely the drums and keyboard, but I was hiding behind the instruments and I never wanted people to ask me any questions

The inspiration I received was in seeing see the Predestinado group play their instruments in front of the pastors, so I made the decision to have the courage to face my leaders and do the same. For me it is easy do this in my church but not among people I'm not used to living with all the time. I never thought that one day I would play instruments in Inhaminga but this time it was possible and I loved this experience.

Caleb Lino

Débora Jó

SPIRITUAL GROWTH - When a young person arrives at the Church, there is great joy and everyone wants to pamper him, but spiritually, how long should this be? We've been working with young people for a while now and we've realized that it has has nothing to do with chronological time, but with spiritual time. Time spent in the presence of Christ and how much of Him has been assimilated in that time.

Our transformation into the image of Christ takes place in 3 aspects: The revelation of Jesus, the contemplation of Jesus, and the fellowship of his sufferings. This is what God put in my heart during the conference, that we need to disciple with a single objective to help young people in their spiritual growth, accompanying them through these aspects:

• The Revelation of Christ, what is the main growth factor?

(Eph 4:13) "Until we all reach the unity of the faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to the state of man made, to the measure of the full stature of Christ"

Herein we find the path to maturity and spiritual growth:

• In the  Unity of Faith, that we all believe the same Word.
• In the full Knowledge of the Son of God, knowing Jesus completely.

If we want to see them grow up, we must teach young people to have a lifestyle of Reading the Word of God. 

The more I get to know Jesus and spend time with Him, the more like him I will become. God reveals himself so that we may know him

The key to reaching maturity is to know the Son of God!!!

This is the level we need to lead young people to reach, to know God. 

We know Him also through experiencing Him. We need not only to teach young people but to lead them into experiences. It is in having an encounter with Him, a total, deep and intimate union! It is not intellectually understanding the truth, it is experiencing the truth. This happens through worship and prayer.

During the days of the conference I looked at each young person as they prayed and cried out to God. They were experiencing God. So if we teach young people the Word and lead them to have the same experiences we will have a mature group of young people ready to continue the work of the ministry.

Gabriel Maas

PREDESTINADOS TESTIFY

"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” - Rom 8:29,30

 Sabão Taimo: Bible School teacher, Inhaminga, and member of Predestinado. We as a group are happy and satisfied for the opportunity given to us. Really God spoke and touched our heart in many ways and indescribable ways. This opportunity for us it is unprecedented. We as young people of the end time generation have many dreams and visions, what we lack is opportunities to be able to exercise what God has placed within us. Thank you for being the ones to take us by the hand and says. “Let’s go, I am with you.” We would not be able to do this without someone who identifies with our petition. Thank you very much!

Lucas Armando: I'm a member and musician of Predestinado better known as Luckey. Apostolic Conference really was a renewal for me I was transformed and established by the Word of God. In fact we not only led praise and worship but God shaped our lives. Every morning as we entered the auditorium I felt my body shivering and always inside me there was a voice that said that “I really am here.” I could really see God at work, on the last day we were being activated through prayer, it was like a dream because I always wanted it. After I was anointed joy took over my heart. 

Elias Tomo: I'm a musician and member of Predestinado. Yes, words fail to describe how grateful I am for this scholarship of privilege to be able to lead praise and worship at the Apostolic Conference. It was my first time to participate in one of the conferences of that level. Even though we have had our events in the Predestinados, this time my heart was capitulated - I became more passionate about Jesus and praise and worship. During the praise and worship time I came up with a new song and I am still writing more. I discovered something - that we need to develop prophetic worship more, and it is true that already we are doing a part of it but we need much more because we serve in a generation of a living and prophetic God. I was transformed and reformed by the word that Pastor Chris brought, who said "Be a discipler of yourself" ~ until today this word speaks in my heart, I want to disciple my self. Thanks.

Paulo Nsona: I'm a musical artist of Predestinado. I have to say that this year's theme is a prophetic theme because it spoke exactly what was in our hearts as a group of young people. The youth group, they said this year our eyes must be opened. Yes we sing, and we write new songs, we have youth meetings but this is not all we need. We need to make disciples and take the youth and ourselves to a personal intimacy with the Holy Spirit. When we were leading the praise and worship certainly God was in our midst, there was no resistance from the older pastors from other regions to be led by young people like us. They got right into the wave and movement. Something that sincerely left an impression on me is at the time of Holy Communion, the bread and the cup, my heart broke, and I realized how important the Lord's Supper is, I received God's life and God's love that night and the Lord's Supper taught me the fear of the Lord, to revere God And I renewed my covenants with God in that night. 

Manuel Armando: I'm not a trained musician but I play the piano and other musical instruments. I'm a member and a young man of Predestinado. I'm very happy and grateful to God for everything, I give honour and glory to Jesus. While I played the piano, truly I remembered King David in Saul's house. When Saul was tormented by evil spirits, he always called David to sing a praise to bring the presence of God. There was something in my heart, which gave me an incentive to invite the Presence of God. I played music through these instruments, then something that moves my heart is when we enter the Word of God in the teaching sessions. 

Timóteo Antônio Kissimiss: From a sincere heart, I say God is really good because of the wonders he is working among our generation. Just the fact of being part of the Apostolic Conference is already a great miracle for me, I sang more this time as I am very attached to playing the guitar. Our dreams are coming true, knowing that the Predestinado is the beginning of our dreams. We still have a lot to give and develop through music, dance, theatre and praise and worship. Yes, we are carrying the sound of the final hour. We need to carry this generation all the way in prophetic music. I rejoice in the Lord he is good forever. Thank you for this time. 

All over the auditorium prayers rise up as a sweet incense to God as the church of Jesus Christ encourages and strengthens one another with prophetic declarations of the promises of God for their lives.

THANK YOU for Fuelling our Faith!

Thank you for fueling our faith and vision through your friendship and support. Come run with us through the year 2023.

“I hear your call Lord, and I will run….
to the uttermost nations, to tell of your Son. 
No mountain to high to climb for you, 
no valley to deep….
to keep me from bringing Love to those who never have heard.

In His name, together we stand,

        Rod & Ellie and the Afrika Wa Yesu Team