In February we were finally able to organize a trip to the refugee camps to visit families there. We couldn’t go until now because of the really bad tires on our Land Cruiser and no funds to make the trip. It was amazing, and just seeing the kids connect with their relatives was so good. Our plan is to do this at least quarterly, and even more if funds are available. It is so extremely important to keep these connections. This helps our children to hold onto their heritage and some sense of identity. A week later I headed off to America.
I am so incredibly grateful that God speaks to us loud and clear, if only we listen for His voice and respond, full of faith, never doubting. Within the first two weeks of being here, I shared at a wonderful church that I share at every visit. I had a message that I was ready to share. As soon as I stepped up to the podium, the Lord whispered, “Not this one. Just follow my lead.” I closed my notes and followed Him. At the end of the message I was able to prophesy over many, many people who were so touched by Jesus’ love for them, enough to have a special word for each. And then the pastor and his board handed me a $10,000 check as the seed to build our first building on our new compound! Oh my gosh!
He was so radically obedient to the voice of the Lord, in that instant, no delay to pray about it. He had been saving for his church land and building and felt that he wanted to sow into what was more important to him in that moment, a home for children, caring for the widows and orphans. Needless to say, I was undone. I praise God for this pastor’s obedience and radical faith and boldness to give all for Jesus and His kingdom. I usually don’t tell these stories of giving because we have some amazing partners, pastors, who steadfastly sow into us each and every month, far exceeding this gift and we would never be able to survive each and every month without them. I just felt that this one story was something that someone needed to hear, only because people are so afraid to give that one time big offering, for fear that they just lost it all. That’s not how the kingdom works. We can never out give God. Trust Him even with the “big” offering to wherever He asks you to sow. He will not be sad or upset if you don’t. He just knows that you will get the bigger blessing if you go all in with whatever it is you are giving. It doesn’t have to be money.
Another highlight of this trip is that I was finally able to go and visit We Will Go Ministries in Jackson, Mississippi! David and Amy are so steadfast and bold in their love and faith in the most broken city in Mississippi. The part of the city they live in has literally closed down, houses abandoned, shops closed and left abandoned, people without jobs… So much suffering there. It reminded me of where I lived as a teenager and the toughness of life there. They reach out every day, all day to all of their neighbors, actually living amongst them, no bars on the windows or locks on gates. I was so blessed to share in their outdoor church in 50 degrees weather for four hours, as we also ate dinner. The people were so sweet and one of the teenage girls came forward at the alter call to say yes full out for whatever Jesus is calling her to do. In that community that was a bold step. This entire trip I just keep hearing, BOLDNESS. It’s time to put off the fear and doubt and step into boldness and go after what we want and dream of.
In the midst of all my travels I have also put together 150 packages that I sent out to 150 churches in San Antonio asking them to consider partnering with us in building our new base in Uganda. It was a big endeavor on my part and way out of my comfort zone to ask for help. It’s been a month and I haven’t had any response but I just believe God will move on hearts in His timing to help us. He always has and always will. It’s His ministry. I’m just the operations manager, and more importantly, His daughter.
I also did some final filming of the Walk With Me Documentary Series, which is premiering in Houston, Texas on 17 April 2019 at the Landmark River Oaks Theater. I sent out the invite to all so you should have it. Many, many of you have asked me how you can get it or see it if you don’t live in Houston. If you live in San Antonio you can catch it at Cornerstone Church on 24 April at 9:00 am.
The producer wants to sell this story to Hollywood so we cannot do any other big premiers until after it sells. She wants to get it on Netflix also. So we all, including me, need to be patient until it sells, then I can show it around the world as I travel. It would be at church gatherings and not big movie theater things. It doesn’t sound like any sort of DVD will be available any time soon so we have to wait and see how all this goes. I know nothing about navigating Hollywood… I have seen the rough cut and I needed tissues all the way through and its my story! Heart Stone Pictures has done an incredible job of portraying our hearts and our journey through it all!
While in America I have been getting all my health checkups from last year’s surgeries. Great news on all fronts. My leg healed perfectly, not a singe pain or problem. My neck fusion is nine months out and my doctor said that people don’t look this good until at least a year out. Again, the perfect healing of my Healer, Jesus! I still have pain daily so we now know it is musculoskeletal. So now we are doing cortisone shots and TENS treatments which is a small handheld machine with probes that cause electromagnetic impulses to go to my pain spots and make them better. I am standing in faith for a full deliverance from pain. Thirty-seven years is just too long. It’s time to get free!
Last week another miracle happened in our family! One of our older girls is now living in China and going to school there!! It only took five months to get her visa but she is now there and living with one of our sponsors who have been sponsoring her for ten years. First kid called to the nations! Now we are still waiting on Sida’s visa letter from America so she can come for surgery. We need to keep praying for this. She needs to be kid number two!
I still have a few weeks more of ministry in America before heading back to Africa. I am very excited to be going to Dodge City Kansas for the Boersma Family Gathering on Easter weekend where Heidi and many of us Iris Alumni will be ministering. I haven’t been able to see family in two years so I am so excited. I have so much more to tell but will save it for the next update. Thank you so much, all of you, who have been faithful, year after year, to give all that you have to us, to these children who are called to the nations. If not for each and every single one of you, they would be either dead, literally, or sitting in a refugee camp with nothing. Because of you, they are thriving, happy, blessed children, who know what love has done for them.
We love you so much,
Carolyn and Iris South Sudan/Uganda