Run with the Glory Blog

Adventures with Awiley!

2008-08-03T07:34:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, one of our boys, Awiley, broke one of his toes while playing. Normally, a broken toe is not a big deal, but in Awiley’s case, his foot was feverish and infected. And his toe swelled up twice the normal size with something protruding out…our doctors were divided in thinking it was his toe bone exposed or a really thick and weird nail bed. So after praying for him, we headed for the local hospital…I was not looking forward to the long lines, lack of supplies/staff, poor sanitation, and overall suffering in the faces of the people. Unless we are praying for people, I avoid the hospital at all costs! Anyways, we were able to get an X-ray and see a doctor on our first night. Due to it being a Friday night, they scheduled him for an out patient surgery for Monday morning.

Awiley needed to stay completely off his foot, so Jean and I decided that Awiley would stay at our home till he was better. Normally our boys stay at their own house at the Children’s center under the care of our two Mozambican aunties (Tia’s). We want all our kids to be raised within Mozambican culture as much as possible☺

We had the best time with Awiley! We watched movies, colored, read books, and ate lots of yummy food. Monday morning came and we set off for the hospital again. We found the operation building ad we were asked to wait in a large room. Many people were wheeled into our room to recover after their surgeries which was not very pleasant, but we were happy to pray for their healings. Awiley was so brave as the doctors came and poked and pulled at his toe. One doctor who had bloody gloves tried to touch his toe, but I slapped his hand and told him not to touch him…the doctor sheepishly took off his bloodied gloves and replaced them with new ones. The doctor then told us to come back the next day because the person who could operate on children was not in on Mondays. This was quite frustrating because we had been waiting for hours….

We returned to the clinic at our base to seek advice. At this point, I lost it and started crying inconsolably….this was probably my first real “Mom” moment related to the health of our boys. I felt like if we did not fight for Awiley, who would? Jean was a rock and stated the obvious, “Jesus is fighting for Awiley, Teisa.” Just then, our doctor at our center reexamined Awiley’s toe…and found it healing quite well! The protruding object was definitely nail bed and would fall off soon. Best of all, she told us we did not need to return to the hospital (glory!!!) and that we just needed to keep it clean!

Awiley spent one more night at our house before returning to the boys’ dorm. He had a hard time leaving (he had faked a stomach ache) which made us both cry. But the other boys welcomed him back and he remembered how fun life is with his bothers.

But the best part of this story is this: A few days later, Jean and I were sitting in church when we spotted our boys coming in. Suddenly, Awiley saw us from across the room, his face burst into the biggest smile and he came running into our arms with such unashamed love, it melted our hearts. It was then that we knew that love healed Awiley’s toe and maybe a little of his precious heart!

Kingdom Weddings!

2008-08-03T06:08:00.000-07:00

Many of you know about the huge wedding we had in Pemba for Heidi and Rolland’s daughter…I have been wanting to write about the wedding for over a month, but never found the time to do it till now☺

One would think the greatest highlight was the bride and groom. Crystalyn was so stunning and Brock’s love for her was such a clear portrait of Christ; and the day was truly theirs and yet, there was such a strong anointing on our true Bridegroom- JESUS! Many were saved as His love was expressed in His favorite paradigm of marriage. Honestly, we are just so thrilled at the reality of His pleasure by the explosion of Kingdom weddings!!! Jean and I dreamed of our wedding being a demonstration of the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven—and it was…and is!!! And that is becoming the norm for others too! We are hearing so many testimonies of God bringing people together and joining their lives in supernatural ways that express His heart! We all know weddings can easily cross the unseen line into narcissism and materialistic madness…losing sight on what is truly important-a man and woman becoming one for God’s glory. So it is so exciting to see more and more Kingdom weddings!

Here are Heidi’s reflections on the wedding:

Thank you for remembering us as we stay hidden in our beloved Mozambique. Thank you for supporting all the hungry people Jesus has asked us to feed spiritually and physically. Even though months have gone by without as much communication as I would like, it amazes me how faithful you are to this ministry. You are our family. We so appreciate your prayers, extravagant gifts for the poor, and your love.

Recently, the Lord has been speaking to me from the parable of the Great Banquet in Luke 14. I had the honor of hosting over four thousand guests at the wedding of our daughter Crystalyn Joy to Brock Human. It was a glorious, beautiful day with the sunshine shimmering on the stunning turquoise Indian ocean. Crystalyn and Brock stood under a massive bougainvillea wedding arch. The wedding was set on the beach right across from our Village of Joy. Sixty-four of our Mozambican children comprised our bridal party. They looked fabulously colorful in their blue and yellow kapelanas and African shirts. Shara, Elisha, and Marissa were fabulous sports and joined in the festivities wearing their Mozambican outfits. Rolland walked her down the sandy aisle. An ocean of our African children streamed down from the streets in their bridal procession singing joyfully. Pastor José from Maputo and Pastor José from Pemba helped me officiate our daughter's wedding. The prime minister of Mozambique, business leaders and the poor all ate together. Hundreds of pastors and Harvest School of Missions students served at the wedding feast, dishing out plates heaped with rice, chicken, and salad with cold Coke to drink. Every one of our four thousand guests received a piece of cake. Many of them to have cake for the first time in their lives. What a delight to watch their smiles as all were fed. Food was served for hours. We had every Harvest student, missionary, and Mozambican cook baking cakes for days on end. We bought all the flour, eggs, and soda in Pemba.

The reception time was filled with Mozambican praise and dancing, as Crystalyn and Brock served their wedding cake. All of us felt to model this wedding feast after Luke 14:13: "When you give a banquet, invite the poor, crippled, lame and blind and they will be blessed." We printed invitations for everyone. Just like Luke 14:21, "We went out quickly to the streets and alleys of the towns." I was delighted to find out that we still had room, so we went out to the roads and remote villages, calling them to come so that our church would be filled. God longs for His house to be filled. He is calling His servant lovers to run out and call in the poor to His incredibly beautiful wedding feast. He paid for this banquet with His own Son's life, so that all of us could eat. It was a delight to see our new church building filled to overflowing with everyone enjoying this great wedding feast.

The hungry always get fed....

2008-07-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

Since arriving home in Mozambique a month ago, a compelling paradox has almost daily played before our eyes. Being back in the place where God has called us, our hearts are full and yet broken. Our hands are filled one moment and vacant the next. Just as one need is met, a thousand wait hopeful that they might be next…How can a promise land be both a land of amazing abundance and at the same time be tragically barren?
Hunger presents an interesting paradox…

Only in hunger do we find ourselves both satisfied and unfulfilled. The more we hunger for God and the more desperate we become, and the more we realize how greatly famished we are. And yet because of the marvelous love of God, in our hunger, we are always filled! “Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men, for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things” (Ps 107:8-9). Glory! These “good things” vary from His sweet presence, His amazing healing, His soft or thunderous voice- and these are just a few! What about the physical things like miraculous provisions that we have all seen time and time again.

Returning back to our paradox, many of you have heard there is a global food crisis. Overpopulation, fuel prices, global warming…experts have lots reasons, but we know the main one (1 Pet. 5:8). We see the devil busy at work in Mozambique. The price of rice has tripled in 2 years. Most families are struggling to eat. Many in the bush are starving. Our ministries widow’s list (1 Tim. 5) has also tripled. More and more children come from the villages each day to our Village Children’s feeding….many of them taking their precious portion of rice and beans home to share with the rest of their family.

Friends, we do not share this to arise pity or that familiar helpless feeling many get when we hear such news…no indeed…we do however want to awaken the church to pray. And more so, to provoke us all to hunger!!!! If people are physically hungry
around the world, they are also spiritually hungry! Therefore, what is our response? The Bible says, “Blessed are you who hunger now for you will be satisfied” (Luke 6:21). It is time to get hungry for more of God NOW! If we are globally hungry for
physical food- think of the hunger in the spirit!!! We are seeing this by way of the inter- net/ God TV as the Florida Outpouring is being broadcasted globally. Friends, NOW is the time! Make us hungrier Lord! We want all of you Jesus!!! We want your Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven! More, more, more!!!

Children's Day

2008-07-08T08:08:00.001-07:00

Many of you know about our beloved Mozambican holiday “Children’s Day.” It is a day looked forward to by our kids for months. Chicken, cokes, games, presents—its like Christmas in July…or in this case, June 1.

Jean and I were quickly recruited to head up Children’s Day (CD) for the village children- this means we would prayerfully plan for the feeding, games, and gifts for the 2000 or so kids which would attend our church on CD. I (Teisa) was the one who said “Yes” without really thinking about it…. But the more I did think about it, the more impossible it seemed. Memories from 2006 Christmas feeding filled my mind: tiny children being trampled by the mob of kids fighting to get in the door, chaos in the kitchen where we had to hold the plates high in the air to keep kids from grabbing the chicken, and the riots between the adults for who would eat first….I confess thinking many times, “Dear Jesus, what did we just get ourselves into?”

With the help of another missionary, we prayed (“Help, God!”) and planned. From the beginning, things miraculously came together. For example, we were able to buy 80% of the gift items (assorted candy and cookies) in one hour and a half- something that normally would have taken all day! We also had tons of help due to our incoming mission school students and visiting team from Global Awakening (same team Jean led 2 years ago!) We had meetings with our Makua youth who would lead in various areas -especially in the games. We have never attempted to play games with 2000 kids before. But more and more ideas flowed and soon we had almost 10 different game stations. Our awesome mission school students helped us for hours as we assembled our gift bags —2000 of them! Each bag having a full packet of cookies, 2 bubble gums, 1 small lollypop, 1 large lollypop with gum, 2 toffees, 2 sour candies….a true dream gift for any kid…at least in our neck of the woods!

WOW! God blew our minds with His goodness on CD! We enjoyed an amazing time of worship and Heidi preached her heart out with many people being healed and saved. After church, we kept all the kids in the church and started to dismiss them in groups of twenty to form a line outside of the kitchen….and guess whatthey formed a beautiful precious line!!!! Friends, this was a miracle!!! Everything from the feeding to the games
went reasonably smooth! But the best part was when the village kids were leaving, we had all our visitors and students form a prayer tunnel for them and when we came out the end, they received their gift! Many of the kids started jumping up and down in glee as they discovered the contents. After all the village kids had received their gifts, it was time for our Iris kids to receive theirs. Heidi went house by house giving the gifts. This year we started with the girls, so our warriors were anxiously waiting by the gate of the girls’ center. Soon enough, it was their turn. Each of our boys - we have 11 now- sang their special CD song before getting their gifts and gave us hugs with a hearty “Obrigado” after.

Once again, we were in awe of how God took the impossible and showed His possibilities! People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:13-15

Update from our directors...

2008-06-24T02:49:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends!

It was our goal to get an update out within 2 weeks of arriving...it has been 6 weeks now, but we finished it:) Our newsletter should be sent out this week and our email update should go out next week....should:)

Things are insanely crazy, yet wonderful at our base as we prepare for a regional Conference and Heidi & Rolland daughter's wedding. More and more people are arriving each day..most will be sleeping in the church or outside under the trees...the air is full of expectation and hunger...by Friday, we will have over 2000 extra people at our base and on Saturday, we will host another 3000 or so from the local villages. I keep reading the Gospels where Jesus feed the 5000 and so after 4000...amen, amen! Do it again King Jesus!

Here is an update for our directors for those who might not receive the Iris updates:

From Dr. Don Kantel, our Pemba director:

A recent miracle in the neighborhood of the Iris Pemba Base has made
Jesus the increasing focus of people's attention.

A widow in the area had been ill for several weeks. When her condition
suddenly became more serious, her five children and a number of Iris
believers gathered at her house and were praying through the night.
About 4 am, she died. While the children began to prepare for her
burial, the believers -- led by one of Iris's construction leaders,
Mossa Calisto -- continued to pray. A couple of hours later, the woman
opened her eyes and sat up. She told them she had been with Jesus and he
had given her an hour to return to earth to settle her affairs and make
provision for her children. She busied herself with these things...then
she asked the people to leave the room, closed the door and died again!
This account has been widely circulated and many are asking to know more
about Jesus!

Under the supernatural anointing and favor of God, Iris Ministries has
expanded dramatically over recent years. Today, we are in at least 26
countries; we have over 7,000 churches; over 3,000 indigenous
evangelists and pastors have been trained and equipped through our five
Bible schools; 1,000 students have completed our Iris Harvest Missions
School; and we are feeding and caring for over 8,000 orphans and
vulnerable children in several countries of Africa and beyond. But with
all this growth, the core values and Mission of Iris remain the same as
they were when Heidi and Rolland first began ministering in Mozambique
in 1995.

The mission of Iris Ministries is to help bring the Kingdom of God to
all the earth...strategically and aggressively (Mt. 11:12), as God's
Spirit leads and enables us. And the three main ministry focuses through
which we daily walk out our Mission are:

1) Evangelism, church-planting, and training and equipping of indigenous
evangelists, pastors and leaders; 2) ministry to the poor (Is. 61:1) --
and especially to widows, orphans and vulnerable children; and 3)
spreading the revival.

We'd like to share one recent strategic initiative growing out of this
statement of mission and priorities. It's a prototype for village
transformation referred to as the "Mieze Model" which has been developed
in the village of Mieze near the Pemba Base in northern Mozambique. This
model has evolved as the Holy Spirit has led and enabled us...with the
clear purpose of replicating it in many other village settings over the
next few years. Heidi and her team have prayerfully sought the Lord's
direction for the location of the next center for development based on
the Mieze Model and we expect to take the first steps within the next
couple of weeks. The Mieze Model has already proved a compelling and
tangible expression of the Father's love for "the least of the least"
and is a brilliant, God-given strategy for establishing his manifest
presence in the life of a traditional African village.

For a comprehensive overview and pictures of Iris's Mieze Model for
village transformation, please see http://web.mac.com/kantels
--

Birthday blessings

2008-05-23T09:49:00.000-07:00

Thank you everyone for your birthday emails and prayers! I had an amazing day- here is quick recap! Jean made me a special breakfast with his Pemba renowned “home fries.” At noon, we helped with the daily village children’s feeding. This allows any child (or adult if really in need) to get a good meal for lunch. I even got to share a brief testimony and pray with the kids before they ate. After the village feeding, we rounded up our 11 boys and took them to the beach for a little festa/party. We played, swam, played, and ended our party with Cokes and cookies. To end the day, my missionary and Mozambican friends threw me a dessert party which was fun….So I felt very kissed by Jesus on my special day!!!

Home at last!!!

2008-05-14T01:37:00.000-07:00

Friends, we are finally home!!!! We had a great trip and all our bags made it (always a huge bonus!) The Warriors (5 of our now 12 boys) greeted us at the airport with warm hugs and singing! We are getting settled into our new home, which is fabulous (more on that later)….So we are keeping this post short and sweet and hope to get an update out with the next 2 weeks! Thank you so much for your prayers and love!!!

Subscribe to our In Jesus updates!

2008-05-07T14:16:00.000-07:00

Shalom! Shalom!

WOW! Time flies. Teisa and I are leaving for Pemba Mozambique tomorrow morning. Please keep us in prayer for traveling mercies. Our first flight leaves at 5:45 am tommorrow and we will be arriving in Pemba 1:40 Saturday aft. I still haven't even begun packing as I was in Florida last night while my wife was hard at work on our website and setting up in Jesus email blasts... please feel free to suscribe to keep up to date with what is happening...don't worry the way email access is in Pemba you won't be getting updates too often... thanks for all your prayers and loving support... see ya in da river of His love!

Jean chasing revival!

2008-05-06T10:29:00.000-07:00

With 2 days till we leave for Moz, I took Jean to the airport this morning for his 1 day trip to Florida. He booked his ticket last night as we watched the Florida outpouring online:) We are believing for his back to be healed and his heart/soul to be filled-enough for me too!!!

Crunch time just got crunchier!!!

2008-05-03T08:02:00.000-07:00

Hey friends! Looks like we are flying out on the 8th instead of the 10th:) So Jean and I are trying to tie up all our lose ends during the day and watch/engage in the Florida outpouring on GodTV at night! Last night, we got so touched/blasted, we had to almost carry Jean to the car (we watched the revival at a friend's house). More Lord!!!!!

Paris was awesome! Our outreach on Saturday was incredible- over 30 youth, mostly migrant Muslims, came and hung out for over 5 hours! Jean and I joined with a French interpreter and we prayed over the youth individually, shared the Gospel, and prophesied as the Spirit led. The first young lady gave her life to the Lord and her sister, who was next, was so overcome by the Holy Spirit, she kept crying and laughing for the next 3 hours! Many other youth received prophetic words that ministered powerfully to them. We wrote all the words down, so the youth leaders could do more counseling/prayer to follow up. We also got to minister to the leadership team and heard testimonies of how God was confirming visions, encouraging, and pouring our fresh oil and love!!!

Jesus is amazing! What an adventure to love and serve Him in this hour of visitation….the hungry always get fed!!! “Blessed are those who are hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled!!” Lord, increase our hunger!!! Increase our thirst for the living water and holy wine of the Spirit!

Off to Paris!

2008-04-25T06:26:00.000-07:00

Classes are over!!! We are on route to Paris for three days of ministry with a missionary friend who we met in Pemba 2 years ago! Our friend Randy has an awesome church with ministries reaching out to everyone from prostitutes to muslim youth! We know it will be an awesome Kingdom weekend! Please keep us in your prayers!!!

After this, we are back home in Omaha for a quick week of repacking! We leave on May 10 to return home to Mozambique, Gloria a Deus!!!

Spring in Portugal...

2008-03-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

Enorme bencanos de Portugal! (Huge Blessings from Portugal!!)

We have not posted much on our blog or sent our updates since arriving in Portugal…we wish we had more to report, but days are whirl of classes and studying and not much more. With only 6 tenses under our belts (which is a lot!), we feel rather overwhelmed by this beautiful language with over 18 tenses to learn. Jean and I are now talking to each other in our Portuenglish…which means we speak as much as we can in Portuguese, but throw in the English words which we still do not know☺ With only 4 more weeks of school left, please pray for our rusty minds to take everything in and our mouths to speak what our hearts and Holy Spirit wants to say!!!

We do have a short report from our friends in Mozambique who just retuned from doing flood relief work…we can’t wait to get back to Pemba!!! Only 7 more weeks till touchdown!!!

"Flood relief in Zimbezia has been quite eventful these past three weeks as we have gotten to be a part of God doing some amazing things in the midst of much suffering. The first week we went to a camp with 693 families and we were able to build relationships with the families throughout the week returning with different supplies specific to their needs. We brought over 200 bags of rice and and 700 hoes and over 700 bags of corn seed for planting so each family received materials! More importantly than their physical needs, they were so spiritually hungry and God met them in their hunger. We preached the Gospel and prayed for the sick and just sat among the people encouraging them and hearing their stories. On the last day we handed out Bibles and there were near riots as people were so hungry for the Word and one old man even yelled, "I do not care about rice, just give me a Bible" in Portuguese.

Last week was equally eventful as we went to two new camps and were able to be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven coming down to earth. Our cameo went back for a second load of rice and crashed but God used this trial for His glory as we were all stuck at the camp until after 10 pm and were able to sing, dance, preach, pray and encourage the camp ABUNDANTLY! At another camp, a woman and her family gave us their ancestral idols to burn and then received Jesus. This woman had not been able to walk or stand for 7 years and after praying for 20+ minutes with our faces in the dirt in the pouring rain, Jesus healed her and she stood up and walked! These are just a few of the stories..."

We made it!!!!

2008-02-12T07:53:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of what our minds feel like after a week of classes…

Blessings from “frio” Portugal! (Frio means cold…we thought we could escape it, but the weather followed us☺

We arrived last Sunday after a long, but great trip full of the favor of God. Here is a brief summary….

Due to our stand-by status, we were unable to get on our first flight out of Omaha…. and the second flight only had one open seat. If we did not get on the second flight, we would miss our 2 other flights and face problems with our pre-paid hotel arrangements. Jean was full of faith…. I was not. But we prayed and believed for an extra seat to open…And it did!!!! Jean made friends with the Delta ticket agent and he hooked us up with 2 seats together in the front of the plane. This was a big help because we had less than an hour to catch our next international flight.

Catching the next flight ended up being no problem. We were also hugely blessed to both get seats in business class together (huge perk of flying stand-by! We love you Corrine!) The flight to France was only 8 hours and we enjoyed our roomy chairs and fellowship.

The Paris airport was a nightmare however. We only had 2 hours and the airport was very confusing. After getting our bags, we carried them half way across several sections only to be turned back again and again. We finally found our terminal and we checked in for our flight to Lisbon. We should have had big fines because we knew our bags were over the limit of 20 kilos, but the agent only charged us a small fee for our extra bag. Yeah!!!

When we arrived in Lisbon, we jumped in a taxi for our hotel. I was so excited to finally be able to speak Portuguese again…but when the taxi driver began to speak to us, I could not understand a thing he said!!! His Portuguese was so fast and proper, I barley understood a word. This was the beginning of a rude awakening for me…

I came to Portugal thinking I could speak reasonable Portuguese…. I knew my grammar was bad, but I still thought it was understandable…Needless to say; I am in the beginner’s class with Jean. We are blessed to have two other Iris missionaries who serve in Pemba here with us as well. So we are all together in our pursuit to speak/understand this beautiful language!

Please pray for us! Jean has a horrible sinus infection that keeps him from sleeping at night and overall zaps his strength. We are totally dependant on Jesus for his touch.

Off to Portugal!

2008-01-28T09:35:00.000-08:00

Hey friends...just a quick note to update everyone on our travel plans! We leave this Saturday for Lisbon, Portugal! We are so very excited for this door opening to study Portuguese intensly for 3 months...

More later!

Arise! Shine!!

2008-01-10T13:53:00.002-08:00

Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light... Then you shall see and become radiant... The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you. As we enter a New Year the Spirit is beckoning the saints of God to Arise and Shine His glorious Light wherever we go. (Isaiah 60:1-5) The Christ in you is the hope of glory for a lost and dying world. Jesus is the answer! Jesus is the light of the world! It's time to let the Jesus in you out and let your light shine!!

On Dec. 24th we left Omaha to go to MD to spend Christmas with my brother Marc, his wife Tracey, and my parents. We had a wonderful time with my two nieces Marissa and Elianna. The day after Christmas we took Marissa to go see Alvin and the Chipmunks. Thursday we drove to PA and visited the new Global Awakening Apostolic Center. While in Mechanicsburg we stayed with our good friends Joel and Monica. Proud parents of Kalen who was less than 7 weeks old at the time of our visit. Teisa stayed up with Kalen the first night of our visit, and the second night Joel and Monica were able to go out on date night while we loved on precious little Kalen. I think the Lord is preparing us for when we have our own children. Not yet... we do want children and believe they are a gift and a blessing from God! Amen! Amen!

On Dec. 30th we found ourselves ministering at King of Kings Worship Center. The anointing in the house was very strong and the Holy Spirit touched many hearts during ministry time. Praise Jesus! Pastors Peter and Trisha Roselle then invited us to their house afterward for some amazing Italian food and pastries... glory to God! But even better than that was the fellowship. It is so wonderful when God brings along kingdom minded, kindred hearts into our lives. We love you guys!! And we are looking forward to team coming to visit us in MOZ.

We returned to Omaha on the 2nd only to leave on the 4th for Chicago to minister at Metro Praise. Pastors Joe and Nancy were such gracious hosts. Teisa and I had soo much fun!! Friday night we shared with about 50 on fire hungry youth. The Power and the Presence of God was in the house and the captives were getting set free! Praise the Lord! Early Saturday afternoon we baptized five new believers before we went downtown for a mini tour of Chicago. We then took it to the streets, and shared the love of God on the corner of Clark and Belmont, a predominately gay community. One particular man was powerfully touched by the love of God as Joe and I ministered to him. He stated that never before had he felt such genuine love from Christians. Sunday morning was beyond words. The love of the Father was poured out on all, the Holy Spirit moved powerfully during ministry time, and many had an encounter Jesus! Amen! After some wonderful food and fellowship Joe & Nancy took us to the Sears Tower, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.

The word of the Lord for 2008 is ARISE & SHINE!! For the Light has come and His Glory is upon you!!

In three weeks we are leaving for language school in Lisbon, Portugal. It is our plan to be back with our family in Mozambique in time for Teisa's birthday on May 15th.

Teisa and I are so thankful for all your prayers and support! May God bless you all! And may His Light continue to get brighter and brighter in you! We love you!

Merry Christmas!!!

2007-12-23T13:40:00.002-08:00

Dearest Friends,

Shalom, Shalom!

What a year!!! Both Jean and I have pretty great imaginations, but even we could never have anticipated the blessings that 2007 held for us! God has overwhelmed us by His love in so many ways. Perhaps this year’s journey can be summed up in one word…. JOY!

This Christmas, we are especially thankful for God answering our prayers in bringing our lives together for His glory. From celebrating with our Mozambican family at our African wedding to rejoicing with the Nicoles/Millers and US friends at our Omaha gala, our hearts have been fit to burst with abounding joy!

We wish you the same joy!!! Not the “joy” which is the simple sentiment of happiness…but the deep, abiding joy that far exceeds mere feelings….

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my father’s commands and remained in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:9-11

May the joy that comes from knowing JESUS fill your hearts to overflowing this holiday season. And may His love and joy only increase this upcoming New Year!

We are so thankful for all the people and churches that faithfully prayed and supported us during this year. We press on together for His glory being poured out in Mozambique/nations in 2008.

Merry Christmas and have a Supernatural New Year, Jean and Teisa

PS. Please pray for us as we are endeavoring to leave for language school in Lisbon, Portugal for three months beginning in early February. We need divine guidance to find an affordable school with private tutoring. We will be returning to our beloved Pemba, Mozambique immediately following.

PSSS. No babies yet:)

Happy Healing

2007-12-10T13:40:00.002-08:00

Thank you all for your prayers!! The tumor (mass) was removed by Dr. Dobleman on Sat. morning. All is well.

On another note last week I found myself going shopping at the Westroads Mall in Omaha. For those of you who don't know there was a shooting there where 9 people died at the Von Maur store. It was my plan to go there, however when I arrived at the mall they wouldn't let me in as the shooting had just occurred less than 5 minutes before I got there. Needless to say the Lord surely directed my steps!! Thank you Jesus...

News About Jean

2007-11-27T13:17:00.002-08:00

Glory, we got the call last week telling us the results of the biopsy were benign (non-cancerous). However, the growth still needs to come out, so we are still looking at surgery without divine intervention.

So right now, we are looking at out-patient surgery on Dec 8th at 8AM. Please join us in prayer that it dissolves in JESUS NAME!!!

White as Snow

2007-11-21T11:56:00.002-08:00

WOW! Teisa and I woke up to a thin blanket of snow outside this morning. I found myself brushing off the car before we ventured out. Two days ago it was 73 degrees here in Omaha, when I woke up this morning it was 23. Though our sins be red as crimson, He will make them white as snow. We are so thankful for the blood of Jesus!!!

I can remember 18 years ago spending Thanksgiving morning in jail after being arrested for driving under the influence... That proved to be the turning point of my life. Up until then I had been using drugs and alcohol for over 12 years, but I didn't realize I had a problem. After being bailed out in the wee ours of the morning I was still able to have Thanksgiving dinner with my family. I was a mess, a sinner in desperate need of a savior. Five months later on April 28th 1990 I gave my heart to Jesus and my sins became white as snow! Glory to God!

I am especially thankful this holiday season, as it is the first that I get to spend with my bride Teisa. For years and years I had prayed for a Godly wife to spend the holidays with. For those who don't know me I just turned 42 Nov. 10th and had never been married till 7/7/7. I know what it feels like to be lonely during the holidays, to desire to have someone special to spend them with, and yet my prayers seemed to go unanswered. God is faithful! God is good! I heard Graham Cooke say, " God is never late but He sure misses a lot of opportunities to be early." Amen.

Teisa and I are so thankful for our little house in North Bennington just outside of Omaha. We have been blessed with a place of our own for the remainder of our time here in America when we are not traveling. Thank you Jesus! And thank you Ann and Jean! Blessings on ya! Words can't describe how thankful and happy we both are this holiday season. Many special thanks to our friends, family, and supporters who have helped to make this season possible before we return to the mission field. Your prayers are greatly appreciated! As of today Nov. 21st 3pm we have not heard anything about the biopsy from last week. We are believing God for a complete healing with no surgery in Jesus name! Amen! Personally I feel great, pain is more of an annoyance and distraction than anything else.

Last week we had the privilege of ministering at the Dwelling Place in Omaha. Thursday night we shared with the youth and Saturday night with the entire family. Teisa and I really enjoy sharing the love of Jesus with His children, and we also love to call forth laborers into the harvest field. Many responded to the call to missions, not only to the nations, but also right here in the Omaha area. The Holy Spirit ministered to many hungry hearts on both nights.....

Thank You Jesus!

Urgent prayer request!!!

2007-11-16T12:30:00.002-08:00

Many of you have been praying with Jean and I regarding an annoying tooth ache/swelling in his left cheek. From the beginning, we have known this was a spiritual battle and so we have fought it with intense prayer. One night God gave me (Teisa) a vision of a demonic claw which was broken off and hooked in his jaw. So we took authority over it and in the spirit, yanked it out. We continued to do this with other Kingdom people joining us in prayer. But Jean continued to have the swelling and dull pain.

So we made appts for the dentist and doctor. Both our amazing Christian dentist and doctor could not find any reason for it. Our doctor recommended us seeing a specialist for Ears, nose and throat. Yesterday, Jean and I went to see ENT doctor regarding the issue. We were blessed to find this doctor was also a Christian (and blessed us like our other doctors by seeing us for free or at a discounted rate.) The doctor confirmed that Jean does have a mass/tumor. He took a biopsy in the office and ordered a CT scan (which normally costs over $1000, but we got it for $410!)

We will not know the results for another few days, but we are encouraged and rejoicing! Our hearts were so distraught over the attacked against Iris/Bakers- we are stoked to have the enemy so nervous about our lives as well. We know the enemy wants to keep us from preaching and returning to our family in Africa, so we press on for victory. Go Jesus, do your thing!!!!

Latest update from the Bakers

2007-10-30T08:12:00.002-07:00

I just got this email from one of the staff members in Pemba:

"We thank God for each of you who have so covered us in love, support and intercession. We have felt that we could stand on your prayers. Heidi flew out to join Rolland a week ago. Rolland received one week of intensive prayer along with solid and sound medical attention. His heart has calmed, he has begun to regain the weight he lost, gaining strength and is feeling much better. In our time of deepest need, God has really given him a breakthrough.

However, the doctors are insisting Rolland take a three-month sabbatical or furlough in the US. Therefore, Heidi and Rolland will be in the US for the next three weeks. Rolland will rest in the US for Nov through Jan 2008. Heidi will also take the month of December completely off from ministry after our Holy Given Iris International School of Missions Graduation. The Bakers will be together laboring to "enter rest" as Heidi wrote in our last update. Therefore, Heidi will not be speaking more during this time as her focus and priority is Rolland.

Both Bakers express intense appreciation and thanksgiving for the depth and breadth of love and care. Certainly we do not feel alone in times of trials. Perhaps the greatest redemption of attacks like these is Jesus' love shining so brilliantly and beautifully through the lives of our family of friends. We see Him in each other and thank our God daily for you. We request prayer also for the transition in administration as Rolland takes a time of rest. We pray for the fullness of rest and restoration. The best is always yet ahead in Him.

"Onward we go" as Rolland often says."

Glory, friends! Please be praying for the Bakers and this much needed time of rest!!!!! We just spent a few days with the Bakers at the Voice of the Apostles Conference in Harrisburg, PA. Here a testimony from Heidi which sums up the past week:

"To Finish Well"

Heidi Baker
November 1st, 2007

This is a short update to thank you for your love, prayers and standing with us during our time of greatest need. As most of you know during these past three months, we have experienced fierce trials. Jesus has recently spoken to me about finishing well. I am fixing my eyes on Jesus. I am looking away to Him. I am coming forward with boldness to the throne of grace in my greatest time of need. Hebrews 4:1, "Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience."

In this time of reflecting, The Lord came to me and asked me, "If I had known ahead of time all that this calling would cost, would I still be willing to receive the call." And still my cry is yes. I have nowhere else to go. I have no one else to run to. Jesus is my life and He is altogether lovely. Through everything, it is still my joy to say that I gladly give my life for Him.

Yesterday, we had a surprise birthday party for Rolland. Dear friends flew in from other countries and all over the United States. We felt so loved and supported. Our Revival Alliance brothers and sisters, Bill & Beni Johnson, Che Ahn, Randy & Deanne Clark, Georgian & Winnie Banov were all there blessing us, cheering us on, lifting up our arms and fighting for us. Even John and Carol Arnott sent in a special birthday greetings on a dvd. Charles and Anne Stock spoke beautiful scriptures of life over Rolland and blessed him with Rolland's favorite chocolate cake. Mel Tari, the best man in our wedding and one of our closest friends helped led the festivities. His wife Joyce spent months putting together an incredibly anointed and touching dvd of Rolland's life. We all cried. Crystalyn and Elisha both laid hands on their father and blessed him as his children. The party would not have been possible without the beautiful efforts and great love of Norberto, Will, Shara, Jinyoung, and Angela. Darrel and Mariyln carry such a mama and papa anointing. Betty, our Toronto friend, drove all night to be with us. It was a delight to have them with us. We want to thank everyone who was involved and all of you who have been praying for us. We are forever grateful.

It is my great joy to celebrate with with Mozambican sons and Iris missionaries who flew in from Sudan, France, and Mozambique. God is still speaking to me about releasing my sons and daughters to carry His heart for the lost and broken into the greatest darkness. I know even as we enter a season of rest, God will increase the movement by carrying it through the lives of many. I love watching our these amazing young people from so many races, nations and backgrounds, run forward carrying the light of His glorious gospel. They are truly my heroes, my friends and my family. There are no words to express how grateful I am for the love and prayers of so many. We do not feel alone.

Our International Director Surprise Sithole also flew in to be with us from South Africa. He recently went back to the very village where our dear pastor Ezekiel Sithole was martyred for the gospel. They cut him off his tongue and lips to silence him. They said our movement Partners in Harvest/Iris Africa would be silenced. Surprise's went back into the village in love and humility releasing forgiveness to those who killed his cousin. Thousands gathered to hear him preach. And hundreds were saved. Please pray for Pastor Ezekiel Sithole's wife who is deeply troubled, very, very thin and left with many children to raise alone. “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven" Matthew 5:11-12.

Changing Seasons

2007-10-23T09:00:00.002-07:00

WOW! All of creation is groaning....The beauty of the Lord is being revealed through nature. Teisa and I stand in awe of the majesty of our God in creation. Fall in New England, leaves changing, Red Sox in world series, what more could we ask for? More of the glory!!!

Last night we were at the White Horse Cafe in Hartford VT. I was so excited to bring Teisa to meet one of my spiritual Fathers Wayne Anderson. We were able to spend quality time with Wayne in the afternoon before the evening meeting. Our good friend Dee and the worship team helped usher in the presence of our bridegroom, King Jesus! What a wonderful time of refreshing we had in the presence! Words can't describe, the atmosphere was heavenly! Thank you Jesus. We love you!

We are very encouraged by what God is doing in New England. On Oct. 7th we were in MA at the Metro West Bridge Christian Fellowship. Hungry hearts were filled with the love of God. We have been directed by the Holy Spirit to keep our message simple and practical. Love the Lord, love his people! What does love look like? We know in Africa it looks like wound care, it looks like food, but in New England what does it look like? Raking leaves for your neighbor, visiting the elderly....love takes on many different facets. I challenged the saints of God to calculated acts of kindness and love. It's the goodness and kindness of God that leads to repentance. Amen! Revival is here!!!

On Monday we traveled to North Sutton NH with our good fiend Kathy to meet with John Paul Jackson and to minister to his interns. Once again hungry hearts were filled. We are greatly encouraged by what God is doing, we are living in a season of great change. The atmosphere and spiritual climate is changing over New England! No longer will it be known as the land of the frozen chosen, but it will once again become the epicenter of what God is doing in America. Angelic circuit riders are traveling New England and lighting Holy Ghost fires throughout the land. God is raising up an army in New England that will not take no for an answer! The saints of God will possess the land and establish His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven!! New England the time is NOW!

The following weekend on the 14th we ministered at River of Life Fellowship in Windsor CT in the morning, and that evening we ministered to 40-50 youth at the senior center in Granby. On Thursday the 18th we met at Granby High School to minister to a dozen middle school students from Valley Brook Community Church. This past Sunday were had the privilege of ministering to the entire body at Valley Brook. Being a former resident of Granby for almost 7 years, I shared my testimony on how God took me from being a convenience store manager at the Food Bag in Granby to being a missionary in Mozambique Africa. God is faithful. The Holy Spirit touched many hearts and many came forward as a call to missions was given.

Both Teisa and I are really enjoying our season hear in America, especially New England. However, we are very aware of what is happening to our Iris family in Pemba. Unfortunately we probably know only as much as most of you who will read this. Please keep Rolland Baker in prayer as he is in hospital and has lost over 40lbs. The warfare in Pemba is raging, but the kingdom of God is advancing and his saints will be victorious. Jesus is Lord!

We hope to be meeting with Rolland and Heidi Baker at the VOA in Harrisburg PA next Wednesday. We will update you all with any new information as we receive it. Please join us in prayer for our Iris family. Thank you. Blessings on ya!!

Wedding video is now online!!!

2007-10-04T11:09:00.002-07:00

After two days of wrestling with my computer (and winning!) our wedding video can now be viewed on our media page!!!! I also posted more picture pages on the Photo page like: Omaha wedding, Warriors (our boys), Widows Ministy, Outreachs, etc.

Check it out!

Picture problems

2007-10-03T10:34:00.002-07:00

I am working on uploading pictures this week...this new website program is giving me a few issues....please forgive the weird photo pages outlay or lack of the page...I am trying to figure it out:) Grace, grace!

To Toronto and beyond!

2007-10-02T11:38:00.002-07:00

Before we left Africa this summer, we were asked to represent Iris Ministries at the Partners in Harvest (PIH) conference at the Toronto Airport Fellowship. Both Jean and I have been extremely blessed on prior visits to Toronto, so we were pretty stoked to return. Boy, we were not disappointed! We were so refreshed by the worship, preaching, and fellowship. We testified for the ministry and received prayer for the Bakers/our pastors/us...as you can imagine, we had a very hard time getting up off the floor!

After the conference, we drove by Niagara Falls and took some pictures. Here are my favorites....