MIRACLES IN MOZAMBIQUE

Heidi and Rolland Baker minister in Mozambique, one of the poorest nations in the world, but also a nation that experiences an incredible move of God. In their latest newsletter they report: "Before each message we pray for the sick, and begin laying our hands on the crowd up front at our crude dirt altar. One day a mother brought her little boy forward. He was four years old, but his legs thin and curled up, useless for walking. His mother said that he had never walked in his life. His father stood at the back, watching. We put him down on the floor and Heidi, Surpresa and the rest of us began praying earnestly. Strength quickly poured into his body. His legs extended and he could stand, a bit wobbly, as we held his hands. Since he had never walked, he had little sense of balance. But then he could stand by himself! And he was terrified because his mother had always held him close but was now backing away and leaving him alone! He took some faltering steps. A whole crowd surrounded him, watching him, loudly praying and shouting. Tears ran down his cheeks. He had never been alone like this. Everyone was jumping with excitement and pressing forward to see him. Still, everyone kept away from the boy, wanting him to take more steps and show that he could walk! And he did... slowly, and then a little more steadily! We could hear his father, who was crying, and tears were streaming down his face. "My boy can walk! My boy can walk! Do you see? That's my boy! That is all the proof I need to know that Jesus has done a miracle!" That family will be changed forever. Later the boy became much stronger, quickly making up for lost time on those legs! Here in Mozambique we are just a small band of ordinary Christians sitting in the dirt trying to love people the best we can with what God has given us. We are just jars of clay. We are overwhelmed by the demands made on us. We don't have answers for everything. We are not experts on world evangelism and revival. We constantly make mistakes and fall short. Our focus is simply learning how Jesus wants us to relate to Him. Because one thing we must have: His presence, His companionship, His voice, His heart - intimacy with Him!" THERE IS ALWAYS ENOUGH! "I always wanted to believe and live the Sermon on the Mount, but usually got told that it did not mean all that I thought it meant, and that I needed to be practical. I would read the Scriptures longingly, trying to imagine how wonderful it would be not to worry about anything, safe and secure in the presence of Jesus all the time. Miracles would be normal. Love would be natural. We could always give and never lose. We could be lied to, cheated and stolen from, and yet always come out ahead. We would never have to take advantage of anyone, or have any motive but to bless other people. Rather than always making contingency plans in case Jesus didn't do anything, we could count on Him continually. We, our lives, and all that we preach and provide would not be for sale, but would be given freely, just as we have received freely. Our hearts would be carefree in the love of our Father in heaven, who always knows what we need, and we could get on with the glorious business of seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness. There would always be enough! From my missionary grandfather I learned to do everything upside down in the Lord. We started not with leaders, but with the 'least of these', the orphaned, abandoned and unwanted, the destitute of the earth left by the wayside with no hope of amounting to anything. They received Jesus with joy. In our early days I watched them in their rags on the cold bare floor of our dark, unpainted 'church', tears running down their faces, singing "Thank you, Jesus!" Would Jesus feed these children in answer to simple faith? Did we have a message for the poor, who had no access to email, TV publicity and fund-raising newsletters? Could they depend on Jesus without begging? At times they prayed all night for their daily food, and food would come in the most unexpected ways. They rose at four in the morning to intercede for their nation. They were caught up frequently in visions with Jesus and the angels of heaven. They danced around the throne of God, singing their simple African songs. They were supremely grateful for their slightest blessings, like a new water well, or a used army tent. Jesus was the thrill of their lives. And in a short time we brought hundreds off the streets of Maputo into our family in God. In all our stress of the time, it was a taste of heaven! Soon local pastors wanted to share in the blessings, and the power of the Holy Spirit. We began to visit churches in the bush. They longed to come learn with us, and so we started a Bible School, but one in which they could see us model compassion for the lowly and helpless. We had a school where they could not just study the Trinity, but also experience the power of the Spirit and be overcome mentally, emotionally and even physically by the Presence of God. Jesus kept blessing and providing. One by one a series of people were raised from the dead! We want to learn how to live the Sermon on the Mount, and in Him we will try with everything in us until the day we die. We have a vision. We don't care about being something or somebody, or making full use of our gifts and talents. We want to spend and be spent, burning with a passion that rivers cannot wash away. We have seen the power of God and we cannot go back. We are motivated to proclaim Him in every way possible, everywhere possible, whenever possible, with all the energy that He so powerfully works in us. Yesterday was a very hard day for us - and then our Zimpeto family gathered around us. Our little children saw our distress and called us to them so they could pray for us in their incredibly sweet, pure way. Through the prayers of such as these Heidi was healed of multiple sclerosis several years ago, after having been prayed for by people all over the world. Our faithful Mozambican friends poured their love on us. And we bask in His sovereignty, and in a movement we did not start and do not have to sustain. It is His work, which He began in His chosen vessels here in this country long before we arrived. He has elected the poor of Mozambique and Africa to display His glory. He is far from finished. He will not stop an inch short of perfection. But we feel His smile and pleasure. We are making progress, pressing forward to what lies ahead, forgetting what lies behind. The river is deepest where it is lowest, and all we know to do is go lower still. What joy!" Roland and Heidi Baker Tel +258 82 303 068 http://www.irismin.org