Purple Royal Flip-Flops

Today was one of my best days ever. Well actually, it was just one of those days that had so many special moments...

It started out at 6am as I pressed the snooze alarm many times, finally getting out of bed about 20 mins before I had to leave... As I was pressing the snooze alarm I could hear Christina, our cleaning lady coming in the door and greeting my room mate in makua, the local tribal language 

(side note- my room mate is one of the most incredible women in the world. She truly and genuinely loves the makuan community who we are privileged to live and do life with, and not only does she love them but she is crazy amazing and gifted at picking up the language... Honestly she can have whole conversations in makua when most of us are still trying to improve our Portuguese. She's even starting to write new worship songs in makua (because translating some of the songs that already exist just don't even work with all the syllables that can be in even just one word!) my room mate is amazing. Side note ended).

So, we walked out the door at about quarter past seven along with a couple of other friends on my base. One, an American who did the harvest school in October 2011 and has come to teach preschool and art lessons. The other, a Mozambican friend from Maputo who is a teacher in the bible school and also a worship leader here in Pemba. The 20 min walk by the ocean was interrupted by rain and all the Moz bible students walking near us started running for the other base! We broke out in "let it rain" in Portuguese, then as it started to get heavier changed it to "espera! Espera deis minutos por favor! Espera Señor!" (wait! Wait 10 minutes please! Wait lord!" God slowed down the rain enough so that we didn't get soaked and the dirt didn't turn to full on mud, yet. 

I was aiming to get to the prayer house early for our 8am set with the Iris older girls. Someone else had already opened it up as some boys had one of the prayer room guitars and was playing it outside. A couple of older Iris girls were also in the prayer hut early reading their bibles and journaling, along with some mission school students visiting from around the world. It was so precious to see them really wanting to read His word and know His love... I decided that even though it was supposed to be a time for the older girls, I couldn't just close the door to the iris boys who were hanging around! So after hanging out with them for a few minutes, we all went inside the prayer house to worship and seek His face together. I was originally supposed to be teaching on some principles to worship, but we ended up just praying and worshipping, passing the lead to each other... Today was one of the most flowing, amazing prayer times I've been in with the kids yet... The kids would just break out in spontaneous prayer and songs as myself and an iris boy played the guitar. They were passionate, they were genuine, and it blessed my heart so incredibly... It is on my heart to start spending more time with them even outside the prayer house, training them a bit more in music and learning more Portuguese!

All of this was before 9am... I could go on about all the amazing stuff that happened, but will condense it for you. 

Myself and the other missionary who was there then cleaned out the prayers house completely, taking everything out and sweeping, mopping... (this of course drew a small crowd of children- some iris kids and some village kids, who promptly proceeded to grab the guitars and strum chords that aren't in existence, and when they started to get a bit rowdy and we started to ask them to be a bit more careful, one of my village friends (Fogas) proceeded to promptly grab a broom and sweep everything in sight to help us, and the other one grabbed a baby wipe we had used to wipe the whiteboard, and used it to wipe everything in sight! The keyboard, my guitar case, everything! Once all was done and dried and locked away, Fogas asked to try on my flip flops and I would try on his. Then he said that I can borrow his til tomorrow! He insisted that we do this as he leapt in the air and laughed with my (slightly too small) brown $2 Walmart over-a-year-old worn-almost-every-day-in-15-different-countries-moulded-to-fit-even-my-toes-and-worn-almost-all-the-way-through flip flops on his feet... I looked down at his definitely-too-large-purple-flip-flops-with-pretty-flowers-on-them that felt like thick mattresses after wearing mine... And worried about him walking on the road and feeling every bump and getting thorns stuck in his feet... And worried that mine might break while he was borrowing them and then he might feel bad! I asked if he was sure? "Yes!!! Amanya!Amanya! (tomorrow, tomorrow)" well... Okay then!

So for the rest of the day, while working on organising practical missions for the harvest school; tutoring my friends fun, energetic 5year old and attending a baby shower for the base director with most of the female part of our base staff family... I would randomly look down and notice my friends purple flowery too large flip flops adorning my feet... And I would laugh. At the personality of my friend Fogas that he would convince me to swop for a day. At the fact that a teenage boy has purple flowery flip flops (TIA- this is Africa!). And my heart would get slightly melted at the thought that he would wear my almost broken, brown so worn flip flops and God would decide to have me wear purple (color of royalty! and my fav colour) flowery (makes me feel special!) flip flops that belong to a village boy who is from a very poor village family... Our God is so upside down... I love Him so much!

Now it is 1am and I am typing this from the safety of my mosquito net, with the familiar sounds of barraca (streetside shops) music coming through my glass less windows... (which I am so thankful for as it keeps the houses so much cooler!) I can feel each of the slats through my mattress, and frequently sink down in places where the slats have shifted all to one side or the slats themselves are just not flat! But I have a bed and I have a pillow. I have freshly washed sheets and a net and an amazing roommate. I have a family here in Pemba who loves to do life together, not just work. And I have my village friend's purple flowery flip flops to remind me who I am. Loved. Royalty. Trusted (enough to borrow his flip flops!). Most of all they remind me of my God who is the one who loves to give me these precious moments!

Love to you all, and thank you for sharing in some moments from one of the days from my life here in Mozambique!

A New Season...

Last time I wrote I talked just a little about outreach. We went to a place in South East Asia where a local family in partnership with an Iris graduate from Tennessee has been rescuing children from slavery in the granite mines. We stayed with our friend who is about 26 years old. He lives in and runs one children’s home – the kids there are not from the mines but are from other circumstances. There were meant to be 60 children in the home, but by the time we got there, there were over a hundred and by the time we left it had increased to almost 200! This was in part because while we were there, they had to close down one of their other homes so they had to move those children into the house. Also while we were there a few local Mums came and dropped their children off to the home, as they had AIDS and had only a couple of days left to live… Our friend who runs the home is from a family who has been pastors for a few generations now. His Dad runs another home, his Mum another home for older teenage girls and his sister yet another home!

We were the first team that they had ever had visit, they had only ever had maybe 3 or 4 different westerners come at different times before. So it was very much a spearheading team and we went mainly to love, to go low and to go slow! It was such a privilege to be a part of the very first team they had ever had :) We all immediately fell in love with the kids. Although there are sooo many children living in the home and what seems like only a few adults, they all are full of joy and and laughter! They all mainly sleep on the roof, on blankets on the concrete, two or three children to a blanket so they are literally shoulder to shoulder.

You can find out more at www.mercy29.org and on the mercy29 user channel on youtube.

"Rest Time"

God gave me an awesome gift in getting to visit the family in Nepal that I got to know last year with Jesse and Tanya! Myself and the other team leader arrived there and realised that we only had about 10 days before we arrived back in Pemba and were full on into the middle of a hectic schedule again! So we made sure that we stayed home a lot, just mainly hanging out with the family, going to Jordan (15 yr olds)’s basketball games and watching Step up with their youngest daughters :) We were so blessed by our time in Nepal..!

Passports and Visas

My passport is now completely full!! No blank pages left!! I got to apply for a new one while in Joberg, and now have to juggle how I’m going to get it sent up here, and also get my current one cancelled and back up to me in Pemba. When the courier system isn’t reliable and the postal system even less so, it requires God to do a few miracles to get things like that done! Also the Moz embassy only gives out 30 day renewable visas, so I have to juggle getting that renewed every 30 days (probably by getting someone to take it out of the country to Tanzania a couple of times) as well as sending it down to Joberg or Maputo… My last passport page is taken up by my visa to Zimbabwe which was used for one day while driving through from South Africa to Mozambique... SUCH a fun experience and it felt like a birthday present from God :) We had a flat tyre on the first day and had to get it fixed the next, which took up a lot of time but GOD still happened and we got to Moz in record time! We stayed the first night in Zimbabwe at some lodge, and the second night in the front yard of a couple missionaries who used to live in this house on the main road, and it's still guarded but they have moved to be involved on another base in Moz. So the house was all locked but we got to park and set up camp in their front yard, and use their latrines :) :) They actually had had a couple armed robberies while living there but we were totally fine the whole night and next morning! 

A New Season

Today I moved house - from the Village of Joy - where the student compound is, to the Glory Base!! I have transitioned from being a Harvest School staff member into being Base staff, up until December.

I will still be co-ordinating Practical Missions and am still taking care of the general emails for the school, however my main focus will now be my involvement with the House of Prayer here on the base. I am also going to be involved in training up some of the Iris kids into the House of Prayer. My heart is to see the kids trained up not just in music, but in worship. Today I had my first HOP session with a couple of other missionaries here and two of the older Iris girls who live in the children's home. It was meant to be a set from 8-9am. However we actually started around 20 minutes late and then when I left at about 10:15 they were still going! God really showed up and you could feel his presence so strong...

I am also going to be very involved with helping with some of the missionary kids. Their Mum is due REALLY really soon to have their 4th child. So I'll be helping out with the first 3 children (mostly tutoring, and some hanging out, maybe teaching music) and also tutoring/babysitting another 5yr old daughter of another missionary (who I worked with on my visit in 2011!).

In December I am also still going to be leading the Harvest School outreach team to Uganda and Sudan. So far my team is a group of 9 from the UK, Canada, the USA and New Zealand plus myself (Australia!). It will be Christmas in Sudan with the least of these!! 

PRAYER points:

- Intimacy with Jesus. Knowing who I am as Daddy's girl!! 

- Health and strength for my body - today especially was so hot and hopefully not an indication of the next few months! Sudan I know will be even hotter! Yay! So, my body has to adjust in Jesus' Name!

- Provision - for the rest of my time here, and also for Uganda/Sudan and beyond...

- That I would recognise which Iris kids the Holy Spirit would be highlighting for me to train up a bit more in music/worship/intercession

- Relationships with other missionaries on the base!

- That myself and the kids would bond well and have well established boundaries and relationship.

- Keep my eyes, time and strength focused on HOLY SPIRIT's plan for the HOP times and every bit of my time here!

- Good sleep!

- That the Uganda/Sudan outreach team will be fully prepared and ready in their hearts for this outreach! Unity and honour being key!

- More intercessors for myself to be raised up. We as missionaries are on the frontlines here of a war zone here and I know that you hear us say that, but it is so true and there is a lot - not just physical, that we have to deal with.

- Provision of more instruments for the kids to learn/worship on! Even for after I am gone.

Lots and lots of love to you!!!

Serena xoxoxoxox

Paypal: Go to www.paypal.com and click on "Personal", "Send money internationally". Fill out all your details. My email address registered with paypal is serenaxh @ gmail.com (without the spaces)

Bom Dia!!

Couldn't sleep last night til past midnight... Got woken up just after 6 by someone sweeping?? (sweeping the dirt?!?) outside my window this morning... and now am on my computer trying to get some things sorted... After finding myself stuck in not being able to get a certain situation moving forward, I was sitting in what I call my "office" (an open front porch haha which gets VERY windy at times, next to the big baobab tree with views to the family houses (kids playing!) and the clinic) feeling almost like giving up when I hear: "Bom Dia!! (good morning!) Bom Dia!! Bom dia bom dia!!! One of our Mozambican gardeners comes running up to me and holds out his hands to grab mine - hand shaking is a greeting that happens pretty much every time you see someone here. So I grab his hands, and find something pushed into mine - I look down and it's an orange flavoured "Bobo Pop"! (lollipop/sucker). He bounds off up the dirt pathway chuckling and I find myself immediately beaming and so happy that Daddy God just gave me a lollipop - and from a mozambican brother obviously overflowing with JOY! - haha!! He SO knew how to cheer me up! I love you so much God :) :) :)

Thoughts

Dear Friends,

Just felt to share some thoughts which have been stirring in me from recent events in the past week... and then were provoked into verbalisation from a question yesterday :)

I just had someone come up to me and ask where I'm from. I said,
"Well, originally Australia." :)
This person said,
"What about now?"
I said,
"Everywhere." :)  I then proceeded to explain in a very small nutshell where I've been in the last year or so. This person then said, "Well, that's nice! I'd love to do that! How did that work practically? I would like to do that. I love to travel!" 

Well. How DOES that happen? (my heart screaming inside of me: it's NOT ABOUT TRAVEL!! IT'S ABOUT THE FATHER'S HEARTBEAT!!!)

You cannot plan this kind of adventure. The best adventures are not planned but are rather, fallen into. Or in this case, the best adventures come out of leaning into the Father's heartbeat. They come from desiring His presence, seeking His face.  

Why are you seeking His face? Because you want Him. No other reason. You want to know Him. To know Who He is. Why He is. You desire His heart. His fire. His glory. None other. 

Then He gives you a dream, or a directive. Whichever it is, or whether it's both. He gives it to you. This might be in a moment. It might be in a year. It might be over a number of years. It might be for -- NOW. It might be for the next season. It might be for a few seasons time... Whichever it is, the adventures comes out of the obedience. We seek His heart and His face, and we get consumed by His Holy Fire. By His radical love. 

The radical love and obedience of the Son to a Holy and All Consuming Fiery Loving Father,
The obedience of this Son to suffering and death resulted in our Freedom and His Joy. 

It resulted in our freedom to become Sons and Daughters to that same, Holy, All Consuming Fiery Loving Father... it resulted in our enablement (grace: the empowerment and enablement of God) to become obedient to that Loving Father who desires that ALL men be saved, not just one. Who desires that ALL of Israel be joined to Him, not just some. Our obedience to His LOVE in this age... (which is a very small, very fleeting age by the way) results in eternal relationship with Him in the next... (which, is a very long, very continual age by the way)... It results in eternal blessings. Eternal favour. Eternal Mercy. Eternal rewards. Would you rather have riches and blessings and favour and comfort in this age or the next?

Let's join in the Son's intimacy with the Father, let's join in His grace and enablement for what we're called to, let's join in the calling of the Heavenly invasion down to earth (seeing His ways and His heart manifest on earth), let's join in the Son's obedience, and the Son's suffering, together with the Son's joy! 

One more thing. Without Holy Spirit, we can't even know the Son and the Father to the fullness of what He is to be known. Do you know the Holy Spirit? Do you know Him as a friend? Do you know Him as a person...? Do you treat Holy Spirit as a person, or as a force? We are sooo blessed because Jesus left earth to go to heaven. If Jesus did not leave us, we would never have the Holy Spirit. Jesus could only be in one place at one time. Holy Spirit is with me at the same time as He is with you! He knows our hearts and our spirits more than we could ever know ourselves! He is with me. He is with you. We are connected through the Holy Spirit. And He is with the Father. He intercedes for us. He is our COUNSELLOR. Our help in time of need. He is a person. He can manifest Himself, His presence as a person and sometimes I can tell when He's standing on one side of me and when we walks into the middle of a group... but, funny... most often when I feel or see Him (with spiritual eyes) He doesn't go in the middle of a group... He tends to be alongside me... or joining in the circle... He really IS the helper, the one who comes alongside! 

I pray you get released into the adventure today... by Leaning into the Father's heartbeat... by joining in the obedience, the suffering and the joy of the Son... by coming to KNOW and fellowship with the person of the Holy Spirit... :) He is always with us, but He makes Himself known when you talk to Him and talk about Him. Just sayin' :)

Major love and blessings to you today. I pray you flow in the Father's Love and the leading of the Holy Spirit. May JESUS be glorified and lifted HIGH!  Email me with how you are :)

"Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to Your name give glory, for Your mercy and loving-kindness and for the sake of Your truth and faithfulness!" - Psalm 115:1 AMP

Serena xo
Adventurer and Lover of Jesus

Iris Harvest School of Missions, Mozambique

For those of you would like to know more about what exactly the school is about that I am going to volunteer-staff at:

Check out these videos :)






And these links!

http://www.irismin.org/missions/harvest/

http://www.irismin.org/about

http://www.irismin.org/about/mission

http://www.irismin.org/about/history

Dear Friends!

Well, it's happening! 2 days 'til I leave the country again for who knows how long (God does I know!)

My passport had a couple of delays but arrived this morning with the courier, Praise Jesus!! Now I can leave the country legally, and not only that but go to Mozambique for 90 days legally!! Once the June school and 10 day bush outreach is over, I will leave Mozambique for approximately 3 weeks, having obtained another 90 day visa in time for the 2nd school from October to December. In December I will have the privilege of co-leading an extended outreach into Sudan! Christmas in Sudan with the least of these who know where their true riches are! It will be a time to remember!

Right now my parent's living room is strewn with all my things, and I'm having to decide what is the most needed out of all the necessary things I'm meant to take. 20kg is the weight limit for my last leg of flights to Pemba, so I have to fit everything down to that. Some of the random items I'm taking: 

- sticky notes and sharpies - it always helps to be organised and to be able to label your waterbottle!

- loong board shorts - so as not to show my knees while in the water! Some men in mozambique have never even seen their mother's knees. So it's quite important I don't show mine!

- Masterfoods mixed herbs - to add some flavour to my rice and beans ;) Or rice and matapa. Or rice and cabbage.

- swim shoes - so I don't get nasty coral cuts or sea urchin spikes

- bed sheets - Take all your own bedding! 

So, Onward and upward! Inward and deepward! I will be spending 5 days in Malaysia visiting my mum, relatives and friends before hopping on a Qatar airways flight to Qatar - 10 hr airport sleepover! Then an overnight in Johannesburg, before arriving in Pemba for the last of house prep and staff meetings before the approx 300 students start to arrive... I'm ready for chaos!! Not to be chaotic for very long!

Please pray:

- Long, long story but basically I don't have a working debit/atm card so had to have one expressed to me by the bank. They said it MAY arrive tomorrow but could also arrive Friday... Friday I am leaving early in the morning!! Basically, I need it to arrive tomorrow.

- Finance. For all staff members in need of it and all students too who are in need of it!! Some families are coming to do the school with up to 5 or more kids... it means plane fares x 7, at least! God is in the business of miracles and I have seen him do it before! He provides where He guides! Also for myself as I am still needing more :) My Daddy is Jehovah Jireh, my provider! 

- Construction of the student houses! Again, this school is bigger than any of the previous ones so again, they are having to construct more moz style student housing for the students to arrive.

- JOY! and favour with luggage, protection over luggage, divine health, anything else you can think of :) :) :) 

I am SO excited to have you be a part of this with me!! Many, many blessings to you and to all your families!! You are the beloved of His heart and therefore favoured and held close, safe and secure :) I pray that you receive everything you need today, whether it be comfort, joy, safety, finance, direction, wisdom, peace...

Lots of love and hugs, in JESUS because He is ALWAYS Worth it ALL!!

Serena x

Blessed

Just thinking how amazingly blessed I am to have such beautiful friends in so many different countries around the world! Their hearts to bless me have, well, blessed me! So incredibly and my heart is just overwhelmed at this point in time by their generosity, their friendship, their wise words and prayers... So, to all of you who have ever caught up with me for coffee (hot chocolate!), for lunch, to those who I have had the privilege of staying in your houses, your rooms or even your beds! I say thank you, so much from the bottom of my heart. You bless me and I so appreciate you... I love you so much! I ask for more God-ordained Holy Spirit times with you! In Jesus who is WORTH IT ALL!!!

Serena