Uganda 2015, By the Numbers

Our team is currently at the Entebbe airport in Uganda. We are ready to get home but have a long set of flights ahead of us.

Today, we left our temporary home at Mount Elgon Hotel. After an emotional goodbye to Dr. Bartha, we traveled to Kampala. There, we had lunch and met with Beatrice, a seminary friend of Walter's who is doing ministry in Uganda with her husband and children. It was a total joy to see them and share some uplifting moments of joy and prayer. We left Walter there and came to the airport, where we are now waiting for our first flight.

As we close out our time in Africa, I thought it might be interesting to give you all a few statistics from this year's trip to Akalabai. These are very rough numbers, but they are in the ballpark and will give you an idea of just how much God has been doing.

425 - people met on the trails. Some in their homes and some literally on the trail. That is 425 people that our team shared the gospel with face-to-face.

1,200 - people at the crusades (total over the entire week).

4,250 - children at the schools that we shared testimonies and sermons with.

300 - women ministered to at the women's clinic

175 - men we taught Sunday School lessons to

260 - women we taught Sunday School lessons to

320 - children we taught Sunday School lessons to

1400 - patients seen at the medical clinic

210 - prisoners who heard our testimonies and sermons

2800 - people we handed out mosquito nets to during the medical clinic

200 - parents, graduates and staff who heard Walter preach at the Bible College Graduation

130 - pastors, translators, and their wives at the pastor dinner on Sunday night

360 - people at the church dedication service on our final Sunday in Akalabai

All said and done, there were thousands of people who heard our words about the gospel of Jesus. Hundreds came to the Lord. These are more than just numbers. Each digit represents a soul, a face, a child of God that we had the joy of interacting with this week. And every single one of these souls has impacted us for the Kingdom, equipping us to abide with their beauty and their strength.

The last number is the One that matters most, the One to whom all glory and honor reside. The One God. The One King. The One who called us to Uganda and reveals Himself in all corners of the globe and in the heavens beyond.

"There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:4-6)

Thanks for following our journey, for caring for us and for the Kingdom of God. And for the One we serve, in whom we strive to abide.

Blessings,

The 2015 Uganda Mission Team

You are the branches

Our last full day of ministry in Uganda began with a morning devotional time. We sang and prayed together and continued with our affirmation exercise from last night.

After our wonderful time together in the morning, our entire team headed to Akalabai church for morning service and Sunday School.

Today was the very last day for us in the village. The worship had already begun as our vans pulled up and our team joyously searched for where we might be able to fit into an already packed church.

After some praise and worship, we split into Sunday School groups. D. Bartha took the men’s group and spoke about truth. There were about 65 men. 

Carolyn, Laura, Audrey, Rachel, Allison, and Kylie led the time with the children. They sang many songs and taught about Noah's ark. There were around 200 of them. 

Cynthia and Karen taught the women inside the church. They taught a lesson about abiding to about 90 women.

After everyone packed back into the church, we commissioned the Akalabai church with an incredible worship service. Walter preached on Colossians 3. Pastor Morris shared a charge for the church and for Pastor Robert and his wife and the Akalabai choir led us in music. On behalf of the church, Walter also presented the cross we had made for them and the chalice and plate for communion.

The people of Akalabai were incredibly thankful and kind all morning long. Our team has loved getting to spend time with them, know their stories, and participate in the living and breathing Kingdom life in this little village in Africa. The two pictures below are of the church the people of Akalabai were worshipping in before we came and the one we commissioned today.

After eating lunch at the church, we said our goodbyes and split into two groups. One group went back to the hotel and the other went to see the newest water well that FPC Midland has sponsored. Our group traveled quite a ways to see Pastor Eldad and his wife Grace at the boar hole. The well was doing well and functioning properly. It had many visitors while the team was there and Walter and Rudi tried their hand at pumping a jug full.

The entire team assembled at the hotel around 5:00 for the Pastors dinner. This is a fellowship event we host every year at the Mount Elgon hotel in honor of the pastors and elders that have served as our translators throughout the week.

 It was an incredible time of fellowship, prayer, and unity.

 We also got to share in a time of communion with the pastors. The relationship we make with these fellow disciples throughout the week is one of the most significant aspects of our journey. We are so thankful for them, their stories, and their hearts for the Lord!

The dinner ended pretty late and we said some emotional goodbyes to our new (and old) friends. Our time here has been beyond incredible. We have been so humbled and so empowered by the ways the Spirit has used us. So inspired and so in awe at the ways we have seen God in others. It is an experience we will remember forever. A week of abiding. With God's grace, we can carry that abiding into the following weeks of our lives.

After the pastors left, we had a quick debrief to recap and share our thoughts about the days activities. Then we each got the chance to lift Dr. Bartha up with words of affirmation since he will be going back to the clinic tomorrow and not travel with us to Entebbe.

Tonight, we are packing up all of our things, deciding what to donate and what to bring home, what to give and what to take away. Our hearts are trying to figure out the same thing. It feels as though our journey here is over. It has been good, but we are ready to go home. It has been a joy to share all of this with you.

Thanks always for your prayers and support,

The 2015 Uganda Mission Team

The Hope of Glory

 

Today was a very special day of celebration here in eastern Uganda. Just wait until you see Dr. Bartha’s smile and Walter and Joey’s outfits!

The day began in the backyard of the Mount Elgon hotel. Garrett led us in a devotional about righteousness.

Walter, Pat, Joey. Andrew, and Rudi were blessed to attend the graduation ceremony for the Bible Church that our church helps support Covenant Bible Institute of Theology in Mbale. It was an all day affair. We arrived and Walter and Joey got dressed for their part in the ceremony.

The entire ceremony lasted about four hours, with a couple handful of speeches, two full sermons, one given by our beloved pastor Walter, and certificates and awards, which Joey helped to hand out. There were also about five different musical performances. The marching band did not show, otherwise it would have been even more (this is not a joke).

When all the ceremony part of the ceremony was over, the graduates were called up one at a time. When they were called, their family and friends enthusiastically joined them and walked them to their diploma. One guy got lifted and carried back to his seat, like the ending of Rudy. It was an infectiously joyful occasion.

Rudi received a real blessing on our way out as a man approached him and thanked him for his sermon at the Akalabai crusade last night. This is especially neat because none of us knew who the man was and the ceremony where we saw him was in Mbale (a long drive from the crusade in the village).

The rest of the group went to Lulwanda Chidrens’ Home for a visit. Dr. Bartha got to meet a boy (about 17 yrs. of age) that he has been sponsoring for years and exchanging letters with but had never met in person. The people at the home taught our team how to make chipoti, which was a delight. 

Our experienced Uganda Team members remarked how grown some of the children they see each year are getting. There are 12 new children there and they have started a transition home to help prepare the orphans for life on their own. The water well that the church sponsored in 2008 is still operational and is in the picture below.

After these two very different, but blessed, experiences, the team met back at the hotel and headed out to Dr. Bartha’s new clinic and home in Atekwan. To say the team was incredibly moved by the experience is an understatement.

The clinic has been operational since early November of last year. It is open every single day and thanks to Dr. Bartha’s efforts, it is almost completely free for the people. The team estimates that the circle of influence has a radius of about 7 kilometers and that most who come to the clinic come on foot. The clinic sees a little over 40 patients a day. There are 22 people on staff, including Dr. Bartha and two other doctors (Luke and Paul), security officers, nurses, a driver, lab technician, accountant, etc. The clinic has its own lab with a microscope, a very small pharmacy, and an ultrasound machine.The clinic costs about $6,000 to operate monthly. And the incredible staff has visions of opening another clinic at some point in the future in another area.

If there are severe cases in the clinic, they drive people to the Mbale hospital. This was the case with a baby just hours before we arrived. The infant had severe malaria and malnutrition. Much of the sickness they see is malaria. Dr. Luke said that about 85% of the malaria tests they do come up positive. And about 80% of those positives are severe cases. There has also been 15 babies delivered at the clinic so far. There is a meager overnight ward for those who need an IV or some treatment overnight. It was full of sick babies when we were there and we took the opportunity, along with the staff, to pray for them. We prayed for many people at the clinic. It was a humbling, powerful, and unifying experience. We are so thankful to be included within the body of Christ. And so thankful for what we witnessed today.

 Our team was inspired to see the place where Dr. Bartha has chosen to live out his calling. They affectionately call Dr. Bartha “Dr. Okia”. Okia means ‘medicine’ in their language. He works six days a week. On work days, he goes to the clinic and leaves for a short time during the morning to speak at schools about nutrition and healthy living. Some days, he has to go to Mbale for medicine or to another village to do some aid there.

As our team was led around the humble, yet very clean, clinic, we prayed over the rooms, the doctors, and the patients that were there. Our team felt the unmistakeable presence of Jesus in the clinic. We saw some sick babies come in and it was heartbreaking. But as Dr. Bartha said, “they will get better.” Unfortunately, we cannot share all of the great pictures we took on this post. Even more unfortunately, we cannot adequately express how wonderful this ministry is, how blessed we felt to be there, how beloved Dr. Okia is in that place, and how much the presence of God permeated the clinic. There was immense suffering, but in the midst of it, a peace that passes understanding.

The Bible says that we ought to glory in our suffering because suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope. The Cross Emergency Medical Clinic is a place of suffering, but through perseverance it has produced characters like Dr. Bartha. And so, The Cross Emergency Medical Clinic is a place of hope. As Garrett said after praying for a woman, “they joy of Jesus is that she will be healed, either in this life or the next.”

 Walter presented a cross, hand made by someone at FPC Midland, to the clinic as we enjoyed some conversation about what the Lord is doing in the medical clinic and how valuable Dr. Bartha's mission has been to the community.

 

We also had the chance to visit Dr. Okia’s residence and see that our beloved friend and team member is being very well looked after, affirmed, and valued in a beautiful home as well as at the clinic. He describes it as a place of peace and it certainly feels that way. The view is incredible. We prayed over the house with Dr. Bartha. It was such a joy to be with him today and to see, quite clearly, that he is home.

After dinner and a debrief, our team entered into an exercise wherein we uplift one another. We started with a name (Rudi was first) and then went all the way around the circle and every team member spoke to Rudi’s giftings and how they saw the Kingdom in him. It took us over an hour, with a flood of tears and a thundercloud of laughter, to get through six people. We are planning to continue tomorrow.

 Our time in Uganda is rapidly coming to an end. But, there is still ministry to be done. The Lord is still at work here and has a bit more before we head home. Pray for us as we try to finish strong and, as always, to abide in Him.

Thanks for all your prayers and support,

The 2015 Uganda Mission Team

Whatever you do...

 

Cynthia led us in a devotional this morning about wisdom and the role it plays in our attempting to abide in and with Christ. Our time in the morning is so special, to sing and to share thoughts from the Kingdom. It unites us, centers us, and prepares us.

Our last full day in the village of Akalabai was very bittersweet. Nobody from our team went on the trails today because all hands were needed for the gigantic crowd that was waiting for us at the medical clinic.

In terms of procedure, everything happened pretty similarly to how it occurred yesterday. There were dentists and AIDS test and malaria pills handed out. Our team worked very hard to provide the best and most efficient care possible for the overwhelming crowd of people.

The mosquito nets were a hot commodity. It was a day-long struggle to keep the desperate villagers organized. We handed out close to two thousand mosquito nets in about five hours today. Some local children helped pass out the nets and were actually extremely helpful. It was heartbreaking to have to tell people to be patient or to follow rules as we saw them experiencing a level of desperation none of us will ever know.

Dr. Bartha saw a lot of people today. He said there were a few who were in need of surgeries and they would be working on getting referrals to those people. There were patients suffering seizures and a needed hysterectomy, to name a few.

When our translators were swamped or needed elsewhere, some of the villagers, even those who had gotten close to the front of the line, served their community by helping us organize the people.

Pat tried to take a mosquito net to one of the doctors, who had already refused once. The doctor replied, “I can afford nets. The government gives me nets. These people need them and you bought them for Akalabai.”

Our team was full of joy as we saw people we had met on the trail come into the clinic.

Dr. Bartha’s expertise made it so that we were very efficient with the number and kinds of medicines we bought.

After the dust settled from a very busy day in the clinic, we tried to catch our breath and rest for a few minutes before stepping out into our last crusade at Akalabai. Laura and Cynthia each gave fantastic testimonies. Garrett gave a preachimony (testimony with an evangelistic after-taste). Rudi gave a great sermon, which was the presentation of the gospel woven from both Scripture and his life.

Walter and Rachel went to a prison this afternoon. The prison was pretty far from Akalabai, in the beautiful mountain-region of Uganda. Walter spoke to about 200 men. Rachel spoke to 21 women, 3 babies. ALL of the women accepted Christ after her talk. Our duo also got to talk and pray with the female warden of the prison. On the way home, the driver gave a man a ride and Rachel talked with him and handed him a tract to read. He was a very kind and open Muslim man. Before long, she had climbed across the van to sit in a seat next to him and read some of The Gospel of Matthew with him.

It was more than a full day. Our team is feeling healthy, but will be tired and sore as the evening wears on. Everything at the clinic went very well today. But we did not get to see everyone. It seems as though the more we serve, the more we are aware of how much additional service is needed. maybe all good things work in this way - love, peace, joy. Today was a day that we swiveled between pouring out and filling up. The team was filled with joy to be able to serve most, but laments not being able to serve everyone. We prayed supernatural healing over the ones that we did not have time to see. There were villagers who cheated and stole, trying to beat our system to get the most for themselves, at the expense of their fellow-villagers. There were also villagers who served one another and helped keep the peace.

 On the way home, this rainbow covered the sky, as if God was reminding us that he is Here, beckoning us home, calling us to abide.

 The weekend will look very different than our time in Akalabai has, but it will be full of ministry and beauty. As we begin to close our time in the village (just the dedication on Sunday is left), we are thankful for the invitation to participate in what God is doing in Akalabai. And Scripture promises that he who began a good work shall see it through to completion!

Thanks for all your prayers and support,

The 2015 Uganda Mission Team

The Body of Christ

Another wonderful and productive day in Uganda began as Rachel led us in a devotional early this morning. We talked about the struggle to maintain unity between us and the Divine.

Thursday looked a little bit different in the village of Akalabai, Uganda. Our entire team (yay togetherness!) went straight to the village in the morning and set up for the medical clinic. We met a Ugandan team of doctors and nurses, hauled a large amount of medicine, and systematically prepared for a full day of providing medical care to a large crowd of people.

The people of Akalabai (and neighboring villages) were waiting for us as we arrived. And the line of people continued until we shut down for the day late in the afternoon.

The procedure for the villagers began as they registered and got a prescription slip from a van upon first arrival. Then they lined up outside the church. When they reached the front and were called in, one from our team took their temperature and blood pressure, and wrote it down on their slip. Then, they were sent to one of a few doctors (including Dr. Bartha). The doctors wrote their prescriptions and gave them cards for the proper number of mosquito nets. The villagers went to a designated area to get prescriptions filled. Lastly, they picked up their mosquito nets and left. The entire operation ran pretty smoothly. It is very difficult to do crowd control in a culture that is not used to lines and is fighting desperately for survival. Here are a quick snapshots (and also pictures) from the day:

Laura took the temperature of a woman who literally crawled on her knees all the way through the church.

Cynthia heard the distinct noise of a little girl crying. It was loud and persistent (and the Lord was at work) so she decided to seek it out. When she discovered an elderly man, who was likely the girl’s grandfather, patiently leading the child around, she was very moved at his loving kindness.

A lot of the children were afraid of the machines and even some of us. We had to navigate some gentle crying, and maybe some less gentle. One little girl was staring off into nowhere while her mom led her to the mosquito nets. When she looked up and saw Joey, she literally stumbled backwards with a frightened look on her face. Garrett and Andrew had to mark hesitant babies as they handed out mosquito nets.

Karen met a family with an epileptic girl on the trail earlier this week. The family explained their various troubles in treating the girl and getting her to the church and waiting all day, so Karen wrote a note that would get her to the front of the line. Karen was not sure she had shown up until she left her post to take a few pictures and the girl tugged on her sleeve.

Dr. Bartha is a rock star! It was such a joy to see him, nestled in the corner of the church, living into his calling, serving his people. At the end of the day, he went into Mbale to get more medicine for tomorrow and was out until almost 9:00pm. He also gave a testimony at the crusade. Supernatural strength and knowledge. It was a blessing to behold a man and his mission!

The first day of the medical clinic was a huge success. We saw about 775 people, handed out about 880 mosquito nets and helped fill about 3,000 prescriptions. We expect even more people tomorrow as word about free health care travels swiftly to the surrounding villages. One of our ministry hosts told us today that some people travel from up to 10-13 miles away (on foot) to attend our clinic. We ran out of medicine today and expect more people tomorrow.

As our team got into a bit of a groove in the morning, a subset went out for a couple hours on the trail. There were not many people to see because they were all at the clinic, but we had some great encounters.

Pat shared with some workers in a field, one of whom was working up in a tree.

With many people not home, Rudi talked to people they encountered on the path and had five people come to know the Lord right in the middle of the Ugandan dirt.

Rachel talked with a bunch of people and surreally walked through a cornfield and also had her translator pick a banana straight off a tree.

Joey met a woman who remembered in vivid detail Kylie’s testimony from the Monday crusade.

Update: as you may recall, Kylie met a boy on her first day on the trail whose leg was broken from an accident that happened in February, his name was Osirei. Dr. Bartha worked with a local hospital and has arranged for the boy to have a surgery within the next couple of weeks that may save his leg.

Rudi and Allison made an impromptu trip to a prison where Rudi gave a great sermon and Allison a fantastic testimony. Several inmates gave testimonies as well (including a man who was healed of a skin disease through the power of prayer). Rudi and Allison felt as though they were recipients just as much as providers of ministry.

After we shut down the clinic, we had another exciting crusade. The team was full of joy as we danced with the kids (you should seriously see the videos of our associate pastor bustin’ a move)! Rachel gave a testimony about how God used her family to reveal Himself to her. Debbie gave a testimony about overcoming bondage and performance to accept the grace of God that comes without condition. Dr. Bartha gave a testimony about his internal struggles as he has helped so many others and how the Lord called him to a new life here in Uganda. The people literally interrupted in applause during all three testimonies! Andrew gave a great sermon about living water and prayed over the people of Akalabai as we got into the vans to leave for the day.

 

Pray that we continue to stay present and soak in all that the Lord has for us in the next few days. Our team has been heartbroken by the physical poverty here and moved by the spiritual abundance. Life is difficult in every culture. Apathy can be as dangerous as starvation. Keep us in your thoughts as we wrestle with all that we have seen and experienced here in Uganda. 

 

 We cannot believe the trip is almost over! But we still have ministry to enjoy! Thank you all for your prayers and support and for following our journey. 

Blessings,

The 2015 Uganda Mission Team