SOMEWHERE SOUTH OF PEMBA… TUESDAY, 9 NOVEMBER 2004 The night is so dark. The road south of Pemba is finally paved, but the villages we drive through are the same as they have been for centuries. Each seems still, quiet, lifeless, almost ghost-like in the night. With no electricity, or even candles and lanter…
Francisco is smiling, seated comfortably on the platform in a coat and tie, obviously very special for him. And this is a very special day — Resurrection Sunday! It’s Easter in this poor township in South Africa, and today Francisco is getting married. His bride is beside him in white. All his church f…
The rain is beating on the windshield of our little Cessna. Five of us are packed in cozily together cruising along at eight thousand feet. The heater is on. My daughter Crystalyn, my niece Marissa and one of our boys are in the back, wrapped in sleeping bags and sleeping on soft pillows. They are totally at peace…
What does revival look like among our churches here in Africa? Big crowds, exciting meetings, singing and dancing until all hours? Sometimes, but here’s one portrait that focuses clearly on what is different about the heart of our God.
Iris Africa has hundreds of churches in South Africa, mostly among the…
Friday, 4 July — The quiet little town of Chimoio is getting dark. Cool wind is gusting in from the lonely hills, and the sun is disappearing over nearby Zimbabwe to the West. Heidi, Surpresa and I just flew in to encourage our believers here, and we are setting up for a local conference meeting in a brand n…
Tuesday, 3 June — Silver streaks of smoke lie painted over the marshy plain before us. They stream north against us from dozens of fires, held low by strong winds. We descend through hazy, gray skies in the sunset, straining to see our dirt airstrip ahead. The headwind slows us down, and we will barely make …
Our churches in Niassa Province wanted another conference, this time somewhere we had never been before, like Mocuba, in the center of the province. There was serious food shortage in Niassa, and many of our people in the bush had not seen a good crop in a year or two. They were surviving on leaves, roots and worm…
It’s Christmas Eve tonight. Maputo is hot. Thunderstorms gather and darken overhead. My fan is blowing on me full strength. We are far from a white Christmas Western-style. But through my office windows I can hear the shouts of our children playing. They are excited. Tonight at seven we will pass out five hu…
I’m hot and miserable. It’s dark and my feet are aching. I can hardly see where I’m going, slogging through sticky mud and slipping off narrow trails. I can’t recognize anything around me. I’m soaking with perspiration. My eyes are getting blurry from fatigue…view »
7 April 2019—Cyclone Idai in Mozambique I’m hot and miserable. It’s dark and my feet are aching. I… More »
4 December 2018—Extraordinarily Blessed Dear family, Heidi and I want to communicate with our fri… More »
25 January 2016—A Pure Heart “The human heart is the very throne and citadel of God. Wh… More »
16 December 2015—A Missionary Legacy [Every few years I have been re-posting this newsletter I … More »
2 November 2015—Five Essential Core Values Hi everybody! A lot of people want to know more about our… More »
12 February 2015—Confidence in Him “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though yo… More »
1 February 2015—Onward and upward in Jesus! Twenty years ago Heidi and I landed in Mozambique with a v… More »
27 November 2014—Thanksgiving in the bush To our worldwide Iris family! This week, like every other… More »