Help from halfway around the world

Chris Clegg
South Peace News

Living in a hut and being awakened to the sound of an elephant eating your roof was all a part of life for African missionaries Jon and Margaret Scott. The Scotts visited the High Prairie Church of the Nazarene Oct. 7. They told stories of their work in helping the desperately poor people of Mozambique during their one-hour presentation. “We realized how much people are al- ike,” says Margaret. “After all is said and done, we’re all an awful lot alike. There’s a passion for Christ living in every country in the world.” The Scotts, who are currently global missionaries for the Church of the Nazar- ene, were attending college in the early 1970s when both felt the calling to become missionaries. They decided it was the call of God and were quick to abide. “At the time, we had no idea where we would be going,” says Margaret. But she referred to Psalm 2 which directs God’s workers to ask Him where to serve and He will direct them. “We were acting on the Lord’s promise,” she says. They were first assigned to Africa in 1974 and have been in Mozambique since May 2002. Jon is the country coordinator for the Jesus Film. Margaret is the national director for Theological Education by Extension. Previous to their assignment in Mozambique, the Scotts served in Portugal, the Azores and Romania. In each assignment they have worked in leadership development. They opened the work of the Church of the Nazarene in Romania in 1992 with an initial emphasis on compassionate ministries, then education and leadership development. Margaret told those attending they were supposed to go to Mozambique in 2000 but the country was engaged in civil war. “It wasn’t the time to go into a civil war,” she says. So, they stayed in Portugal until 2002 when they entered the country. “That was the year of the big, big floods,” says Margaret, adding that the only road going into the northern part of the country was washed out and not repaired for months. Work in Africa was very difficult, especially in the desperately poor nation of Mozambique, says Jon. “We saw 100 (missionaries) leave the field and we saw only 10-15 come into the field,” he says. The citizens of the north were deemed “unreachable” but the Scotts set out to accomplish their goal. What they discovered were a people ready and willing to accept Jesus Christ. “They had never heard of Jesus Chr- ist,” says Jon. “The missionaries were saying, ‘Wow, we’ve got all these people and they’ve never had a chance to study about Jesus Christ.’” In fact, once the word began to spread, the people demanded teachers. Jon says the people of Mozambique taught him a valuable lesson. Others, he adds, can learn from that. “Some of us are captives in situations we don’t want to be in,” he says. “What does God say? Seek the blessings . . . seek the prosperity . . . even in my captivity God is here and He can bless me.” Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world - Margaret says a few years ago it was ranked sixth poorest - with a devastated eco- nomy. “There are places where they don’t earn money. They trade corn for fish. They talk about absolute poverty in Mozambique.” Still, the words of Christ gives each a glimmer of hope that each citizen appreciates despite being trapped in what seems a hopeless situation.

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