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Yei, Sudan Field Report #1
Finally
we are in Yei! We arrived yesterday afternoon, Monday May 21, 2007
after approximately 23 hours of flying. First, we arrived to Entebbe, Uganda at 1 a.m. on Saturday and rested at the “Boma Hotel” while waiting for the next available flight to Yei, Sudan or Monday morning.
Sharon and I were received by our beloved friend Cathi Crooks, Yei,
Sudan Iris Ministries Director Michele Perry, and Pastor John Malis.
Seeing my friend Cathi Crooks after three months was wonderful. We
hugged and cried! It’s amazing how so much love can be shared between
two sisters in Christ. When I met Cathi at church 1 ½ years ago I
immediately knew that we were connected. Her love for Africa and mine
joined us together forever. So here we are in Yei, Sudan Yei!!!!!!!!!!
After
a 20 minute drive on a dusty red dirt road we arrived at the center and
were received with a delightful song and dance prepared especially for
us by the orphanage children. They had been praying for us for weeks
and had been waiting with anticipation for our arrival. It was so
beautiful! I couldn’t have had a bigger smile on my face and Sharon was
completely undone.
 After
a tour of the facilities, accompanied by our entourage, the children, I
had the opportunity to sit down with Michele and hear about her heart
for Sudan and how the Lord brought her here. We then fellowshipped,
Cathi, Sharon, Michele and I, and had some missionary, on fire,
passionate talk about how awesome God
is and what he is doing in Yei. You see, life here in Africa is so
different than in the States. There is no clock that determines the
agenda, No one is in a rush, and relationships are critical! And so we
did what Africans do, we bonded!
In
the early evening we had dinner! We ate posho and dodo! This is maize
and a green leafy vegetable with its broth. It’s quite tasty! Thank God
for hand sanitizers since silverware are not part of the culture; thus,
we ate with our hands! Dinner was followed by worship which was led by
Beida, a 13 year old girl with a beautiful voice and an immense love
for the Lord. The drums were composed of wooden sticks made out of tree
branches and plastic containers, jerry cans, which are also used for
drawing water from the well each morning. We danced, laughed, and
prayed. The presence of the Lord was tangible and sweet!
This morning, Tuesday May 22nd, I woke up to the sound of the birds and the children worshipping
acapella in the courtyard. It was about 06:00 a.m. and the sun had not
come up yet. I immediately jumped to my feet, dressed, and went outside
to worship with the kids; Sharon, Cathi, and Michele were still asleep.
It was a gorgeous morning! We danced, laughed, kissed, hugged, took
pictures and prayed together. I loved it! The sound of the children’s
voices and God’s divine nature was beyond words.
I just finished having breakfast. The menu consisted of medida, a watery semisweet maize. Yumm-yumm! There is nothing like it.
Today we will visit the local hospital to pray for the sick. In the
early evening I will preach at “Freedom Square”. It is located in the
middle of the city. Hmm? I wonder why it is called “Freedom Square”.
Well, I will let you know about that later…
Yei, Sudan Field Report # 2
Wednesday May 23rd.
We
visited the local hospital yesterday. The team split into three groups
of two’s and three’s. Bidal and David accompanied me into the
children’s ward. Bidal is a teacher at the Iris Ministries Children’s
Center and David is a 12 year old boy that lives at the center. We led
one lady to Christ and prayed for many others. The awesome thing that
took place during this hospital visit was that I had David pray for all
the sick and lay hands on them as Bidal and I agreed with him in
prayer. Yee pee!!! Building a mighty army of prayer warriors with healing hands
is one of my passions. And so, you should have seen David’s little face
glowing and his faith and boldness being released as he grasped that
his prayers were just as powerful as mine or anyone else’s.
“Freedom
Square” is located in the center of the city. According to Pastor John
Malis, this meeting place was named as such because people of
governmental and political authority come to speak to the inhabitants
about issues of importance and the people come to hear of their own
free will. Wow!
 I
had the privilege of speaking there yesterday afternoon. I shared with
the crowd that I had been sent by someone who has great authority and
that I had good news to share with them. I immediately had their
undivided attention. I then read to them
Isaiah 61 the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord
has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, he has sent me to bind
up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release
from darkness for the prisoners… .
The crowd numbered approximately 500 people; two hundred received
Christ, all were healed of their infirmities by the glory of God, and
four deaf and dumb had their ears opened and began to speak for the
first time! Yei God!!!!!!!!! All the new believers in the crowd and the
ministry team prayed together with me for the healing of the four deaf
and dumb and were able to first hand experience the power of their prayers. Ha, ha, ha!!! I am leaving an empowered people Oh yeah; the ministry team was the children from the center.
Today
I will be speaking at a local church in the evening! And then, we’ll be
on our way to Lugazi, Uganda for the four day conference and youth revival meetings. Yee pee!
Well, this is all for now. Please continue to keep Sharon and me in prayer as we continue with our journey.
Much love to all and blessings in the name of our precious Lord, Jesus Christ,
Jess
Yei, Sudan Field Report #3
Thursday May 24th
Last
night I had the joy to minister at Pastor John’s church. It is a one
year old baby church located deep in the bush. There were approximately
three hundred people packed in an oversized hut with stick and mud
walls, a dirt floor, and tree trunks for benches. The church was
surrounded by multiple smaller huts where the community lived. It was
quite a beautiful site. After delivering the message, Cathi Crooks,
Sharon Marion, the children from the center, and I ministered to the
congregation through prayer. There were approximately 80 salvations,
various healings, two deaf and dumb, multiple abdominal pains, joint
paints from previous injuries, headaches, and such. Bam! God showed up
again
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