Grace Missions was founded in 1985 to send missionaries to Mozambique. Before 1985, no mission board was active in the country due to government opposition to Christianity. Softening of the government’s position toward Christian work was evident, however. At the same time, God was calling out missionary candidates to work in Mozambique. Grace Missions was established as a means of sending these missionaries to Mozambique and granting them spiritual oversight.
Grace Missions Mozambique was incorporated in 2000 to build, own, and operate a surgical mission hospital in Nampula. From 1990 to 1997, Grace Missions had provided a missionary surgeon – Dr Woodrow – and all the supplies necessary to maintain the surgical block in a local government hospital. When the Minister of Health granted the Mission’s request to establish its own surgical hospital, Grace Missions Mozambique was set up to oversee the medical-evangelistic work, freeing Grace Missions to focus exclusively on church planting and church-related ministries.
The Woodrow family consists of Dr Charles Woodrow, his wife Julie, and their 5 kids – Kent 18, Sarah Beth 17, Andrew 16, Grace Anne 12 and Benaiah 9. They live on a property about 10 minutes from the city centre, where the foundations of the planned and hoped for surgical hospital have been laid and where the church that they minister in also meets on Sundays.
Ever since the foundations were laid Dr Woodrow has been trusting the Lord for the rest of the finances for the construction of the hospital, and we’re not sure how He is going to provide. We are excited about the planned construction of Grace Clinic in the next month or so, though, a first step that will hopefully lead on to the hospital finally being built.
