Every time I say “I can't believe it has been ___ months” and this time is no different. It has now been five months since I left. A lot happened since I wrote my last update. For those of you who want more details, check out my blog: www.thisisstaciesblog.blogspot.com. It has stories and pictures as the events unfolded. For now, here is a summary:
A few days after posting/sending my four month update, Matoch was brought to our clinic. He is an eight year old boy who was shot in the face when his cattle camp was attacked. Neither our clinic or a hospital near us was able to perform the type of surgery Matoch needed to fix his face. Miraculously Suzy found a plane nearby that could fly him to Nairobi. She asked me to go with him and immediately I said yes. Due to the insecurity, Suzy and the kids decided to come too. So we had ten minutes to pack and were whisked off in a plane. We had only been back in Tonj for one week so leaving felt really strange.
Matoch spent two weeks in the hospital and then another week and a half with us in Nairobi. For part of the time his mom, Achol was with us. Once Matoch was released from the hospital, we were able to send Achol home. It was a huge blessing to help Matoch. It was fun experiencing a lot of his “firsts.” Here are some of the things he got to experience for the first time: plane ride, car ride, toilets, light switches, swinging, going to the movies, eating a hot dog, taking a bath and drinking a milk shake. We had many sweet times together. After listening to the kids' home school lessons, he started to go around the house singing their songs. He also loved the song “Chim Chiminy” from Mary Poppins and the song “Mamma Mia.” Now he is back with his family and doing well. It was neat to see how God used his tragic situation for good... Matoch's dad became a Christian!
While we were in Nairobi, the cattle raiding continued in Tonj. The doctor and nurses were kept busy in the clinic with multiple gun shot victims. Another little girl, Nyangeu, was shot in the face and flown to Nairobi with Hargins, one of our nurse aids. She is still in the hospital being observed. A CT scan showed skull fractures that may need surgery. Suzy and the kids are still in Nairobi waiting to see what happens with her before returning.
This has been an interesting month. I never thought I would be helping with a medical evacuation. I pictured my time all in Sudan, but God has brought me to Nairobi twice now. I felt out of sorts for a while this time in Nairobi. It was strange to be ripped out of Tonj only after being there for a week and having only an hour to get ready. I definitely had to lean on God for help. There were frustrating times at the hospital, but I am learning to be patient and to just go with the flow. A friend (and soon to be Tonj resident!) emailed me that my frustrations were normal. She is reading a book on cross cultural ministry. It talks about how our culture is all about time and accomplishing things. The culture in Africa is all about the people and the event. Things will happen when everyone get there. There is no rush. It was a good reminder to be more about the people then to be such a time and control freak.
God has also taught me to be open to serve Him in anyway, not just limited to my own expectations of how I think I am going to serve him according to my perceived abilities. Whatever God puts before me, He knows my needs and will provide whatever is needed to accomplish it. I don't need to worry and obsess about the details. I just need to say “ok.”
Upon returning to Tonj on Wednesday (after being in Nairobi for three and half weeks), I got to return Matoch to his family. The reunion was great. He'll be coming back to the clinic daily for the next two weeks to change his bandage so I'll get to see him frequently. It was sweet to hear him call my name, “Yar,” this morning as I was walking across the compound. While helping Matoch was a privilege, I am happy to be back in Tonj. Now that we have a cook, I am free to help Suzy and Sabet in other ways. I felt bad leaving Jane after only one week of being in Tonj. However, she adapted well and is doing a wonderful job. It has been refreshing walking around the compound making sure everything is ok and then doing administrative work.
Compound update: The clinic is as busy as ever. Soon we will be doing AIDS/HIV testing. One of our clinic workers is in Wau getting trained on it. Margaret is doing a wonderful job with the pregnant moms. One day while we were gone she delivered three babies! The pastors school is on break until after the elections.
The elections are coming up in a few weeks. It seems like our focus has been on the cattle raids lately and we have forgotten about the elections. I asked Suzy when the cattle raids will end and she said when the heavy rains come and people are unable to travel. So we are praying the rains come soon! Hopefully the elections won't add to the violence that has been happening lately. The compound continues to be a safe haven. We are not in danger from the cattle raids that are happening.
I looked over my prayer requests from last time and most were answered... Praise the Lord! Here they are with the updates:
Things you can be praying for:
1. Long term volunteers – We have a few coming this summer. Some for a couple months, one for two years and two indefinitely!
2. That the temperature will decrease! It has cooled down a bit. It's still hot, but not unbearably so.
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. We hired a guy named David who is handling the construction. He is doing a great job.
Since you all are so good at praying, here are a few more requests:
1.Keep praying for peace – for the elections and the cattle raids.
2.That we'll get clearance on the truck which will bring in a years worth of supplies
3.We have two gunshot victims we are trying to get help for. The hospitals we have flown the man to and driven the woman to are not able to help them. We need to find a way to get them the surgery they need.
4.An Ambulance – we are driving patients to Wau a lot and need proper transportation.
Thanks to everyone for their support: prayer and financial. I continue to meet my monthly needs. With another trip to Nairobi, my expenses were higher than usual in March, but I received enough support to cover it. Here is the donation information if you need 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.
Blessings,
Stacie
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