I've been directing a health program in Doro, South Sudan in Upper Nile State since 2013. Our clinic sits on the edge of a large refugee camp that is home to over 50,000 people from Northern Sudan. Many are Muslim and have never had a chance to hear the Good News of Jesus. However, with our clinic serving many of these refugees, they are now walking away with good health care AND the Good News. We have been using Audio Story Tellers to reach many of these people. Those caught up in witch craft and following Folk Islamic teachings are being set free by the loving care of our staff and clinic chaplains. it is an exciting time to be serving in this region of South Sudan.
Here is how the Grieve Memorial Clinic is being used by God as a place of healing:
The Grieve Memorial Clinic—A place of healing
The Grieve Memorial Clinic (GMC) is a Primary Health Care Center that serves an extremely undeveloped region in Upper Nile State in South Sudan. As a faith-based clinic we seek to provide holistic health care to our patients. Dr. Bob Grieve initially started our clinic in the 1940s and his wife, Claire, to serve the local Mabaan population. They were both killed in WWII when an Italian plane bombed the region. Since 2013 I’ve been directing the work of this clinic that provides outpatient services including maternity care, leprosy treatment, and a nutrition village that serves the needs of severely malnourished children. Over 51,000 refugees from the Republic of Sudan surround our clinic, and there are another 62,000 refugees in three other camps in the county. The majority of these refugees who are from unreached people groups and this is the first time they have the opportunity to hear the Good News.
Our Clinic—a place where people can find physical and spiritual healing
"Z", a Muslim man came for care for his feet but also found a personal relationship with Christ. To keep him from boredom while I soaked his feet, I gave him an Arabic Audio Story Teller to listen to. He listened intently and even started "talking" back to it. Soon I brought in Pastor Bulus, our clinic Chaplain, to share with him in his mother tongue. When I came back to check on them I learned our patient had given his life to the Lord. He is just one example of many who have found new life as a result of looking for physical health. We want to continue to offer our patients compassionate, Christ-centered care.
Finding freedom from witchcraft
Many people, whether "Christian", animist or Muslim wear amulets around their necks or arms to protect them from illness or the "evil eye". One old Mabaan woman walked 30 kilometers to get to our clinic for she had a long history of not feeling well. I told her the amulets were going to keep her bound in illness so she asked me to cut them off. She said she immediately started feeling better. God is good! This is why we believe our clinic is vital and must remain open. We continue to pray the Lord will encourage more people to become donors of the GMC so we can keep our doors open.
Pastor Bulus—an example of a man sold out to God
We love the faithfulness of our clinic chaplain, Pastor Bulus. Here he is sharing Bible stories with our patients still waiting to be seen. When he is not sharing Christ with waiting patients, he is in the clinic praying for patients and sharing the Gospel. He has led many to the Lord. He also uses the Audio Story Tellers to attract people to the Lord. He will set the Story Teller in the midst of the patients and they are soon captivated by the story of God’s love and plan for redeeming mankind. As a result they seek him out later and ask to learn more. We have given out hundreds of Audio Story Tellers to our illiterate patients who never had a chance to hear the Gospel. He then tries to follow up with them in the camps or in the villages they come from.
Reaching the unreached peoples in their mother tongue
There are over 2,000,000 Falatas in Sudan and they are about 99.99% Muslim. We have yet to meet any Falata who claims to follow Christ. Fiercely independent nomads and proudly Muslim, they rarely let insiders into their tight communities. However, for some reason we have found favor with them and they have chosen GMC as their clinic. Recently I had several in the clinic with their various maladies and one child of theirs who was severely malnourished. It just so happened that I had an Audio Story Teller in their mother tongue. When I first turned on the Story Teller they weren’t paying much attention to it. Then all of the sudden their eyes popped open wide and they exclaimed, “This man is speaking Falata! This is our language!” It was an amazing moment and they were thrilled. We pray they continue to come to us for their health needs and that as a result of hearing the Good News and seeing Christ’s love in our deeds and our staff caring for them with the love of God they will come into His family.
Even those not physically ill come for spiritual healing
Even in the midst of crazy hectic days, God often brings divine appointments. This day in particular we were super busy and treated 160 patients. Every bed was occupied by someone on an IV for treatment of severe malaria. I have to say, however, that the best part of the day was when Izaddin, a Muslim refugee from the Ingessana tribe, came to the clinic not because he was sick, but because he was "hungry"—he was hungry to find truth. He wanted an Audio Story Teller as he heard about them in his section in the refugee camp. He sat before me and shared that he was searching for truth and wanted to find out more about our belief as he said he'd been thinking about becoming a Christian. "What????" I said to myself, what an amazing divine appointment! He hungrily ate up the Good News I shared with him and then he eagerly allowed me to pray for him that God would help him find the truth. We just got news that he and another young man from his tribe both are now following Jesus and attending church. Please pray for Izaddin as he shares the Audio Story Teller with them that they too will choose to follow our Lord.
God even uses evil to bring about good
Even in the midst of civil war that is raging in both South Sudan and Sudan, God is using it to bring glory to His name. Those who were lost in darkness are now finding the Light of the nations. This is an epic moment in history. This is long-term work, yet we have a short time to reach these people. Please pray others with a vision for long-term work will join us in this great harvest field.
Here is how the Grieve Memorial Clinic is being used by God as a place of healing:
The Grieve Memorial Clinic—A place of healing
The Grieve Memorial Clinic (GMC) is a Primary Health Care Center that serves an extremely undeveloped region in Upper Nile State in South Sudan. As a faith-based clinic we seek to provide holistic health care to our patients. Dr. Bob Grieve initially started our clinic in the 1940s and his wife, Claire, to serve the local Mabaan population. They were both killed in WWII when an Italian plane bombed the region. Since 2013 I’ve been directing the work of this clinic that provides outpatient services including maternity care, leprosy treatment, and a nutrition village that serves the needs of severely malnourished children. Over 51,000 refugees from the Republic of Sudan surround our clinic, and there are another 62,000 refugees in three other camps in the county. The majority of these refugees who are from unreached people groups and this is the first time they have the opportunity to hear the Good News.
Our Clinic—a place where people can find physical and spiritual healing
"Z", a Muslim man came for care for his feet but also found a personal relationship with Christ. To keep him from boredom while I soaked his feet, I gave him an Arabic Audio Story Teller to listen to. He listened intently and even started "talking" back to it. Soon I brought in Pastor Bulus, our clinic Chaplain, to share with him in his mother tongue. When I came back to check on them I learned our patient had given his life to the Lord. He is just one example of many who have found new life as a result of looking for physical health. We want to continue to offer our patients compassionate, Christ-centered care.
Finding freedom from witchcraft
Many people, whether "Christian", animist or Muslim wear amulets around their necks or arms to protect them from illness or the "evil eye". One old Mabaan woman walked 30 kilometers to get to our clinic for she had a long history of not feeling well. I told her the amulets were going to keep her bound in illness so she asked me to cut them off. She said she immediately started feeling better. God is good! This is why we believe our clinic is vital and must remain open. We continue to pray the Lord will encourage more people to become donors of the GMC so we can keep our doors open.
Pastor Bulus—an example of a man sold out to God
We love the faithfulness of our clinic chaplain, Pastor Bulus. Here he is sharing Bible stories with our patients still waiting to be seen. When he is not sharing Christ with waiting patients, he is in the clinic praying for patients and sharing the Gospel. He has led many to the Lord. He also uses the Audio Story Tellers to attract people to the Lord. He will set the Story Teller in the midst of the patients and they are soon captivated by the story of God’s love and plan for redeeming mankind. As a result they seek him out later and ask to learn more. We have given out hundreds of Audio Story Tellers to our illiterate patients who never had a chance to hear the Gospel. He then tries to follow up with them in the camps or in the villages they come from.
Reaching the unreached peoples in their mother tongue
There are over 2,000,000 Falatas in Sudan and they are about 99.99% Muslim. We have yet to meet any Falata who claims to follow Christ. Fiercely independent nomads and proudly Muslim, they rarely let insiders into their tight communities. However, for some reason we have found favor with them and they have chosen GMC as their clinic. Recently I had several in the clinic with their various maladies and one child of theirs who was severely malnourished. It just so happened that I had an Audio Story Teller in their mother tongue. When I first turned on the Story Teller they weren’t paying much attention to it. Then all of the sudden their eyes popped open wide and they exclaimed, “This man is speaking Falata! This is our language!” It was an amazing moment and they were thrilled. We pray they continue to come to us for their health needs and that as a result of hearing the Good News and seeing Christ’s love in our deeds and our staff caring for them with the love of God they will come into His family.
Even those not physically ill come for spiritual healing
Even in the midst of crazy hectic days, God often brings divine appointments. This day in particular we were super busy and treated 160 patients. Every bed was occupied by someone on an IV for treatment of severe malaria. I have to say, however, that the best part of the day was when Izaddin, a Muslim refugee from the Ingessana tribe, came to the clinic not because he was sick, but because he was "hungry"—he was hungry to find truth. He wanted an Audio Story Teller as he heard about them in his section in the refugee camp. He sat before me and shared that he was searching for truth and wanted to find out more about our belief as he said he'd been thinking about becoming a Christian. "What????" I said to myself, what an amazing divine appointment! He hungrily ate up the Good News I shared with him and then he eagerly allowed me to pray for him that God would help him find the truth. We just got news that he and another young man from his tribe both are now following Jesus and attending church. Please pray for Izaddin as he shares the Audio Story Teller with them that they too will choose to follow our Lord.
God even uses evil to bring about good
Even in the midst of civil war that is raging in both South Sudan and Sudan, God is using it to bring glory to His name. Those who were lost in darkness are now finding the Light of the nations. This is an epic moment in history. This is long-term work, yet we have a short time to reach these people. Please pray others with a vision for long-term work will join us in this great harvest field.
