High on a hill was a lonely goatherd - Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo!

I couldn't help but think of that fun song from The Sound of Music as I read a post from one of the Iris Missionaries.  First he posted that they had enjoyed some time on the front porch Sunday evening, laughing, worshiping together, and eating fried okra - one of Brooke's favorites!  I commented on his post, thanking him for updating, since I am missing my girl terribly!  I asked him to pass along a message to Brooke and to let Ed & Kay know that Mary & I had spent time praying on their front porch Saturday.  Another person also commented that she and her husband had spent time praying on Jon & Marci's (of We Will Go) front porch praying as well!  Don't you just love it?!!


The next post was about how he and his wife were taking the team to the nearby village of Mieze to assist with giving medication to a goat herd.  I just had to laugh at the image of sweet Kay in the middle of a goat herd! I could imagine just about anyone else on the team biting the bullet and doing it, but Kay?  Those of you who know our Kay are probably laughing right along with me!  I'm sure there will be some fun stories to be reported about this particular event!  ; )


Here is what Jim Taylor, the missionary reported:


"My wife and I took the Team to the village of Mieze today. They all helped us give the entire goat herd their parasite medication... took about an hour an half. Then we gave them a tour of the Mieze Center and they got to meet some of the children and hear the story of the Mieze Miracle. They were VERY helpful to us! It would have been a long hard job without them."


I wondered what the Mieze miracle meant, so I went to Iris' website to read about it.  I hope they don't mind if I borrow their content, so you can get a glimpse of what God is doing there.

Mieze (pron. mee-AY-zee) is a rural Mozambican village of 20,000 located about 10 km south of the Pemba airport along the main highway to Nampula...about a 20 minute drive from Iris' main Pemba Base. The Partners in Harvest church here was planted by Iris in 2004–the first outside the city of Pemba in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. The gospel was initially met with a very hostile reception here but that changed quickly, and under the leadership of Mieze Pastor Joao Juma, the Mieze church became second largest in the province after the church on the Pemba Base itself; and a strong contingent of mature Christian leaders–men, women and children–has been raised up within the Mieze congregation. The base is growing and has a strong focus on the love of God, education, loving children and providing health services.

Prayer Requests and Needs
• Please pray that the children continue to be transformed by the love of their Heavenly Father.

Mieze Model of Transformation
What is referred to today as the “Mieze Model for village transformation” began in 2006, when a team from Summerside, Prince Edward Island built a wonderful playground for village children beside the Mieze church building. Prophetic words from several credible sources at the time confirmed that this was just the beginning of a far-reaching vision. And that vision unfolded over the next few years to include several key initiatives...all led and staffed by the local Mieze church. God also confirmed his own word by many miracles, including the supernatural multiplication of food for poor village children on three occasions! The Mieze Model includes
• Village access to potable water
• School access program for 250 poor village children
• Food program for over 200 orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs)
• Twice-weekly medical clinics
• Milk program for needy mothers and babies
• Scabies and de-worming programs
• Residential children's village for 40 OVCs
• Weekly children's evangelistic program
• Recreational facilities for village children
• Farming projects: goats, chickens, eggs, vegetables and fruit
• Continuing education and training of area pastors and church leaders

Residential Children's Village: The Village of Love 
In 2007, a small residential children's village was built for 36-40 orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs). These children were truly “the least of the least” when they came to the Mieze Village of Love. Most had absolutely no possessions other than the worn and tattered rags they were wearing. None had ever slept on a mattress or a bed before. None had ever experienced running water from a tap or electricity from a switch. They had no idea what to do with a flush toilet. Most hadn't ever even seen themselves in a mirror before! None had ever had three meals in a single day–and even two meals in a day would be an extreme rarity. Most had never had the opportunity to go to school. They had lived lives of suffering, abuse, and deprivation...and had little expectation that anything would ever get better. They were helpless and hopeless... typical of hundreds of thousands of children in Mozambique today.

The dramatic change in these residential children in such a short time is an eloquent testimony to the transformational power of the Father's love. Now they are a happy, healthy family of loving kids who carry the presence of God individually and corporately. They care deeply for one another, are progressing well in school, are very active in church, and they welcome visitors to their village with a warmth that is almost overwhelming. They do chores happily every day, tend the gardens they've planted, and even look after the chickens.

For more details, you can visit Iris' website by clicking link to the right.

Please join me in praying for this village of love.  What a beautiful example of loving the ONE and loving the one.

Brooke just attempted to call, but it didn't connect.  I'm hoping she'll have another opportunity.  I sure would love to hear her goat herd story!

Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo!