Survey trips are an integral part of any new outreach initiative. In February 2018, a team of AIM leaders journeyed to northern Mozambique to see what doors God may be opening for ministry among some of the unreached groups living along the nation’s coast and inland. Here, through the camera’s lens, is a glimpse into what they found.

“We played the part of tourists,” says Steve Entwistle, AIM’s Unit Leader for northern Mozambique, “taking pictures and asking questions, but our real goal was to get a feel for this spiritually parched land. We prayed as we walked down the soft sandy paths in the villages, that God would raise up workers for this beautiful, yet spiritually dark, harvest field.”

AIM’s Southern Region leader, Loren, visits with local fishermen, their hand-built boats perched in the wet sand until the next high tide.

Coastal fishermen build their own boats using roughed out lumber and simple hand tools. They also weave their own nets. Groups of about 15 men per boat set out in pre-dawn excursions, seeking to be the first back to shore to get the best prices for their morning catch. 

Small fish are spread on the ground to dry in the sun. It’s important to watch your step at the beach in northern Mozambique. If you stray off the cleared path, you will almost certainly be stepping on someone’s lunch.

ON EVERY SURVEY, AIM seeks groups of people who do not know Jesus Christ. We put a priority on working with unreached people who have little or no viable witness to the gospel, and that comes with unique challenges. We often rely on locals; many of whom we cannot easily communicate with. They teach us with expressions and gestures. While they guide us up and down the winding paths of their communities, we also learn much about the current spiritual path that they and their neighbors travel. For most people in northern Mozambique, it is folk Islam. We pray that AIM is a useful tool for the Lord to use in bringing these people to Him, and we pray for people to join us in that task.

Photo Essay by Mark Eekhoff

Mark serves as part of Africa Inland Mission’s On-Feld Media (OFM) team, based in Nairobi, Kenya. Prior to his role with OFM, he served as part of an AIM outreach team among the highland shepherds of Lesotho in southern Africa. Mark grew up in Churchill Montana, and is sent from his home church there, Manhattan Christian Reformed Church. He holds degrees in Communication and Graphic Arts from Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa.

Interested in serving in missions through the lens of a camera or the creativity of your pen?  Browse through the opportunities for serving on our Serve page or sign up for our Explore More email series to learn more.