Greetings Family,
I find it hard to believe that we are approaching the three-year anniversary of our great exodus from South Sudan into Uganda! Every step in this journey has been a faith step, not knowing the end from the beginning, but God knew. Right from the start of the war I had to trust the Lord to carry all of our burdens and to carry us out of harm’s way and to trust His timing. I had to walk in more faith than I knew was possible for me, and the children also learned what it means to have great faith. They’ve been through the fire and Jesus walked with them. I could have said, “That’s it, I’ve had enough of this war that is not mine!” Many NGO’s did and they left. Every time I look into the eyes of my children, I know without a doubt that I could never have said that, even to the point of death, and I did have a death threat against me with a price attached. I said then and I say now, “All of it, all of these children, it was and is all worth the pain and struggle we went through.”
After our grand Exodus into Uganda, every step continues to be a faith step and each step requires perseverance. Living on this side of the border has required much more funding than ever before. We’ve had to register all of the children with the courts to apply for legal guardianship. We’ve had to obtain passports for each one and annual visas because we don’t want to be refugees. We’re starting over in every way. We bought two vehicles, one being a 26-seat bus for school. We bought land and have put a strong fence around it and have drilled a borehole. Now we wait for full funding from the Lord to build our home. All of our children are living out their dream of going to school in Uganda. I remember how I used to fret over how I couldn’t afford to send them to university in Uganda, and here we are now in some of the best schools, with eight of our children in university level classes. Our children used to cry for a bus because they walked at least five miles to school and back, even in the rain, and here we are with our own school bus and none of our children need to walk. God has been so, so good to us. Our donors have been so, so good to us.
Our children are now faith walkers and there is nothing you can say to them to make them believe otherwise. They have been called to the nations. One has since gone to China, another to America, and two to Kenya. The children have created an identity for themselves in our town of Luwero to change people’s thinking about the Sudanese. The Sudanese are known to many Ugandans as fighters and arguers, abusive with their mouths and fists, putting fear into the hearts of the beautiful people of Uganda. Our children have shown the people of our town that we are of a different character, the character of Jesus Christ, one of love and humility. The teachers always comment to me how different our children are. I tell them that it is the Lord who causes them to be so and it is the struggle they have been through. They have learned that when one loses everything but still has life, then God can do something with them if they remain humble. I am so proud of them and can’t wait to see where their lives will lead them. They don’t quit. If you don’t quit, you win every time!
We are still learning to let Jesus carry all of our burdens, and I find myself weighed down sometimes when I try to carry them alone. It is a very difficult thing to be responsible for so many lives and so much decision-making to just let it all go and not worry. Daily I hand these things over to God.
James 1:2-8 tells us:
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
It has always been paramount for us in Iris to hear from the Lord, to gain his wisdom. We could never have gone through all that we did without His wisdom. When I hear from the Lord I have to believe with full faith what He tells me. He gives wisdom to everyone liberally, as much as is needed. We cannot afford to be tossed upon the waves by doubting Him and ourselves. I chose faith in the fire and I choose faith now although the fire is different. These fires require us to stay ever closer to God so that we can hear even His whisper. I have learned that once you hear from the Lord, especially when so many lives are on the line, one learns to anticipate His voice. I don’t “press in” when I need His help, I just press on, walking out the ministry that He has given me charge over and I trust Him to show me and tell me how. I have needed to remind myself so often that I didn’t ask for this calling, I just answered it. That being the case, the responsibility is on God to provide and to direct. When God calls us our only qualifications are to listen, to trust and to love.
Romans 5:3-5 tells us:
“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Where there is no testing of our faith, there is no growth. I have seen the growth in my children’s spirits through all of this. We would never mature into the hope that God has given us without the tests. Many of God’s people quit and give up because they have lost hope. Hope is the only thing that keeps a person moving forward. Without hope, there is only defeat. I pray that we will never
lose hope. When one loses hope, they lose their life. Every day we fight the good fight of faith, and sometimes we crawl but we continue to move forward, inch by inch. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God, nothing.
Thank you again to all who prayed their guts out for us! Thank you again to all who financed our journey and to those who still do! Thank you again for following our story and sticking with us! There is a documentary being made by Heart Stone Pictures called “Walk With Me”, which highlight’s Heidi’s incredible journey of faith and also the amazing faith of our children and our crazy journey out of war. It is close to completion and I’m sure you will see information here once it is. I have also finally written a book, Reckless Love Crazy Faith, giving all the details of our journey, which I couldn’t do at the time as every second of our lives was so critical. We are so thankful to all of you! I pray that the Lord will continue to bless you to be a blessing to all that the Lord leads you to. You have surely been a blessing to us. We love you all!