Special thanks to those who have prayed for us over the course of these three weeks in France, S. Africa and Mozambique. The trip was very demanding and extremely rich and rewarding.The last I wrote you was to ask for prayers for Anna, who began vomiting and having intestinal problems on our last day in Mozambique. God truly helped us through a difficult time in amazing ways. We were picked up at the Maputo airport by an English couple who hosted us the night and following day of Anna's sickness. They took care of Anna, the host mom rubbing her back as she threw up, taking her to get a malaria test to rule out malaria, watching Anna as I met with a Dutch couple who are professors in the local mainline seminary and as I taught a group of 50 Mozambican pastors.
As I was heading to teach my class on Iris' Maputo base I ran straight into Duncan Smith from Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship, who came to the house and prayed for Anna's healing. The group of 50 or so pastors then prayed for Anna too. We made it safely to Johannesburg but Anna was weak as she'd been unable to hold down any fluids.
As I was waiting to get our boarding passes in the Air France line Anna lay exhausted on the plastic waiting room seats until she had to find a bathroom. On her way back from the bathroom there in the airport she ran into a girl from a team "Frontline Ministries" that had sat next to her on the plane. She had just spent three weeks in Swaziland ministering with Iris pastors. She gathered her team of 12 or so young people around Anna and prayed for her.
When Anna got back to the Air France counter I was in the middle of talking in French with a man from Cameroon who worked with Doctors without Borders in Maputo. He was a physician in charge of a clinic for Aids patients. He examined Anna as we stood in line and was there to help me catch her as she fainted. He then took us to the airport pharmacy and got us medications. He continued to check in with us throughout the flight to Paris.
Anna was fine throughout the 12 hour flight to Paris, three hour layover and 9 hour flight to Seattle. She is recovering and still needs some prayer for intestinal problems. We are glad to be home and very thankful to you for keeping us in your prayers. I'm mentioning below some of the highlights of our trip which you participated in through your prayers.
- Anna and I had a great time together. Lots of fun traveling and swimming in the Indian Ocean. We even got to go scuba diving for three hours!
- Gracie and Luke experienced God's strength and peace in our absence. Isaac also had some important breakthroughs in Argentina.
- In France we saw lots of deliverance and God's Spirit touch many people as we ministered.
- Friendships with theologians in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa were significantly strengthened and broadened. Mainline, liberation theologian-oriented Christians are increasingly open to Holy Spirit empowered ministries like Iris. I hooked up Heidi Baker with my good friend Gerald West (Academy of the Poor) who she has now invited to teach in Pemba.
- We saw Jesus heal many many people of all kinds of ailments. Anna participated directly in praying with me for Mozambican villagers.
- I got to pray with Heidi for the 110 or so Mozambican Bible school students to be baptized in the Holy Spirit & saw the Spirit really show up and fill these humble men.
- Sessions with the Iris Missions School students went really well. I met a Scottish Presbyterian pastor couple who long to see renewal come to the Scottish Presbyterians in Glasgow.
- Everywhere we went we had divine appointments with leaders in France, S. Africa and with people from all over the world. I am expecting some invitations to Korea and Scotland and have already been invited to lead a pastors retreat for French Reformed Church pastors hungry for spiritual renewal in Paris at the end of November.
- Everywhere we went people prayed for us and blessed us in many ways. Tierra Nueva has not brought in enough for us to be paid for three months now. God is providing for us through unsolicited, unexpected gifts and honorariums. We will see where all this leads as our family grows and our actual financial needs are increasing.
- For strength, direction and God's increasing presence for breakthrough as we go into our season of accompanying migrant farm workers and continue our jail ministry and worshiping communities over the summer.
- For our annual conference Going Deeper: Word, Spirit, Street beginning July 13. We'd love for you to join us if you can.
- For finances so we can finish construction of New Earth Refuge, which can be completed by the end of July with another $25,000.
- For God to raise up more regular financial supporters for us for our work with Tierra Nueva and New Earth Refuge.
Bob
No comments:
Post a Comment