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