Tim Heaton is currently serving in the UK as AIM Europe’s mobiliser for the south of England and Wales. Previously the Heaton family lived and worked in Pemba, northern Mozambique amongst the Mwani people. Tim was the Unit Leader for Northern Mozambique and both Tim and Bron were team leaders for the Mwani Outreach Team.

They started working in Mocímboa de Praia, a remote fishing town 100 miles south of the Tanzania border, in 2005. After learning Portuguese and the local tribal language, Kimwani, they were involved in evangelism and discipleship through Bible storying, English teaching and running a pre-school. They moved to the provincial town of Pemba in 2011 where they continued their work among the Mwani. Pemba is a larger town with better resources than Mocímboa, e.g. running water, electricity and a supportive missionary community.

Mozambique has religious freedom, with much of the south being nominally Christian; the coastal areas however are heavily influenced by Islam. Living and working among the Mwani proved to be tough, especially seeking to share the Christian faith in ways that were culturally sensitive and that built for the long term.