Thirsty

Can you remember a time that you were desperately thirsty? How did you get something to quench your thirst? That first sip must have been so refreshing!

I ran out of water while climbing to the top of Mt Baker, a volcanic peak in Northern Washington. The joy of standing on the spectacular summit was overshadowed with fear; a day of descending ahead loomed without relief for burning thirst. Worse still, the tiny stove brought along for the purpose of melting snow had broken on the ascent. Nevertheless, I shoved snow into water bottles and held them inside my coat during the long hike down the mountain. There was a muffled gurgle of springs flowing deep beneath the glacier where I walked; torrents of fresh snow melt, so close and yet so unattainable. It taunted my dry tongue; the ice in the bottles melted at an infuriatingly slow rate. When I was finally able to gulp some fluid from the water bottle, a bitter sulfuric sludge assaulted my throat. Never was I more aware of my body’s fragile dependence on the molecule I consume with such thoughtlessness.

Everybody requires water to survive, and yet, according to the World Health Organization, 2 Billion people globally have access only to water contaminated with feces. In places like Niger, one in seven children are killed by waterborne illnesses. Approximately 485,000 people die each year from drinking contaminated water. While women and children collect the water from the nearest source, they are susceptible to injury as they retrieve 40-110 pounds for the needs of the family each day. In Sub-Saharan Africa, people spend an average of 4.5 hours each week simply collecting the water. This is time that children are not receiving an education, that mothers are unable to attend to their children, but are vulnerable to attacks and abuse.

Once they get the water back to their living area, the water needs to be purified. However, purification is expensive for people who live on less than $5 USD/week. Fuel is needed to boil the water. Some sort of pan that can resist the heat and hold the water is needed. These are expensive. I remember when I lived in Sudan, it was so interesting to see the process of how charcoal was created. A huge pit was dug, then filled with precious cuts of wood that had painstakingly been collected. The wood was set in an inverted-cone-shape and a fire was set inside. The blaze would slowly consume the wood for days until the logs had become a beautiful ebony; the perfect fuel for cooking. This process takes time, and in war-torn areas, people don’t like to start fires because it draws attention to themselves.

When the fuel and/or containers necessary for water purification are unavailable, can you fault thirsty people for drinking the putrid water?

The good news is that there is hope. We are not mortal beings that live a brief, meaningless life. We are God’s precious creation. Each person is cherished, special and known by God. We can know Him as well! Jesus, God’s Son, said, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life,” (John 4:13-14, Bible Gateway). Jesus offers life, purpose, and forgiveness for everybody who believes in Him.

After descending glaciers on Mt Baker and navigating miles of forest back to the vehicle, no water had more depth of delicious flavor than the water I drank from a gallon jug in the back of a jeep.  I want all people to have easy access to clean water like I do.

Please consider partnering with me as I raise money with World Vision to help bring clean water to those who have none. I'm training for a half-marathon run on June 7; the team hopes to raise money to help alleviate the water crisis by supplying wells. I’ll write more in the coming weeks regarding my experiences in Sudan and how clean water can pave the way for health, education, employment and, most importantly, receiving the Living Water found in Jesus.

Included below is a link to the World Vision site if you wish to partner with me for clean water.

https://www.teamworldvision.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donate.participant&participantID=214582

Resources:

WHO: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drinking-water;

Wells Bring Hope: https://wellsbringhope.org/the-need/;

Quartz: https://qz.com/1033799/women-still-carry-most-of-the-worlds-water/;

World Vision: https://www.teamworldvision.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=1191

Bible Gateway: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+4&version=ESV

2012 in Review

Eye See

When darkness shrouds the mortal world

And sun retreats to solitude,

Sleepless eyes are curtained o'er

To regard the stage of mind's mood.

Enigma repressed by logic's light

Comes boldly forth to play.

The stage is set, the actors present

Each their will to portray.

Dissonant songs and confused dance

The Director observes with dismay.

Mouth rambles; Feet wander, stumble.

In the dark, eye search unfulfilled.

From scarred palm the Script

Is proffered to the disorderly guild.

To know the lines, you first must read.

Turn on the spotlight and see

My story unfold when you act on Truth,

And surrender and Follow Me.

As players cease their clumsy parts,

The fog withdraws from center stage;

Cacophonous will to beautiful peace

Where eye, illuminated, learns each page.

Tentatively, hand draws bow across string.

Each heart beat surges, elated

As the orchestra swells and ballet swirls

Stomach's hunger is finally sated.

Act concludes, the audience applauds

The Master's composition.

And here eye stares as the curtain flutters

Stage left or right to take?

Direction learned from the script

Eye will choose in decisions to make.

Mountaineering Memoirs

I kicked my crampons into the steep slope and clung to the embedded ice axe. Leaning forward to catch my breath, my heart thudded in my ears. I chanced a disheartening glance upwards and wondered if Mt Baker continued indefinitely higher; its crown the very floor of heaven. I wondered at the seeming boundless energy that I had enjoyed just twenty-four hours earlier. Fearfully, I wondered if there was any strength left to place another step toward the elusive summit.

It was about 2:30 AM that Saturday morning in June when the five of us hefted our packs and set out at the Heliotrope Ridge trail-head. Tiny snow flakes swirled sparkling in the beams of our headlamps as we started through the forest. Just one hundred yards into the trek, however, we came to an impasse. Deep snow banks engulfed the trail; we were supposed to cross a bridge but could not even see the river. GPS was consulted and we decided to hike up the snow-covered river. An hour later, we reached the avalanche chute: a steep climb that brought us out of the valley and onto the mountain.

Heavy fog set in as the sun rose and we were shrouded in a world of white. There was no mountain, no up or down, cliffs or crags. All was indistinct and measureless in the frozen mist. We hiked solely by the direction of the compass and GPS, discouraged that the river valley led us onto the mountain so far from the intended path. Despite the set-back, the experience was exciting to me as I anticipated the reward at the end of our efforts. Meanwhile, I got to dig out my first-aid kit and pad a few blistered feet while we were resting on a ridge. And the duct tape came in handy in patching a glove.

We spent the morning navigating our way through white nothingness to where the GPS indicated Coleman Glacier to be. We roped up and hiked past the crevasse-risk area. By 2 PM, my legs were burning, eyelids heavy. To the team's relief and delight, the veil of mist lifted to reveal Mt Baker's craggy face. We set up camp at the 7500' level; we could see teams, like ants, busily setting up their tents on the glacier below. The sunshine and vistas were immensely rewarding as we rested and rehydrated.

I slept for a few hours in the tent, then woke with Bethany and Katie in time to enjoy the last of the sun's warm golden light as it sunk into a frosty horizon.

Michael and Daniel gave the 1 AM wake-up call. All I recall was feeling acutely cold. My toes were numb, and to my chagrin, the inner liners of my boots were frozen, despite spending the night in my sleeping bag. Everything outside was covered with a new frosting of snow; it was beautiful, but the cold made my fingers cumbersome when lacing up boots and tying on crampons. We roped up and started hiking toward the infamous Roman Wall.

The sunrise was slow and spectacular above the fading lights of Bellingham. I enjoyed the steady rhythm of our ascent, the grippy feel of the crampons as they bit into icy slope with each step. Inhaling the clear crisp air, I enjoyed the silence of the morning. In the darkness, it felt like it was just me and God, and in that moment I loved the challenge and beauty His creation presented.

We periodically stopped for breaks, but inside I just wanted to press on, to get to the top. "This is do-able. The summit is so close," I thought.

My adrenaline suddenly wore off mid-way through the final push. The last 900' elevation gain was at a steep climb, and suddenly I wished that I had taken better advantage of our breaks. Crevasse-footed cliffs angled off on either side of our narrowing trail. The scent of sulfur saturated the air and reminded me that I was ascending an active volcano. As the morning sun climbed in the sky, the snow became more soft. Each step took focus to maintain traction with the mountain.

It was at this point, at the end of myself, that I recognized my utter insufficiency. Asking Jesus for help, I appreciated comparisons between the Christian life and ascending a mountain. Placing one foot in front of the other, I considered what God would have me learn.

1. The first lesson I felt acutely: Enjoy the opportunity to rest when God gives it. I had been feeling a bit guilty about the ease of my American life in contrast with how it had been in Sudan. But that was wrong. God gives seasons of life and its important to take the time to regenerate spiritually and physically. Best of all, God wants us to cease striving and simply enjoy fellowship with Him; "Be still and know that I am God," (Psalm 46:10); "He restores my soul," Psalm 23:3.
2. Just as Paul alluded to running a race, life is spent on the uphill journey. He warns Christians to "lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus..." (Hebrews 12: 1-2). I thought how easily my Droid and my agenda distract my focus from godliness. Thinking about the mountain climb, I was glad to leave behind camping supplies for the final ascent; how much easier it was to have less to carry that day. Likewise, God wants me to hike this life un-encumbered by sin.
3. Thirdly, the GPS was essential to the success of our ascent. Despite our eyes playing tricks on us in the white mist, the GPS knew our coordinates, the compass kept our direction. Likewise, I need to trust God for my direction, not how I feel about something. Proverbs 28:26 states, "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered." Also, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths," (Proverbs 3:5-6).
4. Like gearing up for a climb, its also important to count the cost of following Jesus, and to prepare accordingly. I was reminded of the armor of God described in Ephesians 6, and to "be strong in the Lord."

At about this point in my reflections we crested the summit. After chugging down all the water that I could get, it felt great just to soak in the spectacular panorama that surrounded Mt Baker and marvel at God's dangerously beautiful creation.

Taste and See

Thanksgiving is a time to worship Jesus and reflect on His provision. And on this American holiday week, and consequently my last full day in Doro, I can think of no better time to thank God for the joy of life in Him. I have never experienced His love and provision like I have today!

This was my last call-day at the Doro PHCC. Nurse Sheila and I worked with the CHWs and saw approximately forty patients by lunch time. Just as I was sitting down to eat lunch at the SIM compound, I was called to the clinic to help with multiple emergencies. A boy fell from a tree and needed sutures for a badly lacerated arm. Two others had difficult diagnoses. And then there was the mother brought in by the traditional birth attendant with complications. I assessed the mom and determined that the baby was too high for the length of time that she was contracting and seemed improperly positioned. I called Dr Mike to assess. He determined that baby was face-presenting, which is undeliverable.

Praise God, a pilot and his family are stationed here in Doro for a few weeks. Dr Mike and I accompanied the laboring mom on a flight to the Samaritan's Purse hospital in Kirmuk. The flight was about a half-hour in duration and quite turbulent in the mid-afternoon heat. The young mom gripped my hand the entire flight. She sang softly in Mabaan about the pain to ease her anxiety and waited stoically through each unprofitable contraction. I can only imagine how frightened she must have been; she was in pain for several days while trying to deliver her eighth baby, and now she found herself in a unfamiliar vehicle lurching in the air.

Upon arrival at the Samaritan's Purse hospital, the patient was immediately prepped for c-section. The surgeon agreed to allow me and Dr Mike observe the operation. The mother sat patiently through epidural placement and showed no emotion during the surgery. A few minutes later, a new life was pulled from his mother. His face was swollen and he needed some forceful encouragement to breathe, but the baby's 5-minute APGAR was good.

How exciting to witness new life because of God's provision! If the plane had not been available, the mother would have had to travel to the closest surgical hospital: 6 hours by car! The baby was already having difficulty; how wonderful to see how God cares and provides for His people!

Friends and family from the mother's village crowded at the Doro airstrip and awaited news about the delivery. What a joy to share the outcome and praise Jesus for the safe arrival of a new life!

"The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed in the man who trusts in Him!" Psalm 34:7-8

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+34+&version=NKJV&src=embed

Sunset is Dawn

I am captivated by the sky. Out here in the bush of South Sudan, the terrain is flat and the heavens are vast, framed by exotic palms and acacia trees. It is a canvas upon which a masterpiece ever bleeds color. The Artist, delighting in beauty, utilizes every hue in the palate. Tiny fluffy clouds capture the pinks of sunrise; they hold the light, cherishing the color and gradually allow a few rays to spill into the new day. Sunset is equally spectacular. Just when I think that the picture is perfect, just when I want the earth to stop spinning so I can appreciate the magenta playing upon a humid horizon, a new hue blends seamlessly into the masterpiece. And when the veil of light is drawn back, I see multitudes of winking stars; the constellations hint about their ancient stories.

Each moment I wish to hold, to appreciate its beauty, to soak in as much as possible. But if nothing changed, I would never know a sunset and others would never know dawn.

I'm now in my final week here in Doro and every day is a "last" experience; last day on-call at the clinic, last time to fellowship with Mabaan believers, last day visiting friends in the village, last kids' club. I am so thankful for the experiences here; they have taught me my need for Jesus and have made the Word of God come alive. My heart has been enlivened through the joys, trials, and relationships with a depth that I did not anticipate.

And now at the end of my day here in Doro, the shadows of the unknown obscure my vision. Immediately after returning to the US, I will apply for a job and to school. My sister is getting married; I will be living in a new state for me. So many changes; I want to cling to the peace of this moment. To relish the beauty of Mabaan friendships and my place in God's plan. I want to stick here in the picture where He has placed me, where I am a puzzle piece that has found its home.

But my eyes adjust to the night. I shift my vision from the shadowy trail before me to the canopy of stars overhead. And when I look up, I see Orion. The "Hunter" or "Heavenly Shepherd" is always there, night after night. If I was always looking into the shadows trying in vain to discern the unknown, I would miss the big picture, the beauty overhead. And the Beauty that I must rely on in the uncertain future is the constancy of my loving Shepherd, Jesus Christ. The stars in my night are the family and friendships that He has provided.

Just as each rising and setting of the sun paints a unique picture, so do the events of each day. I cannot know what a day may bring forth (Prov. 27:1), but I am secure in the Truth, that "he who began a good work in [me] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus," Philippians 1:6. I sense His love for me in the simple beauty of creation (Psalm 91); His Word is the Lamp for my feet (Psalm 119:105). I will delight in His light wherever He leads me under the Sun.

Doro Day in Pictures

Monday, November 8

6:45-7:45 AM Sunrise, Devotions, Breakfast

8:00 AM Devotions at the clinic with Pastor Bulus and CHWs (Community Health Workers)

Pastor Bulus shares from the Bible and prays for the patients

Prayer

Bulus registers patients after they are triaged; here he is finding a patient's chart from her previous registration card (in three years, we have seen over 19,000 people)

Waiting to be seen

CHW Stephanos holds Baby Dr Rob

Sabine, the mother of baby "Dr Rob"

Tita's sutures removed

my friend Tita

Brothers enjoying a Cars book while waiting for mom

sweet smile

CHW Benjamin's assesses a child

CHW Benjamin notes the sick person's complaints, his assessment, the diagnosis and treatment

I just fitted this man with glasses... his daughter is getting used to the new look

Stopping to pose while consulting Sheila

11:00 AM Chai break! CHWs Michael and Peter are ready for a rest

Follow-up visit. This young lady was carried in with cerebral malaria last week

Dorinda (midwife from Australia) and Sheila (pediatric nurse from US) label medications

Bitten by a dog but still smiling

Brother peeks through the window to make sure sis is ok

Dorinda with some of the CHWs

Baby was struggling to breathe this morning; he received antibiotic injections and by the afternoon, mom was happy to take her recovering boy home.

3:00 PM Walking home from clinic. Here comes the truck from town. Sandy was at an NGO mtg

3:30 PM Hour in the hammock with inspirational reading

Laundry

Nurse Vicki and one of her mousers

Sheila and Karissa lighting gikos (charcoal burner) for dinner preparation

5:15 PM Sheila, Dorinda, and Abebech join me for some exercise on the airstrip

Man on the airstrip carrying grass for tukul roof

Cattle on the airstrip

View of the airstrip while running

Almost sunset

Girl jogs with the basket on her head

Tukul 7: home sweet home

6:45 PM Bucket shower at dusk

crescent moon above the compound

dinner-time with all the gals

Karissa finishes the green beans

Sani (helps teach literacy and HIV program) reads before camping out in Tukul 7

"From the rising of the sun to its going down

The Lord's name is to be praised."

Psalm 113:3