Hello from uganda! Hope everyones just as lovely as ever :) This week has been quite a hard one - the girls have all gone back to school, and its odd how much I miss them being around! But it has meant I have had the chance to take part in some different ministries...
On Monday I had my first day on the Hospital Ministry. We go around a local hospital, praying for the patients and helping out with food and medicine where we can. The hospital is government run but people still have to pay for their care, treatment. Also they dont get given any food, so patients have to rely on friends or relatives to bring them food.
The first thing that stood out was that there were people just asleep on mats in the hallways. The wards were also so packed, there were about 10 patients in a room, that in England would hold around 4! The first ward we went on was supposedly a recovering womens ward, but when we walked in the shock really hit me, a lady had just died, and had been covered up with a white sheet, but you could hardly tell there was a body underneath it, the lady must have been so thin.
Then we went over to a lady who was having breathing difficulty, she had liquid in her lungs, in England they would usually be able to drain the lungs, but here they dont have the equipment, so this lady will simply die. Then the first lady we went over to pray for, was so thin, she was virtually a bag of bones. I couldn’t believe my eyes, I just couldn't handle it, and I had to stay out side, it was to hard seeing all the suffering. I felt so helpless, and bad. But then I realised how the only way we can help and give hope to these people is through prayer, and I realised then why River of Life has the Hospital Ministry. What if someone was on their death bed, like quite a few of these people are, and they die without knowing God? At least we give them the opportunity to know Jesus.
On Wednesday, we went to Nazareth Children’s Home. One of the older girls there unfortunately hasn't been able to go back to school as she could no longer live with a family that had been supporting her. Last year she used to live with a family in another village. She used to help out around the house and was able to go to school in return. Now she is back at Nazareth Children’s Home and is helping out there - she can't go back to school until school fees can be found. It’s so sad, but such a common story.
Also one of the other children at Nazareth called Bridget, who's about 3, has bad scoliosis, and so her spine is twisted around her organs, which gives her a hunch back, and stops her being able to learn to walk. In England she would have been able to have a back brace from a very young age, or maybe an operation. She went to the doctors last week, because she hasn't been well, and the doctor said she has T.B, but he can’t give her any medication until August - if she still has it. But I don't think that TB can just go on its own, as many people die from it over here! So we are going to try and keep a close eye on her, and take her to hospital if she gets any worse! But also because they can’t do anything for her spine, as she grows, it could grow more around her spine, and end up suffocating her. It’s so heartbreaking holding a child knowing how ill she could really get.
On a positive note we’ve developed a new programme at Nazareth with the staff there, teaching the younger children who aren’t at school. It’s starting off well, although it’s very new for the children and they are finding it hard taking so much in! But we have time, and we are positive its going to help them :)
If you would like to help fund the new Nazareth Programme run by River of Life, or the Hospital Ministry, please email Rob
Lizzy normally lives in Manchester, and is currently with us for her Gap Year. She has very kindly agreed to post some of her thoughts about life at River of Life on our blog - cheers Lizzy!
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