MOZAMBIQUE - JUNE, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had an opportunity to serve lunch to the African pastors at the Holy Given School. It was such a blessing to be able to serve these men, even briefly, who will be going back to their remote villages all over Africa and serving God there. My heart went out to them and what they were giving their lives for.  Some of them had endured incredible hardship to make the journey here. The whole thing just really touched and blessed me to serve those who were pouring their lives out for God and very few will know and hear of them, but they are truly great in god’s eyes in heaven.

 

 

 

After spending much time at the Pemba Baby House, I developed a loving relationship with the Tias and children. Mama Viviana calls me “Mamma Rachelle” and the kids call me by any way they can remember! I feel that the strongest thing coming out of me day after day at the Baby House is the fulfillment of my dream. I have had a heart for the African children, specifically the orphans since I was 11. Holding, loving, comforting, and playing with these children – children that Jesus would hold is such a fulfillment knowing that I am doing what Jesus would want me to do….to love the least of these. He children need love, they need embracement. They are dirty, they have diseases. But all they need is love. I give the love of Jesus. I release the Kingdom of God over them. It is a dream come true! I feel that this is where the Lord is calling me. I hope to return for the long term. My heart is not in San Francisco as the song sings; it is in Africa, in the eyes of the children.

 

 

 

We had an opportunity to pray for a woman and her polio ridden family. We had a very difficult time translating but eventually we found a way. We prayed for her and we felt that the Lord was telling us that the Matriarch had trust issues. We prayed about that and felt a small release, so we kept praying about it. Lisa went over and prayed and embraced her and she broke down. I felt the Lord impress on me that she had been abandoned as a child so she struggled with trusting in God. I felt like I was supposed to take the place of her father and apologize for him. She had significant breakthrough after that and we were really excited.

 

 

We went on a medical outreach to Meinga. When we arrived all the children started cheering. The women were at an outside fountain that Iris had put in. Other children were playing on the playground. It didn’t take long for the line to form for those who wanted to see the doctors. Dr. Angie had only a small amount of supplies and no lab or x-ray to help her diagnose. She listened and gave what she could and always prayed for them. Others were in another line to be treated topically for scabies. Babies and their moms were slathered head to toe in the latrine area for privacy. Good thing OSHA wasn’t around! It was so sad to see their skin with open sores all over them knowing too that they probably have parasites on the inside. It isn’t right to have these beautiful people being eaten alive by bugs on the inside and the outside. It was heart breaking. They seem to handle it well though. God gives the grace to them.

 

It was neat to hear what all Iris has done with this village. This was one of the first churches Iris planted in this area (about 4 ½ years ago). Iris has been doing weekly medical outreaches for some time. The health of the children has greatly improved.

 

Last year they built a playground for the children. Now they are building a boys dorm and a girl’s dorm for orphans of the village as well as a kitchen preparation building. Next on the list is building facilities to raise chickens. They will bring them in as chicks, raise them for 5 weeks, and then sell them in the market.

 

The pastor oversees at least 25 churches.

 

An exciting story is about how the food multiplied just two weeks ago. Iris was there for an outreach and they decided to buy cokes for around 100 kids. When they got back from the store, there were about 234 children. So they passed out 1 coke per 2 children. They also bought between 60-80 bananas. Somehow when the 234^th child came thru, they gave the last banana away. They also bought buns for around 100. So they split them and had some left over.

 

The next Sunday, the pastor told the story and prayed over and anointed 150 children to be evangelists.

 

 

 

We were walking around the property in Chiure praying blessings. We were taking the property back for God. At one point, we had to walk over property that a witch doctor had blessed. My leg then felt like fire ants were crawling up it and biting it. I had long pants on. I was doubled over in pain. We stopped as a group and everyone started praying over me. As I cried, the prayers of everyone helped me to refocus on God. I cried out to God with an intensity that I’ve never known before. I worshipped Him. I prayed for the land. Addie gave me scripture to reclaim His territory, me.  The pain went away by 90%. The rest was taken away by rubbing alcohol. Throughout the next two days, occasionally I would feel a “bite” here and there. Prayer took care of it. The next day, a few of us walked back over the land again. Every time I walked it I felt uneasy. So we prayed over the land again and the uneasiness went away. Peace settled in the more we walked it.

 

 

 

We drove approximately 90 minutes south of Pemba to a Makua village for an evening of outreach. We had planned to show the “Jesus” film but the video equipment failed. Instead, we sang and danced for an hour or so and then Mattheus, a visiting pastor/evangelist from the Netherlands gave a message sharing the good news of Jesus and His death and resurrection.     I noticed a change in the crowd when Mattheus declared that Jesus is not just a prophet or a good man but the very Son of God, and that He died for your sins. The crowd of well over 1,000 who had been very jovial and excited suddenly became more subdued. Then hundreds began to laugh in disbelief and shatter disapprovingly. Some shouted insults and curses.          

 

But the Holy Spirit was at work and a few courageous Muslims walked forward to receive prayer. When the ministry team began prayer the atmosphere changed again and the Spirit of God fell on the crowd, and hundreds came forward for prayer.

 

One middle-aged Makua man came to me and with my very poor Portuguese I asked him how I could pray for him. He was very downcast, looking at the ground and slightly bent over, holding his stomach. He told me that he had a lot of pain in his stomach (perhaps a parasite). I laid hands on him and began praying for healing.

 

After a few minutes we seemed to make no progress, so I asked this man if he believed that Jesus could heal him. He answered “maybe” and shrugged his shoulders. I told him that I would pray that Jesus would reveal himself to this man.

 

I prayed for several more minutes and this man’s countenance was changed. He was looking up at me and said his stomach was better and he felt no pain. He then took the microphone from one of the Mozambian pastors and began to testify to the Makua people gathered there. I was amazed at the change in this man – he was talkative and full of joy. Praise God!

 

 

Sunday morning service, Heidi preached on the verse that our eyes were blind and our ears couldn’t hear – pray for God to open them to His Kingdom coming. She called for the sick to come up. Prayed for a man who indicated that his eye was blind (cataracts – it was white). Prayed once, it was still white – prayed a second time, it was a rich brown but no sight – prayed a third time and he could see! Heidi took his testimony and he could read some fairly small print in the Bible. Praise God – my first prayer to heal a blind person and to see results. One man received impartations with Holy laughter. One young man fell out in the Spirit. Saturday night, I helped a person on our group to pray in tongues. He had been praying for this for some time. Prayed for several impartations. Another night I prayed for a missionary who was with our group during an evening worship time and he got semi-blasted, some holy laughter, crunches, etc. Some of us prayed for a group of 5 boys living in the children’s area age 13. After a short teaching they received a prayer for impartations of healing, peace, faith, joy. One was teetering and one looked like he was crying.

 

I’ve been so blessed by our group’s enthusiastic worship each day in our meeting area. Several times I’ve been deeply ministered to thru personal prayers and prophecies that no one here could have known that really touched my heart with healing and encouraged me and affirmed an area of my ministry that I wasn’t so aware of it’s focus.

 

The teaching in this ministry school impacted me. I have received an acceptance and an affirmation of my inclusion in Gods end time army and fully clothed with the armor needed for this special time. Also an affirmation that my “wineskin” is soft and new for this new wine being poured in! Hooray! – Praise God –

 

 

 

At church service today there was a shy old grandmother standing in the back. I saw our team member standing with her so I took Dimitri, a young village boy, to interpret while we prayed for her. She said she had walked 4 hours (bare foot) to get to church this morning, as she lives in another village. She also said her oldest son had died and she had another young son at home. She’s been in and out of the hospital for 2 years with a head ache and vision problems. We prayed for her and through Dimitri she explained the pain had left and asked us to pray for her lower back too. Jesus healed her lower back also and the old grandmother walked away with a smile!

 

 

The next morning in Nicajo, Mozambique, we set up a medical clinic. I was one of those who prayed for people after they received medical treatment. Two women (at different times) as we started praying for them began groaning, shaking and screaming. We kept praying for them until it stopped – that the demons must leave, and the blood of Jesus was over them. One of the women we knew was tormented by demons every night and at times would have “fits” in the village. When the demons had left we prayed they would be filled by the Holy Spirit. They began shaking again. We prayed with them until they seemed and felt to us to be peaceful. So we had two deliverances.

 

Also, there was a little baby we prayed for who the medical team said was dying from malnutrition. The baby was listless and almost lifeless in the father’s arms. We began praying life into that baby – life, life, life and praying the Lord into that baby. After a little while the baby started moving and it began moving more and more. We gave it a lollipop and he began putting it into his mouth (he hadn’t been eating). At the end, the baby gave me a long, steady, clear eye contact. I believe that baby will live.