Hi everyone! Stacie here. Or, Yar as I am known here. I still can’t believe I am writing you from Sudan, Africa. I had one of those “I am in Africa right now” moments earlier in the day. I’ll get to that in a minute. For starters, I’ll let you know what we did. Because our first two days in Tonj were so hectic and because the next few days will be also, we did not do Kids Games today. Today we just worked in the compound. Breakfast was at 8:00. We had these yummy donut thingys. I can’t remember their name. Then, at 8:30, we had devotions with the compound staff. Sheena led devotions today. She gave her testimony and shared Proverbs 3:5,6. She did a great job.
After devotions, most of us went off to the pharmacy. We did an inventory of all the medications and supplies they have. It was a big project and it took a long time. We worked from 9:30 to 2:00 and still weren’t done. Matt and Todd taught the pastors. Today they discussed relationships with wives. Their culture is very different. How do you tell these men to love their wive(s) when they didn’t marry for love? Its strictly a business transaction. So Matt said, you need to love them like Christ loves the church. Someone asked, when I show love to one of my wives, the others get mad, what do I do? Matt couldn’t say, “you should only have one wife, divorce the others.” We can’t encourage them to abandon their wives and kids. So, he focused on teaching them to instruct the next generation to only having one wife. The cultural differences are huge, to say the least.
At 2:00, we had lunch, which was PB & J sandwiches. After lunch we went back to the pharmacy to keep working. A little later, the time came to begin dinner preparations. In this case, dinner was a goat. Sheena volunteered to kill it… and she did. While we don’t think it’s wrong, Amy and I did not want to hear it
, see it or meet the goat before it died. We waited in the pharmacy while the deed was done. A little while later, a few of the pastors taught us to sing a Dinka song. It was really fun to learn it and sing it with them. I wrote it down phonetically so I could sing it, but I’m sure it looks nothing like the real words. Our goal is to sing it at RdR…. We’ll see….!
After that, the pastors began dancing. This is when I had one of my “I’m really in Africa” moments. It was exactly what I would expect tribal dancing to be: singing, stomping feet, kicking up dirt, sticks and jumping around. After a bit, some of the guys jumped in and then Sheena! I stuck to dancing with the kids on the sidelines. Everyone laughed when they danced. It seems everything we do is funny to them! The dancing went on for a while. Then once it was over, we stayed and talked with them for a bit. Here is how a lot of my conversations went: Are you married? No. Why? God hasn’t brought me my husband yet. If you were in Sudan, you would be married, God will bring you your husband in Sudan. At this point I laughed nervously. Then one guy said, do you agree to get married in Sudan? I said, no I have to get married at home. It was really funny. Some guys asked how many cows it would take to marry Sheena!
For dinner we had an African meal: goat, kale type stuff, beans and tortilla thingys. All my thingys have a name, but I just can’t recall them. For my friends and family, yes I tried everything! So, that’s a wrap up of today. This trip has been amazing, overwhelming, filled with joy, filled with tears. There is too much to write about here (plus I am out of room!). Words cannot express how much strength God has given me. I have been stretched in so many ways. It is awesome to be here, relying on Him to get me through the day. My favorite thing I have done so far was washing the hands of the kids at Kids Games. They put their handprints on a banner with paint and I got to clean them off. It was a special time to connect and serve the kids, praying for them while I did so. I can’t wait to get home and tell you all about the things we have done, all I have experienced, and how God is working in our lives and the lives of the people in Sudan.
Category Archives: Teams
WOW…..from Sheena in Sudan
Okay so Matt is having u
s all take turns writing on the blog. We are supposed to share what happened today and anything God has been revealing to us. I don’t really know where to start but I guess the best way to start is by saying….WOW.
So far this trip has made a HUGE impact on me. I have been seeing and experiencing things I never thought were real. I just figured places where people lived like this was only on TV or in Ads when they want you to donate money to someone or something (you know “dramatically enhanced”)! My mornings have been spent in the Medical Clinic. And let me tell ya what….it is such a different experience than working medically in the states. Today A kid came in maybe about 8 years old. He was bashed in the head with a rock. The doctor (Jean Paul) and I had to suture the wound because the wound was so deep. Once we cleaned it all the way we could see the child’s skull. Now in the states this is not a fun experience but it can be over and done with within an hour with the child feeling little pain. Here, however, that is not the case. This child had to go through the cleaning and the suturing with very little pain relief (he basically felt it all). Then the real danger comes in with infection….the injury occurred the night before he came to us so the wound went untreated for many hours exposed to many different things. So now we are giving him daily injections of anti-biotics in hopes of him not getting an infection. This is just one of the stories I have about the differences in medical care. It is amazing to me the resilience these people show. God is doing so much in the clinic here….it is absolutely mind blowing. Each person that comes in, as we give them care we are praying for them.
Moving on to the afternoon. We put on Kids Games for the children in different villages. Today we ministered to about 237 Sudanese people and when we arrived we were welcomed in song which is always so special. They play hand-made instruments as they sing and harmonize praise to God in the most touching way. It was so amazing. I believe around 15 of them received God’s gift of salvation! There are four teams organized by color. Red, White, Green and Yellow. White Team won the nationally done Water Bucket Game with ¼ cup of water and the Green Team won the potato sac relay! It has been so amazing watching the kids and adults eyes light up when hearing the gospel!
We all have been working very hard on our Dinka language and the people here have been having fun teaching (mostly laughing) us. To share with you some of the things God has been showing me on this trip: that even when you can’t communicate with someone you can still show God’s love in such a mighty way and touch others, we take our “easy-access” to God’s word for granted, even when I am feeling most defeated (physically and emotionally) and can’t go on anymore – God always gives me the strength I need to keep going, that you can learn how to love God by watching others give their praise and worship in their way, and so many more things. It is hard to put into words all the things God has shown me and all that He is doing here. But know your continual prayers are working and we are so appreciative of them. Thanks you so much!
Goodnight from Sudan!
God is in Control – from Amy Yordt
Cheebok from Tonj! “Cheebok” means “hello” or “How are you?” in Dinka.
Yesterday we landed in Tonj and were greeted by a large group of people that had come out to meet our plane. For years I have seen my husband’s pictures of his trips to Tonj, but none of those pictures could have prepared me for what I was about to see for myself, and more importantly, feel for myself. To say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement of gigantic proportions! A few weeks ago in our women’s study of the heart we
learned that ‘there are certain feelings, both joyous and sorrowful, that cannot be communicated no matter what sympathy and understanding may be present.” That is what I felt yesterday….a feeling that just cannot be communicated properly.
After our “welcoming party” we came to Sabet and Suzy’s compound and were given our rooms and then the best pb&j I have ever had! Suzy gave us all a tour of the compound and then it finally hit me…..What was I doing here? I’m never going to be able to make it through the next 10 days! This is too remote for me, too rural, too “not normal”. I was scared. I was anxious. It was hot. And I’m not cut out for this! Panic was setting in and there was no way out of here until next week. I started crying in my room and I think my husband was getting very worried that I was going to lose it! As it turned out, in the next few hours, all of the girls on the team got together and we all felt many of the same feelings. We all felt inadequate and useless and unsure of being able to serve the Lord and Sabet and Suzy in this capacity. I’m thankful for the truth we all shared last night and being able to lift each other up and throw truth at the situation. And the truth is….none of us are cut out for this! But God doesn’t call those He equips, He equips those He calls! And each one of us on this team have been called so therefore, God WILL equip us.
And today, He did! Today we awoke to so many animal noises that we just couldn’t decipher them all, but what a glorious morning it was. The air was cool, praise the Lord, and I just had to laugh at the fact that I was still in Sudan! Sheena, Danielle, Stacie and I all worked in the medical clinic today either counting drugs, doing wound care or helping with the prenatal care. Pastor Matt and Todd taught in the Pastor Discipleship Training center and Mike, Steve and Thadd worked really hard moving the pharmacy and building new shelves for all of the medicines. After lunch we went to a town named Tim Tuk to do our Kids games program. We were expecting about 50 kids and we ended up with about 120! We performed skits and told them about the love of Jesus for each one of them. Sabet did a great job translating all of the things we shared with the kids and then it was on to the World Water Bucket Competition! It is always a little tricky getting a large group of kids formed into 4 teams, but add in the fact that none of us speaks Dinka and we are all quite a mystery to these kids….needless to say, we should win the competition based solely on the fact that we got them in line! Team Red was the big winner (go Sheena!) The kids had a great time and amazingly…..so did I. God has answered my prayer to change my heart for this mission trip I am on. God has shown me that anxiety is rooted in control and it turns into fear when we KNOW we aren’t in control. I know I am not in control right now, not in this remote little town named Tonj in a country so far away from my home. He is showing me I’m not in control any other day in any other town either. And yet, I am at peace and happy to be where God has me today.
Update from Greg & Bev Wootton
Bev: My eyes burned with tears from the moment we stepped off the plane, and were received with singing and warm smiles by the Sudanese pastors and church leaders that had patiently awaited our arrival and had gathered to greet us on the dusty runway.
This past week has confirmed our calling to “Go into all the world and make disciples, teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” The ninety students, both men and women, have such a hunger and thirst to know the Word of God. Together, four of us have taught a hundred hours of classes in Bible Study Methods, O.T. Survey, N.T. Survey, and Bible Doctrines in 1000 F, without fans or airconditioning. We now have a clearer vision for the opening of a permanent Bible Training Center in Tonj for “In Deed and Truth Ministries.”
We have had the experience of our lives and cherish the relationships we have built these past two weeks. The hospitality shown us by Sabet & Suzy has been tremendous. Now that its time to leave and go back to Kenya, tears are again welling up in my eyes.
Hello – my first post!
Hello, my lovely friends! Or, as Jedi would say, “Hewwo, my wuvwy fwendsh!”
*Sigh* In case you haven’t heard, I miss you guys. Of course, that isn’t because I dislike being here – on the contrary, I love it! You’ll just have to take my word for it, and believe that my heart is big enough for both my love for you and my love for Sudan.
I genuinely love it here – I’ve long had a love for Africa, but now I have a separate affection for this specific country. You have probably heard a little bit about it, since it’s been on the world stage for quite some time; and if you haven’t, you should read about it. I will resist the urge to give you a lecture… oooh, it’s hard, but I’ll resist.
This is a harsh land, both here in Tonj, and throughout Sudan. I went out for an afternoon fishing trip and a group of men strolled by – smiling, laughing, staring at the odd woman who looks African but… not? Just regular guys, sporting the AK-47s slung over their backs. Status symbols.
Harsh… we get patients in here every now and then who have been damaged in a drunken brawl or two. A man who was still drunk and didn’t notice the blood running down his face and caked on his neck, or the huge IV needle we pushed in his arm… the woman who got struck in the chest and basically became paralyzed – we couldn’t even help her, but had to refer her to another hospital and pray she made it there… the man who had a plastic plug to cover the hole through his skull (a bullet wound from the war), and pushed the plug up too far into his nasal septum. He got dragged into the clinic by his drinking buddies – who also happened to be his military subordinates.
Harsh… it is SO Hot here. Hotter than Jamaica on the flat. The soil is so dry that some stretches of land have no grass, which is crazy to me. I suppose that’s why they call it a desert. The rains will turn all this dust into mud, I hear; but the majority of my stay will be during the hot months, before the rainy season brings many mosquitoes to truly test my faith in not taking anti-malarials. Malaria is relatively easy to detect and treat, and we prescribe malaria medicine as often as we do antibiotics. We did for Nyenkyau, but malaria only distracted us from the real killer; it may have been yellow fever, it may have been pneumonia. Her husband saw her die, right there in our clinic. If you aren’t praying for Barnaba and his family yet, please do. And they are just a snapshot, one example of them many families that have lost mothers, fathers, children, to this harsh land.
But what really gets me, is that God isn’t intimidated by the harshness of Sudan. I find that instead, His light shines brighter, because the darkness is so great here. Children of His – and here I mean disciples, not just professors of the faith – look completely different from everyone else. In the western world, where cultural norms are often based on Christian principles, lots of people look good, and I have to remind myself that only God is good. Here, I can tell within moments of meeting a new person, whether they are saved or not, because the goodness of God, servanthood, love for others, care for their wives and children, genuine interest in people, without mercenary intentions – these fruits of the Spirit are not the norm here.
I love being one of them, I love being able to love in deed and in truth, and not just in words or talk… I love it here, and I think this blog will show you why. There’s so much beauty here too, and God has been showing it to me… but you’ll have to keep reading!