We were blessed to get a chance to go on safari for a day to Kruger National Park in South Africa. Our guide was an Iris missionary couple helping to start a base there in SA. They do no recieve financial support, but instead work FT jobs and work for Iris. Lynne, works doing Safaris. They drove 3 hrs each way to pick us up from the Zimpeto base and then welcomed us into their home for 2 nights. We had an amazing time and it was such a needed respite, before returning back to Mozambique. The most striking thing about the experience was crossing the border into and out of SA. I wish i could have stood on the border line and taken a picture to display the scene. One side completely 3rd world (except we like to think of it as 3.5) and then the other was 1st world...that close, just feet away from each other. It was crazy how different the countries were.
Upon returning to Zimpeto, I had a lengthy conversation with 2 of the short-termers that were there at the same time as we were. We discovered something truly amazing. Last Sunday at worship, one of the team members from SA shared a phrophetic word and a vision she had...a message she felt God was leading her to give to the Mozambicans as encouragement. As she was reading and describing her dream. I was brought to tears, because it mimiced a promise God gave me almost exactly a yr ago to that date. As I was deciding to come to Africa and spending much time in prayer and scripture reading I was given a passage that has become my word, my promise from Him that speaks about His work in Mozambique and where He wanted me to join Him. The first was more for me, the 2nd part speaks more to them.
"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yhourself from your own flesh? Then shall yhour light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the gory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, 'Here I am.' If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in."
-Isaiah 58:6-12
I did not share what passage it was just made mention of it and what it said. The couple shared with me that they too had been given verses on monday confirming what she had given during worship. He was to share with the rest of the group later that night. When we all got together he started sharing the passage and it was exactly the same verses I had been given. It was such a powerful thing to know that 3 of us had recieved the same promises about Mozambique and what He is doing through Iris here....all from 3 different continents and at different times, and then brought us all together for a short week in Maputo.
Further confirming this anytime I was asked to pray with someone, I felt led by the Spirit to pray that He raise up generations, an army for Him and His purpose that they might have a hunger for Him, longing and growing deeper and intimately more in love with Him; that they would become lights (out of the bocaria, out of Iris, out of downtown) and shine brightly, spreading like wildfire to Maputo, then Mozambique, and on. When talking with these children and the ministers at the bible school Iris taught on base, it was their desire to BE the missionaries and go out to the world and spread the gospel. They envisioned the time that they would no longer need missionaries to come to Mozambique, but they would be sent out. They have such a precious spirit! I wish I could describe their genuine enthusiasm and love for the Lord better.
No comments:
Post a Comment