Dear Friends & Family:

Thank you for praying for our Uganda Medical Missions Trip. We arrived home a little over a week ago and we are sorting through our pictures and our reflections of this trip and want to give you an update.

What an adventure! Our best estimate is that the team ministered to  600+ with medical needs.  A good many of them were given medications that will bring some relief to their ailments.  There was one baby that was so sick that we rushed her and the mother off to the hospital.  To God’s glory we witnessed to most of the 600 with a clear message of salvation shared in a one-on-one setting. Because of the medical camp and pointing them to Jesus, many prayed to receive Him as Savior. Some of those were Muslims.

PICTURES

Please take a few seconds and view some of the pictures by clicking this link. PICTURES OF UGANDA MEDICAL MISSIONS TRIP. It is true that a few pictures can tell a story many times easier than words!

EACH DAY

The first day we held a half day medical clinic in Kampala in a small church. This gave us a chance become familiar with the ministry we would have the rest of our time in Uganda. We then drove to Kayunga that served as a base for sleeping. Each of the men in the team had the chance to preach in a village church on that first Sunday and we saw about 30 people baptized in the Nile River that afternoon. The rest of the time, we held full day mobile medical clinics in various villages. One evening we held a fun game evening for High School kids using different stations of outdoor games in a large open area. Another evening we held a crusade in a small village center.

We came to promote healthy bodies & healthy souls and that was very evident in all that we did. As each person came to be seen by the doctor, there was an Initial health evaluation form filled out:  blood pressure,weight, asking for their primary reason for visiting doctor  (most had never seen a doctor before), and eye exam for cheater glasses.

We then asked if we could ask them some spiritual questions. Did they practice any religion? Did they attend any church or mosque? When you die, where do people go? Where do you think you will go? How does a person get to heaven?  Is it earned by good works? We each had a translator that helped us.

Many said that it was by being good that a person gets to heaven. We shared that there is some bad news & some good news from the Bible. First the bad news, you will never be good enough to get to heaven on your own, no matter how hard you try. But the good news is that God so loved you that He sent His only Son to come, die, and pay the penalty for our sins and that Jesus is the ONLY way to get to heaven. It is good to do good things, but the motive changes from trying to gain access to heaven to doing good things because you love Jesus and what He did for you. Many said they had never heard that.

We told them right away that they would see the doctor whether or not we had a spiritual conversation because we were afraid that they would just agree with us in order to see the doctor. The doctors saw patients from 6 days old to 106 years old. David did several small surgeries and removed a large mass from one person's arm. A lot a medicine was given for worms, malaria, and skin syphilis.

We had a mobile wound center for shots, fungal ointment application, and skin syphilis testing and a mobile pharmacy where we carried all the medicines in a suitcase to each location. The doctors had translators to help in communicating with the patients. One team member built a pulpit while a crowd of men & children gathered around. This pulpit was given to one of the larger village churches. Can you imagine the teaching that will come from behind that pulpit? Very exciting!

OUR MINISTRY

So each person INDIVIDUALLY had an opportunity to hear the truth about salvation in Jesus. Through this trip we saw God working in this far away land.  A people who have nothing, still hunger for that peace and knowledge of where they will go after they die.  God went before us, around us, & behind us all the time.  No matter the color of your skin, no matter where you live, no matter what your economic status, no matter your language, no matter your country, no matter your education level, whether you have toilets, running water, electricity…..GOD LOVES YOU – He sent His Son for you – He has a plan for you.  Yes a plan for each of those people. He is trustworthy.  He is Sovereign over all, He sees all, knows all. We saw many who wanted that confidence and asked Jesus to be their Savior and Lord.

We grew to love these dear people, who were so gracious and appreciative. Life is very hard there, especially for the women. Two of our team held all day seminars called "Breaking the Cycle of Violence Through Peace". At the end of one seminar, a local council woman stood up and said she had just come to check this out and now wants to learn more about Jesus.

There are so many stories to tell. We grieved to turn away people at night because there was no light in the evening to see and we had to shut down the clinic. We came to also encourage the small village churches and we are anxious to hear how they are impacted after we left.

SUMMARY

Here is a quick summary of this missions trip:

Overview of the Medical Outreach Ministry:

1. 465 Medical Interview Forms were Given Out
2. Including Children (140) Over 600+ were seen by Medical Outreach Team
3. Most had the Gospel presented to them One-on-One personally
4. 120+ Attended “Breaking the Cycle of Violence Through Peace”
5. 200 High School Students Heard The Way to Salvation
6. Hundreds Came to the “Fun Olympics “
7. 100 + heard testimonies and the Gospel at Kasana Crusade Night
8. Ages spanned from 6 days to the oldest who was 106
9. More than 75 prayed to receive Christ or Assurance of Salvation.
10. About 30 people were baptized.
    

 Here are the answers to prayer that we asked you to pray for:

1. Arrival of all Luggage (Over 39 pieces)
2. Health of Team
3. Unity of Team
4. Unity of Purpose Between Team and National Staff
5. Sharing the Gospel with Power and Clarity
6. Stamina of Team
7. Medical Treatment/Medications
8. No Problems at Customs
   

Please continue to pray for:

1. Health of those we ministered to
2. Rain for the growing season for rural Uganda
3. Protection and growth for those who made decisions for Christ
4. For the churches to grow in grace and Knowledge of Jesus Christ
5. Leadership development for the Busanna area churches.
   

Thank you so much for your prayer support. We experienced the difference it makes to have such a team praying for us. We hope that you felt a part of this trip yourselves as you read these updates and as you prayed for the team and us.

For His Glory-

David & Janet Carlson