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