Dear One,
For more than three weeks now I have been wanting to write another newsletter to bring you up to date with the clinic. Yet our lives have been quite a bit chaotic since the beginning of July when fighting erupted again in Juba on July 7th. These clashes resulted in 382 deaths and 538 injuries. Fear of more clashes has sent over 36,000 South Sudanese fleeing into Uganda in the past few weeks. Many people are suffering from deep emotional trauma and living in fear.
We were not directly affected by these clashes as Juba is quite a distance from Doro. But, in June there were some tribal clashes in our area which disrupted the work of the clinic. Staff did not show up for work, people were afraid of one another, and we spent weeks trying to solve this problem. We are grateful that this problem was resolved last month. Yet, the lives of our community members have been affected by this fighting and loss of life in many ways.
Not without surprise, people are losing heart. When our Doro friends talk about their failing crops and lack of rain in our area, they say that "God is not happy with us. He is angry because of all the fighting and killing." Many churches have been gathering to pray on a nightly basis. We pray God will answer their prayers and bring emotional and spiritual healing to this land.
 Despite these tragedies, God continues to move in divine ways. Many of our patients have more of a desire to speak about spiritual things. Our chaplains are quite busy these days! Just recently an elderly Jumjum man heard the Good News for the first time. He walked from North Sudan by foot for 2 days to get to our clinic. He received treatment for his ailments but also took an Arabic Audio Story Teller and New Testament with him. This past week he came back and told us he could not sleep all night. He said the words he listened to and read grabbed a hold of his heart and would not leave him alone. I referred him to Chaplain Yasir again for more spiritual counseling. That day this 75-year-old gentleman received the gift of eternal life. Praise God!
Thank you for your prayers on behalf of our Sudanese and South Sudanese friends. They are hungry for hope. Will you consider a gift today to help us buy more Audio Story Tellers? These cost $30 each (which includes the cargo cost) and God is using them to bring many to salvation. You can donate online at: http://bit.ly/2a3J1bN. Please note that the gift is for the purchase of Audio Story Tellers.
Thank you in advance for considering a generous donation today!
In His service,
Cathy Hoelzer
Health Program Manager
SIM GMC, Doro, South Sudan
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