| Pray for Safety in Tonj | February 20, 2010 |
|
We need your prayers please. This afternoon at lunch, we heard a series of gunshots very close to the compound. It lasted several hours causing us to retreat inside our rooms, and World Vision staff to also seek refuge inside our compound. The only threat to any of us was possibly getting hit by a stray bullet so we kept down and waited for it to pass. The problem was between police and civilians as they tried to steal back weapons seized in last year’s disarmament. The police were firing warning shots to scare the crowds of people trying to break into a police storage room. They want the guns to retaliate a recent cattle raid from a nearby town. This type of cattle raiding insecurity is becoming more frequent throughout South Sudan.
In the midst of the chaos and confusion of people running, the UN feeding tent located outside our compound took a hit as people took advantage of the situation and tried to grab food. Hence more shooting.
One young man, Karbino, was hit by a stray bullet and brought to our clinic, resulting in masses of people wanting to follow him inside, but we locked the gate because of the shooting and so they started jumping our fence! He is in serious need of prayer as the bullet entered though his back. During this time, Sabet stayed with our medical staff in the clinic and had the opportunity to share his faith with Karbino. Sabet asked him to pray in his heart as he was not able to speak, he was bleeding from the mouth and Karbino acknowledged he prayed for salvation. Our vehicle, being used more and more as an ambulance, was transformed as we hooked Karbino to an IV and made him as comfortable as possible with 2 mattresses and then drove him 75 miles to a hospital in Wau. When we arrived there we were told he will need to go to Khartoum for further medical help. Pray for a way for his family to take him there as it is a flight away not a drive.
We just arrived back from Kenya yesterday and it feels like the enemy will do anything to discourage us being here. We are 2 months away from a general election and 1 year from the referendum to decide the future of South Sudan. Pray for the people of Sudan, that they would know our Lord and how much He loves them, His amazing grace and gift of salvation. Pray for wisdom for us as we minister to the people here especially in this time of crisis. The Lord has called us to be here and He has called you to support us being here, so we are now asking you to fulfill that calling by praying for us today and our safety.
Trusting in Him, “As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. 2 Samual 22:31 Sabet & Suzy
|