Celebration at Lulwanda Today!

Wednesday was our last day at LCH. The time has gone too fast even though the whole team is exhausted--we were running on adrenaline and are crashing tonight! Morris rode along with the van and Leon went back to CBIT with him on the way out to LCH. Edward was going to take us to a village but said that Aidah was on her way so she would lead us on the village tour.

At breakfast at the hotel I consulted with 4 teachers from UT Arlington TX who are here teaching a community health seminar in a nearby town. The leader of the group looked at my photos of Baby John and totally agreed with Julie's assessment. The baby needed to go to a level 3 or 4 clinic and be sedated to have the wound debrided. The mother should be taught how to do range of motion exercises on his hand. She suggested honey as a good healing agent with bandage to cover the area completely. She said that if they couldn't get to a clinic I could bring the materials back from LCH and get Panadol with codeine from a pharmacy in town. We would work together to debride the wound and get it done right. I told Edward what Julie and the four nurses said and how urgent the window of time was for this intervention. He said he would phone Pastor Sunday today and see what has been done since Monday. When Aidah came she told me that the Baby had been in a hospital (not the one she likes) for a week after the accident. They discharged him in that condition--that they don't know how to treat burns here in Uganda. She was also going to call the Pastor's house and tell them to go to see Dr. Patrick as soon as possible. Sunday is 1going to be the pastor of the new church plant in Kenya and they are leaving Uganda on Sunday. I am leaving this in God's hands.

The tour into the village where Pastor Abraham leads the church that Midland Bible planted. Words cannot describe it--I will have to just download my photos to my facebook when I get home. The people live in the small mud huts with thatched roof. They have a small round covered hut for their grains and a latrine of sorts nearby. The radiance on their faces to greet us and praise the Lord is so humbling. There were all sorts of roosters, pigs, cows, goats, dogs with free range. Sort of makes me chuckle to think that they all have range-free organic eggs and food. We saw sweet potato vines, rows of corn stalks, g.nuts, kale, sorghum, etc. They truly live off the land. They may have mud floors but they sweep it and the area outside their huts with a homemade broom every day.

The one hut we went inside had a small table and one small stool. It had a curtained off door inside to the bedroom--one bed with mosquito netting. The family consisted of couple and three children. Need I say more. Be grateful!

The ceremony to open the library was great. Edward had some officials there..the government school inspector, the 'mayor' of the town, and the woman who selects the orphans for LCH. The children sang and danced. Pastor Morris spoke and each of the officials. Mike and Mary cut the ribbon to open the library officially and then were asked to cut the cakes made for the refreshments. They also served goat, irish potatoes, and some empanada like pastry with vegetables inside, and their flat bread.

I was hard to say goodbye. We felt so welcomed and loved by all. Some of the girls asked me to please greet Nana Dyana when I go home. They miss her very much. Tomorrow we leave the team to travel to Kampala to see Mbabazi's family and Foibe. I can hardly wait. Mbabazi is so excited to see us all.