Dec 2011 The two pumps donated by St Matthews to St Johns Chia and to the village of Chia were officially opened by Bishop Mark van Kouvering last month. Problems beset the construction of the wells with the prolonged rains and sandy soil. Concrete rings were formed to keep the soil back from caving into the bore holes (see items under teh news page).
Dec 2010
Rev Bukutu telephoned to say that the roof is on his church plant of St Marks and before the rains began! The corrugated iron roof has been donated by the congregation of St Matthews and was part of the gift given to St Johns during curate Tim McGowan's visit in October. The main gift was to help partly with the installation of a new bore hole near to the link church St Johns to pump clean water up for local villagers. This was a partnership with the village who agreed to do much of the manual labour and St Matthews supplied the drilling rig and pump.
Transcript of greeting from Rev Bukutu to St Matthews filmed on Sunday 19th September 2010
I am the Revd. Edward Bukutu, Priest in Charge of St Johns parish here at Chia, in the Northern part of Mozambique. On behalf of the congregation I would like to appreciate and thank you, to the Priest in Charge (Gary), Tim and Becca and the entire congregation of St Matthews on our friendship and all the assistances given to us here.
I just wanted to tell you to let you know more about this area as to why we are keeping on begging things from you.
This country has been affected twice with wars which have destroyed many things including churches and other infrastructures. These have also left many people to be illiterate. Other very important things are not found here – these include bore holes which provide safe drinking water, iron sheets for thatching (roofing) newly built churches, and other things as communities (are) being resettled after returning from where they went for refuge (during the wars).
So please be kind of us as we continue to beg from you these things. We know for sure that you also lack many things. To us a friend in need is a friend indeed. We promise you we shall be praying for St Matthews and also will encourage our friendship between you and us here.
May the God who is the source of every good blessing bless you abundantly as we continue in our friendship. God bless you all.
November 2010
St Matthews received news this week from Mozambique that the rig is in place and the drilling started for the new well and pump in Chia.
October 2010
Tim and Becca McGowan have recently returned from their visit to St Matthews link church, St Johns in Northern Mozambique. They left England on a Sunday evening and arrived in Chia on the following Saturday after five flights and a few nights staying with people in Maputo and Lichinga.
A highlight of the trip was the four hour long Sunday morning worship in intense heat led by Rev Eduardo Bukutu. Tim preached on the Fathers heart from the story of the Prodigal sons. He then unravelled and presented the St Matthews gift of a banner (see above) at the front of church to whoops and cheers from the congregation. The banner included a panoramic picture of the morning congregation, St Matthews verse for 2010 (Col 2: 6&7), a greeting in Portuguese and St Matthews vision statement.
Inside St Johns. Note the mothers Union members on the right in white shirts and blue Niassa Diocese capalana's.
In the afternoon Tim and Becca were asked to speak to the St Johns evangelism group. Tim spoke from Ezekiel 36 and about the importance of prayer for new life and there was a powerful time of encounter with Jesus as the Holy Spirit misistered to members of the group.
After the service Tim and Becca were invited to join a group of village elders under the mango tree outside for a meeting. The Chief's representative, the head man and the elders of Chia were there to welcome and present their requests to the visitors.
Rev Bukutu chaired the meeting and each request was formally responded to by Tim and Becca. Amongst the many requests including one for a new keyboard, it was decided that the greatest need in the village is for a new bore hole and water pump.
There is already an existing pump near to the medical clinic (built by a Tear Fund partner) but it is overun as it is used by about 3,000 people. A new pump and bore hole would alleviate over use of the existing pump and free it up for the clinic. So it was agreed that St Matthews would help support them financially in the construction of a new bore hole. The difference between a bore hole and a hand dug well is that the bore hole is drilled to about 40 metres so that the water that comes up is clean and drinkable. Hand dug wells are often shallow which increases the risk of the water being contaminated. St Matthews have contributed $1,500 towards this new venture. It was also decided at the meeting that the bore hole should be sited by the church St Johns.
In addition, it was hoped that any surplus money should be used to refurbish the existing damged pump near to the clinic.
Rev Bukutu pictured here shows us that the catchment dish surrounding the pump is profoundly damaged so that water runs off which can then run back into the ground and contaminate the supply. St Matthews are hoping to assist in repairing the damaged surround.
Further to the critical need for clean water in the community, Pastor Bukutu requested that St Matthews help with a third roof! We have already put a corrugated steel roof on the vicarage and on a newly built school in the parish (see earlier articles).
Bukutu has planted four churches in Chia including one in the south who have recently built St Marks to house the new congregation. The community have organised themselves to make the bricks and build the outside walls of the church as seen here. It was finished at the end of August and awaits a new roof which will hopefully arrive before the rains which are due in November.
Tim and Becca said sad farewells to their hosts and to the mothers union women who had cooked for them during their stay with Bukutu.
Chia is so far into the bush that it is over a three hour walk to the nearest bus. Our intrepids received a phone call on the day they were due to leave Chia, informing them that the transport that Bukutu had arranged to take them back was without petrol. So rather than making them endure a long walk back, Bukutu managed to acquire four bicylces to take our explorers and their bags back down along the lake shore.
With frequent stops to push the bikes over soft dry sandy river beds the cycle back along sometimes rocky but mostly sandy tracks proved to be one of the highlights of the trip for Tim and Becca. An adventure of a lifetime!
St Matthews has committed itself to the link with St Johns Chia up until June/July 2011. Future work could involve construction of a third bore hole to the south of the parish and also construction of grain store/Foodbank to feed the most needy in the community.
August 2010
Newlyweds Tim and Becca McGowan are travelling to Northern Mozambique for a week in September this year. Ambassadors sent by St Matthews our curate and his wife will be delivering a banner to St Johns as a gift from the congreagation in Fulham. The 7 foot long present has a panoramic photo using the latest technology of a typical sunday congregation inside St Matthews along with a greeting in Portuguese to our link church St Johns in Chiia.
It reads,
'Saudações a todos os nossos irmaõs e irmãs da igreja de São João Chia de todos os membros da Igreja de St Matthews Fulham'.
This is translated as,
'Greetings to our brothers and sisters at St Johns Chiia from all at St Matthews Fulham'.
June 2010. We recently received very good news from our Link church in Chia, Northern Mozambique. St Matthews raised over £1,000 over Lent last year to help with projects in Chia. The people of St Johns Chia decided to use the money we raised to build two new rooves, one for the vicars house and another for a new school building. Bishop Mark van Kouvering visited the village at the end of February and has sent us some pictures of the completed project which you can see below.
This picture taken from inside St Johns in 2008 shows Rev Bukutus house in the background which has a grass roof. This is the closest picture we have showing Bukutus house before the building work.
February 2010. Rev Bukutu with his family outside his house. His wife Martha and we think two of his children.
Rev Bukutu writes to St Matthews via curate Tim McGowan as follows...
Dear Tim,
How are you together with the whole parish of St Matthews there? With us
here, we are fine.
I, on behalf of Chia parish and indeed on behalf of St John the Baptist
church, would like to appreciate you on the gesture you have assisted us.
With that money which was given to us, we have constructed the roof of a
school block in the parish as well as a roof of the priest's house which was
grass-thatched in the past. This has brought a great change in our parish.
once again, I say thank you.
Due to the fact that most of the people here in our parish, do not know the
word of God, we have intensified the lessons of becoming 'Rooted in Jesus'
so that may come to know the Living Christ. We would also request from you
to remember us in prayers so that our parish may change their lives
spiritually. Also pray for us for a training we have organized of the newly
elected church elders. I have also received your message which was informing
us to pray for a Foodbank, we are all praying for you.
God bless you.
Many thanks,
Yours faithfully,
Rev Edward TJ Bukutu - Chia Parish.
Rev Bukutu
The annual rains in Northern Mozambique are very heavy and so it is essential to get rooves onto new building work before the the rains come, otherwise new work can be lost and washed away. St Matthews have done just that with a new church school building project in Chia.
Rev Bukutu, village elders and children outside the new school building which St Matthews has put a roof on!
Inside St Johns church.
The Mothers Union (complete with blue Diocese of Niassa capalanas) with Rev Bukutu and some of the village evangelists outside Bukutus house.
THANK YOU ST MATTHEWS!
A special thanks to all who contributed to the St Matthews Lent Appeal 2009.
A highlight of the trip was the four hour long Sunday morning worship in intense heat led by Rev Eduardo Bukutu. Tim preached on the Fathers heart from the story of the Prodigal sons. He then unravelled and presented the St Matthews gift of a banner (see above) at the front of church to whoops and cheers from the congregation. The banner included a panoramic picture of the morning congregation, St Matthews verse for 2010 (Col 2: 6&7), a greeting in Portuguese and St Matthews vision statement.
Inside St Johns. Note the mothers Union members on the right in white shirts and blue Niassa Diocese capalana's.
Rev Bukutu chaired the meeting and each request was formally responded to by Tim and Becca. Amongst the many requests including one for a new keyboard, it was decided that the greatest need in the village is for a new bore hole and water pump. 
Rev Bukutu pictured here shows us that the catchment dish surrounding the pump is profoundly damaged so that water runs off which can then run back into the ground and contaminate the supply. St Matthews are hoping to assist in repairing the damaged surround.
Bukutu has planted four churches in Chia including one in the south who have recently built St Marks to house the new congregation. The community have organised themselves to make the bricks and build the outside walls of the church as seen here. It was finished at the end of August and awaits a new roof which will hopefully arrive before the rains which are due in November. 
Tim and Becca said sad farewells to their hosts and to the mothers union women who had cooked for them during their stay with Bukutu. 
With frequent stops to push the bikes over soft dry sandy river beds the cycle back along sometimes rocky but mostly sandy tracks proved to be one of the highlights of the trip for Tim and Becca. An adventure of a lifetime!
This picture taken from inside St Johns in 2008 shows Rev Bukutus house in the background which has a grass roof. This is the closest picture we have showing Bukutus house before the building work. 
February 2010. Rev Bukutu with his family outside his house. His wife Martha and we think two of his children. 
Rev Bukutu
Rev Bukutu, village elders and children outside the new school building which St Matthews has put a roof on! 
Inside St Johns church.
The Mothers Union (complete with blue Diocese of Niassa capalanas) with Rev Bukutu and some of the village evangelists outside Bukutus house.
THANK YOU ST MATTHEWS!