by Dr. Rob Congdon
13 June 2012

Desperation prompted Nyajima’s mother to bring her emaciated two-year-old daughter to SIM’s Nutrition Village in Doro, South Sudan. Nyajima’s playful childhood ended during a month of untreated illness.

	Nyajima with her mother

SIM nurse Sheila West’s heart was heavy: “For days I thought Nyajima would die. Her mother was emotionally spent, without hope. She held and bathed the child but showed little interest in giving the special round-the-clock milk formula.”

Nyajima’s bony face was expressionless, her mouth tightly shut. Fed by syringe, she swallowed the milk a sip at a time. Slowly, the tide turned; her weight stopped falling, her eyes became watchful. In the second week, her face brightened. “I painted her fingernails and she surprised me by trying to hold the bottle of polish... This was the first emotion I'd seen.” Her mother began to laugh that day, interacting with Nyajima, smiling, teasing; a ray of hope that her child might live.

Her mother smiles and laughs often now, and the team celebrates with her. Along with medication, they prayed for Nyajima daily and shared with her mother that Jesus is the One who heals. “Each day I'm more confident,” Sheila says, “that He has a plan into the future for this precious little girl.”

Opportunites to Serve

Our SIM team in Doro, South Sudan, is asking God for more people to join them who love the Lord and are willing to love and serve the people of South Sudan. Some openings are:

Nutrition Village Assistant
Medical Doctor
Physician's Assistant
Community Health Outreach Worker
HIV/AIDS Programme Coordinator
Nurse/Midwife

Give

If you would like to the work of the Nutrition Village in Doro, please contact your nearest SIM office or give online to project 98018. Thank you and God bless!