Iris Ministries Inc | For Visitors

Thank you for your interest in Iris Ministries. Please note that all correspondence concerning visiting Iris should be addressed (or copied) to pembapembahospitality@irismin.org.

We are blessed by the abundance of volunteers wanting to come and serve the Lord here--upwards of 1,000 every year! Those volunteering with us need to have a personal commitment to Christ Jesus and a hunger for "more, Lord!" Unless traveling with a parent or team, visitors should be at least 18 years old. We ask that first-time visitors plan on limiting their visit to 2-3 weeks. A request to visit initiates an invitation process. As part of that process, you will be asked to supply a pastoral reference, a copy of your personal Christian testimony, and a clear statement of your vision for ministry or hopes and goals for working here with Iris Ministries. We will read your information and pray about how God may plan to use you here. We do appreciate your patience in waiting to make final plans to come until you have received an invitation from us.

Note: If you are thinking about a longer mission position with us, you will first need to complete the Holy Given Mission School in Pemba, Mozambique. Long-term missionaries are asked to make a commitment of 2 years or more. Please read carefully the webpage titled "Long-term Service"on the Iris admin site at www.irismin.com. You may also view information about the mission schools on the same website.

Because of previous problems we are now requiring that you come with emergency medical insurance in place. This is essential for all who visit or work at Iris Ministries, whether for a few days or several years. You will need to pay the premiums and be sure you have enough money available to cover the deductible amount. Most domestic insurance plans do not cover foreign travel, so check with your plan administrator to verify your coverage. If you need additional coverage, you can talk to your travel agent, or contact Specialty Risk International, Inc. (SRI) at www.specialtyrisk.com. International travelers are now able to obtain free, no obligation, online quotations, and you can purchase coverage immediately through SRI's secure server and receive a Virtual ID Card immediately.

Thank you again for your interest in what the Lord is doing here. Please do not hesitate to contact us with your further questions. We will do our best to provide reliable answers to your questions and help you in any way possible. May the Lord direct you, as you continue to open your heart and seek him!

We do not have an application form as such. Rather, it's a process by which you tell us about yourself and your interest in visiting Iris and we invite you to do so after prayerful evaluation of your information.

Please have your pastor send us a reference directly to this email address: pembahospitality@irismin.org. It needn't be lengthy, but it should include his or her reflections on your Christian walk and any significant involvements you may have in your church. Also, it should include a brief assessment of your suitability for a short-term missions experience in a setting such as we have here at Iris. (Your pastor should visit this Iris web site at www.irismin.org if he or she isn't familiar with Iris. He or she should take note of the information here for prospective visitors, and should comment in that light.)

You should write separately to share your personal testimony and your vision/goals/hopes for a visit to Iris Ministries; i.e., tell us what you would anticipate doing here, bringing here in the way of gifting or service, and what you would hope to receive from God while here.

Please also suggest approximate dates for your visit.

We will get back to you as quickly as possible once we have received your information.

The following information has been compiled from visitor experience. You will find it helpful to make a hard copy and use it as part of your check list before departure.

Mozambican visas can be obtained from Mozambican embassies and consulates. You can request applications from an embassy directly, or you can use a visa service. A visa service might expedite the process, especially if you are traveling with a group. To apply for a visa, you will need a passport with at least 6 months remaining after your intended return home, as well as your flight itinerary and 2 passport-size pictures. You should apply for a double-entry tourist visa, unless you know that you will require a multiple-entry visa. Tourist visas generally do not require a letter of invitation, but we can supply one if needed. Visa requirements and printable application forms are available on the website of the Washington Embassy at www.embamoc-usa.org. That site also includes a listing of Mozambican embassies and consulates around the world.

** When you receive your visa, please check carefully the details of what has actually been issued. The standard visa is valid for a maximum 30-day stay in the country and is valid for 2-3 months. That would cover the circumstances of most visitors, but for those staying longer than 30 days, you would have to drive out of the country and re-enter before that 30-day period expires--or be subject to a fine of $100/day after that for being in the country illegally. However, some visas are inexplicably issued for only a 15-day validity--or even as short as 8 days. The consequences of overlooking this could be very serious!

Use the following information to fill in the visa form:
Province: Maputo
District: Zimpeto
City: Maputo
Street: Avenida de Mocambique KM 11
House #: Casa 654//29
Friends: Heidi and Rolland Baker, US Citizens, friends
Reason for entry: Volunteer at a children's center
Border: if flying, MAPUTO International Airport; if driving from South
Africa, RESSANO GARCIA

Connecting travel from Johannesburg to Maputo

You have two good alternatives for getting from Jo'burg to Maputo and back.

The first and most convenient is to add a connecting flight to your itinerary. If your travel agent adds it as a leg to your itinerary, it's less expensive than booking a separate return flight. Generally it is possible for your travel agent to arrange your flight schedules without an overnight stay in Johannesburg. If you provide the details of your arrival, we will meet you at the airport.

The other is to rent a vehicle, which you could do at the airport in Jo'burg. This is convenient, but expensive. Driving here is challenging (and on the left side of the road). *NB--Be sure to specify that the vehicle is being driven to Mozambique--many rented vehicles cannot be taken across the border into Mozambique. A valid driver's license from your home country is all that's required, but you may want to get an International Driver's Permit from your local Automobile Association, as well. If you choose to get a vehicle, you will need to get directions from us to our Zimpeto location outside Maputo. Vehicles of all descriptions can also be rented once you arrive in Maputo--either at the airport itself or in the city.

By the end of October, 2002, the new Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) will be open near Nelspruit, just 90 minutes drive from the Mozambique border and very near Kruger National Park. This will create some interesting new possibilities for our visitors -- including vehicle rental at KMIA in order to visit Kruger and drive to Maputo and back. It should be possible to arrange your flight itinerary to fly directly to KMIA instead of into or through Jo'burg.

(There are also bus connections available between Jo'burg, Nelspruit and Maputo. However, due to the many inconveniences associated with this option--and the unreliability of the service--we are no longer recommending this alternative to our visitors.)

Expenses/currency

Your expenses depend on you. You may eat meals each day with the children (bread or corn meal for breakfast, rice with a sauce or topping for lunch and dinner). We make a once-a-week visit to a western style grocery store in Maputo. You may bring food with you as well. Our kitchen is at your disposal. Our supply of plates, dinnerware, etc. is, at times, limited. Teams should plan to provide their own.

There are souvenirs around town if you are interested and some good restaurants in the city. We recommend that you bring US dollars and a credit card. American dollars are accepted many places and are easy to exchange for Mozambican Meticais. South African Rand are also readily accepted. Travelers' checks and cashiers checks are expensive to exchange and are accepted only by certain banks. We don't recommend them! Visa and occasionally Mastercard are becoming more widely accepted. They may be used with a pin number to get cash advances in local currency when needed. There is a currency exchange counter at the airport in Maputo, which offers a good exchange rate for currency conversions. There are ATMs at the airport in Johannesburg where you can withdraw rands (which can be spent here or exchanged for Mts.). Depending on the time of arrival, we try to take visitors to a grocery store upon arrival, since you will likely want to prepare many of your own meals. Our Zimpeto (Maputo) center is located more than 15 kilometers from any stores. Transportation is provided on Thursdays for grocery shopping. If you are arriving jet-lagged after prolonged travel, or with a large team, you may find it helpful to have prepared a basic shopping list to serve as a guide.

PLEASE NOTE: Iris Ministries is a faith ministry, entirely dependent upon the generosity and responsiveness of the Lord's people to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. While there is no direct charge for your accommodation with us or our ministry to you, we ask that you remain sensitive to the many expenses related to your visit (including correspondence, accommodation, transportation, ministry, etc.).

Many of our visitors are very generous, both financially and through gifts and supplies they donate to Iris. We would ask that all donations of supplies be given directly to the hospitality team for distribution, and that all cash donations be given directly either to the Kantels in hospitality or to Steve Lazar, director of the Zimpeto children's center, to ensure that they are expended in keeping with the ministry's current priorities and needs. If you wish to designate a particular area to benefit from your contribution, we will certainly honor your intention as much as possible.

There are no travel vaccines required by the Mozambican government. You should be up-to-date on standard vaccines such as tetanus, typhoid, Hepatitis A, etc. Please check with a travel nurse or the CDC website for current recommendations. Yellow fever vaccine is not required for Mozambique.

Malaria prophylaxis is compulsory. Some are daily pills, others are taken once a week. You must bring these medications with you. Please bring a mosquito net to sleep under. Some hang from the ceiling others are on a frame with tight mesh, like a tent. Walrus Tents makes a good one called Bug Hut 2. Also bring strong bug repellent which contains a high level of DEET (30-100%).

Clothing: We dress in a way that is acceptable and modest in Mozambican culture. Men may wear pants/trousers or shorts (not too short please) and T-shirts or button-up shirts. Women may wear pants/trousers, 'Capri' pants/trousers, and skirts or dresses below the knee. Women are requested to limit their wearing of knee length shorts to the missionary compound. Tops of any sort are acceptable, except thin strapped tank tops and those baring the midriff.

For church services and other times of ministry, the nationals wear their best. It is disrespectful for visitors to show-up in "grubbies." Ankle length dresses or skirts are most acceptable for ministry outreaches or church services. Women will have opportunity to buy capulanas--traditional skirt wraps--here in Mozambique.

If women in your group will be traveling further north than Maputo, dress codes are more conservative. Please ensure that all tops cover the shoulders and skirts and slips are long.

The weather is warm-hot year round, but evenings will get cool (especially during the winter months--June through August), so bring a light sweater or jacket.

We do ask that piercings be removed or covered with band-aids, except for normal ear-piercings for women.

Other necessities: bedding (pillow, sheets, blanket or a sleeping bag--sleeping bag strongly recommended), towel, shower shoes, boots or lace-up shoes (you don't want to wear sandals to the dump!), Bible, flashlight/torch, umbrella or light rain jacket. Electrical outlets are European two prong --220 volts.

Optional: a small tent (for outreach possibilities)

Important Note: Iris Ministries cannot and does not guarantee your safety, health, or comfort. We are serving in an underdeveloped country, in unpredictable conditions. You will be joining us in trusting God as provider and protector. You will not have the full attention of any missionaries, staff or translators. Please plan on being as self-reliant as possible. We see again and again that God does amazing work in each visitor. Be open to what God may do with you here! He is good!

(Please take note of the contact numbers below and be sure to advise us if there are any last-minute changes to your arrival plans.)

Hospitality team
General email: pembahospitality@irismin.org
Pemba email: pemba@irismin.org
Pemba cellphone: +258 82-916-9280
Maputo land line: +258 21-471-542, hospitality ext. #5181
Steve Lazar: +258 82-474-2720
Rolland Baker: +258 82-303-0680