Maternal Waiting Home

Imagine being pregnant, last trimester and labor starts. The nearest medical facility is 6 hours walking…. At night!! Do you risk going and giving birth on the road? Do you stay in the village and risk losing your baby and/or your own life if you don’t go and there’s a complication? This is a daily challenge faced by thousands of women in South Sudan. In Deed and Truth Ministries missionary, Dr. Destinee Macleod, suggested five years ago we build a maternal waiting home to give a safe option to pregnant mothers facing these impossible choices. The idea is that any woman close to her due date that lives far away or has a high-risk pregnancy, can relocate with her family to a Maternal Waiting Home (MWH) located next to our mission hospital and deliver her baby safely.

Nyanut lives in a remote village called Ariamduar, very far from Tonj, a whole day walking. This is a village that we have planted a church and CHE center. She learned from IDAT Pastor Santino about the MWH option and decided to come. This was Nyanut’s tenth pregnancy and the previous two had been emergency cesareans, so it would have been extremely dangerous for her to labor in such a remote location. This is the happy couple with their newest (and final!) addition after IDAT arranged for Nyanut’s uncomplicated elective cesarean.

Neither Nyanut or her husband had any faith before they came to IDAT but during their time they attended staff devotions every day and were visited regularly by Pastor Rueben.  When they returned home they expressed their sincere gratitude to IDAT and told us that their lives had been changed and they would be following Jesus from this point onwards.

CHE Update and Testimony

It was an exciting summer witnessing the amazing movement of CHE in the villages as God continues to have favor and multiply. Back in June we shared our desire to plant CHE in 25 communities by the end of the year. Well God continues to do “immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to His power” (Ephesians 3:20), and in September our team planted the 28th CHE center in Tonj! The Lord continues to bring deep transformation to the hearts, minds and bodies of so many through the lessons taught by our 1,200 CHE volunteers each day.

When Angelina was selected by her community to be a CHE committee member she didn’t understand the gospel or how she could have a relationship with God. Each week she has been hearing stories from the bible, and in April this year Calvary Pastor Rueben Yak shared the parable of the sheep and goats found in Matthew 25. Angelina realized that she had to decide who she was going to serve with her life. She decided to follow Jesus, and her life has been totally transformed as a result.  The Gospel message is clear that it is by faith, through grace, that we are reconciled to God.

John 1:12 says,
“All who did receive him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”

Also, Daniel Ding, his family lacked enough money to pay high school fees and he lost hope in achieving his dreams for the future. However, after joining the Kuanja CHE team and hearing the parable of the talents, (Matt. 25) he realized that through focus and hard work he could support himself through high school. He started saving the money he made selling fish he caught in wet season, and bricks he made in dry season. Now he’s in his second year of high school and is once again full of hope for the future!

IDAT Hospital Update

The IDAT Hospital continues to treat large number of patients creating an overflow of inpatients on the ward.  During the past couple of months every single bed was taken on the ward with additional patients occupying two sides of the clinic verandah with mattresses on the floor.

We have accommodated almost 40 patients every night with only 26 actual beds. As soon as we discharge one premature baby they’re replaced by another. Despite these challenges we are bringing God’s love and hope every week, like for Baby Laat’s family.

He was born premature in the village and was admitted weighing only 2.6 lbs. Seven weeks later, with his very happy family, he was discharged, healthy and strong, weighing 4.8 lbs! Please keep him in prayer.

Prayer Requests

• For IDAT’s Soccer Tournament which still needs support and is supposed to be launched this month.
• For the patients we registered to return to Tonj in time for the upcoming Samaritans Purse Cleft Lip mission.
• For next month’s cataract surgery outreach to go smoothly.

Introducing the Beard Family!

Ben, Sarah, Jonah (8) Seth (6) and Ryelle (3) left Australia in May to join our team short term and to pray about IDAT being a good fit for their long-term desire to be in the mission field. They came with hearts to learn and a willingness to serve, with no other expectations.

Beard Family in South Sudan

Ben shared, “I have loved visiting all the villages, meeting the people, learning about their culture, hearing their struggles and serving wherever needed but my highlight was a thrilling ATV adventure to a village medical outreach that required prayer and trust in God. As a nurse, the medical outreaches are something I look forward to. The days are often long and tiring but very rewarding. Patients come, are triaged, tested for malaria, see the doctor, collect their medicine and hear the gospel.

Every medical outreach, at least 10 people give their lives to Christ. This is the real purpose of us going in the first place. “How beautiful are the feet of those that bring good news (Romans 10:15).” The villages we visit are part of our CHE program and such a blessing. Their passion and growth for the gospel is outstanding. Jesus is moving in their hearts, transforming their communities and the gospel is spreading rapidly throughout these communities. This has set my heart on fire. Overall, we have loved the work that God is doing through In Deed and Truth Ministries and we are keen to continue supporting this work of God.”

Prayer Request: Ben and Sarah were scheduled to leave Tonj on September 1^st but due to Covid restrictions their flight was cancelled back into Australia and they are currently stuck here in Tonj! They have shared their heart to return and serve with In Deed and Truth long-term in January 2023 but due to their circumstances they will begin taking on some of their future responsibilities right now! Please pray for them, the children and the family and friends back home. They will be raising support and this has become a more urgent need due to the change in their plans. Sarah was involved in the women’s and youth ministries. She has been a prayer warrior for our ward patients and staff.

CC Tonj Youth Conference 2021

The Beard family raised support to help the church host a Youth Conference. Here is Sarah’s experience in her own words.

“I’ve been trying to find a word to sum up the whole event but I can’t think of just one. So let me just say…God!!

“We planned for about 250 people to attend, from 17 IDAT village church plants but God had other plans and more than 350 youth attended. The weather was perfect for the days leading up to the conference and stayed dry over the event, which made the transportation process much smoother. We worried about being able to feed everyone so, God took over and the food just kept coming and coming. Most people got seconds or third, the portion sizes were more than generous, and we even had ‘left overs’ for the cooks to take some home.

“You couldn’t deny the presence of God the entire time. And the worship was so powerful you could not help but join in with the dancing.  Each person that shared a message spoke straight from the heart of God and brought life to everyone who was there. God truly blessed and touched the lives of everyone there. I cannot stop smiling and praising God every time I look back and reflect. This is what God called me here for.”

Please keep the youth of Tonj in your prayers. They need to be covered in prayer now more than ever.

Please also pray for next month’s soccer tournament, we are still in need of partners to help fund this amazing outreach.

Matthew 28:19 says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Suzy in South Sudan!

After an amazing first month back in the field, it is a reminder that God is in control and moving mightily through In Deed and Truth (IDAT) here in Tonj and all the surrounding villages.

We celebrated our pastors graduation and we are now sponsoring 25 pastors from 17 IDAT church plants!!

One pastor that really impressed me was Ps. John Madut Agaar from a village called Machar. Machar is known as the center for witchcraft and if you go there, you will encounter many idols and shrines, along with witchdoctors and spearmasters. John has a very powerful ‘Saul to Paul’ testimony. Before becoming a Christian, he was a ringleader of fighting, cattle raiding and tribal violence. His father was a spearmaster and he was set to inherit that role. It came to the point where his family feared he would be killed and asked him to not go out and fight anymore. Around the same time, he was invited by our CC Maloney Ps. Kharlo to come to church. In church, he experienced peace like never before and after a few weeks gave his life to Christ. His life completely changed, and he went from being an angry and harsh person to being gentle and caring. His family were upset that he started going to church and that he chose to walk away from witchcraft. His father has 4 wives and the half-siblings turned against him and started persecuting the IDAT church plants in that area. John eventually became Ps. Kharlo’s assistant pastor. As word got out that John was a changed man, more people started to come to church and more villages were asking for a church to be planted in their area. Some of the people of Machar also asked for that. Machar means ‘darkness’ and John boldly stepped out in faith to go to Machar and pastor the church there. He is well known in the area as the son of a spearmaster. In the beginning so many curses and spells were cast on him and the church. John said he is the right man for that church as he fully understands all warfare against him and what the battle entails. His weapons of choice are no longer an AK47 but prayer and the Word of God! Pray for John’s protection. Check out our pastors page at: https://pastors.indeedandtruth.org/

 

The IDAT Ward!

During the rainy season we experience higher patient numbers due to malaria and right now the ward is well and truly overflowing. It has 26 physical beds but often more than one patient is allocated to them as mothers receive care alongside their newborn babies.

This month we also had multiple sets of twins arrive! Our veranda has become an overflow ward and we shuffle patients making sure the critical, smallest, and sickest children are placed in beds where they can be closely monitored. We have eight premature babies in the ward as of writing this newsletter (our smallest weighing just 930g) so all four incubators are also occupied! Our team works tirelessly around the clock caring for each and every patient, demonstrating God’s love, and providing a place of hope for the most vulnerable in our community. We are now praying about adding a second ward.

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” – 1 Peter 2:9

CHE Testimony!

This is the family of John Akot with his wife Susanna Angong from the village of Teakic near Tonj. Two months ago they gave their lives to Christ when CHE volunteers, Martha Them & Marko Maputo, visited and shared Jesus’s teaching from the sermon on the mount about trusting God and refusing to worry.

Since that time John has experienced a new peace in his heart and has let go of some addictions he was struggling with. We never get tired of these stories of God transforming our community – one family at a time!

Home in Tonj!

No matter where I go, it’s always so lovely to come back to Tonj. Home is where the heart is after all!

Coming back was quite emotional and yet also healing. Taking a breather and focusing on some of the field needs has brought a slice of joy and hope in the middle of a hard season for our family. Both Jed and Agum have loved being home.

Praise Jesus for His hand of favor over my main goal to purchase some land for our x-ray room and Maternal Waiting Village, which happened in the first week

Scholarships!

Here at IDAT, we believe that scholarships are a powerful way to increase our team’s capacity and to get the right people with the right heart for the right jobs, as well as providing an opportunity to outstanding young people, who may never have been able to pursue further studies.

Monica is a maternity clinic assistant who has just been accepted to study midwifery in one of the top midwifery schools in South Sudan. She loves to share about how her life has changed since joining IDAT 18 months ago. She tells how she used to fight often, but now, since being in a Christ filled atmosphere, attending Bible study and volunteering as a youth group leader, she refuses to fight, and people are wondering what has happened to her. Monica is looking forward to serving her community as a midwife and helping to save the lives of mothers and babies.

The IDAT Ward!

Serious and extensive burns continue to be an issue for children in Tonj and surrounding villages. On any given week our ward will have at least one patient admitted for management of major burns.

These are usually the result of boiling water being spilled onto a child, or a toddler falling into a fire. Although the initial treatment can be devastating for the parents to witness, the relief and joy they experience as the child starts to recover is something quite special. Our resources and dressing techniques are basic, but effective! Thank you for financially supporting our medical work so we can be Jesus’ love to the people of South Sudan.  With the large numbers of inpatients, we are seeing our need for a second ward ($60,000) is needed. Would you join us in praying for this? A second ward means more staff and bigger monthly overheads. We want to hear clearly from the Lord if this is the direction we should go.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

CHE Testimony!

Nyandit Manyuol and her family had never had anyone explain the gospel to them before. Last month three of our CHE volunteers Daniel, Aguek and Amer visited her home to share a health lesson about malaria prevention, together with the story in the bible about the good Samaritan found in Luke 10.

They were deeply touched and made a decision as a family to become followers of Christ. In the past six months over 1,200 people like Nyandit and her family have dedicated their lives to Christ through CHE. The harvest is ripe! Please pray for the Holy Spirit to continue moving as our team of over 1,000 Community Health Evangelists (CHE’s) continue moving home to home throughout Tonj promoting health and preaching the gospel.

‘CHE‘ Community Health Evangelism Expansion!

Last week we had several days of CHE leaders training and planning for the next six months. It was exciting hearing testimonies such as Pastor Joseph baptizing two more witchdoctors on Sunday, and six more villages in Maloney begging Pastor Santino to bring them the gospel! Our team had a goal of reaching 20 villages with the gospel through CHE by the end of the year, but the harvest is ripe, the Holy Spirit is moving, and our team are passionate – so we are now praying and believing for 25 villages by the end of the year! Would you join us in praying for that? We currently have 19 villages with 18 villages on the waiting list.

Malaria Season!

From May to November every year we have our rainy season, but the more accurate name would be the ‘malaria season’. With the blessing of rain comes this deadly disease of malaria. In our region of Tonj the common parasite P. falciparum causes malaria in humans with devastating effects on children under five years of age. This parasite is the leading cause of death from malaria in the world. More than 200 million people a year get malaria and half a million die, with 94% of these deaths coming from this particular parasite in Africa and infants accounting for 67% of those deaths.  As we enter malaria season, we are rapidly seeing an increase in patient numbers. However, the team on the ward are also managing increasingly complex patients. Some children arrive incredibly unwell, and with other severe infections, like Adit pictured here, suffering from TB and pneumonia, which then leads on to complications such as severe acute malnutrition and dehydration.

The time and resources required to manage these children are immense – how grateful we are to have solar power, oxygen concentrators, therapeutic milk, and passionate hard-working staff. Without a doubt these children would not live were it not for our generous partners and the care provided by the team at IDAT. Please continue to pray for the mothers, children, and babies in the ward. Pray that we can continue to demonstrate God’s love to these families, that they will hear the gospel and be transformed by it!

Facing Fears!

In Tonj there is no blood bank. When a patient needs an urgent transfusion, we need a donor (or two or three) right then and there. We have come to realize that donating blood is a culturally difficult thing to do in South Sudan, even for a family member, which makes us so proud of our staff when they overcome their fears to save the life of someone they have never met.

This is Mary, a midwife assistant who was working night shift when one of her patients needed an urgent transfusion. These are the twins that were born to the mother who received her blood. We are praising God for Mary and that all three, mother and babies, are now healthy and well.

The fear of last year’s food shortage is real as many families already face hardships this year. IDAT is ready with food and seeds in stores and in May we did our first food distribution.

“For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” Isaiah 41:13

We were able to feed and supply seeds to over 500 families who lost their homes and gardens in last year’s tribal clashes. Many of these families are still living as IDP’s (internally displaced people).

We will continue to support this need throughout the summer. If you would like to partner with us to provide food to these displaced families, please donate through our website or send a check to the address below and designate your donation to ‘benevolence fund’.