The end of a big week

It was raining heavily here this morning so we couldnt walk down to the AIDs Hospice . Rowena and I spent some time in childrens dispensary checking out their systems and talking to Jane who is the nurse assistant attending  the 4000 children at the school. Andrew R managed to negotiate the mud and rain and make it to the work site where 50 students were enthusiastically hammering nails and placing walls in the clinic building. At times he looked around  to find he was the only one supervising the boys as the teachers were away doing other stuff. (busy !) The background noise plus the language barrier did not make it easy to respond to their enquiries!  Meanwhile AW and Rowena were having a cup of coffee in the guesthouse and skyping home waiting for the rain to stop !  We were also working on a software program from Australia we could possibly use in the clinic to assist with recording of notes and getting demographic and research information in the future. We eventually made it down to the clinic and  were able to  review some patients and pray for them.

Teaching from Christian Wholeness Framework

AW was able to convene an in service training session with the medical team here and centred discussion on one of the patients in the Hospice encouraging a wholistic approach to care and utilising the framework of christian counselling developed by Dr John Warlow in Australia. It was very well received and provoked some questions and feedback . Then Andrew asked those present to share their vision for the medical work in Kitgum and it was really encouraging to hear the Africans  speak out some  really worthwhile dreams and visions for what we could do here. They then opened up about some  of their frustrations and  difficulties and the obstacles they saw to progress and growth and this was very enlightening. Next week will be critical as we meet with Irene and JP the administrator here to look at ways the medical work here can expand ,being mindful of the unique needs of an effective medical ministry and the financial constraints upon us. Please pray particularly about this process in the coming days which is very important.
Tonight we walked up the hill to the radio station and started a nightly talk back session on medical issues. The topic was on pregnancy and we had lots of calls. Even AR was able to share hhis reflections on what its like to be a pregnant woman ! Pray that these radio broadcasts to about 2 million people will be very effective.

stood yesterday.. walked with frame today!

CKS accountant thinks he can be a Dr

God is at work here

After a difficult day yesterday and not much sleep last night we started our day with a devotional reading over our banana breakfast. We read from Luke 4:18-19 :
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lords favour."
We prayed earnestly that through our day we would allow the Spirit of God to work through us in every situation and we realised that we could be Jesus body on earth and do as these scriptures say in His name. We also asked God to replace the oppression, despair and darkness which we had felt so much in the hospice the day before with the presence of his Spirit.
Well, God answered our prayers and we saw the power of the Holy Spirit working in an amazing way.

We seemed to encounter much resistance from the staff to enter into the worship time but once
the children and adults of the hospice and the nurses gathered together in the ward and the worship commenced, solemn and downcast faces were uplifted along with hands raised and  clapping reverberating through the hospice. Andrew W then shared from scriptures and we invited people to come for healing prayer. All three of us joined with Benson to hear each persons needs and pray with them.  We saw a lady who had been paralysed and unable to walk for 2 years, get off the bed and stand up. A woman I had examined two days earlier with blindness had an objective improvement  in her vision and two traumatised women had a release from grief despair and abandonment in their lives. WE felt an amazing lifting of the darkness over thhis place and the HOly Spirit pouring out joy and blessings onto these troubled people. We were witnessing a significant spiritual breakthrough in this place ! We were all celebrating together!

The paralysed woman stands

God gives improved sight to the blind

I also feel another significant answer to prayer has occurred when today I met Simon, a clinical officer who i believe has the potential to lead a team of health workers on site here when the building fit out is completed. He impresses me with his clinical competence and caring approach to patient care, so I am really looking forward to spending more time with him. Tomorrow i am leading some in service training for the medical team and this will be the start of more team building by Rowena and I. Andrew R will be joining the young guys from vocational traiining as they work towards completing the health clinic.
All three of us enjoyed connecting with our families on skype during the middle of the day when we escaped the heat. We are so thankful for the internet here !
IN the afternoon we became honorary Kitgum DJs when we walked up the hill to Might Fire FM and were interviewed by  Denis the Disc Jockey.  Its planned to have a nightly talk back health section for the next 3 weeks and also pre record some key health messages  to be broadcast to over 2 million people in Uganda and Sudan !  I wonder what tomorrow will bring ?

the three stooges go on the air

Please continue to partner with us in prayer because God is really at work here !

Part of the medical team: AW, Fransisco, Benson, Simon.

Challenges, Tears and Excitement for today

Work started today on the fit out of the medical clinic. It was all action with Andrew R leading a team of budding young builders. He was in his element. The team of 19 students quickly assembled the stud walls reluctantly stopping for breakfast or breaks just eager to get the job done. It was very encouraging to walk into the building and see everyone busy and working together as a team to achieve the same goal. On the other hand Andrew W and myself were confronting many challenges in the Aids Hospice. Andrew with his thorough examinations continued to discover multiple problems that patients are trying to deal with. . It is hard not to get emotional as you see this level of personal suffering infront of your eyes. We are looking at giving education to the health team to encourage them with processes that we feel would improve patient care. Please pray as we prepare for this. Also pray for us as we take daily devotionals with the health team and for the Holy Spirit to be at work in this group to bring unity and a desire to excel . The infrastructure which is being built will be fantastic but it is so important to develop a team of compassionate and competent health professionals setting a high standard in the clinic. We really need discernment in this as we spend time with each person involved at this point of time and learn more about how things have been operating here.

Andrew W and Rowena started assisting in the AIDs hospice today, working alongside Fransisco who is Nurse/Clinical Officer in charge of the centre  and works alongside two other Nurse Aids . The centre has 28 inpatients including about 18 children all of which have HIV /AIDs and require antiretroviral drugs and nutritional supplements. The patients are also susceptible  to infections such as TB because of their lowered immunity. We started to see the patients today but were overwhelmed by the multiple medical problems. One lady had been admitted to the hospice weighing only 26kg and we discovered she was blind due to viral retinal infections and also had symptoms of peptic ulcer for which we started treatment. Another 12 year old girl with HIV had developed a fever and headache and had symptoms suggestive of meningitis . Most of our day was taken up getting her to St Josephs hospital for tests, waiting for attention from the skeleton nursing staff and getting transport arranged. Rowena had to stay with her in the ward for several hours because she had no other family carer and they would not admit her unless someone was  able to be with her to feed her and attend to her needs.  It has been very exciting to see the rapid developments in the last two days  toward getting an improved primary health clinic within Childcare, hopefully where some basic diagnostic tests  such as malaria smears will be available. ( see the chart  of rising cases in the community-- deadly to the children here) .   Irene has agreed to allow us to fit out an empty building which was constructed for another purpose. We drew up some  plans for 3 consulting rooms, a waiting room, a pharmacy and a small pathology lab plus a room which could be used for short stay or isolation cases. Andrew R went today with the building team to buy the supplies and they are planning to start construction tomorrow ! It would be great to see this facility up and running before we leave and have a place where the children from the school and other people in medical need can be seen in a more acceptable environment. It would also be an opportunity to establish some good policies and procedures which can be followed across the board.  Andrew R will  be working with the building team tomorrow and Andrew and Rowena returning to the hospice to work with the primary health team. We are praisng God for answered prayers and appreciate your contining support and prayers expecially for protection from malaria as the mosquitos are in abundance !

Measuring up for the fit out

Malaria statistics for Kitgum

Day 1 in Kitgum

Another awesome day in Kitgum. We were all unsure this morning as to what we were going to be doing but as the day progressed it was evident that our day was going to be full of different things. Andrew Rowe spoke in front of 2500 excited faces from the technical college in their morning assembly about how important it is to continue their study and that they have a future ahead of them also how our building practises compare to there's. It was great to encourage them as they think that by going to technical college they have some how failed it was great to encourage them and through my experiences they could see that being a builder or carpenter is not a failure. I have a new name now here in Kitgum I am called engineer Andrew. Andrew Wright and Andrew Rowe also spent time going over plans for the new hospital and medical clinic and looked at where it will be built with the staff on site. It was very encouraging to see how they want to put these things in place for the future. While we were doing this Rowena went and helped in the clinic they have for the children. We lost her for a while but sure enough she turned up with a medical emergency for our faithful leader. A young boy had sliced the front of his leg open and needed some stitches. So the medical experts went to work with a successful out come.Rowena seems to be in her element here helping, it was good to watch her for the first time doing what she loves. Then we spent some time talking to Francisca who looks after the aids hospice discussing the needs and the things that could be done there. We have all crashed now and looking forward to another day.

Safely in Kitgum

Thankyou to all who have been praying for us travelling on these roads. They are in a major state of disrepair. It really helped to have the 4WD we had used on safari to negotiate about 150km of dirt track which is the main road from Gulu to Kitgum. We set off this morning and almost left behind a critical piece of luggage --we have been tormenting Andrew R ever since that he was left in charge of packing EVERYTHING into the car this morning !  Fortunately as we got to the Park gates they told us we had left something behind-- it had money and passports in it !  Thanks again for prayers !
I think we have all felt today that we were transported through time and space from one world to another in the minutes it took to drive down the 15km entrance to the Chobe Lodge where we stayed overnight. The lodge is new and very beautiful , being perched over a picturesque reach of the Nile river where  the rapids are. There are hippos and warthogs and monkeys all around and we stayed in cabin style tents which were great although we were warned not to go out walking at night but to ring 0 for a golf buggy to take us to the main complex--cool !
We have received a warm welcome here at Childcare Kitgum Servants and are settling into our dormitory, unpacking our gear and getting oriented. We have electricity and internet access which seeems bizarre given the lack of basic sanitation, water and shelter iin the wider communiity here . There are so many contrasts here with the 21st century pushing its way into a culture which has remained unchanged for hundreds of years. For instance, on the way here we passed two bullocks pulling a plow and beside us an old busted up cattle truck filled to over capacity with people and goods and then seconds later a jaguar car passed us on the dirt road with two well dressed people on board . How crazy is that ?
Well, today is the beginning of the real reason we are here, to get involved in the Kitgum community and assist  Irene Gleeson and the local people  with improving health care quality and accessibility here. We'll keep you posted !