Sudan-Michele Perry
Michele Perry , Field Ministry Coordinator of Iris Sudan, with some of her 90+ children
Michele has planted a center in Southern Sudan near a village called Yei. We need to expand into Sudan with
seasoned long-term teams who would face rather severe physical threats from the environment and the unstable
political situation. Arabic is the national language.
Mailing address for non-perishables: D. Michele Perry, Box 1507, Arua, Uganda
Contributions? Please designate " Sudan" and mail to our office address below:
Iris Ministries, Inc.
PO Box 493995
Redding, CA 96049-3995
530-255-2048
Or you may designate in the "notes" field through our online PayPal system.
Arua, Uganda is a border village about 80 miles south of Yei, Sudan. The post office is run by a believer named Gift. He has agreed to hold anything shipped to the post office until Michele is able to make the trip back. Michele tells me that the adults and children love Kool-aid flavored drink packets that can be sent in an envelope by airmail post. They have access to sugar.
Michele with Heidi Baker in Pemba, Mozambique, summer of 2008
September 3, 2008 Update from Michele
Beloved, What week! Iris Sudan is no longer confined to Yei. As of one hour ago we now have a growing church based ministry center in Kikilai, a five-day journey over land to our east along the borders of Uganda and Kenya.
Some of you might remember John Okello, the man who on faith came across the country to find a home for five children unrelated to him? He came back, now with all his church leadership to visit. I had sent a letter back with him to encourage them and they ALL made the five-day trek by faith, partly on foot through the mud, to tell me they desperately want to join with us in Iris. They said they are not interested in money, but they want spiritual oversight and encouragement and relationship. They were going to give up completely. The letter brought them such joy someone was praying for them and they weren’t alone. They actually started to go forward with church planting! To them it was a sign from heaven.
God is so moving. They came five days just to meet us and pray with us. Our new leaders got so excited they showed the letter to the regional government secretary that someone is praying for them. The official in turn wrote an official letter of invitation asking Iris to please come and start planting churches and ministering to their people. Could we help dying children there? There are no other evangelical churches there, period. It is a completely unreached area. They are desperate for the love of God and could someone please come and tell them more about knowing Him. It is so huge I am blown away and about reduced to tears at God’s goodness. I love these guys. They radiate the heart of God and are truly giving all they have. We had a fabulous prayer time and it just undid me. We all cried together for the heart of God to heal Sudan.
As you can see from the map, the movement of love is spreading! Our main base in Yei (which is a city of over 300,000 people), our new center in Kikilai E Equatoria and a church presence either through Iris Harvest Fellowships or our Harvest Revival Alliance in the areas of the lighter purple flags. The vision of fire igniting along the southern border from west to east is happening. I am just undone. All of our other bases and churches are under indigenous leadership. I held my littlest ones tonight and looked at the stars all reminding me of the promises of Jesus and I just cried. Tears of joy. How did I get to be so privileged to live the life I do?!?! What incredible mercy and grace from heaven!
We finished weekend 1 of 5 in our Journey discipleship course with flying colors today, giving everyone their very own study Bible. They are learning so much and are so hungry for more. Most of the class was baptized in water for the first time and baptized by the Holy Spirit too!
We had the Bengali battalion of UN soldiers mystified in Sudan yesterday. What to make of a little one-legged white girl standing in disease ridden, leech infested, garbage laden water in the rain HAPPYILY dunking people who then proceeds to greet them and carry on a partial conversation in their own language? Confusing.
Wait till she has all the very dark kids around her calling her mama. They whipped their cameras out and stood in the rain snapping photos of our events. I am sure it was worthy of an email home. Hey mum, you’ll never guess what happened!
We prayed for the floodgates of heaven to be open but we got a bit of a literal reply! Everyone got baptized in the rain as we celebrated our new family in the Lord. Our one lady in the course, Betty, stole my heart. Her husband’s business burned down in June and he lost his mind she said right after. He hits her sometimes and hides in the bush talking to himself. Then she developed an eye problem where they told she’d be blind by Christmas. We are praying for healing but have plans to send her to Uganda for a simple procedure to fix her eyes if need be. Then she was cooking and her tukal caught fire and burned down and she and her 4 kids have nothing. One pot, one change of clothes and one spoon. When she came, she was wanting to commit suicide and came as a last ditch effort to try and find something worth living for. Her eyes began to respond to God’s healing touch and we loaded her up with clothes and supplies. She left with a song in her heart and a smile on her face looking forward to weekend # 2 in 2 weeks. How good is our Jesus!!!!
So quite the week! Our trip to Juba got postponed due to a family emergency in our lead Revival Alliance pastors family, so we will be going next week instead to meet with key government leaders. I am relieved to have a slower week where I can spend more time with my kiddos and hang out a bit at home. I am amazed at all Jesus is doing. Thank you for your love and prayers! Everyone of you are such a part of all that is happening…
Love and hugs in Jesus- Michele
A Visit to Payawat, June 12, 2008, by Michele Perry
We loaded up our vehicle this morning to journey 10 miles into the bush. John Taban and Noel, two new friends, were my guides to their home area of Payawat ,also the home of our twins Benyamina and Dawudi. We had our ministry team of seven of our kids who were on holiday from school in the back. We bounced down the washed out road with ruts so deep I wondered if we’d topple at a few points, keenly aware rebels were in the area. But not deterred nonetheless. I had heard Dawudi was struggling and losing weight. The village was at a loss on what to do. So this was in some regards a rescue mission of mercy. Our older kids had spent the night before “practicing” praying for the deaf and the blind. Sticking their fingers amidst giggles into one another’s ears commanding them to open in Jesus name and laying hands on each other’s eyes. They were ready for whoever Jesus brought us.
As we journeyed for about an hour I got a running commentary from Noel regarding the area including some unreached pockets of people in along the mountain range framing our backyard. He and John have a small fellowship they are eager to associate with Iris and have a heart to plant churches like wild fire. We discussed the possibility of a car ride to a certain point and then an hour long motor bike ride through the bush to the unreached areas along the mountains. My heart leaped with expectation- sign me up! But it is an adventure for another day. I am greatly encouraged by John and Noel- but in this land where nothing is usually as it seems and the right words do not always mean the right motives, we are going cautiously and with wisdom. But I am still encouraged by the possibilities that lie ahead. I don’t do well staying on compound only. My heart and gifts best function among the unreached. I love the bush, I love the markets, I love being OUT loving people.
I learned a lot from Noel and John on our car ride in and was really blessed that they understand the traditional religious denominational structures here are not at all meeting the needs present or bringing life and are actually part of the problem. They have been praying for revival and new life giving churches to come in. Again we are going a little slowly until I see how their character and words line up. Patrick knows them and says they are good contacts, but still it is prudent to go slowly at first. So we are!
Our car arrived at Payawat and pulled off the road at the base of the mountain there. The area chief was waiting for us with arms and heart extended. He is a believer who loves Jesus but has been longing for some life giving expression of faith in their area. He was very welcoming and even arranged his schedule especially to meet with us. It was the first time a kawaja had come to the area, let alone one to help two little dying babies.
  
Dawudi was indeed in bad shape. My concerns that the mamas in the village had not grasped the art of formula making were well founded. So how did outreach begin in Payawat? Milk making 101.
See this cup? You pour boiled water into it and mix 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12 spoons of formula into it, like so. And we all counted together. Wahid-itniin-talaata… And then I had them do it. I pray they understand. I am making a visual chart for them to send there to remind them. I have seen little ones as bad as this bounce back if fed properly. If he is not better when I return from Ghana we will bring him here until he is stronger. I was reminded today love is so practical. It isn’t just preaching at a huge meeting and seeing the glory fall ,which I love! It is teaching simple village ladies how to make milk so two little babies live another week. We brought milk for 3 weeks to leave with them. The chief even attended milk making 101 and was very impressed the white woman would sit in the dirt with the babies and the mamas.
So after we made the milk, I fed Dawudi his first properly proportioned bottle in a long time. I explained to them about how his little tummy had shrunk because he had not had enough in it so if he eats too much he’ll throw it back up. Which he was with them. So they needed to feed him little-little, rest, 10 minutes later, little-little and so on until his tummy opens up again. The little guy would have drunk the entire bottle- which they were letting him do at one sitting.
OH that makes sense they said. So we moved on to our first village meeting in Payawat. The chief was there for it too and about 30 mamas and children from surrounding huts. I had learned my whole introduction in Arabic so I began with great enthusiasm and they sat very patiently while I gave it. But their blank faces let me know they didn’t catch the meaning so I stopped midway and found out, they only spoke kawkwa. Oooops. They were very impressed anyway I was learning Arabic. Haha! So Noel translated and I picked up on certain phrases and repeated them in Kawkwa to everyone’s amusement. We had so much fun and just laughed.
We shared the story of blind Bartimaeus crying out for Jesus even when people told him to be quiet and leaving all he had to come to Jesus and Jesus healing him. The chief had vision problems and all our kids and I prayed for him and his sight was restored! There was one more lady with vision problems so we had him go pray for her and her sight was also restored! Another lady felt the pain leave her body. When I asked if they would like us to return and have a village healing meeting for their area they said very much so, how soon can you come? To finish the day, they presented me with a very fat clucking chicken, a beautiful hand woven basket for sifting (which I feel is really prophetic) and a grass broom—with which I had a portrait made as they watched the screen on my camera and laughed. Mama giaffe, kweis kweis. (Lovely- very nice). I almost cried. The chicken alone is worth a month’s wages for them. These mamas gave all they had and more.
Noel and John told me on the way back that the villagers want us to plant a church there when I get back. Then it was home to have a dinner date with Victoria Joy (now 16 months) who took great delight in showering her mama with food, give medicine to Aba who had a fever, check in on the rest of the gang and finally to write you.
I leave Saturday for Ghana. Please pray for the time there that it would be filled with God’s Presence and that we would see Him move mightily- that His love would bring life to people from the inside out. Most of all we would be sensitive to Jesus and all He desires from our time there. Below are a few more pictures from our first village meeting and soon to be church plant, as well as home life here. For our culture, having a village meeting and praying for the sick seems to work really well. It is especially exciting to me because the concept is so reproducible and easy to do with little to no resources.
That was my day!
Love in Jesus, Michele
PS: Please keep Patrick in your prayers. We really need his healing to manifest. We are still standing for a miracle. My health has been touch and go as well- I need a missionary stomach that can handle the food here!
AND A HUGE PRAISE! Our Matching grant for Bricks of Hope has been extended up until the end of this year. We are at 51% of our goal. Thank you for those of you who have given and made this dream become reality… more information will soon be updated online. As soon as I can get to a fast enough internet connection to do so.
Little girl in Payawat
As we do to the least of these… what have these eyes seen?
 
With Dawudi
 
Payawat Outreach team & princess in white
Our Iris Sudan fleet of vehicles
May 14, 2008
We had our term one closing and I was surprised to find out we have
over 200 kids in our school this year, which means we are serving over
150 from the community! I could not have been prouder of Cosmos, our
headmaster. He is a total gem and I am so grateful to Jesus for him. Here
we are sending our love. He is just behind me to the left. The community
is so pleased there has been rhetoric by some of the parents of wanting
to help mobilize resources to help somehow with building on our land for
the school. I don’t know what will come of it but the sentiment is really
sweet.
May 13, 2008
Beloved,
When everyone and their cousin prayed a multiplication anointing on me my last trip, this wasn’t exactly what I was envisioning. We have had THREE sets of twins brought to us today alone.
Two sets were older, 9 and 7. We just have not a place for them but they are on an ever growing wait list with scheduled in home visits to see what else we could do for the family in the meanwhile. They are in no imminent danger and being cared for well.
But these two little guys were another story. In fact their birth almost coincides day for day with the revival in Lakeland, FL. I was blessed to receive a double portion. Hmmm, I couldn’t help thinking they are prophetic somehow.
They were abandoned at birth and the village from a mountainous area 10 miles from here brought them to us. They did not have names until today. Their mama ran mad, father died and they were left to die. Again we physically have no space, but we had to do something. Our budget is maxed out too, but what do I have personal funds for BUT for times like this???
The man who brought them to us is a caregiver at our local clinic and reputable. He agreed to oversee their care with two VOLUNTEER mamas from the village that are not related! That is a miracle in itself. We have bought them formula, medicines and bottles for a month with the agreement to take it one month at a time trusting Jesus to provide. The villagers had tears in their eyes. “You actually love our people,” they said. They shook their heads and hugged me. “Come and visit. Thank you for loving our people.” The man who brought them to us told us we were known in the area as the place for children who actually loves the people here. “I could feel it when I walked on your compound.” That undid me.
I had the honor of naming the twins, Dauudi (David) on the left and Benyamina (Benjamin) on the right. I am trusting Jesus will provide the extra each month so we can continue to help these little ones through their infancy. I can’t send them home to die. I held them and it was love at first glance. So our In Community Care begins even before we planted the churches. I hope to go to the village and do outreach when I get back from visiting Patrick this weekend in South Africa.
Jesus is so good. A lovely young university student from here who is studying for his BA in social work in Uganda, is interning with us for the next 3 months. He speaks flawless English, knows our heart and requested to work with us. I will be overseeing his internship. He is going to help us get accurate files on all the kids individually, doing in home visits with relatives and making sure all our i’s and t’s are in line. He will be our practical liaison with the survey on the state of children and youth at risk regionally we will be developing and conducting with the UN shortly to bless our local government as well as to help us pray strategically into how God will have us practically show love to our community. Also he will be helping us set up our In Community Care guidelines and whatnot. We are keeping him busy! IT is SUCH a blessing because he speaks local languages and knows culture.
Despite some heavy challenges, we are moving forward. Most importantly, GOD is moving. Please keep our national director Patrick in prayer as he is fighting aggressive inoperable cancer. We are trusting Jesus for complete healing and supernatural breakthrough. Thank you for loving us and praying for us here.
Love in Jesus,
Michele
Hi beloved, Here is a glimpse of some of our latest
Asa, now two, is gorgeous and KNOWS it! Her goal is to rule the world by age three
Michele and Annaitia
Sunday baptism service, Michele and Patrick baptize and preach.
Aren’t they precious?
Down in the reservoir, Nicole, our visitor and friend, joins in the fun!
Just another Sunday in Sudan, we had a man get healed at the reservoir of severe head and
neck pain and several gave their lives to Jesus this morning in church. We couldn’t imagine
living anywhere else, but in the center of God’s dreams!
Thank you for your love and prayers!
Michele
December 31, 2007, Christmas Blessings from Yei by Michele Perry
Dearly beloved,
What an adventure coming home has been! Four 70 pound bags, 3 days of almost 24-7 shopping and packing amidst final speaking engagements, 5 days of travel across territory with an Ebola outbreak of a new strain, the normal regional instabilities and rumors of war, cholera and meningitis on the rise, a jubilant welcome from family, three new boys from the Nuba Mountains (1st picture below), 2 days straight of wrapping presents for our little family of 90ish, one all day celebration with our first sound system and a guinea fowl in a mango tree. Welcome to Christmas in Yei, very southern Sudan!
I am so glad and ecstatic to be home. After 2 months of traveling with all the amenities the west has to offer practically, I have never been so happy to be home with no running water or electricity! This is so home. Now it is only to excavate my things from the layers of dust and dirt that have claimed them and then settle in. Bless the mamas for cleaning my room and re-arranging everything. It has been a 3 day process to find my shampoo!
Our family welcomed Kelly, our nurse midwife friend from Atlanta, and me with fried chicken and chips. We could have cried after a 10 hour trip of many stops and interrogations as everyone was wanting some extra Christmas cash.
It has been beyond a blessing being home. Our kids have grown so much in so short a period that I almost didn’t recognize some of the little ones. They went from malnourished to chubby! So, this week, is "operation settle in" and we begin to look towards 08 and a general timeline.
Patrick, our Sudanese director, is itching to hit the road to do bush outreach, as am I. We have invites into many unreached places to the north and into the Congo just across the border into the camps. We are kind of like kids in a candy store. Where do we get to go first Papa?
I am so hungry for more of Jesus and watching all He desires come to pass. We want to see the signs, wonders and a people raised up so in love with Him they are utterly fearless and unstopable. We want to see revival come and His Presence released without limit.
Our Christmas was a great blessing. This is the first time any of our children or staff have EVER seen a Christmas gift. The children did not know WHAT to do with them. We had to show them how to open them even in some cases!
There were tears and rejoicing and all out hilarity as Christmas came to Yei. It took them a while to figure out that they actually got to KEEP what was in their bags. Then we had a small dinner of several hundred over for a chicken feast. Our kids led worship and danced and all around brought the house down.
I could not have had a better Christmas present than to see the change in them and to see what Jesus has done in only one year! It even brought several churches together to join us and we are seeing Jesus begin to give us favor for seeing several groups come together to pray and work together to see His kingdom come in South Sudan.
Following are some must see pics from our family’s first Christmas ever! If a picture is worth a 1000 words, these are worth a few million. We would not be here with out our global family who joins with us in what God is doing, so once again THANK you sooooooooo much for loving us and praying for us and supporting us and being part of our family.
Without further ado, the pictures come with MUCH love and MANY hugs!
May this New Year take you deeper into His beautiful burning heart,
 
Our family with their gifts!
Preaching at our gathering, Luke 1, Christmas
Being a day of God’s promises being brought
forth into fulfillment.
Patrick, our Sudanese director, with his first
born, baby Zion.
 
Mama Eudita, Michele and Kelly Michele with Issac Juma and
his first stuffed animal
 
Left ,Grandma Mori with then our youngest, Danny at 7 months. We just
took in Steven at age 1.5 mo today on Dec 28. Right, Our toddler group
Gift of a noah’s ark playset
 
Left, Getting ready by wrapping for 2 days straight! We are going to have start Earlier next year. Right, See, sweetheart, you open it this way
 
What’s inside? Happy in Yei!!!!!
Michele Perry
Field Ministry Coordinator, Iris Ministries Sudan
Director/Founder, Converge International
Living from heaven to earth...
Related Websites
Iris Ministries Sudan: www.iris-sudan.org
Iris South Sudan Updates: http://irismin.com/ministryLoc_southern_sudan.cfm
Personal Website: www.changethewayyousee.org
Pictures by Ingela Larsson, June 2007
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Following is a recent picture of Michele with some of her children.
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