Explosion of Joy!
Cover: Iris team leading kids' street ministry in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Dear Friends,
"Mission begins with a kind of explosion of joy. The news that the rejected and crucified Jesus is alive is something that cannot possibly be suppressed. It must be told. Who could be silent about such a fact?”
– Lesslie Newbigin
(2014, "The Gospel in a Pluralist Society", p. 156, SPCK)
Last week, we had the opportunity to listen to our joy-filled, radiant IMC missionary who works in Asia and came home for a brief rest. For security reasons, we cannot share her name or ministry location. She radiates joy in situations where many fear to go. She laughed as she recounted how she never waits to see if someone is healed after she prays, trusting God for His perfect timing. As she collaborates with local church leaders to pack humanitarian relief containers for Malawi and Mozambique, she relies on God's provision even when physical resources seem insufficient.
Let us pray for her to be hidden in Christ and safely out of sight from those who might hinder her mission.
Likewise, in Cambodia, Jen Jewett is diligently working to fulfill a dream God gave her many years ago. She is transforming a brothel into a coffee shop, aiming to shine the light of Christ in the midst of darkness. The team in Cambodia already leads kids' programs and outreaches in the red-light district, and the coffee shop will provide them with a permanent presence.
Pray for protection and provision as they work to get the coffee shop up and running.
In Japan, Jenn Nicole continues to work with a team of missionaries dedicated to exalting the name of Jesus. They recently took a prayer trip to Uchiko in anticipation of some team members moving there. They believe God is moving and stirring hearts for His glory, and that many will come to know Jesus and even become missionaries.
Pray for this new endeavour in Uchiko. Jenn herself is also preparing for a move while continuing to sow into the nation she has come to love.
Iris Ministries Canada is currently active in Asia, Africa, and North America. We are part of the explosion of joy reverberating around the world. Thank you for praying for us and giving faithfully so that others can go. This is a time for all of us to listen to the Father and fix our eyes on Jesus. Together, as the body of Christ, we spread His love wherever we go.
“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.”
– Philippians 2:1-2 (ESV)
In Christ,
David & Joanna
Iris Ministries Canada
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself"
– Luke 10:27
