Grace Missions Ministries - Our Mission Field

Our History. The following is a short description of God's work in Mozambique through Grace Missions Ministries over the years.

From 1960 to 1985 there were no missionaries in northern Mozambique due to opposition from colonial Catholic rule and later from the Marxist African government. In 1985, when opposition to mission work began to weaken, Grace Missions was established to send forth missionaries. In 1990, its first family, Dr. Charles and Julie Woodrow, arrived in Nampula.

During the Woodrows' first term on the field, the hand of God was strikingly evident in establishing a medical-evangelistic outreach that became known through all the Nampula province, extending into three surrounding provinces and even further beyond.

During their second term, church planting was added as God used the hospital evangelistic work to raise up a local church aligned with the 1689 London Baptist Confession. Progress continued on the medical front. In a stunning display of divine intervention, authorization was granted by the Mozambique Minister of Health for Grace Missions to build, own, and operate a mission hospital in the city of Nampula. See the article "Winning the Minister's Approval".

During their third term, probably the most fruitful ministry of all was initiated, again with the hand of God clearly evident. Missionaries Charles Woodrow and Richard Chiorino in Nampula, Karl Peterson in Maputo, Mozambique and Richard Denham of Editora FIEL (Faithful Publishing House) in Brazil worked together in establishing a nationwide literature distribution outreach, Christian bookstore, and conference ministry for pastors and church leaders of all denominations. See the article "First Fiel Conference".

Also during the third term, the government recognized the church as a legitimate religious enterprise, granting it authority to sponsor missionaries in Mozambique. This opened the door for Richard and Debby Chiorino to join the Woodrows as church planting missionaries for three years.

The third term also saw work begin on the construction of “Grace Evangelical Hospital”. We hope this project will be completed during the upcoming fourth term.