Finding Your People to Find Your Purpose (Ruth 1)

On Sunday we heard from our good friend Paul Hunter of Next Generation Ministries (Uganda). We made sure to receive some updates on life and living in Uganda, but he really wanted to preach God’s Word!

With NGM he and wife Pam connect the relational, spiritual and practical needs God brings to them in Uganda, and with the generous support of people and churches collectively serve people in need in Jesus’ Name.

A key program they lead in Uganda is ONE STEP —a three-month life-on-life relational intensive around the Gospel of Christ that endeavors to:

  • provide a cross-cultural environment for discipleship training
  • give exposure to the basic values of the Kingdom of God
  • provide grounding in the essential areas of Identity, Vision, & Purpose
  • utilize the nation of Uganda, otherwise referred to as the Pearl of Africa, for a cross-cultural environment for the course
  • use residential living within the compound of the African head quarters of Next Generation Ministries
  • provide quality instructors, coaches, and guides who will be Africans for the most part
  • capitalize on the structure of relationships for the foundation for growth and ministry for the glory of God
  • use the context of a cross cultural environment to mentor students in the word, works, and ways of God

» For more on ONE STEP, or to support this initiative, visit onestepug.com, and support ONE STEP on PureCharity

Before Paul spoke we heard an update on our care for the Ddembe family in Uganda, as well as a brief update and prayer for Rebecca the “Book Hunter in her preparations for Uganda trip this June-July (see YouCaring support page here).

Paul mentioned the Loneliman 39.3, which Pastor Jeff is enduring on purpose on his birthday 6/17. For more on this unique fundraiser for NGM ask either Paul or Jeff, and visit purecharity.com/loneliman.

Message title: Finding Your People to Find Your Purpose
Scriptures: Ruth 1
Preacher: Paul Hunter
Date: 6/4/17

Listen or download:

We also begin our Summer journey with the Story Catechism. The first week in the Story Catechism is about God the Creator:

The beginning of the Story is called Creation.

The Creator is God.

God is perfect.

God created everything.

God created everything out of love and for His glory.

Scripture readings:

Psalm 68:32-35 (ESV)

32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;
    sing praises to the Lord, Selah
33 to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
    behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
34 Ascribe power to God,
    whose majesty is over Israel,
    and whose power is in the skies.
35 Awesome is God from his[a] sanctuary;
    the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!

Footnotes:
  1. Psalm 68:35 Septuagint; Hebrew your

Genesis 1:1-2 (ESV)

The Creation of the World

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Numbers 11:24-30 (ESV)

24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.

26 Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord‘s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” 30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

Ruth 1 (ESV)

Naomi Widowed

In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.

Ruth's Loyalty to Naomi

Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10 And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, 13 would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.”14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.

Naomi and Ruth Return

19 So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” 20 She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi;[a] call me Mara,[b] for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”

22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.

Footnotes:
  1. Ruth 1:20 Naomi means pleasant
  2. Ruth 1:20 Mara means bitter

Audio for this teaching may be played above, and is included in the RENEW Church podcastsubscribe in iTunes here, or access the church podcast feed directly here.

This year each of us is invited on an adventure to build an altar to God each new day, to look up and love our Creator first. What will be your plan to develop a new rhythm of seeking God each day? » Find some help here.

To & From Uganda With Love (Renew Uganda team stories)

Listen in as we hear from the Uganda mission team, recently arrived home from East Africa. There they lived and served alongside our friends Paul and Pam Hunter with Next Generation Ministries. Ladies from the Renew family joined others locally for this trip to the Pearl of Africa.

Our relationship with the people of Jinja, Uganda especially, and the Hunters in particular, enable us opportunities to commit long-term for the renewal of the nation and making more disciples of Jesus. 
Scriptures: Galatians 6:1-10
Uganda Mission Team (2017) sharing
Date: 3/26/17

Listen or download:

(Mature themes and backstories described with captions, for there is great beauty amidst the brokenness when Jesus rescues from the evil one.)

We’re grateful for our extended spiritual family in Uganda, many of whom are seen in and produced this video with moments and stories of what it looks like for Jesus to #renewuganda:

Also follow the happenings and opportunities with NGM:

Listening & praying as we send this short-term missions team to Uganda with love

Scripture readings:

Galatians 6:1-10 (NLT)

We Harvest What We Plant

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer[1] is overcome by some sin, you who are godly[2] should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

Footnotes:
  1. 6:1a Greek Brothers, if a man.
  2. 6:1b Greek spiritual.

Audio for this teaching may be played above, and is included in the RENEW Church podcastsubscribe in iTunes here, or access the church podcast feed directly here.

This year each of us is invited on an adventure to build an altar to God each new day, to look up and love our Creator first. What will be your plan to develop a new rhythm of seeking God each day? » Find some help here.

 

The Day I Met Dad (From Uganda with Love)

March 2013 — before Jesus and before family

Listen in as we hear from Rebecca N. share about the day she met “Dad,” and how her life has transformed in these four years with Jesus and His family!

Interview: The Day I Met Dad 

Date: 3/5/17

Listen or download:

For more on Rebecca’s journey and how you can support her, visit the NGM blog here » “Not What You Think

Aunt Rebecca with two nieces she lives with

Currently the 2017 Uganda mission team is there to learn, BE, and serve alongside Next Generation Ministries. Four ladies from the Renew family have joined five others locally for this March trip to the Pearl of Africa. Our relationship with the people of Jinja, Uganda especially, and the Hunters in particular, enable us opportunities to commit long-term for the renewal of the nation and making more disciples of Jesus.

 

Also follow the happenings and opportunities with the Renew Uganda 2017 Mission team & NGM:


Audio for this teaching may be played above, and is included in the RENEW Church podcastsubscribe in iTunes here, or access the church podcast feed directly here.

This year each of us is invited on an adventure to build an altar to God each new day, to look up and love our Creator first. What will be your plan to develop a new rhythm of seeking God each day? » Find some help here.

 

Team World Vision 6K for Water » GodRenews.us/6K

What: World Vision’s Global 6K for Water is a one day event where people from all over the world unite on the same day for the same cause – clean water

Why: Nearly 1,000 children under 5 die every day from diarrhea caused by dirty water, poor sanitation, and improper hygiene. That’s why World Vision is providing a new person with clean water every 30 seconds as part of our full solution to poverty. Clean water frees children from deadly disease, liberates women and children from a life spent gathering dirty water, and opens the door to education, a promising future, and a full life, the kind of life God intends.

When: May 6, 2017 @ 9am

Signup! » 6K for Water

Sending The Uganda Mission Team With Love

Listen in as we hear from the Uganda mission team, headed to East Africa to serve alongside Next Generation Ministries. Five ladies from the Renew family join four others locally for this March trip to the Pearl of Africa. Our relationship with the people of Jinja, Uganda especially, and the Hunters in particular, enable us opportunities to commit long-term for the renewal of the nation and making more disciples of Jesus.

Listen below. Also follow the happenings and opportunities with NGM:


Scriptures: Galatians 6:1-10
Uganda Mission Team (2017) sharing
Date: 2/19/17

Listen or download:

Listening & praying as we send this short-term missions team to Uganda with love

Scripture readings:

Galatians 6:1-10 (NLT)

We Harvest What We Plant

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer[1] is overcome by some sin, you who are godly[2] should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

Footnotes:
  1. 6:1a Greek Brothers, if a man.
  2. 6:1b Greek spiritual.

Audio for this teaching may be played above, and is included in the RENEW Church podcastsubscribe in iTunes here, or access the church podcast feed directly here.

This year each of us is invited on an adventure to build an altar to God each new day, to look up and love our Creator first. What will be your plan to develop a new rhythm of seeking God each day? » Find some help here.

Team World Vision 6K for Water » GodRenews.us/6K

What: World Vision’s Global 6K for Water is a one day event where people from all over the world unite on the same day for the same cause – clean water

Why: Nearly 1,000 children under 5 die every day from diarrhea caused by dirty water, poor sanitation, and improper hygiene. That’s why World Vision is providing a new person with clean water every 30 seconds as part of our full solution to poverty. Clean water frees children from deadly disease, liberates women and children from a life spent gathering dirty water, and opens the door to education, a promising future, and a full life, the kind of life God intends.

When: May 6, 2017 @ 9am

Signup! » 6K for Water

Getting to know the Uganda Mission Team (Anna H.)

In March 2017 a team will journey to Uganda in East Africa, to embody the grace, love, truth, and hope of Jesus. We partner with Next Generation Ministries in Jinja, Uganda.

Listen in as Anna H. shares about her hopes and calling to join the 2017 team to Uganda.

Uganda

Listen or download:

Other audio from this Sunday:


Audio for this teaching may be played above, and is included in the RENEW Church podcastsubscribe in iTunes here, or access the church podcast feed directly here.

This year we each of us are invited on an adventure to look up and love God first. What will be your plan to develop a new rhythm of seeking God each day? » Find some help here.

Update & Stories with Next Generation Ministries (Paul Hunter)

Update: the NGM annual BBQ is Saturday, August 27th. You’re invited! Details & address here

We heard an update from Paul Hunter, director of Next Generation Ministries, on their continuing work in Uganda. The stories and truths he shared with us help us grasp the significance and opportunities of partnering with them as “a river of relationships connecting resources to needs.”

Paul Hunter / Next Generation Ministries

Vital contacts:

Paul & Pam Hunter, NGM
nextgenminug@gmail.com

mailing address:
29940 S. Dhooghe Rd
Colton, OR 97017

facebook.com/nextgenmin
nextgenministries.blogspot.com

ONEstep Uganda (more for enrollees)

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Specific Needs
Sixth week of Summer Psalms and the ninth week of #RenewSummer with the Story Catechism
Scriptures: Psalm 68:4-6; Ephesians 3:14-21
Teacher: Paul Hunter
Date: 8/21/16

Listen or download:

The eighteenth chapter of the Story Catechism is focused on how the church us made of Disciples who follow Jesus and how the church is God’s family.

Jesus came to be with us so we could be with God.
People who follow Jesus are called disciples.
These disciples live life together.
Disciples who live life together are called the church.
The church is God’s family.

Story Catechism

Scripture readings:

Psalm 68:4-6 (NLT)

Sing praises to God and to his name!
    Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds.
His name is the Lord
    rejoice in his presence!

Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—
    this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
God places the lonely in families;
    he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.
But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

Ephesians 3:14-21 (ESV)

Prayer for Spiritual Strength

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Psalms: Songs of Strength
Audio for this teaching may be played above, and is included in the RENEW Church podcastsubscribe in iTunes here, or access the church podcast feed directly here.

This year we each of us are invited on an adventure to look up and love God first. What will be your plan to develop a new rhythm of seeking God each day? » Find some help here.

Conquering the Five Capitals in the Promised Land of Success

Uganda

Upon returning from Uganda in East Africa, Pastor Jeff Patterson shared stories from the short-term trip with NGM Uganda, and connected truths for discipleship to each story. In a teaching called the “Five Capitals,” he noted our path to success (when God is with us), as progressing from financial capital, to intellectual capital, to physical capital, to relational capital, to spiritual capital.

 Conquering the Five Capitals in the Promised Land of Success

Message title: Conquering the Five Capitals in the Promised Land of Success
Twelfth week of God of Promise
Scriptures: Joshua 1:1-13
Preacher: Jeff Patterson
Date: 3/22/15

Listen or download:

Five-Capitals-icons-title

The point of growing our capital is never just so we can have more capital; it’s always so that we have more to share, which is actually an investment that helps us grow the most valuable capitals.

Here’s a summary of the five capitals:

15_0326-Five-Capitals-list

Financial Capital

Intellectual Capital

Physical Capital

Relational Capital

Spiritual Capital

Audio for this teaching may be played above, and is included in the RENEW Church podcastsubscribe in iTunes here, or access the church podcast feed directly here.

This year we each of us are invited on an adventure to look up and love God first. What will be your plan to develop a new rhythm of seeking God each day? » Find some help here.

Update in Uganda: Hurry home, Sharon.

Happy to see everyone! Surgery on Saturday was successful. Can we go home yet? Getting up to speed in her new wheels, a gift from NGM. Sharon lit up when she learned she could move around like this.
Happy to see everyone! Surgery on Saturday was successful. Can we go home yet?
Getting up to speed in her new wheels, a gift from NGM. Sharon lit up when she learned she could move around like this.

From March 10th to 20th I am in Uganda visiting friends and missionaries with Next Generation Ministries (NGM) » see NGM Facebook page. Below is my attempt to summarize the story of Sharon and the care she is receiving. Click any photo to see it enlarged. 

A week ago we met Sharon, the nine-year-old girl who was run over by two motorcycles (called “boda bodas”) in Jinja, Uganda. After being admitted to Jinja Main Hospital in about five minutes, she laid in agony on a bed in the women’s ward for three days. Without treatment. Doctors and nurses did drop by, but only caused her pain.

Looking for a creative outlet, Sharon and I took turns drawing everyday items. She's so bright.
Looking for a creative outlet, Sharon and I took turns drawing everyday items. She’s so bright, and ready to go home.

So, by the time Ugandan friends and colleagues of NGM learned of her situation, a change needed to be made. You see, children’s bones heal quickly, and if those are left untreated — let alone treated poorly or wrongly — she would have significant challenges in the future.

I’ll let you get up to speed on her injuries, the terrible care received, and the generosity of many to help enable a better future for Sharon by reading Words in Uganda: “There is no hurry in Africa.” Also, many have contributed to her medical costs (which may sum as much as $4,000 USD). » You may join in this good cause on this GoFundMe page.

sharon-surgery-x-ray
Steel plates put in each arm, to be removed in about six weeks.

Fast forward nearly a week and here we are: well, here is where Sharon is. Home, that is.

» Read the rest of Sharon’s story.

Words in Uganda: “There is no hurry in Africa.”

From March 10th to 20th I am in Uganda visiting friends and missionaries with Next Generation Ministries » see NGM Facebook page. Below is my attempt to summarize the story of Sharon and the care she is receiving. 

Wednesday morning began as planned: run before sunrise, being the bookmobile to deliver a favorite book as a gift to Olivia (more on her soon). It was another gift brought from the States and intended for her one day that on this day proved the key difference.

Rose nursing Olivia back to health, visiting morning, noon & night.
Rose nursing Olivia back to health, visiting morning, noon & night.

Olivia is paralyzed from the waist-down after receiving a poorly administered spinal epidural from a student nurse at Jinja Main Hospital. Eddy was born healthy, but since walking in that hospital to deliver her son, Olivia has not felt her legs and feet. As a paraplegic from malpractice without recourse she’s been relegated to a wheelchair. Next Generation Ministries took her in as a daughter and is paying for her medical expenses and a nurse to visit a few times a day to cleanse her sores and nurse her back to health. More on Olivia and her determined hope in Jesus in a future post.

A couple totes of supplies made the trip from home, and a new wheelchair. Nate sent those as a personal gift, a deep embodiment of the motto of NGM as “a river of relationships connecting resources to needs.” While I contemplated riding the wheelchair myself to each plane (and practiced at home with the kids), instead it was checked as luggage. So too were three special foam pads that made the trip in a tote of various supplies. Olivia has not received her new pad yet, but her gift was put to great use for another she hasn’t met either.

It was those pads that became the makeshift transporter bed for Sharon, a girl we met only Wednesday. Her needs were many, but time was of the essence. Yet, as the saying goes, “There is no hurry in Africa.” Everything takes time, that’s just the way it is, and you have to respect the slower pace of life.

Monday afternoon Sharon, nine-years-old, was walking home from school when a boda boda (motorcycle taxi) hit her from the side and ran her legs breaking one, followed by another boda boda that ran over her upper body, breaking both arms. (We can only guess how it all unfolded, as no one stopped to tend to her.) A true hit-and-run, doubled.

Sharon was rushed by friends and family to the free government-run Jinja Main Hospital where on Monday they admitted her in five minutes but neglected to care for her for three days.

Sharon’s X-rays shown both arms are severely broken. Metal plates will be needed to ensure they heal properly.

As word spread about her injuries, many from their church family visited to offer encouragement, prayer, and whatever funds they had. A young man named Sononi (pronounced Saw-nan), a follower of Jesus, visited the hospital and noticed how none of the staff had cared for her besides doing the admittance paperwork. So he asked what could be done and took her for X-rays. I can only imagine how painful that was for Sharon. At great expense to himself, Sononi bought the pain medication as directed, which we learned was not administered to her in all of the three days she lay there.

It is no exaggeration to say that the conditions of Jinja Main Hospital are the worst I have ever seen, and more deplorable than I could dare to imagine. Known as the pre-cursor to the morgue, this is where one goes to wait to die. And the “deathbedside manner” (as I discovered) shown by the staff and especially the doctors produced a great well of emotion in me.

All of us knew we had to step in, as Sharon’s young bones would attempt to heal themselves, and she had zero chance of recovery waiting for someone to care and do something. Her family is so poor it may have been an upgrade in residences to stay and sleep at the foot of her bed, for at least there were walls an a fan, considering this heatwave at the equator.

We visited on Wednesday, through Sononi’s contact with Chris, Ezra and Peter, and the scene was worse than imaginable.

But we could see a spark of hope arise in the family even those they were getting no communication and even less compassion from the official medical staff there. So Paul led the conversation with the medical staff, empowering the Ugandan nationals (Chris and Peter especially) to enter the conversation. Unfazed, Sharon’s mother Jessica had been praying around the clock, and when we arrived Hellen was there, a dear friend who proved to be a key part of God’s work in this situation.

When confronted by someone seeking the truth we each have a handful of ways to respond, and not many more: we can be humble and honest, or can shift into self-protection mode and either denydeflectdistract, or minimize. You’ve seen this with kids, with colleagues, and even yourself, I’m sure.

This pattern was clear among the leadership at Jinja Main Hospital. Under-communicate, deflect responsibility, shift blame, and pretend the problem isn’t that bad. If you’ve ever had medical care where the doctor sees you as a number and not as a person, you’ve probably sought different care. That wasn’t an option here for the family. At first my thought was, “We would never settle for this in America.” But then I realized my arrogant elitism (the solution will not come from the outside). The Ugandan people should not settle for this either and we must empower them to fight in healthy ways for change. All people made in His image deserve competent, compassionate care.

» Read more of this post at deTheos.us

Words in Uganda: “I am not a white man; I am a son of God.”

(It would take a 600-page book to describe the emotions encountered in merely our first six hours today. It all came so fast I could not pause to cry until now. Let this brief post serve as a tiny glimpse into one significant encounter amid many on day one in Jinja, Uganda, East Africa. Today though March 20th I am here visiting friends and missionaries with Next Generation Ministries » see NGM Facebook page.)

Met so many wonderful people today (3/10), day one on the ground in Uganda. And they each invited me into their daily adventure of embodying beauty and embracing brokenness.

Sometime in the middle of today, amidst many errands and meeting with a number of people, we were delayed on return from a newer “modern hospital,” the conditions of which could not possibly pass inspection for a makeshift day clinic for the homeless in America.

But we are not in the States, and this is the best care poverty can buy in Uganda. I’m told it is a vast improvement from government-funded healthcare (a statement validated as an understatement by a later evening visit to Jinja Main Hospital; more on that in a future post, I hope).

Today, at Al Shafa Modern Hospital Limited a lady named Jennifer walked up with her under-nourished, famished, and deeply ill daughter, Saluwa, who I think is five years old. We encouraged her to enter the clinic and admit her child, to which she replied in Lugandan that she has no money and has lost all hope. This child clearly needed a blood transfusion and it seems malaria wants to steal the life of another beautiful child.

Against all hope Jennifer knew she had to daily decide between one small shared meal for the family or getting life-saving medical help.

If only someone cared for her and pleaded her case. Continue reading