Greetings from Jinja!

On Thursday we hosted a clinic right here at the base, because people had been coming asking for help. It started off slow around 9am with only a few people. Then all of a sudden about an hour later, a huge wave of people came through the gate and things got a little chaotic as the team tried to manage such a large number of patients. We had a couple team members designated to test for malaria and typhoid; Genesis, Allison, Lauren and others took turns. Allison and Sierra started out very nervous to prick fingers for the testing, but they are much more confident now! It’s been an awesome thing to witness their growth. Cora and Ivana delivered the results of the tests to the patients and prayed for each patient. Lando was going around to people in the waiting area doing eyeglass tests and fitting them for glasses. The rest of the team members were talking with patients, asking what was wrong with them and finding out what they needed. It was so busy that we sent team members two by two to eat lunch to keep the clinic running through the whole day. Lando and Sierra led one girl to Christ! And Mr. Jahswel and Genesis shared the Gospel with a group of about 10 people and they all surrendered their lives to the Lord! There was a pastor right there to explain to them how they can grow in Christ and get involved in a local church. We praise the Lord!!!
By the end of the day, every patient was treated and prayed over, and the whole team was exhausted! They have all expressed that doing the clinics is more tiresome than working on the brick wall!

On Friday, the team practiced memory verse quizzing and hand-washed their laundry in the morning. Then after lunch, we were off to go souvenir shopping! We took a bus into Jinja town, walked around in small groups with each leader, and the team members bought a bunch of souvenirs and tested out their bartering skills! It was a lot of fun for them all and a much needed change of pace from the hard work they have been doing. From there, we took the bus to a nice restaurant right on Lake Victoria called the Jinja Sailing Club. We sat outdoors with a gorgeous view of the lake and boats on the water with an overcast sky. It was a lovely time spent altogether making memories as a team! Some ordered burgers, chicken sandwiches, Indian butter chicken, steamed rice, milkshakes, sizzling brownies, mango ice cream, and more! The team had a great time. On the way back home from there, we stopped at a small grocery store for the team members to buy some snacks and things. All in all, it was a great day for everyone!

All the way across the Nile River and up on a hill was the team’s next clinic on Saturday. It was a little slippery trying to get up to the pavilion where the clinic was being hosted, but once up there, you could see a beautiful view with the Nile in the distance. Everyone was very happy with how the clinic went! It was much more orderly and structured than the clinic on Thursday. Everything seemed to run smoothly. At this clinic, Cora and Jake were in charge of a check-in table for the patients to sign in when they arrived, Fiona and Lando were helping to efficiently run the pharmacy and hand out medicine, Genesis and Jackson ran a station to evaluate the patients and give them eyeglass tests, Lauren and Liza also ran a station where they evaluated the patients and gave eye tests, Sierra and Seb tested people for Malaria and Typhoid, Allison and Nelson were in charge of the eyeglasses and handing out the right prescriptions, and Naomi greeted and socialized with those still waiting their turn. Naomi, Seb, and Sierra had the opportunity to share their testimonies at one point, as well as the gospel message. The team did an amazing job with effectively running the clinic and treating and praying with all the people who needed help.

We went to Calvary Chapel on Sunday for church. We had fun as we sang familiar and new songs with the African congregation. We also had a chance to introduce our team, Cora shared her testimony, and we sang one worship song, “Holy Spirit”. The pastor spoke on what it is to be a disciple of Jesus and taught on verses Luke 6:12-28. Afterwards they served us tea and we got a chance to fellowship with the church members for a short bit before we went back to the base for lunch, which Miss Cheyenne prepared for us all: fried chicken, fries, and mangoes!

Sunday afternoon we also had the privilege to go host another clinic. When we arrived, there was already a crowd of children. However when we started discussing a game plan it started pouring rain! So we grabbed all of our chairs and table, and went into a nearby church for shelter. It was pure chaos for a minute as the small church was filled with children, patients for clinic, and our team and the sound of rain echoing off the tin roof. We quickly organized our stations and our team. We had 5 who stood in the back and entertained the many children with songs they learned at boot camp. The other team members were dispersed to the malaria/ typhoid testing, eyeglass, pharmacy, and prayer stations. Each team member played an important role to make sure our clinic flowed smoothly! We are so proud of them and how hard they worked through the long busy hours. The team always comes back home sharing story after story of the people they met and what God did through their interactions at the clinic. It’s an amazing thing to do ministry face to face with people in this way, meeting both their physical and spiritual needs. Glory to God!

Today, Monday, we are back to our usual work schedule at the base working on the security wall! Jake and Jaxon are on KP and they’ve done a fantastic job staying on top of washing dishes and peeling potatoes to make mashed potatoes for lunch. They are excited to make some apple crisp later on! Today we are also celebrating Naomi’s birthday! She gets to wear the “It’s My Birthday!” pin and be first in line at every meal. Later on we will celebrate with ice cream, party hats, and play some games as a team! We hope she feels loved and celebrated today!

We are halfway through our time here in Uganda and the Lord is still doing work in the hearts of these team members. Please keep praying for us as things come to the surface and we walk alongside these amazing young people to work out their salvation and what it looks like to walk with Jesus in every area of their lives, surrendering ALL to Him. Each night we get to hear one team member’s testimony and it has been a great time for the team to grow closer together, build each other up and encourage one another as they share the struggles they have each faced and how God worked in those situations. We are blessed to be their leaders and are already sad to think of saying bye to them in a few weeks! But God is good and we are making the most of our time here together. We love you all and thank you for your prayers!

Testimonies:

Hi everybody! Our time in Uganda so far has been really great. Building the security wall has been going really smoothly! I’ve loved doing the clinics as well! It’s been so encouraging to see how many people here are receiving of the Gospel. I’ve loved pleasing with the kids here as well as forming close relationships with everyone on our team. I miss and love you all so much! Thank you for all of your prayers! - Cora

Hi guys! I miss you so much! The clinics are really fun and I wish we had more. The weather is so beautiful and it reminds me of being with y’all during fall. I love y'all so much and I’m ready to catch up. Love, Lauren

Hey y’all, my time here in Uganda has been an amazing and awe inspiring experience. The people here are so friendly and easy to work with on our projects. Both the clinics and the wall are going well also. Our team has grown together exponentially. That’s all for now, folks. Bye :) - Liza

Hey y’all. I have loved the people and culture here. During our clinics we have seen people come to Christ, and it’s encouraging to know we are doing what we came to do: share the Gospel. Love and miss you all! - Ivana (Cara)

Our time here in Uganda has been very enjoyable, and we are learning how to run a successful clinic. The weather is perfect and the team seems to be growing closer together, and growing spiritually as well. People have begun getting sick within the past few days, but no illness so far has been too bad, and God has blessed our first two weeks with amazing health. - Seb

I’m seeing lives changed every day here. We have treated people for malaria, typhoid, flu and much more. We pray for all we treat and try our best to plant seeds for the gospel. I’m doing my best to live like Timothy and I thank all who are praying for us. - Lando