.

La bor he Lo ve of J of esus on L e baby ov e at a ti me Deliv ering t

JAN 2011 VOLUME 41

r little yanriak, and he A new mom, N in the m do her Free girl. She named ture. fu s n’ tio w na hope of this ne

Lessons in death... Before coming to Africa, I read the statistics on maternal mortality in Sudan. The numbers were outrageously high. They were so high in fact, that I had a hard time believing them. What does it mean to have 2000 women die out of a hundred thousand each year? What does that look like? Well, this month I found out. This month, I listened to a woman breathe her last after spending days in a coma from unknown birth complications. Later on, when I learned that another pregnant girl died of anemia after not getting a badly need blood transfusion, my heart sank. Realization was dawning. However, it was only when faced with the insurmountable obstacles in getting another girl the cesarean she needed that I finally understood. I now had faces to go with those statistics. All three of these girls were in their teens. All three of them were expecting their

first child. All three of them would have lived if only this or that had gone differently. Struggling with all the whys, I turned to God in prayer. He reminded me His ways are higher than mine and sent me to Romans 8:18-28. In this passage, Paul writes of our future hope in Christ. As believers, even though we die, we will never really DIE! He write, "...we are liberated from bondage and decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." (vs. 8:21). This helps me through the heartbreak of their deaths. My heart aches for these women and their families and pushes me to share the hope I have like never before. Pray for opportunities for me to share this hope I have within me! By His love, Stephanie

Prayer & Praise Pray for my Bible study time to be protected from distractions and for me to be quick to hear and quicker to obey. I’m feeling discouraged and for some reason cannot shake it. Pray I’m able to trust in His promises and work as unto Him in all things. Pray for relationships within the staff to be Christ-like and loving -starting with me. I’ve started some classes online. Pray I’m able to organize my time well. I also had typhoid this week but am feeling better now. Pray for my health to remain good. Thanks.

My blog is updated regularly... Check it out and enjoy!

www.midwife4Jesus.blogspot.com

History in the making... As the world looked on last week, tens of thousands of Sudanese traveled difficult roads for the chance to make history. It was time for a half-century of waiting to end. It was time for a nation to be born. Blissfully ignorant of all the international and political banter, crowds of Southern Sudanese gathered to cast their vote. For the first time in fifty years, they were given a choice, and they were not about to let it pass them by. In order for the South to secede, sixty-one percent of the registered voters needed to come out to the polls. There was wild speculation as to whether that could happen; people had to travel far and wide. Moreover, could these people, known for their violence, make this step toward democracy peacefully? No one knew for sure, but they were hopeful. Fortunately, the polling went smoothly with a surprising ninety-one percent voter turnout. Since the ballots are still being counted, the results will not be announced for weeks. However, early estimations predict a landslide decision towards separation. What does that means for the South? It means hope. Pray for us as the ballots are counted. Pray for honesty and integrity among our leaders. Pray for peace and protection as this new nation takes tiny steps toward a very uncertain future. Thanks! (Pictures. Top: Two men leaving a polling station after casting their vote. Middle: Two woman, one holding her registration card. Bottom: Voters gathered in the shade, eager to cast their vote.)

Mailing Address:

Support Address:

Po Box 4513, 00100 Nairobi GPO Kenya AFRICA (Do NOT send packages to this address, email me for details) [email protected]

In Deed and Truth Ministries Po Box 51253, Colorado Springs, CO 80949 (Write my name in Memo Line) Call 760/ 707-7367 or donate online at: www.indeedandtruth.org