World Malaria Day

April 25^th is World Malaria Day. "The World Malaria Day was instituted by the World Health Organization (WHO) member statin in 2007. It is an occasion to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control."  

Since Healing Faith has been working in the remote villages surrounding Jinja, Uganda for almost a year now, one of the biggest problems we have identified is malaria.  Each time we go to the village, I see at least 2-3 new cases of malaria each visit.  This comes as no surprise though; according to the World Health Organization (WHO) a child dies from malaria every 60 seconds in Africa. By the time you have read up to this point… a child has died due to malaria.   That is a very sobering thought.  The good news is malaria is a preventable and treatable disease.

Malaria is a mosquito borne illness, a life threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through bites of infected mosquitoes.   Its main victims are children under the age of 5 years in Africa.  Malaria remains linked to poverty, the highest death rates from malaria are seen in countries with extreme poverty, people living on less than $1.25 a day. Living in Uganda, we are right in the middle of problem, 90% of all malaria deaths occur in Africa. Uganda is one of the six highest malaria burdened countries in Africa.  Over 47% of all cases of malaria in Africa occur in these six countries (Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique and Cote d’Ivoire).  These six countries account for 103 million cases of malaria.

Healing Faith has zeroed in on malaria in the villages.  Our plan is to not only identify, test and treat cases of malaria, but to educate the villagers about malaria.  We are working on a curriculum to teach the villagers the signs & symptoms of malaria, treatment and most importantly prevention.   The goal is to equip village leaders with the knowledge and skills to continue the education process and become self-sustaining in their battle against malaria.

How can you help?

The testing and treatment supplies for a single person infected with malaria cost less than $3, if identified early.  The most important tool in the prevention of malaria is an insecticide treated mosquito net. After the education process is complete Healing Faith hopes to supply the village with enough mosquito nets to properly equip every household  in the village. A durable insecticide treated net can be purchased for around 13,000 Ugandan Shillings, which equates to around $5.20. This is far out of the financial reach of most villagers that we work with; remember most are living on less than $1.25 a day.

The clock is ticking for these children, by this time another child has succumbed to malaria. Together we can make a difference. Your donations to Healing Faith have a direct impact on those in desperate need. By your efforts with Healing Faith we can “give the kids in the village a biting chance against malaria.”

To help donate to the fight against malaria you can visit.

https://www.egsnetwork.com/gift/gift.php

Pray for Kirere Joseph he tested positive for  Malaria today in the village. 

The Truly Simple Things

Awhile back I wrote a blog about how I missed the “simple” things from back home. The Simple Things 

The simple  things like autodraft to pay your bills and the simplicity of swiping your debit card at the grocery store were on my mind.  I have a new perspective on the simple  things. This perspective came from an unlikely source.  The children of Kagoma Gate Village taught me a lesson about the  ”simple things.” Last week we visited the village and one of our kids brought a balloon with them in the car. When we got to  the village we tossed it out the door as we were greeting the children.  You would have thought we had unleashed the  greatest thing ever.  The children all ran and chased the balloon trying to keep it from touching the ground. The older kids  and younger kids alike ran, jumped and screamed trying to keep the balloon in the air.  It brought so much joy to them to  chase and play with something  as simple as a balloon.

While visiting the village with friends from back home, it started to rain.  When rain comes it usually is a signal for us to  jump in the van and head out.  The red dirt roads can very quickly turn into red mud and rivers of muddy water.   My kids  described the rivers of mud one time as the chocolate river in Willie Wonka. They thought it was awesome seeing the water  run in literal streams down the road as we were trying to get home.  I was praying we would make it out.  This time the rain seemed a little different, so we stuck it out.  I huddled in the van keeping a watchful eye on the roads, meanwhile the kids of the village huddled under the edges of the grass thatch roofs of the hut and sang songs.  Nobody wanted to leave while we were still there.  They sang and danced in the rain.  The kids sang songs praising Jesus in both English and Luganda with huge smiles on their face.  They were happy to sing and dance and just to hold our hands. As I sat in the van watching the scene in front of me unfold, I thought what greater fun and joy is there as a kid than to sing and dance in the rain?

The children always get really excited when it is time to get out the soccer ball.  They all know that when we are there for a fun day and a social visit that when I go to the back of the van, it is time for the soccer ball!  We have a couple soccer balls that we take with us each time we go to the village.  Today was no exception.  There was so much joy and excitement when the soccer balls came out.  A group of boys immediately organized a game on the small field they have there.  While a group of girls played catch and keep away with another ball.  A ball, a simple soccer ball.  It didn’t make any sounds, it didn’t have any buttons to push, it was just in its simple form as a ball.  A ball brought so much fun and excitement for the afternoon.

I learned a lesson from the children of Kagoma Gate that day, the simple things in life are not the conveniences I miss from back home. The “simple” things in life  are sharing a smile with someone and holding their hand, playing with a balloon,  soccer for hours and singing songs in the rain. There are many days that I get busy with my to do list, job duties and the struggles of everyday life and I miss out on the truly “simple” things of life.

I have included a video of the joys and smiles of a soccer ball .  If this doesn’t make you smile, especially the little girl at the end, then just go back to bed and start your day over with this video. Soccer Ball Smiles

This is my Son with whom I am well pleased...

This is my Son with whom I am well pleased…

Kari and I had one of the greatest joys of being parents happen a few weeks ago.  Karson came to us and wanted to accept Jesus into his heart.  Everett was with him and they both wanted to accept Jesus together. It was an amazing evening for us!  We had been discussing with the boys about what it means to truly be a Christian and about accepting Jesus as their Savior.  However, we did not want to push them, we wanted it to be totally their decision and on their own time.  We had just started thinking about settling down for the evening when the boys came to us.  Right there in the middle of our bed the boys prayed together to accept Jesus as their Savior.

Kari and I had discussed how nothing as parents scared us more than having children that did no have a relationship with Christ.  We were not scared moving them across the world, we were not scared having them grow up in Africa, but we were scared that somehow they would not accept salvation. All of our fears for the boys were taken away that night.  We have the joy of knowing that not only do we get this brief  time with them here on Earth as their parents, but we get to spend eternity with them in the Kingdom of Heaven.  They are our sons and now our Brothers in Christ. There truly is no better feeling as a parent!

We also had the joy of getting to baptize them in the Nile River or “babatize” as Everett would say.  We loaded up and went to our favorite place on the Nile River to baptize them.  I talked with the boys and made sure they were ready and understood everything that was going to happen.  As it got closer to evening we loaded up on a boat and went out into the Nile, we found a great spot to pull over and the boys were baptized right there on the banks of the Nile River.  It was such a joy to be able to share this moment with Meme and our good friends from the US, Michelle Skow and Holly Downs.  What a joyous day, I have never been prouder and more excited for my boys.  Hadlee asked when it was her turn, so the seeds have been planted with her as well.

God is so good to us and the boys have quit a testimony to share about accepting salvation together and then being “babatized” in the waters of the Nile River.  I am so thankful for the gift of Salvation and even more excited that the boys received this gift!

“And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like and dove and coming to rest on him; and hehold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16-17

Check out more images from the day at: https://www.facebook.com/healingfaithuganda

Village Victories

Today during out visit to the Kagoma Gage Village we had the opportunity to see one of God’s victories.  Several months ago we had a prayer request for a young boy named Vincent.  Vincent was in bad shape when the villagers brought him to us.  He could not walk or stand on his own, he could barely hold his own head up.  His eyes would not focus and they continued to roll back in his head and his breathing was shallow and labored.  He had visited the clinic and had been discharged with the only findings that he was anemic.  We did everything we knew to do for him.  He was negative for malaria, a test for meningitis is very dangerous and almost non-existent here, and the test for Polio (which was my big concern) was negative.  The only thing we were able to do for him was to raise his iron levels and to fight an infection he had going on.  For several weeks it was the same thing every time.  Vincent was carried  up to see us with no improvement. Today God showed us His Glory in a big way.  As we were wrapping up and packing things up to leave, a little boy walked up to see us.  At first, I did not recognize  the boy,  but it was Vincent!  He was walking on his own and seemed recovered from his mystery illness.  God reminded us that He is the Great Healer.  For all the reference books, testing materials and medications we have available He reminded us that He is ultimately in control.  It is hard for me, especially as a man (must be a guy thing) to not be able to “fix” something.  I want to see a problem and fix it.  This time I could not find the problem and it frustrated me.  I saw this child in need, but could do nothing about it but cover him in prayer. And pray we did.   Sometimes I forget the power of prayer, I get so caught up in what “I” can do and what “I” can fix.  Humble was the word of the day today.  God humbled me and reminded me He is the one in control of circumstances, not medicine, not medical testing and surely not me. Prayer was the best medicine we could provide Vincent and prayer healed him!

“O Lord my God, I cried out to you for help, and you have healed me.” Psalm 30:2

Not only did we get to see God at work, we got to have fun as well.  There is a small team visiting from South Carolina, with a ministry called Voices for the Voiceless, that had the opportunity to visit the village with us.  They had the chance to see the excitement of the kids when we brought out the soccer ball.  The big hit of the day was nail polish.  Some of the girls sat down to paint nails and to say they were mobbed was an understatement. The kids were all so excited to get their nails painted and even more excited to show us once they were done.  One of the team members even had the chance to check on a pregnant woman with Kari.  The report came that a young woman was 7 months pregnant, having stomach pains and that her water had broken.  My first thought….we are going to deliver a baby on a dirt floor in a hut in the middle of the village.  Kari went and checked on her, they determined she was starting to dilate, having some contraction (Braxton Hicks) and her water had not broken. No baby today. Never a dull moment.

It was another amazing day in the village filled with blessing and another day for God to reveal His Glory.

Pierce and his buddies

Vincent!

Visitors

Today we had some unannounced visitors at our house.  Morris and his family came to visit us today, his mother is visiting from the village and he wanted us to meet her.  She traveled from the village of Apac, which is in Northern Uganda. The trip by bus takes roughly 9 hours. It is considered an honor when you have guest stop by unannounced.  Culture is funny that way, in Uganda it is considered an honor, while in America we usually think of it as a nuisance, “Can you believe they just came by unannounced?” I can hear myself saying that back in the States, but here it was an honor.  We stopped school with the kids and enjoyed the time to visit.

It was also an opportunity for us to see baby Jason again!  We all got a chance to hold him, but only after Hadlee allowed us to after she was done. He is doing very well, he seems strong and alert.  Zippy and Morris have been welcomed into parenthood, when I asked if they were getting much sleep they laughed wearily and said no.  They seem like they are all adjusting very well and Morris is a very attentive father, which unfortunately seems very uncommon here in Uganda (or is it everywhere these day?). You can tell he loves Zippy very much and that he is a very proud father!  Zippy and her mother-in-law were traveling back to the village in the morning to visit Morris’ family.  She is a strong woman going on a bus ride for 9 hours with a newborn. They will be away 6 weeks while Morris stays behind to work.  It is hard for me as a father and a husband to imagine being away from Kari and the kids for 6 weeks.

Culture has taught me many things here.  For instance I just sat on the porch holding Jason and “visiting” with Morris’ mother.  Mostly we just sat quietly as she did not know much English and I did not know any Acholi. So we sat, while Morris and Zippy prepared some of her things for the journey. No cell phones, no internet, just sitting and holding a precious baby boy and enjoying just sitting. It was refreshing and enjoyable to  just sit for 20-30 minutes doing nothing.   That is one thing we have come to learn here in Uganda, is that the speed of life is much different than the States.  It is ok to just sit and visit for a while, in fact it is considered rude not to. 

Things here are always busy, but it seems as though life moves at a slower pace, which I have come to appreciate.

Prayers for baby Jason

Morris, one of our night guards, and his wife Zippy were blessed with a baby boy on the 13th of January.  Kari was present at his birth to assist and to be there for support for Zippy and Morris as this was their first child.  After leaving the clinic where he was born baby Jason and his family came to our house so we could help care for them and Kari could provide assistance with the baby and the first time parents.  The first evening they were with us Kari witnessed Jason having some small seizures.  This continued through the night and the next morning we took him to Jinja Children’s Hospital for testing.

Seizures can be a very scary thing, especially in a 1 day old child, and considering the fact we were not going to a hospital with state of the art technology like we are blessed with in the states.  We were headed to an over-crowded, understaffed government hospital.  Immediately I knew God was with us.  As we began walking up to the triage area, which was covered in a mass of maybe 60-70 people, I saw Elizabeth a western nurse who I met through a chance meeting in the past.  She immediately whisked us through triage and in line to see the doctor.  Once we made it through triage there was another sea of people in the waiting area who were in line to see one of the two doctors. Again we were blessed and were rushed to the front of the line due to the nature of his illness. After a short wait we were sent into see the first doctor.  She began asking questions and gathering information, she then said the phrase I am becoming frustratingly familiar with here in Uganda “It must be malaria.”  Here in Uganda everyone tells you they have malaria. It could be a cough, a runny nose, a fever, a rash or in this case seizures.  Never mind the fact that Jason was only 2 days old at this point and that malaria would not have had time to manifest in his little body.  Never mind the fact that only in very rare cases can a mom transfer malaria to her unborn child, and never mind the fact that Zippy was showing no signs or symptoms herself of malaria. The doctor then asked is this a boy or a girl?  Morris replied a boy, the doctor then said something that shocked me.  ”That is why he is shaking like that, it is a boy, he will be fine.”

So with this sound medical advice in mind we headed off to the lab for testing.  As expected, no malaria.  This is where God showed himself again in two ways.  There was a very long line for the lab, however when Zippy was telling everyone in line what was wrong with baby Jason, they all told her to go ahead of all of them so that Jason could be tested.  Amazing. Second, as we were waiting to see the second more highly recommended doctor, he came out and kicked us all out of the hallway in which we were waiting, back into the sea of people in the waiting room.  This particular doctor was known for not “liking” white people, so immediately I became the focus of his attention. As we were all walking out of the hallway he started in on me saying “You too, this means you, out out out.”  He was so focused on me, he did not see Morris go back to the line of chairs and sit down.  This made Morris first in line.  After his tirade the doctor saw Zippy and Morris first!  He was very knowledgable and admitted Jason for observation and wanted to start him on medication and an IV.

How to you distract a worried, concerned Ugandan father? Introduce him to Angry Birds. Morris=mind blown

The doctor was concerned about two things; infection and low blood sugar.  I asked if we could check his blood sugar, but something as simple as a glucometer was not available in the hospital. When I mentioned I had one at home they all got very excited and asked me to go get it.  However, the doctor had already ordered dextrose which would have affected the reading. In order for treatment to start the nurse had to establish an IV in his little 2 day old body.  Before any of this could occur, we had to go buy an IV catheter. Once we returned with the IV catheter in hand, the nurse began the process.  It took her 5 attempts to start the IV in his tiny veins, but by the Grace of God she was able to get it started on the 5th attempt.  She broke just about every rule of establishing an IV that I have learned and taught for 10 years, but nonetheless she had the skill to get it successfully.  After each attempt she would pull the needle out (this is where all the healthcare providers will cringe) and rethread it through the catheter.  When I asked if I could give her a new one, she scolded me and asked why I thought she needed a new one.

After his treatment of IV antibiotics and dextrose started he only experienced one seizure.  The report today was that no seizures have occurred and that his energy level and activity have increased.  Many prayers have been said for baby Jason and many more will be needed to strenghten him through this process. I have been amazed at the faith Zippy has displayed through all of this.  She has never once waivered or faultered in her faith.  She has been a rock and an amazing woman of God.  Through it all she has been encouraging Morris to remain strong in his faith. At one point it all became too much for Morris and he began to cry.  It is very rare for Ugandan men to show emotion and to cry.  She told Morris to be strong and to put his faith in the Lord.  At one point Morris, under the advice from people in his village, wanted to change the name of the baby.  The thought was the name was cursed or it was the name causing problems, and that changing it would make the baby better.  Again, Zippy encouraged him to be strong in his faith.  Kari was able to speak truth to him in that putting your faith in other things, such as a name, turns away from the one true God.

As each day goes by baby Jason seems to be improving and gaining strength. Zippy remains strong in her faith and Morris seems to be growing in his faith.

This is Jason's room.  A tiny room with a row of cribs on each wall.

This is a room for the older babies/children.  There are about 25-30 rooms in this room. 

What a year it has been!

It is hard to believe that the Segner Family has been in Uganda for over a year.  January 4th, 2012 we touched down in Uganda and there has not been a dull moment along the way.

Our journey started with an amazing training program in Luwero at New Hope Uganda.  We were surrounded by an amazing group of teachers and fellow students.  We spent time learning about the culture, how to survive in the ministry field, how to draw closer to God and how to live in Uganda. It was an amazing time for our family to  come together and learn what our "new" life was going to be like.  We spent five months in God's word learning how to be better people, better spouses, better parents and better followers of God's word.  We made some amazing friendships and relationships that will last a lifetime.  We also took away valuable life lessons that have better equipped us to serve in the mission field.  I have said it often and I will continue to say it; If we had not gone to training at New Hope our hearts would have been in the right place but our minds would have been lost.  I know without a doubt we would not be in the place we are now if it were not for our time spent in training.

After our time in Luwero we moved the whole crew to Jinja, Uganda where God has revealed His plan for Healing Faith.  God has placed the right people in our lives and we have been able for form some great partnerships and relationships in Jinja. We have been blessed by two amazing teams coming over from the States to visit us and to see what God is doing in Uganda.  The teams were able to bring over much needed supplies, but most of all they were able to recharge our family and provide us with love and support.  We had two amazing women who came to help with the ministry, one while we were in training at New Hope who helped watch the kids while we were in training.   Auntie Rachael did an amazing  job with our children, taught the older boys school and made a huge impact on our lives. Auntie Megan helped to get the ministry going once we reached Jinja.  She was able to travel to the villages, assist  with work in the field and established some amazing relationships with the people of Uganda. We have been blessed by a 4 month visit from Kari's mom (Meme) and a visit from Aunt Hehe, Uncle Buck and Isaac.

We have had our share of bumps,  bruises and defeats along the way. However, instead of letting those things keep us down we have used them as life lessons and moved forward.  Some of the lessons have been harder than others.  We have been lied to, deceived, stolen from, persecuted and told that we "should go back where we belong." We had a fiasco at the border, dealt with corruption & dishonesty,  and had to overcome some majors adversities. Through it all God still had a plan and stood by our side.

Kobasnja after recovering from her burns

We have been witness to some true miracles that can only come from God Himself.  We witnessed a little girl literally raised up out of the ashes and restored to complete health.  Kobasinja was one of the first healing miracles we witnessed.  From a tiny, cramped clinic in Mafubari I witnessed a little girl who was burned over 80% of her body with severe second and third degree burns restored to complete health.  All of my medical training and knowledge said this little girl would succumb to her injuries. Infection and  hypothermia should have taken her body. However, God had a different plan. I have seen a little boy whose foot was injured so badly he was only able to crawl.  I witnessed God provide healing for his foot and watched him go from crawling in the dirt, to walking and finally running to greet us when we arrived. Through it all, Ishmael had a smile on his face and was always excited to see us.  I witnessed the Holy Spirit telling us to stop one day along a dirt road because a child needed our help.  We happened upon a young boy named Muwazi who had a horrific burn to his hand. We were able to get him treated and to the hospital for care.  He eventually lost the hand to amputation, but was in good spirits, learning to be independent even with the loss of his hand, and most importantly he was alive!  His family is Muslim, but Kari was able to share a children's bible with him.  I have learned to recognize, diagnose and treat malaria and have been able to treat countless numbers of malaria cases.

Muwazi on the day we found him in the village

Ishmael smiled through all of his treatment for his horrific injury

We have had some amazing triumphs and victories and we have also suffered some defeats.  Through it all God has been faithful.  He didn't promise us it would be easy, He did however promise to stand by us. "For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does." Psalm 33:4  Has is been easy? No.  I have a supportive family back in the States that I have not seen in over a year, and that I miss terribly. However, I know that we are in God's will for our lives and that is the best place to be. I am thankful for the year God has provided in Uganda.  I am thankful for a supportive family, an amazing team working back home that makes Healing Faith possible, the prayers that lift us up and the donors that make our work here a reality. Thank you for allowing us to share the love of Christ with the people of Uganda. 

So it is with the reassurance the we continue forward in doing the work He has called our family to do in this amazing country. I look forward to what God has in store for our family and the amazing place we now call home.  "Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." Psalm 115:1