Answered Prayer!

Ok I had a bit of an adventure today:) Maureen and Joe borrowed a wheelchair for me and off to the craft fair we went.... in Nairobi which only happens a couple of times a year from what Joe told me. I found a few fun things and the BEADS! Paper beads just what I had been looking for to learn how to make! I bought some and also made arrangements to have one of the ladies come this Sunday evening after the fair is over and stay the night with me and then I will spend the day Monday learning how to make them so when I go back to Sudan at the end of the year I will be able to teach the ladies how to make them! I am so beyond excited! I also found out that the vision for these beads came from a lady from Sudan was in a Uganda refugee camp teaching this art and then came to Kenya so I pray that God will help me take it full circle back to Sudan! How amazing is that! I can not wait to show the ladies in my Sunday school class what we are doing....

Ok I also promised to give the info for my amazing Dr!
www.mendonsamissions.com
www.helpCUREnow.org

My mom has sent me a care package and I am looking forward to receiving that too! My sister has promised a really good letter to me is included:)

The past several days I have had some pretty severe headaches that is much better today not gone but better.....Pauline said is was because of the spinal block during the surgery and it should be getting better very soon.....
I am still getting tired easily but doing well....
I am so grateful for all your prayers please continue the good work all my prayer warriors!

In His Service Always-
MJ

The Next Step

Well I guess everything happens just one step at a time even though sometimes I try to take three....So my surgery went well on Monday and I am now out of the hospital and resting well in Nairobi. I will be here for at least four weeks while I recover and get around on crutches until December 23rd and then I will have to go back to Kjiabe Hospital for a follow up x-ray and then hope to get a medical release to go back to Sudan at that point! So I now have three screws in my femur right at the hip joint the fracture was along the front and back of the collar or neck of the femur bone of course the smallest section of the bone so the screws will give me the stability I will need once I get walking on it again! As one comment said from Charlie and Patti - I can't wait to be running the race again but am trying to not get to far ahead of myself. I know that God's timing is perfect! The Doctor that actually did my surgery was Dr Bob Mendonza from TEXAS! Can you believe it! The day after his beautiful wife and two of the sweetest kids you'd ever want to meet came to visit me:) I can not get up right now to go get their web address but I will add it later they are living and working at Kjiabe Hospital through THE CURE. One thing about this change of plans it has given me the opportunity to meet some truly wonderful people and the doctors and nurses have been very good to me. The worst and scariest part of the whole thing was the day of surgery it was just really hard to be alone that day! But it's amazing how close I felt my Jesus with me as if he were sitting right there holding my hand....i must admit that through tears that day I was certainly calling out to my protector and comforter! Other than that day I've done a pretty good job of holding myself together and I want my family to know that I really am doing very well:) I am really looking forward to going to church this coming Sunday! Just to be able to enjoy that precious gift of being able to come together with others and worship the Lord for how GOOD HE has been to me and how much He has provided for me....I certainly have a whole new appreciation for having the ability to be able to attend church whenever I want to and see how difficult it must be for those that this is not so easy for them to do this....I think about those that walk great distances for the privilege and those who can not because of lack of freedom to do so or war or hunger or sickness and many other reasons . I was also thinking of how in the States we can simply go to a book store and purchase any book we want for a new bible study or to help with our relationships and marriages......do we appreciate this as much as we should???
I am also looking forward to visiting with another lady named Pauline who is living where I am right now and she is working with codependency and alcoholism with lower income women here in Nairobi and how I might be able to use some of her knowledge in Sudan because this is a big problem there as you can imagine there is also a lot of post traumatic stress syndrome too. Another thing is I am hoping to learn how to make these beautiful paper beads that I might be able to teach the women in Sudan how to make these for selling......I had originally thought this was only happening in Uganda but have found that they have these beads in many places so I am still working on figuring out how this might work....so prayers on the Lord's leading and my openness to Him on this project that is on my heart. Ok well I am getting a bit tired and will sign off for now but will post More later! Thank you so much for all your prayers and comments!
Blessings-
MJ

A look back....

I have been reflecting back on some of the encounters and relationships that have brought me growth and encouragement. One of the ladies I have had on my heart is named Alice she lives in Kapoeta and has been attending a church in the market place in the town of Kapoeta. Pastor Francis and I made two visits to her home that week. She is the only christian in her family the rest are Muslim. I had an opportunity to visit her mother in law and share the gospel with her .I came to discover that this woman has been struggling in her heart about her faith and longing to learn more. Her husband and sons are Muslim and she is forbidden from attending any church other than a mosque. She is also currently separated from her husband and is not a practicing Muslim. After a long conversation with her she revealed that she would like to have Jesus in her heart although there are many problems including that her village already knows her as a Muslim. We talked about this some more and she has not yet come to a place that she is ready to invite Jesus into her heart. I truly believe that God is speaking to her through dreams and visions and through her daughter in law Alice. She asked that I continue to pray for her and her family and I will continue to petition God on her behalf and hope that you will join me in this prayer. Her name is Lucia....
Upon my second visit to Alice and Lucia I had the opportunity to spend some very sweet time together to encourage one another and read God's word together. I discovered that Alice could not only speak English very well she could also read English very well. She did not have a Bible so I gave her the one I had in my backpack. I learned that she has a heart to do ministry in her community so she and I prayed about that as well. Materials had already been given to a couple of her church leaders so I introduced her to to them so that they would be able to follow up with her and disciple her so that she could reach more women. Alice is very soft spoken and has a sweet and gentle spirit in spite of all she has been through. It's obvious that she finds comfort in the Lord and wants to share that with others please pray that she will continue to press into God to find ways to minister to her mother in law and that she will grow even more bold for Christ in her own community!

Quick Update...

Received second opinion from an American doctor in Kajibe Hospital surgery will be required and I may be moving to the other hospital ...Insurance providing is the prayer for now and quick recovery....I will stay and heal in Nairobi until I can travel again. Lots of wonderful missionaries helping out and visiting me PRAISE GOD!

Lord where to begin! I am surely on a journey with God...So this past Monday everything was going very well....lessons and schedules in process for for going out to the villages for the women's training have been coming together annoucements to be made this coming Sunday .....Motor bike lessons had gone well and I was really getting the hang of shifting gears and everything:) But Monday afternoon after coming to a complete stop I lost my balance the bike and I hit the ground like a 100lb sack of sand being thrown out of a truck on to the ground. My hip took the major hit and instantly I felt and heard something crack!and then I could not walk but praise God the bike did not fall on me too. I was out at the Baptist church in Kajo Keji and the pastor there took me on my bike back to the compound where I have been living that was a painful ride....both pastors wives have taken very good care of me and I am so humbly thankful! So in cases like this in Sudan nothing happens quickly so I made it to Moyo.Uganda on Tuesday for an Xray and confirmed that I had fractured the collar of my femur bone had to spend the night in Moyo and the air ambulance picked me the next day to go to the hospital in Nairobi both Pastors wives stayed with me in the hotel...what a blessing from God...So finally on my way to Nairobi and some good pain medicine it had been a pretty rough couple of days. The doctors and nurses have been very good to me. Most likely I will have minor surgery to put a couple of pins/screws in my bone which could have me out of the bed within 4-5 days and walking on my own within 4-5 weeks with no surgery I would still heal but would most likely be on complete bed rest for 10-12 weeks That seems unimaginable to me...Dr Gakuu believes I will be completely back to myself walking just fine once I heal
PRAISE GOD!
Although I must admit that I was very disappointed that when I had to leave Sudan. I am clinging to Romans 8:28 that God will work all things for good to accomplish His purpose for those who love Him....
and Jeremiah 29:11
For i know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans to give you hope and a future and not to harm you!
How amazing and abundant is our God!
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Please continue to pray for me and for the women in Sudan especially Rose Dima and Gloria Kaya that God will raise up strong leaders in this country that have a heart for God there by renewing this place!
I am not sure what date a time I will have surgery but I am praying for a quick recovery so that I can go back to Sudan and continue what God has already planned for me to do....I hope to heal right where I am and the finish my work and return in January 2009.....God is providing lots of time to study and prepare to continue to full fill His purpose....I am working on a lap top that has been loaned to me for a few hours this evening in my hospital room by a missionary here in Kenya..he is actually the pilot that flew me out of Uganda to Kenya....Please keep him and his wife in your prayers as well that the Lord will pour out blessing upon them. They have also offered to help me find a place to stay here while I recover after I leave the hospital.
I look forward to hearing from all of you as well.
In His Service always-
MJ

The Long Road....And More

God answers prayers! I have been feeling much better…the rash is drying out and the round of cipro has taken away my stomach pain. On the 13th the American team left Kapoeta heading back to US soil. Kaya and five of our translators from the Bible school that worked with us in Yei and Kapoeta came to pick me up for what would be 10 hours of the worst roads on earth! It was hot and dusty lots of mud and potholes, but not many traffic jams other that the occasional lorry filled overflowing with goods for transport, cattle, goats, people walking along the road, some monkeys and one lion! About the time I thought I could not take one more pothole the road would smooth out for awhile….Praise the Lord! It’s amazing how God works. I feel like I have had some wonderful mentorship with Patricia over the past year and during my first two weeks in Sudan, watching and learning and doing and now it’s like I’m a caged bird suddenly set free to fly! I felt a sudden stirring in my stomach as I crawled into the land cruiser that morning while everyone else was still sleeping and going off on my own….it was exciting and only for a moment a little fear creped in but as the sun rose and we drove further and further away I had a peace come over me and I knew God was with me.
Finally we made it to Yei! This would be my first overnight in Africa alone, for a moment I was a bit scared but God is faithful. Kaya took us to eat in town. I’m sure I was a sight the only white lady in town walking into a restaurant with six African men. I was so tired I could not remember how or why I should eat….so back to my tukul sleep came quickly and so did the next day! Another 5 hour drive to my destination in Kajo Keji….this day I am very dirty, but my soul is refreshed! The roads are the same but the 5 hours seem to fly by. I was contemplating all that had happened over the past couple of weeks. God’s plan for this journey and the opportunities to come to share the women’s studies I have brought with me. My IPod was a source of great joy today and time to enjoy a little bit of home.
Arriving at the compound where I will be living for the next couple of months exhausted but well. It is beautiful here in the mountains of Southern Sudan. I go about settling in and retrieving my daily bucket of hot water for a bath. It’s wonderful what a little soap and some hot water can do! I feel like a new woman! And then food….

So this evening I have been working on some first lessons for the women in the local churches. Tomorrow I will meet Rose she and I will work together teaching many things from the standard of purity and the consequences of sexually transmitted diseases to financial freedom and much more…
A New Day
It was a slow start today but finally my ride arrived! Issac and Rose came on motor bikes and we rode out to Monduluk a small church plant about 10 kil out of town we had aprox 10 women there that we went through 3 lessons with and they are eager to learn more. I discovered we have 11 total churches like this but they are not close by so tomorrow I will have my crash course in riding a motor bike( no pun intended:) WOW... the kids were really excited to see me riding past town…Can you just imagine when they see me driving! I now know how to say
" White lady" in four languages! I’m having a blast and enjoying serving the women here with bible studies and much more…I will keep you posted…..with more very soon. I was also told the comments page is not working so I will try to fix this….Please email me if you cannot post here
mjknorris@yahoo.com
In His Service Always-
MJ

Austin, TX Team is Here!

The rest of our team made it safely this afternoon and have gone to the security office to announce to the officials that they are here and sign in with passport numbers.....This is just so that should anything happen the officials know who is here and so fourth.....(Not a big deal for my family if you are worried)

I already went yesterday so I am staying at Camp to send a couple of emails and rest for a bit. Patricia and I have been at the African Inland Church most all morning with a training class and I was able to lead part of the training, it was a lot of fun! Then we went to the school and told bible stories to the children and sang songs we taught them a couple and they taught us a few:) We have visited with a couple of local Pastors and are making plans for the rest of this week!

So having internet here is a new thing last year this was not available at all! So progress is slowly coming to Kapoeta! Because of the bore holes we have clean drinking water here on the camp ground too and they are feeding us very well.....

The weather is actually very nice today:) A wonderful breeze but that means the rain will be coming again....The roads are quite difficult to navigate with all the mud but it seems to add some adventure to the day, it also makes you really appreciate even a cold shower....

I am having a great time and doing well!
Michael NorrisEphesians 3:20

Arrived Safely in Kapoeta!

So now I am in Kapoeta, Sudan! I just spent the past week in Yei, Sudan with a medical team....It was an amazing experience! The doctors were so humble, kind, and generous with their time and talents! I spent the first day of clinic as the pharmacist and helping to keep the flow going through the clinic. The second day as a nurse, I also had a lot of great opportunities to pray for many people for healing, provision, and for many who are still suffering from mental trauma because of all the war that has been happening here! many of the people are suffering from nightmares and many other post traumatic stress symptoms. Please continue to pray for these people! The following days were filled with a lot of work in the medical clinics and then yesterday, I was able to work on training and discipleship with other church leaders men and women in Bible story telling training! The weather has been VERY HOT! Although the shade of a mango tree provided an entire afternoon of Bible study, training, prayer, and worshiping God. I was able to have some one on one time with the wife of the Pastor of Church of God in Yei to talk about putting together a women's conference in December! I also spent time with a woman named Susan who recently came to know the Lord from a dream she had and has now been coming to a Christian church....she had been Muslim and was the 7th wife of a Muslim man in Kenya she is now raising her 3yo child on her own in Yei, Sudan she speaks English very well and is now working for ARC American Refugee Committee- She has a motor bike and travels through out Yei and surrounding areas teaching about aids awareness, domestic violence, alcohol abuse and women taking responsibility for caring for themselves. Many many of the men have died in wars between North Sudan and South Sudan and tribal wars as well so this means that many many of the women in Sudan are widows. I will be working on ideas for micro finance opportunities for these women as well as lifting them up the the word of God and sharing more Bible stories and women's studies with them! I am really excited about spending Christmas here I brought books to share about the meaning of Christmas and hope to maybe even put together a Christmas play for the kids. Many of the people here are oral learners and love to make up songs, tell stories, and have drama. My prayer for this week in to find at least one women in Kapoeta that I can pour into all that I have prepared and help to lift her up and encourage her in sharing the gospel.

Patricia and I were dropped off in Kapoeta today and we are resting well and Mango Camp. It has rained a lot this evening so I am also praying that things will dry out quickly because we have a team coming from Austin, Tx tomorrow and the air field needs to dry out for them to land safely. It can also be very difficult to travel even by foot if it is too wet. We may have to go to the market and purchase some rain boots! But we will serve the Lord come rain or shine!

So I was finally able to take a shower today! The situation in Yei was very interesting:) I'll have to share photos with you when I can. Picture this a large round green plastic tub heading across the field to the shack where the water is boiled and dipping it out and mixing with some cold water to temp. now off to the stall to stand in a bucket with hot dirty brown water only up to your ankles and using a scoop to pour it over your head! This has been my bath for the past week! Now having all this said arriving at Mango Camp was a GREAT joy! I had running CLEAN water but no heat actually it was very COLD water! So I was thinking to myself......I'm not really sure what is better......dirty hot water.....or clean cold water?????!!!!
Thank you so much for posting notes I really enjoyed reading them tonight! I look forward to more......

In His Service Always-
MJ