Where to Begin....

Where to Begin....so much has happened since I last wrote you all. I spent most of the day at the Pemba Beach Hotel with some of the other lady staff. It's right across the street and it's a place for us to get away from everything and have a break (students aren't allowed to go there). We had coffee on the veranda, some lunch and went swimming as well. It was so lovely and refreshing.

Right, so what have I/we been doing??? Well we have class from 8am to 1:30ish every day except Friday, which is a practical missions day. The students sign up for an area here at Iris that's run by a Mozambican or a long term missionary and they get to help out and see what it's all about. They can help with the kids, gardening, the kitchen, finances (only one student gets to help with that), village outreach, babysitting for the base director, etc, etc, etc. Kyle and I are going to the hospital every Friday afternoon to hang out with patients and their families and to pray for people if they want us to. It's the same as in India in that the families have to provide for all the patients needs like washing clothes and bringing them food. We went yesterday, but the paper work that gives us permission to go into the wards hadn't gone through yet and so some of us walked around the property and prayed for people outside, while a few others walked around inside the property. The conditions in the hospital were a lot better then I had expected, but no where near what it's like back home. People only go to the hospital if they're really sick because there's not a lot of beds available. I am excited to see what will happen when we get to go inside the wards. During the last school some people went and prayed for the patients in a ward and then went back the next day to find that the ward was empty. They had all gotten better and went home! Thank you Jesus!

We start off every morning with worship and then have two or three different sessions in the mornings. Heidi speaks for a session on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Rolland speaks on Mondays and Wednesdays. Last Sunday Heidi's mother passed away and so she's been away this week. After she's with her family she's speaking at some conferences and will be back early November. Rolland left on Wednesday or Thursday for Korea and will be gone for a couple of weeks as well. There are some pretty amazing guest speakers as well.

As staff I have to be present for most of the classes and pray for the students during ministry time. My duties to help run the school are organizing all the worship sessions, graduation requirements (which includes making sure students do the required book readings, organize attendance for class and making a schedule for group presentations, etc), and I also have to organize the book reviews for students that can't read the books because English is their second language. It's a pretty full on schedule, but I'm learning to rest more as well. On Saturdays I have to take the full day off and I'm not allowed to do any work!! I really like how Iris is all about our strength being in resting in His love and Christ being strong in our weakness. I couldn't do this in my own strength and it's such a relief that I don't have to!

Well I must be off to bed, I'm going to try to get up early to do some laundry...yeah for hand washing!

Much love to you all,
Ann Marie

Analogies for that which is bigger than analogy

Oct 3, 2010

 I feel as though God is slowly revealing to me a much wider perspective of the kingdom. Often during work or rest Jesus seems to point out an area of my 'understanding', of my doubt, and even my faith and simply says "There is more, My Kingdom is bigger". Every day He pushes is just a little bit wider.  There is this constant whisper that the Kingdom of God utterly defies any limitation I'm able to place on it. Its like inhaling air that's pregnant with breaths of promise. Breathing that air is crating a hunger in me to really see the kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven.  To have a deeper revelation of Jesus, all He did, is doing, and is going to do.  The last time we traveled God challenged me to realize that nothing is outside of His redemption. This time He's taking it a step further by showing me that there is absolutely no area His love, grace and power can't transform. We Christians so easily forget that the battle is already won, and the end has been unchangeably decided, we're just to play a role in the chapters leading up to that end.

-Kyle

School Prep

It's been a week since we arrived in Pemba. We've been busy getting all the housing ready for the students - cleaning, organizing and making sure the right amount of beds are in all the little houses. There are 13 houses for couples and single women and a separate area for all the since men. Each house has a small kitchen, 2 bathrooms and 3 rooms. Kyle and I are lucky enough to have our own en suite bathroom! There will be 6 other women in our house and we will be the house parents. There has only been about 9 of us here getting ready for the school so it will be a big change when all the students get here, all 140 of them! It will be good though, like a little community, it will be like a small town here :)

I am excited for the school to start on Friday. I can't wait to have worship everyday with everyone and to be able to have awesome times together praying and learning more about missions and Gods kingdom. It's going to be a great time, we will let you all know what our days look like once everything is kicking and we have a better idea of what's going on.

bless you all,

annie

If anyone wants more information about Iris go to:

irisministries.com