My laptop died in Sudan and I just purchased a new one. Thank you for patiently waiting for news! I am in cold and wet Nairobi for a couple of weeks, so be assured I’d enjoy your warm greetings.
It is hard to believe that I have lived in Doro, South Sudan for 5 months now. This transition has had its challenges to adjust to village life but the blessings have been tremendous. I am now living in my tukul-house with mud and stick walls with a grass roof. The inside roof is lined with plastic to protect from scorpions. A cement floor and screened windows makes things more comfortable. It has been the rainy season for the last few months and there is not a lack of snakes. Just the other night I left my tukul at night because I heard cats fighting and when I returned there was a black snake over 2 feet long to welcome me by my door. I called for help and my co-worker Grace was the first one there to kill it before the watchman came. Mosquitoes are quite bad too now and we often are covered with bites. Cooking on a charcoal brazier is better now. Pray for protection from snakes and good health.
The army is still occupying the old SIM hospital but this is part of God’s timing. We are learning we’re not ready yet to run a busy clinic. Our team will grow next year and we will be better prepared for curative care. But we still need lab tech to join our team. This is necessary for us to better diagnose many diseases but especially TB. Pray for a lab technician to join our team.
The community health worker training school will open January 28th 2008 and I will be one of the teachers. Students will come from areas in Upper Nile, South Sudan where SIM is working. The course runs for 9 months and will be taught in English. Pray for selection of the students, we hope to start with 10 including a few women.
Meanwhile I am having fun learning Mabaan and building relationships in the community. Language learning is self directed but we have a language helper, Butros, an elderly church leader with a servant heart. This is supplemented with language notes from Betty Miller, a retired SIM missionary, who lived at Doro years ago. My progress is slow but I’m grateful for the encouragement from the Mabaan to learn their language. There have been opportunities for health and bible teaching in the Guelwin community where I go to church. We went to Piekaji, a community about 10 miles away; to do health education but there was not enough interest to continue. Pray that I will be God’s vessel to share His Love with the Mabaan people.
Thank you for your faithful support and prayers. For this next year, I’ll need $170/month increase to cover my Nairobi housing costs. The Lord has used many of you to help me in ministry for many years.
Vicki Beattie
