Wow, what a great trip we had, so many things I can think of to write about, and so little time.
Numbers
First the numbers; on this trip the outreach providers held 10 clinics in the rural villages, some very deep in the bush. The doctors, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners (including Dr. Patrick and his team) gave basic medical evaluations and treatment to 4744 patients. Additionally, vaccines, vitamin A supplements, and de-worming medications were given out, which put total treatments provided to exceed 12,000. With just one surgeon, our numbers for the surgery team were smaller, 21 operations provided, but we also gave some great education to the OR crew, the anesthetist, and the surgeon who does cases intermittently throughout the year when we are not there.
Our flexibility meets God’s sovereignty
Pro 16:9 - The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. (NASB)
Things did not go as planned on this trip, at least not according to our plans. It was wonderful to see how our team managed to fit into God’s plans however. #1- I guess the most glaring example of this has to be the motorcycle. While we were planning the trip, a 53 year old Brit who had moved to Kanginima and had been helping Dr. Patrick with some repairs at the hospital asked if I could bring some parts for his aging Honda motorcycle. He ordered and had the parts shipped to my house, and we packed them with the medical supply bags. A couple of weeks before we left for Uganda he died suddenly. We brought the parts to give to his widow in case she could have the bike repaired and sold to help her out. As it was, there was no one there who knew how to fix Hondas, almost all the motorbikes in Uganda are made in India. Amazingly, one of our team members, Dan Vestal; in addition to being a nurse and pharmacy tech, happened to be an experienced Honda motorcycle mechanic, and was able (because our team was flexible enough to spare him from the pharmacy) to spend 2 days repairing the bike for the man’s widow. Coincidence? You tell me. #2- We had planned on having 2 gynecologists along with us for the surgical team and thought it was a blow to our plans when they had a critically ill family member that forced them to cancel at the last minute, but God knew that Dr. David Madooba, who does some surgeries at the hospital between our trips, needed some additional surgical education, and I needed some humility. We would not have thought to call and ask him to come work with us if the gyn docs had come. #3 - We had not planned to be at the hospital on Saturday, but because the surgery schedule was backed up we came out to do one case. As we were having lunch and getting ready to leave, we found out that the midwives had two women in need of C-sections. I could go on and on; there have been a few splendid examples of this on past trips, but never so many examples on one trip. Praise the God who directs all of our steps no matter what our plans.
Never underestimate what you are doing
It is easy to look around at the situation in Uganda with regards to medical care and despair. There seems to be so many sick, and hurting people, and all the work we do there seems to be only a drop in the bucket compared to the need. Jack Runyan and I were discussing this after we had watched the children of the Elohim Child Development Center perform for us. Jack mentioned that the story of the children was a good corollary to the starfish story that I like to tell team members, and would serve as a good reminder for the team of what good has been done even though it seems like such a small amount compared to the need. The director of the center David Ligaka (I hope the name is correct) finds street children and takes them in at the center, feeds them, provides basic necessities, and even school fees. Then he teaches them the cultural music, dances and songs of Uganda. They then are able to go out and do performances for groups like ours, raising money to help keep the center open, giving hope to even more street children. He said he knows he cannot help all the street children and orphans in Uganda, but is happy to do what he can for those that he can, knowing his efforts will multiply over time. Who is to say that our team by treating the sick in one village this year did not prevent the death of the next Dr. Patrick or Dr. David, both of whom came up from the villages to serve their people? The starfish story that I like to tell the team members goes like this (you can skip if you’ve read it before): A man comes upon a little boy on a beach where a storm the night before has washed up hundreds of starfish. The man notices the boy is picking up the starfish one by one where they are starting to dry up and die, and is throwing them back out in the ocean. The man tells the boy, “why are you bothering to do this, there are hundreds of starfish dying here and you can only throw a few back in the water, you cannot possibly make a difference in the number that will die”. Without stopping the boy looks up as he throws another back and says “I made a difference for that one”. I guess all that each one of us can really do is make a difference in the lives of as many others as possible. I am happy for the many that our team has touched this year. Never underestimate what you can do, because God can multiply your efforts in ways you cannot know.
Mat 10:42 - “And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.” (NASB)
Thanks for following the blog, and I thank God for everyone who participated in this mission, team members, supporters, prayer warriors, and anyone else who helped us pass out water.
Blessings of Christ to you all,
Craig