In 2006, Bishop Bakwadi, overseer of the Full Gospel Church of God in Botswana, extended an invitation to Wheels for God’s Word to come and minister in Botswana. Wheels for God’s Word is a ministry which provides bicycles to pastors and evangelists. This past year, 2007, Wheels for God’s Word accepted the invitation and an evangelism training conference was arranged for December 7, 2007, at the new church of the Full Gospel Church of God in Gaborone.
Pastor Len van Onselen of Desert Harvest (Word to Africa, Botswana) also invited Raymond Lombard of Wheels for God’s Word to Lobatse in Botswana. In total, 24 pastors and evangelists were trained how to use the Heart of Man chart in Gaborone and Lobatse.
Mozambique
In October 2007, Pastor Dick Roberts, missions director of the Full Gospel Church of God in Southern Africa, asked Lombard to preside over the yearly graduation ceremony of the Full Gospel Church of God in Mozambique on his behalf. This invitation also provided an opportunity for Wheels for God’s Word to arrange an evangelism training conference by invitation of the secretary general of the Full Gospel Church of God in Mozambique, Pastor Lazaro Muzui. Sixty pastors and evangelists and their wives attended the training conference in Maputo on December 10, 2007. The day prior to the conference, Lombard ministered to more than 700 people in a church service in Maputo. During the same service, the Bible School graduation ceremony took place—17 students graduated that day. It was a great and a wonderful occasion for the Full Gospel Church of God in Mozambique.
The next day Wheels for God’s Word conducted an evangelism training conference at the same church. Sixty pastors and evangelists and their wives attended the training conference. Most of the pastors and evangelists came from the southern part of Mozambique, although some of them also came from other areas. The provinces represented were Maputo and Gaza; the specific towns represented were Xinavane, Macie, Bilene, Xai-Xai, Chirindzene, Moamba, Chokwe, Cumbang, Motola, Boane, Maxi-xe, Mirakwene, Boaize, and Mabanwane. The tribes represented were the Muchemgue, Muzongo, Changane, Muchangana, Mulope, and Mirakwene.
Although only 35 bicycles were distributed during this conference, there is an urgent need for more bicycles in the central and northern regions of Mozambique. Because of the difficulty of traveling through the bush (it can take some pastors a week to travel to Maputo), it was not possible to distribute more bicycles at this point in time. However, a conference is being organized to be of help to specifically the central and northern parts of Mozambique (specifically Lichinga and Alto Molocue where there is a need for approximately 52 bicycles). This conference will take place at a later stage.