One Year Anniversary…and What’s Up Next?

 

August 1^st marked my one year anniversary “home” from the World Race. It’s been a blessing to reflect on all God has done through my 11 months on the World Race, and in the year since I’ve been back. 

 

I’ve been missing the amazing people of ouR squad so much lately!

 

In my last post I told you how excited I was for my trip to South Africa and Mozambique with Georgian and Winnie Banov and their Global Celebration Ministry. That is how I ended up in Pemba, Mozambique on August 1^st my one year anniversary “home”.   Pemba is the home of Rolland and Heidi Baker and one of their Iris Ministry Bases (www.irismin.org).

 

Heidi has been my hero in the faith since I first read her book “Always Enough” in 2007. The book documents the miraculous provision of God in leading the Bakers to Mozambique and the way He has moved mightily through their yielded lives to bear incredible fruit – thousands of orphans taken in and transformed by God’s love, thousands of churches planted, and thousands of native Mozambican pastors trained. The way the Bakers live and preach the gospel of Jesus and the beatitudes among the poorest of the poor touches my heart in an unexplainably deep way. They make me hungry for more of Jesus and His answers to impossible questions and circumstances on the earth. The first time I saw Heidi in person was in Minneapolis at a conference. It wasn’t her turn to speak, but at the end of a service a women came running to the front of the room, broken and weeping, and threw herself on the floor. In a moment, before anyone could think or react, Heidi was on the floor with the woman, comforting her and ministering to her. I was wrecked. I’ll never forget it. I want to love like that – like Jesus.   

 

My 5 days in Pemba earlier this month were beautiful and priceless. Seeing Heidi and Rolland in action in Mozambique amongst their international family of Mozambicans, mission school students from 35 countries, and visiting pastors and missionaries from all over the world, was life-changing. I loved it there. I felt at home. I felt hungry, challenged and inspired. I also learned they are building a hospital on their base, and were recently licensed by the government to take medical teams on outreach into the rural villages in the bush.  Needless to say my heart was instantly intrigued by an opportunity to marry my knowledge as a pharmacist, my heart for healing and medicine, and my passion for the lonely, hurting kids in Africa.

 

The Pemba Iris Base.  Photo credit to Linda Hillard.

 

The Bakers run a 10 week mission’s school at their base twice a year. The next school starts October 1^st. When I returned to the US I applied, asking the Lord for a miracle – to get in at this late date. I found out late last week I was accepted. It’s happening very quickly, but I am so excited about this incredible opportunity to spend an intense season seeking the heart of Jesus with fellow students with similar passions, and learning from some of the great leaders and teachers in the faith. I am looking at this as a potential door into a new season of life. I hope to fly to Pemba the last week of September, and return to the US in mid to late December.