On the last day of BI in 1966 Geneveve and I announced our engagement and at that same time we were accepted as missionaries with the Africa Evangelical Fellowship (now merged with SIM). Three months later we were married and sent to Pietermaritzburg and Zululand to learn Zulu. After nearly 2 years of language study we joined Ray and Rhona Oosthuis in the Christian Ministry to Miners, which found me daily amongst the miners in the compounds of the mining industry. It was a blessed time of teaching and evangelism. (1968 to 1975).

In 1976 I resigned from the AEF and returned to my secular work in the engineering department of the mines where I worked until I took early retirement 1993. Through this time I maintained my interest in missions in various ways. It also enabled me to build up a pension for later in my life. Geneveve and I were blessed with four children, but sadly in 1986 we parted company.

Then in 1994 I joined Rev Fred Buchler in the Mozambique School of the Bible. It was an itinerant Bible School in the bushes of Mozambique but because of the need for literature it soon changed its nature to a ‘literature ministry’, publishing books in the indigenous languages of Mozambique.

After being alone for more than 20 years I married Sandy and together we are still engaged in this ministry. Although we reside in Pretoria our work focus is on the needs of Mozambique. During these 22 years in the Mozambique School of the Bible it has been my privilege to have been involved in more than 60 short term outreaches to Mozambique.

In February and March 2016 the Mozambique School of the Bible partnered with the OM Ships for the third time (2002, 2005 and in 2016). Earlier this year their latest ship, the Logos Hope, visited Maputo. We made our books available in their ‘Bookfair’ which helped us greatly in the distribution of our books.

Mozambique has had a relatively short exposure to the Gospel. It has only been after the ending of their two successive wars that they have had ready access to the Gospel. The ‘Peace Agreement’ was only signed in 1992. It is a country that is now wide open to the Gospel but who knows for how long as political storm clouds are gathering. While I am able to do so I hope to continue to serve our Lord in Mozambique.

We are praying that the Lord of the Harvest will call a younger man to take over this work.  See our webpage at www.MozSchoolofBible.org.

Blessings,

Hedley Stead