Blog

Marcelino joined our family in November of last year. Marcelino’s father brought him to the center after his wife had died of an extended sickness. At six months old, little Marcelino was also very sick. Weighing in at 3 kilos (close to 7 pounds), he was underweight and malnourished. His father took Marcelino to local women to nurse, but the baby still seemed to be getting weaker by the day. A local pastor told Marcelino’s father about Iris Ministries. The desperate father wasted no time. He arrived at our Pemba base a few hours later.

Marcelino’s first months with our family were not easy. Sickness after sickness seemed to plague sweet Marcelino. Due to the frequent illnesses, he was tested for HIV/AIDS. Praise God, his results were negative. During a visit when he was hospitalized our missionary doctor said, “Marcelino has ‘failure to thrive.’ Unless we see something change…we could lose him.” We prayed together and took authority over the spirit of death and released God’s Kingdom over Marcelino. We did not see any dramatic improvements, but we did not give up praying. After a week of these prayer visits, Marcelino was released from the hospital…and he has not returned! (2 months so far)

Today, Marcelino is a very happy and healthy ten month old! He loves to play peek-a-boo with his quick, irresistible smile. He learning to walk and soon will be unstoppable. Marcelino is another amazing example of Jesus’s ‘promise to thrive’ over His children!

Change … What comes to mind when you hear that word? Recent elections made he word ‘change’ into a buzzword for ‘better!’ Some people love change and some detest it and avoid it whenever possible. Most people have a love-hate relationship with change. Sudden or slow, difficult or easy; change usually happens. In the Makua culture, change is an insult to one’s ancestors. Big change, like moving one’s home to a new location for example might mean death because it would ‘anger the spirits.’ Even if the move is the obvious answer to protect a family from cholera or to avoid the annual flooding, change is avoided. This is perhaps the greatest reason why the Makua people remain southern Africa’s largest unreached people group…but that is changing! In just 5 years, we have over 700 churches in an “impossible” province! What about change and the Kingdom of God? The highest heavens and the earth below cannot contain our unchangeable God (Acts 7:49-50, Heb. 13:8). It is as if God has called the human soul to be in a continual state of change.

I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of God. (Matt 18:3)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Cor. 5:17)

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever increasing glory. (2 Cor. 3:18)

Globally, there seems to be a shifting within the Body of Christ…a season of change which is a divine dissatisfaction for anything lacking the fullness of God. It appears that God is currently calling forth His awakened bride for something only violent love can conquer …”The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force.” (Matt.11:12). At this very hour of change, it is time to seek God with passionate abandonment! Like a child, may we totally depend on our heavenly Daddy while letting faith arise and God’s enemies be scattered, (unbelief, fear, unforgiveness, selfishness, pride, etc). Change is coming… so let us be watchful and alert! “We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed…” (1 Cor. 15:51).

Speaking of change … we have something pretty big to share with you. At the beginning of the year, we were asked by the leadership of Iris Ministries to pray about relocating to South Africa to become Directors of the Iris South Africa base with Pastor Surprise Sithole. Needless to say this is a huge decision and we have spent over 2 months waiting on God and praying. As directors of the Mbonisweni base, we would be overseeing a Bible School, drop-in educational center, feeding program, and numerous other projects. The biggest focus of our attention will be pioneering a new children’s center in Mbonisweni (area in the Mpumalanga province which has an extremely high AIDS population). We recently went to visit this area and met the current staff. Our hearts were overwhelmed with peace and vision for this new work. We also learned of the overwhelming amount of children who have been abandoned at the local hospitals. One little girl we learned about has been at the hospital in Kabokweni for 6 years! This broke our hearts!!! In Pemba, if a child is abandoned, local authorities bring the child to our base immediately. But in Kabokweni, local orphanages are full. Praise God that the Father’s house is never full! There will always be room for more children!!! Please be praying for us as we continue to seek God’s will regarding this next step!
Love,
Jean and Teisa

From Heidi:

Dear Friends of Iris,

The Lord has been speaking to me about the process we are in as a movement. I feel that many in the Body of Christ are going through similar things. Because the Lord values intimacy with him above any other thing and longs for us to bear much fruit, He prunes us.

John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing”.

In love, Father God cuts away every branch that does not bear fruit in us. It is an excruciatingly painful process. It hurts, and at times we feel like there is nothing left of us. It is, however, the only way we will ever get to the place of supernatural fruitfulness that flows from intimacy. I feel the Lord calling us to a more intense place of clinging to Him, to remaining in His love and to a radical obedience. He longs for His joy to be made complete in and through us. Again He calls us to an unending and unstoppable love. The kind of love that calls us to lay down our lives for Him and those around us. He is calling us to a deeper friendship with Him. In the midst of global crisis and intense shaking there is only one place we can run to: The deepest place of His heart.

Again, I feel the Lord shifting my schedule; reminding me of what the most important things are: Deeper intimacy with Him and with those he has called me to serve. He is reminding me of how all this began and where I need to remain. First, we are called to love God powerfully, deeply and intensely. Secondly, we are called to love our neighbors in the same way. Relationship is of critical importance to God. His main concern is neither what we do for Him, nor how much we do every day. Rather, he asks the question: “Have we done what we have done in love, through love, and for love?”.

We have just had the incredible joy of seeing a new life birthed in to our Iris family. Jacinto, my Mozambican spiritual son who has grown up with us for the last 14 years, and his wife Katie, a missionary and spiritual daughter of mine, gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby boy yesterday. His name is Micah Samuel. This child was born out of their loving union. Both Jacinto and Katie were needed to bring forth this beautiful child. The labor was long and hard but seeing a healthy child born is, with out a doubt, one of the most profoundly beautiful experiences on earth.

John 16:21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

I believe Iris and much of the body of Christ is in a time of labor. The presence of God is with us in the midst of our toiling and pain. He never leaves us for a moment. It’s time to push. It’s time to breathe. It’s time to push. It’s time to bring forth a a spiritual child. In the end the joy of birthing spiritual children will be greater than anything we have ever hoped for or imagined. The miracle of new life.

Phil. 3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Playing off our last blog, we thought we would share about the last seven lively weeks. Since Jean’s “promotion” as the leader of the kitchen, he faces the daily challenge of bringing order and compassion to an extreme volatile area. Because of the center’s explosive growth, this includes the purchasing and distribution of food for over +1100 people per day! This might be hard for some to believe, but some Africans become different people when it comes to their food! Sweet people who love Jesus will yell at the top of their lungs and throw a tantrum if they do not receive what they want. Coming against the god of their bellies is a formable enemy who daily needs to cut down…like a weed, it can be mown down one day but it often grows back again the next day. Add in the daily stresses of overseeing staff, raising up Mozambican leaders for the kitchen, teaching in the Bible school, leading a discipleship group, and learning the accounting for the base (new project☺), Jean still guards his time with the Lord diligently (even if it means getting up at 4 am). He is my hero and an amazing example during this busy season.

On my end, I am so blessed to have this season in assisting Heidi (our director). Her previous assistant Katie just had a baby (see Heidi’s recent update below). Daily, God demonstrates His lavish love and power thru this awesome woman of God and I am grateful to have a front row seat-both in learning and participating! For example, we have a mercy/benevolence ministry to the poor. This ministry helps purchase wheelchairs, build houses, help with funeral expenses, pay school fees, etc. In the past, Heidi often faced the ever-growing cue of people alone. Consequently, two dear Mozambican sisters and myself have taken on this honor. Please pray for us! It can be very overwhelming hearing people’s needs and discerning whom we can help and when to lovingly say “no”.

Another huge project is revamping our widows’ ministry. We knew we needed to review the widow’s list when a few women came to the center to receive food with new babies strapped to their backs! Many of the women can work, so we have placed them in groups that have discipleship on Mondays and learn a trade on two other days per week. Besides sewing, we are teaching the ladies to make bead jewelry and weave local bamboo purses, hats, and mats. Therefore, we can “trade” food for completed items, which we hope to sell online (I will post the proper web info once we get this done).

Most days are long and filled with both testimonies and trials. Joy and heartbreak. Victory and defeat. How can anyone survive in such paradox? Easy…by abiding in Christ! We encourage you, whatever your current paradox may be, abide in Him!
“There is no sweeter manner of living in the world than continuous communion with God. Only those who have experienced it can understand. However, I don’t advise you to seek His presence for the sole purpose of gaining consolation for your problems. Seek rather because God wills it an out of love for Him.” Brother Lawrence

We have more exciting news, but we are saving it for our next newsletter! Check our blog in the next week for our surprise announcement!