Back from the Bush and On to America!!!

Howdy, friends and family!  It's been awhile since my last update, and I can't begin to say how much God has done in that time!  Right now I'm in South Africa preparing to fly back to the U.S. this evening.  After so much, with the school and extended outreach, it's hard to believe HS11 is over!!!

I will be spending Christmas with my family in Colorado (praise God, it was actually $100 cheaper to fly into Denver!) and then stopping by Kansas City on the way back for the Onething conference at the International House of Prayer.  I'm so excited to see family, and jazzed to be meeting up with so many friends from various arenas at Onething: Christian Outreach girls, Harvest School 10 and some 11 peeps, other friends from Rolla and Springfield.  Fill me up, God!  So I can pour out anew!

I don't have a camera (after mine was stolen at the last school), so I'm dependent on getting pics from other people.  Right now I'm on my friend Henk's computer and I'm going to take advantage of my access to his pics to give you a quick peek at HS11! (see slideshow!)

More than Conquerers

Please lift me up along with the rest of the team as I will be joining my friend Matt's outreach group to travel a good eight hours tomorrow to the bush. We will be ministering in a place known as the biggest witchcraft stronghold in Cabo Delgado province. Iris had built a church there but a strong wind came from inside the structure and blew the four walls out. But we go in the knowledge that though the enemy is out to steal, kill, and destroy, his main weapon is scare tactics. We go in the knowledge that the blood of Jesus is stronger that any force that comes our way. We go forth in joy and love and confident we didn't send ourselves but this is God's mission and He has eveything in control.

Novemba' in Pemba --- Hotter still! :)

Blessings from Mozambique!!  After several fun and adventure filled weeks, I have finally grabbed an opportunity to get some internet time and update you all to what God has been doing here at Arco-Iris and Harvest School 11. 

The 24/7 prayer week ended with a celebratory worship service, and we all thanked God for breakthroughs and blessings He has given us individually and as a body.  However, as the night closed, the Holy Spirit seemed to bring us to more intercession and expressions of hunger to know Him more deeply and to see true and total transformation in the neighborhoods surrounding the base as well as Mozambique as a whole.  People have mentioned, even though we worship two to three times a day in the school, how much they miss having the prayer room going with the additional worship hours in the afternoons or evenings.  I can just see a permanent 24/7 prayer house on the Pemba base, equipping and discipling missionaries and Mozambicans...and those same people who are operating as worship or prayer leaders or sound equipment or gatekeepers, after spending time seeking the Lord and getting full, being the same people going into the bush bush for evangelism and teaching and going into the barrios visiting people house to house. 

Back in America, the whole house to house evangelism technique seems invasive and pushy.  Here, people are honored to have a missionary visit them, and almost without exception want you to pray for them.  It usually only takes a visit or two before they receive Jesus.  Then continues the life-long discipleship.

But there are so few here to do the work!

More news on the front: I got to lead my first bush outreach last weekend!  There was a marriage seminar for missionaries and students here in Pemba at the local hotel, so the two teams that went out last weekend were not the color group teams, but optional extra volunteers.  A few had been on a 8 hour one way bush trip the weekend before, and they and the others carried the excitement and zeal that only voluntary lovers have.  It was an amazing trip!  I was so blessed by my group of 15 students, a few with noticeably more experience than myself.  One has led six Discipleship Training Schools with YWAM, and he was always ready to fill a need.  Our group had a very positive attitude, even when one student was up sick all night the second night, and a couple others were not 100 per cent.

The first night's outreach began (after a bout an hour of dancing, of course) with my team presenting a simple narrated drama of the parable of the wedding feast.  There had been at least three drunk people coming up to dance with us earlier, and the idea that our heavenly Father is preparing a great party which they are invited to seemed to strike a chord with this village.  The main pastor from Pemba, Pastor Jose, was with us and he used our drama to preach the gospel.  It was well received.  As the team prayed behind the truck, I kept my eye out.  Sure enough, he went ahead and led people in a prayer of salvation as well as offering prayer for healing.  Usually, we watch the Jesus film first, then present, preach, and pray.  So I got the team ready and we prayed for some of the many who raised their hands for prayer. 

One man the team prayed for had cataracts on his eyes.  When I approached the group, he had already received some sight.  They prayed and he received his sight and most of the cloudiness cleared up.  He also was motioning about pain in his neck, so they prayed for that. They grabbed a translator and learned that his guy had an amazing story. In this mostly unreached area of Africa, he had never gone to a mosque and never gone to the witch doctor.  He was raised as a Christian.  (This is believable because the larger town we were just outside of had some Catholic and Assembly of God ministries.)  We asked about his neck.  The translator said, "The pain in his neck is gone.  Also, he used to be blind and now he can see."

He had faithfully served God, and was so humble and so touched that God would heal him.

They wrapped up the prayer time and began the Jesus film.  Our group congregated across the clearing under the stars, far enough away from the loud film and generator to hear each other, and far enough away for me to play guitar and lead some worship.  We pressed in for a little while in prayer, that the people would be set free from addiction to alcohol we'd seen in the village and know hope, and then it was like something shifted and we had the victory and we were all filled with joy and just worshipped God under the million stars.  They are so amazing when there is no electricity meaning no lights in the villages!   They only showed 30-40 minutes of the film because it was late, so then we went up and prayed for more people and it was time to go.  Pastor Jose talked about returning Sunday morning because, "Tem muito fame aqui."  There is a lot of hunger here.

Saturday flew by.  We had a church service I was asked to share in which was mostly an audience of children, some small group prayer amongst ourselves, children's ministry because there were constantly dozens of village children around our camp, and prayer walking/visiting in the town.  We arrived at the evening evangelism town when it was still light.  I was amazed to watch children fearfully run 100 ft away just when I moved in their direction.  A large crowd of hundreds gathered instantly.  All eyes were on us.  The people seemed interested but apprehensive.  While the sound guys were setting up for music and hte film, I decided to start some singing so I led our group in the 3 or so Makua songs I know, and then we threw together a drama: the parable of the good Samaritan.  This involves us supplying someone who could tell it in Portuguese, and then we grabbed the local pastor to translate Portuguese to Makua.  God had provided a few on our team with some Portuguese, including a Brazilian girl.  Another was very good at telling the stories.  She had a degree in Spanish but had just learned Portuguese in Brazil for one month in June!  We were blown away at how quickly she had learned the language.  After that was done, we decided to do another, and we had just neared the conclusion of the wedding feast when the music blared from our speakers and the crowd flocked toward the camion.  Dancing began.  I was so thankful for the fact I had been running so much this school.  I was able to dance just about the entire time 2-3 times a day on outreach and really give it my all and not get tired!!  (When I say "dancing," just picture jogging and jumping in place for 40 or 50 minutes at a time.) 

Pastor Jose greeted the town and explained that this was NOT a political event.  He then asked me to come forward and showed the apprehensive villagers that we both have eyes and ears and mouth and nose...five fingers...that we are both created by the same God, in His image...that there was no need to think we were different from each other.  I could see the crowd visibly relax and nod as they realized it was true!  (He also said some amusing things about that their babies are like "acunhas" (whites) at birth but they become black because they live in a hot climate...not exactly true, but what are you gonna say...?  It was clear this was a commonly accepted theory.  :)

Next, Pastor Jose welcomed forward the president of the village, who said a few words.  We try to involve the chiefs as much as possible.  The more they are honored from the start, the more healthy the relationship is in the future and it softens their hearts to the gospel.

We had amazing intercessory prayer this night during the film.  God spoke to us and was really present and gave us a lot of passion for this village.  We seperately had pieces of a puzzle--when Pastor Jose was praying earlier, I had seen a picture in my minds eye, just a flash of angels coming from all directions like time-lapse photography, from really tiny far away to huge and looming in a circle above the crowd, against the orangy pink sunset sky.  It was a really quick thing like, "WOOOOSH" and then gone.  (It reminded me of Daniel 9 when the angel Gabriel said, "As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given...")  Then later when we were praying, one of the guys felt God wanted him to pray while he walked a circle around the crowd, seven times like Jericho.  Others joined him and eventually we sat out in the clearing behind the crowd and prayed.  One girl had a vision of a dome of angels over the crowd, and in the center was a circle through which the water and fire from heaven flowed down.  This reminded me of what I had seen earlier, so I shared that.  It seems like we were building from the initial circle of angels a dome as we encircled the crowd with prayer! :)  Another had been praying for this area to be a safe place, where the people were shielded from any demonic manipulation and witchcraft and mind-control spirits, and could have eyes to see and ears to hear the Truth. 

We went back to the truck and I woke the sleepers for a time of group prayer before the film ended.  Just after they showed the empty tomb, but before they showed the living Christ, the projector overheated!!!  Hundreds of villagers streamed away to their houses while we looked to see if we could get the film up and running again.  Inside, my thoughts screamed, "noooo!"  They need to hear the message of salvation still!  But as Pastor Jose began to share, all remaining eyes were glued to him.  The much much smaller crowd was completely quiet and still, a very rare thing on bush outreach.  It was then I realized that the ones remaining were nearly all men and teenage boys.  They are the ones who have authority in the village and in their homes in this male dominant culture, and if there are only a hundred for us to share with, the most strategic.  I watched Pastor Jose speak with in fatherly tones, clearly and with authority.  Many hands went up to soberly receive Jesus, including the man with the president of the village.  Praise God!  We had great expectations stirred up during our intercession, and I feel that maybe God needed to encourage us with more visions and words of knowledge and Presence THEN, so that when circumstances went awry we would see through that to His kingdom coming.

During the ministry time, we got to pray for a deaf mute whose hearing and speach improved noticeably!  He was beaming.  May God continue that healing.  I got to pray for several others, a young woman, a teenage girl, a little boy...they were all sick and very miserable looking.  Afterwards, they were beaming.  It was such a joy!!!  Sometimes on outreach even when they get healed they don't show much joy because they think you are going to charge them money for it like the witch doctor and they are very poor so they might try to hide the healing.  But when you assure them it is free and encourage them to thank Jesus, it is so much fun to see the transformation in their faces!

Sunday morning we returned to the village we ministered to the first night.  We did a "teatro" of the parable of the sower (after an hour of dancing/worship of course), and again Pastor Jose preached off of it.  There was a great response, and many were healed.  I got to pray for an older woman who could barely see and each time we prayed she could see farther and farther!  Each time the smile on her face grew.  Her leg was healed, and she began stomping it on the ground and laughing.  My friend Naomi behind me prayed for a woman with a big goiter on the back of her leg and it shrunk down and went smooth.  I prayed for a woman who was very demonized and kept being disruptive and swinging a stick randomly.   The children and crowd just laughed at her.  My heart went out to her.  As I held her hands she calmed down completely, but then suddenly she would strike out behind her and yell.  She yelled, "Saia, demonios!" Be gone, demons.  We were loading up the camion and I had to leave.  It is hard to walk away when people are still in bondage.  Apparently, during the church service a few of our group had prayed for her and gone to her house because they had said there were idols there, but they didn't really see anything.  (Oftentimes the witchcraft fetishes, which are open doors to give the demons authority in someone's life, have to be destroyed before they can be delivered, or healed if the sickness is related to witchcraft.)  But I have hope because God will not forget her.  He sent us, and he will send more, and the young little Iris church is there, too.

Back at camp we loaded up, enjoyed our chicken lunch (thanks to the early departure, we didn't have time to make the beans so we had to get chickens.  How unfortunate. :)  The ride back was fun and seemed faster than the 5 1/2 hours out.  We came back with spirits high.  "Our God is mighty to save, He is mighty to saaaaaavvvee!"

This week since has had its challenges.  I caught some bug from I believe contaminated water, and emptied my guts (for the first time in Moz) a couple times on Tuesday.  It cleared out quickly but I still think its time to take some dewormer. Yum. ;)  Then Wednesday we dug a worm out of my roommates butt cheek. (She was also on the outreach with me.)  Many others from our group battled stomach bugs, colds, etc. Then Thursday another girl in my house was diagnosed with malaria.  Only two from the school have had malaria, and they are both Lizzie!  Praise the Lord, she has very close friends who have put themselves on a rotation 24/7 with her.  They are amazing, fanning her when the electricity is out (we are on a generator now for about 4 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the evening), helping her to the bathroom, giving her meds, etc.  God bless the Mercy redemptive gift people out there!!!  I'm so glad for them.   I have other school duties, and they have completely freed me to continue with that.  I feel actually quite useless when I am home.  They are so on top of it.  I just get them drinks and make them pancakes.  And give up my bedroom.  She's in my room and I'm in her little one because mine is breezy and one of the toilets is right off it.

Today I had a fun swim at the beach and last night the directors of the school, Nathan and Sarah, made made a great goat curry dinner for my color group, so don't think it's all suffering here, either.

Praise God, I have an entire testimony about His provision, but this blog is really more about the outreach so I won't tell all the details but I will say, God knows our needs before we ask Him.  I will tell you the full testimony soon.  He has completely provided for all my needs for the extended outreach!!!!!!!!!  I was asked to co-lead a ten day bush outreach with fellow staffer Matt, so you can please pray into that!  I'm hoping to still have a couple of days to visit Jon and Carla in Dondo before I fly back to the U.S. on December 19th.

Thank you all for your prayers!  Thank you for being patient with me while I'm out of contact!  But please, e-mails (angieschachner@yahoo.com), texts (+258 823 131 029), and facebook messages very welcome!  I don't have my own pictures, but I will try to get some from some students to put some visuals to all this!!

So please pray:

For Lizzie and pray no one else gets malaria!
For the upcoming 10 day bush bush adventure!
For health, as I now have a cold which is keeping me from sleeping all night!
Electricity to get fixed, as the generator 8 hrs a day costs Iris $1000/day!!!
Water -- The city is also on water shortage. (Bucket showers only.)
Praise for mostly very good health and increased fitness!
Praise for grace to lead with joy and peace!
Praise for financial provision!
For future direction when I return in Dec!

God bless you!

Ajira  :)  <><

Harvest School 11 -- Hungrier Still !!!!!

It’s hard to believe it is already the 25th of October!!! My experience with the staff and students of Harvest School 11 has been nothing short of awesome. The students have brought such a hunger, Day #1 worship was at the intensity that we left the last school!!! The students mentioned sadness that this school was two weeks shorter than the summer one, but I said, “Well, God knows how long you have and He can accelerate everything so you get exactly what He brought you here to receive.” Acceleration has been so obvious, especially to the staff as we were almost all at the last school together. People often talk about someone’s ceiling being the next person’s floor, but we’re actually seeing it in an incredible tangible way!

The word spoken over me by the directors as they prayed for the staff on week one was, “grace, grace, grace.” And I’m happy to say, God has extended His grace for me to walk in some things I’ve always wanted and finally am walking in, such as waking up at 4:40am each morning Monday through Friday and running on the beach, then having plenty of time to clean up, spend in the Word, and have breakfast and get to class before 8:00am without feeling rushed. Some of you might know me well enough to realize what a miracle this is!!!! My normal schedule back home was more like, get up with 30 minutes to rush out the door and be 2-3 minutes late to work each day! Praise God. There have been two days, last Thursday and then this Wednesday, when I was so tired and decided to “sleep in” to 6:30am or so, and I experienced such spiritual attack both days! I asked for grace the night before, but the next day my perspective was off, and I battled voices of accusation all morning or on Wed all day. The directors were praying for me Wed when I mentioned I hadn’t gotten up like usual at 4:40am, and Nathan reminded me of what our guest speaker had said about life in the Spirit being like 440 3-phase power going through our AA battery flashlight systems. 440 Power!!! So I believe God is giving me the grace to get up--I pretty much have jumped out of bed at that time—but if I bypass the grace He’s offered, He’s allowing my protective covering to be removed to be tested by the enemy to stretch me and bring me unto maturity. It sounds harsh, but it makes me so happy! He loves me too much to leave me the same and is unrelenting in the work He’s begun to bring me to maturity!!!

So this Wednesday I learned the 24/7 week would begin Saturday, thus making Harp and Bowl training imperative for Wednesday night. After seeking God’s peace all day, as I headed up to the Prayer Hut I felt His peace. A majority of the school showed up to the training, and even though I’d never done it before, His grace was all over it! We had something like 5 circles of 7 or 8 people going around doing spontaneous singing and choruses and prayer leaders! People who had never sung much before by the end were having a blast!!! Praise God. Then Matt my friend and staff person in charge of the 24/7 prayer week, shared his heart on intercession and the night ended with everyone facedown in awe of God. I ended up doing about 40 minutes of worship just because no one would leave! And it was an extra meeting. They have school meetings with guest speakers Monday and Wednesday. This school is just so hungry!

Last night I led opening worship and Harp and Bowl (music and intercession) for the 24/7 prayer week, and our “rapid fire” prayer line had like 40 plus people in it! It took over an hour! Ha ha, so not so rapid fire. But the point is to get people praying, and wow, a spirit of intercession was on us for Mozambique like I hadn’t anticipated! It was powerful.

A new thing from last school are the worship teams leading 2 one hour sets a day, which I believe will energize our unity and prayers throughout the week, as well as stretching and releasing these “musicianaries” into new levels of anointing and authority in worship. Can’t wait to go to tonight’s sets and just be a part of the crowd and enjoy!!!

I could go on forever, but this blog is already really long. The worship training I’m doing on Fridays went really well this first week! Extra people keep asking if they can come if their Friday practical mission assignment is at a different time. My prayer is that when we start going on bush outreaches the week after the elections, many of the groups will incorporate worship and intercession in their days as they bring in the harvest!

God is doing so much in me and in the school, I could blog everyday! Maybe I will try, but the base internet blew out and it’s hard to have time to get down here to the hotel, or even if I do it may not be working. TIA, This Is Africa! God bless you all! Please comment, please e-mail, and please let me know what’s going on in your lives!!! I CAN check e-mail on my phone, it’s just hard to type a lot compared to a keyboard on a computer…

Angie ;) <><

South Africa

I've arrived in South Africa! I'm at a hostel in Joburg with fellow staffers Merari and David. I actually slept a little on the way over, so I'm happy about that, a 2 hour nap and later 3. But I plan on sleeping a lot tonight/tomorrow!!! Merari leaves in the morning, but David doesn't fly out till Sat so hopefully tomorrow he will walk with me to a market or something and I will basically just hang out here for 2 days, enjoy the peace and solitude, before jumping into the community and school-prep work in Pemba!

God is already stirring our hearts as we shared at dinner tonight and I have great expectation for what He will do this school in my life and in David and Merari and all of us!

Praise the Lord, I received enough support to pay for the extended outreach plane tickets with a final $500 from Victory! Well, I'm having trouble with LAM booking my return flights in Dec, so I just bought Sunday's ticket to Pemba, Mozambique, and I will get the extended outreach flights when I get to Pemba. I'm thinking of flying to Beira in December and maybe looking into taking a bus to Joburg from there. It's 17 hour bus ride, followed by 17 hour plane ride, followed by a 7 hour layover and then short flight to Denver....not exactly ideal, but it will undoubtedly be a lot less expensive.

God bless you all and thank you for your prayers! 

He loves us and His love won't relent! No compromise!

Angie :)

Tour of Missouri -- Finance Update

This past week I was blessed to be able to visit friends, family, and church family in Columbia, Kirksville, Blue Springs and Grandview (KC), Springfield, and Rolla!!!  Jess, Ash, Amy, Mir, Corey, Abby, Noah, Isaiah, Kyle, Heidi, James, Herb, Sarah, Nathan, Greg, Emily, April, Nikki, Lindsay, Josh, Kara, Matt, Dana, Phil, Pete, Karayah, Corry, Emerson, Josh K, Nick, Bonz, JJ, Bob, Mary, Rahman, Winata---you guys are all awesome!!  I finished the trip VERY encouraged spiritually and with a fresh excitement to go back to Pemba.

Sunday night I got to share at Jill Czapla's Bible study at the Roth's house.  Then Monday my mom hosted an open house for various friends who I hadn't been able to really see during my time home.  Tuesday my brother came home, and I got fired up from the Colombian :) preacher/prophet/firebrand Kate Berndt Buitrago when she came to visit.  Last night I was up late finishing all those last minute packing items...had to get a little creative rearranging items so I could bring pretty much everything I wanted and my bags stayed under 50lbs each...

Praise the Lord, and thanks to the saints, a lot of support came in over this past week!!  Right now I only need about $420 more to finish paying for my airfare. 

I'm boarding the plane from St. Louis at 3:15pm this afternoon, stopping over in Atlanta and then the long 18 hour haul to Johannesburg, South Africa.  It's fun to be going back to a place I've been before--several of the other students from this past school are coming back on staff, and we're going to meet up and overnight together in Joburg.  My flight to Pemba is not until Sunday.  Pray that it is booked ok.  I've been having a lot of delays working with the Mozambican airline, trying to book the cheapest route through e-mail, and having to repeat the same information over and over.  As of now, though they say I'm booked, the fare has not shown up online in my account.  Pray that when I arrive at Joburg I can resolve it at the LAM counter and am not delayed from getting to Pemba Sunday.

Thank you all for your prayers and support!  King David said the men who stayed behind received the same reward as those who went to war.  Some of you I know are itching to be on the foreign mission field, and I'm just very blessed and humbled to have your support as my time has come to go. 

Angie :) <><

Support Update

The countdown begins: in thirteen days on September 30th I'll be flying back to Africa!  A HUGE thank you to all those friends and family who have been keeping me in prayer!!!  I have so many praise reports I can't even list them all, but I will say again that I didn't get sick other than a common cold during the entire school, and when I came down with the 104 degree F fever the night before our ten day outreach, God heard your prayers because the fever broke by morning!  I woke up drenched but feeling NORMAL praise God, took a shower, and jumped on the truck.

Another testimony is that I flew into Johannesburg pretty late on the Sunday I was going to fly back to the States, and when I got to the counter they had already given away my seat.  I was surprised to run into my friend from the school, David, and see had missed his flight, too, so we both went to see what they could do.  At first it looked like they were going to charge us $250 each to fly stand-by the next day, but then God softened their hearts and they went ahead and printed the stand-by tickets for free.  A guy from the church David had been working with in Johannesburg, Garreth, had waited around to see him off, so we were both able to stay at his apartment for free and enjoy great God conversations and go to his church the next morning which was great.  (And I got to surprise my housemate by showing up at church. Miss you, Helena! ;)  That afternoon Garreth and Helena saw us off at the airport, and they took our luggage and checked us in so we weren't stand-by after all!!!

Prayer Needs:

• Health -- I liked being healthy last time.  Let's do it again!  :)
• Grace to abide in Christ when there are many demands on my time
• Unity and fellowship in my house and in my outreach group
• Wisdom to know when and how to give when surrounded by so much need
• To hear the voice of God; discernment as I pray and minister to people
  

Financially I've been so blessed.  I want to thank all who were able to give.  I truly believe your investment in the kingdom of God will reap great reward, both now and when Christ returns.  The exact amount I needed came in in just the nick of time last May!  And God has blessed me big time to get some delayed paychecks over the summer.  For this next season here's where I'm sitting, or rather standing in faith:

Financial Needs:

Airfare to Joburg, South Africa:            $1515  (paid)

Air Joburg-Pemba+outreach to Beira:    $800
Traveler's ER Medical Insurance:           $150
Malaria Meds, travel food and
   lodging, misc:                                      $300

Guitar:                                                   (Donated!  see blog below!)

The ticket to Joburg has been purchased, but I'm still praying in the rest.

Total still needed, approx:         $1300

If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation, which I can apply to my airfare and Visa expenses, etc, you can write it to "Victory Church" with "Angie Schachner-Mozambique" in the memo line.

For non tax-deductible contributions simply write them to me, "Angie Schachner".

All financial support can be mailed to:

Victory Church
1 Victory Drive
Pevely, MO 63070

A Perfect Day -- from Heidi's point of view

 Check out this story written by Heidi about one of the outreach trips I was on:

http://www.irismin.org/news/44.php

This day WAS indeed amazing.  There are several witnesses that the Starbucks (of which I think I got the last cup!) truly multiplied.  Everyone got some!  And it wasn't weak. :)  Heidi's definitely got me with the idea that roughing it doesn't have to mean Ricoffy. 

The double wedding was interesting.  Heidi used it as an opportunity to talk very simply about AIDS prevention--faithfulness between husband and wife.  The couples were shy, especially the younger one.  It is rare to actually have a wedding ceremony in their culture, so they both had children together already, but solidifying the commitment sets a new precedent the church is bringing into the culture.  Many times, when the going gets rough the man will simply leave and find another woman.  It was beautiful to see how the church strengthens the family unit.

The whole wedding/church crowd moved across the road from the church as we began to walk the 20 minutes to the lagoon for baptisms.  I looked to see why several hundred people had stopped and gathered, and it was then I saw Heidi had lifted up the little girl, Joanna, with two hands.  Her mother and many testified she had never walked before in her life.  We celebrated and then moved on with the party down to the crystal clear salt waters of an ocean inlet, where singing surrounded new believers as they were immersed and raised up to new life in Christ.  I got the chance to connect with several visitors from France, England, and good ol Kentucky.  (Manuel, Bryan...! :)

After the last person was baptized, Heidi and Crystalyn and soon dozens of others took off swimming out into the lagoon, playing on the sandbar and apparently (which I found out the next day) leading those 6 village boys into the Kingdom.

After she took off back to Pemba for the children's birthday celebrations, my team split up into groups of about 2 foreigners and 3 Mozambican pastors and Bible students and we went house to house, praying for the sick and sharing the Good News.  The first person we prayed for was an old blind man my friend Taylor and I saw the day before and we wanted to visit.  After Taylor and I prayed for a little while, the rest of our group joined us in praying.  The man said that he was in pain all over his body from arthritis.  We prayed for him, commanding the pain to go and submit to Jesus finished work on the cross.  Pain left his upper body, but he said his legs still hurt.  So we thanked God and moved to praying for his legs.  We asked him to stand up and walk.  He said the pain was gone!!!  He began to walk very shakily and with each step he was more steady.  He turned around and walked back to us, a very different man than the one we had first approached, crouched over in pain.  Praise God!  I have to say, I was a little disapointed not to see his eyes turn from whitish-blue to gray to brown, but I'm so thankful he felt touched by God and loved by us due to the healing of his arthritis.  The pastors were able to share the Gospel with him more adequately.

This town had a great environment.  At first the night before people seemed not sure what to make of us, but by this day everyone wanted us to visit and pray for them.  It had a stronger Muslim presence than many other villages, but people were very curious and open.  It was the kind of place that had me wondering what if someone stayed for 3 or 4 weeks and just focused on this village....I'm excited for the young church there in Mecufi!

Back to Pemba!

Time is flying! In a few short weeks by the grace of God I will be boarding a plane to return to Pemba, Mozambique. I will be returning to the Iris Harvest School of Missions which I attended and graduated from this summer, only this time as staff. God has made this so clear in my heart that this is His will for my next steps, and it has been so encouraging watching every door open in the natural to make it possible.

These include being released from my teacher aide commitment at Mapaville School for the Severely Disabled, having the funds (due to school salary payments I continued to receive over the summer) to pay off my remaining debt, and the support is coming in for airfare, my primary expense in this next adventure.

One AMAZING way God has blessed me in this past week is by providing me with a new guitar!!!! I'm so blown away. He led me to give my previous guitar away in Mozambique last summer, and I was so blessed and happy to be able to supply an amazing Mozambican servant of God with his own guitar. He worked with the school doing language training, translating, and he works with the worship team, the daily children's ministry for the village lunch feeding program as well as Sunday mornings with the children's ministry.

So when God made it clear in the last week of the school, He was calling me back for the fall, I knew I would be working with the worship ministry. I would need a guitar! While I was praying during a few days of retreat in South Africa before I returned to the US, I felt like the Holy Spirit told me to go home and pick out a guitar, exactly what I needed and wanted, and He would provide.

The body of Christ is so awesome! God led an experienced music minister to help me pick out a guitar, and when he asked my budget, I just told him, honestly, God said to just pick one out. Then he told me that he felt like God wanted his ministry to buy me a guitar!!!! We went the next day to the music store, and I came home with a Taylor 210e Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar. It has rich tones, is much smoother to play and easily 5 times better guitar than the one I gave away! I told the guy at the store on the way out, "If God tells you to give something away, don't hesitate, just do it!"

Our Father is sooooo good to us! Did He have to give me such a nice guitar? Unquestionably, I could've made it by which a much lower quality guitar. But He loves to give us good things! He just doesn't want us to let THINGS derail our abiding in Him, our relationship with Him. John 15:7 says, "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you."

It reminds me of the Bryan and Jenn Johnson song:

Where You go I go, what You say I say
And what You pray I pray

Thank You, Lord! He keeps impressing upon me the importance of entering His rest. If I rest and abide in Him, He'll tell me what to do next, and even what to pray for! Then I know it is in His will and it's just a matter of making every effort to stay in His rest and obey His word until I see the word manifested. (See Hebrews 4).

When I make the effort to put prayer first, I touch on this place in the Kingdom of God where everything seems so easy! I definitely feel like a baby at this, baby-stepping my way into learning how to abide and obey, how to hear and discern the specific guidance of the Holy Spirit, to be thankful when I feel like I'm only hearing a little, because a thankful heart prepares the way to hear more. But it has been so fun over the past few months because I know my Father is so patient with me, and He enjoys me in the journey. Amen!

The Great Commission

Check out this dynamic video and song Tears of the Saints featuring Leeland and Delirious.

Ooo, Holy Spirit conviction fall! It hurts so good!!! :)

Let us be the generation that brings the Gospel to every nation, tribe, and tongue! Wycliffe Bible translators believe translations of the Word of God will be available in every language or in process of translation by the year TWENTY TWENTY-FIVE! That is right around the corner, folks!

However, a little study on the verses in Matthew that we call "The Great Commission" reveal that the key emphasis is not so much on the word "Go" as it is on the process of making disciples! It is more accurately, "As you go...make disciples..." What kind of disciples? "...teaching them to obey all the things I have commanded you..." So you mean that all the commands you gave your disciples are fair game for us today, Jesus? It's not just for the early church? "..and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age."

In Mark he is a little more pointed, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation..."

I had such a rich experience on the extended 10 day outreach with Arco-Iris (Iris Ministries) and I felt like I was in the book of Acts because, let me tell you, a new church planting movement in an unreached people group IS the early church! They experience all the things that the early Apostles faced when they first began preaching the good news of the Kingdom. The good news is confirmed by signs and wonders, hundreds receive the gospel and give their lives to Jesus, and the Lord is adding to their numbers DAILY. The GREATEST need in this hour is for discipleship!

As I was reading the parable of the sower recently, God showed me that this is the current sitation in Mozambique. The seed is being sown on the highways and byways, and a lot of soil is proving to be initially receptive! But the soil that receives the seed and sprouts a plant which goes on to produce mature fruit--this is only the people who hear the Word and UNDERSTAND it. How we as the body of Christ foster the move of the Spirit in Mozambique and other major revival hotspots worldwide will go a long way to determining the longevity of the impact of the revival.

So, how do you disciple THOUSANDS of baby churches with a small number of mature believers? Well, it's not going to happen overnight, that's for sure. And it's not going to happen without LOTS of aid and resources coming from the more mature Western churches. But it's also not going to happen without the manpower! Mozambique NEEDS mature believers who are willing to give it all up, lay it all down, and give themselves to the painstaking daily grind of discipleship. There may be Mozambican pastors who have raised 3 or 6 babies, children or adults from the dead, yes, but the average Christian child in the West who has completed 6th grade Sunday school has a greater knowledge of the Scriptures.

There is need for a great exchange. We desperately need the Mozambicans' zeal for the Lord and exuberance in worship; we need their child-like faith without which the Kingdom of God cannot be entered into in the here and now and which is ushering in the supernatural so often that blind eyes opening and deaf ears hearing and the lame walking and the demonized being set free has become expected and almost commonplace. We need to take the Lord and His Word at face-value and to dream so big our dreams are only possible by His supernatural intervention.

And yet we have so much to offer, and I'm not only talking about our material wealth! The average Western Christian has had hours of Bible instruction, studying the Word, small groups, Sunday school. We are so far ahead in the knowledge department, yet I feel as far as myself, perhaps years behind in applying that knowledge toward making disciples! Toward ushering in the Kingdom of God! We've gotten full and fat at the feast, and so comfortable we've forgotten that we eat so we have the energy and the bread to go out and feed others!!!!

Years of Bible study, and yet we so often feel like we are never really ready to share the Gospel, never really ready to teach--oh, just one more class, one more year, one more seminary. While the world out there is getting saved without us. It's a lie from the devil that we're "not ready" to paralyze us and keep us inwardly focused, while God is revealing Himself to Muslims in dreams and visions at an incredible rate! My friend Anna was in Iraq last year and when she would be invited into homes with groups of Muslim women she would begin sharing by asking if any of them had had a dream of a man wearing a white robe (Jesus) and many of them would say yes! And then she would explain the Gospel to them! God doesn't NEED us! He WANTS us to partner with Him, for us to be a part of it all! We are blessed to be able to see the prisoners set free from bondage, to see the people He has prepared for such a time as this, to see His Bride come in! Our job is so easy! But we just need to be willing. Willing to go. Willing to make disciples, whether here or there or wherever we are.

A Few of the Prevalent Things

Papa Tony, one of the leaders of the school, with the help of a few guys sang this song to us the last week of school. I was amazed at how much information about the school it conveyed! So I decided to share it with you all. Sing this to tune of "These are a few of my favorite things..."


Beans and rice, rice and beans, so sorry no noodles
Sometimes small bits of meat, how we hope it’s not poodles
No water, no power, so we run to latrines
These are a few of the prevalent things

Malaria, diarrhea, and sick little babies
Head lice, long worms, and people with scabies
Ricoffy, not Starbucks, no buffalo wings
These are a few of the prevalent things

Wind and red dirt, how it fills up our houses
It clogs up our ears and even our noses
It gets in our shorts and seasons our beans
These are a few of the prevalent things

Liters of Germ-X, we apply it in large swipes
If the shower’s not working, we scrub down with wet wipes
Perfume, we use bunches, until our eyes sting
These are a few of the prevalent things

The top bunk, it swings and sways, will it remain standing
Or will the bed upon my head make an unscheduled landing
I lay there in fright, pretend I’m soaking
These are a few of the prevalent things

Sometimes my roomies, they don’t flush the toilet
The ambience of the throne room, you that just spoils it
And eight girls and one mirror, that’s hugely annoying
These are a few of the prevalent things

Our kitchen’s so small when everyone is in it
To fix a meal, now that’s a thrill, hey wait a minute
Isn’t that my stuff in the stew you’re cooking
These are a few of the prevalent things

To live above with the saints in love, oh that would be glory
To live below with the saints I know, now that’s another story
But I’m dying to self as I’m sanctifying
These are a few of the prevalent things

Can’t ever sleep late ‘cause the roosters start crowing
If I make it through that, then the breakfast bell’s going
They beat it to death, ‘til we’re hard of hearing
These are a few of the prevalent things

Sometimes in the school hut, Holy Spirit makes a landing
That’s so fun and when He’s done there’s no one left standing
Snockeroodled folks on the mats, crying and laughing
These are a few of the prevalent things

Long truck rides on Thursday, we’re off to the bush-bush
The big bumps and hard seats, they’re so hard on the tush-tush
Eat tuna spaghetti, get tangled up in tent strings
These are a few of the prevalent things

We peed in the weeds, please don’t tell my mother
Boys all on one side, girls on the other
Behind capulana walls so there’s no one peeking
These are a few of the prevalent things

Show the Jesus Film, then we preach, then we start praying
The crowd pushes forward, they don’t what we’re saying
But God understands, so we witness healings
These are a few of the prevalent things

The blind see, the deaf hear, the lame take off running
Just like in the Bible, it’s really quite stunning
Can’t wait for tomorrow, to see what it brings
These are a few of the prevalent things

Lower still, poor in Spirit, that’s what Heidi taught us
Be humble, show mercy, that’s always a big plus
In the dirt with the poor, sharing your things
These are a few of the prevalent things

So soon the school’s over, wow, it seems it just started
Knew nothing in June, now I’m fully imparted
No longer a slave, but a son of the King
These are a few of the prevalent things!!!

*************************************************************************************
Praise the Lord! I've been asked to staff the next Iris Harvest Mission School, which means being back in Pemba October 5th. I really feel the Holy Spirit on this! I'm excited about the group that is being gathered for staff, and working with our wonderful and gifted directors, Nathan and Sarah Kotzur. My heart is to provide opportunities for students who come in with a desire to learn how to play guitar and sing and lead worship to grow and develop those skills (because there were like 30-40 people at the last school!), as well as organize the 24/7 prayer week and teach on 24/7 prayer, connecting intercessory prayer and worship, and the power of worship warfare, especially in connection with the mission field.

I had kind of became the "outreach girl" in the last school, going on the 2 weekend trips with my group and then jumping on 3 more weekends with other groups. The last weekend trip was during the 24/7 prayer week back at base, and our team ministered in a village with prayer and worship groups on a rotation back at our camp from 7:30am-5:30pm. That day was the sweetest day of communion with Jesus I've experienced in a very long time, and the night evangelism was so easy! The whole village received Jesus including two Muslims I got to pray with, and there were many healings. The medical tent also reported an amazing grace all day for salvations, deliverances, and healings. It was truly fruitfulness which flowed out of intimacy, and it is this connection between worship and evangelism which I would like to explore more in the next school.

I will be coming back to Missouri August 31. My initial thought was, why leave Africa in between? However, I believe God is leading me home for some divine appointments, to take every opportunity to "tell of His wondrous deeds" to my friends and family and co-workers and churches back home.

Thank you all for your support!!! Please call me or e-mail me if you want to get together during the five weeks I will be back in the states!

Angie "Ajira" Schachner

Harvest Graduate!

Last Friday marked the end of an era in the lives of 90 Iris Harvest School of Missions students. Maybe 10 weeks doesn't exactly qualify as an era, but a day in the mission school feels like three days on the outside, and if you're on bush outreach, a day can feel like a week.

This school has been the most accellerated, concentrated period of spiritual grow in my life. I am so grateful to have been a part, and I know I am sooo blessed to have made it here. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me. I have definately been blessed with divine health. People have been down with mild level malaria, food related sickness, diarrhea...been touching and playing with kids who have scabbies, lice, conjunctivitis, AIDS...the worst I've had is a head cold.

Also, thank you to all those who contributed finanially to this endeavor. You are truly a critical part to bringing the good news of the Kingdom to the unreached, and absolutely essential to send laborers into the harvest, because THE FIELDS ARE READY!

Tomorrow, my roommates and I clean out my house here and Wednesday they head back to America, Canada, and Australia, as I set off with nine other members, or should I say, agents, of Bondfire into the bush bush. I have been looking forward to this for over four months. We're going to get some dirt under our fingernails, get a little saddleworn, and hopefully reach the end of ourselves and learn greater dependence on Holy Spirit.

Please pray for safe travels, divine health, team unity w the Mozambicans, divine appointments and feel free to ask for the gift of tongues in Sena (the tribe and language where we are going). Love you all!

Outreach Fever: Starring Jesus the Healer

Praise God! I'm updating via my cell phone, so I'll have to keep this short.

I went on my second bush outreach last weekend! We saw many people receive Christ both nights after the Jesus film and most were healed, though at times we had to pray two or three times before the healing manifested. The first night Heidi was there and I got to see her in action in this new bush village scene. After briefly preaching, she asked if there was anyone present who was deaf. A man in his 20s came forward. After about five minutes of prayer his ears were opened! Many received Christ and the crowd grew. Various other visitors, such as Che Ahn and Chad Dedmon and Mozambican believers from Pemba, gave different invitations for prayer: for people who suffer from nightmares, the deaf, mute, children with learning disabilities to pass their classes...people would raise their hand and two or more Moz Bible students, mission school students, visitors, or translators would go pray for them. I ended up praying with a lot of different combinations of believers. My Portuguese is improved enough I can tagteam with a Moz pastor or Bible student and actually KNOW what is going on!

The second night it was just my color group. We arrived in the village early enough to have light to set up and gather a crowd. I had learned some Makua worship songs since last outreach and I put them to work, singing loudly and dancing and getting participation from the 50+ children who were rapidly gathering. Moz pastors took over as my songbase quickly ran out and I noticed older women off to the side of the clearing. I used my few Makua phrases, greeting and introducing myself, before sending them into gales of laughter by taking pictures of them and showing them their image in my digital camara.

I had so much fun, I've jumped at the opportunity to head back out tomorrow with my roommate Caitlin's color group! I wanted to tell you also of a pretty amazing healing service God ambushed me with, but it will have to wait! Mbaka iwara iquowe! ( Later!)

Bush Outreach

The past two and a half weeks have been so full, I feel like I’ve been in Mozambique much, much longer!

We were divided up in groups to spend a few days in the bush doing evangelical and medical outreaches. Orginally, these outreaches were planned for just one trip for the whole summer, but they decided up double us up, so instead of waiting till July, I also got to go last weekend! The town we ministered in was only two hours away. A dozen Mozambican Bible school students and as many international mission students loaded up in the back of a truck along with a generator and sound equipment. We sang praise songs in Makua and Portuguese as we bounced down the road to our mystery destination.

Our caravan arrived just before dark, hastily set up tents, and headed by flashlight in the dark past dozens of mud huts to the town center, the center yard of their wall-less school. The Iris outreach veterans were still setting up the sound and projector and generator to show the Jesus film in Makua, so while we waited we made friends with the rapidly gathering crowd. On the walk I had a chance to chat with the pastor of the local Iris church. He said there were 46 people in the church, and that the Jesus film had been shown in that town three years before. I asked how many lived in the town. He would only reply over and over, “muitos pesoas”, many, many people.

We danced to an African choir on the screen as a crowd continued to build and the last light faded. This is probably the second and possibly the first film most people there had ever seen, at least in the Makua language.

My “color group” Aqua fanned out in pairs to quietly intercede during the movie. I found it strange that no one sat down, but three hundred or so villagers stood watching it. Finally, some in the front began to sit in the dirt at the forty minute mark and eventually most people sat down for the 2 ½ hour long movie. Afterwards, my Brazilian group leader asked people to come forward if they would like prayer for healing. Many wanted prayer. Some prayed to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior! It was pretty loud in chaotic to me in general. The speaker was so loud my ears bled, and everything was translated to Makua because they don’t speak much Portuguese in the bush. There were drunk men in the back mocking, children just laughing at the sight of the “acunas”, as we whities are called here, and then the very sincere twenty or so who really wanted prayer.

Welcome to outreach in the bush!

The next day we had a church service in their small hut, which included a warm welcome from the local congregation and prayer for the sick. After this, the medical tent was open and people lined up to see the doctor and receive prayer for healing. I went back to the campsite to clean up lunch and play with the children, but my friends got to pray with a teenaged boy who was deaf and mute. After quite a while praying, my friend spoke the kids name into his ear, and the teenager said it!!! All the kids nearby who knew him and knew he had never spoken in his life became very excited and they all wanted prayer. Praise God! His hearing is not completely restored, so we prayed for him again that night. We just loved on him and I believe he felt God’s love and hope. We will keep praying!

That night we were supposed to go to a different town down the road to show the Jesus film again, but we received word that the elders of the village changed their minds and did not want us to come. This was sad to hear, but I knew that the village we were in, Naquita, had many more people that had not been at the movie the night before. This time we showed the film in the church yard. The whole atmosphere was much more positive. There were still guys in the back smoking, and we knew this town had a lot of people addicted to drugs, but on the whole there was a greater joy and spiritual hunger. After the film, I got to pray for a lady who felt sick and see the joy in her face when I learned through an interpreter that she felt great and that she wanted to pray to receive Jesus. Her name was Lucia. Praise God! There were more people in this smaller crowd who responded to the call for prayer and salvation than the much larger crowd the night before!!! We walked home with a great sense of jubilation. God is advancing his Kingdom in Naquita!

When we arrived back in Pemba, we were blown away when we heard testimonies from the other team that had gone out that weekend. They had a modest response after the film the first night, with Heidi Baker and internationally known missionary to Mexico, David Hogan. leading the ministry time. But what really was amazing was the second night when Heidi and David had gone home and it was just the Mozambican and international students and the regional pastor, Pastor Jose. One of the guys gifted in soccer drew a crowd on the soccer field where they set up for the movie, doing amazing tricks and wowing all the kids who gathered. They said there were 300 or so people when the light went off and the movie started. The outreach team prayed the whole time. When the movie was over and the lights were back on, they were blown away to see about 2,000 people had gathered on the soccer field!!! When people were invited to raise their hands if they wanted to receive Jesus, at least 800 people responded!!!! My friend Rachel prayed for two people who were completely deaf and after the third prayer, God opened their ears!

What you should remember is that this is a Moslem country! But God is preparing the way. They are so hungry for abundant life available in Jesus!

First Days in Pemba

Hello all!

I've finally gotten a chance to get on the internet! I can't believe I've only been here in Pemba since Friday! So much has happened. My bags and I got here safely, and the first few days were great, with time to get into town, go to the beach, and get full nights rest for the first 3 nights and catch up on sleep after 3 days with pretty much no sleep.

The weather here is gorgeous, really not too hot, very breezy. The base is built up on a slight hill, so the sea breezes reach all the students cabins.

Sunday church was awesome as they prayed over the Mozambican Bible students and the Harvest school students who arrived. We all danced on the stage holding hands. They are pretty amazing dancers in church here! :) Quite a workout.

Monday was initiation to the nth degree. It was children's day, a holiday, and one of the two biggest days of the year for Iris. The other day is Christmas. We were all tasked on teams (I was part of the Sister Act II singing dish-washing crew ;) and fed the whole village in addition to everyone on base. The count was 2,410 people we fed lunch!!!! Wow!!!!! I didn't see a lot that went on with the children's ministry, but heard it was great.

Today was our first day of class--it started off with Randy Clark teaching the first session, with ministry time, and followed up with Heidi Baker doing the second. We finished about 1pm in time for lunch. The afternoons we have time to connect with the Iris kids in the children's center or have other meetings and opportunities. This morning was so powerful, and it's just the beginning!

To top it off, the 80 or so mission school students are soooooo amazing! They are so passionate for God, and many have tons of missions experience to offer. We range in age from 18 years old to in their 50s.

God bless you all, I don't have much time today, but hopefully soon with have some amazing testimonies to share! There have already been healings among the students. Actually one quick highlight for me so far was going out on my porch to play guitar and worship, and opening my eyes at the end of the first song to see 30+ students all over the hill in front of my cabin all lost in worship! Amen!

Angie :) <><

I'M IN AFRICA!!!!

Praise God, my visa WAS missent from DC and ended up returning there last Friday and sitting until with the help of the Hillsboro post office manager, I called and got them to literally RUN it downstairs to catch the truck AS IT WAS PULLING AWAY to load the last air express mail to St. Louis on TUESDAY. They arranged for it to go to the post office by the airport, so Wed morning I dropped by before 9am and picked up my passport and visa in time to get to the airport for my 11am international flight!!!! (Thank God no Daryl-esqe midnight drive to DC, though Mom was game! :)

Tuesday was the most "pressed but not crushed" day I've had in eons. The whole reason the post office gave for it not arriving in St. Louis successfully last Friday was $2.30 short on postage. Seemed weird bc they had said it was $17.50 to overnight it back so that was prepaid. When I finally picked it up in St. L, the lady at the counter said, nope, she doesn't know why they have it written I need $2.30 more because the $17.50 was plenty!!!!!!! So my conclusion was this was all about testing me to see how I stood up under stress! Thank you for so many of you who were warring in the spirit with me on this one. I gave a high sigh of relief when I was finally sitting on the plane.

The flights over were delightfully uneventful and we even got to South Africa one hour early. I sat next to a young woman from Memphis who was going to South Africa on a mission trip! We had wonderfully encouraging "God conversation". There were other church groups all around me on the plane. The family of God is everywhere! There was another girl across the aisle originally from St. Louis who recognized me from volleyball in high school! She went to Tower Grove High School! Small world.

Early night in tonight in Johannesburg, South Africa. I'm staying at a backpacker hostel near the airport and I fly out to Pemba, MZ, early tomorrow!!!! I'm looking forward to sleeping!!! Only 1 hour of sleep and a few restless cat naps on the plane for the past 2 nights. It's a little chilly here in the evening. I forget how far south we are. But the heat should greet me tomorrow in Pemba!

Love you all and thank you again for praying!

Visa time!!!

Pray for favor with the Mozambican Embassy so I get a 90 day single entry visa!!! Pray that nothing gets lost or misplaced and I get my visa and passport back in plenty of time!

Financial Update

Raising support for an endeavor like this has been a faith-stretching and building experience. I'm so thankful and humbled at all the generous giving!!! Praise God, this past weekend I was able to share in Rolla and it was a great experience---just talking about all that God is doing in Mozambique and all He has done in my life in the past year has gotten me excited afresh! God is mighty. He is in control. His leadership is perfect and good.

Praise! I have all I need to pay for the mission school and outreach! That's $2900.

Praise! I have $1300 which I can apply to airfare, Visa, travel medical insurance.

I'm still standing in faith for God to provide about $1100 more to finish covering the airfare, water, and immunizations, etc, as well as purchase some Bibles and have something to bless the ministry with as God leads.

One of the Scriptures that has encouraged me in this is Haggai 2:6-8, " ⁶ "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. ⁷ I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD Almighty. ⁸ 'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD Almighty. ⁹ 'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty."

" 'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the Lord Almighty."

God has a plan. It involves the whole earth coming under the leadership of the God-Man Christ Jesus. Right now it looks like the Great Commission. And God has all the wealth and power to accomplish His purposes. We just get to jump in the river. :)

Mozambique Show in Rolla!!!

I'm excited to say I will be back in good ol' Rolla, MO, this coming Saturday, May 2nd, at 7pm at the Vineyard church to share through music about God and just a little bit about what He's doing in Mozambique! I'm looking forward to seeing my old church family and anyone who can make it out for some worship focused songs. I'll be doing some Christian covers and songs I wrote in the past year. The show is free, just consider if God is leading you to make a donation to help me get to Africa! :) And back. (I suppose.)

I was hoping to sing with my sister backing me up with her beautiful harmonies, but unfortunately she had an obligation come up. :( That bad news came with a very positive twist--I'm going to have the LONG awaited pleasure of singing with the enormously talented singer/songwriter Bonnie "the Bonz" Cox! She's helped me out with BGV's on past recordings, and vice versa. I'm glad to finally get to sing with her in public! Also, I would not be where I am as a worship leader or songwriter or musician without the encouragement of her husband Nick Cox, who has agreed to provide percussion.

It looks like with everything going on this time of year, this will be the only show. Thank you, Springfield. Hopefully I'll be able to work something out when I get back!

Yesterday I was reading these verses in the Book of John, Chapter 12, which really summarize WHY I am going to Mozambique. "²⁵The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me."

I especially like the part where He says, "where I am, my servant also will be." Jesus is moving in Mozambique. He is stirring hunger in the hearts of the unreached to know the hope only found in Him; to believe in His goodness and the tenderness of His leadership with the faith of a child. The Gospel is not an ancient manuscript explained into obscurity and irrelevance by scholars. It is a living reality--the reason their mother who was blind can now see, the reason their brother who was lame can now walk, the reason there is enough food on the table to provide for the abandoned street children their father brought home. They are drinking Living Water and eating the bread of sacrifice as they become evangelists for their own countrymen. I want to learn from these!

Prayer

As I make all the necessary practical preparations for Mozambique, God has been continually and gently reminding me to place spiritual preparation in first place. Why do I want to go to Africa in the first place? God is omnipresent, and my greatest desire is to fellowship with Him. However, I have many props and distractions in my comfortable life which can easily get in the way of seeking Him first. I want to live the sermon on the mount lifestyle!!! To store up treasures in heaven, to not waste my life energies on that which will not endure. I want to find my happiness, like the Mozambican Christians I hear about, by following Jesus prescription in Matthew 5:3-12...one which stands out to me is "Happy are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for THEY WILL BE FILLED."

Although oftentimes their stomachs are not filled with food, certainly not as much or often as we are accustomed to, their joy is deep and lasting as they feast on the inner righteousness Christ offers! Lord, that I too may learn the secret to be content whatever outward circumstances I encounter in this life!

This is my first prayer request.

My second is that I may be filled with Christ's love so that it overflows on those I encounter and I am empowered with the grace to serve others sacrificially. I love my way. I love being comfortable. I like the easy road. But Christ's love compels me! He says, there is a better way. He says, be filled by pouring out freely that which I have given you. Encounter me as you serve your brother. His love reveals that my way will not leave me satisfied.

Again, is this not something that I could learn here? One of the greatest reasons I am going to Iris Harvest is that the testimony of Roland and Heidi Baker is such that I desire to be discipled by them. I want to learn to pour out freely my life's energies as they have.

When we think about missions, too often we think about converts. Jesus did not ask us to make converts, He asked us to make disciples. And yet how many intentionally disciple other believers unto maturity? The Western church is full of believers with fire insurance, drinking milk and spiritually bored, bickering and wasting time. There are young people meeting Christ who DESIRE to be discipled, to be led down Christ's narrow and radical path, but there are few more mature believers stepping up to the task. As a member of the younger generation, I ask, I beg, "Challenge us!" We don't want to waste our lives playing games. Let us discover a Lord more fascinating than anything put out by our consumer, entertain-me driven culture! Let us discover a Bridegroom with fiery love, jealous for our affections! Let us discover a King who leads in righteousness and justice, who inextricably links relationship with Him to our treatment of the poor, neglected and abused. Let us discover a Savior and a mission, a great co(operative) -mission, worth giving our lives. I want to run in ministry with Christ because He has drawn me in intimacy, and I desire the whole earth to know the peace and grace found in Him. Let us become believers whose highest aim in this life is to grow in love and meekness. Let me.

These are the prayer requests of my inner man.

Other prayer needs:

*That I will trust God for His leadership in my life, especially in the area of financial provision.

*Financial provision.

*That I will discern the leading of the Holy Spirit as I prepare some sermons to have ready.

*For God to empower me with administrative skills so nothing slips between the cracks.

Financial Support

I've been getting asked how people can contribute financially to my mission trip to Mozambique. I really appreciate your support! There are two options, tax-deductible or non tax-deductible. Tuition for a foreign school is not an acceptable non-profit contribution according to our friends at the IRS, but the travel expenses are covered under "Victory Throughout the World" ministry at my local church.

If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation, which I can apply to my airfare and Visa expenses, etc, you can write it to "Victory Church" with "Angie Schachner-Mozambique" in the memo line.

For non tax-deductible contributions (which I can apply to the $2500 tuition at the mission school), simply write them to me, "Angie Schachner".

All financial support can be mailed to:

Victory Church
1 Victory Drive
Pevely, MO 63070

An Iris Harvest School of Missions class from '08

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Financial breakdown

Non-tax deductible expenses:

Iris Harvest School of Missions Tuition=$2500
10 Day Outreach into the bush bush= $ 400

Total=$2900

Round-trip airfare STL to Nairobi=$1500
Round-trip to Pemba, MZ= $500
Visa= $20-60
ER Medical Insurance= $150
Books, Water, Equipment= $200

Total=$2410

Est. Grand Total=$5300


I'd like to bring some Portuguese/English Bibles with me, too, as they are very valuable to missionaries there as well as Mozambicans who are learning English. There are other requests....I'll keep you updated.

Welcome to My New Blogspot!

Friends, family--

I'm going to Africa!!! I just received the acceptance letter for the Iris Harvest Mission School in Pemba, Mozambique, this past Thursday for their summer session. This has been a long time coming! There are many details to take care of in the next few months. The school session is June 1- August 10 followed by a 10 day outreach into the bush bush to bring the gospel to unreached villages.
Mozambique is located in southern Africa on the east side across from Madigascar. The Pemba base where the school is located is in the north part of the country (right on the beach!!!)

Most of us are probably unaware that there has been massive revival in Mozambique for the past 8 or 9 years leading to the planting of over 8,000 churches and countless salvations. The spiritual hunger encountered by Roland and Heidi Baker, founders if Iris Ministries, and other missionaries, has paved the way for a great harvest in Mozambique, one of the poorest nations in the world, and up till the 90's a nation ravaged by a 20 year civil war. The need is great for training Mozambican pastors to shepherd their new flocks and continue bringing the gospel to unreached villages. New believers need to be discipled and there is a continuing need for homes for vast numbers of orphaned and abandoned children so they can be raised up in the love and truth of Christ.

My friends, Carla and Jon Reinagel, just joined Iris Ministries with a 2 year commitment. It is so nice to have the inside advice on preparing for the school, Africa, the missions base, getting Visas, packing, spiritual preparation...the list goes on. They are located in Dondo at one of three Iris bases in the country. You can read about their adventures from their blogspot here.

I'm very excited about my new blog--my friends and family have gotten so spread out, this way I can keep you all informed about what God is doing as I follow His call to full-time ministry as well as I stay connected with you and what God is doing in your lives.

Angie :) <><