Uganda Update #9:
Greetings to our friends and families,
Sorry for the delay ... we are fine and enjoying our last few days in Uganda.
On Saturday, we had the opportunity to visit Kaliti again, and have a
tour of the Field of Dreams with Show Mercy's Randy Varga. It's
incredible to see how different the land looks now, compared to 4
years ago when some of us prayer walked through the swampy grass. It
was a blessing to hear more about the vision for that place, and to
see those dreams coming into fruition.
In the afternoon, we headed to Pastor Simon's village, Kasengejje,
where we got to see his home, church, and meet some of the people in
his congregation. We offered a wound clinic and handed out a ton of
vitamins. Our team entertained lots of children with bubbles, card
games, face painting, and ukulele music. You could continue to pray
for Pastor Simon as he struggles to minister to a village with Baal
worship as well as a strong Muslim population. He carries a heavy
load, but he shows us so much joy and has been an amazing servant to
our team. He dives right in to whatever ministry we are doing, and he
means so much to us.
We were able to spend a couple hours at Hope after that, where the
children brought out their African drums and blessed us with some
dancing. We're pretty sure Ugandans can shake their hips as soon as
they are born. A highlight was watching Emily get in the middle of
the dance circle and show them what she's got! They cheered and were
very impressed. Saturday was a very full day, but ended well.
We had an early start on Sunday, because we wanted to attend the 8am
service at our friend Terah's church in Kampala. He sings on their
worship team, and we were deeply blessed and energized when we entered
the church and heard their heavenly voices praising God. The pastor
was very entertaining, and they were grateful that we attended the
service. We had to sneak out a little early, because we were headed
to 4 different churches for preaching.
Preaching is always out of most of our comfort zones, but it was
awesome to see how God used us in spite of our fears. One group was
asked to sing & dance for the congregation, another ordained Polly as
"Pastor Kelly," and Lani shared a worship dance (hula) which deeply
blessed the congregation. After preaching, we all met up at Hope for
lunch... one of the best we've had!
In the afternoon, we held our Spiritual Retreat for the P7 and S1
children. Trina taught them how to do a manuscript study of
Scripture, and we looked at the passage about Ananias and Sapphira.
It was so neat to see the kids wrestle with what they were reading,
asking questions, and discussing what God wants them to apply to their
daily lives.
Originally, we were going to have a dinner for the widows in Gganda
Village, but our plans changed! Instead, we were able to donate some
money towards the "Pig Project" ... so many of the widows in the
village have no means to provide, and many are raising their
grandchildren, due to the AIDs epidemic. We were able to bless them
with a gift that will allow them to purchase 3 pigs, to give them a
means of income for the future. They were so thankful, and we were
humbled to pray with them individually and hear some of their stories.
The rest of the afternoon was spend loving kids, and already they are
looking ahead to Tuesday, our departure day, and being to get sad.
Please pray that the remaining time we have with them will be filled
with joy, encouragement, affirmation and blessings.
This might be our last email until we arrive in Amsterdam, but we'll
do our best to keep you posted. Today, we are headed to Lugazi, where
we will pray with hospital patients, visit with Pastor Hudson, and do
a VBS at Faith Children's Home.
Thank you for your continued prayers -- they mean so much to us!
MJ & Polly
Picture #1 -- Emily face-painting
Picture #2 -- Micah with Douglas
Picture #3 -- Lauren with Samuel
Picture #4 -- Rachel on the steps at Hope
Picture #5 -- Brooke with Alice
If you are having trouble viewing photos, Click Here.
Update #8:
Greetings to our friends & families,
Friday, we started the morning at the local Craft Market. Our team had a great time bartering for their souvenirs. Then we were off to the supermarket for our "nutritious" lunch. One team member had Fanta, a chocolate donut, and some Mister Potato chips (fake Pringles).
We then headed to the Mulago Hospital in Kampala, to meet with Margaret, who is the liason between local churches and the hospital. Our appointment was at 2 o'clock, African time ... which meant 3 o'clock. Our focus of ministry was the Cancer Ward. We started by singing and praying for the childrens' ward. Imagine a hospital room the size of a classroom, with 3 rows of 10 beds each. Family is also living with the patient, sitting on the floor preparing food and administrating medicine. The patients all are disfigured in some way ... many with leukemia, and many with terminal cancers. One girl stands in the hall alone, waiting for a bed... the tumor in her eye impairing her vision. Outside are patients sitting on the ground, waiting for treatment. It is there that we find Esau, a young boy of 7 years old, dropped off by his parents and waiting alone with a severe tumor on his face that we find very difficult to look at. Our team kneels on the ground around him, and tell him that God loves him and that we are praying for him. We ask if he is hungry, and he shakes his head yes. A team member provides a fruit leather and some water, and we see for the first time, the beautiful smile inside of him. We ask him if he knows Jesus, and he says yes.
We continue ministering to those outside, and before we leave, 9 have prayed to receive Christ ... including one Muslim. Next, Margaret takes us up the hill to the Cancer Hostel. This is where people wait for admittance to the hospital, some having traveled long distances to receive care. We sing for them, and have the opportunity to pray with each one individually, giving our token gift of a bar of soap and a Scripture card. We are blessed by their faith and hope, and one woman prays a blessing over us. As we begin to leave, Jonathan notices a man in the back who has just joined the group. Even though we are leaving, he feels called to go and pray with the man. "Africani" doesn't know Jesus, but Jonathan is able to pray the prayer of salvation with him. (See group hostel photo, with Jonathan in the far back)
We returned to our guest house, humbled and thankful. We realize how blessed we are, and spend time praying for each new believer.
Thank you for your prayers,
MJ & Polly
If you are having trouble viewing the photos, Click Here.
Uganda Update #7b:
Dear Friends and Family,
The internet has been touch and go ... here are the pictures for our
last update:
Picture #1 -- Dr. Val Shean with our Ugandan doctors
Picture #2 -- Jamie's baptism in the Nile
Picture #3 -- Jonathan's baptism in the Nile
Picture #4 -- Our team with some friends at Bujagali Falls
For Team Uganda,
Polly (Kelly Cudney) & MJ (Barb Hoffman)
Update #7:
Greetings to our families & friends,
We only have a few minutes before the "Business Center" closes for the night, but we will try to recap the last two days for you.
On Wednesday, we met up with Dr. Val Shean (a veterinary missionary to Uganda from Northwest Hills Community Church), who was instrumental in connecting us with our Ugandan doctors. She joined us at Hope where we had check-ups for the 94 children who live there, as well as some of the mamas and teachers. It encouraged the team to see the kids get treatment, as well as to see the care and concern that the doctors showed each child. MJ, Lani & Trina were able to sneak away to attend the Mamas' Meeting, where they shared practical ways for them to encourage, discipline, and care for the kids. Dr. Patrick also explained to them the importance of administering medication to them properly.
Another miracle in Uganda!! Remember the girl from Kaliti that was transported to the hospital? Dr. Patrick heard from one of his colleagues that x-rays proved she indeed had a "perforated gut," and needed immediate surgery. As they were prepping her for surgery, they discovered that the condition no longer existed -- she was miraculously healed! The doctors said had she not gone to the hospital and had the x-rays, there wouldn't have been any "proof" of a miracle that she had been healed by God. Pray that this will spark a hunger for God in the village.
On Thursday, we took 14 Ugandans with us to Jinja. It was fun to see their excitement, as they saw the majesty of the Nile river and waterfalls for the first time. The children excitedly splashed their faces with water during the boat ride, and Pastor Prossy overcame her fear of riding in a boat. The highlight of the afternoon was when the team celebrated with Jamie and Jonathan their baptisms in the Nile. Pastor Prossy was our preacher, and Pastor Simon & Manhoff did the honors.
Due the bombing earlier this week, we have been having major internet problems. Please don't be alarmed by our lack of communication ... we are fine, the team is healthy, and we are looking forward to our last few days of ministry. We will try later today to send some pictures, but since this email has taken us 2 hours already (including our time last night ... which failed!), we need to close for now.
Thank you for your prayers,
MJ & Polly
Update #6:
Greetings to our friends & families,
Yesterday was a full day for our team with an early start. We arrived at Hope and tried to keep the children outside so that we could begin painting. This is not an easy task, by any means! The first task was clearing the two bedrooms so that we could get to the walls and paint. Keep in mind there are approximately 12 bunkbeds in small quarters. After sanding the walls and organizing all of our supplies, we began to paint both rooms a lovely shade of lavender ... luckily, we discovered one of the paint cans was blue! We quickly stopped painting one room lavender, and started over with the blue. This is painting, Ugandan style. Peter the Painter was anxious to lend us his skills, and it is interesting to note that even though he worked for hours wearing white pants, they stayed perfectly clean. Pastor Simon was eager to help, having never painted before. Lani, MJ and Trina stayed busy blocking the three entrances into the building, as the childrens' curiosity was getting the best of them. The rooms are beautiful, and changed from being dark to bright and cheery.
We no sooner had laid our brushes down when it was time to head to the classrooms for our Spiritual Retreat. We put together a series of Biblical teaching with an emphasis on honesty and truth. Our team was divided into five groups, and each led a different age level. This time included Bible stories, puppets, singing, crafts, skits, and object lessons. The retreat lasted two hours, and was deemed a success by all. As soon as we walked out of the classrooms, it was lunch time, and we were glad for the break.
Right after lunch, we divided up the older children for a Girls' Workshop and Guys' Workshop. Rachelle did a great job of filling in for Dr. Fox, teaching about God's special design for our bodies, and Manhoff and the guys shared about what it means to be a Godly man in this culture. We had lots of questions and good discussion.
By the time all of this was over, it was nearly 5 o'clock and time to head back to the guest house. We had a surprise celebration for Lani's birthday, that ended with ice cream and chocolate for the birthday girl.
We are all feeling a bit physically drained, but recognize the days are passing quickly. We are all amazed at what God has been doing, and what He's been teaching us. We want to make the most of the days we have left.
Thank you for your prayers -- they mean so much to us.
MJ & Polly
If you have trouble seeing the photos below, Click Here.
Picture #1 -- Lani teaching the itsy bitsy spider
Picture #2 -- Michael
Picture #3 -- Rachelle teaching some children card tricks
Picture #4 -- Reese
Update #5:
Greetings to our friends & families,
Today began by hearing the news that there had been a bombing in Kampala. Our Show Mercy contact advised us to stay at Namirembe until further notice. We soon learned that the bombings occurred a far distance from our guest house, and that there was no real security threat for us. We still wanted to take precautions, so we stayed at the guest house for the morning, journaling and writing letters to the kids at Hope. We had great fun at our potluck lunch, where everyone brought what snacks they still had left to share with the group. After lunch, we heard from the American Embassy via Show Mercy that the roads were considered safe, and there were no warnings regarding travel in the direction we were heading.
We spent the afternoon at Hope, where the girls taught the kids some dances in the church. It was a relaxing afternoon, just spending one on one time with the kids. The kids were out of school today because we had originally scheduled their Spiritual Retreat for today; that's now rescheduled for tomorrow, along with painting the kids' rooms. We also had the opportunity to walk the paths of Gganda Village, handing out vitamins to the families who live near Hope. We took some of the older children with us to serve as our translators, and they did an amazing job! Our only disappointment was discovering that some of the ziploc baggies had melted, and when we handed them to people, the vitamins would fall out. :) They were still very thankful to receive the gifts.
We made sure we returned to the guest house before dark, and are now about to enjoy dinner on the terrace. Our spirits are hopeful and we continue to move forward with God's wisdom and leading. Thanks for the prayers. We will do our best to keep you updated as often as possible (the internet is EXTREMELY slow here).
Picture #1 -- Manhoff with Vanessa
Picture #2 -- Jamie entertaining kids at the Kaliti medical clinic
Picture #3 -- Polly enjoying time with Fahad and others
Picture #4 -- Potluck lunch at Namirembe
Picture #5 -- Boys excited about experiencing pizza Ugandan style (in the parking garage at the mall) :)
Thanks for your prayers,
MJ & Polly
If you are having trouble seeing the photos, Click Here.
Manhoff with Vanessa
Jamie entertaining kids at the Kaliti medical clinic
Polly enjoying time with Fahad and others
Potluck lunch at Namirembe
Boys excited about experiencing pizza Ugandan style (in the parking garage at the mall) :)
Safety Update:
Dear Friends,
Just wanted to let you know that the team is fine. In case you don't know, two bombs went off in Kampala. Our kids and loved ones are fine. They probably don't even know about it yet. They are going to lay low today. I will email again when I get more information.
Thankful for God's protection and peace,
Cathi (for Barb and Kelly)
Uganda Update #4:
Greetings to our friends and families,
So sorry for the delay in hearing from us ... the "Business Centre" at Namirembe Guest house is closed on Sundays, and we got home too late on Saturday night to send an update. We wanted to let you know that we received the missing bag! There was a large hole in the side of it and some of the toiletries were missing, but most of our belongings were there. We'll try to recap the last 2 days for you ...
On Saturday, we drove out to the village of Kaliti, where Show Mercy is building the Field of Dreams. We picked up eight of the older kids from Hope to serve as our translators. We split our team in half so that we could simultaneously do a VBS and our 3rd medical clinic. The VBS crew headed over to a little nearby church where they ran a small Vacation Bible School for about 40 children from the village. Michael & Micah brought out their ukuleles and led a few songs with Brooke, as the children eagerly followed the hand motions. The story of the Prodigal Son was shared, Gospel bracelets were made, and colorful pipe cleaner "accessories" adorned the heads & wrists of these precious children as they played a rousing game of "Stop, Go" -- that's Red Light, Green Light to all of us Mzungus! As they headed back to help with the medical clinic, several adults who had dropped in to see what they were doing thanked them for showing love to their children.
Just when we thought we couldn't work any harder, the Kaliti medical clinic was our most intense one yet. The villagers were already lining up before we arrived, and the line felt never-ending throughout the day. People desperately seeking medical attention waited hours to receive care. The line wrapped around a couple of buildings, and our medical/personal information station was located outside. Inside of one classroom was our vitals station, our three Ugandan doctors, and our pharmacy. The optometrists were located outside, as well as our first aid station. The optometrists were blessed to see that regardless of the prescription need and our inability to find matches, the glasses worked. God is good! We worked all day long, finishing the clinic in the dark, using "ipod light" to finish fulfilling the prescriptions. In about 9 hours, we saw 263 patients and our "American Machine" (the nickname given by our doctors for Rachelle) dispensed 830 prescriptions. It was an intense day, but well worth it.
On Sunday morning, we got ready to attend the Ugandan wedding of our friend Paul (teacher at the Alpha & Omega Primary School) and his bride Irene. We were told that the wedding ceremony started at 11am ... then 11:30... perhaps 12-noon ... we believe things actually started around 1pm. This is Africa. :) After a two and a half hour long ceremony, they were officially man and wife. For the sake of the team, we opted out of attending the several hour long reception, and instead went out for a pizza dinner.
Here are a few snapshots about the Kaliti clinic from MJ ...
Snapshot #1 ... I follow the doctor down a dusty winding path. He has determined that the woman needs an examination and her home is the only option. We pull back the curtain, which substitutes as a door, and enter the dimly lit room -- approximately 8 feet by 8 feet, if even that. She hastily clears off the one piece of furniture in the room, a wooden "sofa" with a few tattered cushions. After the doctor completes his examination, we walk back outside and shielded our eyes against the bright African sun. As we begin to leave, other members of the family approached us asking if we could please examine an elderly man who is not able to walk to the clinic. We walk back into the "house" and find a tiny room behind the previous room. One tiny window allows just a sliver of light and there, curled up on a bed, is the most emaciated human being I have ever seen. "How old is he?" the doctor asks. The woman (87 years old) answers that he is 120 years old, and he is her father. His skin covers his frail frame of bones, where his joints were bigger than his actual limbs. Tears run down his face as he asks the doctor in a soft whisper if he can help with the pain. The doctor determines that his major affliction is malnutrition, due to a lack of food. I pray for him and we leave, promising to come back with food. As I walk back to the clinic, I wonder, "does this man know Jesus?" He has lived in this village and this very hut for 120 years, along with his children, grand-children, and great grand-children. He has worked hard and has seen many things, but does he know Jesus? By the time I get back to the clinic, I am obsessed with the thought that I must present the Gospel to this man. I also want to make sure his physical needs are provided for, so I find a young woman who promises to bring him a bowl of soup each day. I grab my precious friend, Pastor Simon, and together we travel down the winding path back to the home of our unexpected stranger. We find the family sitting in the living room eating, but as they see us, they quickly put their food away and place mats on the dirt floor for us to sit on. They carry the old man into the room and gently lay him on the sofa. We being to explain to him the love of the Father, and tears fill his eyes. He prays the sinner's prayer, and I know at this moment that this man has lived 120 years for such a time as this.
Snapshot #2 ... A mother brings her daughter to our clinic complaining of abdominal pain. The girl appears to be around 12 years old, and can barely walk. The mother explains to the doctor that just 2 weeks ago, she buried another daughter who had the same symptoms. The doctor determines she must be evacuated immediately to the hospital. Our co-worker has a car, and we gently lay her in the back seat. Our doctor is a practicing physician at the closest hospital, and writes a prescription for admittance. The mother worries because she has no money for transportation home or for care. We give her the 15 dollars she needs to cover all her costs, and send them on their way. We later hear that she made it to the hospital. The doctor tells us that she wouldn't have lasted another 48 hours. God has brought us here for such a time as this.
In regards to our safety, please know that our guest house is safely guarded, and no one enters or exits without their knowledge. We will make wise decisions for your children, confident that God is leading this team. (Note from Cathi Von: Lori Salley from Show Mercy asked that I give this link for Facebook updates from Show Mercy: Click Here.)
Photo #1 -- Emily with a baby
Photo #2 -- Lauren at the first aid station
Photo #3 -- Micah, the optometrist
Photo #4 -- MJ and Pastor Simon with the 120 year old man
Uganda Update #3:
Greetings to our friends & families,
Gganda Village Medical Clinic #2 ... we hit the road running, because when we arrived at Hope, there were at least 100 people already waiting in line. Since we were "experienced professionals," we were able to quickly set up our clinic and begin seeing patients. We processed a steady stream of people from 10:30am until 8:00pm. We had planned for 120 people, but by the end of the day we'd seen 160 patients. Our pharmacist team dispensed 534 prescriptions, and had to use flashlights to keep working when it got dark (see attached photos below). Our doctors were exhausted from such a long day, but were quickly rejuvenated and filled with joy when they heard that 18 people received Christ at the clinic. They said it was worth all of the hard work. We have also been told that there has never been anything like this in this village, and that the long term impact will bear a lot of fruit in future ministry opportunities. All day long we hear the phrase, "Thanks for the good work!"
Jill was able to have a time of sharing with the "Mamas" at Hope while the clinic was going on. She was encouraging them in their work, and felt that they were very blessed. The mamas have been taking English lessons, and were were amazed at how much their English has improved. Some of them served as translators for us during the clinic, along with many of the Hope children.
We returned to Namirembe around 9pm and ate a BBQ dinner. Today we will be going to Kaliti, the village where Show Mercy is building the Field of Dreams. This is primarily a Muslim village, and the gospel is not as well received. Pray that we will be a light to the people as we serve them. We have been told that the need for a medical clinic is much greater than what we've already seen. Our team is tired, but ready to continue serving. Some of the team will be conducting a VBS for 100+ (?) children, while the others continue to work at the medical clinic.
Thank you for your prayers -- our sick team member is feeling better today. However, our suitcase has still not arrived.
Picture 1 -- Trina & Rachelle dispense medications in the dark
Picture 2 -- Reese bandages a wound while Michael comforts the child
Picture 3 -- Brooke taking vitals
Uganda update #2:
Dear Friends & Family,
We had another great day spent in Gganda Village. The night before, we were able to meet with our Ugandan doctors to set up our medical clinic. The next morning, Polly and Rachelle traveled with two of the doctors into Kampala, where we bought nearly $500 worth of more medicine, specific to the needs our doctors expected here. Thankfully, we had some ministry money to cover, and we are praying that God will stretch what we have, so that we can complete our medical clinic ministry.
For the clinic, we had 7 stations: 1) Assessing Priority Cases/Crowd Control; 2.) Registration & Background info; 3.) Checking vitals & getting medical information; 4.) Evangelism with Pastor Simon; 5.) Optometry; 6.) Diagnostic with our doctors; and 7.) Dispensing medicine with our pharmacist. Are you impressed? :) You should be -- it ran very smoothly, and our team was awesome. Each team member was involved in the clinic, and overall we saw nearly 120 patients in 5-6 hours. Each patient was presented with the Gospel and prayed for by Pastor Simon, and 17 received Christ!! Our Ugandan doctors were phenomenal, patiently demonstrating care and concern for each individual. The most common condition was malaria, and we saw many children as well as adults. Jonathan did a great job as our "wound dresser," and was excited to use a scalpel on one of the patients. Micah and Emily were busy as optometrists, and it was so exciting to see people's faces light up when they could actually read with their new glasses. Brooke, Rachel and Reese became professionals at taking blood pressure, temperatures, and monitoring heart rates. The most intense station was the pharmacy, where Rachelle became bilingual in Ugandan short-hand from the doctors, while Trina counted the pills. Even though we only saw 120 patients, most patients had 3-5 prescriptions. It was an exhausting, but exciting day.
We were so proud of our team! They rose to the occasion and did anything that was asked of them. We arrived back at our guest house around 7pm, physically drained but spiritually humbled by the opportunity to serve the Ugandan people, and to partner with local believers.
Today, we will do round #2 of our medical clinic in Gganda Village. We have been told to expect twice as many people, once the word gets out in the village. You can keep praying for the arrival of our missing suitcase, as well as the general health of our team - we have one sick team member already.
For team Uganda,
MJ & Polly
Uganda Update #1: We had a wonderful day yesterday, getting acquainted with our surroundings, exchanging money at the bank, and having lunch at a local market. Many of the team learned that a "hamburger" here is not quite the same as what we know in the U.S. We are feeling great and sleeping well in our new "home" here in Kampala.
After an orientation meeting with Randy Varga, the on site director for Show Mercy, we loaded the bus and headed out to Gganda Village. You could feel the anticipation rising as we got closer and closer to the village. Many familiar sights for many and new sights for our first timers. You never get used to the roads, though. It is always a wonder to me that our bus can navigate itself in and around the numerous pot holes, motorcycles, cars and people on a road that is barely wide enough for one car. But no fear, our driver "Paul" is very capable and delivers us safely wherever we go. It wasn't long before we heard the shouts and screams of the children. Their excitement was electrifying and not one of us was able to get off the bus without numerous children attached to us. We spent about 2 hours at Hope, getting reacquainted and making new friends. It was hard to believe how much they had grown in one year.
In the evening we met with our Ugandan doctor and friends. (Thanks to Dr. Val) and began the tedious preparation for our medical clinic for today. We are a bit unsure what to expect, but these doctors have done these types of clinics before and have been very very helpful to get us organized. All 15 team members will be involved today as we set up 6 different stations for the clinic, one of which will be presenting the gospel to each patient. Micah will also be running his vision clinic and already there are people excited to be there for that.
This message must be short as we have little time before we leave and the internet is extremely slow. Continue praying for us that we may hear the voice of God and accomplish His purposes here. Also, keep praying for that lost bag....no news yet! We did go to the market yesterday and picked up some essentials so everyone is doing well. We also are realizing that we do not have nearly enough ministry money to purchase all of the additional medicines needed; such as malaria medicine, de-worming medicine, eye antibiotic and a few other items. Please pray that God expands our medicine so that we may meet the needs of all the people. If you know of anyone that would like to donate towards this, please email and let me know.
God Bless you, MJ for Team Uganda
We're there! After an uneventful journey, we've made it safely to Kampala, Uganda. We do have one prayer request ... of the 22 suitcases/trunks of supplies, we are only missing one. Unfortunately, it was the one with most of our personal liquids/toiletries. God provides, as we did receive Reese, Lauren, and Jamie's liquids ... so they were able to share shampoo with us this morning. Please pray that God would bring our bag soon.
Today, we will to go a bank to exchange money, and we'll have lunch at the local western market. This afternoon, we will head out to Hope to see the children.
Thank you so much for your prayers. We are all so excited to be here, and look forward to what God has in store.
Talk to you all tomorrow ... Lord willing the computers work! MJ (Mrs. Hoffman) & Polly (Miss Cudney)
Show Mercy International The mission of Show Mercy International is to express God’s love to the poor with both words and actions. We provide homes, food, education, clothing and medical care to many orphaned and abandoned children living primarily in Uganda. We also provide opportunities for others who have the same values and desires to express them through both short and long term missions opportunities.
The vision of Wycliffe Bible Translators is God's Word - accessible to all people in the language of their heart. Currently our church supports and prays for the following Wycliffe missionaries:
