It has been 18 months since we hosted a medical camp
(clinic) in Uganda. In some ways it
seems like forever, and yet, at other times, it seems like yesterday. One thing is for sure, we all were excited to
hit the road again today. We packed our
trunks and loaded our van and took off for Mbarara this morning (Sunday). We will be hosting camps in Ishaka each of
the next two days. I wanted to make use
of the 5 hours in the ministry machine to catch you up on our trip so far.
The time since we left Dallas on Wednesday morning has been
a blur. We flew to Dubai and had an
incredible time in the desert and absorbing some of the local culture. We rode in vehicles “bashing” the dunes and
then some of us sledded or surfed the sand.
Some of us, well me, just fell down while trying to surf the sand. We then went to a dinner where we were treated
to some camel rides, as well as, local food, customs and dances.
By the time the 15 hour flight and the desert
tour were over, we collapsed into our hotel beds on Thursday night.
On Friday, we got up and flew from Dubai to Uganda, where we
were greeted by our Ugandan friends and family.
We talked through our mission plans over dinner and then headed to our
guest house in Gaba. Once we arrived in
Gaba, we ran into our friends Jesse and Cate and caught up with Jamil (just
arriving from his home in Palissa) before we even reached our guest house.
On Saturday, we headed up to Wentz Medical Center to pack
our trunks for our 3 week swing through SW Uganda. When we arrived at Wentz, guess who we ran
into! Our friends Kevin and Nicholas. It was such a blessing to reunite with these
precious boys and their mothers.
Kevin, you may remember, is a young boy that had been
severely burned when we ran into him in 2013 in Rushere. He has undergone multiple surgeries and is
doing remarkably well. He was able to
run and play soccer and seemed to be in good spirits. He was in town because he was supposed to
have a plastic surgery done by a visiting American surgeon, but he was found to
have Malaria, so he was instead sent to Wentz for treatment. His next surgery has now been rescheduled to
May 23rd. Due Unto Others
supporters have been so gracious to sponsor Kevin’s medical treatment to this
point. Kevin is old enough for school
now, so we would like to raise money for his school fees and for continued
medical care.
Nicholas is a young man that we met in Itara in 2013. He had a chronically broken left tibia (shin
bone). We were concerned that he might
have osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease). I think it has been proven that he does not
have this disease. His leg has
healed. It is not completely straight,
but he runs and plays like his peers!
Due Unto Others donors have supplied his medical care and God has healed
him to a point that he should be able to lead a normal life.
Sunday morning, we attended worship at Gaba Community Church
and then returned to our guest house to load up our van to head to Mbarara. As we were loading our van, I heard a
familiar voice saying “Dr. Jay. Dr. Jay”. I finally realized it was coming from the
other side of the compound gate. It WAS
a familiar voice, it was our good friend Shakib with his sister (Bushira) and
his mother (Teddy). They had come to pay
us a visit. They also brought with them
some fresh fruit that they graciously gave to our team. It was good to see them
and to see how well Shakib has recovered from his burns that we found him with
in 2012. He is getting tall, is in 1st
grade, has great use of his left hand and has a smile that brings joy to those
that see it. We regretted that we were
not able to spend more time with them today, but we hope that we can visit with
them again before we head home in 5 weeks.
It is great to be back in the ministry machine chugging down
the roads of Uganda again. I has been even greater to see God’s handiwork in
the healing of the 4 boys we have seen so far (Jamil, Nicholas, Kevin and
Shakib). Please join us in praying that
God be glorified in our clinics this week and that we can identify “that one
person” that we can make a difference for.
Jay
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