Three Deaths in One Night

Last night we returned from dinner at the local Catholic Mission and upon arrival discovered a patient had been admitted with severe head injuries.  His name is Wilson, and I actually dressed a wound on his leg earlier this week.

In Sudan, if a man wants to marry a woman he has to pay a certain number of cows as a dowry to the woman's family...let's say 100 cows.  However, if he impregnates her, she isn't "worth" as much and then only costs 31 cows.  Many young men cannot afford the steep price of 100 cows, so they are encouraged to impregnate her.  But when they do so, the woman's family usually retaliates.  Her brothers will go after the brothers of the young man, so that he has to live with the guilt of their suffering.

Last night, Wilson was attacked and struck twice on the head because his brother Peter impregnated a girl.  Wilson suffered a skull fracture and internal bleeding.  My heart was burdened to pray for him, so I spent the night in the clinic.  Tyler and I began praying for him 11:11pm on Saturday.  He died 12:25am this morning.

A few hours later, Peter retaliated back and killed a man unrelated to the girl, but of the same tribe.  He took the girl and ran away.  Many of the men from both families have left town in order to protect themselves.  We postponed church this morning just to be safe.  At the time we still had a dead body in the clinic, and if we were allowing people to come to church there might be someone who could sneak in to do something to or with the body (so I'm led to think).  So we locked the gates and postponed church.  I am very safe, so there's no need to worry.  But please pray for the situation, for repentance, and that it doesn't escalate.

An infant also died this morning of malaria, and the mother was heard grieving for a half-hour.

A good friend of mine just posted an update of his missionary travels in Tanzania, which blesses me very much.  Love is the greatest gift (1 Cor 13), and we too easily undervalue and underestimate it.  You can read it here: http://teammbeya.blogspot.com/