All posts by Suzy Kuj

Medical Clinic, Ministry

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.

—Stacie

Medical Clinic

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), Pritty (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

—Stacie

Mission Trips

Stacie Larsen’s Story!

I grew up in a Christian home and heard many missionaries speak at my church over the years.  At the time I thought, “Wow.” That’s neat.  God please never send me there!”  I even specifically prayed, “Lord, please don’t ever send me to Africa.”  In retrospect, I feel bad about that prayer.  How dare I limit God’s plans for my life?  

My life changed when I heard Sabet and Suzy speak at my church in June 2008.  Before they spoke, my pastor told the congregation that our church would be sending a team the following year to Sudan and asked us to pray about if God was calling us to go.  I thought “yeah right.  No way.”  Apparently God had different plans for me because I heard very clearly as they spoke “Go.”  I was shocked by this because it was never something I wanted to do.  I was scared of bugs, snakes, international travel, guns and everything else about Sudan.  After two days of fasting and prayer, God gave me confirmation through Scripture, songs and other Christians so I told my pastor I was in. 

The following February, nine of us from Rancho del Rey headed to Sudan.  When I first arrived, I was overwhelmed and experienced severe culture shock.  I thought “God, what have I done?  How am I going to make it through?  Get me out of here.”  However, God was faithful and by the time we left, I wasn’t ready to go.  Leaving felt wrong.  There was so much more to do and we only experienced a blip of what was going on.  As we flew away, I asked “God… could you possibly be calling me to return?” 

 Since this was so far from “my plan” for my life, I questioned whether this was really a calling or just a post missions trip high.  I made a list of all the reasons I wouldn’t go back and told God “here is why I can’t go. If you want me there, I am laying these at your feet to take care of.  If I am to be there, you will work these issues out.”  After returning home, God gave me clear confirmation I was supposed to be back in Sudan.  He especially used Psalm 139 to speak through me.  That scripture would pop up through others in ways that could only be from God.  He also gave me a peace about the issues I brought before Him.  They no longer stood in the way of me going to Sudan.

In late October 2009, I headed back to Sudan along with another team from Rancho del Rey.  Being back felt right.  Since I had been there before, I didn’t experience the culture shock I had the first time.  I was eager to jump in and get started helping in anyway I could.  Since I didn’t come here with a specific skill, I am available to help Sabet and Suzy with whatever they need.  Some of the areas I have helped in are: triage and registration, administration and cooking.

I love being here.  I love what In Deed and Truth Ministries does here.  I can’t imagine Sabet and Suzy not being in Tonj.  There would be a huge hole in Tonj if they weren’t here.  Their work here is important and is winning lives over to Jesus.  Many lives have been saved as a result of the clinic and the pastors school is ensuring the Gospel is being spread in South Sudan.

I have learned a lot while I have been here.  First, God has big plans for our lives if we just obey Him.  I never would have imagined I would be here doing what I am doing.  God has stretched me and given me the strength to accomplish tasks way out of my comfort zone.  Not, that I am doing anything grand, but God can be glorified when we obey Him even in the smallest ways. Two, supporting missionaries is vital.  Living conditions in Sudan are harsh.  They are isolated and far from resources. They need our prayers, encouragement and financial support to continue this work.  Three, flexibility is important and necessary.  Life here has kept me on my toes.  Each day is different and I have to be open to whatever the Lord wants me to do.  My type A personality has been jolted and I am learning to be ok with veering from my task list for the day.  God will equip me for what I need to do.  Fourth, our God is sovereign and knows our needs.  There have been times when I thought, “how, God, will this be done?”  But, he is way ahead of me and provides every time.

There have been so many special and meaningful experiences I have been a part of so far.  They are too numerous to count, but here are some highlights:

  • Hearing people shout “Yar” (my Dinka name) when I got off the plane in October.
  • Praying with Mary as she had no place to live and then rejoicing with her the next day when God provided a new place.
  • Visiting Elizabeth’s house and praying she would get pregnant.  Now she is due in five months.
  • Learning Dinka songs and laughing with Mabior as he helped me in the kitchen when I was having a bad day.
  • Watching Mabior counsel Mary with his Bible
  • Hearing Matoch laugh for the first time since medically evacuating him to Nairobi
  • Praying for and assisting the doctors with a man with multiple gunshot wounds.
  • Cheering on Dorothy has she delivered Hannah.
  • Helping Suzy with administrative duties. I’m a nerd… I enjoy it!
  • Enjoying a relaxing picnic with the Kuj family and compound staff under the “picnic tree.”
  • Having a special extended prayer service at church after local insecurity
  • Wednesday night prayer meetings
  • Christmas Day with my Tonj family

 

I don’t know what God has in store for my future, but I am open to whatever that is.  I know that I am supposed to be in Sudan now and am honored to serve Him here with In Deed and Truth Ministries.

Bible Verse: “May your ways be known throughout the earth.  Your saving power among people everywhere.”

Medical Clinic, Ministry

Sabet asks for prayer

Today there was another shooting in the town. A soldier was shot trying to disarm a civilian. Our clinic treated him and Sabet prayed with him to receive Christ before he was taken to Wau hospital. There is much tension as the elections near this weekend. Please be in prayer for Sabet and our teams safety.

Kuj Family

Happy Easter

What a joy today always brings in my heart as we celebrate the risen Lord. And to fellowship with friends was very special.  We roasted a rack of lamb and made pavlova.  What a blessing to bring traditions to my children.  Bev Wootton, who originally introduced us to the Losee’s, took us to her container to rummage through toys and books that a church in USA sent her.  We got 2 boxes of fabulous things including a bike for Jed!