The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,800 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 47 trips to carry that many people.
30th April 2011- Six pounds nine ounces – twenty inches
With Love, Heiko & Anita
Children are a gift from the Lord, they are a reward from Him.
Psalm 127.3
What another amazing year of ministry! It was so busy this year I could not find the time or internet connection to blog all the wonderful testimonies and stories that I hoped to. So to give you a quick overview of 2010 I am including short testimonies with photos of the stories I wanted to share. Unfortunately, there will not be a Window Into Africa 2010. I was curious how to say Merry Christmas in the local language so I asked a few locals. The response I received was a bit shocking. They did not have words for this saying. I asked why and they replied that Christmas was not a big event to them, but a foreigner’s holiday. I asked if they celebrated the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and they said no. I asked if they were believers and they said yes. So I asked them what they actually did on this day and they told me it is a day like others, just they get a holiday from work and can drink all night.
This might sound shocking to you, but here in Zambia the majority of the people profess to be Christians, while at the same time hold also 1-3 other “spiritual” beliefs and walk strongly in local tradition. It has been a struggle I come up against time and time again when ministering the truth to the same people. All I can do is continue to minister truth to those who will listen and are hungry and to the rest I can only pray.
With the children of Ebenezer it is a different story. These children have been raised out of deception and fed daily huge amounts of sound biblical truth. They are blessed to know the truth and be set free. So I asked them what Christmas meant to them and they all replied it is the glorious day our savior was born. They went around the room and mentioned all the blessings they had in 2010 and gave thanks to God. So this year I brought a birthday cake to the children, we lit a candle, and all of us sang happy birthday to our Jesus. The children sang and worshiped, ate an abundance of rice, chicken, sausage, and never ending sweets, opened some gifts, and even had a dance contest. I thank God for these children and pray that one day they will be a light of truth into this dark part of the world.
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An Art Encounter with the Lord (December 2010)
The children at Ebenezer have come from such devastating backgrounds it is often hard to get them to let you in. I have been doing prayer ministry and counseling with them and I often find that I must come up with creative ways to connect with their hearts to be able to make a difference.
I have been focusing on finding each child’s natural talents and God
given gifts and encouraging them in these. One way I do this is through Art Therapy. This past year I have given a few of the older boys art lessons and have been blessed to take them on a couple of field trips visiting art exhibitions and artists from town.
Last week I had an art contest and 4 of them tied as winner so I awarded them with a field trip to visit a local artist who, like these children, grew up in the village, was given a second chance. He made a career of his talent, even schooled in Europe and toured all around the world with his work. He and his wife encouraged these boys, got them out of their shy shell and had them interacting in the art gallery for hours.
At the end of the day as I drove the boys’ home I asked each one how this artist helped to add something to their lives and to my surprise they all opened up and responded boldly and excited with an answer. To summarize what they all said, they were given a message of hope this day, hope that the future can be anything they set their hearts on with determination and God’s help, no matter what their circumstance. As I looked into my car mirror I saw the hope manifest into huge never-ending smiles on their faces. This day added a milestone to their lives that they will always remember and I will not soon forget either. Thank you Lord for your supernatural hope and for your creative ways of speaking to each of us.
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Field Trip to Makuni Park (September 2010)
A field trip into town is a HUGE day for the children. This day I was asked along with their house mom to take 17 boys to a local festival at Makuni Park and the boys had the time of their lives! They were blessed abundantly with a jumping castle, donkey rides, playground, face painting, live music, and all new experiences that they had never had before. They arrived home so tired they nearly collapsed. It was a God given Great Day!
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Special Delivery (June)
It is 7 am. I woke up with excitement this morning. I jumped out of bed onto the ice cold floor, quickly ran to my closet and grabbed several layers of clothing and tossed them on, brushed my teeth in a mad dash and was out the door.
I drove down the concrete road until it turned into dirt, lined with rock and multiple ditches. I carried on the bumpy path until I crossed the railroad tracks and entered the compound. I turned down a road and watched as all the little children ran out barefoot on the road, pointing and screaming “Mazungu”, the local word meaning white man, a novelty around here. I pulled up under the giant boabab tree and turned off my car. Instantly I am surrounded by children covered in dirt, clothes in tatters, and no shoes on anyone’s feet. I walk forward with my escort into a yard with a small mud hut and concrete two room house.
There has been a funeral two days ago. Now the family from far away villages park themselves at this relative’s house and become “home” until they can obtain enough money to get back to where they come from. One lady is washing dishes in a bucket, while 10 children sit around a fire for the only warmth they have. An elderly male sits in a large chair off to the side overlooking the entire scene.
Peter rushes to greet me. He hurries me past the multitudes of his extended family along with the six children of his own and into the concrete house. His wife emerges with a bundle wrapped in what looks like 10 blankets. “Is something in there?” I ask. She laughs and hands me the baby. All I can see are tiny little eyes peeking out at me. With complete chaos around me he rushes me back to my car.
I stop and ask him where the other two children are. He calls them from out of nowhere. Covered head to toe in dirt, bellies extended form malnutrition, two little girls walk out and gaze up at me. They have never known their father and have just lost their mother, Peter’s sister, to AIDS. Peter tells me they are only 2 and 5 years old. I greet them as they remain silent and watch them quietly walk away to blend into the small tribe of other children.
We arrive to Ebenezer Childrens village and are greeted by two very excited house mothers waiting at the door with open arms. They unwrap the little bundle to see that her skin just sags from her tiny one month old body. The only nourishment she had was from her mothers breast as the mother lie in a coma before dying three days ago. The house mothers clean the baby up and prepare a bottle. They ask me her name. “Toomba”, I reply and they just look at one another in silence. Toomba in the native language of Tonga means Owl, a witchcraft curse among the locals. Mrs. Chara arrives and immediately renames her “Malaika” meaning Angel.
The children gathered outside the baby room door. They stood quietly as one whispered, “Can we see her?” They all gathered around for the new arrival, excited as the first baby marks the beginning of an abundant new chapter in the Ebenezer Village.
A short while later Ebenezer received Malaika’s two sisters, so the family can be a family once again.
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Baking Day (May)
One of my favorite times as a child was baking in the kitchen with mom. The memories and life skills I got from that magical time stays with me always. I am blessed to pass this experience on to several very eager children at Ebenezer. I surprise the children with a new recipe, new ingredients they have never used or even heard of before, and the moto, “A good kitchen is a clean kitchen”. Once their hands are all cleaned and ingredients layed out on the table we pass them around, sniff them, learn some cool things about them, then the baking begins with lots of hands ready and willing to make as big of a mess to clean as they can!
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Blog Design (May)
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I have spent many excited hours, days, and weeks working on a blog for Ebenezer. It is finally here, please check it out and see the Amazing work and miracles the Lord is doing in this place!
Birthday Party (April)
Can you remember the excitement of celebrating your birthday as a child? Maybe you still feel that childlike enthusiasm coming on when your day is right around the corner. I know I do. The children at Ebenezer have a different memory of their birhthday. It was not a time that was celebrated. For most of them it was a time they actually numbed out. These children come from some of the most neglected and abused homes in Zambia. They never experienced what it was like to have someone rejoice in their birth and over their life. Ebenezer pours the truth of the word of God into their lives and tries to restore that which was taken from them or never given. Birthday celebrations are just one way to restore to them just how celebrated their lives really are, to us, each other, and to our Father in heaven.
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The boat landed on the island with about an hour of daylight left. 15 of us emerged and began to scope out the sky for the helicopter. Heiko flew over in his Mircolight and sent an emergency message to our ground crew via the walkie talkie. A herd of elephant were coming our way and would be in front of us within only minutes if we didn’t move quickly. We rushed back onto the boat and went further down the island. As we hit the shore the helicopter flew over us signaling our direction to follow. Suddenly the Heli landed and we took off running towards it. My camera equipment hung around my neck nearly choking me as I arrived breathless at the scene.
There he was, 500 pounds of orphaned baby elephant. The vet managed to dart him with a sedative from the air giving us a window of less than an hour to tackle thislittle guy to the ground, 
create a make shift carrier, and transport him onto the boat so we could get him safe into the enclosure in the national park until he could be transported to the elephant sanctuary.
You never realize how much a baby ele can weigh until you have to carry one a quarter of a mile. The physical exhaustion of the team was tremendous by the time they managed to lift him onto the boat. The vet checked his vital signs, took blood samples and determined he must be only about a year old if that, and extremely malnourished. For some unknown reason his herd left him behind on the island.
It was Heiko who first discovered the little guy while flying over the island with his passengers. For two weeks he kept seeing this little one and another slightly larger one all alone. He knew that once the waters raised these little guys would have little chance to survive on their own. He made a few phone calls to elephant orphanages and stumbled upon Kafue Park Ele Rescue. Within only a day they were here and managed to arrange for a team to help. I was honored to be asked to photograph the event, I was ecstatic actually.
Day one, Rescue number one, was a complete success!
It was fantastic preparation for the second rescue…
This time the ele was darted in the middle of a marsh. We began to run toward the ele when one of the team members, only two feet in front of me, fell into the quicksand-like marsh up to his chest. We managed to pull him out and carried on after the ele cautiously over the labyrinth of sponge like grass covering the muck beneath it.
When we arrived to the ele he was already down. The team made a carrier and began the trek across the marsh. This ele was heavier than the last and the team could walk only a few feet before laying him down again. The treacherous terrain did not help and time was burning fast as his sedative was wearing off.
We managed to get him on the boat and to the shelter just in time for him to wake up and begin charging the walls of his enclosure.
What an exciting week!
As I sat on the boat with both of the eles I got to touch their skin, feel their tongue with my finger, rub their toes and ever so rough skin of their feet, feel the wire like hair of their tales, play with their jumbo ears and see the blood flow in the veins. The Lord reminded me that all creatures, great and small, have been created by His hand and for a purpose. What a miraculous design that once again points to the master artist and grand creator of all, so that when man marvels upon it he can say, “Only God!”
Dear Family and Friends,
We trust you are well and enjoying the holiday season. As for us, life in Africa is always changing and never the same. This year has been filled with amazing ministry, great challenges, and continued faith, holding on to our Lord for each and every day.
Heiko has flown 2,485 passengers this year over the falls, sharing with them God’s majesty and divine glory. He has kept me busy with “surprise” house guests that he brings home for dinner after work so we can minister to them. I must say we have made some good friends and have been blessed to share our testimonies and faith. He has also had a engine failure in mid flight and a passenger lost his helmet as they were over the falls. To God be the glory, he managed to remain calm, hold on to faith and trust in the Lord, and by God’s miracle safely landed every time. Heiko is so passionate about flying, about ministering to his passengers and everyone he meets, and about life, I am truly blessed to be his wife.
As for me, I have been the assistant to the director of Ebenezer Child Care Trust. The ministry is amazing! They have a school with 342 orphans, an orphan home with 28 children, and are just about to open the babies’ home receiving 30 babies and toddlers, there is a farm they hope to develop to large proportions. They take in the children with the worst cases of neglect, poverty, and abuse. I work in all of our areas in every capacity from counseling for the children to leading visitor tours, from photography, web design, public relations, administration, children field trips to painting murals in the new constructions, from working with the social workers in the villages to overseeing the children’s homes and numerous other duties. My days are packed full and at the end of the day I am ready to collapse…but I love it! Heiko has also been a big encouragement in the work I do with the children and that has been a real blessing for me to see him ministering and loving on the children, sharing the same passion I do.
We have been really busy this year but still found a little time to sneak away and camp in the bush on the Zimbabwe side of the Zambezi river and watch the elephants stroll by, the lions roar in the distance, the giraffes quietly pass, and the immense beauty of God’s creation that momentarily swallows us up. With all the challenges of living in Africa; limited health care, malaria and other health challenges, being a minority, crazy cost of living and lack of income possibilities, and being so far away from friends and family; being held in the arms of the Father and reminded how great His love for us really is through the magnitude of our majestic surroundings makes it worth every moment.
We thank you from our hearts for your continued support and prayers. You have been a huge part of our ministry and it is your faithfulness that helps us to do what God has called us to do. We pray that one day you will be able to visit us here in Zambia and we can share with you the ministry you help make happen. You are always welcome and always in our hearts.
May this holiday season be filled with abundant blessings and joyous laughter for you and yours.
Season Greetings,
Heiko, Anita & Baby on the way!
So how many pairs of shoes do you own?
Me…I won’t answer that question, it is embarrassing just how many.
Can you imagine what it must be like to never have owned a pair of shoes?
I woke up this morning shivering as I reluctantly got out from underneath my warm cozy blankets. I shivered getting dressed, stepped outside into the biting African winter morning and struggled to get my car to start. As I drove down my dirt road bundled in layers of clothes I passed 2 small children walking only in shorts and a t-shirt, their little feet bare on the cold ground. Several more children ran from inside their dilapidated houses without doors, also barefoot, just to greet me as I drove by.
Can you imagine what it must be like for those children to look at 200 pairs of shoes, some with the top designer names, and be given the opportunity to choose one pair…your first pair of shoes?
Today I was blessed to help deliver 200 pairs of shoes to a village an 
hour drive into the bush. We arrived and emptied the used donated shoes onto the floor in an “organized manner”…small ones to the left, big ones to the right.
The children lined up. Smiles lit up their tiny little faces. They walked in and began to select from the piles. But something was strange to my westernized mind…they weren’t taking the designer brands…not the stylish Nike or Adidas, nor the designer labeled women’s shoes, but they were grabbing any color, any style, and any condition of shoe just to find one that fits, not even a close fit, just one that would cover their feet. By the end of it some of the hottest shoes in the west remained laying on the floor not chosen.
I stood silent in awe. I realized that in a world of plenty we lose sight of what is really important, the heart of the Father. In the same time we make idols of the things that grab our attention with fancy marketing. I could see how these distractions could keep us from valuing what matters most, God’s unfailing love and perfect provision.
As we get dressed tomorrow morning and go into our closets to decide which shoes to put on our feet, may the children of Africa encourage us to first put on the armor of God and the shoes which really matter the most, those of Peace, so you will be fully prepared- Ephesians 6:13-17. Then we can stand against the temptation of the enemy in a world with so many distractions while standing strong in His presence and being victoriously clothed in His intimacy which radiates from within us.
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An Austrailian Radio station put a call out for shoe donations….
70,000 pair of shoes later and here we are, the first container of 15,000 has arrived to Ebenezer in Africa!!!
Children here in Livingstone are not allowed to attend school without a pair of shoes on their feet. Most of the children’s families can’t afford to eat, let alone buy a pair of shoes.
This donation has been able to supply all 342 children at Ebenezer Orphan School with shoes each term, all of the children at Ebenezer Orphan Homes, multitudes of destitute villages, many of the surrounding orphanages, and all the children that come to us in need for a very long time to come.
I just graduated from Southeastern University!!!!
Only one month after I was saved in my home church, Christ Church of Orlando, I told Pastor Paul I knew my purpose in life: the Lord had showed me in a vision that I was to be a missionary in Africa!
He paused, encouraged me, and then told me that I needed to go to Bible College first. I remember in an instant my heart felt heavy. I was thinking how on earth could I go back to school after being out for nearly a decade? I was 27 years old and long gave up on the idea of college. I wondered how I could possibly wait four years to finish a degree before going to Africa to fulfill the purpose God created me for. In the naivety of the newness of my walk, I thought I was fully ready to go the next day and help save the world if I could.
Pastor quickly told me Southeastern was a great school, so I decided that if that’s what it takes to get me to Africa I better hurry up and enroll. That’s what I did, the very next day!
That was four and half years ago. Looking back, it was one of the best times of my life and biggest times of growth in my spiritual walk! I completed two of the greatest years on campus and then finished my degree online as I traveled through Africa on the mission field. I was warned by the many wonderful professors at the University that it would be extra hard trying to keep up with school while working full time on the mission field. They even tried to convince me to hold off until I graduated, but my call was so strong and in faith I told them I was going to do it for the Lord and work the hardest I could to graduate at the top of my class and contribute all the praise to Jesus.
That is exactly what I did. I have graduated with an overall 3.7 GPA. The professors were right, it was the hardest thing to do, but with Christ’s strength in me, I did it!
On Saturday, May 1st, 2010, I graduate! While my classmates gather in Victory Church,
Lakeland, Florida, I am at the heights of the Victoria Falls where the statue of the great missionary David Livingstone overlooks this natural wonder. I am throwing my cap into the spray of the Falls with exuberant joy! I had just completed this exciting chapter of my life in the midst of my hearts desire, in the middle of my life’s purpose, sharing this dream with my husband who is just as excited as I am. 
With the rush of the mighty Zambezi water flowing over the falls every second of every day since the beginning of creation, not one drop of water is ever the same. God hand crafted each and every tiny little detail of our lives such as this, with the greatest pleasure. I stand overwhelmed by this magnitude of raw beauty and stealth power. I realize that like each drop of water going over and never returning, my life has also been. Daily the old is fading away to make space for the new transformation of my life.
The day I was saved in my church November 25th, 2005, I understood that my life was not my own. Jesus had placed in me the passions and desires of my heart that He had created me to experience. The love of Christ flooded me and gloriously wrecked me once and for all. I promised Him I would go any where He would lead me and I would never leave His side. I came in faith to Africa to serve my beautiful Jesus and be His love to this nation, but at the same time, He was wooing me even closer to Him…
And this glorious day, my graduation day, I am reminded that the best is still to come. As this chapter closes and a brand new chapter opens I wait in joyful expectation. So I say, “Father, I will continue to walk in reckless faith, for in deeper understanding of you, your love just keeps getting better!”
It is raining. Mud splashes onto the window of the van. There are hundreds of broken down shacks along both sides of the old railway line. It is 10 in the morning and the track is filled with people staggering through the mud.
Brian, the social worker for Ebenezer and I are driving down the pothole lined dirt road into what the people here call the ZSM compound. The Zambezi Saw Mill compound is named after the old Saw Mill that built this settlement for their workers a couple of decades back.
Today only the run down homes remain. The families have been out of work since the mill closed down and now new generations of children are growing up in an area that won’t be able to give them a good chance at life. It is said that this is the most neglected place in Livingstone. This place has the highest HIV rate, crime and theft rate, alcohol and prostitution rate, and worst sanitation in all of Livingstone.
As we pull up to our destination I notice a latrine dug in the front of this run down house. There are bags that had once been used to hold cement, now sown together to form a sheet trying to give a bit of privacy from the masses walking past. Next to the latrine is a small pile of charcoal. This is the only source of income this family of 9 has, generating less than 50 cents per day. As we walked to the door the husband and wife came to joyously greet our unexpected arrival. We greeted the family and sat down to hear their story.
The father is deaf and mute, but it hasn’t always been that way. Excited, he runs into the house to get us a letter he has been holding onto for the past 10 years. It is a recommendation from one of the big hotels in Livingstone where he worked as a steward with the highest praise. He wrote into the dirt, “I am willing to work for anything”.
The wife began to show us around so we could see the house and its dilapidated condition. Plastic bags covered holes in the roof and over the walls that had collapsed from the rains, while rocks were stuffed into other missing areas to try to meet with the roof. There are partially erected walls on a foundation, completely exposed from the top, in the back yard. Here her sister’s family lives.
Ebenezer enrolled two of her children just last week. Mary, grade 2, and Munalula, grade 0, 
two beautiful children whose smiles reached ear to ear. She had 5 other children, 2 sets of twins (one recently died) and a single child, who are all too small for school. She tells us that they have not eaten for 4 days and the children are so hungry they could barely get up for school this morning. Her giant smile transforms into weeping as she tries with all she can to hold back the tears. Brian and I sit speechless for a moment, then he encourages her and reminds us that God always provides.
As we drive back to Ebenezer I ask Brian how he handles experiencing these cases every day. He says, “Each time it breaks my heart. But I feel honored that I was called to help the one who is placed in front of me. Through Ebenezer Child Trust I can bring children hope and watch as the school and the word of God begins to transform their lives.”
When we get to school I tell Mrs. Chara how devastating this family’s situation is. I tell her about the father of these children who would never be able to find a job in his condition. Without hesitation, Mrs. Chara told Brian to offer the man work at the orphanage as a grounds keeper and to start the next morning.
My heart leaps with joy! I am reminded again that God truly does provide. He takes people in the worst conditions that seem nearly impossible and within an instant changes their futures. At the same time He uses the faithful and obedient to be His hands and feet.
I thank the Lord for Ebenezer and the hope this school gives to the hopeless. I am excited that I get the opportunity to watch how Mary and Munalula lives will be transformed in the coming days, months, and even years. I praise the miracle of today and anticipate the lives we will get to touch tomorrow, and it is possible because people care enough to open their hearts, reach out, and partner with us to assist in giving these children a second chance at life!
In the Presence of Angels
by Heiko Held
Heb 12.22… you have come to thousands of angels in joyful assembly.
I am in the midst of 300 angels…they are children, in prayer, their eyes closed, but their hearts wide open, thanking and praising God for what He has done in their lives.
And just in front of me, a little girl 6 years old , her hands raised high into the sky; even standing on her tip toes, to reach higher – her little hands turned upwards – touching Gods heart!!
It is the Christmas party of the Ebenezer school, and these angels were earlier singing and celebrating the birth of our Savior in a Christmas play ….Many of them are orphans, neglected or abused in their homes, but here at the Ebenezer school they can experience the tangible love of God…while their little hearts are reflecting Gods love back to Him… All for His Glory!
The Lord takes pleasure in His people. Ps 149.4a
The heat has been tremendous the past few weeks. The rains are about to begin. We have been anticipating the arrival of Debra and Sy from Orlando (Debra is from my home church, Christ Church of Orlando). They emailed us asking if we happen to live anywhere near where they would be traveling to throughout Africa. As it just so happened, they are actually arriving in Livingstone! They are coming to Africa for the very first time and it has been a lifelong dream of Debra, a dream since she has been a little girl. I am excited to have the privilege to show them a glimpse of this part of the world and share with her a tiny part of that dream…
We visited a village called Simonga. The population is about 3,000, a rather large village. This is the only village in Zambia run by a female Chief. Her name is Elizabeth; she had won Miss Zambia back in 1970! We had the honor to meet with her on her porch as she educated us about her village and the local customs. She stands firm in female education requiring all of the village girls to attend school, unlike most villages. A statue of a woman stands at the entrance of the school to remind the village of this decree.
Her grandson took us on a tour throughout the village so we could see the actual lifestyle of the people of this area. Everyone greeted us with warm smiles, laughter, and a surprised shout of “makuwa” (white person) as we walked by. We arrived at the school and met the head teacher who took us into one of the classes. The children sang Jesus songs for us as Debra and Sy handed out notebooks and pencils. They rely completely on funding and donations to function at this school so they were all very grateful to receive. We moved on through the village and the children began to gather. We gave out sweets to the children who started to mob us in droves. 
It was a fantastic day in the village!
Afterwards I drove them past one of the orphanages I work with called Ebenezer. They had brought us a huge suitcase full of things for the children (thank you Debra, Sy, Carolyn, & the lady in Debra’s apartment complex), including about a hundred pair of children’s underwear that is much needed. I will be delivering all of it to them for Christmas this year. We are very thankful, it will be joyously received!
It was sad to see them leave our little part of the world. But I rejoice in the miracle it was that the Lord happened to organize for them to visit us, out of all the places in Africa, right here in Livingstone. They are off now to enjoy the rest of the beautiful continent of Africa and Heiko and I pray they return one day soon. If not, we trust their lives have been touched, their eyes have been transformed, and most importantly, their hearts have felt the Father’s love through the eyes of every child in the village; for it is that same love that reflects in our hearts and helps us to fulfill each one of our dreams…
25 orphans. Two safari trucks. And me.
Here we are…in the middle of the bush. Elephants on the left, buffalos on the right. I am overjoyed about the amazement in the orphans’ faces. They have lived here all their lives and have never seen big game in the wild. Their joy and laughter fills my heart. I am so thankful that God works in so many different ways through me, including this privilege of taking these orphans to experience God’s beautiful creation while embracing His grace.
Our local church here, New Life for all Nations, supports 40 city orphans. An orphan means that they have either one parent or no parents, due to early death caused by AIDS, Malaria, or some common sickness that went untreated. There are so many children orphaned they often become burdensome and neglected.
In Livingstone it is sadly known that neglected orphans sell themselves to anyone willing to give them some food to eat, as little as six years old. Prostitution is common here; it ibecomes a way of survival. Abuse is also common for these children as well as being forced into child labor so the relatives caring for them can supply their drinking habit. It is a harsh reality and when you look at the vastness of such despair you think to yourself how can anyone ever make a difference?
Then comes the answer whispered gently into my ear… only Jesus can!
I had the privilege to be asked by the church to singlehandedly chaperone 25 blessed orphans taken care of by our church, ages 2-15, on a safari through the Livingstone Game Reserve sponsored by our church and a local tour operator called Bushtracks. They had donated the use of two of their vehicles, two tour drivers and a box of soda for an afternoon safari adventure for these vulnerable children. This was an exciting day! The children praised God for all of creation and the angels smiled down upon them as they could be carefree children for a few hours and completely consumed with the vastness of the glory of God.
Teach them the Way they should go…
Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” And the Lord commanded us to go into all the earth and teach them the way they should go… Matthew 28:19-20
Here we are Heiko and I, living in the middle of Africa, a dream from childhood now realized by both of us. This place is addictive. Come only once and you will be gloriously ruined forever. You will dream for this place as if all of creation began here and you long to return back to the beginning.
At the same time we are surrounded by poverty, starvation, sickness, disease, hopelessness, ancestral worship of other gods, witchcraft, and multitudes of every form of total deception. It reminds us daily, very boldly, how blessed we are to know the truth and to be set free. To experience this kind of life around us and to sit in the dirt with those in it, is worth more than all the gold in the world. We are honored to hold the key that unlocks all bondages for every person’s prison, every circumstance, and every lie of the enemy. It is our blessed responsibility to give the key to all people that the Lord places in front of us. For Heiko and me they happen to be just outside of our gate. During the week we lead the poverty stricken, hungry, orphaned young men and women who have been held captive by the lies’ of the enemy into our home and we feed them and disciple them in love and in truth.
Right now we have 8 disciples. Aka, is a young man searching for a purpose and hope after an accident that left him paraplegic. His little brother joins us now too. Kefas, is young man living in a shack, with several small siblings, and no clothes but those on his back. John is living with his sister and with a serious drinking problem that is destroying his life. Nasilele, a young man searching desperately for the truth as he raises his 2 year old daughter. There is Cleopatra, the girl that works at the photo copy shop where I print my disciple teachings, she reads every word asking each week for more. Unike is our house keeper; she is a single mom and daughter to an Episcopal Pastor, on fire for the Lord. Then there is Peter our gardener, father of 6 and caretaker of his wife, her sister, and the sisters 5 children, and his mother.
Each week they come hungry for the word. Each week they are set free more and more. They’re stories and testimonies minister to us as we minister to them.
Here is Aka’s testimony, may you be blessed!
Aka is our adopted brother and is very special to us. He has found new hope since becoming paraplegic. Daily he comes to our home where we assist him with physical therapy. He designed a standing device which allows blood to circulate into his dead limbs. He is constantly doing research on the internet at our home for new surgical procedures that may help him walk one day as well as praying for God’s healing to manifest in him.
WHO I AM
I am Kapelwa Akatumwa, Zambian born on the 22 of November 1982 from the family of four, two guys and two ladies. We just lived as a family under one shelter for short. This is because my father died, when I was 1year 8months and my grandparents took me from my mum, who died four year later. For this reason I never called any person father, and never had chance to enjoy motherly love. For my sisters and brother, each one was taken by other relatives.
MY EDUCATION
I did my junior and senior secondary under hardships for this my grades were not good to get me a place into university, but managed to go college, and did a certificate in accounting, I would like to finish the accounting course for me to get a better job or if I can have an outer native of keeping myself such as having a employment or running a business. But talking of employment, it’s not that easy because employers would prefer physically able boded persons to disabled person (like me) which is African way. Being a determined person as I am, I would have made it. But as the common saying goes “the dog plan is not the owner’s plan”
In the year 2005 applied to join Zambia police and was accepted. The training was to start month end of December 2005, in the same month I got involved in the road traffic accident in which I suffered series of injuries including spinal cord injury, therefore partial paralysis and now wheelchair based.
AFTER THE ACCIDENT
The accident happened at a place which is away from my home town. We were four of us in the car and only I had serious injuries, such that I was half dead. I was taken to the nearby hospital where, I spent 7 days in coma with just a friend taking care of me. We had nothing on us since the local people got away with all our belonging which is a common trend in my country, whenever an accident occurs. After which I was transferred to the bigger hospital. During all this time my relatives did not know what had happened to me or where I was.
It was only the time when I reach at the bigger hospital that I was able to open my eyes, talk and hear. This was the time I was told of what had happened.
From 8th December 2005, I have been the hospital boy up to beginning September 2007. I was in the hospital for such a long time partly because of the pressure sores and partly because my family members didn’t want to take up on the responsibility of patient (pressure sores) and physically disabled person.
When I come out off the hospital my aunt (my father’s young sister) put me in her servant’s quarters, where I live up to this time. Thanks to her I’m out of the hospital.
LIFE IN THE WHEELCHAIR.
During the time I was in the hospital, my relationship with God was not good at all as I couldn’t understand what I was going through and I realy had many questions, like where is God to let me go through this alone, why did it happened to me and why me only since we where four of us in the that car.
During this time, I never wanted any one to tell me that ‘God loves me, that why he saved me from that accident’.
To me death was going to be better than life in the hospital. This was because:- I can no longer walk, I can’t be independent, as this is the time I was to be highly productive, and lost most of my friends and lost the employment opportunity.
MY COMING BACK TO GOD.
All this time many people talked to me about God, but I had made up my mind. But things changed when I met a friend called Heiko, who had time to listen to what had happened to me and then invited me to a live television church program. Then after he told me about the love for God, and two weeks later he took me with him for church service and from then I have been going with him to church with the difficulties of accessing places with the wheelchair, he has been there for me and shows me that, even if I am disabled some people still look at me as a person and I look at him as my real brother.
Easter Miracle
Victory! On Easter Sunday Jesus arose from the dead and showed the disciples that He had conquered. He took upon all sickness, disease, suffering, poverty, and every other bondage, replacing it with complete freedom and eternal life. Later He ascended into heaven and sent His Holy Spirit to dwell inside every believer. This is the Spirit of God that breathed all life into existence. God spoke and created the heavens and the earth with the power of His word. His same Spirit and power lives in us and He even gave us a user manual to guide us along…
With that being said, it astonishes me how the enemy can trick us to believe we are still sick, weak and powerless prey. It happened to me.
Three months ago I was diagnosed with precancerous cells in my cervix along with discovering I had lumps in my breasts. I had even lost 15 pounds unexplainably over the past 6 months. Immediately the enemy went to work in my mind. I became depressed, the “what if” questions wouldn’t stop buzzing in my head, I felt hopeless and scared. It is probably one of the worst moments in a woman’s life to face. And here I was in the middle of Africa facing it.
Medical care in a third world country is not an option one wants for a condition as this. Heiko and I prayed as I went through the daily emotions of the unknown. We researched doctors who wanted to fly me into the nearest country with surgical facilities and cut into me and test what they found and send me on my way in a matter of days. That is just how things are done in this part of the world where care is limited to what is available. You must take what you can get here. With limited health insurance in Africa I was stuck to options here, so all the missionaries in town and my church and family back home began to pray for me.
On Easter Sunday Heiko began to pray for me. I closed my eyes and asked Jesus why this had to happen to me. I suddenly had a vision. I saw Jesus put His hand on my stomach and a beautiful warm light flooded my body. He spoke to me and said, “My daughter your faith has healed you.” I woke up from the vision and could not move. I remember thinking, my faith? I have doubted for two months in despair. Then the Lord reminded me, it was by faith that I received Him and through Him I received His Spirit, the same spirit that breathed life into existence. And within me all sickness was already conquered on the cross. All I need to do is receive what is already given to me, within me and speak the power of the word over me.
I Am already healed!
That week I was so excited I went around testifying to all the missionaries and friends that I AM healed! I could not wait to go to a doctor for confirmation. Within days I began to feel better and gain some weight. I spoke the power of the truth over myself that I AM healed, Christ did it all! I miraculously stumbled upon a breast surgeon in South Africa who won woman of the year for her contributions to breast cancer awareness and new medical discoveries. She had opened three breast clinics in SA and worked 6 days a week 8am-8pm dedicated to her patients. I phoned her private practice and she said she could get me in. Even more of a miracle, my Insurance approved it! Within one week Heiko and I were on a plane and excited for the good news to come.
It was the best trip ever! South Africa is not known for its safety, but the area we were in was beautiful. The hotel was good, friendly, and in a blocks distance drive to the hospital. The Hospital was better than I had ever imagined for Africa! The care of the doctors was tremendous and compassionate; I wasn’t just another patient taking up time. I told the doctor I was there to confirm the Lord had healed me. She said praise the Lord and did her exam. She scheduled me for 3 doctors, an ultrasound and lab work all in 3 days. Each doctor was wonderful to me and at the end of it all I was diagnosed without any cutting and with NO cancer anywhere!!! Even the cancer cells in my cervix were completely gone!!!
We arrived home like two kids in a candy store. We were so excited to confirm to everyone the too good to be true news! It was like we had a new beginning again and the enemy had been reminded he was already defeated by the beautiful resurrection power of Christ! Praise God for His mighty love and power that lives in us!
May each of you be encouraged to begin claiming what is yours in Christ Jesus. Begin declaring and speaking it over yourself daily until you see it manifest. We have the same spirit living in us that spoke all of creation into existence. We must have faith in the word and speak life and the promises of God over ourselves, especially when the enemy tries to deceive us with despair. We must use this power given to us by our heavenly Father so the enemy can be reminded he has already been defeated and has no power over us anymore. Stand strong fellow warriors of light and speak the living word into being and watch as the Lord prepares the way to your victory…
Greetings from Zambia!!!
In a time like today people all around the world are faced with the question, “will I still have enough?”…
Can you imagine standing in front of completely empty shelves at the grocery store??
That’s what is happening here right now..
The cost of the remaining food is sky rocketing and there are numerous Zimbabweans lining up at our grocery stores buying out entire shelves of food because they don’t have any food or clean water in their country, just trying to survive. Meanwhile here all major income sectors, mining, hunting, and tourism have decreased dramatically causing businesses to close daily. While employed, one employee’s income feeds a total of 15 people in their extended family, now he needs hope multiplied by 15!
More than ever people need the too-good-to-be-true news of the gospel!
In times like this we have to keep the eyes of our hearts focused on the finished work of Cross, remembering that we are Christ’s hands and feet that He sent to reach out to those who are in need.
For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’… “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ Matthew 25:35-36 & 40
We are prayerfully thankful for all of the supporters back in the states who faithfully give offerings to us monthly. Your faithfulness allows us to continue to spread the gospel here in Zambia and bring hope in a time when it is needed more than ever!
Here is the link to my 2008 Window Into Africa photo gallery. May you be abundantly blessed as you view the lives you helped us to reach in 2008 with your prayers, financial support, and faithfulness:
God Bless,
Heiko & Anita In Africa
Merry Christmas from Zambia!
Angels In Flight
By Heiko Held
I bank the little aircraft, flying once again in a right turn over the mighty Victoria falls.
The power of the falling water below us, rising in a thick cloud of smoke,
crowned by a colourful rainbow..
Sharon, my passenger, overwhelmed by the indescribable beauty, gasps in excitement.
She is an elderly Canadian, dreamt all her life of only once seeing the Victoria falls and now she is flying in this open Mircolight right above her dream…
I smile, and ask her – like I do with all of my passengers:
‘Please, try to describe the Falls…’
‘Beautiful, marvellous, pretty, fantastic, wonderful, incredible…’
are the common answers of my passengers, usually followed by a silence – realising – that these are somehow not the appropriate words to truly describe this glorious beauty…
And then they start wondering how could it be possible… that there is this place,
called the Victoria Falls – right below us now - which has a beauty their eyes are perceiving but yet are not able to translate it into appropriate words..?
Smiling, that maybe the reason that we ourselves ranked it as a natural wonder..?
As in the Oxford Dictionary ‘a wonder’ is described as something marvellous with perplexed (!) astonishment..
Perplexed.
Wondering..? well, one man had an appropriate description in his heart already 153 years ago: David Livingstone sailed down the Zambezi river, in a little dugout canoe, landed on the famous island, right on the edge of the Victoria Falls, where he then stated:
‘Scenes so beautiful like this must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight..’
He compared it to something spiritual, something greater, something divine,
something out of heaven.
Had David Livingstone ever seen an angel..? Have you?
What do angels look like… we imagine them beautiful, with a long white dress, and white wings, indescribable? yet surely beautiful…
What then do flying angels look like??
More beautiful than the ones on the ground? Must be. Even more beautiful..??
Do they look like rays of white light -
surrounded by rainbows around the centre of the source of the light..?
What thoughts or feelings rise within us?
Are they… childlike, trusting, knowing, and compassionate…
What do the flying angels look down upon, at what do they gaze upon??
At the same indescribable beauty – right beneath us now!! –
…and what do we feel, looking down like him???
Is it like an elegant delightful and overwhelming feeling of beauty,
dwelling from the inside of us?
A feeling of humble devotion to something greater, something indescribable,
a feeling of contentment, a comfort of just being,
which fills our hearts overflowing with joy and peace – unspeakable and full of glory–
like the love of God.
Once I had a very special passenger: Josef, a blind boy from Soweto in South Africa.
As we fly over the Falls, he could describe the beauty with words out of his spirit, because he could see with the eyes of his heart…
I pray that the eyes of our hearts and understanding being opened to Gods beautiful creation and salvation.
Merry CHRISTmas!!!
“Glory to God in the Highest, and peace on earth to all men whom God is well pleased.” Luke 2:14
Heiko Oliver Held & Anita Marie Phelps
Married on 26th of November, 2008
Livingstone Island, Zambia
How do you explain?
How do you describe?
A love that goes from east to west
And runs as deep as it is wide?
You know all our hopes.
Lord you know all our fears.
And words can not express the love we feel,
But we long for you…to hear.
So listen to our hearts
And hear our spirits sing.
A song of praise
From those you have redeemed.
We will use the words we know
To tell you what an awesome God you are.
But words are not enough
To tell you of our love.
So listen to our hearts…
If words can fall like rain
From these lips of mine.
If I have a thousand years
I will still run out of time
So if You listen to my heart,
Every beat will say,
Thank you for the life,
Thank you for the truth,
Thank you for the way.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
The Kiss
By Heiko Oliver Held
My whole world is reduced to one kiss…
I am kissing the bride.
I have only one sense remaining – the glorious feeling – of her lips on mine,
soft, very gentle, yet demanding, hoping.
The darkness behind my closed eyes is complete. Only feeling remains. Her body close to mine, her arms around me.
We are holding on to each other tight – very close from the edge where the Zambezi river usually drops with great thunder into the Batoka gorge.
We are on Livingstone Island, called so in honour of his name, yet no water surrounding it now in this November.
Eleven days (and 103 years..) later after David Livingstone arrived and spoke his magnificent words: “.. as beautiful as flying angels, looking into heaven.”
I truly am - right now in heaven here on earth.
Because my whole world is reduced to: The only sensual feeling of this kiss.
Time fades, nothing else matters. My being, my whole self is reduced to – nothing.
Just then my bride hears Gods voice in her heart, saying “everything!” , and all I feel is her lips gently removing from mine, uttering softly only one word: “everything”.
And in my rejoicing heart the eternal equation of life unfolds:
Jesus plus my nothing equals everything!
Wedding Day Video coming soon!
Hear the voice of the Father… don’t let anything hold you back…Father… He is calling you…come up here, come up now…my Beloved. (These are the words of a song by Jason Upton…they ushered me in to the presence…)
I heard Jesus speak to me, “ Our Father has created you for me. You must give yourself to me wholeheartedly. As my Bride, the one I love so much. I am so in love with you, passionately, intimately. You are my chosen one. I have chosen you to be my Bride out of all the Princesses. I have chosen you to be my Bride, My One, My Chosen. I am so madly in love with you, you are all I can see, and you are the most beautiful. I am your completeness, your full measure of Love filling you and over pouring, never ending. You are my delight, my Queen, My one Holy passion that the Father has sealed with a Holy kiss. You are My Pure Joy… My Reward for My faithfulness on the cross. My Beloved. So come up here to me My Bride, My lover of My soul, come up here to me and stand with me before the Father. Be bound to me for eternity as your Husband, your lover, your intimate passion and desire, your true provider, your all and all, your everything, your completeness in the Father. You are My Beloved. I have made you beautiful Forever.”
Then suddenly He took me up into the Heavens before the throne of the Father…I stood before him in a white flowing gown. He was in a white fluid shirt and pants. He wore a golden crown of garland. He said, “ I have been waiting for you all your life. I watched you from the beginning in your mother’s womb. I took you into our secret garden when you were a child and I watched you grow. I was there with you every second of your life. You are so beautiful; you have always been so beautiful. I have been so in love with you as I waited for you to grow.” He placed a beautiful crown of white flowers intertwined with gold and green garland on my head. “I have crowned you with beauty and splendor that can never fade. I have crowned you beautiful… forever. You have always been beautiful, you could never have been tarnished.” He gently touched my face as I touched His and He kissed me on the forehead. My eyes gently closed to linger in that moment a little longer, to feel his Holy lips on my forehead. I fall to my knees and He joins me, never for one second looking away. “I have waited a long time for this moment,” says Jesus. “I am with you always, I can never leave you.” We stood up and He began to dance with me before the Father. He said, “ I have placed all the desires in your heart in our secret place when you were a child. I filled you with all of your hope and love. You have been promised to me from the Father even before you were born. I have loved you all along. You are My Holy passion and one desire. I love you my Beloved.”
I stood mesmerized before Him with the warmth of the Father looking upon us, filling us, overflowing. “There have never been ashes, you have been beautiful to me all along. This is all I could see when I look at you, from the beginning before you were born, through your youth, until now and for eternity. I have loved you so much that love is all I could ever see in you. There is nothing you could do or nothing you have already done that could change that, nothing. Come up here so I can heal all the scars with my love. I fill them all with my love that is never ending and flowing and pouring onto you whenever you need it. I am your full measure, your completeness, and your wholeness. I am right here by your side for all eternity My Beautiful, My Beloved,” says the Lord. “You can always come up here, I will be anxiously waiting for you.”
Revelation: Key to the Kingdom of HeavenI was praising and worshiping the Lord early one morning in the prayer hut. I was all alone basking in the glory of the sun shining through as I looked down over the base and further to the ocean. The sun reflected onto the water like molten silver. As I sang praises to the Lord the beauty magnified and it felt like the molten silver turned into a luxurious oil that was suddenly covering my body, filling me with the Love of the Father. With my hands raised in praise I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Walk with me into the garden.” In my spirit I could feel the presence of Jesus standing right next to me, His love radiating from Him onto me like the molten love of the sea.
We began to walk out of the prayer hut into the garden that was dry and brown. We walked to a bench and He said to me, “Sit with me here.” I sat down and tucked my knees into my chest and gently rocked side to side as if Jesus was holding me and rocking me back and forth like a small child. I spoke to Jesus and asked Him why did everything have to be dead, why couldn’t we just be transported into the Garden of Eden right now? He replied to me, “We are. Just focus on all the life in front of you.” Suddenly I began to notice all the small daisies hiding in the weeds. The colors began to magnify. In an instant small butterflies appeared and were fluttering about the flowers. I had to touch a flower to believe what I was seeing and I reached down and put my finger on a petal and a small butterfly landed on my finger. Amazed, I began to look all around. All I could see were the trees and leaves that were alive, the flowers and vines that crawled through the dead grass and weeds, the flowers blooming amongst the thicket. The colors…they were all magnified like glistening gemstones. I sat there speechless, mesmerized at the beauty of God’s love like a firework display before my eyes.
Then Jesus spoke to me. He said, “You can always enter into the Kingdom any time you want to, all you have to do is focus on what is alive in front of you. Death will always be all around, but if you can seek what is alive with life, then you will begin to witness the Kingdom of Heaven manifest here on earth.”
Then He spoke again and said, “Come walk with me.” I got up and began to walk with Jesus back to the prayer hut where I first heard His voice. We stood once again overlooking the ocean. He said, “ This is just a glimpse of how wide and deep the Father’s love really is. And He created it just for you. Just focus on what is alive.” And suddenly I stood there weeping and Jesus voice was gone, but the presence of the Fathers Love filled me to overflowing.
A Double Portion of God’s Love Poured OutIt is our last night with the young men. If you count Sasha, Virginia, a UK missionary and myself, then tonight Sasha’s wish of each of us having 12 disciples came to pass. There were 24 of us this night. I had miraculously managed to find them all a bible by tonight. For the first time they all had one with their very own name written in it.
I prayed and worshiped all day. I wanted tonight to be really special for these guys. I spent hours of my day baking a chocolate cake and I prepared cola flavored water. But my heart was saddened. I did not want this to be the last night. I wanted to stay here forever and watch these young men continue to be transformed into men of God.
This morning I had a vision of all of the guys singing and dancing. That is my most favorite thing to experience in Africa. To dance among the indigenous and listen to the power in their voices worshiping God. It is a completely uninhibited sound and feeling of worship I have never experienced in America. I must say this is one of the things that keep my soul longing to be in Africa.
Last night after bible study I had to pull aside some of the problematic troublemakers, rebuke them and encourage them to walk in a righteous path. I felt bad about it afterward, especially because this was not how I wanted to end my time here. Then the Lord very sternly reminded me that He disciplines those He loves. Then I felt peace about it. My hope now was that they would still come to the final meeting and celebrate with us.
They did come and Sasha and I spoke to the group to encourage them all that God had a purpose and a plan for their lives and to never lose hope but keep their eyes set on Jesus; and dream Big. Then we had prayer and shared the cake I made for them.
We dished it out and there was a small piece left. We handed the plate to the young man who had been stepping up in leadership. All of the guys surrounded him and in a matter of seconds the plate that was once covered in a layer of frosting now looked like it had been washed clean. Sasha and I stood in amazement and laughed.
We then all gathered in a circle and started to worship. The guys took turns leading in song and dance and we all gathered in. We had so much fun, I did not want it to stop. I just imagine this is how worship is in Heaven and I could feel the Lord smile down on us from above.
The night was coming to a close and Sasha and I stood in the middle of the circle as the guys prayed over us. Afterwards we had to say goodbye to the guys. The young man that was stepping into leadership asked us if we could tell the group he wanted to start assisting with the teaching. A guy from the UK had arrived a few days earlier and said we could pass the torch off to him while he was here. So we informed the group they would both be taking over the bible study group. The guys started to oppose their peer but he stood firm and told me he would teach even if only one showed up. I was very proud of him and I trust the UK missionary will teach him how to walk in the shoes of a leader through the Holy Spirit. I can’t wait to find out what happens.
As I was about to say my last goodbyes I began to fight back the tears. In that moment I said to the Lord, “Lord I would give up all my dreams, my desires, my life, joyfully, rejoicing, if only you would let me stay here and show your love to these young men so they can change this nation.” That was the cry of my heart and I meant it with all my heart, my entire mind, and all my spirit. I would give everything to stay here with them and pour out God’s love.
Then the Lord spoke to me. He reminded me that my prayer from before I arrived here was to experience a double portion of His Love. He said, “This is My double portion, my pure heart, and I am pouring it out and giving it to you, this is what it feels like. When you can lay down your life willingly with a joyful heart, mind and spirit, for the life of another. This is my true heart and love and I am imparting it to you. You will always know whom I have called you to by this outpouring of my love. You will experience this with each one I send you to reach. And you will impart my love to them through My Holy Spirit.”
I was completely wrecked. The pain I felt in my heart to leave these guys that I loved more than my own life…I just don’t have words to express what I felt in that moment, even now. All I know is that I have been gloriously wrecked. I am not the same person. In an instant I am the remains of a person who has seen a glimpse of the Father. My life will never again be my own. I give it all to Him to do with as He pleases. I will go anywhere and do anything He asks of me if only I can experience more of this flesh shattering love. Everything else seems so meaningless. Only His love has meaning. Meaning that those who have had a glimpse of the Father can truly understand.
With His pure love the Heavens open up and the supernatural becomes the natural and the world as we know it slowly begins to fade into the landscape. On earth as it is in Heaven becomes manifest where we can access it through the guidance of Holy Spirit. My hunger and thirst has just become even more unquenchable. Thank you Abba Father for your pure love, for drawing near to me as I draw near to you. For answering my prayer and teaching me that your ways are so much higher than my own. I will chase after you all the days of my life until I can finally be held in your arms. Nothing else matters more. Here am I Lord, I am all yours, do with me, as you will. Amen.
Tomorrow is my last day here before I journey to Zambia on my next mission. I can feel in my spirit something powerful is going to happen tomorrow. With a very humble heart and extreme anticipation I wait for tomorrow to come…for Holy Spirit to come and to answer my second prayer when I arrived here, that I may have the key to access the Kingdom of Heaven while I am here on earth…in faith I believe He will answer…so in anticipation I wait for tomorrow to come…
A very cool thing happened when we began these studies.
(Here is a passage from Sasha’s journal):
At the end of one of our teachings, we broke off into three small groups to pray. One of the guys who is quiet and we don’t know too well yet, said that he had seen an Angel and had a message to share with us. He spoke through a translator and said to Anita: “I saw an Angel stand before you and he looked into my eyes. As I looked into the angel’s eyes, the angel said to me: The Holy Spirit is with these girls. God has given these white women the teachings in their hands. The angel instructed me that all of us guys should listen to what you have to say because He had given you the words to speak and poured into your hands all the teachings that you would impart to us. The angel told me that the time is short so it is very important that we listen to all the words that you girls have to say because you will have to leave soon.”
“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.” (Acts 2:17-18).
It has been three weeks of bible studies. Nightly the group grows. Holy Spirit comes with Fire from Heaven and meets us in this place. The other night Sasha led the study teaching about Communion. Here is Sasha’s journal entry, enjoy:
We had fifteen guys in our discipleship group tonight, and seven visitors. It’s awesome to see how the other visitors have taken an interest and are joining our Bible Study. I love that this is such a move of God and it is greater than just Anita and I leading a Bible Study!
Tonight, I taught on Communion from 1 Corinthians 11:23-32. I talked about the Last Supper and how Jesus talked to his disciples about his sacrifice for us, and how much He loves us. I also talked about the importance of confessing our sins, and God’s promise that He is faithful to forgive us (1 John 1:8-10).
Afterward, we asked the guys to go off on their own and spend time in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to examine their hearts. Then they were to repent and receive forgiveness. Once they were done praying, each guy came and took Communion from us. It was really powerful. All the guys took it seriously and prayed quietly. In our communal prayer time at the end, various guys would take turns leading in prayer, and several of them were slain in the Spirit and one of them got baptized with Holy Spirit laughter! It was awesome.
There were times when I was uncomfortable because the praying would get loud and in my mind somewhat obnoxious, but I was reminded that Holy Spirit was in control and who was I to say how He should manifest in another. So I just surrendered to Him; I never want to put the Holy Spirit in a box or confine Him because I don’t want to miss out on the fullness of what He wants to do in my life.
The prayer time turned into spontaneous worship, which was wonderful and powerful also. Holy Spirit, thank You for being faithful in meeting with us. I am so excited about the work You are doing in each of the guys. I surrender to You and the will of the Father. Amen
Fire Fall Down
It’s our fifth discipleship group today and the group has grown to about 12 (I jokingly say to Sasha, we have the 12 disciples, and she replies, we need 12 more because there are two of us.). I woke up today with an excitement in my spirit. As I began to worship this morning I knew that I knew the Holy Spirit was about to do something amazing tonight in our group. I worshiped all day in anticipation.
Yesterday our topic was baptism in the Holy Spirit. We prayed with the young men to receive the Holy Spirit. (This culture is very interesting. I have been learning that the Western world gets very excited about miracles, signs and wonders. While here in Africa when spiritual things happen it is so very matter of fact and it is nothing to get excited about). As we prayed fervently it seemed as though nothing was happening. We kept praying for a long time until I said to one that I was praying with I would continue to pray for him and he should keep seeking until it happens. About 5 minutes later this young man walked up to me very calmly and said he needed to tell me that he saw the Holy Spirit like fire underneath the Baobab tree and while we prayed it rushed across the garden and entered him and went into his heart and it felt like the hot burning fire entered his body. He then very calmly walked away as if nothing happened.
As I began to prepare for the topic of study tonight, Holy Spirit prompted me to teach on servant hood. What it means to be a true servant of Christ. I was given the scripture John 13 Jesus washes His disciples feet. I had a vision as I prayed and saw all the young men washing each other’s feet. I knew tonight was going to be powerful!
There have been many demonic attacks on our group, before during and after each session. Holy Spirit has been teaching me that we must stand in the authority given to us through Christ, this is a spiritual war we fight not an earthly one. So Sasha and I have been taking authority over the prayer hut prior to our sessions and praying in covering and peace and it has made all the difference. This night there was a strong presence of peace throughout the prayer hut, as if we were somewhere else entirely.
Tonight I knew it was such an important night. We prepared 4 basins of water and I placed them around the circular prayer hut. I spoke to the guys about true servant hood and explained why Jesus washed His disciples feet and told us to do the same. I asked them if in remembrance of Him and His command to serve one another if they would like to wash each others feet and to pray for one another while doing it. At first they were a bit hesitant, a few of the problem guys in the group just sat there with their arms crossed and silent. Then they all agreed. I strategically paired them up so that the rivaling guys would wash each other’s feet. As I assigned them to a basin they sheepishly walked over. I did not know what to expect but what happened next I will never forget for the rest of my life.
The moment the guys put their feet in the water they began to pray fervently for one another. As the other began to wash the feet, spontaneous prayer and worship broke out from the guys waiting their turn. (Definitely not the usual goofing off that takes place any quiet chance that arises.) The prayer was intense, so intense the guys were taking their time washing each other’s feet so they could soak in the presence of the Holy Spirit even longer. Then the true worship began. Some of the guys began walking around the prayer hut praying in tongues, praising the Lord, while other’s were slain in the Spirit on the ground hands up in worship. Others would finish washing their feet and then grab their bibles and with an excitement they began to show whoever was sitting next to them a scripture they just stumbled upon and they intently began to read it together. While yet others were flat on their faces and could not move.
But the most powerful of all was when the peaceful silence of the prayer hut filled with spontaneous singing that would jump from one of the guys to the next and to the next. I was filled so much with the presence of the Holy Spirit my legs went week and I fell to the ground laughing and in tears as the voices of these young men echoed like angels in heaven and I am convinced that is exactly what they sounded like.
There was a young man there that the Lord told me we needed to lift up and encourage as a leader. For the past several studies he had been stepping up and taking the lead with translating, praying for the others and giving messages. Tonight he had helped me translate and during this whole event he laid hands and prayed for each of the guys as this all went on. He was the only one who had not had his feet washed. Holy Spirit prompted me to wash his feet.
I knelt down and began to wash his feet and the presence of the Lord was so strong I just started weeping and praying in tongues. The young man began to be filled with the Holy Spirit and his body just jolted about. Sasha saw me washing his feet and began to walk towards us to lay hands on him and pray. She made it to only three feet from him and was slain to the ground in the Spirit. The Lord showed me he would be the one that would lead these young men when we leave. That he would equip and raise up his people to reach out into the nation.
As I finished washing his feet and proceeded to walk away, I fell to the ground unable to move. I couldn’t even speak as I realized I was watching the heavens open up right where we were and the lives of these young men being filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit. Tears streamed down my face. One right after the next, being slain in the Spirit, making heavenly melodies with their voices, devouring the word of God, and praying with all their hearts for one another. It just wouldn’t stop. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed in all my life.
This night I was gloriously wrecked. We all were gloriously wrecked. And we knew this was only a taste of what was yet to come. It was just a glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven…I hungered for more. This was the night I began to pray to the Lord for a supernatural hunger and thirst that would be unquenchable, keeping me always longing for more, until the day I will actually see His face. A new hunger had begun…
My prayer since before I arrived in Pemba was that the Lord would show me His heart and pour out His Love on me, a double portion. My heart was seeking intimacy with the Lord before I left. I did not know what to expect at Iris. My desire was to just get closer into the presence of the Lord.
My first week here I spent playing with children, worshiping with the Mozambiquans, feeding the village children. As I drew closer into His presence, Abba Father drew closer to me too. Holy Spirit taught me how to usher in the presence of the Lord through pure hungered worship. My roommate Sasha and I pray together and His presence comes, Holy Spirit comes, Jesus comes. In ways I have never imagined. Some say there is an open heaven at the base. I beleive there is a hunger at the base that ushers the presence of the Lord right into the midst of our worship.
It can be overwhelming here. So much busyness, so many children conditioned to beg, lie and manipulate the visiting missionaries to get things from them. They have been supplied all their needs at the base abundantly and yet the orphan spirit that consumes Africa still abounds in the minds of these little ones. It can harden visitors hearts when they arrive and try to love on all these children that really only care if you give them something and when you don’t they have nothing to do with you. It makes it hard to share the Love of Christ to those who would rather have an ipod. But in it all Christ is so much bigger than the orphan spirit.
So my first week I spent seeking direction from the Holy Spirit. I could either be very busy with doing many things with the children I think would be good or I could be guided by Holy Spirit to do the mission I was called here to do. So I waited for my mission and it arrived.
The second Sunday as I prayed Holy Spirit told me to go into the village to minister to the local community. I asked a few of the Village boys that the base uses to translate for the missionaries if they would like to go with Sasha and I to assist us.
We managed to gather 5 young men to come along. As we headed into the village Holy Spirit told me to let the young men lead the ministry and Sasha and I should assist them with whatever they needed us to do. I informed the young guys of this and they were very excited. Normally they only translate and pray with the missionaries. Now they were doing the ministry. They took us to all of their families first to pray with them. Then I encouraged them to go door to door. They nervously approached people and began to share with them. I quickly realized that these guys had no clue what they were doing. They did not even know the story of Jesus for themselves. Holy Spirit told me I needed to teach them so I began to show them how to minister from the bible and then I watched as they eagerly wanted to learn more.
That day marked the beginning of my mission at the base. The Lord showed me I needed to teach and disciple these young men. They were all saved, water baptised, had a testimony and been conditioned to be prayer warriors, but now it was time they had an intimate encounter with their Father.
It is very taboo for single women to minister to young men in Africa. Especially in Mozambique where sexual things are taught to children as young as 4 and encouraged throughout their youth. It is a very permiscuous society. I was a bit hesitant when Holy Spirit said we should teach these young men. It could cause the wrong message to get passed along amongst them and the message of Christ could be missed entirely. But Holy Spirit told me if I trusted the Lord, He would stand in the gap and communicate the true heart of the Lord. So in faith I stepped out into the unknown.
Holy Spirit gave me the first bible lesson and kept speaking to me that they would be the ones to lead the study. All I knew was I needed to be there to organize it. Sasha and I told the guys that came with us to the village that we would have a bible study for them and their friends if they were interested.
Monday was our first night, 5pm (or in Africa time 5:41pm). Eight guys showed up anxious to learn and only two had a bible. Sasha and I wrote down their names and thus started our mission to get each one of them a bible even though we were told there were none to be purchased in Pemba due to a shortage.
I spoke about God’s Love for them explaining breifly from creation to revelation. At the end I gave them an assignment to reach out and love on someone that was hard to love and report back next study what happened. Holy Spirit reminded me that they needed to lead how the study would go for tomorrow so I asked them all what questions they would like answered about Christianity. The list began to flood in and so did Holy Spirit. The hunger had begun…
The Last Will Be First And The First Will Be Last (Matthew 20:16)
Today started out as every day here. The sounds of children singing in the darkness at 4:30am, the pounding of the metal pot to signal breakfast is ready at 6am, morning prayer and worship at 7-8:30am. But today something was different. I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit strong today and could feel that something was taking place in the spirit realm. I wanted to just go to a quiet place and spend some alone time in prayer, but I needed to take a broom down to the afternoon village feeding.
As I arrived to 200 children sitting in the feeding building waiting not so patiently to be fed, I began to feel in my heart the move of the spirit. I told them a story and began to dance with them. Then the feeding began. Chaos began taking place with the children as usual while they fought their way to the front of the line in fear to be last just in case there would not be enough. We poured water into their mouths from large water bottles as the children bent their heads back like little birds waiting for a drink. Then the food was served.
As we got to the last 100 children we realized there would not be enough and we started to ration the food out. Then there they were, the last 34 children that were trampled and beat on by the previous children remained waiting in a perfectly straight line. Fear filled their eyes as we all stood looking into the empty pots and plates. The food was gone, all of it. All the helpers gathered around the pot and held hands as children watched on with blank faces and somber silence. We began to pray and ask God to multiply the food, we prayed fervently as tears streamed down my face. “Feed these children Lord, multiply the food,” we cried out. But as we opened our eyes the pot remained empty.
I felt defeated but I just kept praying. One of the staff went to find some more food and managed to get a pot of rice for only 10 children. I ran to my room with another girl to grab all the bread and biscuits we had. We ran back to watch as the pot of rice that would only feed 10 had miraculously filled 40 plates to the top. We tore up the bread and biscuits and added it to the plates of food. The children looked on with eyes wide open at the feast that was presented before them. Then one of the missionaries spoke the words Jesus spoke in Matthew 20:16, “The last will be first and the first will be last.” We handed out all the food and the children ran off with their plates in excitement.
Our ways are not always the Lord’s ways, but when He provides a miracle it is not only humbling, it is a feast from the Heavens, abundantly more than we could have hoped for. Thank you Lord for your supernatural provision and love. Amen.
Vision: The Battlefield of the Mind
The Lord is pleased with this place. The Holy Spirit is so strong here. The moment I close my eyes to pray the presence of the Lord pours out. Every night I worship with my roommate and the Lord gives us vision, vision from the Heavenlies. He has spoken to us and said He has unlocked the doors of His storehouse and given access to anything we ask for in Faith and it will be done. Every day we are anxious for our nightly invitation and visitation with the Lord and overwhelmed that He has chosen us to have access to the Secret Place. Humbly we sit before Him and call out for His love to pour over us as we pray for the things placed on our heart through Him. We pray and He comes…
The first day I was here the attack began. The battlefield of my mind saying I am not worthy to be here or to worship to the Lord, I have no purpose, what good am I, I am a stranger in a strange land where I don’t speak the language; then the night attack began, I felt like I was suffocating and could not fall asleep or I would stop breathing; and the dream, the demonic dream too horrible to tell. In the morning I awoke and went through the day praying for the Lord to draw close, to show His face but He would not come, just silence. Then my roommate Sasha confided in me that she experienced the same thing.
In that moment the Lord spoke to me. He reminded me that it is a battle of the spirit and we were under demonic attack. “I also tell you this: if two of you agree down here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together because they are mine, I am there among them. (Matthew 18:19-20). That night it became clear, the Lord had brought us here, ordained this time with Him, to strengthen us, renew us and prepare us for the work ahead and the two of us were commissioned to pray together. So we prayed over the demonic spirit and attacks and it was gone, in the Name of Jesus.
I always find myself praying, “Lord change my mind to be like yours”. He showed me through the battlefield of my mind I was being transformed. “This is not a war of flesh but a war of the Spirit realm,” He said. “I must take you through the flames of battle to recognize and discern the arrows of the enemy from the thoughts of Christ so you may know the Truth and your mind may be transformed through with my word I have placed on your heart. You must go through the battle but you will stand strong on the pillar of my word and I will strengthen you and protect you always. You are being built up in me for the war ahead, you must recognize this is a war of the Spirit not of the flesh.” His words took me to Hezekiahs poem of praise in Isaiah 38:15-16 when Hezekiah stands humbly to the hand of the Lord and praises Him for His discipline that leads to life.
I praise your will and discipline Lord God. Thank you for choosing me to be your warrior, to calling me into the front lines of battle that I may collect and lift up your children to join the war against the enemy and know your all mighty and powerful love. I praise your Holy Name Abba Father.
Vision: Angel of the Lord to Prepare the Way
Last night the Lord showed me a battlefield. He said it is a battle of the Spirit realm that goes on. We are more in the Spirit realm than in the flesh. The flesh is meaningless and will fade away. But the battle is in the Spirit realm. He showed me the flames and disaster of the wages of this war. It was so heavy… so heavy. I was scared with a fear, a fear I have never felt before. There was a wall that was built up but not high enough to keep the war from me. The Holy Spirit spoke to me and told me that He was interceding on my behalf during the times I sleep and the times my guard is down, but I must strengthen myself for the battle ahead.
Suddenly Sasha saw an angel of the Lord come into the room, a massive angel that stood from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. He placed new armor on Sasha and I. He gave us new armor, shield and a flaming sword. The Lord said, “I am preparing you for the battle, I am renewing your weapons and strengthening your Spirit.”
Then He spoke to me and said, “ I am sending you out to collect my Bride, to prepare my Bride for my return. I will send an angel before you and lead you into the land I have prepared for you and you will gather my Bride.” He showed me a giant silo and the souls of His children were filling it up quickly while His pure love lit it aglow. He said He was building up a storehouse of His love to build up an army who will walk in faith to the battle lines and lead the way to the war front. Then I saw the souls being filled and strengthened with His Spirit and dispersing from the silo into the battlefield. War, flames and destruction surrounded everywhere and the lights of the souls raged forward in strength.
Every single soul from the earth was there and the Lord spoke again, “ This is when I will return to save my Bride, to collect my Bride. This is when I will come to save you all and bring you into my secret place. When they have all been told, when those who have chosen to Believe have all been prepared to join into the battle. The time is now. The demonic force will be so strong that they can no longer take one more moment and they all cry out in Faith, “Father save us! Jesus save us!” This is when I will return to take home my Bride. I need all of them; I will not leave one behind. Go and collect my Bride.”
I opened my eyes and the fear of the Lord came over me. My flesh feared the battle ahead but my Spirit resides in peace.
In strength in my blind Faith alone Lord I will go for you Jesus, Here am I Lord, prepare me and send me into battle. Thank you for sending me to collect your Bride, I will bring her to you Jesus. Amen. In strength in my blind Faith alone Lord I will go for you Jesus, Here am I Lord, prepare me and send me into battle. Thank you for sending me to collect your Bride, I will bring her to you Jesus. Amen.
Greetings from the beautiful country of Mozambique,
I arrived at the Mission Base and was welcomed by hundreds of children. The base camp is situated across the road from the ocean. The view is breathtaking, but the children are even more beautiful. There are 250 children here that have been taken in as orphans or rescued from the streets, children that where sick, dying, abused or just left behind. Only a wall separates us from the local village to where we live so the villager kids integrate with the base kids. Every day over 1,000 children get fed a hot meal. Over 700 children attend school for free because of donated money to the ministry. There is a mission school here, housing for all the base children, a dining hall for the base kids and 4 feeding halls for the village kids, a school, mission housing and a medical clinic and offices. The entire ministry is run on faith donations for they do not actively fund raise. This place is a living testimony of God’s Love and Miracles.
I helped with the feeding today. The ministry has a saying that with Jesus there is always enough. I washed hundreds of village children’s hands today so they could eat. Some of them as small as 3 or 4 years old will carry small plastic bags with them so they can take home half of their plate of food or whatever is left over on anyone’s plate, to help feed their family. I can’t even begin to explain how humbling and heart wrenching of an experience this was when I think that I come from a country where we have well more than enough that we throw away our leftovers.
I had my first opportunity to work in the clinic today as well. I cleaned out my first wound here. I have been trained in the US as an EMT and only have been able to train and watch. I have been nervous about treating patients due to the fact that I get nauseous and dizzy at the sight of blood, but the Lord is faithful and we can know it is a miracle when we can do something not by our own strength. Today as the doctor said the words “ does anyone want to clean out a wound?” I found myself looking around for someone to speak up, but I was it. As I unwrapped the filthy bandage from the boy’s leg I began to pray, please Lord may it not be infected and full of puss. And well, it was a large deep tissue burn that looked really bad that I needed to clean out, treat and rewrap. For an instant I thought to myself I hope I don’t pass out, but before I knew it I was cleaning the wound. By the time I was finished I was excited to see the next one and the next. Only the Lord could have given me the strength and excitement to do what I thought I could not do, only the Lord.
Today as I worshiped in church 8 children crowded in on my pew to sit with me. They began to fight with one another as to who would hold my hand. One little girl from the village wrapped herself around my arm and laid down in my lap and fell asleep while the others grabbed for me to wrap my arms around them, as yet others braided my hair. These children are starving for love and to be held. There are just so many of them and I keep praying, “Lord let me love one more, one more and one more.” I can only continue to pray that the Lord keeps pouring more love into me so that I can love even more, so that I can love the way Christ loves and I can heal with my hands and prayers the way Christ healed. For today, my second day in Pemba, this is my prayer.
God Bless you all,
Anita In Africa
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“Two of the greatest gifts in this life are Love and Time. My greatest hope is that I can capture a mlisecond of that time through my lens and see the heart of God.” Anita Phelps
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