Dr. Jon Fielder reflects on the punishing journey to Mother of Mercy Referral Teaching Hospital in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains—and why getting there is part of the mission.
by Dr. Jon Fielder
The Road to Gidel
When the hospital vehicle picked me up in the market town roughly halfway between the refugee camp in northern South Sudan and Gidel, I wondered why the administrator had sent four guys, including two drivers.
The wisdom of Robert’s decision would become evident soon enough.
“That Was the Last Hard Place”
“That was the last hard place.”
So said the young Nuba driver when our Land Cruiser was finally dislodged from a muddy embankment. As we approached the sheer drop leading into the now very much wet wadi (or “dry river bed” in Arabic), the hospital staff were excitedly discussing how best to approach. Amidst the din, my two cents’ worth could barely be heard: “I don’t think so.” As in, “I don’t think trying to cross here is a great idea.”
This picayune observation was ignored.
Watch: The crossing that proved to be the first—not the last—hard place.
Although we did make it past the seemingly impassable point, it was not, in fact, the last hard place. It was the first hard place.
May is my least favorite month to visit the hospital. It’s just so hot, even for a guy who grew up in Houston. The endless jostling, the dust, the checkpoints, the nausea, the migraines. Everything is made worse by the heat before the rains.
Which is why, when storm clouds gathered, I welcomed the coming water – at first. The cloud cover and wind lowered the temperature to a very pleasant 70 degrees. The improvement in comfort did not last long.
The passenger window would not go up. As the rain and wind intensified, the open window became an issue. Finally, the driver’s switch managed to raise the glass. But when we attempted to cross the “first / last hard place,” I gripped the handrest and managed to lower the window again. Mud and water poured in with each rev of the engine.
Having passed the first obstacle, we slipped, slid, and fishtailed our way along for a while. Our luck ran out again.
Three guys piled out of the truck and pushed from the side. Once free from the deepest mud, Yusef—the drivers had changed—did not want to lose momentum.
We pushed on for about three football fields, leaving the other guys to schlep in the mud to catch up. But they weren’t angry. In fact, they were jubilant.
I thought, “Maybe they don’t have any other plans on a Saturday night?” Monster Truck Rally, Nuba Edition, was perhaps the best entertainment on offer.
After getting stuck just once more, we came upon what I was sure would be our undoing. A roaring river loomed in the encroaching darkness. I remembered Dr. Ahmed, a Nuba surgeon who had died about a year prior when trying to cross a swollen wadi.
As luck would have it (for us), another truck sat ahead, contemplating what to do. There are not many vehicles in Nuba, but one of them just happened to be in the same predicament. A Hilux (as opposed to our more powerful Land Cruiser), it crossed without too much difficulty, which gave us confidence. Just as we emerged from the river on the other side, a tremendous flash of lightning illuminated the sky.
Watch: One of the river crossings on the road to Gidel.
We went on to make six more crossings, most merely streams in comparison to that first rushing torrent. We made it to the hospital about 10 hours after leaving South Sudan.
Gidel Is the Last Hard Place
Given what Tom and the team must put up with day in and day out, it’s much more accurate to say that Gidel Hospital is the “last hard place.”
Yours in Struggle,
Jon
About the Author
Dr. Jon Fielder is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of African Mission Healthcare and serves on the Board of Directors of Mother of Mercy Referral Teaching Hospital in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan. He visits the hospital approximately once a year to provide support, attend board meetings, and assist with long-term strategic planning.
“The Last Hard Place” is a reflection from his visit to the Nuba Mountains in May 2026. Per Jon, it usually takes three days to get there, three days on the ground, and three to four days to get back. This trip, it was two days in, two days on the ground, and two days back.