I used to
have the impression that missions was just about preaching the gospel of Christ
and souls being saved, but God changed my orientation when I attended my first
medical mission in 2008 with medical students. I can now appreciate missions
from a whole different perspective of reaching out to the physical, natural,
medical, and even emotional needs of people, and in the process, sharing the
whole gospel truth with them. Even our Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew
25:42-43 “for I was hungry, and you gave me no food; I was thirsty and
you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not take me in, naked and
you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me…” The people Jesus was
referring to were counted unrighteous, not because they failed to preach the
gospel, but because they did not care about the needs of the less privileged
among them.
As a matter of emphasis, I now realize that living for others is
the ultimate goal in life and it is whatever we do for the sake of Christ that
matters most. That is our purpose here on earth!!! I need grace to pray for missions and
missionaries more than ever before, to support the work by giving more, and to
become more of an instrument for the Master’s use when the opportunity arises.
This 3 week mission trip comprised of a VISITING
team from the USA (GLORIA, RENE, MARY, AND JENA), doctors and other medical personnel
from WBAMM, pastors from Africa and other Christians from local churches, who
volunteered to work with us in the medical clinics. Our visitors also preached in
numerous churches, held conferences, and passed out toys at Good Samaritan Orphanage.
Medical Clinics:
We thank God for the medical clinics!!! It is one of the ways we share the love of Christ to the unprivileged and also ministering mercy to them. We provided free medical treatment and dental services in the slum swampy area of Bwiase, Kampala; in the remote village of Kigumba; and also went out into a very remote area called the “Bush” (Kasawo). The total number of people who received medal treatment and dental services in these 3 particular areas was 1,670. We are also very excited that over 85 persons gave their hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ in the medical clinics.
Many of the people that came to the clinics traveled
long distances on foot, without shoes on their feet, and some stayed at the
station for more than 1 day, waiting to be attended to by the doctors and the
dentist.
Many have gone for a lot of years without getting
any special attention from a doctor, and some are living in very poor, unhygienic environments.
We thank God we had a dentist who traveled with us into all these areas, because you cannot find a dentist in the whole district and people can live out their
years without seeing one, without cleaning their teeth, and lack necessary oral
health, etc. Dental
cases in the clinics were overwhelming, compared to the one dentist we had. Most
patients were taught dental care and given toothbrushes/toothpaste and were taught
to use them regularly. Others were referred for further dental care, though
they cannot afford the cost for fillings, root canal treatment, etc.
Most Africans are very poor and cannot afford the
cost of health care, so they either use herbs as medicine or just survive on
God’s mercy. As you can see, doing medical
missions adds a great contribution to their lives.
Hundreds of patients lined up for treatment!!!
Multitudes waitng for medicine from the pharmacy!!!
The
most common conditions seen in the medical clinics were: malaria, skin
diseases, worms, cerebral malaria cancers, HIV/AIDs, urinary tract infections,
upper respiratory tract infections, productive cough, peptic ulcer disease, low
back pain, headaches, fibroids (these patients were referred for further
treatment), candidiasis, worm infections, trichuriasis, laryngitis,
hypertension, allergies, eye infections, cardiovascular disease, otitis,
arthritis, and neuropathy.
During
the medical clinics, we found some patients that were HIV /AIDS positive, so we
counseled them and referred them for further treatment. Other patients need surgery
or further treatment for breast cancer, testicle hernia’s, and osteomylities. In
another case, both the mother and the 1 year child are HIV/AIDS positive with
no care; and another young baby has hydro cephus.
The above patients, along with the
testicle hernia patient, require further management and surgery in a hospital and need
more intensive care that cannot be provided on the mission outreaches in the
community. The problem is that these
individuals are so poor and need God’s intervention, as these medical
procedures require finances to facilitate the necessary treatment. Please pray and agree with us for the
necessary finances. If God speaks to your heart about helping, please feel free to contact us!! God is able!!!
Left
to right: Andrew, Monica, Brenda, Mary, Dr. Gilbert, Denanvensi’s Pastor, Rene,
Denanvensi, and Praise. These are some of the children that are sponsored and
are working diligently to become all that God has created them to be.
We
also had a testimony of the young gal named Brenda, who is an orphan and was
sent away from school in her final year of studying nursing, due to failure of
paying school fees. Because of
sponsorship, in August 2012, Brenda went back to school after setting out one
year and having lost hope of ever finishing school. She is now working hard and
is believing God to finish school in June 2013. We are so proud of you,
Brenda!!!
Sam, our newly sponsored young man, feels
called by God to become a dentist. During the mission, he found out he was admitted
into dentistry school in Mulago Paramedical School. We thank God that He has provided sponsorship
for Sam. Go Sam go!!!
As you
can see, it was a great and transforming mission trip season!!! WE ARE VERY THANKFUL TO THE LORD FOR ALL HE
HAS DONE!!! To God be the glory, honor, and praise!
His bondservant,
Dr. Gilbert
Africa, Uganda
