Blog

It’s hard to believe we’ve been in America for a month already. We hit the ground running, not missing a beat. We ministered at River of Life and Open Gate churches the first Sunday we were home. The following Tuesday we drove (thru a snowstorm) from MA to Mechanicsburg PA for the annual Voice of the Apostles conference. Oct. 31st we had an ordination service that was led by Heidi Baker, Randy Clark, and several other apostolic leaders in our network. It was a great time to reconnect and fellowship with our friends. Sunday we found ourselves at Christ Life Fellowship in South Hadley MA. We were extremely blessed as we had a powerful visitation from the Holy Spirit. WOW!

We then spent a couple days in northern Vermont visiting my relatives in Newport and St. Johnsbury. On Friday we left for Armonk N.Y. for my good friend Erik’s wedding only to return late Saturday so we could share Sunday at Valley Brook church in Granby CT. The following week we spent catching up with old friends over lunch and dinner. It seems like we had something going on everyday. Friday we finally found time to enjoy a full day of rest. Saturday we drove to Clinton NJ. And on Sunday we ministered at King of Kings Worship Center in Bernardsville NJ. Monday back to MA for more meetings. Tuesday we spent Christmas shopping, wrapping gifts, and catching up on admin before we had a meeting with a prospective team of visitors to our home in Pemba Mozambique.

A 6am flight to Omaha NE, a lunch date with our good friends the Cory’s, and a meeting with a group of extremely hungry youths at 7pm led to a good nights rest at the Jordan’s. I now find myself at the dentists office while Teisa gets her teeth cleaned finally writing an update for ya’ll. We hope and pray our time will be more restful in Omaha as we are planning on returning to Mozambique in just over two weeks. (Dec. 7th) I wish I had more time to write in detail about our journey here in America. Both Teisa and I are so thankful for our friends and family in New England, NJ, and PA. We love you all and we’ll miss you. Thank you all so much for your love, prayers, and support!! May God pour out an abundance of blessings on you and your families!!!

It was another day in eternity. Jean and I had been looking forward to the outreach all week. We happily climbed into the back of the camion (a large, open-air, flat-bed truck we use for evangelism) and squeezed in with the existing twenty or so student pastors and visitors. After leading the introductions and prayer, we were off! The first leg of the journey was quite nice as we drove on the main road. After some time, we saw a smiling group of people from a local Iris church waving furiously and jumping up and down. They had walked for hours to get to the main road to ensure we would not pass them by. Eagerly they climbed in…what is 12 more people anyway? (Praise God, they did not have any goats, chickens, or smelly fish!) We set off again, this time on a narrow back road. Sitting in the back of the truck, we felt every bounce and bump of the rough terrain. Traveling the back roads of Mozambique is anything but comfortable, but our hearts were full. The air was thick with expectation and excitement. What would Jesus do tonight? How would He display His glory? How would He bring another village into His Kingdom???

After we arrived in Mahla, the target village, there was no doubt we were in the bush bush. We could only see a dozen mud huts within sight, but already a crowd was forming. The student pastors helped set up for the Jesus film while the visitors played with the local kids. Soon we had the music pumping and the crowd began to swell. As the sun set, I began to reflect on the headlines I had skimmed earlier online: Election tensions, Wall St. in crisis, banks failing, etc. I wondered about the turmoil in America as I looked upon the precious village of Mahla. By now we had over three hundred people gathered and everyone seemed enraptured by the Jesus film. The people that were before me never worry about their financial security. For the most part no one worries about tomorrow. In Africa, people live in the moment, hungry to squeeze every bit of pleasure possible from the hour…and that evening Jesus was visiting Malha! What could be more important?

What about us? In times of crisis, who do we trust for deliverance? Our Mozambican family can teach us so much in this area. Most westerners always have a “Plan B.” We have so many sources of deliverance at our finger tips: money, health insurance, good medical care/hospitals/medicine, retirement plans, 401K, credit cards, etc. When these things are threatened, many people are left feeling vulnerable and fearful, which brings the question to light- where is our trust? My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62:5-8. For those of us who embrace these uncertain times as a divine opportunity, God promises to richly reward us. God is awakening one of the greatest blessings on earth…being poor in spirit! God is seeking believers who are so desperately dependent upon Him that they embrace this poverty of spirit. In this low place, God opens the heavens and invades earth….

After the film, Jean preached the simple Gospel in power and love. Hands went up throughout the field of people who wanted Jesus to be their Lord and Savior. After having the pastor of the village lead the crowd in prayer, Jean called forth the sick. People pressed in for prayer. We saw a young boy healed of deafness and several other people instantly healed of malaria (fevers dropped or headaches stopped instantly). We sang for hours as we returned home knowing Mahla will never be the same….

We love you friends. Come what may, God is good! Hear His voice wooing you to the same broken place of abandonment. Come what may…to God be the glory! Amen.

Our dorm room of eleven boys, formerly known as the “Mighty Warriors,” have graduated! Having moved out of the “Pequenos Casa” (Little One’s house or Baby House), our boys moved into heir new room and started the 1st grade! Our hurricanes of energy are now 6-7 years old! They have joined the slightly bigger boys dorm “River of Fire.” In keeping with the dorm theme, we began to pray for a new name for our room. Little did we know, the name would soon be given to us.

One fateful day in August one of our boys, Basilo, was playing in a field near our Prayer Hut. It was a dry windy day and Basilo found an overflowing beetles’ nest. Being the leader that he is, he recruited some of the other boys to help him destroy the nest….but what is better than just destroying it? Burning it!!! Yep, our clever boys set up a reconnaissance team to distract the tias (our Mozambican aunties who are the primary care givers for each room), steal a few matches, and set fire to the nest…or should we say field. Within moments, a huge fire was spreading rapidly over the field and sweeping dangerously close to the Prayer Hut and the wall of the surrounding village. A makeshift firefighting team was spontaneously formed by missionaries, visitors, and Mozambican workers. The fire spread so quickly that the crowd was sure it would jump the wall and start the nearby roofs on fire. Glory! Just as suddenly as it began, miraculously it was out. Thank you Jesus! Our God is the only consuming fire we ever want to see again at our center!

After Basilo confessed and our boys were disciplined, we had a good laugh about our new name. Please pray with us that we will always be “Firestarters” in the spirit! “He makes winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants!” Psalm 104:4