For Anoch, in just one day her whole life has been changed. She went from being a normal 12 year old Sudanese girl, fetching water, sweeping, cooking and caring for her younger siblings to never walking again. How so? She was shot. Not from recent cattle raids, or the fighting in the town yesterday where the police came and fired guns to disperse crowds, no she was not harmed in either of those cases. Her injury came when her grandfather was trying to unload his gun and accidently shot her at point blank through her thigh. Her family carried her writhing in pain and distressed but thankfully the bullet had passed right through her leg. After stabilizing, cleaning the wound and praying our ambulance drove her the following day to the nearest hospital 75 miles away in Wau. But what happened next was quite unbelievable. The hospital refused to admit or treat her without a police report because it was a gunshot wound. Despite pleas and explanations from our staff that it was an accident and even with the child’s family verifying the story the hospital would not change their mind. This was so disheartening to me and a picture of how hardened South Sudan has become from the years of suffering and war. This poor child was transported back to Tonj, a three hour drive on a dirt and bumpy road in sweltering temperatures where she spent her second night in our clinic. By now the leg was very swollen, an infection had set in and the blood flow was disrupted. Our whole team was praying for options, medevac to Kenya or Juba, try and go back to Wau? These arrangements are challenging, requiring time to arrange transport, care and translators. Meanwhile we could see her leg was dying, smelling very bad and she was afraid. We encouraged the family to put their trust in the Lord and not to lose heart and not to call on the local magicians and witchdoctors. Sabet reassured Anoch we were going to take care of her and she would be OK. No matter what, we were here for her and would stay with her to find someone to take care for her medical needs. After the family received the police report Sabet decided to call the doctor and talk to him directly. He was told to bring her back to Wau. Knowing that Wau is our best option but very unreliable we prayed for her and sent a medical worker with her back to Wau. Sure enough on arrival they were told they could not be helped, but Moses, our community health worker (CHW) refused to return to Tonj and insisted they help Anoch. After hours of persistent pressure and negotiating, the hospital admitted our patient. Moses waited around until he was confident they were taking proper care of her and then returned to Tonj. By this time there was no other option but to amputate her leg. Please pray for Anoch and her family during this difficult time.

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do  it.”  – Proverbs 3:27

I am preparing to leave Tonj, South Sudan after 3 months of helping out in surgery, and would like to share some experiences.

Three days after I arrived here, IDAT had a team working in theater. The team functioned almost at the outset like veterans, though most were new to theater. Each of us on the team sensed the leading of God almost daily.

Patients lined up for surgical bookings. Regrettably, we turned away  many  for lack of  sufficient facility and equipment.  Still,  we did 60 surgeries in theater,  most of them hernias,  common among the Dinka  people in South Sudan.

The picture shows Gabriel and Santos, two South Sudanese, closing up a surgery. Anne is the anesthetist (and seasoned midwife). Not shown are Margaret and Auxillia, also anesthetists-in-training (and skilled midwives). These young men have become skilful at assisting in surgery, and closing surgeries with minimal supervision.

What lies ahead? We hope to build a theater to attract and heal the South Sudanese. Early building has begun on what the  citizens call Sabet Hospital. We believe the Lord is preparing a way forward. Please pray that we may be sensitive and obedient to His leading.

Last night in our clinic we saw a patient injured in a cattle raid – a young man, living about 20 kilometers from Tonj. A gunshot wound had pierced the patient’s lower leg and shattered both bones. The patient had stayed in a small clinic overnight and had come to our clinic 24 hours after being shot.

Even if the patient had immediately gotten good medical care, he still might have lost his leg. But a day’s delay in treatment means almost certain loss of the leg.

The unfortunate young man deserved good medical care just as much as we in advanced countries enjoy. In the meantime, we can perhaps play some small role in bringing better medicine to his countrymen one small step at a time. A little help goes a long way to improve somebody’s life and all glory is to our God.

The medical team from Australia, though only here a few days, have already enabled us to double, even triple, our daily surgeries. May the Lord bless them for their sacrifice.

Not only have we broken through our previous limitations, but community health workers have begun to first-assist the surgeon, while Dennis tends to the clinic, and Tom relaxes from his labors in Rumbek. All of us hope South Sudanese will rise to become clinical officers, nurses, and surgeons who will raise the standards of medical care in South Sudan. Our labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Dr. Michael stick arrived in Tonj on Friday January 20^th and he has been doing surgeries here in Tonj. Many patients have come from far distances to book for surgeries mainly on hernia repairs. Major surgical cases must go to Wau Hospital which is 2-3 hours drive away. Dr Stick and our medical staff together with community health workers have prepared a surgical theater that is at the government hospital. The first surgery was performed on 24^th January and was a hernia repair. There are so many people in this area that need hernia repair and since we didn’t have any clinic or hospital here in Tonj which does surgery these people are very happy to have Dr Stick with us.

So far we have had 28 surgeries performed just on hernias. Praise God! All cases have gone well and we have seen no complications. We praise God for the addition of Dr Stick and to our medical staff who are working tiredly day and night to serve this community.

Yesterday I had a chance to chat with two adults in the clinic who had been operated on and returned to the clinic for the wound care. Inal Deng Lual, 50 years old, was operated on 23^rd February 2012 for a hernia. He told me that he had lived with that deformity without knowing that one day he would have a miracle of healing. Sadly, when I ask him if he knew God, he said that he had never heard anything about God. But he is so very happy for the healing and I encouraged him that God is his healer. If he believes in God he will receive even a spiritual healing.

The second man Majok Madut Madir who is 32 years old, was operated on 14^th February and he is also coming for the wound care. He told me he feels much better though he still has pain on his wound. He knew a little about God because he said there must be somebody who created everything in this world including him. I prayed for them both and latter referred them to one of our Pastor trainees, Pastor Joseph, who will be doing some follow-up with them.

God bless our medical staff for their hard work, Surgeon Dr Stick, Indeed and Truth Team for their support and also you for your support and prayers for us for these surgeries to be successful.

“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them” – Hebrews 6:10.

Monday saw about 40 patients from 9 to 12 then scrubbed a hernia with Michael. It was an inginal hernia in the right groin the hernia sac was freed up quite easily and the vas and its vessels that come up from the scrotum through the inginal canal and into the abdominal cavity were isolated quite easily. If you do not isolate them and you cut as we often do you cut off blood supply to the testes and the testicle dies and the patient gets upset .We then had to work quite hard on freeing the hernia sac from the hernia walls so we could return sac and bowel back into the abdominal cavity. It was fun. Around supper time a vehicle with two gunshot victims were brought in I believe some Tonj police were trying to stop two drunk soldiers from fighting and bullets were fired one into the upper abdomen of a young man his stomach was lying outside his belly . The other had a in out wound to the upper leg which fractured his femur (the big bone in upper leg)He was given dressing and I splinted the upper leg  There is talk of him going to the village surgeon(witch doctor) but he is still here. The other patient with stomach outside abdomen was transferred to Wau. We are still not  quite ready to open abdomen in which we have no idea what we will find. We need suction and electrocautery and a little more experience with anesthesia . It all will come in God’s timing. #1rule in medicine is do no harm. We just trust God to guide us. I still think it is amazing how God got Mike and I here. I knew 20-30 years ago him and I would be in Africa together someday. God is amazing.