Finally an Update

I can't believe that I've been back in Europe for over 2 weeks. I was really excited to get back to a first world country, but now I really miss Africa. I have no idea how to summarize what I did into this little blog  post. 

     Yei, South Sudan - South Sudan became a country in January. It's a Christian country but has a lot of oppression from all of the wars in Sudan. It was crazy to spend their first Christmas with them as an independent country. My team could feel the weight of this country the instant we stepped over the border from Uganda. 

     Hopefully this will give you the slightest idea of what we did and experienced:

One of the most ridiculous things that we did was saving a marriage. How are 8 SINGLE people under the age of 24 supposed to save a marriage? Somehow we did it. The husband also quit drinking alcohol and started working to pay for his children's education.

We saw a lot of physical healing and a lot of people come to Christ.

A lot of being were delivered from alcoholism and smoking addiction.

We had the opportunity to do devotions with the police station. The police took us on a tour in their police truck and even drove us home.

 Got to visit a prison and do a Sunday church service. Some of the prisoners wanted bibles, so we were able to buy them some.

I spoke at a conference on identity. I don't think I've ever been so nervous.

Watched a lot of beautiful sunsets that reminded me of my dad.

Ate A LOT of beans and rice and strange foods.

 A man was on his way to kill somebody (yes, I said kill) and he saw my friend with a bible and talked to her and asked to be discipled and decided not to kill someone. 

Re-painted a building at the YWAM base.

My friends Jade and I met the most amazing kids on the side of the rode. We visited them everyday during our last week for an hour or so before we went to the orphanage. They were so joyful and desperate for attention. One little girl Akandu stole my heart.. I miss her so much. The kids’ older sisters (around 12 years) whispered to us to take their little siblings home with us so that they could have a better life. So heartbreaking.

 

Prayed for a lot of children with Malaria.

Matthew was one of those crazy kids on the side of the road

Akandu

Uganda- We stayed in a Arua. I loved Arua so much. It was such an amazing and beautiful place. 

Got a tour through a village by a chief… it ended with at least 50-60 Muslim kids following us everywhere we went. We sang songs with them. They just grabbed our hands and wouldn’t let go.

Re-built a woman’s roof that got burnt down.

      Cooked meals in the kitchen, African style.

      Did devotions at a sewing class on the base.

      Jade almost stepped on a cobra! Then the base killed it.

      Rode Boda Boda’s (old motorcycles) to town almost every day

     Ate countless avocados (only 12 cents each!!)

      Danced a lot in the African churches…

     Re-built a bridge

     Washed my laundry by hand for 9 weeks.

     Took bucket showers for 9 weeks.

     Taught a 9-11 year old school class for Compassion (organization where supporters pay for kids to go to school and so on). I actually enjoyed teaching.

     Hung out with some crazy kids at the base.

     Went on a Safari!! No lions though L. Rode a bought down the Nile River and hiked up the Nile River.

      Spent everyday with a severely mentally handy-capped girl named Gladys.  I’ve never felt so much love for someone besides my family until I met her. She is the biggest testimony of my outreach. Jade and I became really good friends with her mom and nephew. I can’t even begin to explain how amazing this ministry was. We poured so much into her and I’ve never felt so rewarded in my life. Now, the YWAM base is working with her and keeping s updated.

      Gave away practically all my clothes to a girl at the hospital. Her reaction to getting the clothes was priceless. She was jumping up and down praising God. She had a smile on her face that brought me so much joy. I will never forget her excitement. She hugged me and just kept saying thank you. It’s crazy how I couldn’t wait to get rid of the clothes and how much it blessed her. Never forget the power of a giving heart.

      MacBook Pro screen cracked from a bumpy car ride :( 

After outreach our whole DTS met up in Amsterdam. I love Holland so much.. and I'm not sure why.

Go to Amsterdam, it's amazing!

Yei, South Sudan

    I’m here at the YWAM base in Yei. This past week was our first week of outreach. We worked at the orphanage in the morning and in the villages in the afternoon. In the orphanages we’ve been singing songs, doing skits, playing games, and having free time with the kids. This week has been a lot less structured at the orphanage because we didn’t have a set person in charge. For the afternoons in the villages we just walk down the dirt road and go up to peoples huts (seriously). Everyone is always outside so when they see you coming the run inside and grab chairs for everyone. We just hang out with the people and ask if there is anything that we can do to help them (fixing anything around the home or whatever). 
    All of the kids here are amazing… when you walk down the street they always come to the end of the street and yell “Hi, how are you!?” with the biggest smiles on their faces. 
    We aren’t living in huts though. We live in a cement building that’s a long strip with a bunch of rooms. You have to go outside to get to the next room. There’s no running water here, so we have to pump all of our water out of a well on the YWAM base that serves the whole community. We call our showers “open heaven showers” because it’s a little cement shower room with no roof.  You pump some water at the well then 

fill a bucket and use a cup to shower. Toilets are in a bathroom with a simple hole in the ground. I really like being back to the basics. 
    Yesterday we harvested peanuts for a couple hours. Some people pulled them out of the ground and others pulled them off the roots. Then the family living in the same building as us roasted them. They are so good.
    Well, that’s a little update on what I’ve been doing here. Love you!!

The Last 2 Months.

       The last two months have been really challenging and good. I'm surrounded by so many amazing people who are constantly encouraging and lifting me up. I don't have too much time to update on everything that has been going on in my life lately, so I'll just give you some small details.

After spending a few days in Herrnhut (where the base is located), my team traveled to Hamburg, Germany for 2 weeks of lecture and outreach. The lecture content was really challenging and focused mainly on using you abilities to reach people. It felt like we had an inspirational speaker who was really pushing us to stop sitting around and to actually do something. The outreached were amazing! Hamburg is such an amazing city with so many opportunities. We did mostly homeless ministry. We got to hang out with the ministry almost everyday. Some people were even invited by the homeless to sleep on the streets to get a real view of their lives.

Where the homeless live.

We also got to spend a lot of time in the Red Light District to pray and worship. The red light district was really difficult to digest because most of the prostitutes were either sold or tricked into prostitution. They are drugged and beaten until they submit to their pimps. They can't simply run away because the pimps know where their family lives and they threaten the girls with that.

Next we went to Bautzen, Germany for a week. This week was really relaxed. We were all so beat from Hamburg that a week to rest was really needed. We stayed at a church located on a lake. 

My friend Hannah and I (she's AMAZING!)

     We helped at a few churches during our stay in Bautzen. 

      Now, I am in Zurich, Switzerland! Our three and a half weeks here is coming to an end on Thursday. It has been a really good and busy time here. Lecture during the day and outreaches at night. 

The city

       On Thursday we will be packing out bags, yet again, and heading back to Herrnhut to pick up our Visa's. On Monday my team will be heading out for Kampala, Uganda. We will take a bus for 9 or so hours and finally reach Yei, South Sudan. We will be spending the Holidays there and starting our ministry. We we be working in various areas: orphanages, preschools, prisons, refugee camps, villages... etc. 

       We will be in Africa for a total of 9 weeks, then we will head to Amsterdam to meet up with our whole DTS and debrief about our outreaches. During my time away I won't be able to make much contact back home due to a really full schedule, lack of computers, and lack of phones. If you do want to contact me while I am away please e-mail me at: pricestephanie@live.com. 

South Sudan and Uganda team picture!

       If you would like to partner with me on this trip by donating to the cause, please contact me at pricestephanie@live.com for more information on how to do that.

Love you all!!

Recently..

I’m sure that you all know everything that has been going in my family’s life over the past few weeks. I went home to Maui on October 11^th to spend time with my dad because he really wasn’t doing well. On October 15^th he passed away. I am now back at YWAM in Germany. Tomorrow I will be heading to Hamburg for 2 weeks. We’re staying at a church in down town... time to get the sleeping mat out!

            It feels good to be back here with everyone. I really love what I’m doing and the people that I’m doing it with. There’s not too much left to update you with.

            We did find out where we’re going for outreach. I chose Uganda, and I got it! So, on December 18^th I’ll be heading to Uganda with 15 other people. I’m so excited to work with kids who are have lost their parent(s). I’m so excited to have something so in common and so fresh to me. I think it’ll be good that I can relate to them and a bit of what they have to deal with. 

Update

Well, I made it here in one piece. I flew into Berlin then took a bus from the airport to the train station, which was HUGE. Took the train to Dresden then to Loebau, a staff member picked me up at the station and we drove half an hour to the base.

            The base is soo big. Some students live in apartments in the town, some at the base, and some in the farmhouses. I live at the base with around 70 other girls. The boys live in the side house. All of the girl’s rooms are on the top floor with a big living area in the middle. It has the feel of a college here because everyone hangs out in the lounge until late at night. It’s such a community here; I love it. Everyone hangs out with everyone and it’s just so fun.

            I’ve been really reluctant to write about my dad, but I finally am. My mom called me on Monday during my first class. When I was told I had a phone call, I knew it wasn’t good news because my mom normally lets me call her when I’m gone. My dad was having a really hard time breathing due to an overflow of liquid in his abdomen. My mom said he has pneumonia and jaundice. The doctors gave him a couple days to live. I left Maui 6 days before I got this news. I never expected it all of happen this fast. It’s hard for me to contact home because of the 12-hour time difference. But, I just hooked up this phone thing on computer so if you want a call let me know. My dad was unable to talk or really function on Sunday because of the drugs they are giving him to make him comfortable. Fortunately, now he can talk to people for a short amount of time before he doses off. He’s been seeing lots of visitors which he really likes.

            He’s now on comfort care, where they only give him pain medicine to relieve the pain. This makes the whole process less painful and much more comfortable. I’m able to talk with him and tell him I love him.

            Thanks for praying and pouring out so much to my family.

Close

     The past few months have gone by so quickly, leaving me with four days until I leave for YWAM. I am so excited to finally do what I’ve always dreamt of doing; missions and traveling the world. God has perfectly planted this trip at my feet. The support that I needed to pay for dts came flooding in and jobs lined up perfectly to keep me working until today.

            I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me. This whole experience is going to be filled with so many stories, revelations, and new inspirations. To keep everyone up to date on what God is doing in my life, I have started this blog. I hope that you all check this blog regularly and give me your feedback.

            As far as my dad goes, two and a half weeks ago he went into the emergency room due to abdominal pain. While he was in the ER, doctors pumped four liters of a dark blue liquid out of his abdomen. The fluid is constantly coming back and needs to be drained every so often. After a week or so of endless tests and the doctors not doing what his diagnosis was, they discovered that he has stage 4 gastric cancer (his 3^rd cancer) with around 6 months to live. We found out so late into his cancer because symptoms don’t show until the patient is in the late stages. Thus far, the journey has been so crazy and unimaginable. He’s currently been in the hospital for a week and a half. We’re hoping that he’ll be able to come home in about a week. We’re going to get a hospital bed for him to be in when he gets home. At home, he’ll still have all of his iv’s hooked up and my family will have to change out the bags and all of those medical things for him.

            A few more details on his current condition; he hasn’t ate in a good month or so (he has nourishments and fluids coming through an iv), he was throwing up quite a bit but now he has a tube that goes into his nose and down to his stomach (sucking up the bile from his stomach because there isn’t any food for it to break down), I suppose the list goes on, but that’s a brief update on his health.

            The doctors started on Thursday, and today he’s been feeling pretty good. He’s been up and walking around the hospital, which is awesome. The chemo isn’t going to get rid of the cancer because there is no cure for gastric cancer. It’s just going to shrink the tumor to make him more comfortable.

            Two and a half weeks before my flight was leaving I had a HUGE decision to make. This is probably the hardest decision I’ve been faced with. Do I stay or go? I have sought a lot of council and prayed so hard. The Lord new that my dad was going to be in this condition when I got accepted to YWAM, my support came in, and I got a job at Gap after the preschool. He knew this was going to happen and He still aligned everything up perfectly for me to do dts.

            My family is in complete support of me still going abroad. My dad really wants to see me live my life long dream. If anything happens to his health at all, I’m on the next flight home. God calls us to live by faith and this is a huge example of completely trusting Him and His will. I know that being away from my dad at this time is going to be really hard for me, but I God has called me to do an amazing thing and I need to live in His purpose.

            God isn’t a God of sickness; He is a God of healing. Please be in constant prayer for my dad and my family. Most importantly, for their salvation.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Hey!
     I recently sent out thank you letters and gave this blog address.
Just wanted to let you all know that this is the right blog and I'll be updating it shortly before I leave in September.
Love you all,
Stephanie