MWI Newsletters: Round 1
How Did We Get Here?
My apostolic journey began during my final year of ministry school at BSSM, where I interned with Iris Global — a missionary organization renowned for its leaders, Heidi and Rolland Baker. On the day of my interview at the Iris office in Redding, California, I experienced something I'll never forget. As I stepped out of the bathroom, I noticed my stark-black blazer shimmering with gold dust — a supernatural manifestation of the Holy Spirit. I had seen this unexplainable gold glitter only twice before: once while praying for a fortune teller on the streets of Cambodia, and again during a worship set the night before this very interview. Even now, as I write this, I'm holding back tears remembering how the Lord's hand has been in every detail — even down to a black blazer mysteriously covered in gold glitter. Though I had prayed about going to unreachable places since I was a little girl, it wasn't until I was introduced to Iris that my paradigm of missions began to shift, and something deep within me was awakened.
Poland, South Africa, the UK, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea
This moment led to my partnership with Iris Global as part of the core team for Iris Europe Camp — serving as the accountant and visual merchandiser, of course. Iris Europe Camp is a family gathering in Poland hosted by Iris Krakow, where hearts on fire for Jesus from around the world come together every summer to encounter Him, worship deeply, and be equipped for the nations. This year's camp drew participants from 18 countries across Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. It was also my first year speaking at the camp, where I taught two sessions: the first on Kingdom business, and the second on pioneering in human trafficking abolition — sharing what it looks like to launch abolition initiatives in regions without existing networks. It was an honor and a privilege to serve in this way.
Apostolic Missions: a form of mission work focused on more than evangelism or aid — it's about bringing positive change to entire regions and systems by nurturing leaders, strengthening local culture, and creating lasting foundations that reflect God's heart for wholeness, justice, and restoration.
After spending three weeks in Poland with my Iris family, I had planned to go to London, but the Lord rerouted my spiritual little sister, Zion, and me to South Africa! So we booked tickets on a Friday and flew there the following Tuesday, to the Iris base in White River, South Africa.
At the Iris White River base, Zion and I served alongside the base team and Pastor Surprise, one of Heidi Baker's right-hand men and the leader of 7,000 Iris Africa churches — a man whose book, A Voice in the Night, had inspired me years earlier. We spent ten days serving there: worshiping, praying for the sick, engaging with children, and distributing Bibles. You can read more about our mission trip to South Africa here.
From South Africa, I headed to London to host a meetup for my international women's discipleship group, Kingdom Business Collective, and intercede in prayer over the city's spiritual gates. There, I reconnected with friends from Iris Europe Camp, joined Spirit-filled worship nights, and stumbled upon a prayer meeting of Antioch Church London — what a surprise to meet members of my own church from Miami halfway across the world. I finally visited some beautiful new English friends whom Zion and I had met in South Africa, and even had the joy of leading a Muslim man to the Lord on the streets of London!
There were so many God testimonies in London and South Africa! The South Africa blog is out.
From there, I traveled to Malaysia, where I helped host the Iris Asia Family Gathering — a time for missionaries from across the continent to worship, be refreshed, and have their cups refilled. During the gathering, I ministered to resting missionaries and met believers who were truly suffering for their faith. Afterward, I spent an extended week in Singapore, building ministry relationships and preparing for what awaited me next in Korea. The first two months of my trip were precious but exhausting — five countries, twelve-hour days of service at three back-to-back conferences in Malaysia, and getting sick in Singapore — it was intense.
Iris Singapore team (and myself) with Rolland Baker and Pastor Surprise in Malaysia
I arrived in Seoul at the end of September, where I was finally able to rest a little before resuming my mission work. I've been coming to Korea for 10 years — first as an English teacher in 2015 — never imagining that a one-year contract would lead to my life's mission. On this trip, the Lord has highlighted orphanages, teenage runaways, and relationship-building. I've been serving at a homeless shelter in Gyeonggi-do, and the Lord has emphasized the work of spiritual sowing — in strategic alignment, prayer, intercession, and worship. My goal for this season is to sow for long-term impact. To get a full picture of what's been happening so far in Korea, check out this video on our MWI YouTube channel. I have one more month in Korea before heading home for the holidays.
Final Thoughts
If you got all the way through this post, well done :) Thank you for taking the time to engage with what God is doing through me and MWI in the nations. You can follow along on Instagram and YouTube — and stay tuned for monthly blog posts sharing what's happening on the ground.
~ Love, joy & peace — Katey Maddux
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