Catandica, Manica Province, Mozambique, 1 Missionary

Claudia Bernhardt, Germany, with some of our pastors, 258-82-595-9157

Catandica, Manica Province, Mozambique, is beautifully located, and surrounded by mountains in Central Mozambique, near the border of Zimbabwe. On the main road from Chimoio to Tete, you find the town of Catandica.

About a year ago, the Lord directed me to start a new centre, together with a Mozambican couple, Pastor Inacio and his wife of Argentina. Besides their own three children, they already had a number of orphans living with them.

At first, there was just a church, but a church with the a vision for more than just getting together on Sunday. Many of the families that were a part of the church took in children that were not their own, children who had no mothers and fathers. Before I moved there, I had always been amazed by the hospitality we experienced there. They knew how to give and now God has given to them. They truely are a testimony of the promise that when you give, the Lord wil give to you.

By the grace of God we were able to build two new houses, one for the boys and one for the girls, a house for guests and my own little house. The people from the church built my house, they are amazing!!

Pastor Inacio is the director of the base, I am there to help. Slowly the Lord is sending us people to minister and work with us. The harvest is plentiful, so we are praying that the Lord will send labourers into the harvest, also to us!!

Our heart is to take in children that no one wants. We have 20 now, but will soon have room for 40. Besides our many responsibilities of running a base, we go out ministering a lot, visiting the churches, evangelising and planting new churches, doing conferences, training pastors and leaders. We have also started to expand into Zimbabwe.

I am amazed when I look at what the Lord has done in the short amount of time (only 1 year), and what He has given to us. I trusted the Lord for a place to live and He provided a house. We needed a car to go and preach the good news, to expand his kingdom and He gave it to us. We needed houses for our beautiful children, beds and matresses and the Lord took care of all that.

We have now started to plant our own vegetables, want to raise chickens and other animals and hopefully will have a harvest next year of the cornfield we have now planted, so we will not have to buy our corn for food.

We are also trying to teach our children as many skills as possible. They all know how to build houses, and are learning carpentry skills (Pastor Inacio is a carpenter.) Many would like to and can learn how to fix cars and trucks.
They are all learning how to cook and clean, grow maize and vegetables, raise animals and other things.

Our desire is that our children grow up knowing Jesus, so we are worshiping and praying with them, teaching them from the Bible and are helping them to learn to preach. Both are important, that they are raised as godly people as well as learning skills to live their own lives when they leave our centre.

We have recently been asked to have a small clinic. We are going to build it. We have a good Mozambican nurse who will run it. If your profession is in the medical area and you want to come, your help is welcome!

We have many more ideas, visions and dreams. If you have yours and God has called you to Mozambique, contactd us about coming and living with us!

If you are flexible and can handly live in a simple way, without running water and electricity, don't mind using Mozambican toilets and showers, and eating their food ... if you want to get to know us, give yourself and serve the poor and lost with us, you can also come and visit us . We have a bed with a matress to sleep on for you. You can just join and help us with whatever is happening at that moment.

Contact Information:

Claudia Bernhardt,

Email: like_the_rising_sun@yahoo.de (Be patient. I have to drive 3 hours one way to get to the closest internet cafe.)

Phone +258 82 5959157 (Just try. We can talk any time, as long as I am not in the bush bush where there is no phone reception.)

More pictures of Claudia's work on her website

Claudia's home in Catandica, Mozambique

Everyone helps with the construction at the Catandica Centre

A pastor helps out with carpentry for the children's beds

Claudia's truck in front of the new girl's house

The new boy's house is nearing completion

The well is finally ready