Going to Nairobi... today!

There was an 8 year old boy who was shot in the face this morning. He needs major reconstructive surgery ASAP. We found a flight to take him today (in one hour) and I am going with him. Please pray that we can get him into Kenya. He does not have a passport. Sorry this is brief...I have to pack. I don't know when I can update next. As soon as I can, I will.

Relief From the Heat

What do you see in this picture? Yes... rain clouds! Yesterday afternoon we got rain and cooler weather. Then last night it poured (at least by San Diego standards.) Yipeee! It NEVER rains in February. Thanks for all your prayers for a break from the heat. They worked! I have learned no request is to small to bring before the Lord.

Elizabeth is Pregnant!

Praise the Lord! Elizabeth is pregnant! When the HSE team was here in November, we visited Elizabeth's house. She asked us to pray that she would have another child. God heard her cry and has blessed her. The other half of that request was that she would have a girl. We won't know that one for seven months or so. Even if it is a boy, we thank Him for a precious new life.

Four Month Update

I have now been here for four months. Is that possible?! A year ago this week, I arrived in Sudan for the first time. My point of view was so different back then. I laugh now about how freaked out I was. Now, everything seems normal. Even when I returned in October, I still didn't want to go to the market. Now I can go without hesitation. I still have to go with someone, but I am ok with that. Yesterday I went with Mabior. He was quite the escort. He wore a pimp hat and carried a cane! I actually enjoy going there. I continue to feel more and more comfortable with the people. Whenever I walked around the compound I used to get nervous when approaching someone. Here you can't just walk by without saying hi. Now, I look forward to the friendly exchange with each person. Everyone is so nice here. They always have a big smile on their faces and are eager to greet me.



I thank the Lord that I haven't been too homesick. Being in Nairobi satisfied my craving for the comforts of home. We were in a house with plumbing, went to the beach, got to eat really nice things (like tacos and guacamole!) and experienced wonderful San Diego like weather. Lately, I have been missing everyone, though. Especially my new niece whose snugly infant time I am missing. Fortunately I get lots of emails and pictures from home which helps.

I am continuing to learn and trust the sovereignty of God. He has given me a peace that my life is in His hands. Whatever may come my way, it's all for a reason. I am learning to be satisfied with where I am and not worry about the future. As long as I am following Him today, He'll work everything out. Two things have been really special to me lately: Oswald Chambers “My Utmost for His Highest” and the book of Psalms. I had “My Utmost for His Highest” for a long time, but I never read it. Suzy had a spare copy so I have been reading that daily. It is really good! He really challenges you to take your relationship with God very seriously and urges you to abandon all to serve Him. Also, I have been reading a Psalm everyday for a while now, but lately, I have found much comfort in them. I recommend anyone who is looking to shake up their devotions (or start doing them everyday) use both books. The Psalms provide a lot of comfort, but they have also taught me so much about God's character. Just wanted to share what has been helpful to me recently.

We have officially entered into the hot season. It is really Africa hot here. Last night I couldn't sleep because I was so hot. Even just lying down, I sweat. The hard part is there is no escape from the heat. We have no air conditioning...anywhere. I really look forward to my shower every evening. The two most refreshing things in Sudan are clean feet and cold water. Both accomplished in the shower!

Things in Tonj have been quiet over the last few days. No additional gunfire, praise the Lord. We have still been hearing of tension between Tonj and Chuibet. Sabet doesn't think it is a coincidence that this is happening close to the election. I don't know what the connection is, but I am afraid it's a sign of what is to come. For sure, Suzy, the kids and I will be leaving before the elections. Our flight to Nairobi is scheduled for April 9th. Right now, we don't have a flight scheduled to return. Of course we are coming back, but we will wait for it to be safe. Hopefully we won't have to be gone for more than one month.

Even though there is fighting between the tribes, we are safe in the compound. People aren't upset with us and they know we are here to help them. Sabet is very in touch with what is going on here and will get us out if needed. He'll be staying here during the elections along with some of the other staff. It's weird to be going to Nairobi again after being back for only seven weeks, but I know God has a plan for us there. I'm sure there is plenty of ministry work that can be done there.

I am so happy that we have a cook. I had just accepted the fact that I would be in the kitchen for the whole year. God is so good. I had even stopped praying to be out of the kitchen because I knew God must have wanted me there. I'm so glad the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and knew the desires of my heart. Jane is doing very well. It has been so nice to give her some instruction and leave the meals in her hands. I really enjoyed my time in Nairobi, helping Suzy and Sabet administratively. That is what I truly like to do. I now feel free to help them in ways I am more naturally gifted in.



The clinic has been busy, but is going really well. They continue to treat on average 100 people per day. Recently we have received some vaccinations so we have been able to vaccinate many children as they come to the clinic for treatment. I have resumed helping with triage for an hour in the morning. Occasionally I go there in the evening when there is a birth or emergency. I can't do much, but I am happy to hold a flashlight or do anything I can to help. Our nurses and doctors do a wonderful job at helping this community. They are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and work tirelessly to save lives.



The pastors school is in it's third term. They will be finishing up in the next few weeks. Then they will be on a break for about two months. They were scheduled for a one month break, but due to the election, their fourth term has been delayed. The pastors are fun to have around and are so eager to learn the Bible.

Things you can be praying for:
1. Long term volunteers – short term volunteers are great, but Sabet and Suzy can delegate much more work to someone who is here longer. Plus, being here longer allows someone to really get to know the people and dive into the ministry.
2. That the temperature will decrease! I know it's silly, but being so hot all the time zaps my energy. I can't wait until the rainy season comes.
3. Peace – it's completely possible for the elections to go smoothly. The culture tends to be a violent one. They need to know God and have their hearts transformed.
4. We need a someone skilled in construction and plumbing to finish the new clinic. Our last guy went on a break to Uganda and didn't come back.

For the last three months, I have met my support requirements. Thank you everyone for your donations and prayers. I know I say this a lot, but I couldn't do this without you. I am able to serve God here because you have sent me. If anyone is wanting to donate, here is how you can do it:

1. Go to www.indeedandtruth.org. Click on donate and you'll see a my name listed and can designate a donation to me.
2. Mail a check to: In Deed and Truth Ministries, PO Box 51253, Colorado Springs, CO 80949 Please don’t forget to write my name on the memo line. Donations are tax deductible.

I hope you all are doing well. If you want to email me, you can do so at spacie19@hotmail.com.

God Bless!

Meet Margaret

Margaret is our midwife/senior nurse. She is from Sierra Leone, but has lived in Kenya for the last few years. She worked here for three months, took a one month break and then has come back for a six month stint. Margaret is very good at her job. I am amazed at her strength and the care she shows toward her patients. She is so calm during each delivery even when the situation is difficult. She is encouraging, but firm when she needs to be. I have really enjoyed getting to know her and sharing some laughs with her.

Margaret has asked for prayer in two areas:

1. She has fibroids that need removing. She is saving up the money that is required to pay for the operation. Lately they have been causing her pain. Pray that God heals her completely or provides the funds she needs.
2. She would like God to send her a husband.

Favre Fan

Jed came into the dining room for breakfast wearing a Brett Favre jersey! For those of you who don't know, he is my favorite football player. It was a nice way to start the day. (I am easily amused!)

Kind of Back to Normal?

We had our first "normal" day back to work today. There hasn't been anymore gunfire near us, which is good! We did have two gunshot victims in the clinic today. Tonj had cattle raided by another town, Chuibet, last week. The people of Tonj want to retaliate which is why they broke into the army's gun store. One of the men who was shot is Machoul. He was shot five days ago in the head and was brought to our clinic this evening. Machoul was shot by someone during the raid, but was left behind. They just found him today. He has lost the ability to move his legs (we don't know if it is permanent), but is still alive. Margaret, Huggins and John-Paul treated the infection, dressed the wound and referred him to Wau. Sabet was able to share the gospel with him as well.

Pray that Machoul will make it to Wau and receive the treatment he needs.

Dorothy Had Her Baby!

Dorothy and Thon are the proud new parents of a little girl! She was born Sunday morning, the 21st, which is also their son's birthday and was 4.2 kg (about 8.5 pounds). Dorothy and her daughter (name TBD) are doing great. No matter how many births I am there for, I can't help feeling so awful for the moms. They are in so much pain! Here is one of the things Dorothy cried out "My God, help me, I am going to die." Yikes! How will I ever do that?! I felt honored to be there with Dorothy. We thought for sure she would have the baby while were were gone, but she waited for us (or at least we would like to think so!.





(Mom - she's wearing one of the sweaters you knitted. We were saving it for someone extra special!)

Update on Gun Shots

Thanks for your prayers! Shortly after I wrote the blog and email, the gun shots stopped and we were able to carry on with our work. The man who was shot was taken to Wau by two of our staff members. Due to a doctor's strike in Wau, they were told he would have to go to Khartoum, which is in Northern Sudan, for treatment. I don't know what will happen to him. Before he left, Sabet shared the gospel with him and he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Please keep him in your prayers. Also, please pray that the people will get the resources (food) they need so there won't be any more trouble.

Just another reminder: we are ok. Things like like this have happened before. It's just my first time experiencing it. Although things were chaotic outside, all of us in the compound felt safe and at peace. We had a really neat church service this morning. Sabet shared about Gideon and we had a time of prayer and sharing Scripture. Our church represents many different nationalities and I really felt the scope of the church at large. Knowing churches back home were praying for us as well just bonded us as brothers and sisters in Christ. It's neat to see how God can use uncertain times to bring us closer to Him.

Pray for peace

This afternoon at lunch, we heard gunshots. It has been two hours since the first gunshot and as I type this I am still hearing them. Two things are going on. 1. World Vision was handing out food and a mob broke out. They are handing out food by villages, but some people didn't want to wait or didn't think they got enough so they swarmed the World Vision workers. The police arrived and started shooting in the air. The World Vision distribution center is very close to our compound so we saw people running away after the guns were fired. The World Vision workers came to our compound for safety. 2. A couple days ago, there was a cattle raid. The government is trying to remove guns from villages and cattle camps. So the local village whose cows were raided did not have guns to protect themselves. Today they attempted to break into the army's store to steal guns so they can retaliate against those who took their cows. So some of the gunshots were between the young men and the army.

To add to the chaos, a young man who had been shot was brought to the clinic. The bullet went through his chest and out his back. John-Paul fears there is internal bleeding/organ damage so they are referring him to Wau. When the young man was brought in, a mob of people rushed into the compound. They weren't related to him, but they just wanted to gawk at him. We probably had 150 people crowding the clinic just to get a glimpse of the victim. People were even breaking down the fence to get in. Our guard tried to get them out, but every time he opened the gate to let them out, more flooded in.

With all that being said, I am not scared. I feel very safe in the compound. The anger and the fighting are not directed at us. The only danger comes from being shot by a stray bullet or getting caught up in a mob. Right now I am typing this sitting on the floor in Sabet and Suzy's house. We are all hunkered down until the shooting stops.

Please pray for peace in Tonj. If the situation became too dangerous, we would be evacuated out. I don't think it will reach that point. Again, I am not fearful. Well, a couple gunshots that were really close made me jump! However, I am more scared for the people outside of the compound who are close to the fighting. Innocent people are usually the victims. I am also worried for Jane, our new cook. How scary must it be for her. It's her first day in Sudan and she is surrounded by gunshots.

I'm not writing this so you will be worried about me. I am fine. Please don't be scared. Just pray that peace will come soon.

Back in Sudan

We made it safety back to Sudan today. The flight was really nice; not too much turbulence. It was weird coming back after a break. The last two times I came it was new and uncertain. This time it felt really normal to come back. I wasn't nervous at all. It was great to see the guys greeting us at the airstrip and reunite with everyone on the compound.

I have great news... we brought a cook from Kenya with us. Hallelujah! Her name is Jane and she is 20. I'll be training her in the kitchen and in the compound. That will leave me free to help Sabet and Suzy in other ways. I really enjoyed helping them administratively in Kenya. Hopefully I can do more of that now. What an answer to prayer! Please pray for a smooth transition for Jane. This is her first time away from home and Sudan can be overwhelming (and hot!).

I'm excited to get back to work here. There are a few issues that need dealing with that came up while we were gone. Please pray that it all goes well.

Saying Goodbye to Mark

With great sadness, we said goodbye to Mark tonight. After a nice dinner at Mediteraneo, we dropped Mark off at the airport. He was decked out in his Sudanese Cattle Camp attire so say a prayer he makes it through security! Mark was like a piece of home in Sudan. I will miss him very much. He was such a blessing to everyone.




Tomorrow is our last day in Nairobi before flying back to Sudan. There will be a mad dash to get everything done. Please pray we will accomplish everything we need and that we will have a safe flight on Friday. It looks like we will be leaving Sudan for sure during the elections. We just can't risk getting stuck there if fighting erupts. As of now there is a flight scheduled on April 9th that will take Suzy, the kids and me to Nairobi. We will return as soon as it is safe, which is hopefully within a few weeks of leaving. I will keep you posted.

Donation Update: I met my requirement for January. Thank you so much everyone!

I Have Been to Paradise

Wow. That's how I sum up my week at Turtle Bay. We had the most amazing week. It was really fun and relaxing. I am so thankful for my time there.

Turtle Bay is located in the city of Watamu on the coast on Kenya. It is an all inclusive resort. Since Sabet and Suzy have been there many times, we received the resident and repeater discount which made it more affordable. After an eight hour drive, I was so excited to see the ocean. It has been over three months since I have seen the ocean and I missed it so much. Once we got there, we were shown to our rooms which were awesome. We got a free upgrade to beachfront rooms! Our patio opened up to the beach. Hannah, Agum and I shared a room. The beach took my breathe away. I have never seen clear, blue water or white, soft sand before.









Turtle Bay has so much to offer. They really do a nice job of providing a great vacation for their guests. We were fortunate that it wasn't very crowded. All of the staff are very nice and accommodating. Whenever you pass an employee, they are quick to greet you, “jambo!” (hello). There is a team of employees called the Fun Base Team. It's their job to make sure everyone is having a good time. There is always something fun to do. Among the events they organize are: beach walks, water aerobics, darts, ping pong, beach games, dancing and water polo. They also do a kids club which Hannah, Jed and Agum love. It's nice because the parents can have some time off. One of the events I looked forward to most was water aerobics. It was so fun and a great work out.







They also offer many water sports such as: kayaking, pedelos (paddle boats), scuba diving, wind surfing and boggie boards. We took out the pedelos a couple times and also went boogie boarding. Mark and Sabet kayaked, too. One morning, Sabet, Hannah, Mark and I went snorkling. We rode a boat out to a reef. It was really pretty. At first I was freaked out by the fish around me and almost hyperventilated. Fortunately I was able to calm down quickly and enjoy the view around me. It's a whole different world under there. We also did a few beach walks. In the morning, the tide really went out. You can see a lot of cool animals. There are a bunch of eels out there. We fed them bacon. Turtle Bay also does a lot of charity work. One program they are involved with is rehabilitating turtles. Suzy got to help set one free.

















Every evening after dinner, there was some sort of entertainment. The first night there was a cool, Christian choir that performed. They were really good. Other nights we had performances by African dancers, bands and acrobats. The acrobats were my favorite. They were incredibly talented. The stunts they did were amazing... and all on concrete too. The last night, we were treated to a performance of Phantom of the Opera by the Fun Base Team. It was hilarious. After the acts finished, the disco started up. The first night I taught Sabet and Mark the Electric Slide. Mark did some break dancing and became quite popular with the old ladies.







How have I not mentioned the food yet? The food was great. Every meal was a buffet which was served poolside. One night, however, they set up the tables on the beach. It was really beautiful. There is also a pizzeria and a snack bar that we went to a few times. Everyday at four they served crepes and pancakes. My family will be happy to know that I was brave and tried new foods including: lobster, crab, sashimi, and calimari among others. Mark won a drawing (thanks to Suzy entering it for him!) for a free dinner for two at the Blue Turtle. It's a restaurant that costs extra to go to. I got to go with him and I am so glad. The food was incredible. He had lobster and I had Chateau Briand. YUMMY! The food was nice, but what I loved the most was the drinks. After going to places where you have to pay for every drink, I was thrilled to have all the drinks I wanted for no extra charge. Although they offer alcoholic drinks, I preferred the drinks on the kids menu. I had so many Red Splashes (sprite and grenadine)!







A typical day for us at Turtle Bay would be:

Up by 7:00 (Thanks to sharing a room with kids, I was up early everyday), followed by breakfast, then we jumped in the pool for a while. At 10:00, the kids went to kids club. 11:00 water aerobics, hang out in the pool or read/nap on the beach until lunch (12:30 or 1:00). Then back in the pool until the kids went to kids club again at 3:00. Hang out by the pool or beach, get crepes at 4:00. Get ready for dinner at 7:00. 9:15 watch the entertainment and then hang out by the disco, watch a movie and go to bed.

One day we went to the nearby city of Malindi. We went to the Falconry where they have lots of animals (many birds, a giant turtle, snakes and crocodiles). We got to wear a glove and catch a hawk in our hand and the kids rode a turtle that is over 100 years old. After that we walked around the shops for a bit and then had lunch at The Old Man and the Sea. It is a restaurant where Earnest Hemingway wrote the book. They had really good food.














Much of our time was spent in the pool. Everyday I was in my bathing suit from 7am to 6:00pm. I had so much fun playing with the kids. Agum was especially fun to launch in the air. The pool was also a huge source of laughter. We laughed so much. One incident ended up not being so funny.... well it actually was hilarious, but it ended in an injury. While in Safari Style, Mark and Sabet dove though the kids' small inner tube. Mark and I decided he should try it again. The hole is so small, but he made it. We thought for sure Sabet would get stuck so we asked him to try (always looking for a laugh!). When he made it, we decided to step it up a notch. Could Mark jump through it while I held it in the air? Yes, he could. We asked Sabet to try this one, but he was skeptical (rightfully so) and wanted to see Mark do it. No problem. Because it fell out of my hand the first time Mark jumped through it, we asked Sabet to hold the other end. Mark made it through ok (although it was ripped out of our hands), but hit his head on the bottom of the pool. I didn't realize he was hurt until he popped up and said he hit his head. I looked at it and there was blood all over. We thought he might need stitches, but Suzy cleaned it off and wrapped it up. Fortunately, he was fine. Apparently the no diving sign is there for a reason!







Turtle Bay was incredible. It had a really nice atmosphere. All the other vacationers were from all over the world and were really nice. It was fun getting to know people and say hi when you saw them around. The kids made friends in the kids club, too. We had a nice blend of relaxing and fun activities. I loved doing my devotions either on my patio or on the beach. Sometimes while I was lying on a beach chair, I would close my eyes and just listen to the wind and the ocean, thanking God for His creation and for the blessing of being there. It was so beautiful. It really was nice to relax before going back to Sudan and enjoy each others company before Mark leaves on Wednesday. I feel rejuvenated and ready to head back to Tonj on Friday.











PS We were able to watch the Superbowl. It was on at 2:00am on Monday morning. Since it was an international broadcast, we didn't get to see the commercials. It was a great game... close until the end. Go Saints!

Stink Fruit

Has anyone ever seen such a giant fruit? Sabet brought this back from Uganda. It's really smelly when you open it, but doesn't stink when you eat it. I tried a bite, but didn't love it.

Here's a picture of Jed. No reason...just because he's cute!