John and Poppy Spens are Short Term Mission Partners working in Yei Vocational Training Centre, Southern Sudan. John manages the centre while Poppy oversees ongoing medical work and women's programmes.
News and articles from John and Poppy Spens
Wheelnuts, Developments and the Future...
We are writing this on the last day of our short holiday in Uganda, in the northern town of Arua. It’s been a good break and an opportunity to catch up on sleep, enjoy pizzas, do some shopping and even to swim in the hotel pool! Getting here was, as usual, a challenge and this time was made more interesting because a rear wheel decided to separate itself from the vehicle.
From Strength to Strength at the Martha Clinic
Martha clinic is incredibly busy. Our patient numbers are rising fast and the new building is now full to bursting. We are now having to build a waiting room which will be used for health education while the patients wait…
Miracles at Mongo
On 3rd March 2008, Ian and Carol Smith visited the community at Mongo where construction work on a new Primary School was about to start to replace the ancient and dilapidated buildings currently used by the pupils. The buildings are still in use and there are still three classes that take place under trees.
But not for much longer…
Craft Sales support Women's Programme
Running a craft shop is not my skill. In fact I find it a real struggle to find the time to manage it in the way I would like. I am so busy running the clinic.
We are totally dependent on sales to enable the women to be paid for the work they do. The women work; we pay them for their work and we hope to sell the products (see photo. The full catalogue is on our website at www.johnandpoppy.org.uk).
From time to time we hit a financial problem. This happened last week when it looked as though we would run out of cash by the end of the month. We stopped most of the women working but this causes hardship for those whose families depend upon this income.
Community Health Evangelism in Yei
The Martha Clinic has recently hosted a 10 day training workshop (pictured) in community health evangelism (CHE), a programme which has been running very successfully in several African countries over recent years.
New Clinic proving to be a blessing
The new clinic is going really well.
Patient numbers are rising, especially of ante-natal mothers. We are really pleased at this because the rate of maternal deaths in Southern Sudan is thought to be the highest in the world.
We now have a solar vaccine fridge so that we can carry out routine immunisations. It took a year to get here and be installed but we are now delighted that it is ready for use.
The new clinic building is superb and the staff are very hard working and competent – I have never worked with such a committed team.
Mongo Primary School Progressing Well
The road to Mongo is notoriously bad! In the dry season it is a very bumpy journey; in the rainy season it is sometimes impassable.
I drove the road earlier today in order to visit the new Primary School building that is being constructed in Mongo, funded by Connor Diocese, through CMS Ireland.
Census Begins in Yei
After a one week delay, the fifth Hosing and Population census got under way at midnight on Monday 21st April. Everyone was recorded where they were sleeping that night. The results will be very significant and will be preparatory for the referendum on the future of Southern Sudan, to be organised in 2011.
Bible Distribution in Yei
Like so many things, buying Good News Bibles in Yei is extremely difficult. In fact, there are none anywhere. Our challenge was that we wanted to present each of our 102 new students with a Good News Bible hardback which we use in morning devotions each day.
We did some research and tracked some down in Uganda. A price was negotiated but they would not deliver until paid.
A quick email to friends in our home church secured a cheque payable to the Bible Society UK.
They then emailed Uganda and the Bibles were delivered to Missionary Aviation Fellowship.
MAF flew them up to us free of charge on 15th April and we handed them out in a special ceremony on 17th April when our vicar Rev David Williams was visiting.
It was a great occasion, for which we give thanks to all those who helped in one way or another.
New Archbishop of Sudan Enthroned.
We were very privileged to attend the enthronement ceremony of the new Archbishop of the Sudan in Juba Cathedral on Sunday 20th April. It was a very colourful ceremony and the cathedral was packed with people from all over the Sudan, as well as many overseas visitors.
We were representing CMS Ireland at the ceremony, which marked the enthronement of the Most Reverend Daniel Deng Bul as Primate of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan and Bishop of Juba. The sermon was preached by the Archbishop of Ruanda and greetings were given by Bishops and Archbishops from around the world. The Communion service lasted about 4 hours and was a very wonderful occasion.
Recent comments