Chibaak friends & family! I pray you are experiencing fullness of joy in Jesus this week! He is beautiful and awesome, and He only does wondrous things! This is Ajok (a.k.a. Kristina), and I am so excited to share with you what God is doing. I’ll begin by explaining my new Dinka name. Every Dinka man and woman is named after a cow that best “resembles” them. You see, cows are extremely significant in this culture. They are used to pay for brides, a sign of wealth/status, and also can be the source of contention and tribal conflict. Our first day in Tonj, our whole team was renamed by the pastors from the discipleship school. I have no idea how they decided so quickly and so unanimously on which cow to name us after, but it was quite entertaining:) Ajok is a cow that is black from the shoulders up and white on the bottom. Like i said, I don’t understand the rationale, but I love it just the same:)
It’s hard to believe that it has already been a week since we left San Diego for the far reaching plains of Sudan. We have been in Tonj now for five days, each day full from sunrise to sunset; yet somehow one never feels rushed or anxious despite there being much to do. The cadence of this culture is far from Southern California’s frantic pace, and it is lovely. Every morning begins with breakfast and group devotions before we go our separate ways. I was blessed to share my testimony and a word of encouragement with the pastors, team, and staff this morning. Today marked the last day of the semester for the pastors, and they will begin their journey home (some several days away) to their families and churches. I had the blessing of sharing my testimony and a word of encouragement with the pastors and staff this morning. They have been diligent in presenting themselves as workmen who do not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:14), and I exhorted them to cling to Jesus, who alone holds the words of eternal life (John 6)! These men are heading onto the battle field once more, so please pray that their ministries will bear fruit as they teach the truth of God’s word! The pastors have really enjoyed Leo and David teaching them this week; they are hungry for a deeper understanding of Scripture and excited to be fed the “meat” of the Word!
After devotions, I have been heading to the clinic every day along with Kristi & Natasha. The clinic is really quite amazing. People walk for miles, sometimes days, to reach the clinic, and then may wait all day to be seen. Most are young moms with sick babies, others are school boys with tropical ulcers on their legs, some are pregnant mommas, and countless others are in various stages of malaria. Over the last few days I have been rotating between the four different areas of the clinic. The school boys I mentioned line up on a bench each morning for daily wound care. I have fallen in love with these sweet boys with their big smiles and laughter as I greet them in Dinka and review each of their names: Abraham, Marco, Angelo, and Yosef ( I can’t remember the others right now). Their wounds look so painful, yet they grit their teeth and bravely endure us cleaning and repacking the dressing. I look forward to seeing them, and I wish I could talk and joke freely with them!
In the prenatal room, I have been assisting with examining mommas, who although are around the same age as me, are pregnant with their 5th, 6th, or 7th baby!!! The women here are married as young as 13 and begin having children right away. Most are one of several wives and are considered more like property than a companion. They are the hard laborers of the family, working all day, often to be beaten by intoxicated husbands at the end of the day. Sudanese women have a high suicide rate… I desperately want them to know they are valued and precious in God’s sight, and they are loved with an everlasting love! Please pray for these women to know the love of Jesus as we minister to them.
I will end this blog with the Scripture, “the Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” I witnessed this very vividly today. Our first patient was a young mother who delivered a stillborn baby in the middle of the night and arrived with the baby wrapped in a dirty blanket. We tended to her physical needs and Suzy was able to pray with and console this broken hearted woman. I praise God for the comfort of knowing her baby is with Jesus, but my heart hurts for her pain and sorrow. Pray that she will call out to the Healer and Comforter and find rest in knowing Him! As the day proceeded, I spend time in the exam room with John Paul, the clinical health officer, who treats his patients with much compassion and dignity (as well as humor!). A woman named Susannah came to the clinic today. I can’t really explain how it began, but John Paul opened up the conversation to talking about the Lord. He asked me to continue, and as I shared the gospel with her, you could literally see a transformation taking place in her. At one point she smiled, threw her head back, and clapped her hands. She was hearing the best news of her life for the first time–that she was loved, forgiven, and could have a relationship with the Son of God. She told us she walked two days to the clinic, but hearing about Jesus made all of the struggle in her journey go away. She said she wanted to be close to God but didn’t know the way! I shared Scripture with her, encouraged her, and asked if she wanted to invite Jesus into her heart. She was so eager and gripped my hand tightly as we prayed. My heart is overwhelmed with joy for Susannah. Her faith is real and tangible and beautiful. Please pray that she would be rooted and grounded in her walk with God. She doesn’t read or write, so pray that God’s Word would be inscribed on her heart as she hears His promises spoken to her!
I wish you a beautiful day as you walk with the Lover of your soul! The generator will be turning off any moment, so good night dear friends and my beloved family. The frogs and bugs say hello as well–they are my faithful companions tonight:) Be ready in season and out of season and preach the gospel with all boldness and faith!
Love,
Kristina