It’s quite hard to get on the internet everyday. We really hope we can get a good satelite setup so we can have email access. Sabet went to Wau again this week and the old vehicle is almost ready to bring back. This will make life easier especially with construction. We had a fruitful week with the women’s ministry and clinic. We’re planning to put a chaplain over the medical clinic starting this week. We’re looking forward to having Mike Yordt and Wayne Gordon visit next week. We have many things lined up for them to do from construction, to our solar power needs, to men’s bible study and computer fixing!! We’re excited to have the fellowship and encouragement. We knew coming back in would have lots of difficulties and warfare but there was many things that happened that we didn’t foresee. It’s been a hard first month back but we are blessed and certainly can’t complain.
Another Snake!
Sabet’s family moved from Khartoum to be near us and live behind our house in Tonj. His 5 year old niece came running out their house today saying she saw a long ‘frog’??? Upon investigation, Sabet found it was in fact a cobra!! He bashed it’s head and then brought it for us to see…and it was big!!
I enjoyed working with one of our young Pastors called Benjamin in translating worship songs into Dinka. We did two today.
Tomorrow Sabet and Dabu will tow our old vehicle 70 miles to Wau to see if it can be repaired.
Clinic in War Amel
This afternoon we had our first satellite clinic about 10 miles from Tonj in a remote village called War Amel. We drove through long grass and narrow paths to get there. At one point, Dabu our driver had to get out and check the road and move tree trunks!! Praise the Lord for the new vehicle, we couldn’t get to these areas without it.
It was quite overwhelming to find hundreds of women and children waiting to see a doctor. We quickly set up stations and started getting through them. We saw over 200 and had to leave some unseen as it got dark. I really felt a heavy burden for these people and wished we hadn’t been in such a hurry. Sabet and I are praying we can make the clinics a platform for more spiritual things and ask for wisdom in that area.
Church
Today we had about 25 people for our first church service in our compound since returning to Tonj. Sabet did an excellent job teaching from the book of Ephesians. A group from World Vision joined us and led us in worship with their keyboard. We will attempt to translate a couple of songs into Dinka this week and learn them ready for next Sunday. Beth should have arrived home by now…thanks for praying for her safe travel, we miss her!
Snakes & Scorpions
Well this last week we have encountered both. The scorpion was cool as we got to test our UV flashlight to see if the scorpion would glow in the dark and it did!! But yesterday I had a close encounter with a snake that was a sure remainder the Lord is watching over us. I carried Jed to his bed and went outside to get the light when I turned around a snake was in the doorway. Had I been carrying Jed I for sure would not have seen it and stepped on it. It was only seconds after I passed through the door. I jumped on a nearby chair and yelled for help (Sabet is still in Kenya). The snake was between me and the kids! I thought I had it in my flashlight but when the guys arrived it was gone!! Of course I couldn’t sleep after that.
a dead baby snake