Made it to Tonj Safely

We had nice flights and made it safely to Tonj this afternoon. Matoch was really anxious to get home, but got really quiet towards the end. A lot must have been running through his mind. He was probably happy to be with his family, but might miss the fun times in Nairobi. He'll be coming to the clinic daily for the next two weeks so I'll get to check in on him. He had a nice reunion with his family, especially with his dad. Here is a picture of Achol, Matoch and his dad:



We briefly saw Sabet at the airstrip before he took off to Juba. He has to go there again to file more paperwork. We are still trying to get the truck cleared. We are running low on supplies so we need to get it here quickly. Hopefully we have all we need now to get the truck cleared.

As soon as we got to the compound we hit the ground running. There was so much to do. Peter, the pharmacist, was sick so Margaret, the midwife, was filling in along with another employee. They had a HUGE line of patients waiting for drugs... maybe 50 or so. So I jumped in and starting filling orders. Priscilla, the new midwife that came today, helped too. Then, we got another gunshot victim. Dennis asked me to come and pray for him. When I got there, my heart dropped. He was shot four times, the worst being in his neck. The bullet tore a hole in his throat and damaged his trachea. Whenever he would breathe and cough, blood would come out of his neck. It was the worst injury I have seen since being here. Somehow I ended up staying to help. I was in the corner and handed Dennis sterile gauze. There was a time when I would not have been able to stay. The injury was so bad that it was hard to watch. However, I think God has helped me get used to seeing injuries and it wasn't so bad. I had to look away a couple times, but over all I did ok. Dennis and John-Paul cleared his airway as best as possible and sent him to Wau. Unfortunately, as with many attacks, 50 people came with the victim to gawk at him. It was so frustrating. I lost it a few times and yelled at people to leave. They flooded in and blocked the door and hallways. I don't know why they do that.

Once he left, all the gawkers went home and we were able to continue working. We had a big medicine order to check in before it got dark. Later, Sabet called to tell me the hospital in Wau was closed. So, he is going to see if the gunshot victim can be treated in Juba. If so, MAF can drop by to pick him up tomorrow. For now, he will be brought back to the clinic for the evening.

Even though this afternoon was nuts, I am really happy to be back. It was great to see everyone on the compound again. They are always so excited to see me and it makes me feel so welcome. I am looking forward to really spending time with them again. I don't feel unsafe at all. This recent cattle raid once again happened outside of the town in the cattle camps. This man was the only one hurt in this attack.

Here are some prayer requests:

1. Pray for Suzy and the kids in Nairobi. I know Suzy's heart is in Tonj and it's hard to be away.
2. Pray that Sabet will get the clearance papers
3. Pray for today's gunshot victim. Pray that he makes it to Juba.

Thanks!