This blog was posted from my teammate Jeanette Wheeler.  Please consider partaking:

A couple of weeks ago I was fasting and the Lord clearly asked me to pray and fast again.                      "Pray and fast for the men of all ages and generations" Within those few brief moments God revealed to me a real burden, concern, respect and love for my brothers in Christ. The whole vision then began to unfold…A call for all women of all ages and from all generations to rally together for a day of fasting, repentance and interceding for the boys and men in our lives, in others' lives, and in the world. Men are created to be Godly strongholds, pillars and towers for their families and for future generations around the world.  Some men today walk boldly in this call on their lives.  Others need to learn how to do this; they are capable - they just need encouragement and empowerment.  The Lord showed me that for far too long, men have received attacks - on their character, on their intentions, on their actions or lack thereof.  Then the Lord shared with me how we as women can positively influence this to make change.  We are to enter into their world with encouraging, uplifting and interceding words and actions. Beyond prayer, I was asked to repent (ask forgiveness) on behalf of how I and generations of women have thought about, disrespected and treated men in our lives. Any thought, frustration, attitude and word that wasn't uplifting or edifying to them I was to ask forgiveness for.  As the first step I asked forgiveness from the men of the September 07 and January 08 squad. This time brought encouraging verbal affirmation on the impact that this call of obedience is going to bring. Along with interceding and repentance, fasting was the last part of the process.  I believe that fasting brings the cry of one's heart to a closer intimacy and urgency to the Lord.  It can be a fast of food, things, events, etc. The day that was chosen is Wednesday, April 30th…the last day in April. Join me for a day of impact: impacting men's' lives, our lives and therefore the world!!! The vision that the Lord showed me was that this needs to spread like wild fire. The more women that are praying…the greater the interceding…the greater the change…the greater the impact.  Please join us on this day.  Send this message to women all over the world…even send them this blog. I believe that God is calling thousands of women to participate on this day! A few things that are laid on my heart for us to intercede for our brothers about: -Godly men to come along side each other - covenant brothers that will love, challenge, and uplift and hold each other accountable. -Direction in the calling the Lord has put on their lives and to rise out of a life of discouragement and confusion. -For a life that rejects passivity and abounds in courage, strength and power. -That they would be men who pursue the woman God has chosen for each of them (if called to marriage) and that they would then lay down their life as Christ laid down His. -Vision, obedience, encouragement and power to step into spiritual leadership of their family. As this day comes nearer my prayer is that God will reveal to each woman what this day looks like…for things to pray for, repent for and fast of.   The call of obedience for this day is so strong. I can't wait to see the change that this is going to make! Thank you for joining me in uplifting the men that are currently impacting and will continue to impact our lives.

Throughout our time in Africa, Team Ignite has had the opportunity to work with some great men and women who are wholeheartedly serving the Lord and living by faith.  I would like to share the vision that God has put in the hearts of these three men.

Swaziland

Pastor Gift Dlamini was recently ordained as the head pastor of the first G42 church plant in Africa.  This church is located in Nsoko, Swaziland and reaches an area that is in desperate need.  Gift is a righteous man.  He loves the Lord and he has a YES attitude in his heart.  Whatever God asks of him, he always says YES.  It is for this reason that he has been ordained by the Lord to reach the area of Nsoko.  As I stated earlier, Gift lives by faith.  While our team was in Nsoko, Pastor Gift was without a car and would sometimes wait for more than an hour for public transportation just to meet up with our team.  When he finally got a car, it was during the week leading up to Easter Sunday and his ordination.  On the first day of driving this car, something happened to where the car spun out and flipped over!  Talk about being attacked.  Even something like this does not keep the man down.  His family is in the transition phase of moving to Nsoko from Manzini so he does not get to see them as much as he wants.  It reminds me of what Paul says about the cost of discipleship.  He just says YES, even when it means not getting to see his family as much.  The vision in Nsoko is to see the various "Care Points" in the area self-sustained with water, production of some viable crops, education for the children, and a market that can be visited by all of the tourists that come through Nsoko.  The market would provide goods that the women of the region craft themselves.  Pastor Gift will help establish these different Care Points until they are self-sustained as well as run the community center that was recently built in a central location to these Care Points.  We want to show these people that God is a God who provides and who does not forsake his people.  Pastor Gift is a catalyst to see the Swazi children rise up and change their country.  If you or someone you know would like to provide financial aid to Pastor Gift or are interested in working alongside Pastor Gift, please donate here or contact Gary Black at garyblack@adventures.org.

South Africa

Most of our team was able to spend some time with a couple and their daughter who work at Back Door Ministries just outside of Nelspruit, South Africa.  Bob and Sue McKay along with their daughter Linda have been there for roughly a year establishing a feeding center, Bible school, a soccer team, and they are currently working to buy 60 something acres of land to start a children's village.  Bob and Sue are on staff with IRIS ministries and are looking to set up an orphanage system much like the IRIS bases in Machava and Zimpeto in Mozambique.  Bob is a man full of the Spirit and full of life.  He has a passion to see the children reached in South Africa because he knows that they will be the next generation.  Bob's vision for the land is to make it self-sustainable as well.  The land already has 5 houses on it which will house hopefully 6-8 orphans and 2 house parents.  They will look to build more houses as they are financially capable.  They will also use much of the land to plant various crops to sell for added support to set up the school system on the future base.  They are walking in complete faith right now that God will provide for them to purchase this land.  Please pray that the Lord will meet the need of 400,000USD by the end of this month in order to buy the land.  I will keep you posted on their status as I am updated.

Mozambique

Yesterday I returned from a week spent in Boane, Mozambique.  Our contact there was Don Foster.  Don comes from the US and is also on staff with IRIS Ministries.  He is currently responsible for 13 young men in their 20s who have recently come out of the orphanage systems set up at Machava and Zimpeto.  This is called the Benjamin Project and was started by Jeff and Caryn Hakes as a part of IRIS.  Don has recently been placed in charge of this project and has vision to see this men come out of the orphanages to head to bolder and braver things.  Don has a tremendous heart and he loves the Lord.  The tough part is that he is on his own and is trying to manage the day-to-day logistics, carrying out the vision of the property, and discipling these 13 men.  It is quite the task.  He also takes advantage of the evangelism opportunities in the area by showing the Jesus films in Portuguese and their regional language of Shangan.  The vision for the land is to begin an agricultural system for these men.  To teach them farming trades as well as put them through school.  Many of them were not able to go to school growing up because of the civil war.  So now, they are in their 20s and trying to catch up.  He has A LOT of construction and building projects including a church, visitor housing, latrines, etc.  He needs financial as well as physical help.  So I ask you to pray for Don and his needs.  Pray for some Mozambican leadership to come in and help.  Pray for people in western society to be mobilized to come help him plan out a course of action and disciple.  He needs staff.  Here are some pictures from a project that our team took on at his house:

These men are the workers.  And they are few.  The harvest is plentiful, so they need our help as intercessors and as actual laborers.

Also, stay posted on my teammates' blogs, there are some awesome stories coming out and I'm not able to cover all of them!  Look on the left under the section "My Team" to get to their blogs.  Thank you so much for reading and praying for their needs.

"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."

                                                                                                ~Psalm 27:13

This past week, I saw the goodness of the Lord.  I witnessed love and I observed life.  The children at the IRIS bases of Machava and Zimpeto number well over 300 and they range from babies to teenagers.  Each one receives three meals a day as well as their filling of spiritual food.  They have responsibilities and they play in a beautifully landscaped area.  They are a family.  I firmly believe and testify that the Lord is truly at work among these IRIS bases.  After visiting these orphanages, the Lord brought me this vision:

"They will be an army for me.  They will become the generation who claims their inheritance as political, medical, and spiritual leaders in Mozambique.  They will be mine and I will call them my children.  They will change society as they know it because they are one body and they submit to Christ.  I have heard their cries and I have a purpose for them."

It was so simple but also true.  These children who have been forgotten by most of the world are going to be the ones that wage war against the enemy in the years to come.  Against the principalities and the darkness of their world.  It's as if they are in basic training right now, receiving all of the tools necessary to take the land.  These children have grown up through civil war in their land but they are learning that there is a war that is not against flesh and blood.  They have a higher calling.

I was thoroughly impressed with what I witnessed at IRIS ministries.  The investment that they've made in these children is outstanding.  They set a standard for what it means "to look after the orphans" and they do not compromise.

May the Lord establish his plans through these children.  May the spirit of poverty be banished from the land of Mozambique.  Please check out IRIS ministries.  I pray that this will be an encouragement to you to know that the Lord has called us to minister to these children.  That He has neither forgotten nor forsaken them.  Please pray for the continued growth of these children.