The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few. Luke 10:2

Now that I am back in the US, I have so much that I want to share, but where to begin? Did we make a difference in Uganda? Did we achieve anything? Yes, some were helped with their aches and pains. Some were healed from their typhoid and malaria – but it won’t be long before they are sick again. We gave out some antibiotics for infections of various kinds and an assortment of skin ailments and wounds were treated. Over 3,096 were seen at the clinics, but of all that is just temporary. That was not the reason for our trip.

So did we achieve anything of lasting value? The answer to that of course is NO, WE did not, but GOD did and through His grace, we were privileged to witness His hand at work. For the 597 who accepted Christ there WILL BE an eternal difference and we were blessed to witness the joy that their new found faith has given them. Their daily lives will still be filled with toil and hardship. They will still face days filled with sickness, trials and physical death, but they know that they do not walk through those days alone. They will have their Savior by their side at every weary step and an eternity in heaven with the Lord when their days on earth are done.

The hardship, poverty and disease in the remote villages of Uganda cannot be related in a few short blog posts and snapshots. Neither can they be truly understood by someone like myself, who has only made 3 short mission trips. Their lives are incredibly hard and short, their days are hot and long and their living conditions are beyond the comprehension of most of us living in the US today. Most spend long days working with hand tools in the rice fields or sugar plantations and have to walk long distances to fetch clean water.

There is such imbalance in our world today. We in the west have so much, yet we hunger for more and complain constantly about the things that we 'think' we still need. They on the other hand, have next to nothing and yet this is the typical reaction that we saw from a small child who was given a pair of 99cent Walmart flip flops.

Uganda is one of the most fertile evangelistic fields in the world and there is a hunger for the gospel of truth that is a joy to behold, but Africa has also been referred to as ‘The dark continent.’  There is so much darkness and witchcraft out in the bush areas. So many mamas bring their babies to the clinic with talisman bracelets, necklaces and bands around their tummies and are convinced by witch doctors, satanic forces and years of cultural superstition, that to remove them would bring terrible consequences, even death. There are posters on the walls in some of the remote clinics depicting child sacrifice, telling the people that it is wrong, yet still the practise remains.

We saw the Spirit move in mighty ways during our trip, many allowed us to remove those talismans. One young mama cut off her baby’s bracelets herself and threw them in the trash. She became a new sister in Christ under the relentless African sun that day and will be followed up by the local church. There was indeed an invisible war being waged in Uganda over the past couple of weeks. It may have been unseen, but it was powerful. It was tangible. We felt it's power and I know that those of you who were praying for us could feel it too and God, in His faithfulness has answered with YES and AMEN.

There has been a great deal of rejoicing in heaven as those 597 souls were brought into the kingdom and we are all so very blessed to have been a part of ‘Declaring His Glory among the nations’

There will always be a need for more workers to go to the people of Uganda and I pray that it will be His plan to call me back again next year. I pray too that each person who has supported our trip in any way will know that they have been a part of what God has achieved.

Thank you ALL so very much for your prayers, your financial support and for the many items that were given for us to take with us to these very grateful and loving people.

Please know that you have helped some very needy people with the extra support that was raised for our trip this year. the funds were not merely 'absorbed into the general costs' they were used for specific purposes. Your generosity has not gone unnoticed by the King of Kings.

Here are some of the things we were able to do because of your generosity.
   
           *Donate toward the purchase of a small generator for a local church.
           *Provide testing and treatment for a Pastor's child suffering with seizures.
           *Provide hospital care for a child with a severe leg infection in the hope that amputation would not be necessary.
           *Provide treatment for a child with a large, painful, lipoma on her arm.
  

A A 4month old twin with previously untreated hydrocephalus (water on the brain) will receive treatment and follow up. 

Michael was treated in the hospital for severe scalds and his wounds were dressed daily at Arise Africa by the nurses on the team. He is healing well.

A 17 month old with previously untreated hydrocephalus will receive treatment and follow up.

Pius received treatment for a dislocated knee sustained during a Boda accident. His friend was also treated for a hand injury. Sadly the Boda driver was killed in this accident.

 I pray that some of the following pictures will touch your heart and bring a smile to your day. 

 HUMP !  REALLY

 Sugar cane

 The 'blackboard'

 Church at Masesse

 School's out for the Summer

 Sewing bags on the sidewalk

 Interesting choice of name!!

#Godsartistry

Just 3 humans on this Boda

After church on Sunday

Arise Africa Christian Guest House

 

 YES - that IS a cow on a Boda

Rump steak anyone?

PRAISES

* For God's hand of protection throughout our trip

* For all that God has done in Uganda during our trip

* For answered prayer

* For the ongoing work of the Ugandan Pastors, believers and staff at Arise Africa.

* For those that received medicine for their sickness.

*That we were able to meet so many 'extra; needs

PRAYERS

* That the medicine given will bring healing

* That those who made a commitment will follow through

* That seeds planted will continue to bear fruit

Kaata Village

It will come as no surprise for you to hear that our amazing God was once again pouring out His Spirit on His people here in Uganda. During our morning crusade, Brenda, one of our team members, and a relatively new believer gave a powerful testimony of how the Lord has worked in her life and rescued her from the path of addiction. All those who heard were very moved by what she had to say and we pray that God will continue to use those words after we have left. Zack then shared a gospel message with the crowd that was gathered.

67 were added to the kingdom today and again hundreds were seen in the clinic.

Life here in Uganda is hard in the outlying villages, very hard. Many of the people, when asked, refer to themselves as ‘peasants.’ This means that they are land workers. Not with tractors, or even a horse and plow. All they have are hand tools. They spend from dawn until dusk bending over in the rice fields, planting sweet potatoes, or harvesting sugar cane with a scythe. They come to the clinic with joint pain, back pain, headaches, reflux and all kinds of fungal infections picked up from the soil. There is Typhoid in many of the villages, malaria is common and most of the children have worms. They cannot afford to buy medication and free clinics like ours are their only chance of some relief. It is hard when we have people come to us and we are unable to offer them the medication they need. We do what we can, but it will never meet the extreme need here.

 A powerful testimony from Brenda

and a great message fro Zachary

 

 Duane & Darrell

 2 of our vehicles taking a break

Eager to share the gospel

 Nurse Ashley & Interpreter

 Great clinic room today

 looking for shade

 Inside the clinic

 Pharmacy

2 satisfied patients

At our team meeting tonight we learned a little more about what goes on behind the scenes to make our trip a success. It begins weeks before we arrive. Arise Africa mobilizes The churches connected to the village that we will be visiting in order to select a suitable site. This may sound simple, but this is Uganda and things work differently here, everything is more difficult than we in the west are used to. There is a tremendous amount of time and effort that is put into just one day of our ministry, and we have had 6 villages to visit. That is a lot of work. The day before we drive out to the village the local church members are already there showing the 'Jesus' movie in Lugandan and sharing Christ with the people. The surrounding villages have already been told that the free clinic is coming and many will walk for miles to be seen.

After we leave on Friday the work goes on, Every effort will be made to follow up on each person who made a faith commitment during our stay. That is a lot of work for a lot of Pastors. They take their work for the Lord very seriously here and do their very best to make sure that each new believer finds a church that is close by and that they have, sound biblical teaching.

This mission trip has been God's work. He has used each person connected with it, those who prepared the way, those who supported us and those who will follow up. It does not begin with us and it does not end with us. What a blessing for us all to be used by the Lord in this way and to see so many added to His kingdom.

It saddens my heart so to know that I can lead these people, whom I have never met before and whose lives are so very different from mine, to saving faith in Christ and yet some of my friends, family and neighbors whom I love still do not trust in His Saving Grace.

PRAYERS

* Praise for all our answered prayers

* Praise for all that has taken place during this trip

* Pray for our final day's clinic tomorrow

* Pray for or trip home

* Pray for the team as we 're-adjust' to life in the US 

Muwayo village

Long day. Short Blog. AWESOME GOD. He was at work in Muwayo village today. 118 souls saved and hundreds seen at the clinic.

Long lines today

  Waiting to be seen

More smiling faces

PRAYER

* Praise for new believers

* Continued prayer for our leaders and all the Via family

* Praise that The 2 babies we prayed for are doing much better

* For strenght and stamina (We are all getting pretty tired)

* For one of our team interpreters involved in a 'boda' accident today and his friend (boda driver was killed)

* For  children seen at clinic today

1. With severe leg abscess ( the taken to hospital)
2. With ?Fatty lymphoma on upper arm  (For biopsy)
3. A 17 month old (& family) with advanced, untreated hydrocephalus (water on the brain)