First day of Clinics at Opit

What a great day! The team was excited and anxious to get to Opit and begin interacting with people. Both first timers and veterans were ready to jump right in.

The day started off different which has become a norm when in Africa.

Mike, Sarah, Cindy, and I were to meet with four local politicians to thank them for allowing us to hold the clinics and just visit. We were ready to go; Then after waiting until around 9am, it was canceled.  We headed to the village. This is Africa. It was a little distracting to have been delayed, but we are F.A.T. (Flexible Adaptable Teachable).

We arrived at the village around 10:30 and began to setup. Having been at this school last year we had a flow established. This year we brought 300 pairs of reading glasses with us, as this was something we had seen in the past that troubled many of the people. Today the team was dispursed as follows:  

Cheryl, Cindy, Jim, and Les worked in the pharmacy.

Sue prayed in the prayer room.

Mike was crowd control.

Jonathan and Kara worked with children's ministry.

Jody and I were ushers, floaters and door blockers.

Susan was in the medical clinic.

Katherine was in the dental clinic.

Sarah handled wound care.

The team was amazing. Everyone stepped into their role and things ran smooth.  It was incredible to have things go so smoothly after a frustrating start. Everyone worked their part. The church being what is should be... the hands and feet of Christ.

Jonathan and Kara were incredible. They were not sure what to expect or do to entertain approx. 200 kids, but they were so awesome. I saw kids running, playing and laughing. Soccer balls flying and bubbles blowing. These two were rock stars! They barley took a break all day and were running out in the sun. The kids loved them!  Kara even got a marriage proposal from someone!

Katherine went from observing in the dental clinic to giving shots and pulling teeth! She has had nothing but a smile on her face since we arrived. She wanted to be in the dental room as this is the field she wants to study in college. Talk about work experience!  Katherine has been a delight to us all!

Sarah was calm, cool, and caring in wound care. She took care of everyone she saw and treated them with nothing but love and grace.

Cheryl, Jim, Les, and Cindy had the pharmacy running like clockwork. Pharmacy is always busy all day long, but we finished filling all scripts in time to leave at 5pm. Incredible job!!

Les also ran the vision clinic if someone needed reading glasses to see. He does such a great job interacting with everyone and making them feel loved and respected. He told us a story tonight of an elderly woman who came in with a bowed head and stated she just could not see well.  Les got her fixed up with a pair of glasses and when she looked at the chart she yelled "I can see! I can see!”  How awesome is that!

Sue is our prayer warrior. She prays each member up before clinic, during clinic, and at all points in between. She,  Pauline and Pastor Gabriel (local pastors) prayed with 247 people to either begin a relationship with Christ or recommit. The gospel of Christ is our real medicine!

Mike is always a crowd favorite. To see him interact with the crowds waiting to see the doctors is inspiring. Mike treats everyone with dignity and love. He always makes them laugh!

Susan has a heart of compassion. She is always looking for ways to help ladies and their babies. Susan doesn’t believe in can't. She tries to find a way to bless them! She also had an elderly man of 88 asked for her digits so he could call her. That's right. 88 years and asked for her digits! His name is Abraham and we have seen him before. Amazing man with a sharp wit.

Our hosts have been amazing again. They eagerly assist at the side of the team member that they are working with and are always upbeat with sharing their faith.  God has truly blessed us with wonderful brothers and sisters!

Tomorrow we go back to the same village and see as many people as we can. We have let them know we are coming and even handed out tickets for the first people to see the doctor.

Tonight at a team meeting everyone shared their first impressions. It was fun to hear how team members were touched by people they met and worked with; also to hear how their expectations of the trip were either met or not. They all love being here to share their faith, provide some physical healing, and simply love people. The team was full of smiles and tears of joy.  

We saw 302 people in the clinic today. We also witnessed some heart breaking stories. Some made me cry. But to be able to offer a hug, a hand shake, share a laugh or dance is part of being the hands and feet of Christ. What a blessing today was!!

Keep praying for us. All has gone well and smooth.  We, as a team, just want to be what God has called us to be in this place and time.

Off to bed am I. We miss you all dearly.

Talk to you tomorrow.
Ephesians 2:10

Chris

A few photos from the first day of clinics.

The crowd as we arrived.

People waiting to see doctors.

Sarah working at wound care.

The team is safe in Gulu and glad to be getting some rest.  The seven hour bus ride was tiring. They also worked sorting and preparing bags for clinics.  Tomorrow they will board the bus for the Village of Opit for the first day of clinics.  Village Opit is off the main road, down some red dirt roads and then some more red dirt roads that cut through corn fields.  It is in the boonies.  Hundreds of people will show up with every kind of hurt and pain.  There will be a couple of rooms for the Ugandan doctors to set-up, a prayer room and a pharmacy.  It will be a busy, busy day filled with many surprises and lots of love. We are experiencing some technical difficulties.  This is posted by Kysia after a phone call from Chris.

The team has arrived in Uganda and is resting in their hotel.  Travel went smoothly.  We are blessed.  Thanks for the prayers.  Please, keep them coming.  From the airplanes of today onto a bus tomorrow for a days ride into Gulu.  Good night and Blessings!

And so it begins...

The team has checked in at the airport and cleared security. We will be posting a team pic soon.

Hebrews 12:1 (thank you to my wife Kysia for a great verse to start us off) was a verse we read to center ourselves and throw off any distractions that might hold us back from the next two weeks. Our desire is to go and be the hands and feet of Christ and serve with our hosts in Uganda to share the love of Jesus.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. Talk to you soon.
Peace
Chris

Next trip begins June 4, 2013

Our next trip begins June 4, 2013 when a team of 13 depart Northwest Arkansas to serve in Gulu and Jinja Uganda for 12 days. We will be holding 4 medical clinics, a discipleship training day, and a day of various minstry at a school and prison. We will be showing the Jesus film at least twice and basically spending time with our brothers and sister in Christ to share the love of Jesus. Our church has been funding the construction of a school in the village of Kikubo in the Mayuge district of Jinja and we will be commissioning the new teacher housing unit and a new kitchen. We will also be visiting sponsored children and their families. I will be posting daily updates at the end of the each day and invite you to follow and pray for our team. This year's team is made up of the following:

Mike Adelman
Jody Farrell
Chris Thornton
Les and Sue Havens
Jonathan and Kara Storey
Cindy Alphin
Sarah Suel
Cheryl Tyson
Jim Westphal
Susan Flournoy
Katherine Quinn

I look forward to sharing what the Lord is doing through this team and through our hosts and brothers and sister in Uganda. This is the 7th trip our church has sent to Uganda and God has worked miracles each year.

Look forward to serving and sharing.
Chris Thornton

Final thoughts on the 2012 trip...

I know it has been awhile since I last posted and promised my final thoughts. I apologize for the delay. Upon arrival home both Kysia and I became ill. Seems we brought a little visitor from Africa home with us. The first week back was a blur for both of us, but Kysia had to go to the ER. All is much better now, but last week was crazy. So.... We are back. The trip was incredible and hard and blessed and tough and amazing and draining and eye opening. We saw God work in the midst of darkness. The enemy tried to distract us, but God always prevails. It is hard for me to describe each trip. I cannot talk about my time in Uganda like it was a vacation. While we do get to do some fun things, our time is to serve with the local hosts. I have become very comfortable there after six trips. I miss my home here in the U.S., but I feel very at home in Uganda. I know that God has called me and my family to go and serve and be available to serve in Uganda. Each trip is always a blur, but I remember I mentioned in a earlier post that each trip, for me, is about faces and names and people I meet. So my final post for 2012 is a reflection on that.... Pastor Edward and his wife Julie and son Isaiah... I cannot tell you how blessed my family and I have been by this divine connection. None of us had any idea where this relationship would take us in 2007. Edward has become my brother and he is an amazing man of faith. I see him serve his people with love and mercy and grace. He inspires me. He is a true inspiration to me. Has a smile that lights up the room and a heart that does the same. Sam Mdune... Works with the bishops office of the East African Methodist conference and is the consummate host. Sam is quick to make sure you are doing ok and to help in anything he can. He is always sharing a laugh and I have grown to love this man. His heart of service is a beautiful thing. Heart of gold. Doctor Moses.... He was our driver in the north in 2007 while he was still in medical school. We anointed him our team doctor then and he has become like family to us all. Quick with a joke. Always looking to serve. He mentors and disciples the local doctors he brings to our clinics. You can see his concern for the people. Even on this trip I am still greeted by him with a hug and our famous quote..."Munu. give me a sweet. You have no choice." Bishop Daniel Wandabula.... He is a big and powerful man who loves the people in his conference and is quick to laugh and joke. How he goes to work each day and faithfully serves the people of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, and Southern Sudan is truly God driven. Great man. Astra... The 85 year old grandmother I assisted in Gulu from the doctors to the prayer room to the pharmacy. We could not understand each other, but when I called her my grandmother she quickly smiled and laughed and beamed. I held her hand and walked slowly with her around the clinic. I thought of my grandmothers and was warmed in my heart. Calling her grandmother was a way for me to show her respect and dignity and love. She is not a forgotten person. The 88 year old man in the Gulu clinic that had worked as a police officer for the Queen of England... He looked much younger and spoke English and was just an amazing man to spend time with. He was funny in that when I told him he looked good he said "I don't feel good for an old man" and laughed. The policeman that watched over the clinic in the village of Lucero in the south... Kysia told me about having to ride on the bus with him to the village (I was not there on the first day) with his AK-47 hanging next to her. She was scared. He came into the prayer room and somehow asked for and ended up with Kysia's bible. God gave her boldness and she asked him if he read English (he could) and if he had children at home (he did). Kysia told him that if she gave him her bible then they would not have one in the prayer room for the rest of the day. If she gave it to him he had to promise to read it himself and to his children. He said he would. The next day he came to the prayer room and asked to pray for salvation, so Kysia and Arena prayed with him. Kysia was able to encourage Ben (local youth pastor) to pray for the leaders and police in their country. They have so much power and potential for corruption and goodness. It was a wonderful display of God's power overcoming human fear to witness the grace of God to a seeking soul. Powerful story. Innocent... A young man in the village of Koch Chorom in Gulu district. He sings in the choir at the Methodist church. I have seen him most years we have been to Koch Chorom. Last year he asked me where my son was who came with us in 2010. Innocent is smart and quick to smile and trade. He got me to give him my Not A Fan bracelet and gave me a bracelet that he made. It did not fit. I found out later he also got a bracelet off another team member. I like Innocent. He reminds me of me at his age actually. I took a picture of us together and I will be sending to him. Mondi.... I love my friend Mondi. He is very quiet. Mondi lives in Jinja with his wife and children. He has worked with us since 2007 and helps with the house builds. Mondi was a Muslim who came to Christ at Edward's church and is now on the church board. He is always quick to assist and help when we shop to make sure we all get a good deal. Mondi also drives a boda boda for income. We learned that when you are not the boss man (owner of the boda boda) you don't have much power. The daily rental fee is high and is owned no matter how much you earn plus you pay for your own gas and minor repairs. Mondi had a dream last year to be The boss man and own His own boda boda. Well through God and a relationship developed through some of our teammates Mondi is now the boss man! He is the proud owner of his own boda boda and will be able to keep more income daily to care for his family. I have been praying for a year for this and thought I had a plan; it turns out God had a different idea in mind. Mondi makes great jokes and his heart is so good. I love to see him in church praising God. He is a great man. The three small siblings who came to the prayer room in Lucero and asked Kyisa to pray with them as they wanted to begin a personal relationship with Christ.... We are not real sure of their story. Maybe the three of them were all the family they had. We do not know how they heard the gospel. All Kysia knows is these children came to pray for salvation. How amazing and cool is that? To be a part of God's plan of salvation for three small children in a village in southern Uganda? Sometimes there is nothing to do but be faithful and serve. What an amazing experience for my wife! The choir at the church in Kampala made up of Rwandan refugees....we stopped here on our way to the airport to leave as Traci had worked with the ladies in this church. They were simply amazing. The best choir I have ever heard in Africa. Ever. Their voices were beautiful. I truthfully was ready to be to the airport and start the long flight home. I was tired and not feeling well and selfish, but man am I glad we stopped. I only wish I had a CD of them. Powerful! Viola Mutsei..... Our sponsored child from CYORF who loves in the village of Kikubo. She is beautiful and has deep violet blue eyes. Very shy and quiet. Each time I have seen her she is smiling and hanging in the back of the crowd. Kysia and I got to see her at the school and spend some time with her. She talks so soft it is hard to hear her. We also got to see her in her home environment with friends. So much fun to see her in the element as well. Kariel writes letters back and forth with her and cannot wait to visit Viola one day soon. I saw her in 2010 and fell in love. It is also so hard to leave the school in Kikubo and the kids. Kysia told me that as we were leaving the school on Friday (out last visit) she saw Viola from the car and she was crying. Melts my heart even now. I am glad I did not see it then because I was have been wrecked. Sponsorship is amazing. It make a huge impact on the life of the child and the family unit they may stay with. Check it out at www.helpendlocalpoverty.com. Follow the sponsorship links and all the kids from Uganda are cared for by Pastor Edward. I cannot wait to get back and hug little Viola again! Beautiful girl with a beautiful spirit. So much more to share, but my time is done. I encourage you to talk to someone you know from the trip and ask them to share. They have stories and people and God moments that I know nothing about. And they are all amazing. I want to thank you all for following our trip and my random thoughts. Thank goodness my wife is a great editor and collaborator or you would have to read my bad grammar! It is always a blessing to share each trip with family, friends, supporters, and fellow travels on the journey of faith. Than you for your prayers as well. The team could not do it without your prayers. The enemy wants nothing better than to distract us and make us ineffective. Your prayers blessed us to be a blessing. God bless and see you next year! Chris and Kysia