When a married couple from Brazil was called to serve as missionaries in Africa, their lives were changed. Let's visit them in Mozambique to see their lives on an Adventist university campus!
Feed the University, Feed the Community
*check premiere team project file for sound bites.
MALE 1
“We are in front of the Adventist University of Mozambique. It’s located in Beira (bay-ruh) which is near the center of the country and right off the sea.”
“The story of how we arrived here is interesting. I was a theology professor in FAAMA, the Adventist University of the Amazon near Belem, Brazil. Malu, my wife, was the educational coordinator in the same institution. We were very comfortable.”
“But then I received an email inviting me to teach at the Adventist University of Mozambique. I was uncertain at first. I had never thought about overseas mission. What would it be like? How would my family adjust? Many things went through my mind, but I had to share the news with my wife first.”
FEMALE 1
“When he told me about the email, I responded, “Really? Let’s go, let’s go right away!”
NARRATOR
Malu’s response caught Dr. Heraldo by surprise. Part of him hoped she would turn down the invitation. But when she immediately accepted it, he saw it as God’s approval to go.
When they arrived, the university campus was in decay, and the students and staff lacked the most basic necessities like food.
MALE 1
“This is a charcoal oven. You put the charcoal below and the pan on top. It’s a typical oven in this nation. One day, I found a school worker cooking rice in a small pan with a bit of cabbage on top. I asked him if that was his only meal for the day.”
“The man said, Yes, this is my only meal today.”
“So I asked him if that was going to be enough to feed him. He said, Oh no, this is not just for me. It’s for me and two other people.”
NARRATOR
Dr. Heraldo returned to his office in tears. He and Malu knew the students couldn’t study and learn on empty stomachs, so they prayed together for God to provide. He answered their prayer through a missionary who donated funds to start a cafeteria. Now the university serves daily meals to students and staff.
Many other positive changes are happening at the Adventist University of Mozambique. New school buildings and fields of study have been added, and the student body has doubled in two years. The campus church was dilapidated and the roof leaked when it rained, but now it has been renovated. A new library was built and books were donated, and the university has now received the highest level of accreditation in Mozambique.
The faculty has also developed a mission institute to equip students for mission in action.
MALE 1
“After lunch on Sabbath, students come here to receive training. Then they are divided into groups to visit children, the elderly, former members of the Adventist Church, and the sick, offering Bible studies as they go.”
“Visiting the surrounding area has greatly impacted both the community and the lives of the students. Some people we reached out to have already accepted Jesus and were baptized.”
NARRATOR
In the previous year alone, this program has strengthened the faith of many, even resulting in 17 baptisms, and the excitement for mission continues to grow.
MALE 1
We aim to develop a fully mission-minded university that prepares students to fulfill God’s mission for us.
FEMALE 1
God can use us; even in simple ways, God has used us, and we feel like we're making a difference here.
NARRATOR
But there are still many challenges ahead. Students and staff at the Adventist University of Mozambique now pray for funds to expand the food and nutrition department with a hands-on learning environment. Their goal is to hold health expos so they can share the health message with the community.
Please pray for cross-cultural missionaries, like Dr. Heraldo and Malu, who are serving in remote parts of the world. Pray also for the goals of the Adventist University of Mozambique. And thank you for your support of Adventist Mission.
NOTES
From 200 students to 400
New courses now. Newest and smallest Adventist University in the world.
Nationally recognized to teach any field of study plus masters and doctoral programs.
Donations made by Adventist press and others to rebuild the library. They pulled money from their own pocket to renovate the school library.
