7 Month Update

Here is the 7 month update email I just sent out. If you aren't on my email list and want to be, let me know so I can add you.

It has been seven months since I left home. I am now officially the longest visitor Sabet and Suzy have had! Time and memories are starting to blend together. I had to read over my blogs in May to remind myself of what has gone on this past month. I also read my last update and praise God I am doing better than I was in April!

Here are a few updates to last month's email:

The election results were announced and everyone was calm and peaceful. Basically nothing changed. The Northern president was re-elected as was the Southern president.

The cattle raids have slowed down. There are still clashes going on, but not as many as there had been. The number of gunshot victims we have seen has decreased.

I am feeling a lot better. My body has healed from the sickness I experienced in April and my digestive system is almost 100% back on track.

My homesickness has lessened for the most part and I am confident I am made the right decision to extend my stay.

Now on to the news from May:

May was a busy month. We are happy Suzy and the kids are here. They had been in Nairobi for nine weeks. It has been great having them back and seeing their family reunited. With them came, Garrett, a visitor from the states. He is an EMT and is studying to be a doctor. He stayed for three weeks and was a huge blessing in the clinic. We have also seen some staffing changes. We have added a new pharmacist, Pritty, and a new clinical officer, Caleb, both from Kenya.

In about two weeks, the World Cup starts. We have brought in DSTV so we'll be able to play the matches for free to the people in Tonj. It also presents us with an an opportunity to share the gospel and educate them on health and social issues. There are two matches per day for one month so we'll be very busy! We had a lot of fun making videos which will be shown during the matches.

The pastors came back for the last term of their first year of Bible School. I was able to go with Sabet to pick up a pastor who lives about three hours away after a visit to Wau. There a man declared he was going to marry me and I would not be returning to Tonj. Quickly I called for Sabet and excused myself from the conversation! The pastors are doing well in school and will return in August to begin their second year.

The clinic is as busy as ever. I will start becoming more involved in the clinic. I have started doing the health education in the morning with pregnant moms. I love doing it. I welcome them to the clinic, talk to them about the importance of regular prenatal visits and encourage them to return to the clinic for their delivery. Most women deliver at home, but often things go wrong and the mom and baby die which is why Sudan has the highest infant mortality rate in the world. Recently, we had a child brought in dead because the cord wasn't tied and it bled to death. Simple things like that can be prevented. For the last two weeks I have been teaching the moms how to use a TBA kit. In case they aren't able to reach the clinic in time, they will have received a TBA kit from us which will help them have a safer delivery at home. The week before that I taught them about nutrition. In addition to the health talks, I have been asked me to learn things such as wound care, immunizations and other skills that can be used to help the clinic. I am already comfortable with the pharmacy and registration/triage and am looking forward to expanding my knowledge. Then I will be able to fill in if there is a staff shortage or if a crisis breaks out. For now I will join the clinic staff in the Saturday training sessions and train in the clinic during the week as time allows. A few times I have been called to the clinic to pray for patients when Sabet and Suzy aren't available. The patients have included some staff members, a man whose arm was blown open during a cattle raid and a women who was raped in her village. At times it's overwhelming and I don't know what to say. How do you comfort a woman who was attacked like that or a man who will probably lose his arm? The language barrier is difficult, but I know God transcends languages and trust that He will minister to their hearts.

Most of my time will still be focused on assisting Sabet and Suzy with administration. I continue to enjoy working with them various projects and helping with things like accounting, emails, letters, contracts, etc. I will also start to oversee the staff working on the compound side (housekeeping, cooking, water, etc) which will allow Suzy to focus on homeschooling and the many other tasks she does.

Last week we started our Dinka lessons. On Tuesday and Saturdays a teacher come to attempt to get us to learn Dinka. Their language is really hard. There are four different “e”s with various grunting sounds. The staff has enjoyed us practicing on them. I think they are honored we are trying to learn Dinka and also amused at our bad pronunciation!

Sunday mornings we have a church service on the compound. There has been interest from many people wanting to attend, but they feel intimidated by it being in the compound. We are praying about finding a place outside the compound to hold the services. Many children have been attending the Sunday School classes we recently started. I love seeing their joy and excitement. It reminds me of being a kid and growing up in church. Abong, one of the kids that lives on the compound, asked Jesus into her heart two Sundays ago. Matoch comes every week. He is doing great and his face just keeps getting better. Last Sunday, we all went on a picnic and he came with us.

The weather has been much cooler. It's still hot, but not as bad as it was in March and April. We have had a couple good rains. However, I am told the storms get fierce so I am waiting for one to come that scares me to death. One time Hargins and I were visiting Elizabeth's house after her nephew died and we got caught in a downpour. We were drenched as we walked back to the compound! The lightening here is incredible, like nothing I have seen. When it starts, lightening flashes in the sky non stop until the storm passes. I have seen several bolts in the sky. When it's not raining, the weather is warmer and humid. I would be happy if it rained all the time. The only downside are the increased bugs. There have been a few scorpions and several frogs found in my room!

May 16th was a day I will NEVER forget. Do you know what you were doing on May 16th? I do. I was laying in bed listening to what I thought were the sounds of war thinking this was my time to go. I for sure thought we were goners. At 4:00am hundred of gunshots went off right behind our compound and several loud booms rang in the air. At first I thought Sudan had broken out into war again. Then I saw it was 4:00am which is when cattle raids often happen. So, I thought cattle raiders were attacking the town and were going to kill us. I was alone in my room, unable to communicate with Sabet and Suzy. Finally after 20 minutes or so Suzy reached me on my phone to tell me we were ok. The army was doing their annual celebration. Why they celebrate by shooting into their air is beyond me. The shooting went on for a few hours and left us all a little shaken. Had I known the whole time we weren't in danger, I wouldn't have been scared at all. You'll have to check out my blog for the whole play by play. In hind sight, it's pretty funny, but while it was going on, I was terrified.

Finance update: My monthly giving dipped a little last month. Because I have decided to stay longer, I am facing increased expenses. I am confident God will provide. He has provided what I have needed so far and I'm sure He continue as long as He wants me here. 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.

God continues to be my rock. He keeps giving me things to do that I feel are beyond my capabilities. I think many times He just wants us to say “yes” no matter what He asks us to do. Big or small, He'll compensate in areas we lack in. I came here to be a blessing to Sabet and Suzy, but I feel like I am the one receiving so many blessings. I God needed to bring me here to teach me more about Him. I needed to be pulled from my comfort zone to find out who I am in Christ. I am learning utter dependence on him and finding my identity only in Christ. As a result I am gaining confidence and facing fears which held me back in life and ultimately stopped me from serving Him 100%. Because of the changes, I pray that I will be able to give all of me to His service no matter where that is and that He will be glorified by my life.

Here are a few prayer requests:

1.Sabet is in Nairobi trying to finish the truck. We are running out of supplies and soon will have visitors here. Pray that all the supplies get purchased and we get clearance on the truck as it crosses the border. We need it here by June 20th.
2.We have a bunch of summer visitors coming, including Stephanie, a midwife coming for two years. Pray for unity, strength as we get tired and that much will be accomplished.
3.The new medical clinic – construction has been at a stand still for five months. We need to find someone to come and finish the building.
4. Flexibility for me – I struggle with being anxious over small things: whether or not my box of supplies will come in June, whether or not I will get a long break in Nairobi, stressing about having to be back in the kitchen when our cook leaves and other dumb things I fixate on. If these things happen, it's not the end of the world. I need to be flexible and not worry about the “what ifs.”

Thank you to everyone who supports me through prayer and finances. I am honored to serve in Sudan on your behalf. Remember to check out my blog for more stories and photos: http://thisisstaciesblog.blogspot.com/

---Stacie

Twins!

Today Priscila and Hargins delivered twins. It is the first set since I have been here. The delivery was a bit challenging due to one baby being breech and the mother not cooperating. Fortunately, the two boys are tiny, but healthy and very cute.

School Day

Today was an all day school day for me. First in the morning I joined the clinic staff for their morning training. We learned about the role of a nurse assistance as well as some clinic protocol. There was a practical section of the class where we were taught to take blood pressure, temperature and pulse. Yesterday Dennis and Suzy asked me to take more of an active roll in the clinic. So, I will be learning things like wound care, immunizations, starting IVs, giving meds, etc. I am already comfortable with registration, triage and the pharmacy. They want me to be ready to fill in at the clinic as needed. I'll still be mainly focused on helping Sabet and Suzy administratively, but will spend a little more time in the clinic. I am excited about that. I love doing the health education with the pregnant moms. This past week's was on the contents of a TBA kit. We want them to come to the clinic for their delivery, but if they can't make it, they will have received a TBA kit with tools to help with a safe delivery.

Then after lunch, we had a two hour Dinka lesson. This week we started learning Dinka. A teacher will come twice a week to teach us. It is really hard! We have a lot of fun in the class, but it's definitely challenging. Many of their letters require a throaty noise/grunt which I am having trouble grasping. I'll have to work on that!

Good-Bye Garrett

Today Garrett left to return for the States. He had been with us for the past three weeks and was an enormous help in the clinic. Garrett is an EMT and is studying to be a doctor. He was able to see patients and help with emergencies. His skills were put to good use right away with several gunshot victims needing suturing in his first week. In addition to his work in the clinic, he also blessed us with a class on Basic Life Support and a sermon in church this past Sunday. We praise God for his service here.



Sabet and Margaret also flew out today. The flight was delayed four hours during to a big storm that came early this morning. Fortunately, the plane was able to take off and all three are on their way to Nairobi right now. Pray for Margaret as she takes a well deserved month off. She has been here since last Christmas and is looking forward to relaxing by watching movies, visiting with friends and eating chicken and chips (fries)! She'll come back at the end of June. We had a fun last night with her. She and I were teammates in Peanuts, a really fun card game. Suzy still won, but we both improved since we last played. Also pray for Sabet as he finalizes the truck. We are waiting for a few last minute supplies and clearance papers to come through.

Special Sunday School

Yesterday we had a neat Sunday School class. I taught the story of the good shepherd and the lost sheep. Rose, a Ugandan woman working in Tonj, came to teach the kids a song. She didn't know what I was teaching on and I didn't know what song she was going to sing. Turns out it was all about Jesus taking care of his sheep! Here are the words to the chorus: "Jesus is feeding his good sheep again and carrying those weak ones." It went along perfectly with the story. We had two girls ask Jesus into their heart. One of them was Abong, who is staying with us and going to school. It was a special time.

Random Photos From the Week

(This is the man we flew to Juba and then Khartoum in March after his neck was shot open during a cattle raid. He is back in Tonj and is doing well. He came to church yesterday and then to the clinic today.)


(Tracing a child's hand in the clinic)


(Baby Hedgehogs!)


(Hannah at our prayer meeting)

A Proper Picnic

Today after church, we had a picnic at the picnic tree. It was the Kuj family, Matoch, Margaret, Priscila, Pritty, David, Jane, Nancy Garrett and me. We had a nice time. There was a cool breeze and we just relaxed for a couple hours. We even had real picnic food: sandwiches, soda, chips, popcorn, watermelon and cookies!






(A few boys sat near us. We gave them some sandwiches and chips)

Basic Life Support

On Saturday mornings, the clinic staff has training meetings in the mornings. I'll be joining them when it is a topic that might be good for me to know. Yesterday I sat in on my first class. Garrett (who is an EMT) taught about basic life support, which pretty much is CPR. Although I used to be CPR certified and a lot of it was review, I did learn a lot of new things too. I enjoyed the class and look forward to learning more.

Health Talks

Today I started a new job. I will be giving the health talks to the pregnant mothers. Each morning the clinic staff give brief talks to the patients waiting in line. They discuss various things such as personal hygiene, nutrition, vaccinations, etc. There is one talk for the general patients and one for the pregnant mothers. Yesterday I shadowed Margaret as she gave a talk on nutrition and today I gave it a shot. It was a lot of fun. I introduced myself and welcomed them to the clinic. I talked to them about the importance of regular check ups during their pregnancy. Then we discussed their current diet and suggested foods that are found locally to improve their nutrition. After, I encouraged them to come to the clinic to deliver their babies. We had a nice time and I am looking forward to doing another topic next week. I may start doing the talk for the general patients too.

The Scariest Moment of My Life

Let me preface this story by saying we are all ok and were never in any danger. With that said, here is my take on the situation:

Early this morning, I thought I was going to die. I thought everyone on the compound was going to die too. Around 4:00am, I awoke to gun shots and what I thought were bombs. I am used to hearing an occasional gun shot, but this was like none other I have experienced. Hundreds of shots rang through the air and there were many large “booms” from some sort of weapon I wasn't familiar with. Because of the bomb like sounds, I thought Sudan had broken out into war. Then I thought, maybe this was a cattle raid. Cattle raids always occur in the cattle camps and not in town, so I was confused why it was happening right by us. I figured it was retaliation against Tonj and they have decided to attack the town to be extra brutal. Because it was so close, I was expecting to hear people come into the compound at any moment. I pictured them going to each room and shooting us one by one. It was too dangerous to leave my room and find Sabet to find out what was going on so I just started praying. “Please, God, help us. Make it stop. Keep everyone in the compound safe.” Over and over I prayed this. Then I heard Hargins, who has a tendency to panic in these situations, screaming next door. I was worried her screams would attract the attention of the people with the guns. I was about to yell at her to stop when I heard Margaret say “Hargins, stop.” She is in the room on the other side of Hargins. (I found out later Jane had to cover Hargins mouth and keep her from running from the room.) Then I decided to get up and lock my door and get dressed. (Because it is so hot, I usually sleep in only my underwear. However, if they were going to shoot me, I wanted to have clothes on. No one was going to find me naked!) I didn't want to turn on a light so it took me a while to do both. I was also crouching down in case a bullet came through the window. I got back in bed and kept praying. My heart was pounding and my whole body was shaking uncontrollably. The hardest part was being alone and not knowing what was going on. Everyone else here has a roommate so I was the only one who was alone.

After about 20 minutes or so (could have been shorter or longer. The whole thing seemed to last a long time) my phone rang. It was Sabet. I was terrified the ring and the light would attract attention so I grabbed my phone and answered it, whispering under my pillow. “Hello? Hello?” No response and the phone cut off. I tried calling him back, but the call wouldn't go through. Finally I got through and talked to Suzy. I don't remember if I called her or she called me. She asked if I was ok, I said yes. I asked what was going on and she said that it is the SPLA (the army) conducting their annual celebration of when the SPLM took control over South Sudan. They celebrate by shooting bullets into the air. There was no fighting and we were safe. The only danger we were in is from a stray bullet. Sabet received a call from Albino telling him what was going on. Immediately, I was relieved. In a second I went from thinking we were going to die to feeling safe. “Thank you God.” I told Suzy I would tell the girls. So, I went to Hargins and Jane's room, then to Margaret and Prisila's room and told them what was going on and to stay in their room until it stops. In a few minutes Sabet came by to check on us followed by Suzy. The shooting went on for a few hours. Even by 8:00am, we heard shots. By that time, we all started to come out of our rooms and exchanged our experiences about what happened. Suzy said the kids weren't scared. They just sat on the floor singing worship songs and praying.

In retrospect, there were a couple clues that we weren't in danger. One – there was no screaming (other than Hargins!). If it had been a cattle raid, it would have been very noisy with lots of people shouting and running. Two – a few days ago, Sabet told us a story of something similar happening. A couple years ago, he was here with two visitors from the US. Around midnight, many shots were fired and the visitors freaked out (justifiably so!). One man stayed in the room while the other man did a marine crawl all the way to Sabet's house and banged on his door. Sabet opened the door and told him they were fine. It's just the army doing their annual celebration. Sabet knew about it, but forgot to tell them. We all laughed at the story, but the laughs on us! That story didn't even come to my mind while it all was going on. I wish it had! Even Sabet didn't realize what it was because usually it happens at midnight and this was 4:00am.

It was without a doubt the scariest moment of my life. Never have I thought I was facing immediate death before today. Praise the Lord we are all safe. We can laugh about it now, knowing everything was fine and it will make a good story! Had I known ahead of time what was going to happen, it wouldn't have been scary at all. Now we know to mark our calendars... May 16th.... SPLM celebration. Don't be scared if you hear gunshots!

Caught in the Rain

On Wednesday, Elizabeth's nephew died. He was brought in from Cuibet and was severely dehydrated. Thursday Elizabeth stayed home so Suzy and I went to her house to visit her and her nephews parents. Then yesterday, she came to the compound to invite us to the memorial service. Hargins, Joe Losee and I ended up going. Right as we got there, storm clouds showed up and thunder and lightening started. Joe was very concerned about getting wet and wanted to leave right away. Hargins and I didn't care about that and wanted to stay. Joe prayed for the family and then took off running, literally! Hargins and I stuck around for a bit. Elizabeth wanted us to stay for a meal, but we told her we had to head back. She gave us a Coke and we began walking back to the compound. It was pouring rain and we quickly were drenched. The rain hurt too! It felt like we were getting pelted with small rocks. It was so funny and we just laughed. As we reached the compound fence Sabet drove up. We were completely soaked so we told him we were fine and would walk the rest of the way. It was definitely a moment I will never forget.

Unwanted House Guests

For the last few nights I have had several creatures enter my room. I think they are entering through the gap between my door and the frame. Three nights, two frogs terrorized me. I heard noises coming from the box of medical books I keep in my room for the clinic. I didn't know if it was a frog, snake or something else. I poked my head out of my room to see if I could see the guards (it was 2:00am), but I didn't see them. Since there was no way I was going to look in the box, I put in my ear plugs to block out the noise and tried to go back to sleep. Ignorance is bliss! Then in the morning, Mabior came over and found a frog in there and another hiding in the corner of my room.



Two nights ago, a hedge hog found it's way into my room. I woke up at 6:30 to get breakfast ready and I saw something furry run across the floor. I didn't have my contacts in or my glasses on so I couldn't see that it was. I flew out of my room and fortunately saw Margaret coming out of her room. I said “Margaret, there is a giant rat in my room and I don't know what to do!” She moved my action packers out of the way and found the hedge hog. Once I saw it was a hedge hog, I wasn't as scared. They are actually good because they kill snakes, scorpions and other bugs. However, I still didn't want him in my room. Margaret found a stick and rolled him out of my room. A few hours later, I found the same hedge hog heading back into my room. Once again, Mabior saved the day and removed it for me. Mabior actually picked it up with his hands!



Finally, last night there was a scorpion on my wall. Sabet killed it. I don't know why my room is so appealing, but I am praying they all stay away!!!

Trip to Wau

Wow! I went to Wau! Cheesy, I know, but I was very excited to go. Margaret and I had never been to Wau before and we really want to go. Yesterday was the day we got to go. It was a really fun trip. We left around 11:00am and arrived in Wau around 2:00pm. The road is really bumpy, but that makes it fun. Sabet, Margaret and I were in the front seat and in the back was Maker (Sabet's brother), a patient and two of the patient's relatives. First we took the patient to the hospital in Wau. We think he has yellow fever along with other ailments. He was constantly convulsing, partially paralyzed and couldn't speak. We pray he his able to make a full recovery. My first impression of Wau was that it was hot! Then I noticed how many cars there were. It is a much bigger town then Tonj. Apparently they are sensitive to people taking pictures there so I didn't get to take many.



After we dropped off the patient, we went to lunch. We had an awesome lunch - chicken and smoothies (strawberry, orange and banana). The smoothies were SO GOOD! It tasted just like an Orange Julius. It was so good I had two!



After lunch we went to the market to get some supplies. There, I bought a can of Pringles for $4! Pricy, but it came along way so I was ok with it. It's a yummy treat. If I eat one chip a day, I wonder how long it will last... After the market, I really had to find a bathroom. I was worried about finding a clean one, but Sabet dropped Margaret and I off at a hotel (a lodge with tents) where we found a nice one. Then we just hung out there for a bit until Sabet came back for us. We had a good chat. It was nice to get to know Margaret more.



Once Sabet picked us up, we headed to a village to pick up two pastors, David and Santino. It took about an hour and a half to get there. We found David, but Santino didn't show up. While we waited for him, we got out of the car to stretch. Quickly I was surrounded by a group of guys and an older guy, named Acuil, kept shaking my hand. Then he wouldn't let go. I looked at Margaret and said "help!" He said he wanted to take me to his village! Then Sabet offered 100 cows for me! Acuil said "see you tomorrow." I told him I was way more expensive than that. Next the guy offered 500! While he was talking to Sabet, I snuck away. As we were leaving he asked if he should come to Tonj the next day. Sabet laughed and said "no."

While we were driving back (we had to backtrack to Wau and then head to Tonj) we saw incredible lightening. You could see the actual bolts not just flashes in the sky. We were concerned about getting caught in the rain, but God is good and we managed to miss it completely. We had a fun time telling funny stories and laughing on the way home. Around 11:30pm we pulled into the compound. I was so happy to be there. After 8 hours in the car, my bum was getting sore!

A Message For The Inflexible

This was shared in an email from Mike and Amy Yordt. They go to Rancho del Rey and were on the February 09 Sudan trip with me and also came to Sudan when I returned in October. I think Mike has been to Sudan 8 times. I am so thrilled to report that they are becoming full time overseas missionaries and will be moving to Tonj in September! I am really excited to have them here. Please pray for Mike and Amy as they fund raise and have a million things to do before leaving the US in four months. In an update, they shared the following which was a particularly encourage message to me as I struggle to be flexible:

We recently read something that Pastor Chuck Smith wrote in one of his commentaries about “plans”.  He said “You need to be ok with God disrupting your plans.  If you are not ok with that, then you are not living His plan, you are living only your plan.”  He went on to say that if we were to truly embrace God’s plans for us every day, we would live much less disturbed by the changes that invariably happen to our plans.  When we say to the Lord “your will be done, not mine”, we need to be ready for our plans to change!  We are experiencing this truth and trying to learn to be flexible with our plans changing.  God is so good to all of us, and He wants the very best for each one of us, so Lord, help us to remember that truth in the midst of change!

Clinic Continues to Be Busy

Mondays are usually the busiest days. I was surprised to see not many people there in the morning. We thought it was going to be a quiet day, but it picked up in the afternoon and evening. Now I know God was being merciful by allowing the patients to be few in the morning so the clinic staff would be able to handle what was to come. The cattle raiding continues and four injured men were brought in. Two of them had gunshot wounds (in the leg) and two had wounds caused by a grenade, one man lost part of his hand and the other had wounds to his chest. Usually we are treating the victims of an attack, but this time we were treating men who had attacked a village and were injured when the village fought back. You want to say "you deserve to be hurt" but God calls us to love everyone and so we help anyone that needs it.

Now we received word there will be a retaliation and we are praying God stops their evil plans.

A Busy Sunday

The clinic is closed on Saturdays and Sundays except for emergencies so our clinic staff is on call 24-7 to handle whatever comes up. Today the clinic staff was busy with a lot of emergencies. There was another cattle raid about an hour and a half away. We had one man brought in with a gun shot wound to the face. Fortunately it wasn't too serious so Dennis was able to stitch him up. He also had to stitch up a lady with a head wound. Apparently she had been in a fight. Then we had a small boy who was burned on his leg and another boy who walked three days to come to the clinic to treat multiple dog bites.

Later another man with a gun shot wound came in. Dennis asked me to come to the clinic to pray for him. He warned me he was injured very badly. When I got there, Priscila asked me if I was strong and then removed the gauze covering his injury. After I saw it, I answered her and said “no I am not strong.” This man's forearm was completely ripped open and bones were sticking out. This injury made me feel sick more than any others I have seen. He had been given pain medicine so he was asleep. I asked one of the relatives to come into the room with me. I noticed he was wearing a cross so I asked him if he was a believer and he said yes. Then we prayed together for Mathon, the injured man. Afterward, I stuck around to help (aka hold the lantern) while Dennis cleaned the wound and then stabilized it. We heard the fighting has continued and expect more victims to come for treatment.

--- Also to follow up on a previous blog, Dangerous Delivery, I am sad to report both the mother and the child died following surgery in Wau. She was very young and it's heart breaking to know she died due to labor complications that could have been prevented.

Meet the Compound Cats

For those of you who love cats, here is an introduction to the compound cats:

Sasha – She is the sweetest cat we have. She trusts humans and likes to be petted. Sasha is also the ruler of the compound. I think that is because she is the mother of all the others cats. She is the tiniest cat, but the toughest. I let her hang out in my room some times. She's usually all white, but lately she has been really dirty. I think she is sleeping in the charcoal. I am thankful for Sasha. She makes it easier to be away from my cats.




Harry & Lloyd – They are Sasha's latest kittens. They are really cute, but kind of dumb. If you sneak up on them, they'll jump really high when they notice you and scamper away. They are really weary of humans. I have only been able to pet them once in a while if they are distracted by food.



TJ – She is the prettiest cat on the compound but also the brattiest. Several times I have tried to reach out to her and she swatted me. She's so cute and has the tiniest meow, so I want to love her, but she won't let down her walls. Still too scared. TJ recently had a baby. We had no idea she was pregnant. Maybe this will soften her up.



Skippy – He has a special place in my heart. Shortly after I arrived, I saw him after a bad fight. One of his front legs was badly hurt and he was hopping around on three legs. Because of his injury, Skippy was especially vulnerable so I made sure to give scraps to him when available. As a result, Skippy began to let me pet him. His trust led James Brown to trust me too. Poor Skippy always looks so mangled. I think he is the cat everyone else picks on.



James Brown – He is best friends with Skippy. They are always together and cuddling. They hang out around the kitchen. James is a nice cat and has really warmed up to me since Skippy led the way.





One Eyed Willie – He is the most elusive one of all. He's not around as much as the other cats and has no interest in affection. For him, it's all about the food. He's the largest cat we have so I know he does just fine. One cool thing about him is he has two different colored eyes.

Dangerous Delivery

Yesterday we had a lot of rain. It was steady for about three hours in the afternoon and started again in the evening. It seemed strong to me, but Suzy assured me there will be storms that are a lot worse.

Last night I walked over to the clinic for something and Margaret called me in to look at something. A mother in labor had just arrived. Margaret wanted to show me what happens when a home delivery goes bad. This mom had been in labor since 5:00am the previous morning. She was fully dilated and the baby's head was really low. Now I am no birthing expert, but I could tell things were not as it should be "down there." It was extremely swollen. Most women choose to give birth at home with the assistance of a TBA (traditional birth attendant). TBAs get paid 100 Sudanese pounds if the baby is a boy and 150 if it is a girl. Because they get paid well, they don't want women to deliver at a hospital. They are very hesitant to release the mother because then they won't get paid. Most of the TBAs have no training. As a result, the infant mortality rate is very high. Last week, a perfectly healthy baby was brought to the clinic immediately after the home delivery. It was already dead because the TBA did not tie the cord and the baby bled to death. It was the same TBA who came with the mother last night. She should have known after a few hours of pushing there was a problem. Instead she waited more than 36 hours to bring the mother in. We had a whole bunch of people in there trying to help this poor woman. It was her first baby so she had no idea what was going on and that this was abnormal. Margaret, Priscila, Garrett (a visitor from the US), Preti (our new pharmacist), Hargins and I were all trying to help. She was so tired we had to hold her legs up for her. After pushing for a while, the baby did not budge. She was given medicine to help the uterus contract, but after a while, the contractions completely stopped. Additionally, the baby's heart rate was irregular. At that point, there was nothing we could do for her. She needed to go to a hospital right away. We told the family to make arrangements for her to go to Wau. Had she come in yesterday, she could have gone to Wau in our car that left in the morning. Due to the rain, she was not able to travel at night. Fortunately our car went back to Wau today so we were able to send her to the hospital.

Please pray for the mother and the baby. I will keep you updated on her status.

Good Bye Peter!

Peter, our beloved pharmacist, is leaving to attend school in Wau. He has been with us for one year and has done a wonderful job in the pharmacy. Although going to school is a good thing, I wish he was staying. I tried telling him his school called and said they were closing, but he didn't believe me! Peter will be greatly missed.

Welcome Home Suzy and Kids

Today Suzy and the kids returned to Tonj. After being away for two months we are really happy to have them here. Suzy got a lot of work done in Nairobi. She got the truck ready to go and it hopefully will be leaving in a few weeks. In addition to Suzy and the kids, we received Joe and Nancy (back to teach the pastors), a new pharmacist and Garrett, a visitor from the US. He will be helping in the clinic for three weeks. The Kuj's also received an addition to their family. Everyone crowded around to take a look at the sixth Kuj:



It's Oochie, the Poochie! The kids named it Honey and Suzy asked her neighbor in Nairobi, who is from Zimbabwe, how to say honey in her language. When she said "Oochie" Suzy knew that was perfect. One guy at the airstrip grabbed Oochie by the face and spit on her. It's supposedly a blessing!







Oochie is a really sweet dog and will fit in well here. She's also really funny. Earlier she was following me to the dining room and suddenly stopped. She saw a goat and just stared at it. Then she turned around and booked it back to Suzy who was at her house. She ran back to her mama for protection. It was so cute!

Malony

Yesterday Dennis, Sabet and I went to the village of Malony. It's about 45 minutes away. On our way we saw tons of birds. It must be mating season. It was very bizarre and a little creepy. The cranes were pretty, but there were a bunch of giant birds walking around. They reminded me of a mix between vultures and storks. Has anyone seen "The Dark Crystal?" That movie terrified me as a child! I was shocked to find out as an adult it's all puppets! Anyway, the birds reminded me of the creatures in that movie.


(Cranes)

We first started working with Malony in January when we had two visitors from Australia, Mick and Andy, stay with us. They came to build a school there. They asked us if we would help them set up a medical clinic. Recently we moved our container there since we will have a new one arriving. We wanted to make sure it made it which is why we went yesterday to visit the village.



It's a community focused on farming and cattle so they are very spread out. There were a few people near the container who greeted us warmly. Some of the men were playing a game with dominoes. I have know idea what the rules were. It seemed like they were just throwing the dominoes down and slapping the board.



We visited with them for a bit and then took a look at the container. It will be used as a small clinic until another structure can be built. We will start by going there once a week to run a free clinic. Then we were shown their current school which is just some benches under a tree.



Lastly we visited the site were the new school will be. It's still in the early stage of construction, but it was neat to see the progress that has been made.



It was a lot of fun to visit another village. I enjoy the ride on the bumpy roads and getting to meet new people.

Lost in Translation

Last night I was sitting in the living room waiting for our prayer meeting to start. Abong was in there too and we were clowning around singing some Dinka songs. She has learned a lot of English since she has been here. However, there is still a lot she has to learn. Often before a church service, the leader will say something and the congregation will respond with "Amen." I asked Abong to teach me in Dinka what the leader says. Then I asked her what it meant and she said "God is not dead." I thought that was a little strange, but I thought it was just something they say here and Amen is an appropriate response. Still I thought it was funny so I was shouting "God is not dead" (in English) and Abong would say "Amen." Then, Sabet came in and gave us a strange look so I asked him if that is what that meant. He said no and asked Abong what she was trying to say. Apparently they say "Praise the Living God" and then everyone responds with "Amen." Now that makes sense! Abong had the meaning right, but couldn't express it accurately in English!

Abong is a hoot. She makes me laugh all the time. She was born with a joyful, playful spirit that is refreshing.

Good-Bye Sweet Chair

When I was sick a few weeks ago I borrowed a chair that is usually on Sabet and Suzy's veranda. Since Suzy wasn't here, Sabet said I could use it until she and the kids return since he doesn't use it that much. It is the most wonderful chair and I have used it so much. It is extremely comfy and relaxing. Even during the day, I have been working in it as opposed to at my desk. At night I kick back in it until I go to bed.

Last night I had such a relaxing evening. After dinner I went to my room and just listened to the rain falling, in THE chair. We have metal roofs so we can every little pitter patter. Then I decided to watch Pete's Dragon on my computer. I forgot how much I like that movie. After that I had the best nights sleep ever. I owe it all to THE chair.

Tomorrow Suzy and the kids return and I will bid farewell to THE chair. I have one more day with it and then we shall part. It was fun while it lasted...

Play For Life Continues

Last night we (Priscila, Margaret, Sabet and I) went again to watch the basketball game that was going on. It was a lot of fun. We had another good turn out. Don Bosco's radio station has been broadcasting live from the games which has brought a lot of people out. We made a commercial for the Play for Life Tournament. It's set to the song "Final Countdown" and turned out really well. We did a version in English and a version in Dinka. We have heard it on the radio a few times already!











(One of the mom's who delivered in our clinic was there and she brought her adorable baby to say hi to Margaret.)

Happy Birthday David!

David is from Kenya and does construction for us. He can fix anything. We are blessed to have him here. Yesterday was his birthday and in Kenyan tradition he was doused with water. Poor guy got soaked!

Storms and Internet Don't Mix

Now that we are heading into the rainy season, our internet is unreliable. Whenever there is wind, clouds or rain, our connection is lost. Just wanted to let you know in case I am not able to blog or respond to your email quickly. For those of you on skype, if I ever just disappear while we are talking, it's not because I don't like you, it's because our internet suddenly went out. I apologize ahead of time!

Meet Akec and Lual

Lual and Akec (pronounced Acage) are two of our compound workers.


(Don't let the gold jewelry and mohawk confuse you. This is not Mr. T, it's Lual.)

Lual is our day guard. He is very sweet, but not the brightest guard! After many talks with Sabet, I think he is starting to get that he is not just the gate opener! Lual is very nice and always says hi to me throughout the day. We have the same conversation every time:

(In Dinka)
Lual- Hello
Me- Hello
Lual - What's up?
Me - No problems
Lual- You are well?
Me- I am well, are you well?
Lual- I am well.


(Akec)

Akec works with the construction crew. We call him the Sudanese Brad Pitt. At first when I was told there was a Sudanese Brad Pitt, I was looking for the cutest worker on the compound, but they actually meant he looks like Brad Pitt. When I saw him I knew exactly what they meant. Imagine Brad Pitt with dark skin and the cattle camp markings and you have Akec; very similar facial features. It's hard to see it clearly in a picture, but take a look and see if you see a resemblance.