“So Where Is Your Church?”
JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES in Mozambique are often asked this question. Frankly, until recently it has been a difficult question to answer. This is because Jehovah’s Witnesses did not enjoy legal recognition in this country until 1991. Hence, it was not possible to have clearly identifiable and established places of worship.
However, that situation changed on February 19, 1994. On that hot, sunny day, the first two Kingdom Halls ever built in Mozambique were dedicated. A total of 602 came to the dedication of these fine meeting places in the port city of Beira, about halfway up the coast of Mozambique. They will serve the needs of the three congregations in that city.
The entire project, from laying the foundation to completing the buildings, took a year and two months of hard work. Often 30 or more volunteers from neighboring Zimbabwe came and worked shoulder to shoulder with the local Witnesses. Since not all of them could be accommodated in the missionary home in Beira, which served as the base of operations, some camped out around the home during weekends and on some occasions for weeks at a time.
The site of the Kingdom Hall for the Massamba and Munhava Congregations is located on the main road of Beira. “On a busy day, when the work went fast and the progress was very noticeable,” observed one missionary, “we saw near-accidents as drivers passing by stared at the Kingdom Hall, almost forgetting about their steering wheels.” Many did stop to watch the work, and they were particularly impressed by the presence of different races working together as one.
A great deal of planning and organizing went into the work. Unlike many other projects in this part of the world, where materials and resources are scarce, work on the Kingdom Halls never came to a standstill for lack of supplies. On one occasion, 800 sacks of cement were needed, and the only place that could supply it did not have the necessary sacks for holding the cement. The brothers contacted the Watch Tower Society’s branch office in the capital, Maputo; sacks were sent by air, taken to the cement factory, and filled. The work went on uninterrupted.
On another occasion, when roof trusses were being installed, the crew ran short of steel beams. Because of extreme scarcity, steel for the project had been imported from 370 miles [600 km] away! A man who had been watching was approached by one of the crew and asked if he knew where they might be able to find the steel to complete the job. The man replied: “I have been standing here for over an hour, and it must not have been by coincidence. I cannot help but admire the work you are doing and the spirit of this project. I have just the steel you need, and it would be my pleasure to offer it to you as a gift.” It turned out to be a most timely provision.
Many observers wondered what large construction firm was behind the project. The crew, of course, took great pleasure in telling them that these were Jehovah’s Witnesses volunteering their services. What especially struck the observers? “You are a united people,” said one. “Even though of different races, you work together as brothers.” The result was that many came asking for Bible studies. It has also had an impact on the meetings. The average meeting attendance of the Manga Congregation, for example, is more than double the number of Witnesses.
The new Kingdom Halls have truly proved to be a great blessing for the local Witnesses. Most had previously met in primitive places with a grass roof or a few tin sheets overhead, in a backyard, or in a small room of a private home. They often got wet when it rained; still they attended the meetings faithfully. For decades these were the only “Kingdom Halls” that Witnesses in Mozambique knew. Brother Caetano Gabriel, an elder in the Massamba Congregation, declared: “We are grateful to our brothers around the world who contributed toward the realization of this project.” One young Witness recalled: “When we were in Carico (“reeducation camps” where Jehovah’s Witnesses were interned for approximately 12 years), we used to say, ‘We will persevere faithfully, and Jehovah will reward us.’ The new Kingdom Hall is a reward from Jehovah.” Their words express their profound gratitude and their determination to praise Jehovah.
Many youths who shared in the construction work were infused with the pioneer spirit and afterward took up the regular pioneer ministry. Young Isabel, a regular pioneer in the Manga Congregation, remarked as she looked at the impeccably clean Kingdom Hall the day before its dedication: “To me this is the most beautiful place in the city of Beira. It is the greatest pleasure for me to be here.” Adão Costa, a missionary, explained that the local authorities had been most cooperative in allowing special importation procedures because they were aware of the Witnesses’ honesty. Then he added: “Although we got very tired, it was a joy to see the fruits of all this work for the honor and glory of Jehovah.”
Now, whenever a friendly resident of the city of Beira asks, “So where is your church?” the Witnesses direct him to one of the two new Kingdom Halls and respond with words such as, “It is on the International Road, Avenida Acordo de Lusaka, right across from the Fourth Squadron Police Station.” Then, adding one correction, “Only it is not a church. It is a Kingdom Hall!”
[Map/Pictures on page 20]
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AFRICA
Mozambique
Beira
Maputo
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Map: Mountain High Maps® Copyright © 1995 Digital Wisdom, Inc.