Iris Ministries Inc. Weblog

We want to thank you for continuing to keep in touch with us and pray with us in our pursuit of God’s heart. Our constant prayer is that His kingdom come in Mozambique as it is in heaven. Our colleges, Bible students, and our children have been gathering together for three days fasting and praying for God’s presence to increase in our nation. I am greatly touched to watch little children taking the microphone and praying for God’s glory to fall in this nation, to see their hearts on fire for His presence and passionate for Jesus. One particular boy named Moses has been in every single prayer meeting barefoot wearing the same little red tee shirt for days on end. He continues to intercede for revival in His nation. His depth of passion for the Lord causes our heart to sing with joy. The children are some of our greatest treasures. We want to thank you for remembering the poor, for remembering the children, and for your continued love and support.

God has been speaking to Rolland and me with this revelation to enter a greater season of rest and intimacy together. Jesus is speaking to us about releasing our sons and daughters to carry His glory to the lost, sick, broken and dying. He is mobilizing a tremendous soul army of Mozambicans and internationals, poor and rich, young and old to release the glory of the Lord cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Hab 2:14). We want to personally welcome all of our Iris family friends to three different events where we are praying this vision will be released in greater measure.

First of all, we want to welcome you to come to a special ordination. We are inviting you to come to Pastor Che Ahn’s Harvest Rock Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena on Wednesday, March 26, 3-5 p.m. One of our daughters, Shara, will be ordained by Rolland and me with our friends after serving as my personal assistant for four years. We will be doing a 2-hour ordination with our Iris family and Revival Alliance friends.

Secondly, Rolland and I are ministering at Pastor Che’s conference March 26 to March 30 with our covenant co-partners in the Revival Alliance. We will host an Iris friends one-hour gathering at the conference with place/time to be announced. If you would like to come, kindly email Shara at heidi@irismin.org.

Finally, the following Monday, March 31, Rolland and I and our spiritual sons and daughters are ministering all day at University of Southern California from 10am to 10pm at The Uprising LA that Shara is hosting. The information for this is all posted at http://www.irismin.com, “speaker schedule.”

Please feel welcome to come to the ordination and celebrate with our Iris family. It would be our great joy and delight to see our family of friends! God is bring His Body closer together than ever before. We need Him, but we also need each other. We invite you to come and celebrate as we run into the harvest together as one big family.

Much love in Jesus, Heidi
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U.S. office for mail, support and information:
Iris Ministries, Inc.
PO Box 493995
Redding, CA 96049-3995, USA
Tel: 1 530 255 2077
Web sites: www.irismin.org and www.irismin.com
Email: info@irismin.org

Iris Ministries Canada
3092 Shannon Crescent
Oakville, ON L6L 6B4
CANADA
(905) 847-7749; fax (905) 847-7931
Web site: www .irismin.ca
Email: info@irismin.ca
Contact: Janis Chevreau

Iris Ministries (UK) Ltd
PO Box 351
Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1WQ
UNITED KINGDOM
Web site: www.irisministries.co.uk
Email: info@irisministries.co.uk

Iris Ministries South Africa
730 Dikhoorn St.
Moreleta Park, Pretoria
SOUTH AFRICA
Tel: 27 12 998 8220
Web site: www.irismin.co.za
Email: irismin@absamail.co.za
Contact: Peter Wheeler

Flooding in Mozambique
Rolland and Heidi Baker
Iris Ministries, Inc.
Pemba, Mozambique
22 January 2008

Once again Mozambique has been hit by severe flooding. Few countries in our modern world have been hit by disaster so often and devastatingly. Already one of the poorest countries of the world, it struggles without the mechanisms of modern countries that can deal to a great extent with regional weather fluctuations, food shortages and medical emergencies. Its transportation infrastructure barely exists. There is hardly any safety net for the poor. Much of the world suffers from “compassion fatigue,” and well-known relief agencies in Mozambique struggle with funding and distribution challenges. Christians hardly know what to do with still more pleas for financial help. We are all tempted to run and hide, and try to find some protection from all the assaults on our peace in this world. Forces of evil seem to get away with so much.

But we are not helpless, and even in our weakness we find strength. We have a source of never-ending goodness and energy. This source is not impersonal and remote, unlikely and sporadic. No, this source is a personal and perfect Savior, the only person who can make sense of our lives in this world. He makes Himself available to all who call upon Him. And to those “who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life” (Rom. 2:7).

Rather than seeing discouragement on all sides, we preach power and total salvation in every circumstance. Every disaster leads us to lean on our Savior all the more, and to depend on Him alone. Our joy is to be able to encourage believers everywhere even while facing the most overwhelming damage done by the enemy. In such situations, we cannot afford to be doubtful and down, depressed and immobile. No, in every circumstance we are called to be “more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37). If we look into His eyes, there will always be enough, because He died!

As I write, Heidi is returning to Mozambique after an Asian speaking tour, and with me she is seeking the Lord about our response to the flooding. We have seen the churches of Mozambique explode in number and fervency after previous major floods, and we look forward earnestly to what Jesus will do now. I am in the States, and will be there as soon as possible, accessing flood regions with my plane as Jesus leads.

Meanwhile, our missionaries in Malawi, David and Joanna Morrison, are at work. Their location is not far from central Mozambique where the flooding is worst, and David has already visited this flood zone and written a report, which I would like to quote here at length:

“We went to Mutarara District in the province of Tete and there learned that over 116,000 refugees have fled the flood waters. Thousands are still trapped on higher ground waiting to be rescued by helicopters and boats. All resources are concentrating on this emergency rescue operation. Soldiers are assisting rescue workers as the banks of the Zambezi River continue to overflow and the threat of increased flooding is very real. For some, the idea of floods penetrating so far inland from the Zambezi River is too obscure. However, the threat is real and in some situations people are removed by force.

“I was amazed at the vast amount of water and its destructive force. From the vantage point of a boat on the Zambezi River, it looks like an endless sea. We traveled with the Mozambique navy in a little rescue boat several kilometers inland from the Zambezi River to one of the areas of evacuation, called the Inyangona region. The reality of the cost of the flooding was evident everywhere: the tops of drowned crops and banana trees, and even the roofs of houses. It was hard to imagine how just a few weeks previously people had walked where we now traveled by boat. And now, village life has been silenced by a sea of water leaving only protruding tree tops and isolated highlands. We finally arrived at an island where desperate people patiently wait for a rescue boat. Helicopters were also flying overhead and assisting in the evacuation of people in more remote areas. There is calm and out of the misery, the people politely greeted us with a smile, gave us the nicest places to sit, and at one refugee camp I was even offered their last bananas — I just wanted to cry.

“Our Iris Team met with the District Commissioner and was invited to join the weekly debriefing meeting involving all the government officials and NGOs helping with this crisis. Although there is great progress in the rescue operation, the process is time consuming and more boats are needed. Some of the refugee camps are now becoming too large and it may be necessary to establish even more camps. Some of the resettlement areas from last years flooding must now be relocated because they too are being affected by the flooding. Sickness and hunger are two growing concerns and the DC encouraged us all to try to mobilize food into the camps as quickly as possible. We have been appointed to participate in the relief effort and have been given freedom to assist however possible.

“On our journey we visited eight refugee camps all of which are threatened by disease and hunger. Some of the refugees have been in the camps since the beginning of January but none have received food. Many left in haste as their homes collapsed in the path of the rising water. A fortunate few had carried maize left over from last winter’s harvest, but most are eating grass seed, water lily bulbs, bugs and mice. Wells are few so most drink the flood water which is resulting in dysentery. Many children have bloated stomachs and eye infections are common. This is malaria season, an added threat for the refugees who sleep without the protection of a mosquito net.

“In each camp we witnessed the arrival of new refugees. Hundreds are arriving everyday. They are quick to make a shelter out of branches and grass to provide a little protection to the family from the next rain. These tiny houses sleep families as large as eight people. We didn’t take much with us, but managed to carry enough soap to give one bar to each family at three refugee camps. We also provided about 500 families with a good supply of water purification packets. A bar of soap is such a precious gift in situations such as these!

“Everywhere we went desperate people quickly gathered and listened carefully to every word that came out of our mouths — they were in search of hope. We gave them hope — the message of God’s love. So as we preached under the shade of a tree in the refugee camps, the precious poor, those who have lost everything, wearing only dirty rags, welcomed Jesus just like they welcomed us. There is good news to report: In the midst of great suffering and loss, Jesus is moving in the hearts of Africans!

“So what are we going to do next? The only accessible road into this region of Mozambique is through Malawi. We are therefore prepared to help in any way possible. Actually we can’t help but help! We believe God wants us to care for the refugees located in camps along the road from the border of Malawi.

“Malawi is also affected by the flooding. The swollen Shire River has destroyed crops and hundreds of people have been displaced. People living on Nchalo and Ngabu Islands in the Chikwawa District are evacuating - about two thirds of the islands are under water now. Across the river from Bangula is another area vulnerable to flooding. We are monitoring the situation here carefully and expect that we will need to support 1000 additional families with food from now through June. This is on top of the 1,600 families we already assist each month through our feeding program.”

Already David “Mo” is loading up three trucks and leaving early Wednesday morning in a convoy to take seventeen tons of food to the flood area. Many have helped already, almost instantly, and we are pressing forward all the more to what lies ahead. Pray that Malawi officials at the border will not be able to block passage of the food.

Heidi and I, and all of us at Iris Ministries, want to thank our supporters who voluntarily have enabled us to do so much in Africa. We love the Body of Christ. We are proud of you, and look for what may be credited to your account (Phil. 4:17). Thank you for taking us to this point, and participating with us in the gospel and in the divine nature we share in Jesus. May you be richly, powerfully and lovingly blessed!

Much, much love, Rolland
–

For more information about Iris Africa, contact and support information:

U.S. office for mail, support and information:
Iris Ministries, Inc.
PO Box 493995
Redding, CA 96049-3995, USA
Tel: 1 530 255 2077
Web sites: www.irismin.org and www.irismin.com
Email: info@irismin.org

Iris Ministries Canada
3092 Shannon Crescent
Oakville, ON L6L 6B4
CANADA
(905) 847-7749; fax (905) 847-7931
Web site: www.irismin.ca
Email: info@irismin.ca
Contact: Janis Chevreau

Pictures will be posted soon on the Morrison’s web site:
www.morrisonafrica.com

Iris Ministries (UK) Ltd
PO Box 351
Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1WQ
UNITED KINGDOM
Web site: www.irisministries.co.uk
Email: info@irisministries.co.uk

Iris Ministries South Africa
730 Dikhoorn St.
Moreleta Park, Pretoria
SOUTH AFRICA
Tel: 27 12 998 8220
Web site: www.irismin.co.za
Email: irismin@absamail.co.za
Contact: Peter Wheeler

David “Mo” and Joanna Morrison
Iris Ministries Canada — serving in Malawi
Email: mo@irismin.ca or joanna@irismin.ca
Web site: www.morrisonafrica.com
Mo’s cell phone: 265 8 343 814
Joanna’s cell phone: 265 8 345 710
Land line: 265 145 3368