Vision for the Mission in Mozambique, Africa

My name is Deborah Williams, and I was born in Manaus, Amazon, Brazil. My grandparents were the first to answer the call to missions, and they spent 18 years in Brazil. I believe I was born with missions in my heart. Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” I moved to the United States in 1994 at the age of eleven, and began attending Healing Place Church in 1996. I graduated from St. Amant High in 2001, attended LSU for two years, and then moved to Dallas, Texas, to attend Christ For The Nations Institute. While in Dallas, I received a 2 year Practical Theology Diploma and earned a bachelor’s degree from Dallas Baptist University in 2006. I have spent the last year and a half working for Church United For Community Development as a Case Manager for the Prisoner Reentry Program called Step Out, located in the inner city of Baton Rouge. And now, I want to share with you a challenging ministry opportunity God has presented to me.
Envision a land slightly less than twice the size of California, where men, women, and children are trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation. Having gained independence in 1975, from 470 years of Portuguese colonial rule, it still ranks among the least developed nations in the world. Since independence, this southeast African country has suffered through socialist mismanagement and 16 years of civil war. They started having democratic elections in 1994. The population estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; at any time there are 1.3 million people living with HIV or AIDS: A crazy amount considering only a little over twenty-one million people live in Mozambique, Africa.
After much prayer and consideration, Pastors Dino and Delynn Rizzo and Mark and Cindy Stermer believe now is an opportune time to reach the people of Mozambique. Healing Place Church and Children’s Cup International Relief have built a Care Point to reach the impoverished families in the village of Nkobe, 20 minutes outside the capital city of Maputo. They provide free meals, medical care and education to these families. There are 300 children who are fed daily, and for the vast majority of the children this is their one and only meal of the day. There is a potential to reach thousands of people in this 15,000 person community. The community is ever growing, and many of the families are attending the HPC Sunday Service. Nkobe is changing and God is moving in the hearts of the people. To keep up with the need and to follow the momentum God has created in this area, I am moving to Mozambique to serve Campus Coordinators and Pastors Isaac and Carol Williams with the growing church and to assist them in reaching the lost and hurting in that area.
I'm excited about the opportunity and experience that lie ahead. I hope you see the value in what we will accomplish. As you can imagine, a trip like this requires financial support from a number of people. I need to raise $30,000 by January 2009. If you can support me in a financial way, I would be very grateful. It can be a one time gift or a monthly support, and all support can be sent to Healing Place Church, 19202 Highland Rd., Baton Rouge, La. 70809. Be sure to designate your gift for "deborah williams-mozambique." And, most importantly, I need your prayer support. Prayer is the fuel that will allow us to be successful as we follow God's leading in ministry in this country. Without prayer, nothing will happen.