Missions and Miracles: Interview with Heidi Baker

From the Winter 2012 issue of Pneuma Review.

Editorial Introduction

Rolland and Heidi Baker founded IRIS Global (then known as IRIS Ministries) in 1980, the year they were married, spending the next twelve years ministering in Asia, first by leading evangelistic dance and drama teams and then transitioning to work one by one with the poor and forgotten. In 1992, they moved to London to complete their PhD’s at King’s College, planting a church and ministering to the homeless of downtown London. In 1995, Rolland was offered a neglected orphanage in Maputo, Mozambique. Their ministry, now based in Pemba, Mozambique, has continued to expand to include feeding programs, well drilling, medical clinics, primary and secondary schools, Bible schools and vocational training, and planting thousands of churches in Mozambique and in more than 20 nations. Their book, There is Always Enough (Chosen, 2003), serves as a good introduction to their ministry.

Adapted from the December 13, 2010 letter from Rolland Baker. www.irismin.org/about

Pneuma Review: You and your husband, Rolland, have been involved in missions and ministry to the poor for many years. What countries have you served in and how did you end up in Mozambique?

Heidi Baker: When I was sixteen, I was powerfully saved, and I had a vision of Jesus. He called me to Asia, Africa and England to be a minister and missionary. From that day on, I became a missionary, and I saw God do miracles. We started seeing the demonized set free and drug addicts come off of drugs. Cancer was healed in California; in Hong Kong, many women who had been living in cages received the healing of their hearts. God would heal all kinds of physical ailments: heads backs, necks, livers, knees. People have given me X-rays of restored organs.

We started out in Indonesia and then went to Hong Kong. We served in Hawaii for a short time. Then we went back to Asia and eventually on to England to do our PhD program. In England we had a church among the homeless and street people, which is still going on today. After that, we were called to Mozambique.

In 1996, I received a prophecy from Randy Clark that I would witness the blind see and the deaf hear. After a year of praying, three women who all had my name (“Aida” in Portuguese), saw for the first time within days of each other. There has been great breakthrough for the deaf. Approximately 99% of the deaf in the Makua and Makonde tribe have been healed in the last few years.

PR: How do the miracles you have seen meet the needs and impact the community?

These are some of the least reached people in Southeast Africa, and we go out to meet them in their bush villages. Since the deaf started to hear, we planted more than 2000 churches. Entire villages have been hearing and receiving the Gospel. We have a church witness among almost every Makua and Makonde village.

Often, villages of another faith are resistant when we arrive. Sometimes they throw rocks at us, or jeer or show their disapproval, but when the deaf in their village hear, they drop their rocks.

In one community across the bay from Pemba, the people in the village have never had a school for their children. We first planted a church there, and then built a school for the children. Now when we visit, the children show us their books and are excited about what they’re learning.

One boy of about eight years old was so excited that his ears had been healed because it meant he could go to school. His uncle was almost jumping up and down because he was so happy he could send his nephew to school. He said they’d sent him but he couldn’t understand anything, so he had eventually stopped going.

Just recently, there was a baby girl of about 20 months in a village near Pemba called Mieze. Her legs were weak and she couldn’t walk, and her eyes were completely white. She couldn’t see anything; she’d never seen the face of her mother. As we held her and prayed, her legs became strong and she started kicking them. Then in front of a crowd of international visitors and Mozambicans from that village, Albertina’s eyes turned from white to gray and finally to beautiful dark brown. We sobbed as we watched her actually see her mother for the first time. The whole community was deeply touched and impacted by God’s miracle for a baby girl.

PR: Why do you think the Lord moves so powerfully among the poor?

“Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is kingdom of God.” The poor are completely dependent. They have no back up plan or access to medical care, so we see the Gospel going forth with signs and wonders. God has unquenchable compassion for the poor, the desperate, the hungry and hurting.

PR: What kind of qualities must a person have in order to serve in a place like Mozambique?

The ability to go low and slow. They need to strive to live Philippians 2:3.The fruit of the Spirit. A willingness to learn from the nationals. Willing to sit in the dirt and stop for the one. The knowledge that fruitfulness comes because of intimacy with the Father. The willingness to put Jesus first. It’s not just the multitudes; family is also a key value in the society. You must be willing to lay down your life in humility.

PR: What words of advice and caution would you give to a minister or church that desires to see God do miracles in their community?

Let your life be grounded in God. Go out of your way for one person every day; let it be part of your lifestyle. Pray for the sick every day. Learn how to pour out compassion. Our job is to love. Love comes from the Father’s lavish love poured out on us. He is the one that heals. If we have shown compassion and love which we ourselves have received from God, then we have done God’s will whether they are healed or not. Hearing God’s heart for the person and knowing what He wants to do is the answer.

I hug lots of people every Sunday, people in wheelchairs who don’t get out of them. As many blind as we see healed, we also have homes for the blind who aren’t healed. We have cottage industries for the blind. It’s all about God and giving His love to others. Love accomplishes God’s will even if a supernatural miracle doesn’t happen. The biggest miracle is love.