Delight Yourself in the Lord!

"Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret - it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth"

PSALM 37: 3-9

Many friends have been wondering where we've been and have been concerned as the last posts referred to the riots - We're sorry -  everything has settled down - it's been so peaceful one almost forgets that they occurred. We are thankful for this, but it also leaves questions in our minds.


Matthew's parents were here towards the end of September, & left us the beginning of October and ever since then it has been go, go, GO!!

Having Matthew's parents here was such a rare treat for us!! I (Sheri) was able to get enough nursing coverage during their visit that I was able to spend the majority of my time enjoying their company and showing them our beautiful children & country(ies - as we spent some time in SA with them as well). They shared some very "Mozambican" experiences with us (and fortunately did not, but almost consisted of the Mozambican Olympic sport called car pushing - we think the Mozambicans would win a gold for their country if this really became an Olympic sport).

We explored the worlds of Iris (Zimpeto & Machava), Catembe, Kruger National Park (& the big 5 - YAY!) & the Mpumalanga region of South Africa. All very beautiful in all their unique ways! And it all felt so natural to have them here with us that it was difficult to say goodbye come the beginning of October!


As we said goodbye - busyness overtook us once again - but with hope & a future!! 
2 new nurses arrived from Russia & America individually towards the end of October. To help them settle in & become independent & competent Sheri put together a 1-week training & orientation course. Please continue to pray for Sveta (from Russia) & Rebecca (from America) who are amazing nurses who have been called by God to love & care for our children during such a time as this. Please continue to pray for Meghann, Jannie (& me, Sheri, of course ;-D) - our Western Medical team.  Please pray for wisdom, understanding, love and unity as our medical team, Mozambican and Western come together from different cultures, different languages & different training to care for these children together. We love how God takes what seems impossible and makes out of it a beautiful tapestry of love & unity!
We just had an overwhelming outbreak of Varicella in our babyhouse where 35 babies over a stretch of 3 weeks had chicken pox...not such an innocent childhood illness as many think - but through the grace of God and amazing hard work of our medical team every baby has bounced back fully!
Matthew has been busy enjoying training up some of our older boys in an advanced computer course every week. Teaching them how to prepare & present power point presentations and so much more. The boys eyes are being opened  to possibilities they've never known.
Matthew is constantly trying to improve the overall network connection on base - which often times is out of his hands. We've been waiting for months for a new aerial to come in the mail which will help amplify a stronger network signal across the base.
And there are always broken machines (laptops and computers alike) to fix -  we're now dealing with the problem of machines overheating.

Two weeks ago, due to the generosity of some discerning friends back in England, Matthew & I were able to afford a 5-day break in which we chose to explore some coastal areas north of where we are in Mozambique. We traveled 9 hours north to Vilanculos with the intent of specifically seeing the Bazaruto islands. It was a gorgeous time - full of more Mozambican experiences of which you would only understand if you came and visited. ;-P

Back at the centre it's getting very hot and humid. Summer weather is kicking in which means we're all moving a bit more sluggishly. It's terribly hot and humid by 0600 which means no chance of sleeping in even if we had the time to do so.
These are some of our gorgeous babies (of whom I call "mine" - at least for the moment).
Alberto to the left is still struggling with severe asthma at times. We're trying new medicines which may be making a difference. His father desires to have him back at home with him so we are praying for miraculous & complete healing of his reactive lungs so he can be at home with his Daddy! If you desire to contribute to the cost of his asthma medicines which are expensive (Seretide inhaler & Singulair pills) please contact us (sheristeer@gmail.com). You'll remember Manuel to the right who is thriving and cheeky as ever - not  malnourished any longer, but chubby & healthy now, & a bit of a bully - but still cute as ever!
We're loving this! What a privilege to be loving on His beloved children!! And seeing such tangible transformation in everything He has us put our hands to.

Last night we celebrated Thanksgiving for the sake of us Americans who treasure this holiday as a special tradition! About 15 of us missionaries had a delicious meal and wonderful fellowship together, sharing how thankful we are for what the Lord is constantly doing in and through us. His provision and love and grace and mercy are deeper than any of us can even fathom and we relish and benefit from this with every breath that we breathe!

I read this recent Iris Newsletter written by the founders/directors of all of Iris Ministries.We continue to be touched by & benefit from the perspective, heart and vision that our dear directors run with.

Enjoying our God!
Rolland and Heidi Baker

Iris Ministries

Pemba, Mozambique

8 May 2010

"The Westminster Shorter Catechism, written in the 1640s by English and Scottish divines to educate lay persons in matters of belief, is part of the grandest doctrinal statements to come out of the English Reformation. It is composed of 107 questions and answers, and the most famous is the first:

Q. What is the chief end of man?

A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

After thirty years of missionary work, Heidi and I understand more than ever that God wants to be our greatest pleasure. He is most pleased with us when we are most pleased with Him! And when He is pleased with us, He grants us the desires of our heart (Ps. 37:4).

Our whole aim as Christians, and as Iris missionaries, is to glorify God by everything we think, feel, say and do. For us this finds expression particularly through ministry to the poor, and to "the least of these." By giving the cup of cold water, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, inviting the stranger in, healing the sick and visiting those in prison we love and serve Jesus Himself (Matt. 25).

But there is more. We do this through the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. And here begins the controversy. There is an attitude that sees fiery revival and a life of miracles as the rare exception, not to be expected in normal Christian living. The idea is that most of what God does in the world is done in a natural way through the holy virtues of dedication, hard work, faithful endurance, sacrifice, generosity and compassion, etc. We should learn to live most of the time without the miraculous, overpowering intervention of God, and prove our love for God by our quality of character…" 

(if you would like to read more of this exerpt go to www.irismin.org and check out past newsletters)

But we all know we would not last here if it were just to do with our quality of character. Rolland is saying just this - There HAS to be so much more! What is it that strengthens, encourages and motivates us to press forward especially when it seems there is no way forward?

It's His Holy Spirit manifested on earth that guides, strengthens and encourages us. His word says "we overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony" - the blood of the lamb cleanses us, sets us free and puts us in right relationship with God our Father; the word of our testimony - these testimonies that we have the privilege to witness and live through daily, speak constantly of His faithfulness. These testimonies are tangible God - meaning, these babies that we care for on a daily basis, those who were never supposed to make it and are now thriving - they are God's love tangibly expressed - we get to live these testimonies day in, day out and therefore we will never grow weary of doing good!

"We hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23)- and this is not just a hope but a daily reality for us. We pray that you would be encouraged by our daily walk, but that you also would have an opportunity to see God tangibly at work in your life and that you would delight yourself in the Lord!
With all our love and His blessings on your lives. We love you and miss you so much!

Sheri & Matthew Steer