Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Dear Friends & Family!!!!!

This Christmas at Arco-Iris Village of Joy was definitely the most joyful and amazingly blessed out of all three years that I have been here to celebrate the birth of Jesus with my Mozambican family. We had two teams of visitors and one family who came especially to celebrate with us, bringing with them many gifts for the children and missionaries, including over 100 soccer balls for the boys and many beautiful skirts and sundresses for the girls.

Holiday festivities began with the traditional room decorating and candlelight service on Christmas Eve. The children danced and sang their hearts out, worshipping the one who was born to die for them. Then they each received a lit candle and humbled their hearts before the King of Kings during a time of adoration. Afterwards we all enjoyed a special treat of ice cream and popcorn, which a previous visitor had donated finances for. The children were so excited to have ice cream and sat patiently waiting while mission school students, visitors, missionaries and tias (“aunties” who care for the children on a daily basis) dished up and handed out the treat. We had so much ice cream that every child got a second cup, and everyone finally went to bed around 10:30PM very happy and excited for the coming day.

On Christmas morning all of our almost 200 children received brand new blue Iris t-shirts and got themselves ready for the day. At 10AM the same groups of adults that helped the previous night to decorate each of the children’s rooms also handed out Christmas presents to those children. Everyone was so excited and joyful at how the Lord had provided beautiful new clothes and toys for them. The older boys each received a soccer ball, and the younger boys also received different kinds of balls and cars. So there were about 100 balls being kicked around all at the same time! The girls were delighted with the new skirts, tops and dolls that they received and were soon doing fashion shows for us and each other. There certainly was not a sad face in the center yesterday morning. All were rejoicing!

At noon we all joined in for the annual Christmas chicken dinner family style with just our kids and center family first. At around 1:15PM the doors to the center were opened, and about 800 to 1000 children, women, and men came to share in the joy of filling their bellies. The community children also received little bags of candy and cookies along with either a tennis ball or stuffed toy. Smiles were abounding!

Thank you to all who have poured out your hearts in prayer and your pockets in giving so that we are able to bless abundantly these treasures that the Lord has put into our care! You are a great Christmas present to us through the love you so generously pour out. I also want to thank those of you who have specifically lifted me up to the Father on a daily or weekly basis or have given financially so that I too can keep giving. Without you I could not continue being His hands and feet in this place.

Blessings to you as you celebrate the love and joy of our Savior during this holiday season. And may the Lord pour out an abundance of His Holy Spirit and provision on you in this New Year!!!

Love,
Tanya

Holiday Festivities!

Making Christmas cake

Dancing up a storm!

Silent night, holy night....

Adoration to the King!

You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream!

Dishin' it up

Yum! Yum!

Serious business!!!

Blessing of Christmas presents.....

Waiting to be distributed!


Blessed beyond measure!


Mana Tanya with some of her girls!

.....and more presents!!!!

Boys showing off their new soccer balls



Missionaries sharing in the joy

Little boys playing with their new trucks. Vrrrmmmm! Vrrrrmmmmmm!

Annual Chicken Feast!

Waiting for chicken and pop!

Carlito digging in....

Natalia & Mana Emelyn

Mario

Lila, Mariamo, and Mana Tanya

Thank you supporters!!!

Birthday girls! Thanks to those of you who support me financially, each month I am able to take the girls in my room who have birthdays that month to a local store to pick an outfit that they like. (L to R)Milda, Fatima, Rema

Thank you Andrea for our new clothes!

Missionary Emelyn with baby Natalia whom she cares for (see June article "Home in Pemba!") Natalia is now 7 months old, very healthy, and full of joy!

Thank you Laura for my new dress!

Pemba Coastline and Fishermen

Faithful One

The Lord has been so good to me in the past two months here in Pemba . A week ago I was able to move out of the noisy house I was living in to temporarily stay in the mission school housing until the room being built for me is completed. It is like being in heaven or on vacation compared to where I was. So peaceful and quiet that I can really spend quality time with Jesus and hear him speaking to me in a still small voice.

Last week, the day after I moved in, I came down with the symptoms of malaria and a quick test revealed that for the first time in 2 years I had malaria. Even though I couldn’t do much at all this week, I have realized what a blessing it was to have time to rest, read and spend time praying and worshipping. Apparently, malaria attacks and destroys red blood cells faster than they can reproduce, which means that oxygen doesn’t get delivered to all the parts of the body as timely as usual. This can make you feel weak, dizzy, forgetful, body aches and a number of other symptoms from lack of oxygen. The treatment for malaria helps the body to fight off the malaria microbes so it can rebuild healthy cells. Thankfully, I have been recovering at a pretty steady rate from day to day and am hoping to get back to work tomorrow, but it may still take a week or so to get my full strength back.

Two weeks ago I returned with a team from a two week outreach to the province of Niassa in a town called Lichinga, where there is a small newly planted IRIS base. Working alongside the team from Lichinga, we were able to show the Jesus Film and share the gospel in different villages on all but two nights of our trip and many people were saved. This area of Mozambique is one of the most unreached, so to see all these people coming to Jesus who had never heard of him before was quite a miracle. Their hearts were really open and ready to receive this good news! I had the opportunity along with others in our team to pray for a boy who had been lame for 1 ½ years. He was unable to walk or stand and was often in much pain. After praying for him for a few minutes he said that he had no pain at all in his legs and could turn one of his feet from side to side, which had previously been impossible. We shared about Jesus with this boy and that it was Jesus who was healing him. He then asked Jesus to forgive his sins and come into his heart. We continued praying and after about ten more minutes he was able to stand without holding onto anything or anyone and without any pain at all! Then we shared about Jesus with the rest of the family and the little crowd that had gathered outside the door to the house, and many of them put their faith in Him. A few days later we got a report that the boy was now able to walk across the courtyard. Hallelujah! God is continuing to pour out his love and mercy in our midst and we give him all the praise and glory!

I really enjoy hearing from many of you from time to time and am so thankful for your commitment to pray and support financially the work that the Lord is doing through us here. Please continue to pray for the following:

1. My health to be fully restored and for my body to be totally immune to malaria so that I won’t get it again.
2. Continued spread of the gospel in the Niassa province and for God to raise up strong leaders to disciple the people in love.
3. More wisdom, guidance, grace, mercy, and love for our leadership in dealing with the day to day struggles of a growing ministry to the poor and Fatherless.
4. My room to be completely constructed by the start of the next mission school.

Blessings to you all and may you set your face like flint before the Lord (Isaiah 50:7) in all that he has called you to!

Home in Pemba!

Hello Dear Friends and Family,

About 3 weeks ago, after our staff retreat in the
south, I made it back to Pemba safe and sound. I had
a hard first week of transitioning back into life
here, but God was so faithful in surrounding me with
old and new friends who are an amazing support. Thank
you all for praying for me as well. I really am
surrounded by His arms of love!

As far as work goes, I have been helping to get the
resource room/library up and running for the kids, and
next week I will start teaching one of our educators
how to teach pre-school. Hopefully in the near future
we will also have a prayer team to pray for and with
the kids.

While I was away, we received 2 precious little
treasures in the todlder house. One is baby Victorino
who just turned one year old and is full of life
despite his small body, which is due to malnutrition.
The 2nd gift was 5 month old Natalia who also came
very tiny and very sick. She has been here almost 2
months now, and under the care of fellow missionary,
Emelyn, has put on weight and really come to life!
She was diagnosed with a reflux disorder, but even
that sems to be on its way out. Thank you Jesus for
your healing power, especially among the smallest in
our family! Please pray for Victorino who is
currently battling malaria for the 2nd time in 2
weeks.

My housing situation is a bit interesting and I would
appreciate your continued prayer for me in this area.
IRIS Pemba has grown very large, very quickly, so
there is currently a shortage of longterm missionary
living space on the bases. I am now living in a house
that is smack dab in the middle of all the offices,
children's homes, mission school housing, Bible
School, and the caferia. I think originally it was
intended to be offices for the prayer house, which is
literally connected to the back of the house. To put
it lightly, it can get a bit loud here at times, and
the only time it's usually quiet is 9 or 10 PM till
5:30 AM. I have found that Jesus is giving me an
amazing grace to be able to live here and feel that He
has even promised to make it a "Dwelling Place" for
His presence. Yeah!!

I want to thank all of you who have been faithfully
praying for me and supporting me financially. I have
seen God come through for me many times already this
year through your faithfulness to run alongside me.
My prayer for you is that "the eyes of your heart may
be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to
which he has called you, the riches of his glorious
inheritance in the saints, and his incomparibly great
power for us who believe." Eph. 1:18-19

Blessings and love to you!
Tanya

Russian country outing

We went out one afternoon and played on this hill overlooking the town of Armavir

The whole gang with Armavir in the background- (back row) Slavik, Lera, Connie, George, Matthew- (front row) me, Anya, Nastya, Paula, Jo

First time kite flying in Russia


Beautiful Russian countryside

Bowling

STRIKE!!!

Greetings from Armavir!

Ecc. 3:1 "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven..."

Dear Friends and Family,

Wow! It seems as if the past 4 months here in Russia have flown by, and in two short weeks I'll be heading back to Mozambique in time for our annual IRIS staff retreat. This has been such an invaluable season of prayer, worship, healing, freedom and learning to rest in the Father's arms. Without a doubt I will be going home a different person. More like the woman God created me to be in the first place. Hallelujah!

In the past week I have been thinking a lot of Pemba, the children, and my missionary friends there. It will be so good to see everyone and to love on the kids. Carlito is now two years old and others tell me he's talking up a storm and sometimes even bossing them around. Although we only spent three weeks together when he was 6 months old, he still has a huge place in my heart, and I like to spend time with him as much as possible.

When I return, I will no longer be responsible for overseeing the entire children's center but will be involved with ministry to the children in other ways. There are three areas that I will most likely be helping in. The first is doing art/creativity with the children with another missionary and possibly incorporating that with times of prayer. I would also like to teach them more about prayer and soaking in God's presence. The second area would be to disciple/mentor the older girls and encourage them to live lives of purity. The third would be to possibly help with our brand new resource room/library for the children that was opened two weeks ago.

So, I'm excited to be heading back and sad to be leaving another wonderful family here. I have truly felt the tangible love of the Father through the arms of my family here in Russia.

For those of you who are committed to praying for me, here are a few requests:
1. Safe travel to South Africa on the 29th of May, to Mozambique on the 1st of June, and to Pemba on the 6th of June.
2. Smooth transition from one country, culture, and language to the next.
3. Grace and wisdom in carrying out new responsibilities in Pemba.
4. Jesus' love to be continually poured into me, flowing through me and poured out again to others.
5. Provision for travelling expenses and other needs.
6. Anything else the Lord puts on your heart!

Thank you for your unending love, prayers, & financial support. I pray that God's abundant goodness and mercy will be continually overflowing in each one of your lives!

Love,
Tanya

Christmas Day

Christmas day 2006, bringing out the gifts for an extremely excited group of our toddlers.

Receiving their gifts from Mama Aida.

Girls full of joy in their new Christmas clothes.

Each missionary is assigned to a room of children to care for. We take the kids to the beach, buy little gifts for them periodically, pray with them, and sometimes tuck them in bed at night. These are the girls who were previously in my room before all the children were moved around according to age in January 2007.

My new room of girls all age 7-10, except Luisa (top L) who is 15 and helps with the littler girls in the room.

Graduation Day

Graduation ceremony in our big tent for the Mozambican Bible School and IRIS International School of Missions in Pemba, December 15, 2006.
Ministry time at the end of the 7 hour ceremony.

Jesus, let your FIRE fall!!!!

More, Lord!

Heidi and Lesley-Anne in traditional Mozambican dresses.

Amina

Amina with her 3 children, Beto-2, Gabriel-10, Helena-7 and neice, Estefania-10 (in aqua shirt). Amina is a friend who has helped a few of us to do housekeeping and laundry for the past year in Pemba. In April 2006 we helped her buy a new house after hers was washed away in a heavy rainstorm. Her original home was a one room dwelling of bamboo and mud.
Amina's new finished house! (December 2006) Most people in Mozambique cannot afford to make their homes secure with good doors, windows and cement, but God provided for her through a visiting team.

We had curtains made as a Christmas gift for Amina to hang on her new windows that were installed before the cement went on the walls.

A few of us went to celebrate with a chicken dinner to bless Amina in her new home. (L to R) Laura, me, Varya, Emelyn

Xima (kind of like mashed potatoes but made from corn meal) and chicken with sauce. Yummy!!