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Mary Abuk: Rescued and Restored

Dear Fellow Missioners,

We are rejoicing today for God has saved another child under our care!

If you will remember last November, shortly after we moved the girls into their new home, the girls' dormitory, several of them began having mysterious seizures.  We went through vigorous research, doctors' questions and examinations, close scrutiny of our building supplies and wood treatments, but we could find no cause for this mysterious outbreak.

After a few days, Mary Abuk (or Abuk), the first girl to have seizures, finally began to talk about what had happened.  She was out early one morning gathering fire wood, and what she called a gorilla jumped out roaring at her.  Of course, whatever it was, it scared her nearly to death.  She ran back to the dormitory where Mama Agnus tried to console her, but Abuk was traumatized.

Not knowing what had happened, several of the other girls panicked.  They were being introduced to so many new things all at once.  Most all of our children have witnessed the brutal murder of their parents, and many of them were also raped.  After years of living alone, fending for themselves in the desert, there was some level of fear about moving into the safe home that they had dreamed of for so long.   Abuk's seizures set off a panic attack among the girls, and several of them manifested the same symptoms.

 

Once we knew what we were dealing with, our staff was able to provide loving care and stabilize the situation fairly quickly.  All seizures stopped except Abuk's.  At that time, there was no fighting on the route between Nyamlel and Khartoum so we drove Abuk the several hundred miles to Khartoum for medical care.  Abuk improved, but then the fighting began again before we could get her back to Nyamlel.  The roads were too dangerous to make the return trip, and Abuk was stranded in Khartoum with the aunt we had sent to watch over her.

Praise God!  Once again the fighting lulled.  We brought Abuk home swiftly.  She is not only safe, but as she told James, “I am the luckiest girl alive.  People all over the world prayed for me and now I am leading the worship parades back in my school!”

 

Your prayers and financial support are saving lives in a part of the world that many deem hopeless. With God, all things are possible, yet He often chooses to use us to be His hands and feet of deliverance, justice and mercy.

 

In Christ,

Kimberly L. Smith

President