Iris Ministries Inc. Weblog

Thousands have been praying for Rolland around the world since he left Mozambique for the United States last November for prayer, treatment and rest. During this time he has been under the care of several doctors and has been meeting with counselors. The love and care expressed by so many has been wonderfully overwhelming.

His primary care physician, located in the Dallas, Texas, area, states, “Rolland Baker is currently under my care for a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which has caused some short-term memory loss due the intense ministry and administrative responsibilities he has overseen for many years. For Rolland’s complete recovery I am requesting, along with Iris Ministries, complete rest. Please send email of an administrative nature to ‘admin@irismin.org’ rather than to Rolland. He will continue to welcome personal email. Heidi, staff and board members of Iris Ministries will assume Rolland’s responsibilities until further notice” (Tim Shepherd, MD, June 6, 2008).

All of us at Iris Ministries will continue to pray for Rolland’s complete recovery while he rests with family and friends. This week he will return to Mozambique for Crystalyn’s Mozambican wedding, and then will see in the Lord how long he can stay. The children there are looking forward to seeing their Papa Rolland again!

Heidi would like to express her sincere appreciation for your continued prayers and expressions of love. Our more than a hundred international missionaries, hundreds of indigenous staff members, and Iris boards around the world continue to be blessed with continued growth and the expansion of His Kingdom through Iris. Your prayers and continued financial support have been remarkable.

Rolland will not be speaking at conferences until further notice, though he will continue to pray for and minister to individuals, which he loves doing. Rolland will continue to be surrounded and supported by friends and family. We know you will honor this time of rest and restoration through your continued prayers, love and support.

When appropriate, updates will be posted on the following websites:
http://www.irismin.com
http://www.irismin.org
http://www.irismin.ca

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