Working in Difficult Places

One of the great things about being over here besides being at Bethany and Joytown with the children is meeting some amazing people doing incredible, if not dangerous things in order to serve others. They feel that they have been called to get involved with people no one wants to work with and in places no one wants to be. Still, they realize there are tremdous needs to they go anyway and serve.

Dr. Bransford left over the weekend to bring a team up to Somaliland for a week-long medical clinic. If you look on the map above, Somaliland is the small country sandwiched in between Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritria right across the water from Yemen. On this map is says "Dijbouti" (have you ever seen that Coke Zero commercial where the grandfather tries to prove he's still got his wits about him and says "What's the capital of Dijbouti? The capital of Dijbouti is Dijbouti!"? Well, it turns out he's no longer correct). Dijouti is now Somaliland - since 2007. It is considered a "closed" country as it is very volatile and especially closed non-muslims or westerners. Dr. Bransford has a team of physicians working up there this week at a clinic seeing anyone in need.

Dr. Bransford shared a story about their first time up there. They landed in Dijbouti and decided to take a bus to the clinic location (a university hospital) well outside of town. The bus driver asked where their guards were and they said they didn't have any. The driver almost refused to take them because he was fearful in case they were stopped. Dr. Bransford told him they were doctors and what they were doing and the driver only agreed if they would pull their jackets over their heads if the bus was stopped and hide behind the seats. If they were found by a gang or rebel group at one of the many checkpoints, they may have been killed. They made it to the clinic (after having to hide on several occasions as the bus was indeed stopped a few times). When they arrived, they didn't know who would be there but found hundreds if not a thousand people waiting for them. Word had gotten out that doctors would be performing a clinic and people came from all over Somaliland, Somalia, and Eritria. It was an enormous success.

They brought some medical residents with them and one person introduced Dr. Bransford to a made who had two club feet - significantly deformed feet - and was seeking attention. Dr. Bransford says that the needs were so overwhelming he suggested putting off any surgery for the man until the next time they arrived. The medical resident said "Dr. Bransford, this man has been walking on these feet for 10 days to be here. You can see him now." The man was treated immediately.

When they go up on these trips now, they no longer take the bus and do indeed have to employ armed guards to make it there. However, everytime they arrive, the needs are overwhelming. They have worked out a deal with Safaricom - the largest cell phone and internet provider in east Africa - which sends out an automatic SMS text to all Safaricom users letting them know about an upcoming clinic. The word that used to travel by mouth, now gets around via mobile phones!

The trip each time is extremely dangerous as Somalia and Somaliland are two of the most lawless countries on the planet. Still, they go. They go because they are needed. Every time they go the numbers tell them so. They serve as many as they can and as Mercy shared with me the last time I was here - they leave knowing simply that the Christian doctors loved and cared for them.

I have had dinner with some people working up the Sudan also (see the map above) who are in dangerous places. One doctor was working up in the middle of the Sudan - what is now the disputed area - setting up a clinic. The area is disputed between Northern Sudan and Southern Sudan. In January there is going to be a referendum about the south breaking away and becoming independent from the north. The north is governed from Khartoum and the south from Juba. The difficulty is that most of the oil in the country which has been making the north very wealthy is in the disputed area which is technically the south. The feeling is that if the south vote to become independent, which they will almost inevitably do, the north will go to war to keep the oil rich disputed area. If the south does not vote to become independent (highly unlikely) groups will likely declare war on the north to do so militarily. This is looking like a very, very disturbing situation that is unfolding there. I'm sure many of you have heard of the Darfur region of Sudan which is in the north east part of the country. I'm sure you've heard of it because of the terrible things that happened in Darfur. One man we were having dinner with yesterday was working for Samaritan's Purse up in the area (Samaritan's Purse being the group we parnter with along with the Knight's of Columbus for the Christmas boxes) until Samaritan's Purse closed up shop up there in anticipation of the violence that is to come in the new year. He has picked up a new position now with the UN in Juba so despite being warned out of Sudan, he simply moved locations and stayed knowing there is a lot of work to be done. In fact, the new gig with the UN is in disaster relief so he will no doubt be busy. There were three abductions of westerners over this past weekend where he used to be in the north. It can be a very dangerous place, but those places are the most in need and it takes brave people to be there and serve despite the costs.

Please keep these workers in your thoughts and prayers, especially in the new year, that they will be safe during difficult times. Please also pray for the people of Sudan, that they might be spared from entering into a very bloody and costly civil war.

If they can do the things they are doing in these difficult places, I hope it inspires you to do what you can where you are. We don't have to go to places like that to serve. There are ways we can do that where you are as you have proven over the last three Lenten projects.

I posted 5 entries on my visit to Joytown yesterday as there were so many photos I wanted to share with you. I posted around midnight Kenyan time so it was about 4pm in Oakville. If you haven't read them, please read all five below now that you've finished this one. We are packing up and heading into Nairobi today. Please pray for a safe journey for Dr. Stewart and I. I am looking forward to seeing you all and I am especially looking forward to getting home to Sarah and Fiona!

I will post one more time for tomorrow (Wednesday morning - don't forget to check one more time tomorrow!) regarding next steps and where we go from here. Until then, have a great Tuesday everyone!