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Our Missionaries
UGANDA: November 2005
Part 2
Robert & Rachel Cinader
will be serving in Uganda November 1 - 22. You can follow their story
here...
Saturday, November 12, 2005:
(From Hope4Kids website)
The team arrived safely and are already
at work. Today they will be sorting bags
of goods brought from the US. They had a
wonderful safari and will be giving
pictures to me this evening along with
an update of their journey. I'll send
those ASAP.
They will also begin painting the
hospital today. The orphan store is up
and running and they are expecting great
business from our team as they thirst
for sodas and sweets.
Everyone is well and happy to begin our
work here.
Saturday, November 12, 2005:
(From
Hope4Kids website)
Last night after checking into the hotel
and freshening up the bus carrying the
team arrived at the site. The children
had been waiting for a couple hours for
the mzungu to arrive. They jumped and
clapped for joy and shouted "Mzungu!
Mzungu!" They were quick to attach
themselves to team members as you can
see in the photos.
Getting acquainted with the team
Saturday, November 12, 2005:
(From
Hope4Kids website)
Saturday was a day to get acquainted
with the site and the children.
Everywhere you looked there were crowds
of children surrounding a mzungu.
Painting of the hospital began. Some of
the children even pitched in to help. A
local artist showed up and sold out of
her fabulous paintings and took orders
for more.
Painting of the hospital begins
Team members experienced going to town
and shopping in a way they had never
shopped before.
We exchanged our money into shillings.
We lined up our projects that are to
begin on Monday.
The orphan store opened its doors and
sold sodas and sweets. The orphan
supervisor was smiling broadly when he
told me they had completely sold out of
sweets but he had kept one bag back for
me because he knew I would want one.
What a salesman!
Sunday, November 13, 2005:
Ugandan Church
(From Hope4Kids website)
WOW! Sunday in Uganda is always so
special. Some of us attended rural
churches while the majority got to
experience worship at the True Vine
church on site. The group at True Vine
was allowed to sit among the people this
time. Usually they set us apart and keep
us all up front. What a privilege to be
surrounded by our African brothers and
sister. The team members were in great
awe as they heard the voices all around
them rising to Heaven. God was surely in
this place.
Pastor Bob was the guest speaker. He is
a very talented and gifted pastor from
California. He has a book published
called "Experiential Worship." Although
there is very little time to read I have
begun to read it and it is amazing!
Pastor Bob spoke on three kingdoms; the
kingdom of this world, the kingdom of
darkness and the Kingdom of God. People
were moved by his message which
connected with Randy's singing of "You
Are My King". "Amazing Love, How can
it be? That you my king should die for
me?"
At least 5 people came forward to
receive Christ after the message. Pastor
Wilber says about 3000 have come to
Christ since this ministry began less
than two years ago. God is surely in
this place!
Tom speaking at church
Pastor Peter and his wife
Tom spoke in a rural church led by
Pastor Peter. This is a little church.
They meet in a mud building with no
instruments except two drums and some
homemade "tambourines" but oh the joy
the comes from their lips! The music is
as beautiful as any I have ever
experienced! Two women came to Christ
and I am sure the rejoicing in the
church matched that of Heaven. Women
worked all through the service preparing
a wonderful humble meal for us. We all
left feeling like our faith doesn't even
come close to the faith these wonderful,
loving people have.
Pastor Peter's rural church
(This is the church GFC helps to
sponsor)
Sunday, November 13, 2005: Hospital
Visit:
(From
Hope4Kids website)
Sunday afternoon people from True Vine
visit the local hospital to pray for the
sick. We were honored to go with them.
The conditions of the hospital are
heartbreaking and reinforced our urgency
in finishing the hospital on our site.
The nurses wait for bribes from the
patients or their families before they
will treat them. Most are without hope
because they don't have the money. One
man was there for malaria. They stopped
his treatment because he ran out of
money. He needed two more. The
corruption angers and frustrates us and
makes us more determined to have a
hospital of high standards without
corruption. How are we doing that? We've
tested the staff in our clinic to be
sure they have remained faithful. If
they are caught doing ANYTHING unethical
they are immediately fired. We hire
local people who have a reputation of
trustworthiness. If they prove faithful
in the clinic they are assured of
employment in our hospital.
We prayed for the sick and gave beanie
babies to the children. Tom's African
daughter, Sophie, led our group. When
this seventeen-year-old girl prayed with
confidence and authority we mzungus felt
so inadequate. Such faith!
At the hospital: prayer for the sick
We had a couple children following us
around the women's ward. I stood outside
an "ICU" room while my sisters prayed
for a premature baby. I felt a tug on my
skirt. I turned and the two little faces
of those children were looking up at me.
The girl spoke, "Mzungu. Can you pray
for my friend? Look at his head. He is
sick too." I looked at the white patches
and a kind of a split on top of his
head. I knelt down and held him as I
prayed. Then I looked at the little girl
and asked if she wanted prayer too. She
immediately said "Yes." I asked her her
name. It was Mercy!
As Sophie prayed for the sick she would
ask them if they knew Jesus. Most
responded, "Yes." Two said no but they
wanted to so she was able to pray with
them to accept Christ. A couple wanted
prayer but didn't want to accept Christ.
Only one refused prayer.
The men went to the men's ward to pray.
They came back with similar stories and
TEN men were added to God's Kingdom.
By the way... the man who needed two
more treatments is being taken care of.
Thanks for your continued prayers
Monday, November 14, 2005:
(From
Hope4Kids website)
Look at all these medical supplies!! And
this isn't ALL we brought! We have some
very generous people in the USA!
A portion of the donated medical
supplies
Two team members, Laura and Heather,
have been going to Honduras on mission
trips. Laura found Catholic Medical
Missions on the internet and downloaded
an application. This organization has
been super generous. Between two mission
trips to Honduras, Catholic Medical
Missions has donated over $40,000 in
medical supplies. Laura said her formal
dining room was filled with them. So
they used all they could for their trips
and still had plenty to take here! They
brought antibiotics, Tylenol, vitamins,
gloves, soap and tons of other much
needed supplies.
Also, Mark Famularo, a member of the
Lutheran Church of Good Shepherd in
Torrance, CA, received a bone marrow
transplant at UCLA medical Center in
June & July of 2005. He had been
diagnosed with multiple myeloma. After
his hospital stay he continued to
receive care at home. Gratefully his
treatment was completed and they still
had a good deal of supplies which could
not be returned once they have been in
the home. So his wife, Tammy, asked if
we might use them for our Uganda
mission. We were more than happy to
receive them!
Tammy mentioned to Mark's transplant
coordinator at UCLA what she was doing
with her left-over supplies. He emailed
all the coordinators and asked them to
have their patients' families to contact
Tammy. Soon she was flooded with calls
and supplies. They included medicines,
sterile dressings, swabs, syringes,
catheters, portable IV poles and much,
much more. Tammy said almost every
person who donated supplies had recently
lost their loved one. It's extremely
emotional to get rid of the things that
were used by your spouse, child, etc. It
must feel like giving away the last part
of them. These people shared their
stories of emotional difficulty and
expressed gratitude at knowing the
supplies were going to be put to such
good use.
The California team carried 10 duffel
bags crammed full!
Monday, November 14, 2005: Working
In The Clinic
(From Hope4Kids website)
Many of
our team worked in the clinic yesterday.
There were lines of people! It was
announced on the radio that this week
while the Americans are here the clinic
is free to everyone! Thankfully this
time the people did not have to stand in
the sun. They lined the hallways of our
unfinished hospital!
The hallways in the unfinished hospital
are filled with
people waiting to be seen at the clinic.
The two Beths and Karen first checked in
patients. Then the two Beths were put to
work transcribing!! They held the sheets
up to me and asked, "How are we supposed
to transcribe these??" I thought it
looked a little like my own handwriting
but I was unable to help them.
Debby and Ellen worked in the pharmacy.
They were totally swamped! Team members
popped in and out helping them fill
prescriptions.
We also had the eye clinic going.
Supporters in the U.S., Jane and Bruce
Smith, donated a HUGE lot of reading
glasses. Many people came to receive
them. They were also looking for
prescription glasses. We need an
optometrist to come with us. Do you know
someone who would like to come here?
Tuesday, November 15, 2005: Wiring
(From Hope4Kids website)
The hospital is being wired!! They
expect to finish in a couple days. We've
had Darrin, Pastor Bob, David, Robert
and his crew working hard. When they
have finished the current projects,
there are other buildings to be wired so
they won't run out of work. Robert is
also working with the power company
making sure they bring in all the
necessary lines, etc.
No team member has been idle as they
continue to paint, work with the orphan
projects and the children. There are
many needs and we're meeting as many as
we can.
The hospital is being wired!
Robert is using his skills as an
electrician to help
complete the hospital wiring.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005: Quote
(From Hope4Kids website)
Team member, Bill brought this quote
from Mother Teresa to read at family
time. I thought it worth sharing with
all of you.
"Each time anyone comes into contact
with us, they must become different
and better people because of having
met us. We must radiate God's love.
We must know that we have been
created for greater things. Not just
for diplomas and degrees, not just
be a number in the world, this work
or that work. We have been created
in order to LOVE and BE LOVED. Love
does not measure. . . it just
gives."
Thursday, November 17, 2005:
(From
Hope4Kids website)
"It's very difficult to understand."
~
Rachel Cinader
Along with
the joys and the completion of projects
there also comes sorrow. The realities
here are there is a lot of sickness. A
lot of poverty. They still need so much
as far as medical care and education
goes. We had this poor baby brought into
our clinic on Tuesday. She is one and a
half years old and weighed about six
pounds. The doctor decided to admit her
to the Tororo hospital. Our nurses were
heartbroken as they oversaw the
treatment and gave the hospital
everything they needed to care for her.
They took time from their hectic
schedules here at our clinic to go check
on the baby. Sadly, it was too late. The
baby could not be saved and left this
world this morning. It's very difficult
to understand. . .
Thursday, November 17, 2005: Special Needs
(From
Hope4Kids website)
Rachel at the special needs school
A group of us went to a boarding school
where we had been told they have special
needs children. We stopped by on Tuesday
afternoon and talked with the
headmaster. I apologized for coming
unannounced and explained to him who we
are and what we do. He was very kind and
was happy to show us the school. We were
so impressed because we knew it hadn't
been "cleaned up" for us since they
didn't know we were coming. The school
actually has over 600 students but only
113 are special needs. Most of the
Special needs children board there. So
he took us through their section and
gathered some of them together to meet
us. I was expecting a small school and
only brought a bag of candy for about 30
children!! So we left that on the bus
and asked if we could come back the next
day with gifts for them. They were happy
to have us come back.
"We were welcomed openly..."
So Wednesday morning we headed back to
the school with enough beanie babies for
all the special needs children and Jesus
bracelets for the teachers. Once again
we were welcomed openly. I'll let the
photos tell the rest of the story.
Watching the Mzungus at the special
needs school
Thursday, November 17, 2005: Activities
on Site
(From
Hope4Kids website)
As I walk around the site I see a
variety of activities going on. From
people splattering paint all over
themselves to guys sweating in the
rafters. There are people drawing blood
in the lab, checking in patients,
pulling teeth and building
relationships. Of course everywhere you
look there are children!
"Everywhere you look there are
children!"
Thursday, November 17, 2005: Public
School
(From
Hope4Kids website)
Some of our team visited the public
school. They were guests of the fifth
grade. Education at the primary level is
free and all children are required to
attend. The classrooms are crowded with
as many as 100 students per teacher!!! A
fifth grade class from the US sent
letters to the children. The children
thoroughly enjoyed them. They were given
card stock and markers and designed
cards for the team to take back to
America.
Greeting cards from the African
children...
To
be continued....
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