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Happy Thanksgiving!

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Chibaak!  Happy Thanksgiving!
Aluel (Kristi) here.  We are still having busy days from morning to night, and thankfully it was slightly cooler today (92).  Kristina, Natasha and I are working daily in the medical clinic alongside the staff here.  They have been very helpful showing us how their system works, and interpreting for us.  Since we are into our second week, we have developed a camaraderie working together which makes ours difficult days and situations such a joy.  We have helped with some of the organization of medical supplies, (I know, you’re surprised), but there is still a whole storeroom of supplies awaiting.  Yesterday, as I was talking to Peter the pharmacist, I was leaning on the dutch door counter to the pharmacy with a lovely Sudanese woman next to me, when she began pointing to my arm and asking Peter questions.  I thought perhaps she was remarking about my watch; I asked Peter what she was saying…She wanted to know if my skin keeps looking like this even in the ‘dry season’ which is the hot dry summer.  We all laughed as I answered “yes, always this white”, it never gets the same expresso black as these beautiful people.”  
This morning I shared my story in the devotion time, and I am thankful for God’s faithfulness and peace as I have never shared this in front of so many before.  “Blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.”  Jer 17:7.  You are not going to believe this, but unbeknownst to us, Suzy arranged for a Thanksgiving turkey to come in on the plane with us last week!  Yep, she had to order one from Kenya!  Well, the actual day on which to celebrate Thanksgiving in Tonj Sudan is determined by the thawing of the turkey, what with solar fridges and such…so today was the day!  This was the first time they have ever done this here, and what an incredible day of many hands working together to do the work on the compound, in the medical clinic, and preparing and cooking all at the same time.  Amazingly, it was completely stress free, making a Thanksgiving dinner for 24 out here in the middle of Africa.  The lovely sharing of how to pull together a Thanksgiving was a great joining of all ages and experiences; some have made many a thanksgiving dinner, some have eaten plenty but never been able to be part of the preparations, some used their family recipes, and even new recipes from the internet.  The  excitement and joy was felt by all throughout the day as we reported the progress of the turkey.  We had a 22 lb turkey, stuffing made from Tonj bread, sweet potato casserole complete with marshmellos on top, mashed potatoes, green beans, julienned carrots, gravy and pumpkin pie from fresh pumpkins here.  It was completely surreal yet natural to be doing things in the clinic that I’d best not mention in detail, and wander over to take the turkey out of the oven to baste it with a giant syringe from the clinic (a CLEAN one, I promise).  Since the oven is sitting outside next to a shed, it was quite handy.  We also used the charcoal oven to bake the pies and stuffing.  It was a joyful day of giving thanks, ending with a devotion around the campfire, worship, and everyone sharing specific things they are thankful for over the past year.  We then had communion together after Dave and Leo shared; what a blessed time.  As I looked around at our gathering, I realized there were only six Americans there, and many others from Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Australia, England; what an amazing gathering of brothers and sisters in Christ.  How many times will we ever have a Thanksgiving like this?  Bless you all for your day of Thanksgiving, may you also remember what you are most thankful for!
HSE Team, Mission Trips, Teams, Uncategorized

God Loves Achol!

Dear friends and family,

We serve a loving and compassionate Father, who knows us so intimately and longs to draw us close to Him. I want to encourage you tonight to draw close to Him, let Him hold you, and surrender to His embrace.  I was reading in John tonight about Jesus washing His disciples feet.  John writes, “having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love…” (13:1)  The full extent of His love… Is that not beautiful? Jesus has demonstrated not just a portion of His love, but His complete, eternal, and unconditional love without reserve.  
I cannot remember the first moment I experienced love, but I know God first poured out His love into my life through my parents, and I became secure in the Father’s love as a little girl.  For a child not to experience love from those who are meant to care for them and make them feel safe is devastating.  Some of you may have experienced hurt or abuse  from someone you trusted, and I pray you have been healed by coming to know the full extent of God’s love for you.  I want to share a story about a little girl I met yesterday named Achol.  I believe she experienced true love for the first time last night.
Achol lives in a small village very close to where we are staying.  Yesterday we were invited to lunch by a lovely woman named Elizabeth who helps serve at the compound.  I will tell you more about that later. On our way home from the village, Sabet (the missionary) was informed there was a little girl who needed help.  That night, she was brought to the clinic by neighbors, badly beaten and eyes full of fear.  My first glimpse of her was seeing her small frame sitting in the exam room with tears streaming down her face.  Her collar bone was broken, her back had been cut, her hands were swollen, and her spirit was wounded.  She is about nine years old.  Her story is that her mom passed away, her dad is a drunk who takes no responsibility for her, and her only other relative is her aunt who abuses her, forces her to do hard labor, and doesn’t feed her properly.  We sat with Achol, put her arm in a sling, and just loved on her.  One  man translated as I shared Jesus with her and she gently put her hand on top of mine.  Then Suzy and her three children (Hannah, Jedidiah, & Agum) came to the clinic with one of Hannah’s dresses.  As Achol put on her new dress, I saw this downcast, hurting little girl transformed.  She was like a different person with the biggest smile and eyes shining.  Hannah and Agum then put their arms around Achol and walked back to the compound to have dinner with us.  The sight of these three girls arm in arm was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Achol eyes were feasting on the food on the table before she ever took a bite.  I think it was the most food she has eaten in a while.  She just kept smiling.  After dinner, Sabet (Suzy’s husband) took her home and confronted her aunt about the abuse.  She admitted to “disciplining” her but denied abuse.  Sabet warned her that if the abuse continued, further action would be taken.  I know that God is directing Sabet in this situation.  He understands the culture and is led by the Spirit.  I wanted to keep Achol here, to know she is safe, to protect her from ever being hurt again.  Achol was the last thing on my mind as I fell asleep and the first thing in my prayers as I woke.  I couldn’t believe it when I saw her at morning devotions today with the same bright smile on her face.  At one point during the devotion, our eyes met, I smiled, and she smiled the most beautiful smile back…my heart melted.   
I don’t know what is going to happen with Achol, but I know that the Lord makes “everything beautiful in its time” (Ecc. 3:11). I don’t know why Achol has been inflicted with so much pain and abuse at such a young age, but I know that God is faithful, and He is a defender and Father to the fatherless.  Going back to John 15, Jesus tells Peter, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand” (v.7).  I believe His Word and trust that He sees Achol and wants her to know the “full extent” of His love.  He has not forgotten her.  I saw fear replaced by love in Achol’s eyes last night.  I saw love poured out from the Father into her heart.  I saw the full extent of His love for us in that He found us broken and bloody, destroyed by fear and hopelessness. He cleansed our wounds, wiped away our tears, clothed us in robes of righteousness, and wrapped His arms around us.   
“There is no one like the God of Israel, who rides on the heavens to help you and on the clouds in His majesty.  The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Deut. 33: 26
I ask that you please pray for Achol.  Pray that she is safe, that she remembers she is loved by the Father, that she cries out to Him when is afraid, and that she experiences the full extent of His love over and over and over again.  Pray for her healing and that perfect love would remove fear from her heart.  Pray for her aunt to come to Christ and for God to do a miracle in her family.  Pray for wisdom for Sabet and Suzy if further intervention is required.  
Thank you for praying.  Remember that “the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Cor. 10:4). 
I love you all, (especially Daddy, Mommy, & Natalie:)!  There is always hope in Christ, so take heart and be encouraged that the “full extent” of His love has been given to you!  
Love,
Kristina 
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Emily’s Blog!

Dear friends and family back in California!
What a blessed time it has been so far!
This is Ameer (pronounced A-mare) or Emily as you know me.
I have been sick, as you know, for the past 4-ish days. I am still not feeling one hundred percent but that is just because I have a sore throat and cough.
Today has been a packed and exciting day!
First off I led devotion about our conduct and how it reflects our character. Then, in devotion, because mum (Josephine) has been sick and unable to lead worship, we sang in Dinka with the other workers on the compound. It was truly blessed!
Then, we all went off to our various duties.
Dad (Leo) went to work on the solar system in an attempt to get it in a state of usability.
David went to work on mechanical and technical issues with the other Sudanese and Kenyan men.
Kristi, Kristina, and Natasha went to work in the Medical Clinic with John Paul and Sheena.
And finally, I went to work in the Pharmacy with Peter.
It was a reasonably slow day in the Clinic so Kristina came to help me with some cleaning and sorting in the Pharmacy. We have a Stock Check on Saturday for the Pharmacy so we needed to do some organizing and also because it was pretty dusty and dirty and messy in there.
Lunch was chickpea soup with the delicious Tonj Bread.
We all then went back to our duties and then the women gathered for the 3:00 women’s study on 1 Peter with Suzy. I wanted to rest so I went to read but the children, Agum, Hannah, and Jedidiah, found a way to distract me. Soon, the orphan girl named Achol came over and wanted to play as well.
It was a great time of fellowship and I learned some more Dinka words.
God is so good to bring us here to Sudan!
He continually shows me that although we may go through many trials and hardships, it is all for our spiritual growth and that we may trust and lean on God more.
Thank you for all your prayers and please pray not only for us but for all these beautiful Sudanese people.
In His Great Love,
Ameer

HSE Team, Mission Trips, Teams, Uncategorized

Natasha’s Blog!

Team

Words cannot trying express how faithful the Lord is, especially to this team, and today has been no exception.

This morning I (Natasha, a.k.a Ajak) did devotion about what the Lord has done in my life and how He saved me. During devotion Achol showed up and joined in, she`x the orphan girl from the clinic last night, who had run away from her abusive Aunt. She was all smiles, and I believe that for the first time she really experiencing love.

 Kristi, Kristina and I worked in the Clinic with the medical staff, and today, under Suzi’s leadership worked on creating a more efficient way to work.  When I was sitting in with John Paul (the doctor here) I was given the opportunity to talk to a young lady called Mary about Jesus, and that He loves her so much. She told me that she knows Jesus, that she was baptized as a little girl. John Paul helped me, and encouraged her to really know Him, and that He is calling her to a relationship with Him. We invited her to come to church on Sunday, and we prayed.  Kristina also was just shining the love of Jesus through her gentle and friendly work with the wound care children. Kristi has been a complete blessing to the Medical Clinic, using her organizing skills to serve alongside. We’ve had many fun/silly times together, and I have lost count of how many times we have been laughed at by the Sudanese for our misunderstanding etc.  I have really enjoyed working with these wonderful women and the staff there, I have learnt so much.

Today the boys and Stacie were doing a lot of physical labor, cleaning out the storage room. Dad (Leo) has been very busy since the Pastors left, fixing all sorts of mishaps around the compound; he is soon going to be moving the fridges into the storage room. Please keep the guys in your prayers specifically, that they wouldn’t  get injured and would have the wisdom to fix all the problems here.

 Emily is feeling a bit better today but unfortunately last night she was suffering from Malerone side effects, and we were up with her last night. Coming back from the clinic today I was informed the Mum (Josephine) was sick, and throwing up, please keep her in your prayers. She has been such a blessing to the People here in Tonj, through her music, her wisdom and encouragement.

Today dinner was a huge treat to everyone here; it was rice and chicken peanut sauce. We eat so well here, very blessed by the kitchen staff.       Who would ever imagine that we would eat as well as we do here in Africa. For desert we had jell-o, and Stacie and I are certain that it was raisin flavor (perhaps not). Either way, we are so blessed.

Well I m off to bed now, praying that I will finally get a full night, it has been so hot her at night.
Signing off, In the Faithfulness of Jesus
Ajak

 

HSE Team

Sunday Service

Sunday Church in Sabet & Suzy’s Compound

Hello from Tonj. We are so blessed and humbled to be here. To be alongside those who have given up their lives to follow Jesus is so exciting.

Saturday morning started with the Pastors preparing to return home for semester break. Some of the pastors had been away from their families for 4   months, as they immersed themselves in the study of His word. To see them dressed in their best clothes, proudly wearing their Pastor Collars and their crosses was delightful. Emily has been quite unwell, and a number of the pastors prayed over her, and she gingerly made her way to say Oh-ga-be-Yuk (goodbye), and to see their smiles as they came and wanted to see how she was and get their photos taken with her, was so lovely. And then they piled into the Landcruiser, 14 grown men, plus the driver, to head off on an all day drive. It was truly humbling their commitment to the call God has placed on their lives.

Then we had a Sabbath. It has been go-go-go since we arrived in Africa, so some time with the Lord was truly a blessing. Being a 24/7 medical clinic, of course there was some interruption. We were also as a team able to come together and spend some much needed time of prayer.

As we prepared for another outreach, since one of the Landcruisers was off on Pastor transport duties, we had to send some guys to set up the PA, projector, screen and DVD player, and then come back to pick the rest of us up and take us there. But of course, this being Africa, we needed to be flexible. On the way we came across a large group of people around an elderly lady on the ground. She had been knocked over by a man on a bicycle. So we loaded her into the back of the Landcruiser, took her to the clinic, and then finally got to the site for the outreach. Turns out she had a dislocated hip, and the medical officer, John Paul is still deciding the best course of action. By the time we got to the outreach, numbers were continuing to increase, and by the time Josephine began some worship over 300 people were there. Many prayed to receive Jesus, and then sat to watch the Jesus Film. By the end of the night over 500 people came out.

Sunday there is a church service held in the compound. It was a blessed time with a wonderful time of worship and digging into the word. We looked at Acts 20:17-35 and were reminded to stay focused on Jesus and committed to the call he places on each of our lives, and to share Him with ALL we meet. It was a great opportunity after service to fellowship and pray with a number from the local community.

Then after service we were in for a very special treat. One of the Sudanese women, Elizabeth, who works in the compound, invited us to visit her house. This is a great honor. After a brief walk we were ushered into her house, a round Sudanese grass roofed mud and straw hut about10 foot in diameter. And it was amazing. It was so cool. It was well into the upper 90’s outside, and yet in the hut would have been at least15 degrees cooler. She fed us Kissera bread (made from sorghum) and a beef stew thing which we ate with our hands. Elizabeth did not eat with us, which is the Sudanese way, but after she came in and shared some of her pain with us, and so we were able to pray for her and over her. After this, another 2 woman invited us to their houses, and then into another house as well. It was a very full, but blessed time.

 

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