Category Archives: Kuj Family

Kuj Family, Medical Clinic, Ministry

Sabet’s Adventure – part 2

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Kuel with the Ambulance

Hi all,

I wanted to thank you for praying, it was so good to see your messages and prayers for me, thank you!

Now I am in Kampala taking care of few things before I head into my journey, I am looking forward to the rest of the trip.

So Kuel and I left early in the morning yesterday from Nakuru, it was so easy to see the difference between Nakuru and Nairobi, there were no cars, made me feel like it’s a Sunday.  Nairobi is always so crowded even at that early hour of morning it could be busy.

Before 10 am we were in Eldoret, there we stopped to top up the fuel and use some of the kenyan shillings before we got to the border and crossed to the Ugandan side.

We reached the border around 12 noon time and clearing the Kenyan side was smooth and fast. There Kuel had to go back on the bus to Nairobi.

The Ugandan side was a bit interesting, it took about 3 hours to clear with Ugandan Revenue Authority, so it was good for me to lay at the grassy area they had and have a nap while waiting for the paperworks to be cleared. I had to say the Ugandan side was organized, clean and very green compared to the Kenyan side.

When all the papers were ready I didn’t want to waste any more time and decided to leave at once.  There was another checking point for goods that are in transit that everyone has to stop and get their papers stamped.  I went there thinking it was going to be a simple procedure, it turned out to be a problem, there was an issue with the paperwork and they wanted to send me back again.  I wasn’t really OK with that waiting again for a few more hours.  The clearance agent was kind enough to come down where the checking point was and talk to the officer and I think he had to pay them money in order to let the ambulance go, I wasn’t involved with that but this is the reality of  how things work here in Africa.

After leaving the border area I just cruised the Ugandan highway till I got to my favorite place in that route, a stop where they sell barbecued chicken on sticks!!  It’s always packed with cars and definately was a highlight, the barbecued chicken is so good, tasty and simple, just salt and barbecue.  Four of those whet down like nothing happened.  Yum!

Now when I got to Kampala I was glad that I got delayed, it was 8 pm and the outskirts of Kampala was hectic with traffic.  I was wondering what it would have been like if I’d arrived around 5 pm!! The Lord was good, I was able to go through it and even downtown without any husstle at all.

Early in the trip a friend from AID SUDAN contacted Suzy when he knew from the blog I was going to drive through Kampala and he invited me to stay with them before proceeding with the trip.  Man the Lord is good to provide me with such wonderful accommodation and with a person I know, so I spent the night with Bob and his family.  I tell you, I was so exhausted I was out solid during the night and next thing it was 7 am!

I am taking care of some business today in Kampala, and in the morning the journey continues…….

love to all

Sabet

Kuj Family

Agum’s Papers by Suzy Kuj

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My dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable.  Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.  1 Corinthians 15:58

Our daughter Agum is the biological neice to Sabet and has lived with us for 2 1/2 years.  She is now seven (8 in October) and her mother died when she was just 1 1/2 years old. 

We always knew we would have Agum as our daughter one day, years before we ever met her and our family prayed for her diligently.  She is very much a part of our family and life.

After 3 years of field service our family is due for a 6 month home assignment in October for rest, reporting and fundraising.  We were very much looking forward to bringing Agum with us for this time.

South Sudan is a new nation, and is lacking many things including policies and procedures for such things as adoption.  Sabet chose to get a temporary custody order until systems are in place and we can travel to Juba and begin adoption proceedings, hopefully next year.

We were told that to take a child out of Africa we would need a court order stating we are the legal guardians.  EASY right??  Not so…Sabet drove to Wau, the second largest city in South Sudan, about 8 times to get the papers we needed and have them translated from Arabic to English with a court stamp verifying the accuracy.  He was told come back next week, tomorrow etc. and to no avail.  This is 70 miles on a dirt road one way, taking over 3 hours. 

After much endurance he finally got the paper and left with Agum for Nairobi to attend two appointments, one at the UK Consulate and the other at the US Embassy.  Both of these embassies do not issue visa’s prior to three months before travel is requested.  We felt confident we were to apply even though we had no idea what the outcome would be. 

We felt earlier this year we were to postpone our home assignment until May 2012 but after much discussions we decided to try and get the visa’s for Agum.  Sabet was granted his UK visa but Agum was denied.  Apparently child trafficking is a major issue between Kenya and Europe.  They asked Sabet to come with the death certificate for his sister and the birth certificate for Agum.  Aaahhh….very frustrating as neither exist.  Surely they know this is Africa, the bush areas don’t have such things?  Well we are dealing with a Kenyan embassy where ‘such things’ are readily available.  Should we try a different embassy?  Khartoum is part of North Sudan which we are no longer part of and South Sudan doesn’t have any embassies yet!! 

It’s not in vain, the paper we have will help us start adoption of Agum more easily.  Now we just need to get the grandfather from Khartoum and the grandmother here in Tonj together with Sabet, myself and Agum to Juba and wait for a judge to hear our case!!  We surely need a miracle and ask you all to be in prayer.

As a result of the British High Commission saying no, it made getting a US visa even harder and they also required more papers.  So we are now faced with postponing the home assignment until next year.  Please pray for us as we make these adjustments and continue to trust the Lord for our needs.

Kuj Family

Sabbath Day

For those of you serving a church in ministry you know how difficult it can be to get the ‘rest’ you need on Sunday, so an alternative Sabbath must be observed.  The Lord said in Exodus chapter 20,

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

I love this because the Lord Himself is commanding us to take rest.  Many times the ministry needs are overwhelming and we often feel like who can afford to take rest when there is so much to do?  This is exactly what satan wants us to feel, guilty!  But God calls it Holy.  How can something be wrong when the Lord calls it Holy?

Our family has started to make observing the Sabbath a priority by celebrating it every week.  We start on Saturday making as much advance preparation as possible for Sunday so we can rest as soon as church has ended.  On Saturday night we celebrate the start of the Sabbath with a special dinner that prepares our hearts for Sunday and morning worship.  The kids love this and really enjoyed preparing the table and making everything so special.  Our most precious guest is Jesus, we sing, pray, read scripture and enjoy each other in the Lord.

Last Sunday after church we drove to Rumbek to collect our visitors but decided to take a few days there to ‘rest’ as a family.  This allowed us some quality time together at a lodge where the kids could swim in the pool and just relax and have fun.

We really thank our heavenly Father for loving us so deeply and caring for us in such special ways and providing for us the rest we need.

Kuj Family, Ministry, Mission Trips

Friendship

Some friendships are fleeting and some are lasting.  True friendships are glued together with bonds of loyalty and commitment, they remain intact depite changing external circumstances.  Jesus, He is the perfect constant friend that promises to never leave us or forsake us.  It is important to remember that when you are in such a remote place like Tonj and deep and meaningful friendships are hard to find or far away.  Having such a friend visit is a true joy to our hearts and a lifts our spirits.

“A friend is always loyal and a brother is born to help in time of need.” Proverbs 17:17

Today we got to receive one of our dearest friends, Dena Ennis to Sudan.  She has been to Sudan many times but it is her first visit to Tonj, though she has been a faithful partner to our ministry and friend to our family, serving both selflessly for years.  Dena blessed us with her wisdom and encouragemet at our ladies retreat back in December in Kenya.  We are excited to see how the Lord will use her during this trip to help us in celebrating the South’s independance from the North.  Please pray for her time here, for her to stay healthy, safe and effective for His work.

Kuj Family, Ministry

Armed Bandits

“He will rescue us because you are helping by praying for us.” 2 Corinthians 1:11

Just as the early apostles depended on the prayers for safety offered by the churches, we also covet the prayers of the saints for our safety here in Sudan. 

Sunday the Lord delivered us from armed bandits.  Our family was driving to Rumbek, 100 miles away, to collect and escort some visitors back to Tonj.  The road was recently fixed and the journey would have been fast except we were ‘inconvenienced’ by a flat tyre that would not let us get going quickly.  One vehicle passed us, we struggled with the tyre change when 30 minutes later another vehicle came and this time stopped to help.  We were just 1 km from where people were killed a week ago, completely stranded on a rural road and trying as best we could to get moving again quickly!  We thanked our good Samaritan for helping us, prayed with him for his safety and continued on our way.  We encountered a few cattle herds in the road and then after 45 minutes came to a village where the army pulled us over for questioning.  They explained a car in front of us had been robbed by cattle herders at gunpoint just before we came through.  We knew immediately our Lord had protected us and delayed us with the flat tyre.  It is a wonderful reminder to allow the Lord to ‘inconvenience’ our lives as we really don’t see and understand all that He is doing for us.  Our trust needs to be completely in Him, giving thanks in all circumstances.