"I was sick and you looked after me."
Matthew 25:36

Uganda Trip - Feb. 2010

  SLIDESHOWS       VIDEOS

The 2010 medical mission team to Uganda left February 13th and returned on February 26th. Although only seven people were on the team, God used Becky Harden, Dr. Bill Harden, Dee Phelps ,David Duritza, Matthew Bourne, Jerry Chen and Dr. Eddie Kim to accomplish all He had for us to do.  

The trip was completed without any significant difficulties. We were able to accomplish the following:

1.) Our surgical clinic was held and we paid for 82 surgeries - Dr. Kim and Dee Phelps did 27 of these. These patients who could not afford surgery and had no other way to get the surgeries done. Some of these patients had been to prior surgical clinics that we have held and were just now getting in to have their surgeries done. These patients slept on a concrete sidewalk awaiting the chance to be evaluated.  They had been at the hospital for over one week. Dr. Kim started with an emergency strangulated hernia surgery shortly after our arrival even though he had been traveling for over two days. We spent almost $3,000 to accomplish these 74 surgeries.

2.) We repaired termite damage to the quarters, placed screens over windows in the convent, replaced broken windows, and patched holes in the orphanage roof.

3.) We bought supplies and food for the orphanage and spent over $1,000 to assist the 108 children in the orphanage.

4.) We made many home visits where we gave food, medicine, clothes and prayed with them all.  We also assisted with rebuilding of damaged huts and provided blankets.

5.) We took many medicines to leave with the hospital and clinic. We took two oxygen concentrators and two suction machines, as well as many BP machines and over 50 stethoscopes. We repaired hospital equipment that was broken. The water tank for the AIDS clinic was ruptured and we bought a new one and installed it so the staff quarters, AIDS clinic and AIDS patients could have water. We also discovered that the orphanage as well as many other people get their water from our pump, well, and water storage tank.

6.) We paid the hospital bills for patients who had no money.  Some of the patients had been in the hospital for weeks because they could not pay their hospital bill.

7.) We purchased beans, sugar, cooking oil and powdered milk to distribute to the patients in the AIDS clinic, home visits, and feeding center.  We made daily visits to a feeding center and supplied them with milk – they had none.  We got to know the sick children, their families and their stories.

Most importantly of all, we shared the love and compassion of Christ to all we met.  The two nuns in charge of the hospital told us that “we were the answer to their prayers.” They said that they pray for us daily!

Please continue to pray for us, Uganda and the upcoming Zambia trip.  Please remember that we continue to need servants to go on our medical mission trips, not volunteers. Servants go and do what their master has commanded. Volunteers go when the time and feelings are right. There are so many stories to tell. After the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, people tend to forget about the incredible poverty, Malaria, and overwhelming AIDS problem in Africa. We cannot ignore the natural disasters, but we can never forget our brothers and sisters who struggle daily just to live another day.

Bill Harden, Team Leader