This is a question we are being asked a lot in light of the recent news coverage on South Sudan. The answer is we don’t know; only the Lord knows what tomorrow brings. The world is watching closely and international leaders are urging both North and South Sudan to maintain peace but sadly many border areas ARE already under attack and living in a warzone. The effect of all this on our presence and ministry in Tonj is minimal at the moment. The rising prices of fuel and food, if you can find them, are about the only evidence that borders to the North are closed due to fighting. So you may be wondering what does all this mean for our family to continue in our mission work? It means we hold fast to the calling that gripped our hearts 14 years ago. We know our Lord equipped us to go and minister in South Sudan which was in war when He first gave us that assignment. We love Tonj and her people and our greatest burden is to bring the truth of His Word to them, so they might taste and see that the LORD is good. It is the work of the Father to take two seeds, useless in their own strength and plant them in this dry and barren land. He was confident in the life He had put inside us and by His Holy Spirit He watered us and brought much fruit. He told us to GO and be strong in the Lord and the power of His might, to put on the whole armor of God so we could stand against the devil’s schemes. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers of the darkness of this world. Aren’t we all living in one big ‘warzone’ called the world? If we are Christians we are fighting a spiritual battle daily and Satan is our only enemy. Let us pray for one another to be effective, bold and courageous in our faith. May the Lord Jesus fill us with His Holy Spirit daily giving us His wisdom, power and strength as He divinely directs our paths to those that need the Gospel.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” – John 12:24-25

CHE Training!

CHE, Community Health Evangelism, is a program we have begun teaching in Tonj that integrates discipleship and evangelism with community based development. The work is wholistic, seeking to meet the whole need of individuals and communities through complete obedience to everything that Jesus commanded.

We facilitated a team from World Gospel Mission in Uganda who led the CHE workshop from our compound. More than 20 people attended from different areas in South Sudan. We love the ministry of CHE, it empowers individuals to use the local resources God has given them to solve their problems. Our desire is to have Community Heath Evangelists planted in the villages surrounding Tonj that many of our patients travel from.

Prayer Requests!

• For the completion of the new medical building.
• Pray for CHE teams to be sent into local villages and implement what they have learnt.
• Pray for peace between north and south Sudan.
• Pray we can finalize all the adoption papers and visit USA in January 2013 as a family.

Kuj Family Adoption and Land!

Since 2006 our family has been living out of boxes and in 1 or 2 small rooms. This has become increasingly more challenging as we added Agum to our family in 2009 and homeschool all three. Agum’s adoption is now 70% complete and we hope to take a home assignment in early 2013. This year our board felt it necessary to begin a fund to help our family build a home so we can function better and continue to serve long-term. Communal living has many blessings and challenges, but as our ministry and staff have grown we recognize it is time for our family to live off of the compound and to have a home. So we have been looking for the right land to buy and as everything is undeveloped it was not an easy task. But, we prayed and the Lord led us to a piece of land that we both love and have so much peace about. It is officially purchased with the title deed!! Now we have to wait for the rainy season to pass before we can start construction in October. We need help…yes, if you are interested in helping us construct our home please get in touch. We need volunteers from 1 week to 6 months. It’s an overwhelming task but we firmly believe the Lord is in this and trust Him to bring it to completion quickly. One of the attractions was the massive mahogany tree pictured here with our family standing under it!

Hasn’t been too eventful of a week. I am thankful for 3 children  with comas awakening from their comas. Two with meningitis and one with malaria. The kids with meningitis take 3-4 days to wake up where with malaria they wake up within 24 hours.I am just thanking God they all awoke. What a joy to see the happy parents.

A mother brought a child in Friday night severely dehydrated. For 5 days the witch doctor who tries to tell people that we give meds that kill people cared for the child. While we were giving IV  fluids and 50% dextrose and antibiotic the mother was saying they are killing my child. I did not understand all this and was told later by the community health worker. Later she pulled the IV out of the child but we already had given 500 ml of fluid and child was stable. I could not believe a parent could watch a child get so sick before coming in but it is just ignorance. I am sure for many years the folks only had the witch doctors and it takes time to earn the people’s confidence. The child is doing well for which I thank God.

I preached at church this AM and I think it went well. I also helped lead music. I love singing Amazing Grace it brings back good memories.

I have been fighting off an intestinal bug which has limited me to work and rest. I hate those bugs.

“And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.” – Acts 5:41

I was reading Acts 5:17-41 today. That was a pretty amazing time and the apostles were filled with the Spirit of God. Gamaliel told the Sanhedrin in vs. 38 and 39 “…leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

My mind was immediately brought to our CHE work in South Sudan. In general, I feel some scepticism about the many humanitarian efforts that go on in Africa (including some in which I have been involved), and I feel that many of these efforts cause more harm than good.

Somehow though, I felt that our recent trip to Sudan was different. I felt that the Spirit of God was present in a way that was stronger than in any other activity that I have been involved in the past. These words in Acts seemed to ring true that if this work is from God, no one will be able to stop it, but if it is of human origin (perhaps like a well intended humanitarian effort on our part) then it will fail. Of course if you read on in Acts you will notice that the apostles got beaten, so everything is not always warm and fuzzy even if God’s Spirit is present.

I can’t say that I look forward to being beaten, nor do I have a desire to live in South Sudan.I love Kenya and Uganda and enjoy being there and feel comfortable. But if the Spirit of God is descending on this troubled part of the planet, it will be amazing.

So, please pray as often as you can remember for these areas in Tonj and Akot in South Sudan where we have introduced CHE. Especially pray that the Spirit of God will envelope this whole area.

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the LORD Jesus, giving thanks to God and the father by him” – Colossians 3:17

We are so excited with the new additions to the IDAT medical team. The addition of Auxillia and Annie to Margaret all nurse midwives has given a great boost to our nursing care and ability to treat sick patients both in and out-patients. Patients in our clinic and Malony outreach are well cared for in the competent hands of our nurse midwives.

Our clinic is also well covered in the night shifts. Some people call our clinic a hospital since many things are covered here especially the hernia surgeries which Dr Stick had done for three months. We thank God also our new clinic is being built and so many things will be done as a hospital does.

There was a child who had the neonatal tetanus and he unfortunately died. Approximately 90% die in the best of circumstances. There was a child with meningitis and we are praying and trusting God for healing.

We sent a mother to Wau for an abruption of the placenta (the placenta breaks off the wall of uterus). They did a C-section and mother is fine but baby was born prematurely, please pray that he will live for our God is Jehova Rapha our healer, we treats but He heals.

Please pray that God will give our medical staffs the energy and strength to continue with the good work they are doing in Tonj.

“Thou shall not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that waisteth at noonday.” – Psalm 91:5-6

It was Friday night after dinner and our staffs were relaxing at the dinning after a long day of work. Suddenly they heard somebody screaming near the dinning and they all rushed outside to see what was happening. They found Margaret outside her room and she was astonished. There was a big snake outside her room about 3 feet long and thick.

Luckily Dennis and Pritty were able to capture and kill it. On the same day later in the clinic another snake was killed. It rained so hard and I think the snakes move to high ground. We thank God nobody had been bitten so far, we are also grateful because whenever there is a snake God alerts his people and the snakes get killed before attacking anyone.

Please pray for the safety of our staffs against snakes, scorpions and any other attack from the enemy. The enemy is always ready to attack but our God is our shield and our protector in the time of trouble.

Please pray for the safety of Albino who is on the way from Uganda, where he went to buy the materials for the construction of our new clinic. The truck takes at least 2 weeks from Uganda to Tonj, they are risks involved like theft and harassment from the boarders, please pray for Albino that he will arrive in Tonj safe and sound and also for the drivers God to give them wisdom and to direct their paths.

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:10

A newborn was brought to our clinic with neonatal tetanus and is in the ICU. We have an Intensive Care Unit actually is just a room in building next to the observation room. With the added nursing staff the patients are well cared for in the competent hands of our three nurse midwives.

Dennis and the team have been caring for a young child with pneumonia and meningitis. Who before arriving at our clinic had convulsed for over 7 hour. The convulsions were stopped with meds but after convulsing that long the child remained in a coma for 6 days. We are still trying to wipe out the meningitis but the child is awake and breast feeding. Please pray for this child and the newborn with neonatal tetanus.

Last night Annie diagnosed a woman with cord compression who had been trying to deliver for 2-3 days in the village. Annie immediately realized that a C-section was needed and began the transfer process. The mother and her in utero child were transfered to Wau by our ambulance being accompanied by Auxillia our nurse midwife.

Auxillia who was hearing a fetal heart beat insisted the woman be seen by the surgeon. She stayed and did the resucitation on the newborn and the parents were very happy with a healthy baby boy.The surgeon told her that we must have a good team at IDAT because our diagnoses are always right. A good team with God as the head .

When the ambulance pulled up to the hospital in Wau several of our patients came to see who was brought this time to wau. A lady with obstructed labor who had C-section with out come of a healthy mother and baby. A woman who almost bleed to death during village delivery who we transfered to Wau for a transfusion.

All these people were helped by quick diagnoses and transports to Wau. But we are greatful to God for the construction of our new clinic and many of these things will be done in here in our clinic.

Please pray that God meet with all the medical supplies needed in the clinic, and will provide all the materials needed for the completion of our new clinic.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” – John 10:10

It was Sunday afternoon after our church service when everbody was relaxing after working hard the whole week. Our nurses were over to the clinic attending to patients after being alerted that there was an emergency.

Suddenly we heard some gunshots which seemed to be coming from our clinic. Our visitors and everybody in the compound was terrified. We all went over there to see what was happening.

We found a 22 year old  woman  who had a severe bullet wound on her left foot after being shot by her husband after a domestic fight. After shooting her, the husband ran away and her relatives brought her to our clinic. Her husband’s relatives came to provoke a quarrel, and there was a high commotion between the two families. It was intense and when things got out of hand, our security guard Dut was forced to shoot some rounds in the air in order to scare the warring parties. We thank God everything was contained within a short period of time and nobody was hurt.

The patient was then rushed to Wau hospital with our ambulance. It is very difficult to work under this environment but we thank God for his blood is always on our side to protect us.

Please pray for these woman who is still in Wau Hospital undergoing treatment for healing, and for security for our medical staffs.

“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.” – 1 Peter 3:8

The Community Health Evangelism or CHE as it is popularly known had a 5 days workshop at In Deed And Truth ministry in Tonj. A team of three missionaries based in Uganda and one from Eritrea conducted the workshop. The learners were about 20 Sudanese pastors from Rumbek and Tonj.

CHE workshops are learner centred and this one was no exception. The learners fully participated in discussions  especially when they were divided into small groups of three or four people. The teacher would ask a question to the larger or smaller group that would start off a discussion or raise suggestions. He might also have a role play acted by three or four people or show a picture. By asking particular questions he made the learners come up with solutions to the problems at hand.

The pastors were enlightened on how to think of local solutions to their local problems. This requires one to think of ‘development’ rather than ‘relief’, prevention rather than cure. Diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid, cholera, malaria, malnutrition and others were ranked in occurrence and participants debated their causes, how they could be prevented, etc. It was pointed out that malaria was caused by mosquitoes only and not by eating mangoes or ‘bad food’ as some suggested.

Lapse and reocurrence of diseases in our bodies was likened to the way we sin then for a time think we have conquered it only for us to sin again. A lot more was taught and participants were finally urged to start seed projects in their villages.

Tonight at our prayer nite around the camp fire a snake happened to wander through the group and was spotted by Dennis and Pritty. They in no time cut it in half with a shovel . We were having troubles listening to the prayer while this was going on. You do not want to be a snake on this compound. There is zero tolerance for snakes.

We have quite a few sick little ones admitted  but thank God they appear to be doing well. A infant 5 days old was rushed into my room  today  having troubles breathing it was on it’s last gasps. I got my tube out sucked out it’s airway and beat it a bit and she started breathing better. A shot of ceftriaxone then we placed  her on oxygen and prayed. She made it to the 2nd shot of Ceftriaxone  tonight and is breathing and breast feeding well (a thut putt). PTL.

Sunday after church we had a woman with a gun shot wound to the lower leg. Small wound in but then the bullet hit bone and bone and bullet coming out making a terrible exit wound and the leg will need to be amputated. It was a sad domestic quarrel. Love, Tom

Dave Mueller is welding and his son Forest working with Hydro-form bricks, the new Clinic

We had the privilege to host Dave and Forest Mueller in March/April for 3 weeks, they have come out to help us with the Clinic building, David have blessed us with welding windows and doors frames and most importantly building the wall for the clinic which we are using special type of brick that interlock Hydroform, half of the building wall is finish.

Dave has build a hospital in a South Sudan in the past and here he was sharing his expertise with us, though it’s difficult with the heat and the process of starting things from scratch and doing things manually what a blessing to see his heart to help and put his best for the Clinic to be the best and strong building standing around.

Many people are blessed to see a father son and the heart they have for the kingdom and mission, for them it was more than building walls, they were building living stone, Dave shared some messages in our daily devotion and in our Sunday service, what a blessing that was specially for our staff.

The crew that was helping Dave and Forest were young men, the beauty of having them working with experience people like Dave Mueller is they are learning some skill, and picking trade like to be precise or diligent in what you do and not cutting corners, I was very grateful to see that what they were picking up. They are far from perfect but in this part of the world they are closer to perfection more than ever.

Much gratitude for the Mueller’s (specially for Joy Mueller for arranging and putting the trip together) and the great time we had with them and looking forward more opportunities to work with them in the near future.