August 2007

The joy of our work is not so much in our situation, the country or even the task,

But in meeting the missionaries and hearing; how with God, their vision was cast.

Listening to stories of hardship, disappointment, sickness and at times little fruit,

Mingled with testimonies of lives being touched, of God’s Word taking deep root.

Rewards of faithfulness; counting the cost, planting, and then watering new shoots.

Roy Tibbit

Dear Friends:

While we were in Mozambique in March we met and stayed a night with Hendrik & Bets Vermooten who work with ‘World Serve’. During our time with them they shared how God is using the recording of Mwani Old Testament Scriptures, translated and recorded by the Wycliffe translation team members, to reach this Muslim people group. Then the other day I received a newsletter from the Vermootens and I want to share this encouraging story with you.

One day a strange letter arrived via a friend who is a Muslim teacher. This friend has been eagerly sharing the Old Testament recordings we have made with everybody who will listen. Recently he went to Ibo island, off the cost of northern Mozambique, to visit relatives. Of course he took his MP3 player along with the Scripture recordings. Before I share what happened next you need to know that the Mwani people are very poor and do not easily part with the little money they have. Also most of them are illiterate in their own language but because they are Muslims they can read the Qur’an in Arabic. Our friend handed me this letter from three men on Ibo island. When I opened it I was amazed to see it was written in Arabic script. I can’t read Arabic script , but our friend, a Muslim teacher can, so I asked him to read it for me. He started reading, and although I don’t know Arabic, I understood it because it was written in Kimwani, the language we work in, but the men had used Arabic script. As the request in the letter unfolded, I was even more astounded. The Muslim men had sent money requesting their own MP3 players, because, as the letter stated “We know that these lessons show the way to the truth!” The money the men had sent, about $12 US, was not nearly enough to buy the players, but God had a way to supply the extra money. While we were in South Africa a member of our church woke up at 3 in the morning, and felt the Lord was telling him to give us money to buy the MP3 players. Then the next Sunday our church took up a collection for even more players and we returned to Pemba with 12 complete sets. Our prayer for these dear people who gave is:

“May their gift be a fragrant aroma, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God” (Phil 4:18)

So each of the Ibo men received his MP3 player, and so did others, and now they are playing the Scriptures to many people.

Note: The MP3 set includes, the MP3 Player, rechargeable batteries and a small pair of amplified speakers so that the recordings can be played to groups of people. Hendrik continues to record Scriptures and teaching materials in his homemade recording studio.

Rose and I are enjoying the many missionaries who come to stay with us while they are

in South Africa. It is now school holidays so we have had missionary children to host as they travel from the country they are studying in, via South Africa, to Mozambique to spend time with their families. We have also been very busy with buying and I had the largest load yet to send with the Missionary Aviation flight to Nampula, Mozambique this month.

Thank God with us for continual safety and good health and we appreciate your prayers on our behalf. We are enjoying our assignment and are very aware that our role is vital for the missionaries in Mozambique.

Thank you for all of your encouragement, financial support and friendship; we appreciate them so much.

Roy & Rose Tibbit