Greetings family in this new year of 2015! In October of 2013 when I was visiting the USA I spent some days at the International House of Prayer, where I always go for a few days to sit at the feet of God and wait to hear His voice for my coming year. His word to me at that time was, “This will be the hardest year yet but you will know my peace more than you ever have.” I have come to know that His word is true so I said okay Lord. I was a little leery about what that word, “hard” meant though. Then the country of South Sudan turned upside down with war. The roads closed, refugees came, we were ducking for cover as the bullets flew and many were found dead in the streets.

When I look back on this last year and even all the way through it, I constantly saw the goodness of the Lord pass before me. I can say that this last year was one of the best years of my life and it was all because I saw the goodness of the Lord in my life, in our lives. When I found myself in the hardest of places, war all around, me all alone in ministry, I did the only thing I knew to do, I ran to the Lord. I tell you, this year has shown me that the more I seek the kingdom of God the more I see of His goodness. The mistake so many make, me included, is that when things are going well, we tend to go on with our busy lives and we don’t sit at the Lord’s feet as much. There’s nothing to cry out for….

This last year, we here at Iris South Sudan, the children and the missionaries, have made it our focus to seek the kingdom of God first in all things, regardless of our fatness or leanness. We have become so hungry for the glory, the goodness of God that we don’t care what it takes to see Him and feel Him and taste that He is good. The Bible says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good” Psalm 34:8. He is a God of the senses, not some distant creation who hovers over us. He tastes us and smells us and touches us and we have that same access to Him. He invites us. Our children take this literally.

Our visitors have dwindled down to just three this week. The bulk of the team that was here left us last Saturday the 27th, along with one of our missionaries, Danielle. Two more left yesterday. On New Year’s Eve we took our generator and speakers and soundboard and our worship music and set it up in our Prayer Hut. For the next four hours we danced and praised God and prayed for each other and decreed our destiny and fell on our faces in gratitude. We wanted to thank God for all His goodness to us this year. We didn’t ask for a single thing for 2015, only that we would experience more of His kingdom and Presence in our lives. We know that when we seek only Him then all things will be added unto us for whatever our need is. It was an amazing night of His Presence in the midst of us.

Our young friend Robert from the Wounded Warrior village showed up on New Year’s Day with all his belongings packed in a plastic bag. He wanted to come live with us. He has been totally set free from demons and looked great. It was hard to tell him that he could not come and live with us because he has a family that is caring for him well enough. It is very difficult to turn a child away when they see what we have here with God and want it so badly. Soon we would have the entire town living with us I think. We are still on the “fill me up God” place of this movement within us so I am not sure how to take it to the masses yet, or even if we are called to do that.

I have sent our head pastor and Country manager off to Kenya for some refreshing and refilling at a conference there. He called me on New Year’s Eve and told me that 40 lame people are now walking and that God is shaking things up in Kenya! I think God is on the move all around the world. Let us all have eyes to see this year! That is what He told me this time at International House of Prayer. I am giving you eyes to see! It is still up to me to keep them open!! Boy am I on the lookout!

God bless you all and may His abundance spill over onto you as you seek His face this coming year! God bless you for spilling your love over onto us here at the Yei Children’s Village. This week I am researching a long standing dream of mine to finally build that playground for our children! Woohoo the goodness of God is chasing us down and running us over. YOU are such a huge blessing to us and we are ever grateful!