From Iris website:
Short Summary of Location The vision of the leadership of our center is to see the gospel bring total transformation in the lives of the people we serve. We long to create true disciples who will in turn change their world and the people around them.
“The same good news that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God's wonderful grace.” Colossians 1:6 (NLT)
FacilitiesBase Operations: Childcare, Bible School, Evangelism, Trade School, Farm Program, Prayer, and Disaster Relief
ABOUT US
Iris Dondo, Sofala Province, Central Mozambique
Location Summary
The dominant ethnic group in our area is the Massena people. They speak Sena as their native tongue, but there is no reliable Bible translated into their language yet. We care for 27 children, all boys between the ages of 7-18 who were either orphaned, abandoned, or abused. Our goal is to take these boys from their desperate or dangerous situations, see them physically and emotionally healed and come to know God as their loving Father, and depending on their age either help them find family or give them opportunities for job training so that when they leave they can be independent and responsible adults.
Every 3 months we receive approximately 50-70 students to attend our Bible School. The students are Mozambicans that come from the provinces of Manica, Tete, Zambezia and Sofala. The Bible School is directed by a Mozambican, Pastor Pascoal.
The dominant ethnic group in our area is the Massena people. They speak Sena as their native tongue, but there is no reliable Bible translated into their language yet. We care for 27 children, all boys between the ages of 7-18 who were either orphaned, abandoned, or abused. Our goal is to take these boys from their desperate or dangerous situations, see them physically and emotionally healed and come to know God as their loving Father, and depending on their age either help them find family or give them opportunities for job training so that when they leave they can be independent and responsible adults.
Every 3 months we receive approximately 50-70 students to attend our Bible School. The students are Mozambicans that come from the provinces of Manica, Tete, Zambezia and Sofala. The Bible School is directed by a Mozambican, Pastor Pascoal.
In the past Dondo had an effort to distribute food to thousands of orphans in the villages of our province who were being cared for by Iris church members, but the project was so big it was unrealistic to really sustain the families that had volunteered to help these needy kids. We changed the face of village-based orphan care to being a farm project initiative, where we purchase land for the churches to cultivate and provide food for the orphans. Julie Davis heads up this project, and the churches have been very excited to volunteer their time and provide their help to see these kids cared for.
Once a month we have a food distribution for a number of widows and crippled or blind people in the Dondo area. We have also built a couple houses for the widows who were in the most desperate situations. Our worker Joaquim volunteers to help in this ministry.
Once a month we have a food distribution for a number of widows and crippled or blind people in the Dondo area. We have also built a couple houses for the widows who were in the most desperate situations. Our worker Joaquim volunteers to help in this ministry.
We have several different ministries and evangelism efforts out of Dondo. One is the jail ministry, which has been thriving for several years now. It is directed by Lino, a very godly man from our Iris church who was himself saved while in jail, so his testimony is a powerful message of hope for the prisoners. We also like to help released prisoners who were saved through our ministry by sometimes providing temporary work for them on the base while they reestablish their reputations as honest men in the community.
Another ministry we have is to the hospital, going every week with love, prayers, and fruit for the sick. We have seen many healings and salvations in the hospital, even some people with terminal illnesses have been completely healed! Our missionary Becky Hovey initiated and runs this ministry.
There are two kinds of bush evangelism outreaches, one headed up by the church leaders and members and one team made entirely of our kids on the base and is led by Ashlee. It's especially exciting to see our kids taking on leadership roles, leading worship, performing dramas, preaching, praying for the sick, running the sound system, and seeing God use them powerfully. They have truly blessed a number of churches and villages!
We have a goal to start a new trade school on our base for training our boys, Bible students, and eventually members of the community in some practical work skills. We have a building ready to become the workshops; now we just need to lay the plans for how we will run it and find good teachers to come in and help train these young men and women and give them a skill that can help support their futures.
Another ministry we have is to the hospital, going every week with love, prayers, and fruit for the sick. We have seen many healings and salvations in the hospital, even some people with terminal illnesses have been completely healed! Our missionary Becky Hovey initiated and runs this ministry.
There are two kinds of bush evangelism outreaches, one headed up by the church leaders and members and one team made entirely of our kids on the base and is led by Ashlee. It's especially exciting to see our kids taking on leadership roles, leading worship, performing dramas, preaching, praying for the sick, running the sound system, and seeing God use them powerfully. They have truly blessed a number of churches and villages!
We have a goal to start a new trade school on our base for training our boys, Bible students, and eventually members of the community in some practical work skills. We have a building ready to become the workshops; now we just need to lay the plans for how we will run it and find good teachers to come in and help train these young men and women and give them a skill that can help support their futures.
THE TEAM
Jon and Carla Reinagel
Base Directors
Jon and Carla got married in May 2007, and after a few months found themselves in Mozambique serving Iris Ministries as short-term missionaries for nine months. During that time they felt God calling them to come back specifically to the Dondo base, where they committed to long-term service in January 2009. While they are in the United States, they make their home in Rolla, Missouri. They had their first child in spring 2010.
Base Directors
Jon and Carla got married in May 2007, and after a few months found themselves in Mozambique serving Iris Ministries as short-term missionaries for nine months. During that time they felt God calling them to come back specifically to the Dondo base, where they committed to long-term service in January 2009. While they are in the United States, they make their home in Rolla, Missouri. They had their first child in spring 2010.
Jon
Jon.Reinagel@gmail.com
www.jonandcarla.com
Jon went to college planning on being an Aerospace engineer. God had other plans. In his freshman year, Jon got saved and gave his life to God. Jon became obsessed with seeing one person come to Christ - he figured that if he got just one person saved, then he would have done his part to keep Christianity alive. That was back when he thought Christianity was dying. That summer, he counseled at a summer camp, where he ran smack into the power of God to change and transform lives. Eleven out of Jon's fourteen campers gave their lives to God, and Jon began to realize Jesus' power and plans were greater than Jon could have ever guessed. After that, he listened to one too many of God's leadings and found himself on the mission field in the Philippines. While he was there, God asked Jon to give up his future Aerospace career and the girl he was dating at the time. That began Jon's life of following God, no matter how crazy His leadings are. The rest of Jon's time in college was marked by working as a Resident Assistant, leading small groups, organizing prayer watches, and occasionally doing homework. He still primarily considers himself a discipler and there is no where he is happier than sitting down with someone and talking about what God is doing in their life.
Jon.Reinagel@gmail.com
www.jonandcarla.com
Jon went to college planning on being an Aerospace engineer. God had other plans. In his freshman year, Jon got saved and gave his life to God. Jon became obsessed with seeing one person come to Christ - he figured that if he got just one person saved, then he would have done his part to keep Christianity alive. That was back when he thought Christianity was dying. That summer, he counseled at a summer camp, where he ran smack into the power of God to change and transform lives. Eleven out of Jon's fourteen campers gave their lives to God, and Jon began to realize Jesus' power and plans were greater than Jon could have ever guessed. After that, he listened to one too many of God's leadings and found himself on the mission field in the Philippines. While he was there, God asked Jon to give up his future Aerospace career and the girl he was dating at the time. That began Jon's life of following God, no matter how crazy His leadings are. The rest of Jon's time in college was marked by working as a Resident Assistant, leading small groups, organizing prayer watches, and occasionally doing homework. He still primarily considers himself a discipler and there is no where he is happier than sitting down with someone and talking about what God is doing in their life.
Carla
CarlaReinagel@gmail.com
www.jonandcarla.com
Carla grew up in a very missions-focused family--they lived on a Youth With A Mission base in Texas for two years and then her whole family moved to Russia for two more years when she was 9. As long as she can remember she had a heart for taking the good news about Jesus Christ to people around the world. When she graduated from home schooling, she attended Rosedale Bible College in Ohio for two years before embarking on her first mission trip without her family, going to Bangladesh for six months. There she fell in love with the people, the culture, and the opportunities she had daily to share God's love with the people around her. She also had her first experience with teaching English as a second language, which she enjoyed immensely and decided to pursue as a ministry opportunity in long-term mission work. When she got back to the States, she attended the University of Missouri-Rolla for English and Education to take steps toward that goal, and it was providentially where she met Jon, who also felt God calling him into a life of foreign missions. While still going to school she got a job teaching English for international students, and she spent a summer vacation in China doing the same.
CarlaReinagel@gmail.com
www.jonandcarla.com
Carla grew up in a very missions-focused family--they lived on a Youth With A Mission base in Texas for two years and then her whole family moved to Russia for two more years when she was 9. As long as she can remember she had a heart for taking the good news about Jesus Christ to people around the world. When she graduated from home schooling, she attended Rosedale Bible College in Ohio for two years before embarking on her first mission trip without her family, going to Bangladesh for six months. There she fell in love with the people, the culture, and the opportunities she had daily to share God's love with the people around her. She also had her first experience with teaching English as a second language, which she enjoyed immensely and decided to pursue as a ministry opportunity in long-term mission work. When she got back to the States, she attended the University of Missouri-Rolla for English and Education to take steps toward that goal, and it was providentially where she met Jon, who also felt God calling him into a life of foreign missions. While still going to school she got a job teaching English for international students, and she spent a summer vacation in China doing the same.
Rebecca “Becky” Hovey
becky_bo34@hotmail.com
www.irismin.ca/rebecca-hovey
Becky joined the Dondo team as a short-term missionary for three months in 2009, and felt God calling her to commit to more. While she was here she initiated and ran the hospital ministry, helped with discipling and loving the kids, and did lots of other random helps on the base. She returned as a long-term missionary in early December 2009, and we are excited to have her back!
Becky comes to Iris from a small town in Southern Ontario, where she has lived for the past several years, since becoming involved in a church internship. She took her first mission's trip to Haiti at the age of 16, and fell in love with overseas mission work at that time. Every school paper and project from that time forward was about third world countries! In 2006 Becky attended a School of Ministry in Toronto, and encountered God in a new way. "God breathed life into my dreams of living my life on the mission field and awakened new life into me, revealing more of who I am. I understood that He was able to use me as I am.” After finishing the School of Ministry and spending time praying for the next step, Becky felt called to take a church internship program in Ontario. "During that time God really dealt with my character and brought some healing that was needed in my life. It prepared me for what God had next." It was in the summer of 2007 that Becky traveled to Mozambique for the first time, to attend the Harvest School of Missions. It was two more years before Becky would return to Mozambique. "I kept trying to return at several different points during the next 2 years, but God had different plans and taught me many needed lessons in trusting Him. It was then that I learned that wherever you are, is a mission field in itself."? ?After finishing a course in teaching English as a second language, an opportunity to help out at Iris's base in Dondo, Mozambique opened up. Dondo quite quickly became 'home', as Becky grew more and more in love with the town, the people and the children. While in Dondo, Becky had the joy of starting a hospital ministry, with weekly visitation. She also enjoyed teaching in the bible school on base, and discipling the children. "More than anything, I love hanging out with the kids, loving on them and playing with them, and getting to know the amazing people of Dondo."?Becky is planning to return to Dondo long-term, early in December, 2009.
becky_bo34@hotmail.com
www.irismin.ca/rebecca-hovey
Becky joined the Dondo team as a short-term missionary for three months in 2009, and felt God calling her to commit to more. While she was here she initiated and ran the hospital ministry, helped with discipling and loving the kids, and did lots of other random helps on the base. She returned as a long-term missionary in early December 2009, and we are excited to have her back!
Becky comes to Iris from a small town in Southern Ontario, where she has lived for the past several years, since becoming involved in a church internship. She took her first mission's trip to Haiti at the age of 16, and fell in love with overseas mission work at that time. Every school paper and project from that time forward was about third world countries! In 2006 Becky attended a School of Ministry in Toronto, and encountered God in a new way. "God breathed life into my dreams of living my life on the mission field and awakened new life into me, revealing more of who I am. I understood that He was able to use me as I am.” After finishing the School of Ministry and spending time praying for the next step, Becky felt called to take a church internship program in Ontario. "During that time God really dealt with my character and brought some healing that was needed in my life. It prepared me for what God had next." It was in the summer of 2007 that Becky traveled to Mozambique for the first time, to attend the Harvest School of Missions. It was two more years before Becky would return to Mozambique. "I kept trying to return at several different points during the next 2 years, but God had different plans and taught me many needed lessons in trusting Him. It was then that I learned that wherever you are, is a mission field in itself."? ?After finishing a course in teaching English as a second language, an opportunity to help out at Iris's base in Dondo, Mozambique opened up. Dondo quite quickly became 'home', as Becky grew more and more in love with the town, the people and the children. While in Dondo, Becky had the joy of starting a hospital ministry, with weekly visitation. She also enjoyed teaching in the bible school on base, and discipling the children. "More than anything, I love hanging out with the kids, loving on them and playing with them, and getting to know the amazing people of Dondo."?Becky is planning to return to Dondo long-term, early in December, 2009.
Julie
father4jewel@hotmail.com
www.irismin.ca/davis
Julie used to run the orphan food distribution program, but now she heads up the farming project to help the same kids in a more practical way. Her work takes her out traveling in the bush quite often, and she loves having opportunities to disciple and teach in the remote rural churches. She also heads up the local widow's ministry and has done disaster relief for floods. She has been working in Dondo since November 2006, and is a great blessing to the base.
father4jewel@hotmail.com
www.irismin.ca/davis
Julie used to run the orphan food distribution program, but now she heads up the farming project to help the same kids in a more practical way. Her work takes her out traveling in the bush quite often, and she loves having opportunities to disciple and teach in the remote rural churches. She also heads up the local widow's ministry and has done disaster relief for floods. She has been working in Dondo since November 2006, and is a great blessing to the base.
Julie comes to Iris from her home in Sherbrooke, Quebec. After working five years in the field of daycare, she found herself feeling that there had to be more. While seeking God for the 'more', in 2004 Julie was directed to study at the Toronto Airport School of Ministry. "During my time in Toronto the Lord showed me who I was and am in Him, as well as restoring my dreams and destiny in Him. I returned home transformed! I was now giving away to others the love and sweetness of God that had been poured into me. I was very interested in cross cultural missions but waiting for the Lords leading.
"When I learned of the Iris School of Missions in Pemba, I knew that God was calling me to go to it. I felt led to quit my job, sell what I owned, and be flexible in His hands! In summer 2006 I attended the Pemba training school and found that Iris and I fit together like a glove. I was accepted at the Dondo base, in the Dondo region of the province of Sofala, Mozambique, and moved there November 2006. What a blessing to be able to participate in what God is doing in all the earth. I will be involved mainly with food distribution and with the children's programs in the many church based orphanages in the local villages, discipling teaching and preaching."
"When I learned of the Iris School of Missions in Pemba, I knew that God was calling me to go to it. I felt led to quit my job, sell what I owned, and be flexible in His hands! In summer 2006 I attended the Pemba training school and found that Iris and I fit together like a glove. I was accepted at the Dondo base, in the Dondo region of the province of Sofala, Mozambique, and moved there November 2006. What a blessing to be able to participate in what God is doing in all the earth. I will be involved mainly with food distribution and with the children's programs in the many church based orphanages in the local villages, discipling teaching and preaching."
Marcia Bisbo Nascimento
mmdondo@hotmail.com
Marcia works as a teacher in the Bible school. She is the missionary who has been with Iris Dondo the longest, she arrived December 2004, but now she lives off-base and is starting to help another new mission organization down the road.
mmdondo@hotmail.com
Marcia works as a teacher in the Bible school. She is the missionary who has been with Iris Dondo the longest, she arrived December 2004, but now she lives off-base and is starting to help another new mission organization down the road.
Ashlee Cladek-Fletcher
ashleecl@yahoo.com
ashleecladek.blogspot.com
Ashlee has been at Iris Dondo second longest, arriving in 2005. She oversees the majority of responsibility for the kids on base, seeing to their needs and discipling them in their walks with Christ. She also leads the kids' evangelism team, helps with local outreaches like the jail ministry, and teaches in the Bible School as well. She has a heart for encouraging greater unity among the Christians in the Dondo area, and frequently visits other churches and ministries. She plans to leave in January 2010 because her life is undergoing a major transition as she is getting married!
ashleecl@yahoo.com
ashleecladek.blogspot.com
Ashlee has been at Iris Dondo second longest, arriving in 2005. She oversees the majority of responsibility for the kids on base, seeing to their needs and discipling them in their walks with Christ. She also leads the kids' evangelism team, helps with local outreaches like the jail ministry, and teaches in the Bible School as well. She has a heart for encouraging greater unity among the Christians in the Dondo area, and frequently visits other churches and ministries. She plans to leave in January 2010 because her life is undergoing a major transition as she is getting married!
Calli Smith
calli321@gmail.com
Calli joined the Dondo team in December 2009. She oversees the kids' area, continuing to disciple, teach, and care for them.
Tatielson and Michelle
Tatielson and Michelle come from Brazil and will be new missionaries in Dondo starting in early December. They felt God calling them to Dondo very strongly and committed to come sight unseen.
calli321@gmail.com
Calli joined the Dondo team in December 2009. She oversees the kids' area, continuing to disciple, teach, and care for them.
Tatielson and Michelle
Tatielson and Michelle come from Brazil and will be new missionaries in Dondo starting in early December. They felt God calling them to Dondo very strongly and committed to come sight unseen.
So...if this in indeed where they are, prayer needs are really the same, plus it looks like there are different areas they may be serving such as the hospital and jail. Pray that everything they do is motivated by love. Love must be where service stems from. Being the only sister surrounded by brothers at home, Brooke should be right in her element surrounded by the boys on this base. Pray she will love them like brothers and minister to them, and learn from them as God leads. Plus I can't help as a momma to ask you to pray for her and the Lancaster girls' protection as they are surrounded by these boys who come from troubled pasts. Pray for Jon & Marci as they travel back home to their own children, since they weren't able to stay the entire trip, but left for home as the rest of the team headed for Dondo. Pray that I hear from Brooke soon, so I know for sure where they are!
Thanks for your prayers, friends! You are loving The ONE and loving the one by praying.
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