For many, passion is abstract, something unattainable—an unreality that must be sacrificed on the altar of capitalism and the American Dream. This is unfortunate, tragic even. You see the reality is that God hardwired humans to have passions, dreams, and desires. His intention was not that these would get sacrificed in the name of “life happens”, but that we might combine our love for Him with our passion and dreams. This is something few people have stepped into, but we all know it when they have. They are the ones we applaud and whose books we buy. They are the ones who make others wish “I had what they had”. When we are living our passion we are the best version of ourselves, we come alive in a new way and we step into a place where bringing light into darkness becomes natural—second nature.
Those who know me at all know that Africa is a passion my Daddy God placed deeply within my heart. It is a frequent topic for conversation and common backdrop for in-class daydreams. With the exception of getting lost in His presence, nothing seems to awaken the very depth of my being like Africa. I love it. I love the mystery, the people and culture, the food and the pace of life. I’ve had two opportunities to step foot in that continent. Both were a dream come true, both were life changing in their own way. This is about Mozambique, my second time in Africa.
The testimonies of God that consistently come from Heidi and Rolland Baker and Iris Ministries have made them nothing short of famous in the Christian world. After having read a number of books by Heidi I longed to visit Mozambique, longed to play a part in what God was doing. This summer truly was a dream come true. I had the privilege of co-leading a team of 8 college students on a three-week trip to Iris Ministries in Maputo, Mozambique. On the 10 hour flight from London to Johannesburg, South Africa Holy Spirit reminded me of Psalm 37:4—Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. What an amazing God! I would like to share with you a few revelations I had while in Mozambique. Testimonies will follow in the coming days.
The children of Mozambique are the main focus of Iris. Their doors are open to the poorest of the poor, the orphaned, the lost, the sick, and the hurting. Iris’s goal is to love these children, introduce them to Jesus, and see them walk in the fullness of God’s plan for their lives. Our team got to stay at one of Iris’s largest orphanages. We got to play a small role in communicating to these children that they have worth and that they are no longer orphans but have been adopted into Father God’s family.
Not surprisingly these children have seen and experienced things I cannot even begin to imagine. Their stories were heart wrenching, yet the redemption and love of God could clearly be seen. Here is Ivanelson’s story:
Ivanelson (Ivan for short) grew up around Maputo. He was born into a large family where he had eight brothers and a number of sisters. His father had multiple girlfriends including his mother. His father starred in sexually explicit material for a local pornographic company. His father was often angry and at times violent. At the age of 12 Ivan’s father’s temper pushed him to call the police. Ivan could no longer watch as his father beat his mother and siblings. The police did nothing. Ivan’s father kicked him out of the house along with his mother and baby brother. Without money or a place to go the three made their way to downtown Maputo in search of food and work. It wasn’t long before sickness killed his mother and consequently his nursing brother. A victim of circumstances he didn’t create Ivan found himself 13 and orphaned. He returned to the one trade he knew would provide a paycheck—pornography. As a 13 year-old boy Ivan was starring in sexually explicit material produced the company. This continued until Ivan’s uncle brought him to Iris. Ivan is now 19 and learning how to live in relationship with his Daddy God and walk in His ways.
This story, while heartbreaking is also beautiful. God absolutely changed my life by allowing me to meet Ivanelson and hear his story. God began to show me that I must not be impressed or intimidated by the havoc Satan has wrought in people’s lives. The enemy’s goal, beyond destruction, is intimidation that we might think him bigger than the God we serve. God began to show me the strength of His love. He showed that while Ivanelson may have had an incredibly hard childhood, God reached down and said, “this one is mine” and placed Ivan in an amazing family at Iris. Though it may look differently, God has done this same thing for me and you. The strength of God’s love is enough. His passion for us is enough. It’s enough to heal wounds, restore innocence, and break the chains of fear.
Stories like Ivan’s were a dime a dozen. At times it felt overwhelming, and yet there was a thread of commonality that tied all of their stories together—His strong love. These amazing children now had three meals a day, an education, and a warm bed at night. They have the opportunity to enter into a relationship with Jesus and learn what it means to be adopted children of God. His love is enough.
It is unfortunate that the Western view of Africa is often so negative. If asked, most Westerners might be familiar with a few of the wars being fought on the continent, they would surely be aware of the lack of food and presence of AIDS, and some might even be aware of the thousands of child soldiers that have been conscripted into rebel armies. Sure, in different places this is the reality in much the same way that hunger and orphans are a reality in our own country. But hope is also a reality. In my brief travels in Africa, I have certainly found starving children, orphans, widows, and AIDS, but I have also found an amazing resilience. I have found a contagious genuineness, smiles I will never forget, laughs that still bring tears to my eyes, and I have found the furious passionate love of a Father pursuing His children. I have found that there are no orphans in the Kingdom.
Those who know me at all know that Africa is a passion my Daddy God placed deeply within my heart. It is a frequent topic for conversation and common backdrop for in-class daydreams. With the exception of getting lost in His presence, nothing seems to awaken the very depth of my being like Africa. I love it. I love the mystery, the people and culture, the food and the pace of life. I’ve had two opportunities to step foot in that continent. Both were a dream come true, both were life changing in their own way. This is about Mozambique, my second time in Africa.
The testimonies of God that consistently come from Heidi and Rolland Baker and Iris Ministries have made them nothing short of famous in the Christian world. After having read a number of books by Heidi I longed to visit Mozambique, longed to play a part in what God was doing. This summer truly was a dream come true. I had the privilege of co-leading a team of 8 college students on a three-week trip to Iris Ministries in Maputo, Mozambique. On the 10 hour flight from London to Johannesburg, South Africa Holy Spirit reminded me of Psalm 37:4—Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. What an amazing God! I would like to share with you a few revelations I had while in Mozambique. Testimonies will follow in the coming days.
The children of Mozambique are the main focus of Iris. Their doors are open to the poorest of the poor, the orphaned, the lost, the sick, and the hurting. Iris’s goal is to love these children, introduce them to Jesus, and see them walk in the fullness of God’s plan for their lives. Our team got to stay at one of Iris’s largest orphanages. We got to play a small role in communicating to these children that they have worth and that they are no longer orphans but have been adopted into Father God’s family.
Not surprisingly these children have seen and experienced things I cannot even begin to imagine. Their stories were heart wrenching, yet the redemption and love of God could clearly be seen. Here is Ivanelson’s story:
Ivanelson (Ivan for short) grew up around Maputo. He was born into a large family where he had eight brothers and a number of sisters. His father had multiple girlfriends including his mother. His father starred in sexually explicit material for a local pornographic company. His father was often angry and at times violent. At the age of 12 Ivan’s father’s temper pushed him to call the police. Ivan could no longer watch as his father beat his mother and siblings. The police did nothing. Ivan’s father kicked him out of the house along with his mother and baby brother. Without money or a place to go the three made their way to downtown Maputo in search of food and work. It wasn’t long before sickness killed his mother and consequently his nursing brother. A victim of circumstances he didn’t create Ivan found himself 13 and orphaned. He returned to the one trade he knew would provide a paycheck—pornography. As a 13 year-old boy Ivan was starring in sexually explicit material produced the company. This continued until Ivan’s uncle brought him to Iris. Ivan is now 19 and learning how to live in relationship with his Daddy God and walk in His ways.
This story, while heartbreaking is also beautiful. God absolutely changed my life by allowing me to meet Ivanelson and hear his story. God began to show me that I must not be impressed or intimidated by the havoc Satan has wrought in people’s lives. The enemy’s goal, beyond destruction, is intimidation that we might think him bigger than the God we serve. God began to show me the strength of His love. He showed that while Ivanelson may have had an incredibly hard childhood, God reached down and said, “this one is mine” and placed Ivan in an amazing family at Iris. Though it may look differently, God has done this same thing for me and you. The strength of God’s love is enough. His passion for us is enough. It’s enough to heal wounds, restore innocence, and break the chains of fear.
Stories like Ivan’s were a dime a dozen. At times it felt overwhelming, and yet there was a thread of commonality that tied all of their stories together—His strong love. These amazing children now had three meals a day, an education, and a warm bed at night. They have the opportunity to enter into a relationship with Jesus and learn what it means to be adopted children of God. His love is enough.
It is unfortunate that the Western view of Africa is often so negative. If asked, most Westerners might be familiar with a few of the wars being fought on the continent, they would surely be aware of the lack of food and presence of AIDS, and some might even be aware of the thousands of child soldiers that have been conscripted into rebel armies. Sure, in different places this is the reality in much the same way that hunger and orphans are a reality in our own country. But hope is also a reality. In my brief travels in Africa, I have certainly found starving children, orphans, widows, and AIDS, but I have also found an amazing resilience. I have found a contagious genuineness, smiles I will never forget, laughs that still bring tears to my eyes, and I have found the furious passionate love of a Father pursuing His children. I have found that there are no orphans in the Kingdom.
More stories and testimonies to come…
*Ivanelson is the boy in the dark blue t-shirt.
