Mini Game Night

Tonight we had a mini game night. Sabet taught us two games he learned at youth camp. Both were HILARIOUS! I wish I could tell you more about them but I want to play them when I get home and I don't want to spoil the surprise. Here are a couple pictures of one of the games that had us all laughing hysterically. I still laugh when thinking about it. I am so thankful for the laughter here. God has used it to really bless me and keep my spirits up.

Mexican Food in Tonj!

Tonight we had tacos and beans for dinner. It was really good! It reminded me of home. Jane made the beans and did a lot of the prep work earlier (including making tortillas) so I just cooked the meat and then taught everyone how to make a taco. I think everyone liked them. I also thought about making quesadillas. Since cheese is a precious commodity (it has to come from Nairobi) and we were almost out, I didn't want to make them and have no one eat them. Besides me, everyone here is from Africa and I didn't know if they would like it. I made one and had Jane try it. She politely said "I would just do tacos and beans." So, I did not make the quesadillas! The tacos were really yummy!

Sabet in the Slammer

Today Priscila, Hargins, Sabet and I went to Don Bosco to film another PSA. This one was on the street boys. There are boys that hang out in the market and get into trouble. They are poor and sniff glue to get high. So, we want to encourage people to help them out and tell their parents to take care of their children. We went to Don Bosco to meet the guys we are working with, but they weren't there so we talked to Father Cyril. Since the basketball tournament is tomorrow, he asked Sabet if we could patch up a few holes on the court. Since our guys weren't there, Sabet said yes. On our way back to the compound, we came across our guys and a few street boys they recruited for the video. They jumped in the truck with us and we stopped by the compound to get a few things and then headed to the market to shoot. It was very chaotic. We drew a lot of attention to ourselves and soon were surrounded by many street boys and other spectators. We tried to shoot a scene, but were stopped by a man who was angry we were filming there. He insisted we needed permission. So, he ordered the kids in the truck, hopped in with us and off we drove to the police station. Priscila, Hargins and I stayed in the truck while Sabet, the accusor and the guys from Don Bosco went to the jail. We stayed there for at least half an hour, maybe longer and had no idea what was happening. Finally Sabet came out, dropped us off at the compound and headed back to Don Bosco. It turns out this guy was the Director of Media of Tonj (whatever that is) and was on a serious power trip. Sabet explained this is just two local groups working together on a project for the World Cup. He insisted we needed his permission to continue. So, Sabet just said, fine we will come back tomorrow and present our ideas to you. So, no one was arrested and it ended peacefully. It was very ridiculous. I think he just saw a chance to make money and decided to cause problems for us. It was really frustrating. However, nothing serious happened and hopefully we'll get it worked out tomorrow.


(Two of the Don Bosco guys getting the names of the street boys)


(The one and only scene we shot)

Funny Photos

I love to take funny pictures. My friends and I take self-portraits all the time. We hold the camera out in front of us and someone will call out a theme. Then we all act out that theme in the photo. I taught this to the people here and we had a blast doing that this evening. It may sound weird, but it's so much fun. Try it... you can't help but laugh. The key is to really go for it and not be afraid to look ugly.



(There is a snake in your bed)


(Stuck in traffic in Nairobi)


(Someone forgot to bake a cake for Dennis' birthday)


(Press Conference)


(Margaret doesn't get a break)



(The guards just told us ten emergencies arrived at the clinic)


(We got air conditioning in Tonj)

Happy Birthday Dennis!

Today we celebrated Dennis' birthday. We had a really fun evening. We had a yummy chocolate cake, soda with dinner (a rare treat) and a lot of laughter. Just after blowing out his candles, Margaret poured soda on his head followed by others dousing him with water. Apparently that is the tradition here. I'm glad I'll be in Nairobi on my birthday! Then he opened his gifts. He got a Grits CD, a book on faith and a couple items from our local market to enhance his rapper appearance: a beanie with hair attached and sunglasses. Then we took some funny pictures and ended the evening by watching Hairspray. It was a really cool night and fun to celebrate Dennis' birthday with the Tonj family we have formed.

Election Results Announced

The government announced the results yesterday and everything remained peaceful. The president of the North was re-elected and the president of the South was re-elected (or officially elected and allowed to stay in that position.). So all that fuss and everything remains the same and there is no violence. Praise God for answering that prayer! We can all breathe easy now. It's all over!

Don't Try To Be Something You Aren't

This afternoon we shot another World Cup ad. A few days ago we went to Don Bosco and presented our ideas to the youth that hang out at the radio station after school. We really want to get the community involved so we thought we would use people other than us and our staff to make the videos. Plus, they might have other good ideas for video topics. One group of young guys came up with the idea of teaching people not to lie and boast about themselves. Don't misrepresent who you are. Just be you. So, their idea was to films a boy asking his friends to borrow their clothes and nice house impress a girl. He was trying to pretend these were really his. So he meets the girl all dressed up at a nice house. Then his friends come and take their stuff back and he is left with nothing and the girl leaves him. Not because he is poor, but because he lied. Their idea was a little different than our topics of personal hygeine, education, HIV/AIDS, malaria, etc. However, they were excited about it and thought it was a relevant issue so we filmed it today. The guy who played the man borrowing his clothes was a great actor. They all did a great job. They had their concept, locations, actors and props ready so when we arrived to shoot it, it went fast and very smoothly.



(Thinking how he can impress the girl)



(Wearing borrowed clothes in front of a borrowed house)

(Trying to woo his love)

(Losing his shoes and even his socks)



(Lastly losing his clothes)

It was a lot of fun for us and the neighbors

Kids

I love meeting the kids of our staff members. Today I got to meet two of Dabu's kids: Friday and Luck. That is the English translation, I can't remember how to say it in Dinka. They were really cute and funny. Dabu also has twin girls who I am dying to meet.





On our way to Don Bosco, Sabet and I dropped of some stuff at his mom's house. I got to visit with the kids that live there along with Albino's kids and Joseph Kuol's kids, who leave nearby. They have a close knit community and everyone chips in. The young kids take care of even younger kids. Here is a picture that I think is my favorite I have ever taken here. It's little Nichol, who is four and Sabet's niece, carrying a little baby. Nichol is so young and tiny and here she is expertly toting around this little one. I love her sweet smile and how she has her hip to the side and is wearing a cross necklace from Easter. I love the baby's funny look on her face and her funky little braids. So sweet...

Meet Priscila

Priscila joined In Deed and Truth Ministries about one month ago as a nurse/ midwife. She is from Kenya and has been a nurse for ten years. She especially likes pediatric nursing because when given the right treatment, kids improve very quickly. She hopes one day to return to school to specialize in pediatrics because the child mortality rate in Africa is very high in children under one year old. Priscila has two children, Miriam, age 4, and Antony age 7, who she says are her greatest inspiration. They are in the care of a relative while she serves in Sudan. She speaks to them frequently and they assure her they are doing fine. Priscila has blended in well with our team and constantly keeps us laughing. We are enjoying having her here.

She has asked for prayer in the following areas:

1. That God will cover her son and daughter with His love and take care of them in their times of need.
2. Her mom's health. She is sick with hypertension and diabetes.
3. That God will give her favor with her collegues, her bosses, the patients and in the compound as she serves this ministry in Sudan. Also that she will have peace of mind, energy and strength every day here.

Six Month Update

Here is the email I just sent out with my six month update.

Hello from Tonj!

I have now been in Africa for six months.... half a year. It seems long but fast at the same time if that makes sense.

April has been the most challenging month for me since I left for a few reasons. One, this month has been filled with uncertainty. After months of speculation and concern, the election came and went. For the most part, the election process was peaceful. The week before the election, there was some violence due to the army's attempt to disarm everyone. A former In Deed and Truth employee was killed after he shot a soldier trying to take his guns. The soldier was brought to our clinic, but did not make it. The elections were supposed to be held over three days, but were extended to five days after much confusion. Many people could not find their names when they went to the polling station where they registered. Some had to go to five different polling stations located all over Tonj before finding their name. One of the polling stations we went to seemed to be corrupt, but the others were professional. Although it was chaotic, it was neat to be here for Sudan's first election. People were excited to vote. The results were supposed to be announced a week after the election, but it has been almost two weeks and still nothing has been said. We pray things remain peaceful when the results are known.

The second reason this month has been tough was the continued cattle raiding. Since the raids occur outside the town in the villages, I personally never felt unsafe or was scared. It was just hard to hear about so much violence over cows. Many people died after their cattle camps were attacked by raiders from another village. Then that sets in motion revenge attacks that make you wonder when will this madness stop. While I was writing this, we received two more victims of a cattle raid in a village about two hours from us. One man was shot in the leg and face and had his hand chopped off because the attackers wanted his ivory bracelet. It was horribly brutal. My heart broke as I saw the doctors and nurses working on him and his faced cringed in pain. In an instant his life changed. It's so sad. The importance of cattle is so deeply rooted in this culture you start to wonder if things will ever get better.

Third, I was sick with what we think was a bacterial infection and have not quite gotten back to 100%. I was in bed for five days and got really discouraged. Fortunately, we have a great doctor so I was under good care. While I am feeling a lot better, my digestive system is still struggling. I just want to feel normal again!

Fourth, as I approached my six month mark, I knew I needed to make a decision. Am I leaving after one year is up or am I staying longer? Because my return trip plane ticket could only be booked six months out, it needed to be changed or the balance refunded before May 1st. I really prayed a lot about what to do. As much as I miss home, I couldn't imagine leaving in November. It seemed way too soon to say good bye. Because going home and returning to Sudan costs $3500, coming home for a short visit is not an option. After much thought and prayer, I decided to extend my trip beyond November. So, the balance on my ticket was refunded and we'll book another one once I know for sure when I am coming home. I don't know when that will be. At this point, I am thinking early to mid 2011. I'm praying that God will make it clear to me when I am supposed to leave.

Fifth, I started to get a little homesick in March, but it really intensified in April. I had a few moments where I just sobbed for about twenty minutes and other days where I was on the brink of tears all day. I really felt lonely and desperately missed being at home. One Saturday morning, I just laid in bed thinking about what I would be doing if I was home and I was heartbroken that I wasn't there. I felt isolated and confused. I am usually independent and strong and don't often dwell on sadness. While I missed everyone a lot, I was doing pretty well up until now. The intense homesickness and physical sickness came after I sent the email to some friends and family saying that I was thinking about staying. I felt like I was being attacked. I know the enemy wants me to doubt what I am doing and distract me from what God wants me to do here. Even though I thought that is what was happening, I still had a hard time pulling out of those discouraging times. I was really struggling for about two weeks.

Fortunately, we serve a faithful, loving God. When I was weak, He was strong. He provided emails from friends to encourage me and confirm I made the right decision. He provided times of laughter through a game night, trip to the local radio station and other funny interactions that helped lift my spirits. He provided people to support me financially after I had increased expenses in March when going to Nairobi with Matoch. He sent people like Mabior and Dennis to encourage me and pray for me when I was sick. He got rid of my extreme fatigue that plagued me for about a week. I could go on and on about the goodness of our Lord. While I may have been down, I'm not out and I am excited about my future here.

Matoch (the eight year old boy shot in the face in February) continues to do well. His night terrors have become less frequent and severe. He comes to the compound everyday from 7:00am until we have to send him home around 5:00pm. While we are happy he likes it here, we are trying to get him enrolled in school so he'll have something to do all day.

Nyangeu (the three year old that was shot in the face in March) came back to Tonj with Hargins on April 15th. She is recovering well from her surgery and should have no long term complications. She spent one night with us in the compound when we couldn't locate her dad. It was really special seeing her laugh and smile. The following day they were reunited and she has returned with him to their village.

We are putting on a couple community events in May and June with the help of the local Catholic mission, Don Bosco. In May we'll be doing a sports tournament featuring basketball, volleyball and football (soccer). Then in June, we'll be showing the World Cup (the big soccer event of the year) in the town every night during the month long event. In addition to showing the matches, we'll be showing PSAs (public service announcements) on various topics such has health issues (HIV/AIDS, immunizations, dangers of seeing a witch doctor, good personal hygiene, malaria, etc), cultural issues (violence against women and kids, education of girls, etc) and also presenting the gospel. We are filming the PSAs ourselves and have had a lot of fun using our staff as the actors.

The pastors school starts up again in May. The students will be completing their last term in their first year of school. This place is always more lively when the pastors are here.

The clinic is as busy as ever. They are often seeing over 120 patients per day... and that is with one doctor! I am continually impressed with the work that is done over there. We have began offering several immunizations and soon will be able to test for HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately, we have had several children die recently. Sometimes, the parents wait too long to get treatment and there is nothing we can do to save the child.

This summer we have quite a few visitors coming. Some for 1 month, two months, 2 years and indefinitely. At times, we'll have 24 people here (including the regulars). Yikes!!! It will be a lot of work, but also a lot of fun to have new people here. I am looking forward to their arrivals.

I have not been able to work in the clinic a lot in April because I have been busy with administration work, filming World Cup spots and doing other miscellaneous projects. Once Suzy and the kids return in May, I hope to return to my regular routine of working in the clinic for a bit in the morning and then helping Suzy with whatever she and Sabet need.

We are approaching the rainy season and that means out come the creepy crawlies! I have noticed, much to my dismay, an increase in the amount of bugs flying around and harassing me. Also, the frogs have returned. YUCK! I always peer into the shower to see if one is hanging out in there. Sometimes there is and I have to yell for someone to remove the nasty creature before I can go in. A few have even hopped into my room. More people have come to the clinic with scorpion bites lately and a few snakes have been spotted. Praise the Lord I have not seen either. Fortunately, the weather has been cooler the last three days. Hallelujah. It was unbearably hot for a while.

Again I have to say, how good God is. Even as harsh as it can be here sometimes and as difficult as the culture can be to overcome, I feel Him moving here. It's encouraging to see people like Matoch's dad become saved and get serious about his faith. Also, Sabet assisted a man who was shot in the neck with treatment in Juba and the man's brother accepted Jesus. As someone who lived in the cattle camps, he had no idea there was any purpose in living and thought once you die, that's it. I see God in the big things (like keeping peace in the elections) and the small things (like giving us cooler weather when we thought we couldn't handle the heat any longer.). I serve a powerful God and put my life in His hands.

Thank you for indulging me has I have shared the hardships and victories of being a missionary. Part of me wants to gloss over the bad and just report the good. But, I know in being vulnerable about my weaknesses and tough times, you will be able to know better how to pray for me. Here are a few areas in which I can use your prayers:

1.That I will trust in the Lord about His plans for me here and feel confident about staying longer. Also, that I would not be as homesick and in times of loneliness that I would remember I am never truly alone.
2.That I would completely heal from my sickness.
3.That we will be able to get all the preparations done for the sports tournament and the World Cup. There is so much to do and we are already very busy!
4.That the cattle raiding would stop and South Sudan would remain peaceful as the election results are announced.

This email update is just a brief (as brief as I could make it!) summary of what happened this month. For more stories and pictures, visit my blog at www.thisisstaciesblog.blogspot.com I try to update it a few times a week with what is happening here. It's the best way to know what I am doing and what is going on in Tonj. For those of you who read my blog, sorry this is redundant.

As always, here is the donation information in case anyone needs 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.

For those of you who committed to supporting me monthly.... thank you! I just wanted to let you know that since I am staying longer, you have the opportunity to keep partnering with me as long as I am here. However, if you are not able to continue past the one year commitment, I completely understand. If you are set up for automatic deduction, just email Jeamette, the stateside coordinator, at jeamette@indeedandtruth.org with the date you would like the deductions to stop.

Thank you to everyone for their prayers, emails, comments on my blog, encouragements, photos, financial support and everything else you do that allows me to be here.

Stacie

Kuol Malok

Yesterday we received a call there was another cattle raid in a village about two hours from us. A man had been shot in the face and leg and others were killed. Since it was too late for our car to go pick him up, Awad and Dabu drove there this morning to get him. His name is Kuol Malok. Not only was he shot in the face and leg, his right hand was chopped off. Those evil cattle raiders wanted his ivory bracelet so they chopped off his hand. So brutal. Sabet asked me to take photos, but it was hard for me to look at, so I was staying outside the room, waiting until he was bandaged up. I went in at some point to take a photo and Dennis asked me to help him. As Margaret was trying to remove the bandage from his arm where his hand had been cut off, Dennis was working on his leg. Dennis asked me hold his leg while he cleaned the other side where the bullet exited. I felt so bad for Kuol. I tried to hold his leg as gingerly, but as stable as possible. His face scrunched up in pain and I just said, "I'm sorry." In an instant his life changed. It's really sad.

Tomorrow Awad and Dabu will take him to Wau for further treatment. Please pray that the hospital in Wau will be open and they will be able to treat him.

Mini Clinic Makeover

For those of you who have been here, you'll see the clinic looks different. The green tarps dividing the rooms have been replaced by wood! This will help stop the nosy looky looes from poking their head in a room while someone is being examined. We are still in the process of building the new clinic, but we want to do small improvements as time allows in the existing clinic.

Broadcasting Live from Tonj Sudan!

Today I sat in on a meeting with Sabet and a couple people from the local Catholic mission, Don Bosco. We are going to be working with them for our World Cup Outreach. During the month of May, we will be helping them with a sports tournament in Tonj. We are going to have people play basketball, volleyball and football (soccer). It will be a fun community event. Then, they will help us with our month long World Cup program. We came up with a lot of good ideas today. Our theme is "Play to Live."

Father Cyril is our contact at Don Bosco. He also heads up the radio station. This evening, we got to tour the facility. They have three studios... it was very impressive. They even had air conditioning! After our tour, Father Cyril told us the news would be broadcasting at eight (in ten minutes) and asked us to introduce ourselves and say hi to the audience.... LIVE. So we all sat around a table wearing headphones with a microphone in the middle. Then when it was time, the station manager introduced us and we each took a turn saying hi. I got really nervous right before it was my turn. When it came time for my big moment I said "Hi, my name is Stacie. I am from America. Here, Yan Achol Yar. (My name is Yar) I hope you have a good night." The rest of the time I just tried not to laugh. I am far too immature for LIVE radio. If I had more time I would have prepared something better to say. It was a lot of fun. I really want to go back there and play around in the studio, kind of like the Stevie Wonder episode of The Cosby Show.

From Stinky to Suave

Who is this dashing man? It's non other than Chol Dit... our "stinky man." We re- filmed the end of his PSA. Instead of comparing a stinky man to a different tidy, clean man, we are showing the same stinky man all cleaned up. So we gave Chol Dit a hair cut, some new clothes and cologne and filmed his trip to the clinic with a new outcome.



(Check out the guy going in for a big sniff)



(The verdict is good!)



(The doctor no longer needs a mask)



(And now he has friends)

Chol Dit is hilarious. Sabet would give him direction and he would do the exact opposite. I think in a few days he'll understand what we were doing. We had a lot of fun filming it today.

Cutest Baby Ever

This morning I saw the cutest baby I have seen since I have been here. It was so sweet and peaceful.

Game Night!

It's Friday night in Sudan... what do you do? You can't really paint the town red or go anywhere so you do the next best thing... Twister! I am so glad I am feeling better. If not, I may have missed out on our impromptu game night. We played Twister (I was merely a spectator, I do not twist in any form!), Bible trivia and charades. It was really fun and we laughed a lot. Just what I needed after a discouraging week.

Feeling Better

After five days of being in bed, I am on the road to recovery. I got worse after posting the previous blog. Fortunately, Dennis, gave me medication that helped a lot... along with your prayers. We think I had a bacterial infection. I still have a lingering headache and have not gained back my appetite. However, the other stomach problems have subsided and I am not as lethargic as I was.

Thanks for your prayers and encouraging words!

Under the Weather

Sorry, there haven't been any new posts in the last few days. I have not been feeling well since Friday and started feeling worse on Sunday. I'm not sure what's wrong, but I'm sure I'll be ok soon. I have been extremely fatigued, have a loss of appetite and a headache that won't go away. I personally think my body is revolting against the severe heat we have been experiencing! Fortunately we have good doctors and nurses that are keeping an eye on me. A malaria test was done and was negative. While I have not eaten much, I am staying hydrated. For the last two days I have only been out of bed for three hours or so each day. Otherwise, I have been in and out of sleep. Feeling this way has been discouraging. If I am in bed, that means I am not helping out. I just want to feel better so I can get back to work. Please pray that God will remove whatever is making me feel this way.

P.S. We are still waiting for the results of the election. They were supposed to be announced today, but haven't so far.

Nyangeu Going Home

Nyangeu was reunited with her dad today. We found out he moved about thirty minutes away so Sabet drove to the village to pick him up. Nyangeu was really quiet when she saw him and cried hard when they drove away. Her little mind is probably so overwhelmed and confused. In addition to the trauma of being shot in the head, she had to adjust to living in a hospital, living in the house with Suzy and the kids, staying with us one night and now returning to the village. I'm sure she has no idea what is going on. I'm glad I was able to spend some time with her today. She is a spit fire! I praise God for saving her life.





(Nyangeu with Abong who watched her for us today.)



(Nyangeu and her dad, who was very happy to see her.)

Too Cool For School

Today we filmed testimonies from various people and a couple health interviews with the clinic staff. Victor Bol went to Wau for training on HIV/AIDS testing (which we will do in the clinic soon) and asked to share some information. When we interviewed other clinic staff members, they wore scrubs or a white coat and looked very professional. Victor Bol, who is Mr. Style, decided he needed to step it up a bit. We went to the clinic to interview him and he asked to change before we started. He had been wearing scrubs and came back wearing tuxedo pants, ironed white shirt, a bow tie and sunglasses. It was classic Victor Bol. Here is our photo of our head waiter, I mean, HIV/AIDS expert:

Election Update

The election is over, but we are still awaiting the results. Election officials are using classrooms on our compound to count the ballots. We expect the results to be announced in the next day or two. Please continue to pray for peace as those are announced.

Nyangeu is Back

Nyangeu came back home today after four weeks in Nairobi. Hargins did a wonderful job taking care of her. She stayed with her the entire time in the hospital. Unfortunately, we weren't able to find her dad to notify him that she was returning, so he wasn't able to greet her at the airport. At first she seemed very confused. She didn't understand that she was back at home again. I suppose that will come when she sees her dad. Her time in Nairobi must have acclimated her to white people. She was scared of me when she first arrived in Nairobi. At the airstrip, she wasn't scared at all. Then, at the compound, she was crying and came over to me and let me hold her and she calmed down right away. That made me really happy. Hopefully we'll find her dad tomorrow and then she can really go home.

"Any Questions" Follow Up

Thank you to everyone who commented on my "Any questions" blog. I am so glad you are enjoying my blog. There is so much that happens here and I only get to describe a small part of it to you. So, I believe the only question was "how slim are you these days?" Well, unfortunately, I am not slim yet. I have lost about 50 pounds, but still have a long way to before I (or anyone) would consider myself slim. I haven't done anything to lose the weight. I think my body was in shock from not eating fast food, drinking more water and being more active. Most of the weight I lost occurred in the first two and a half months I was in Sudan. Since then, because I was in Nairobi for five weeks, then back in Tonj only for one, and again in Nairobi for four more weeks (with Matoch), I have not lost more weight. Nairobi has more food choices then we do here and I did enjoy treats that we don't get in Sudan! Now that I am in Sudan for four months (my next break will be in August in Nairobi), I expect I will lose more. At some point I'm sure I will plateau and will have to start exercising. However, I'm not worried about it. While it's not at all my focus here, it is a nice and much needed benefit.

PS Good camera angles can do wonders!

Good Hygiene

Today's filming topic was good hygiene. An inspired casting decision led to Chol Dit playing the role as the "stinky man." We filmed people reacting badly to his foul odor (pretending of course) as the result of not bathing. When he went to see Dennis (the doctor), Dennis ran out of the room and came back with a mask. When Peter, the pharmacist, gave him a prescription, he plugged his nose the entire time. Then we filmed Gabriel, the "good smelling man" in the same scenarios, but with the opposite reactions. Again, another funny day of filming. It's important that we keep some of those ads humorous. We want to teach them good health habits without looking down on them.

Chol Dit:









Gabriel