You never know when saving the life of a four-year-old might come back to bless you.
In 2019, we received a most enticing offer. African Mission Healthcare Foundation, which helps fund our national staff training and salaries, told us they knew a South Sudanese doctor who might like to work with us.
You have no idea how rare South Sudanese doctors are! Since there is no university in South Sudan, medical students move to another country for six or seven years of training. Then they have to walk away from educational, financial and cultural opportunities if they want to return home.
Dr James Wal was the doctor who returned to us.
Of course, in this year of COVID, his arrival did not go as planned. Jill expected to be there to welcome him, and orient him to our work in Old Fangak. Instead, she was stuck in Alaska. Our national staff introduced Dr James to programs for TB, kala azar, malnutrition, and outpatient consults. Dr James did his best to apply skills learned in an urban setting to working in a very remote one. Our national staff was impressed.
When Jill got back, four months behind schedule, Dr. James was anxious to tell his story:
Long ago, a young boy was gravely ill with kala azar. The boy's father could tell he was going to die, and thought it was time for the family to let him go. His mom could not agree. Instead, she walked for four days, carrying the young boy, to reach a medical program that might be able to save his life.
After thirty days of scary, painful injections, he recovered. He and his mom came to say good-bye to Dr. Jill. When he told her that he wanted to perform magic like she does, she replied that her "magic” was education. She told him he should try to go to school. He vowed right then he would study to be a doctor.
And he did. Due to the civil war, his schooling was sporatic, often in refugee camps. His tenacity won him a scholarship to the highly regarded Methodist University in Kenya, to study medicine.
And now he is our first almost-local Nuer doctor, treating his people, speaking fluently in their language.
Your support over the past 20 years--or more--enables us to witness the fruits of our collective labors. Little boys who might have died grow up to be doctors instead. Doesn't that feel a lot like magic?
Wishing you many blessings, and hope for 2021,