Greetings Family,

I have been back in South Sudan for exactly a week now. It feels like America was so long ago and so far away. It’s strange how quickly I fit right back into wherever I am these days. It is a bit of an adjustment though as I am here with no other western person. This is causing me to really ramp up my Arabic lessons so I can really speak with the mamas as we sit and not just listen to them. I would get pretty lonely after a bit I think.

I was welcomed with smiles and hugs by some of our older girls as I alit from the plane last Saturday. We were on our way when we got word that we had to take one of our teenagers to the hospital. She had just been released from a local clinic and was standing by the road, blood pouring into some gauze pads from her nose and mouth. I told my driver, “Let’s go straight to the hospital, Harvesters.” We are fortunate because the other big orphanage here is run by some Americans from Texas. They have a very nice small hospital on site and I trust them more than anywhere else.

She stayed overnight and was released to us the next day. That night it started all over again. I am talking a lot of blood here, not just a typical nose bleed. We threw her back in the truck and off we went. On the way I told the girls and driver (our pastor) the testimony about a missionary, Jackie Pullinger, in Hong Kong who reaches the opium and heroin addicts there. She first gets them to accept Jesus and immediately baptizes them in the Holy Spirit. She then tells them to speak in tongues and prays for them until they do. She then told them that whenever they felt withdrawal pains etc… immediately pray in tongues and God WILL deliver them immediately. Most of them did obey and they were pain free while quitting.

After I told our girls this story I told them we needed to pray for Ame in the Spirit as we drove to the hospital. We did. Her bleeding stopped! We went ahead and took her and she remained there that night with three of her sisters and mama (we are all family here). Later that night her bleeding started again and they prayed and it would stop. They had a couple more episodes before she was finally released to us healed. She had a severe case of malaria and the doctors said that some people react that way, most don’t. He said it looks scarier than it is because her blood tests were good and strong. I am just so thankful that Harvesters is here. Can you just picture our girl standing on the roadside, dust flying as trucks race by, holding bloody gauze to her face, wondering what is going to happen to her? That is normal life here in the third world. I can’t say it enough, prayer has to be first and foremost in all we do. Jesus has to be the answer to every need.

The children are very happy to have me back so we can continue to meet twice a week at night for worship and Bible study on Wednesdays and a Christian movie on Fridays. I love watching them watch these films. When Jesus does something great the kids literally clap and hoot and holler. When He or the disciples are persecuted they click their tongues and shake their heads. They are so animated when watching that you would think it was really happening. I just really love this purity of life in them. I wish that all teenagers could know this, I pray that.

The only other things this week was I got the car stuck in mud and wrecked my motorbike in mud. My driver cam and got me unstuck and I picked up my slightly crooked bike, hopped on and continued on the road home, laughing and shaking my head that the only thing that was really hurt was maybe my pride. Haha. It’s good to remain humble. In all these things I count it pure joy as we will all stand with Jesus one day looking back and smiling at His faithfulness and protection over us.

I bless you in the name of the Lord and I pray that during this season you are able to give all that you want to give and also receive that which the Lord is giving you.