Eduardo Macuacua - church planter
Pastor Eduardo from the Apostolic Faith Mission
“Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
Paralysed from the waist down during the Mozambican civil war, Eduardo André Macuacua leant on this verse during his dark times. He was saved in hospital and grew spiritually by hearing Pastor Daniel preaching on the radio and now has become a very strong evangelist. Now 40; having finally exchanged the wheelbarrow he was pushed in for a wheelchair; he works solidly through Christ. He has been a Pastor for the past 17 years and has gone forth to plant 11 churches in the Panda and Inhambane regions of Mozambique. His vision for the churches is to carry God’s work forward- to convert lost, weary souls to Jesus.
What he finds most crucially needed in the Panda community is help in agriculture, medicine and clothes. One needs to be taught how to organise machambas (plantations) next to rivers; use certain plants high in nutritive value (the moringa, matapa, cassava and chaya) as local medicine; and use local capulanas (sarongs) as dresses and clothes through help in sewing and needlework.
Every first Sunday of the month he organises for members of his congregation with more than one t-shirt and capulana, to donate the others to the old, the poor, the orphans. This is in line with Luke 3:11 where Jesus tells the people of Jordan: “He who has two tunics, let him give to him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.”
Seminars are organised monthly to help his community grow in God; and the young are taught to respect marriage, their spouses and parents through weekly prayer meetings. Respect for one’s close ones is a key message in every congregational gathering, as are teachings on good hygiene and health.
Although he has managed to come a long way, Pastor Eduardo agrees there is still a lot more to get done. His community needs a sportive outlet such as jungle gyms and soccer balls to strengthen their bodies. Bibles are in short supply and more financial support is needed for local pastors- many abandon their churches to find work in South Africa. Water is also a big problem- people walk as far as 10 km to fetch it as wells are drying up. 50% of the population is HIV positive and, although the Government trains people to care for this and support those affected with food, more help is needed in desolate areas.
Pastor Eduardo’s gifts of evangelism, song and the word of God have lead his 8 brothers and sisters to God. Together with MOZaic, spiritual as well as physical churches have been built, transport problems nearly eradicated, and support is at a full time high. He has a lot of respect for the mulungu Geraldo (white man Gerhard) who goes into the rural woodland that has neither electricity nor water, eats what the local people eat without a fuss, and has the gift of teaching. “E um homem preparado qui tem passao de ajudar pessoas.” (He’s an organised man who is passionate about helping others). Two peas in a pod living out God’s word in Mozambique.