Blog

Since late November, our kids have been on summer break from school. I (Teisa) noticed a few of our boys with that famous “I’m so bored” look. Since my transition away from hospitality and to assisting Heidi (our director) when she is in Pemba, I have had more free time than usual. Therefore, Jean and I have tried to squeeze more activities for our boys in the past few weeks. One Saturday, we had a beach day at Muewbe (a local beach) where we played games and had Bible story time. In no time at all, our boys conquered Jean in soccer and set off to explore the beach at low tide. It was so sweet to be presented with lots of pretty shells and snails. Our boys graciously let me free the snails to return to their ocean home.

In preparation for the 2nd grade, we also started a short summer school for our 11 boys plus one other missionary child the same age. Most of the boys still have a hard time writing their own names, so this has been a major focus. We also have games and fun exercises that help develop hand-eye coordination and letter/number recognition.

Another fun activity has been catching butterflies. A dear homeschool family sent us a wonderful butterfly net and book to help identify butterflies in South Africa. Our boys will hunt butterflies for hours and then scour the book trying to find a matching picture. At first the boys were pretty rough with the poor butterflies, often severing part of a wing in eager pursuit to find the correct picture in the book…but after several tries, they learned how not to touch the butterflies and how to set them free after finding their picture. Thank you again Annette and family for sending us the amazing butterfly kit!!!

One of my greatest joys in Pemba is my daily walk on the beach. I (Jean) find this time to be a great source of joy and strength as I minister unto the Lord and enjoy his wonderful creation. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore refreshes my spirit, and peace and tranquility flood my soul. Last Tuesday morning I found myself in great need of help as I had just been asked to be in charge of our kitchen. Two days of training and I was handed the keys. The mission was to serve food to over 1000 people per day. All I could think was help me Jesus!! I was overwhelmed, in great need of assistance, and the only thing I knew to do was to go for a walk and pray.

While going for my walk I noticed a young boy in the distance (maybe 10-12) who was walking kind of funny. It looked like he had a clubbed right foot as he was dragging it while walking. I felt a prompting of the Holy Spirit to pray for him and felt like the Lord would heal him if I did. As soon as we met I asked him what his name was and if I could pray for him. He asked me for money. Immediately the scripture in Acts 3:6 came to mind, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you…in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth walk.” I then noticed that his hand was also clenched closed. As I began to pray and invite the Holy Spirit to come his hand began to slowly open. I then took authority over all the power of the enemy and commanded him to let go of Basillo. I then told him to jump up and down and begin to walk. His foot straightened out and as we continued to walk together he asked me for money again. Praise God! Lord let your kingdom continue to come on earth as it is in heaven!

One week later:

After several days of overseeing our kitchen operation I’m overwhelmed by the goodness, the grace, and the mercy of God. The prayers of the saints and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit have brought me into a new place of abiding in the presence of the Lord, even in the midst of trying circumstances. Teisa and I honored to be serving God in such a beautiful place as Pemba. Our hearts full of gratitude and thankfulness as we daily walk with our king JESUS!!!

We greet you from a very hot and sizzling Mozambique! Did we mention hot? As if it was not hot enough, we have 100% humidity too on some days…who ever heard of 100% humidity? Basically, it means you need to take a shower 5 minutes after taking one! One day Jean took our thermometer out of the shade and left it in the sun for a minute and it registered 127F! While winter temperatures drop in the western hemisphere, temperatures soar higher and higher in Africa. As the heat index climbs in the natural, we also rejoice at the parallel elevation and open heavens in the Spirit….

Like the open heaven He blessed us with on Christmas. For weeks, Jean and I prepared gifts for our kids (Thank you again Valleybrook! The children from this church raised money to buy presents for all 188 of our kids). Even in the midst of the crazy shopping and preparations, our prayer was “Jesus- you are the true gift this Christmas! May every child have a fresh revelation of you this year!” He is so faithful! On Christmas day, we were so wonderfully aware of the Father’s delight in His children. It was His birthday party and we had a blast! Our Iris family enjoyed a precious time with Him as we opened presents, prayed, worshiped, ate chicken, and drank Coca Cola.

The day got even better as the gates of our center opened at 1pm for all the community kids to join the Christmas celebrations. Over 1500 kids were gathered at the gate waiting to come in. Our Makua youth did an outstanding job helping the kids come into the center in groups, avoiding a mass stampede. Groups of 20 were lead to the kitchen where each child received a full plate of rice, chicken, and a coke. Upon leaving the kitchen, each child received a present (small toy or stuffed animal) and candy bag. Things got a little crazy as the kids realized what awaited them….suddenly over 800 kids wanted out of the kitchen at the same time☺ The riot was short lived as our Makua youth came to the rescue was again. Soon we had organized lines and kids waiting patently for their turn to leave and receive their present. By the end of the day, over 2200 kids/adults had full bellies and happy hearts, but even better, each one was touched by the lavish love of God.

We were able to put together a short, 5 min DVD of our Christmas celebration. Please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIeob4byzxs
or email me to request a copy to be sent directly to your home (please include your mailing address if we do not already have it)

Since Christmas, our days have slowed down a little and we have transitioned back into teaching, dorm parenting, assisting with visitors, and spending lots of time with Jesus. God has spoken to us that 2009 will be a year of fire and fruit. “He that abideth in me, and I in Him, the same bringeth forth much fruit…Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.” (John 15:5,8). “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” (Heb 12:28-29). “The fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and sacrifice; and the glory of the Lord filled the house” (2 Chron 7:1). We want to be that offering! Our greatest pursuit is to abide in manifest presence of our King. Whether in the secret place or out facing the multitudes, our hearts are crying out for His presence (fire) and His harvest (fruit).
We love you! We love you! We love you! Did we mention how we love you? Thank you again and again for your love and your prayers. Please know we adore the e-mails in response to our updates and any news from you. We are not usually able to respond quickly, but we always get around to it. Until we connect again, may we fix our eyes on beautiful Jesus and may we completely abide in Him.

Huge blessings,
Jean and Teisa

One more treasure was added to our family last week. One more gift from God with immeasurable worth and potential. One more chance to see Jesus lavish His amazing love on a lost, discarded soul. One more day seeing the Kingdom of God come to earth as it is in heaven.

We found little Aselmo sleeping on the streets in downtown Pemba. After the death of his grandmother, Aselmo was forced to struggle for his life on the brutal city streets. At eight years old, he was accustomed to loneliness and rejection. Aselmo was born with severely clubbed feet that made him the target of abuse and ridicule. His own mother refused to care for him as he grew, so Aselmo lived with his grandmother. Upon her death, Aselmo was all alone…

Upon finding Aselmo and hearing his story, we asked to visit his mother’s house (a necessary step when a child has a living family member). Little Aselmo did not even know where she lived. After asking around and a few wrong turns, our children’s ministry team found the house. His mother did not hug or even acknowledge Aselmo’s presence. Without any outward feeling, she stated that she would not care for him. She quickly signed the needed paperwork. Just like that, Aselmo became the newest treasure at Iris Pemba. What a joy it is to see these children unlocked and discovered! How amazing it is to see the orphan spirit broken off and watch children take their rightful places as sons and daughters in the family of God!!! In just a week, we have seen an amazing healing work done in Aselmo’s heart and life! Please pray with us for Aselmo’s complete healing- we believe that his little legs will be completely restored without surgery! Do it Jesus!