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!
A Miracle
Thank you for praying for Donato. It’s been a challenge to get on the email so I apologize for not updating you sooner, I just wanted to wait and send a full praise report. It’s been a challenging couple of weeks as we’ve been teaching Donato how to live outside of the ‘bush of Africa”.
Dr. Bransford arranged a cat scan and it confirmed 2 severe fractures to the skull. Watching this confused, scared boy struggle to lie flat for the scan and having to leave the room as he was wondering what this huge machine was going to do to him, really broke my heart. Dr. Bransford explained that time was the key factor in Donato’s recovery. The stiffness in his neck would probably correct itself with rest and warm towels. The swelling should go down also with time. Observing him over the next 2 weeks was critical in case meningitis set in or other complications. Donato at this point was lethargic and weak, vomiting a lot and wanting to lie down only. So we took him back to where we were staying (12 in a house) to care for him over Christmas.
Christmas Eve, our family shared the Christmas story and we got the chance to talk to Donato about the gift Jesus was to the world. This sweet boy, who has hardly rsponded to anything, sat up and asked Jesus into his heart. It was the best Chrsitmas Eve ever. And since then a miracle happened. He transformed before our eyes, being alert and engaged. He smiled while opening gifts of new clothes and shoes on Christmas morning, he came to church with us, socialized over a huge dinner and even played silly games. Saturday we all went to the elephant orphanage and he petted baby elephants and then we visited the giraffe center and fed them (see pic of Donato with a giraffe). These are amazing experiences for him. He started to help me get the kids in and out of the car, watching how I did the car seat and belts and copying me. It’s all just an answer to prayer.
Yesterday we took him back to Dr. Bransford for his 2 week follow-up and the Dr. was amazed at his improvement. He said how Donato responds to him tells him so much more than looking at a scan. And he could hardly believe it was the same boy as his recovery has been so fast. We took out the stitches and the only thing remaining before taking him home to Sudan, is an eye check. We have to go to a different hospital for that as there is only one reliable eye specialist in the country. One eye is pulling to the side so we will take him on Friday and he will go back to Sudan on Tuesday with our doctor. Pray for these last few details for him. Sabet left today for the Calvary Chapel Mission Conference in California and so I am now looking after Donato alone. We really appreciate all your prayers and financial help in caring for him.
We really take our lives for granted and as I pondered this list of ‘firsts’ that Donato has overcome in 3 weeks, I realize just how blessed my life really is!
Donato’s Firsts
- Flying in an airplane
- Riding in a car
- Tarmac Roads
- Petrol station
- Living in a House
- Turning on a light switch
- Turning on a tap for water
- Watching TV
- Sleeping in a bed
- Taking a shower and it was hot
- Using a toilet and toilet paper
- Brushing his teeth with a toothbrush and toothpaste
- Eating food 3 times a day
- Buying food in a shop
- Using a washing machine to wash his clothes
- Hospital/Doctors
- New Clothes and Shoes
- Unwrapping a gift
- Elephants and giraffes
- Fellowship with Christians
- God’s amazing love and grace.
- GETTING SAVED!!!