Written by Suzy Kuj
Sweet precious 14 year old Ayak has been a part of our daily lives for the past 4 months. She’s the young girl we medevac’d to Tenwek Mission Hospital back in July with a tumor on her forearm. After amputation we discovered the cancer had metastasized and her prognosis was bleak. Sabet had an opportunity to share with her about Jesus Christ dying for her sin and she prayed with Sabet to receive the Lord Jesus as her personal Savior. That gave us great comfort as we pursued further treatment for her but doors kept closing as she got weaker and sicker. Her family chose for us to return her home to South Sudan in September where her condition deteriorated quickly and she became an inpatient at our clinic needing full-time medical assistance. The last few weeks have been agonizing to watch as she has found little comfort and relief from the pain. The Lord has been so sweet to each one of us, bringing encouragement to us as a staff and to Ayak through many visitors this past month. Each visitor has been touched by this young girl and her story. Her own family has not been around very much and she was spending a lot of time alone. It’s hard to see someone suffering and our prayer was for complete healing or the Lord to have mercy and to take Ayak to Him quickly. Listening to her cries ring through the compound every time she was moved was so difficult to hear and yet the Lord asks us to bear with one another’s burdens.
As we waited on the Lord’s will we felt an urgency to get her out of the gloomy crowded observation room that had become home to her. Yesterday we choose to have a bedside vigil throughout the day so she would not be alone and to help her. Each staff took one hour to be with Ayak, praying and talking and encouraging her. Today we managed to get her into a wheelchair and I offered to sit with her while I homeschooled Hannah in the garden. We drank ice tea and I rubbed lavender lotion on her body. Even though she had hardly spoken in days she told Awad she liked being outside. It really was a beautiful day, shady under the Neem tree, birds singing, cool breeze rustling the branches. While Awad and I were tending to her she transitioned from being fidgety and uncomfortable to being peaceful and sleepy. Five women relatives (never happened before) stopped by to greet her. They saw Ayak asleep and after 10 minutes asked to leave and come back later. I felt an urgency to pray with them before they left and asked Awad to translate the prayer. The prayer in my heart was for them to understand our Lord’s mercy and love. Ayak’s body was failing but her spirit was healthy and needed to move on. When we finished praying some were weeping, all thanked me and left. I positioned a small fan on Ayak’s lap to help keep her cool and sat watching her sleep peacefully. Just a few minutes later she slipped into the arms of her Lord and Savior. Though she is absent from her body we are confident she is present with the Lord, no tears, pain or cancer.
Our prayer is for her family to have that same peace. Also for Hannah who was with me today, was so touched by Ayak’s life and was with me when she passed away. Hannah has seen many tragedy’s while we have been in South Sudan over the years. She has a sensitive heart and this is one more encounter. She showed great maturity as she thanked the Lord for His mercy and grace but I know this has really effected her. Pray for our staff that have served Ayak around the clock, everyone is feeling the loss. She was part of our daily lives for so long.
Thank you to all who prayed and gave their time and money to help her. What we gave Ayak was the love of Jesus and that’s the very reason we are here.
Pastor’s Graduation!
Embrace Infant Warmers were introduced to us through a friend. These baby sized sleeping bags havebeen tested throughout India and some other countries to reduce infant mortality, which South Sudan has one of the highest rates. The device works like a traditional incubator, regulating the baby’s body temperature but at a fraction of the cost to buy and even to operate. It can work with or without electricity, has no moving parts, is portable and safe to use. Due to the high number of babies we deliver and treat in a high risk area of infant mortality our clinic was one chosen by Embrace to begin using this device in Africa.
While the Olympics were going on in London, we started our own Kids Games Olympic style for the kids in Tonj and the surrounding areas. As you can see from the photo not as flashy as the Olympics but these children had fun playing, and heard the gospel with open hearts. Two of our medical staff, Gabriel and Emmanuel, together with Donato, Pastor Santino and our compound manager Albino, formed a team to go from village to village conducting kids games.