Ground breaking news!

Rolland and Heidi BakerIris Ministries, Inc.Pemba, Mozambique
12 September 2008
Photo gallery
(photos of the drill rig and dedication):<http://www.irismin.org/12september2008.htm>

Victory: after years of praying, planning, crying, working and networking, today -- Friday, September 12 -- we broke ground with our enormous well drilling rig in Pemba, Mozambique! Rejoice with us! We want to thank everyone who has been involved in this incredible well-drilling water project. We know hundreds of thousands of peoplewill be affected by this development as we can now bring water from theearth as Jesus brings living water from heaven to the desperate peopleof Mozambique. I cried today as the huge drill rig broke through solid rock and dirt. The joy never ends. Words cannot express the gratitude and delight in our hearts towards all of you who have helped make this dream come true. Just like Jesus brought dignity and eternal life to the Samaritan Women when he stopped and asked her for a drink of water from the well, Jesus will bring dignity to the poor and eternal life to the lost as we drillwell after well and bring His holistic good news into the villages. Many of our Mozambican friends walk for two hours to an entire day just toget one container of water. Many people die each year from diseases connected either with their lack of clean water, or contaminated water.Our heart's desire is to drill a well in every village. Having our small drill rig and now an enormous drill rig with a blaster will cut the cost of drilling bore holes by nearly two thirds. Not only was it a bizarrely expensive to hire outside well-drilling companies, but it became impossible in northern Mozambique to even find companies to hire. So Jesus provided our own Iris well drilling rigs!!!! Just this week I met with a top government official who told me that even the government was unable to find any company to drill wells in this desperate province of Cabo Delgado. They were thrilled that these rigs were actually in Pemba. This dream has been inside of me for years. I had a heavenly vision of our Iris teams going village to village, drilling wells, offering Living Water, planting crops, providing for orphans, while preaching the gospel through signs and wonders. We would then plant local mud hut churches every five kilometers wherever there was a population. We would train several Mozambicans per village in our bible schools. They would receive the Father's heart and each care for one to twelve orphans in their own villages. The wells would provide for the orphans' needs. I have had a vision to see Jesus care for one million children in my lifetime. Through God's power and provision, the well project will make thisvision a reality. I talked to four village chiefs today about the well drilling project and villagers trading small amounts of food for water to feed the orphans in the village, and they are thrilled by the idea.The local church loaded our Land Rover with sacrificial love offerings which included a goat, chickens, peanuts, cornmeal, tomatoes, peppers,sweet potatoes, coins, sifters, eggs, handmade ropes, sugarcane,potatoes, and more. I wept as they joyfully laid such an extravagant offerings at our feet. They wanted to provide for our orphan children inPemba. Today has been a truly beautiful day. The journey of this project started long ago. After years of praying for drill rigs to bring water from the earth while we minister the water oflife, on Oct 17th, 2006, Shara and I flew to Denver, CO, for a prayer breakfast. We had a dear friend who had wanted me to preach to a smallgroup of Christian business men. Shara looked through my 2006 calendar and realized that there was only one free morning for the rest of the entire year. She found a window in my schedule on Tuesday Oct 17th am.Peter responded, "Perfect, Tuesday Oct 17th morning is the exact time when a small group of business leaders all meet to pray." I shared the story of the Good Samaritan and Jesus stopping for the one. The Lord spoke to some business leaders and Bill Johnson and his family at Bethel Church about helping adopt this vision. After two years of negotiating with the Mozambican government, bringing in an Indian well drilling expert, paying duty, working through endless paper work, finding a crane in Cabo Delgado big enough to lift this enormous rig, bringing in an engineer from America, and pressing through tremendous spiritual warfare, we have now officially broken ground. Even as I write this news-flash, we are drilling through solid rock. Jesus is our Rock upon which He is building His church in Mozambique. Village to village, He is bringing living water to the poor. Rejoice with us as He answers His prayer, "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters,and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost... Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you my faithful love promised to David" (Isaiah 55:1, 3). We want to offer aspecial thank you to Peter, John and Kara, Bethel Church, Rich, Hal,David and their friends for their extreme generosity. Our dreams are beginning to come true. Thank you so much for remembering the poor.Please rejoice with us! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Love in Jesus, Rolland and Heidi