written by Joanna Morrison and photographed by David Morrison, August 1, 2012
| Remain in me. Dwell in my love. Settle down in it. Be at home. In Malawi, we say ‘be free.’ Truth be told, it takes some time before our visitors feel free in this new place. Everything is unfamiliar…shopping in the market, wearing skirts all the time (for the women, of course), greeting everybody, village noises early in the morning and late at night. It all takes some adjustment. Likewise the love of Christ is wildly different from even the best of our earthly examples. We can give selflessly from time to time, but day after day continuous love eludes us. What does it look like? How do we live inside such love? Jesus calls us repeatedly to ‘Dwell in his love.’ He knows this is going to be a new experience for us. This patient, kind love that keeps no record of wrongs will completely undo us. It is the love with which the Father loves the Son. It is constant and unchanging, and to live inside it requires some adjustments. |
 Iris son encouraged by the growth of the maize in his ‘hobby’ garden. |
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 Hedson and Fanny, two of our house parents for the Iris children, leading the huge crowd in worship. |
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| This was my opening message at our recent conference, where 3 thousand gathered to hear the Word, and receive his love. They came with little, just the clothes they wore, slept on the ground, and ate together. It was cold for Malawi, below 10 degrees on the first night. Children snuggled up close to keep warm as they listened to the word. They came to worship and to receive. Young and old, healthy and sick, everyone pressed in for prayer. | |||
 Surprise Sithole, Heidi Baker, Eisha Baker, Rolland Baker |
Heidi and Rolland Baker along with several friends flew in for the conference in their beautiful new plane. What a gift for them, and for us, because we hope to see them more often now. Supresa Sithole arrived by car with a team from South Africa. These visitors brought joy and love with them. They ministered to us with encouragement and love. They prayed tirelessly for the sick. We are so thankful for our connection with the Iris family. | ||
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There was a tremendous outpouring of joy. Many of our Iris children were touched. It was wonderful to watch them ministering to each other, sharing what they received freely. For the first time, our Morrison children felt free to enjoy the conference. They sat in the crowd and received, no longer afraid of pointing fingers and laughter. What a fantastic gift! Joy touched us all. To experience the love of God is an amazing gift. To know about that love, and study the Bible, and understand as far as one can, does not compare with being touched by his love. Some people know nothing about the Bible, and yet they are able to receive his love. I have met women here who cannot read, and yet they are given a chapter and verse. They ask me to read it to them, and so God speaks. I have seen children who have yet to read a single word, lost in worship, tears streaming down their faces. It is a glorious mystery. Now we only know in part, then we will know fully as we are fully known.Pray for those who received Christ’s love for the first time, that they will be nourished and fed. Pray for our pastors, that they will sink their roots deeply into that love, and care for his sheep. Pray for those who listened but did not receive, that God will continue to soften their hearts. Pray for the children whose life experience does not include love, that God’s love will sustain them and change their inheritance, that those who receive no earthly love, will be able to love others. ‘This is how my Father is glorified: you are to bear fruit in plenty and so be my disciples.’ Pray for fruit, that our Father may be glorified. |
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