Mozambique has a population of over 20 million people. Of this population, about 380 000 are baptized members of the Seventh-day Adventist church. As part of the church’s worldwide strategic plan to reach the World, “Mission to the Cities,” the church members in Mozambique are using the health message as an avenue to point others to Christ, thereby emulating Jesus Christ’s ministry of love and compassion.
A team of 150 medical personnel from Loma Linda University, Portugal and the Southern Africa region visited Maputo the capital city and Nampula, in an evangelistic meeting dubbed “Impact Maputo”. During these meetings, the team provided free Health Medical services to the community, the majority of whom can not afford high medical bills from private and Government hospitals. More than 500 patients a day were attended to. Medical care gave included dental, eye specialists and pediatric care to mention just a few. In collaboration with evangelists from Brazil and the local pastors, the two-week-long programs resulted in the baptism of more than 200 new souls. We praise God for this spirit of collaboration between the preachers and medical evangelists. As our inspired writer says, “ Again and again I have been instructed that the medical missionary work is to bear the same relation to the work of the third angel’s message that the arm and hand bear to the body. Under the direction of the divine Head, they are to work unitedly in preparing the way for the coming of Christ. The right arm of the body of truth is to be constantly active, constantly at work, and God will strengthen it. But it is not to be made the body. At the same time, the body is not to say to the arm: “I have no need of thee.” The body has need of the arm in order to do active, aggressive work. Both have their appointed work, and each will suffer a great loss if worked independently of the other. (Ellen G. White, Testimonies to the Church, Vol. 6, p. 288)
