Outreach Amazingness!

The last few days have been full of outreaches in and out of the base. On Tuesday, Keisha, Shantae and I went on a street ministry to pray for people. Our first stop was two different jails. Keisha and Shantae went to one, and I was grouped with a team from South Africa to go to another jail. We sang a worship song and gave a short word on forgiveness and being loved by God. Afterward, we got to pray for each person in the jail. Some cried, some accepted Jesus as their Lord, and some just thanked up for the bread and beans. It was a powerful time though. The teams then joined together and we went to an abandoned house where teenagers and young adults live. The house did not have a roof and there was garbage everywhere. When we arrived, many came out to worship, dance, and pray with us. The Mozambiquans gave a word and again we prayed for them. They also received bread and beans. It was a great outreach.

Yesterday, Cheyenne and I went to a special needs center. When we first arrived, there were many children in wheelchairs, high chairs and beds facing a TV that had Smallville playing. The workers told us we could take the children on walks or play with them on a mattress they laid out for us. The children were so happy to get attention from people. Two young girls could not walk on their feet, but there were very proficient at getting around on their knees. They were chasing another girl that went with us that was from another team. Cheyenne held one little boy that could not walk and I also held a little girl that could not walk and was very scared of everything. By the end of the time though, I had her smiling and laughing. It seems that the workers care for their very basic needs, however, they do not provide any sort of physical therapy. The children were all very stiff. Please pray for this center to receive a physical therapist so they can gain use of their arms and legs.

Anna, Keisha, and Brieonna also went on a street ministry yesterday. They went to an a park in the middle of the city, Maputo. They had worship and prayed as well. Many people did not show up for a while. Near the end of their time there, they came out for the bread and beans. Pray for an outpouring of wanting to know Jesus in this area.

We have also had many fun time inside the base. Yesterday, we took visors, sidewalk chalk, and butterflies to the 4 - 6 year old house. They are transitioning from the baby house to the dorms. They were so happy for us to be here and were laughing and giggling with us as we did the crafts. There were about 12 children here and we were told about half of them are HIV positive. Pray for healing of these little children. They are so precious and wonderful!

The team also went into the girls dorm on Tuesday to do gimp with them. That was a CRAZY time. Every girl would take a few pieces, go hide them, and try to come back for more! They use gimp to make items to sell in the base shop, so I understand why they were so excited to get it, but at the same time is was very chaotic for us to hand out the gimp. We want to do this again, but we have to organize it a bit better.

We are all holding up very well, and God is using us in unique ways! We miss and love you all!

Prayer Requests:
Continued unity of the team
Cheyenne's Health
Obedience and taking risks to try something new
3 babies - they are in the hospital and very sick (one had heart surgery)
Divine healing of the HIV on the base

Zimpeto is full of joy!

So after two days of traveling and then sleeping for 14 hours straight, we finally are in the groove of ministries. It's been an amazing time so far. The six of us have met so many great children and missionaries.

We went to church yesterday. The worship was amazing. All the children and young adults get up and dance in the front and they have moves for many of the songs. Anna, Keisha, and Cheyenne jumped right in. There is so much joy in the hearts of the people here. The afternoon was spent playing with the kids and taking a walk to the local gas station to pick up some snacks (chocolate) and juice. We also bought a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables. Its all so delicious!

Today we went to the staff worship and again everyone was dancing and singing with all their hearts. There is a special needs house here that has about 8 children in it. They come to this worship and they were dancing with us. There is a boy that was born without eyes and a few of the children can't walk or talk. We prayed over them and just loved on them during the worship. After worship, we played with bubbles and the two and three years olds were laughing and running around trying to pop them! It was a lot of fun. We then tried to teach the older boys and girls how to jump double dutch. I think a few of them are going to get it soon! We are having a blast playing with the kids, eating lots of rice and bread and just getting to know everyone here.

One funny story, after sleeping 14 hours we were still a little off. They have sirens here that signal what time it is for the kids (wake up, eat, and bed time). Well the bedtime one went off and Shantae and Brieonna were asleep. That siren woke them up, they got up, showered, and dressed and were waiting outside our room to go to breakfast. They were positive it was morning and time to get up!

Prayer requests:
Unity for the team
Continued health
Anna's hands (her exzema is acting up)
Adjustments to a new culture and activities
Listening to the Holy Spirit for guidance and being obedient

Thanks for reading! Comment so we know you're praying for us!

We leave on Wednesday!!

Freedom Outreach is sending 6 girls to Mozambique! We will be be heading to Zimpeto to work along side Iris Ministries. The team includes Anna Altemus, Keisha Jackson, Breiona Miller, Cheyenne Glasco, Shantae Hall and myself.

We have been preparing for this trip for two years. We had bi-weekly meetings, fundraisers, and outreaches to help get us to this point. God had provided and we are ready to go!

If you would like to know more about where we are going and what we will be doing check out the link:

http://www.irisminzimpeto.org/

I hope to be able to update weekly or twice a week. Check back often for updates and prayer requests! Thank you for your support and prayers.

Please pray for the following:
Safety as we travel for 2 days: We leave from Newark, NJ, head to Paris, France, then to Johannesburg   South Africa, and ending in Maputo, Mozambique.
Team Unity:  That we get along for three weeks, support each other, and love each other at all times.
Luggage: That it arrives with us and gets through customs with no problems.
Health: That we all stay healthy the whole time!