Momade

Last week, up north where our colleagues are working in a mostly Mu$lim area, the wife of one of the church leaders committed suicide. Apparently she believed that he was cheating on her somehow. Our long-time colleagues here in Nampula explained to us that, if she believed that someone had cursed her, causing this misfortune, and she couldn't find out who made the curse, the only escape was to kill herself. Whether or not this was the case, I don't know, but it seems likely.

Please keep Momade (Moh-mah-dee), the church leader and husband of this woman, in your prayers. He has two young children and his wife's family believes that he caused this misfortune. They have vengeance on their minds, and the police kept him in jail for 48 hours for his own protection. His children have lost their mother, and they probably cannot move back into their house for some time, as that is where the suicide took place. Momade is a recovering alcoholic, and we all fervently hope that he does not relapse.

This also leads us to the question of what will happen there in that town with ministry. He was living at the new community center that had been constructed by our missionaries. It was an open, non-denominational place that was attracting a great many people, both Christians and enquirers. Now that someone has died there, we wonder what will happen. What will its reputation be now? Beyond the personal tragedy, we don't know what will happen to the ministry. Please keep this situation in your prayers.