13 Month Update

Here is a copy of my latest email update. If you read this blog and are not on my email list and would like to be, please let me know by leaving me a note in the comments or sending me an email.

Here we are again and it's time for another update. Now I have been here for 13 months. Wow! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! This Thanksgiving I was especially thankful for everyone back home.



November was a very busy month. We had the pleasure of hosting a team from my church, Rancho del Rey. Each team member was a huge blessing and a complete joy to have. They assisted in different areas – construction, the clinic and pastor training. It was surreal to have them here because I originally was supposed to go home with them. I was greatly encouraged by their presence and was sad to see them go. I had a few sobbing episodes and felt their loss for quite a few days. When they left, we had a team consisting of two doctors and a pastor from Eastgate church in Florida come. They, too, have been a pleasure to have.

Currently our pastors school is on break, but we have a special conference going on. Pastors from three different states have come together to learn about the Bible. They have been blessed to be taught by Pastor Matt from Rancho del Rey and Pastor Rob from Eastgate. After a break in December and January, our pastors will be back in school for their next term in February. One of my new roles in the new year will be to assist Sabet with the administration of the school. Among the things I will be doing are making sure the pastors have everything they need and collecting school fees in whatever form they come in (Sudanese pounds, goats or chickens!).

Our new clinic project has seen huge growth this past month. Last week we finished making the 12,000 bricks needed to build the walls of the clinic. Now we are waiting for the foundation to be complete so we can start putting up the walls. A bigger building is needed now more than ever. We are bursting at the seams trying to see over 100 patients per day and house patients overnight who need continued care.

These past two weeks I have had the privilege of working in the pharmacy. Due to a flight mix up, our pharmacist didn't make it back from his break. Amy was covering him while he was gone and he was supposed to take over when she left for her break. Well, both of them are in Kenya so that leaves me to cover the pharmacy. I love it! Because I mostly help on the other side of the compound, I miss working in the clinic. It has been fun interacting with the patients. I also enjoy the structure of filling prescriptions and filling orders in the rooms. We continue to see many malaria patients. It is most dangerous for children under five whose parents delay getting treatment. Sometimes they go to the witch doctor first and then bring the child to us when it is too late. It's so sad to see these little kids suffering from an illness that is very treatable. We try to educate the community in the signs of malaria and urge parents to bring their children in right away.

On Friday, I will be flying to Kenya with the other ladies for two weeks of rest. We'll be having a women's retreat and enjoying other fun events. It has been four and a half months since I had R&R and I am mentally and physically exhausted. When we are in Sudan, we work seven days a week and are constantly “on” so I am ready for a break! We'll be returning to Sudan for three weeks over Christmas and New Years. On January 7th, the women and the children will be going to Kenya during Sudan's referendum. Here is a blog update I posted with more information about the referendum:

The referendum is coming. What does that mean to Sudan? No one really knows. In January, the people of South Sudan will vote to either separate from the North or stay as one country. Most likely separation will pass overwhelmingly. The problem is with the North. They are not going to want to let the South go due the presence of oil and the money that comes from it. Some people are fearing another war. I am praying it is a lot of hype, like the elections last April. People thought there would be violence and most NGOs (non-government organization) left for a while. Fortunately, it remained peaceful. Like last April, most NGOs will leave Sudan during the referendum. We don't want to do that and leave the community stranded. So, our clinic will remain open. MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) knows we are here and will be able to fly us out if there is are any problems. Because our staff is so large (we are over 15), not everyone could fit on MAF's plane in one trip so the women and children will be in Nairobi during the referendum while the guys hold down the fort. Sabet will keep a close eye on things and will be ready to evacuate everyone here if needed. We fly out on January 7th and if everything remains peaceful, I will fly back in two weeks later. I wish I could be here during the whole process. I am not scared. I think it will be fine just like the last elections. However, I know Sabet will be able to focus better if he doesn't have to worry about us so we will do some work in Nairobi and hopefully be back to Sudan quickly. Our area is in a good place. If there was fighting, it would most likely be near the North/South border and we are far away from that. So... don't worry... we are safe!

Praise Reports:

1.One month of good health! - After two bouts of malaria, typhoid and other stomach issues, I have felt really good for the past month.
2.A container bringing a lot of supplies from the US arrived in record time. The last container we got took over one year. This one took two months.

Prayer Requests:

1.Referendum – Peace between North and South Sudan
2.Teachers for the pastors school
3.Continued progress for the new clinic building
4.A softening in the hearts of the people of Sudan, an openness to hearing about God.
5.Wisdom as I seek God's will for my future

For those of you who feel called to financially support the work I am doing in Sudan, here is how you do 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.

Thank you for your prayers! Don't forget to visit my blog for more detailed updates and photos (http://thisisstaciesblog.blogspot.com/).

Love,
Stacie

Dinka Speaking? Yes... and No

Sometimes it feels impossible to learn the Dinka language. They have odd sounds that I have a hard time duplicating. However, Elizabeth, who works in the kitchen, is always trying to get the visitors speaking Dinka. She is really good about repeating things until I can say them properly. Today I had an exchange with Mary that impressed Elizabeth... and myself!

I saw Mary walking towards me and I said in Dinka "Do you need money?" (Yenawich garuche?) She said yes. I said, "Ok, wait for me, I am going to the clinic." (Apatapay, teeden, ana lo panakim) She said ok and I said "I will be right back" (Anabeben matheen).

(Dinka words written phonetically)

Elizabeth was so proud of her student and started cheering for me. It was really cute.

Don't worry, I won't get a big head. I still mess up quite a bit. The other day, I was doing salary with Sabet and called for a construction worker named Atuer. It's pronounced "At-wear" but I said "A-tore" which means "mucus." So I was calling "mucus... mucus" and wondered why he didn't step up!

The Referendum

The referendum is coming. What does that mean to Sudan? No one really knows. In January, the people of South Sudan will vote to either separate from the North or stay as one country. Most likely separation will pass overwhelmingly. The problem is with the North. They are not going to want to let the South go due the presence of oil and the money that comes from it. Some people are fearing another war. I am praying it is a lot of hype, like the elections last April. People thought there would be violence and most NGOs (non-government organization) left for a while. Fortunately, it remained peaceful. Like last April, most NGOs will leave Sudan during the referendum. We don't want to do that and leave the community stranded. So, our clinic will remain open. MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) knows we are here and will be able to fly us out if there is are any problems. Because our staff is so large (we are over 15), not everyone could fit on MAF's plane in one trip so the women and children will be in Nairobi during the referendum while the guys hold down the fort. Sabet will keep a close eye on things and will be ready to evacuate everyone here if needed. We fly out on January 7th and if everything remains peaceful, I will fly back in two weeks later. I wish I could be here during the whole process. I am not scared. I think it will be fine just like the last elections. However, I know Sabet will be able to focus better if he doesn't have to worry about us so we will do some work in Nairobi and hopefully be back to Sudan quickly. Our area is in a good place. If there was fighting, it would most likely be near the North/South border and we are far away from that. So... don't worry... we are safe!

Right now, residents of South Sudan are registering to vote. Then, the vote is on January 11th, I believe. Since most people can't read, they will be looking for a symbol. If they want separation, they will select a waving hand. If they want to stay united, they will select two hands shaking. If I could vote, I would be going for the waving hand (peace out North!).



Please be in prayer for Sudan. The Sudanese people have dealt with civil war for many years and no one wants to go back to that. Pray for a efficient and fair voting process and that the North will comply with the decision. Pray for Sabet and Suzy as they keep an eye on things and seek God's wisdom in how to handle this situation. Pray for peace.

The Sudan Sling

In the states, some people use slings to carry around little babies. In Sudan, they use goat skins. It's the latest fashion... all the cool moms have one! Elizabeth brings baby Joshua to work with her. Sometimes, she hangs him on a rope in the middle of the kitchen. To help her out, we brought over a cradle from the clinic that is not in use. Today I laughed when I saw her using the cradle to hang Joshua in the goat skin. I wanted to ask, why not just put him in the cradle, but I figured mom knows best and left him alone.

Pill Pusher

Along with the turkey, another important item that didn't make the flight was our pharmacist, Pritty! Amy had been covering for him while he was on break and he was supposed to resume his position while she went on break. Well, she left and he is stuck in Nairobi. So that means the temporary pharmacist is … me! Since they weren't anticipating me being in here, I didn't get any briefing in the pharmacy. I have helped in here before so I know some things. Everything else, I am learning along the way. I have really enjoyed being in the pharmacy this past week. Working on the compound side most of the time, means I don't get a lot of time to work in the clinic. I miss it and have loved being here. I hope I get to work in here more often. Being a drug dealer is fun. :)



(Deng has worked in the pharmacy for a while now and has been a huge help.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone at home had a great day. I really missed everyone yesterday. Unfortunately, it's just another day here. I wish we could have shut down everything and had a whole day off, but that couldn't happen. So, we worked and then cooked in the evening. For dinner we had a Thanksgiving meal with a Tonj twist: mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, green beans and … goat! We were supposed to have a turkey flown in, but there was a mix up with the flights and it didn't make it. It was a yummy meal followed by pumpkin pies I made from scratch. The pumpkin came from our garden and they turned out really good, if I do say so myself!

(Don't ask about the pumpkin bread I made.)

I am so thankful for everyone back home and the wonderful people I have been blessed to meet in Tonj. God is good!







(Tonj Turkey ... aka goat)

Bye RdR

The team from Rancho Del Rey left yesterday and I was so sad to see them go. After a year, it was wonderful to have a taste of home here in Tonj. The RdR team was a real joy to have. They never complained, despite all of them getting sick at one time during their stay. They were willing to help in any way we needed it and were a blessing to all they encountered.

To Matt, Dennis, Cody, Thadd, Christi, Marli, Skylar and Annabelle – thank you for coming. Your presence was an encouragement to me and I wish you could have stayed longer. I really appreciate your hard work, prayers and laughter.

RdR Sunday

It was wonderful to have RdR here for church today. I got teary as Matt started to preach because I miss RdR so much. It was refreshing and encouraging to hear Matt's teaching again. He taught from Isaiah 54 and shared about how God, through Jesus, has so much for our future. Sometimes we put so much hope in this life, but this life is where we face trials and there will be a time of complete peace in Heaven.







(With Margaret, our nurse/midwife and Rachel, a missionary here for three months)



After church we went to the picnic tree and had a nice lunch and time to rest. Later we stopped by Sabet's mom's house to say hello.




(While some took a walk in the swamp, others of us napped!)



(Jed and Dennis)



(Annabelle with Aman, Sabet's niece)



(George with Yom Jima, a little girl who lives by Sabet's mom. She had just fallen and was crying and he managed to make her smile.)

Overall it was a great Sunday.

Road Trip

On Saturday we took a road trip with the RdR team. First we headed out to the Lepers Colony... my favorite place in Sudan. We just hung out with the people there and had a great time. They sang some songs for us, then Cody played the guitar and Matt shared about Lazarus. At the end the ladies danced and sang again for us. Before we left, we gave some shoes to the chief to pass out.





Next we drove to the Bongo tribe (origin of the Bongo drums). It took about an hour to get there on a bumpy road. I love the Bongo tribe. They are very different from the Dinkas. They are more laid back and organized. For a while we just sat and visited with the people there. Then we took the kids and played soccer with them. The girls led the younger ones in various games like Duck Duck Goose and Follow the Leader. Later Matt told the story of the feeding of the 5000. There were a lot of people gathered there by then. After we continued to hang out and played games. At one point they started singing and dancing. They formed a "soul train" type of circle and took turns dancing in the middle. When each person was finished, they tapped someone else in. Each of us got several turns in the middle. It was a blast!








I loved seeing RdR jump right into all the action. They aren't hesitant to interact with anyone and are a huge blessing to the communities they encounter.

All About Me

I feel vain posting this blog. A few people have asked for more photos of me. They say I post a lot of photos, but I am never in them. That's because I am taking them! However, recently, I got some photos from Dennis' camera (our clinical officer). So here are a few of me in action.



(Serving tea and coffee after church)



(Fellow-shipping after church)



(In the village of Malony during a lull in registration)



(In Malony during a wind/sand storm. That's me ducking in my shirt)



(With George and Josh)



(Cheese!)

Basketball Outreach

This afternoon RdR did a basketball outreach. They started out by playing games and doing relays with the younger kids. Then Matt talked to them about Jesus. Then the guys played a basketball game with the older kids. The kids were less experienced, but in better shape so they ended up winning! (No offense guys!). Afterward, they did some drills with them and Matt invited them to church to learn more about God. While that was going on, the girls started an impromptu game of Red Rover. They had a whole bunch of kids playing with them. It was difficult to explain the rules without knowing Dinka, but they got the hang of it and had a great time.



(Annabelle showing the kids their photo. It's an instant ice breaker.)





(Mario, our Dinka teacher, came dressed to impress!)



(Team Lion)







(Our fearless leaders)



(Most of the Tonj kids play without shoes. And they still won!)



(Red Rover)

RdR Photos from Friday Morning

Here are a few pictures of the RdR team as they went about their morning program. (Not pictured: Skylar - she worked in the ANC room)



(Matt is teaching the pastors about the book of Ephesians)



(Annabelle did registration with Dongau)



(Annabelle's view)



(Marli was in the pharmacy with Suzy and Amy)



(Christy was in the wound care room)



(Dennis was carrying water the African way. He was working with the sifters)



(Thadd was adding water to the brick mixtures)



(Cody and Abraham)