Mushroom Hunting Anyone?!....

“What good is it, brothers and sisters, if a person claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed.’ But does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2: 14-17 Although it is fall in the US, it is hot and rainy on many days here in South Sudan. Some are finding oyster mushrooms in the village markets – very large ones, and it reminds me of the spring of 2011, when I last “looked for mushrooms!” It was early April. There was a warm wind and spring rains had moistened the earth again that morning. It reminded me of the special times I enjoyed hunting morel mushrooms with my dad many years before. In Kentucky I learned they were known as “dry land fish” or “hickory chickens!” I set out for a good afternoon walk. On my way I met someone returning from mushroom hunting – I began to wonder if the forested area along the path might hold a “mess” of mushrooms for supper for me as well? But soon I realized a brisk fitness walk would not result in any mushrooms. To be successful at this task, I had to slow down and clear away the brush around the base of the trees to see anything of value! Of course, it was a bit risky as thorny vines and muddy ground caught my clothes and open arms. The scripture from James came to mind as I picked up my pace again, with no mushrooms in hand. Trying to hunt mushrooms on a walk was like our efforts as Christians to love someone “on the run.” “What good is it?” To love one of God’s children like Jesus did involves slowing down – taking time – sometimes clearing away the debris and barriers to reach the heart of the person buried inside. Sometimes we must get our feet a little dirty or take a risk in the midst of the thorns. God calls us to love one another – whatever season it is! I know it is difficult anywhere we find ourselves. In our fast-paced world, investing time and energy is a very real challenge. Here in South Sudan, I realize that cross-cultural relationships force me to grow even more sensitive to the real heart of the person. It is hard to know what lies deep within a person who has suffered years of war; seasons of grief when loves ones have died or abandoned them; disappointments have filled their days; or hunger for food and even a spark of hope pervade every hour of the day. We are thankful to have many opportunities to see the physical needs here. Yes, it is easy to see when someone needs clothes or food. Yet, Jesus calls us to a different type of action as well – to slow down, to seek the heart of a person, and to share the love of Jesus. Jesus offers each one of us food that will never spoil and HOPE that will never disappoint us! Bless you as you reach out today!

Our children are the future!

Every week we hear these words from women and men here in South Sudan! We can certainly identify with this sentiment - so often we look to the next generation to find ways and inspiration to help make this world a better place in which to live - whether we live in the USA or in Africa, or any place we are planted! Since our last post, we have shared the joy of doing health screenings on nearly 130 children in a local children's home! I realize what joy I feel when I see a healthy child's face, and what a privilege it has been to work in healthcare with children around the world over these past 30 years! An 18 month old boy was taken to this same home just 6 weeks ago - very malnourished and sick, since his mother had died when he was only 2 months old. He was unable to sit on his own. But, with the love and care of many adults and other children in the children's home, he is now a smiling child with the strength to sit and will soon walk! James 1:27 says: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." We are seeing the fruits of pure hearts who care for others in this way - but what a challenge to us all! A few weeks ago I wrote about "Trainings" and their importance in this country. We have just completed 5 trainings with Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) where we taught them a new skill - to use simple bulb syringes to suction the mouths and nostrils of newborns with problems breathing after delivery. This week we heard the testimony of one of these TBAs - she helped a mother on Tuesday, where the baby came out very flat and not breathing. After suctioning and stimulating the baby, the infant started breathing and crying! Praise God for opportunities to empower these very special TBAs who assist women in their communities to bring each

precious child into this world in a safe way. HOPE FOR THE FUTURE!

DEATH to LIFE

September 2012...... DEATH TO LIFE Statistics in South Sudan indicate that 1 in 7 women die due to complications of labor and delivery AND 1 in 4 children die from common, often preventable,diseases before the age of 5. STARTLING STATISTICS! Many of us cannot comprehend what that means for a family and for a community as their lives are impacted by death nearly every week. We are beginning to understand a little better what these statistics means by experiencing with our South Sudanese colleagues and friends the fine balance and fragility of life in this setting. In the last 3 months one of our MCHW/TBAs (maternal child health worker/traditional birth attendant)lost an 18 month old daughter, probably to malaria, and just 2 weeks ago, one of our co-workers lost his 3 month old son, probably to pneumonia. No matter where or how hard we worked as doctors, we would not have been able to prevent these deaths and this grief. Many of our colleagues have experienced deaths by suicide among their extended family members in the last year. Grief, trauma, tears.... The words from Psalm 116 spoke to me this week: "I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: 'O Lord, save me!' The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you." (vs. 1-7) We are seeing the Lord's grace and compassion at work here, through the people who care and love on those who have experienced such grief and pain. We, the church of Jesus Christ, are to be present in this world, where death is common and life is not easy. It is not comfortable for us - but it is possible, with God's strength and spirit. I recently read the following words from Betsie ten Boom (sister to Corrie ten Boom, author and survivor of Nazi Germany) that touched me - I hope it touches you too: "The most important part of our task will be to tell everyone who will listen that Jesus is the only answer to the problems that are disturbing the hearts of men (and women)and nations. We shall have the right to speak because we can tell from our experience that his light is more powerful than the deepest darkness...How wonderful that the reality of his presence is greater than the reality of the hell about us."

Training...

TRAINING..... This word implies many different things to many different people. But in South Sudan, the word "training" means a lot to the average person in the village. Because of the lack of formal education for the far majority of people, one of outcomes since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 and independence in 2011 is the demand for and organization of many schools in the country - from nursery schools to primary schools to secondary schools to vocational schools and colleges and universities! Most parents still struggle to raise school fees for their children, but people of ALL AGES are eager to attend school and any training available. In our first 3 months here in Yei, we have attended and assisted with trainings in "Farming God's Way," as well as meetings with TBAs (traditional birth attendants) and pastors. What a blessing for us to experience the enthusiasm for learning and the joy of sharing that knowledge with others! We should never take the blessing of public education in our country for granted. The picture shows Lynn involved in a training in Kisangani UMC - first with TBAs and also with the congregation. Preparing for these trainings involves hours of planning and creative thinking and simple resources but also patience and listening as conversations are translated into several different languages at times. But the joy of an idea understand and the relief and satisfaction experienced at the end of the session is considerable. Yes, we are glad to be involved in this ministry of health education in South Sudan. God is opening our hearts and minds to the great need and helping us start each day with energy and enthusiasm to use the gifts and knowledge we have been blessed with in our lifetimes!

Moving Forward!

25 June 2012 We have now been in Yei for nearly 4 months and we beginning to see signs of progress! First off - we are in the process of visiting with the Safe Birth Committees of all the 18 United Methodist Churches in the District of South Sudan. Our efforts with Juba Arabic make those visits more personal and more fun for us...and for the church members and TBAs (traditional birth attendants) we are helping to train. Names and faces are becoming more familiar and relationships are beginning to deepen. We thank God for this progress! Secondly, our little house on the UMCOR compound is nearly finished - YEH! It will be good to settle into a place and hide the suitcases at last! We are grateful for Stephen, the contractor, who motivates his team of builders and is on schedule with the work. Praise God! Thirdly, the 2012 Toyota Hilux 4 WD Double-Cab pick-up arrived 3 days ago and just awaits the final paperwork to allow us to use it in the health ministry here! We also learned this past week that we are a finalist for a funding grant called Saving Lives at Birth! Should we get the 2 year seed grant, this vehicle will make a major difference in allowing us to reach more villages in a month. Thank you Kentucky Annual Conference of the UMC! Every journey has its ups and downs! We are feeling amazed at how God has moved us along so quickly in the work of community health education and prevention! Thanks to all who support us here - we truly could not do it without YOU! :-)

Rain!

Rain....our experience of rains in the US may be very different, depending upon your home area. I remember hard thunderstorms in Iowa; gentle spring rains; and summer showers, which cooled us off for a few minutes. Winter rains often meant sleet or freezing on the roads. Wherever we live, rain means life and growth in the fields - often bringing more GREEN and colorful flowers to the landscape! Sometimes rain brings heavy flooding and problems. It can be a blessing but also a problem! Well, here in South Sudan, the rains have been different from our experience in Kenya. The rains tend to come during the daytime hours and often blow in with strong winds, thunder and lightning! A few days we have seen the clouds hang low and produce rain for hours. Such was the rain of last Wednesday! We left Yei with clouds and could tell the rains would come as we traveled 11 miles out of town to Ligitolo! (it only took us 45 minutes to travel those 11 miles!) When walking is the primary means of transportation for people and many activities (like cooking)are enjoyed outside, heavy rain is more than inconvenient....it can be "event-changing!" The rain started soon after our arrival before 10 a.m. and only 4 people had gathered, and they were there for a different training. We moved into an unfinished church building to stay drier, and people slowly arrived over the next 3 hours as the heavy rain continued. Some conversations were possible with individuals - YET THE TRAINING COULD NOT START AS THE SOUND OF THE RAIN ON THE METAL ROOF WAS SO LOUD THAT LITTLE ELSE COULD BE HEARD! We Americans were obviously more bothered by the disturbance to our schedule. The church building was filled with chatter; people welcomed each newcomer; and some leaned against the wall and rested. Finally, about 1:30 pm, the meeting started, with 10 women from 3 different churches (plus others who were still waiting for their trainers to arrive!). The schedule for the day's training of TBAs (traditional birth attendants) was re-adjusted and the meeting proceeded well. Tea and rice was shared with everyone; UMCOR birth kits were distributed; singing and dancing warmed us up!; and everyone considered it a wonderful day! Of course, the road was full of mud and puddles as we tried to help participants avoid such long walks on their ways back home. Most still had 3-4 miles to walk back home, even with the lift. The day ended later than we expected. But, all in all, the blessing was ours!

Welcome!

WELCOME! So often we say these words without really thinking about them. And our attitude might not be so "welcoming," even if we say the words. Well, in much of Africa, welcoming visitors is truly amazing! Take this past Wednesday, for instance! Here in South Sudan,the UMC vehicle got stuck on a really bad road on Tuesday evening, and the vehicle was very noisy on the trip back to Yei after finally getting out of the mud! So our scheduled leaving time of 8 am was delayed on Wednesday morning as the mechanics checked the vehicle over. Thankfully it was just a jammed bolt on the bearing (or at least that is how I understood it). So, we were on the road in just 3 hours (pretty amazing on a public holiday), headed to a small village called Gwiria, where there is one of the United Methodist Churches. We were speaking at a Regional Training for TBAs (traditional birth attendants). We wondered if anyone would be there as the trip takes nearly 2 hours to complete during the rains! Yet - as we drove onto the church grounds, there were 50+ children and adults singing and dancing to welcome us to their church! Many handshakes and smiles met us as we climbed out of the vehicle. Children clamored to grab our hands as they danced and sang praises to God. They had stayed 3 extra hours just to welcome us - they should have left for home hours before. The training went well, with great discussion about ways to teach community women what they needed to do to have safer pregnancies and deliveries, as well as ways to avoid problems with their newborn babies. UMCOR birth kits were handed out to many of the trained TBAs and all were satisfied after taking tea, rice, cassava posho, and beans with cabbage. We all left for home full with food, fellowship, and more education. Although I have enjoyed this kind of welcome before - I thank God for teaching me over and over again how important it is to make visitors feel TRULY WELCOME, just as our new friends in Gwiria made us feel this week!

Sunday Service at Kelego UMC

15 April 2012 Today we went to church at Kelego. It is one of the newest United Methodist Churches of the district of South Sudan. It was the first visit there for a worship service for District Superintendent, Rev. Fred Dearing, and for me. The church in this village has just been meeting there on Sundays since the beginning of the year. What an amazing experience to see the church – coming to meet regularly under this mango tree. There were a few white plastic chairs for the visitors to sit on, and a very small table in front of them – draped with a white cloth. There was no building, no pews, no floor, and no air conditioning! Several thin, but trimmed, tree branches were lined up in rows on the ground near the chairs, where about 25 small children sat together. 50-60 adults either sat on a log, on blankets, or just on the dusty, hard ground. Yet, with the shade of this massive tree, the soothing presence of Jesus was present with His beloved family – amidst the heat of the African mid-day sun. During our 2-3 hour stay at Kelego UMC, we saw and heard many amazing things. Deeply sincere prayers were offered and all the people prayed out loud together in their own mother-tongue. Several rousing African hymns were sung to drum beats and clapping. The Word of God was preached. An offering was taken. Testimonies were given by two men about how God had convicted them of and, then freed them from, alcohol and its destruction of their family life. One man experienced this just that very week, and he came with his wife and child, along with another villager to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. They were baptized with water from the village borehole, and the church danced (yes, danced!) with joy at their new-found life. Also, about twenty sick people came forward for prayer for healing. They were prayed for individually by Rev. Dearing, Pastor Sebit, and me. There were older people with pains and aches, a new mother with a breast infection, babies sick with fever, and a 10-year old boy named Agele with an extremely severe eye infection – that had not been treated for several months. It appeared that the eye had been completely destroyed and infection was spreading under the skin to the other eye. We prayed, and we advised on their medical care – especially on what steps must be taken for Agele to be helped. We heard the pleas of the pastor and the village chief – for a school for their children. Right now, the closet school is 5 miles away. Even the youngest ones would have to walk 10 miles each day in severe heat or rain to get even the most basic education. (There are actually a couple of hundred school-aged children in that village area.) We were shown the site where they want to build a church someday, and we were shown the humble beginnings of what they want to become a basic school – several roughly cut, large tree limbs stuck in the ground and joined together by other limbs. The hope is that it can be developed into a thatched-roof structure where the school and the church can meet – at least protected from the rains. The need for education, for help with agriculture, for income-generating projects, and for even the most basic medical advice and disease-prevention teaching was starkly evident. But the first steps had been taken. The people had come forward in faith and hope that Jesus, who had brought them together as a church under a tree, would begin to help meet these other needs. Rev. Dearing reminded them that it would take time and hard work. But God and the church would stand by them and help them to improve their lives. The church service was closed with prayer. The church fed us with rice and tea. Blessings and good-byes were exchanged. The hour-long, bumpy ride back home gave me much time to mull over in my heart and mind – what God can do and will do in His church – which meets under a mango tree.

25 April 2012 Rain, Mangoes, New Life…… Much of the last few weeks we have been involved in learning about effective ways to facilitate discussions and teach health topics within this new culture, with many local languages. Translators are so important to allow good communication. We have learned from pastors, church chairladies, TBAs (traditional birth attendants), and staff working with the team of missionaries. We are especially grateful for Rachael who is helping us learn Juba Arabic. God has blessed us with good rains intermittently over the last 2 weeks – now green spear grass and ripe, yellow mangoes are seen everywhere! Children (and grown-ups!) are seen up in the trees or under the trees with long poles to coax the mangoes to fall more quickly. This sweet fruit is enjoyed by all! We received a wonderful gift from the Kentucky Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church for a portable ultrasound machine and a 4 WD vehicle just before we left the US. We used the ultrasound the first time this past week to confirm twins on Stella, the wife of Justus, the UMC driver. Please pray for them and their twins as the pregnancy continues – she is due to deliver on July 4th, the same day our granddaughter was born in 2011! We have also been able to order a 2012 Toyota Double Cab pick-up with lockable cover this past week. It may take several months to arrive (Dubai to Mombasa to Yei), but the additional vehicle for the work here will be invaluable! Thank you, friends in Kentucky! Every Sunday we travel to a different church. We’ve seen a young woman recommit her life to Christ; enjoyed lively singing and dancing; and heard the Word preached in Kakwa, Bari, Arabi, and English! We were blessed to be at an opening for a “permanent church building” in Gwiria. This past Sunday Lynn went to Kelego, a new UMC about 15 miles out on the Maridi Road. Worship was held under a tree as they have no church building yet – but the Holy Spirit was present as a man who had been an alcoholic stepped forward and repented of his sins and accepted the Lord Jesus as his Savior. He and his whole family were baptized at the end of the service! At the end of each time of service, many people, young and old, come forward for individual prayers for healing. We are humbled to be involved with the faithful believers here! Unrest continues in the eastern part of South Sudan as well as along the northern border with Sudan. Please join us in praying for peaceful negotiations and end to violence. Seli le salaam! (Pray for peace!) Shukran ashan salawaat bitakum! (Thank you for your prayers!) Sharon and Lynn

Water!! Precious water!

Blog – 30 March 2012 WATER!! – precious water! We in the USA often forget how essential water is to life! But here in South Sudan, with delayed rains, we see signs of the importance of water all around us. The land is dry and dusty - feet are dirty after even a short walk; lines of yellow plastic containers await filling at every borehole scattered around the town and in the villages; women and children chatting in those lines and then gratefully carrying the water-filled containers on their heads to their homes. Thankfully our borehole pump is only 40 feet away from our room – but we are learning how to conserve this life-giving resource. (No, I haven’t tried lifting the container up on my head!) I read these verses from Isaiah 44: 3 with new eyes today: “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground. I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.” We have been in South Sudan nearly a month now and must renew our VISA soon. We are grateful to have found a wonderful language helper, Rachael, who is a teacher at the nearby Yei Teacher’s Training College. Our efforts to speak Arabic are met with smiles, laughter, and kindness – we continue on!  We have enjoyed several visits to churches and are pleased to be welcomed into God’s family here. Most of our time the last 2 weeks has been spent working with Diantha and Steve Hodges, writing a grant for Saving Lives at Birth, offered by a group of donors interested in supporting projects which will help to reduce the number of deaths of pregnant women and newborns. We feel the “Safe Birth Committees” within churches here are a great network for reaching out to all women and families in the rural communities and believe this can be the means by which additional health training can lead to improved pregnancy care and safer births. The grant is to be submitted this weekend! We request your prayers regarding this serious health need and the grant. We visited an orphanage called Iris Ministries on the outskirts of Yei recently – there has been a request for health screenings of roughly 120 children and a planned session for older teens on STDs soon. This should be interesting! We have identified a need for school health screenings in church nursery and primary schools as well and believe it will be a great place to start identifying significant community health needs. We are also looking ahead to applying for a grant from “Imagine No Malaria” with UMCOR over the coming months. Thanks for your prayers! Rabuna kali barigu ita! (God bless you!)

First Impressions

12 March 2012 We arrived in Yei, South Sudan one week ago – after safe flights to Uganda and 12 hours of road travel through Arua (comfortable hotel called White Castle) into South Sudan. Interesting that near Oraba on the border, Uganda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are a stone’s throw away in places! The terrain, roads, heat and dust reminded me of our visits to game park in Kenya. But, all in all, it is good to be in the place we have been speaking about and praying over these past many months! First impressions………friendly, hard-working people walking everywhere; curious children with big eyes and eventual smiles, yelling “How are you?” More vehicles and Boda Boda (motorcycles) along the streets than 18 months ago on our visit. Abundant fruits, grains, vegetables in the market – most still imported from Uganda at this time. Mango-laden trees nearly ready as the rains approach (2 good showers so far!); roosters crowing long before the sun rises; cooler mornings and gorgeous skies at night, a relief from the afternoon oppressive temperatures; guinea fowl pecking at the ground in front of our room in the morning – goats wandering all around throughout the day, seeking green grass in the dusty ground. Currently we are renting a room at the Yei Vocational Training Center (YVTC) about a 25 - 30 minute walk from the Captain’s House and UMCOR compound where we will eventually build a small house. We are thankful to say we are no longer “living out of a suitcase!” We have electricity from 7 am to midnight each day and a water pump (borehole) just 30 feet away for fetching water. The deep pit latrine with a raised seat is luxury compared to the squat latrines found in most places. If we didn’t have to “step outside” to use the latrine before bedtime, the peaceful, moonlit sky would have been missed! Learning to cook again without refrigeration is coming along and the gas burner is nice as compared to the kerosene burners and charcoal jiiko we used in our early days in Kenya! And our conditions are so much better than most of the families living around us here in Yei and in the villages where we will work. Today we have relaxed after a busy week of getting oriented to the town and market, traveling out to 2 village churches, and participating in a 3-day training for the United Methodist Health Board just formed here in South Sudan. We will tour the government hospital on Wednesday and visit several other sites in the coming week, with the prayer that God will clarify for us how we will join the team of dedicated people serving in this place. Hopefully we will begin to work with a “language helper” soon to help us move along in speaking Arabi Juba, a trade language that is aiding communication between people with 160 tribal languages! We recognize God’s faithfulness over these last few months especially and THANK YOU for your prayers – past, present, and future! In the board training we were inspired by Nelson Mandela’s Eight Lessons on Leadership. The impact of these lessons was remarkable for our South Sudanese colleagues! One final quote from this wise leader touched me – “After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.” With God’s help, we are climbing on! 