The following is part of an email from Ashley last week. Please pray for her when you think of her. Pray that God would work his will through her. She is doing amazing things. Pray for strength for her.
To all I love and miss,
Where do I start. I am exhausted, amazed, exasperated, frustrated, and grateful. Is that possible to be all of those emotions at once? I have just returned from Kampala. We rushed a young girl of two and a half years named Mirembe to a clinic in Kampala yesterday morning. She is from the village of Kitukiro, where the school is located, and we found her emaciated, unable to walk or talk, with yellow eyes, and large lumps protruding from her arms. When we arrived at the clinic in Kampala the Lord took over. We were seen by an amazing doctor who did surgery right away to remove large abscessed infections in her arms. She has sickle cell anemia, a disease I knew little about before today, and she had never been seen by a doctor. Mirembe means peace. I have never seen Mirembe smile. She only sits under the trees in Kitukiro and her family gives her food when needed. She is an orphan and is taken care of by her grandmother, Ester. Neither the grandmother nor Mirembe had ever been to Kampala. It was heart wrenching watching Mirembe scream as the doctors entered the room. She is scared of Muzungus, white people, but seems to approve of Ashley Werk and I. The doctor informed me that she was in terrible condition and if she did not receive a blood transfusion immediately her life would be at stake. We needed a blood donor and a blood donor that matched her blood type. I volunteered and my blood matched. I was amazed that the Lord gave me the gift of giving her my blood. It was an incredible experience and one I will never forget.
As I walked out to the car in the clinic parking lot to get dinner, I noticed my car light was on and I found that someone had broken into the car and stolen my laptop. I was crushed, angry, devastated and confused. The computer was in the very back seat of the car, in a black case under papers. I questioned the two guards, cried a little, and remembered the thousands of pictures, letters, papers, and other priceless things on the computer. Then I heard what God was trying to tell me. He gave me the opportunity to help one of his children live. Why am I worried about a stupid machine? I still get frustrated when I remember what I have lost but then I remember that this was one experience that clearly shows the Lord is challenging me every day. He gives and takes away and Mirembe is back in Jinja now and is stable. The transfusion went well and finished at 6:00 this morning. I have attached pictures of Mirembe to ask for your prayers. She will need more treatment and the fear and pain she is in is unbearable to watch. The infection was taken out of her arm down to the bone and requires packing to stop the bleeding. I am afraid she will hate me when all of this is over but for now Michael said she calls me momma. How did God allow me to care for this precious girl? The medicine for sickle cell can be expensive and we will have to take her to the clinic in Jinja for the next two weeks to follow up on the large infection that has ravished her arms....
Where do I start. I am exhausted, amazed, exasperated, frustrated, and grateful. Is that possible to be all of those emotions at once? I have just returned from Kampala. We rushed a young girl of two and a half years named Mirembe to a clinic in Kampala yesterday morning. She is from the village of Kitukiro, where the school is located, and we found her emaciated, unable to walk or talk, with yellow eyes, and large lumps protruding from her arms. When we arrived at the clinic in Kampala the Lord took over. We were seen by an amazing doctor who did surgery right away to remove large abscessed infections in her arms. She has sickle cell anemia, a disease I knew little about before today, and she had never been seen by a doctor. Mirembe means peace. I have never seen Mirembe smile. She only sits under the trees in Kitukiro and her family gives her food when needed. She is an orphan and is taken care of by her grandmother, Ester. Neither the grandmother nor Mirembe had ever been to Kampala. It was heart wrenching watching Mirembe scream as the doctors entered the room. She is scared of Muzungus, white people, but seems to approve of Ashley Werk and I. The doctor informed me that she was in terrible condition and if she did not receive a blood transfusion immediately her life would be at stake. We needed a blood donor and a blood donor that matched her blood type. I volunteered and my blood matched. I was amazed that the Lord gave me the gift of giving her my blood. It was an incredible experience and one I will never forget.
As I walked out to the car in the clinic parking lot to get dinner, I noticed my car light was on and I found that someone had broken into the car and stolen my laptop. I was crushed, angry, devastated and confused. The computer was in the very back seat of the car, in a black case under papers. I questioned the two guards, cried a little, and remembered the thousands of pictures, letters, papers, and other priceless things on the computer. Then I heard what God was trying to tell me. He gave me the opportunity to help one of his children live. Why am I worried about a stupid machine? I still get frustrated when I remember what I have lost but then I remember that this was one experience that clearly shows the Lord is challenging me every day. He gives and takes away and Mirembe is back in Jinja now and is stable. The transfusion went well and finished at 6:00 this morning. I have attached pictures of Mirembe to ask for your prayers. She will need more treatment and the fear and pain she is in is unbearable to watch. The infection was taken out of her arm down to the bone and requires packing to stop the bleeding. I am afraid she will hate me when all of this is over but for now Michael said she calls me momma. How did God allow me to care for this precious girl? The medicine for sickle cell can be expensive and we will have to take her to the clinic in Jinja for the next two weeks to follow up on the large infection that has ravished her arms....
....For the past month I have continued to put pressure on myself. I realized the weight of my presence in Uganda and what this promised the villagers. White people mean hope to villages like Kitukiro because of the resources we are able to bring. I originally believed I was here to assist villages that are in need of access to resources. I believed I was working in Kitukiro to initiate a school. I believed that I would be held responsible by my father in heaven for this work that he has called me to. My actions and interactions with the villagers are watched by a God who created each and every child in Kitukiro. A God that understands the sickness of every child and a God that brought me to them. Part of me believed I was responsible to save these villages and part of me still believes it is my responsibility to save the life of a young girl struggling for her life. ...
...Jesus was alien to Nazareth. He probably questioned every day why he was there and others noticed how different he was. Did he work to build structures to care for the sick, widowed, and unfortunate? Did he heal people to take their sickness away? No, he loved. He simply loved and through this love changed the lives of thousands. He emanated love and healing came to others through belief in this love. I have learned that if nothing else I am responsible to love and this is no different that at home. The barrier of language and culture may make this a harder task in Uganda, but I am called to love my God and love others wherever my feet may travel. On the one hand I am delighted to realize that the pressure I placed on myself was from me, on the other hand I understand that the call to love others is taken so seriously by God that I must be committed in heart. If the school is built in love than it will be pleasing to the Lord. I must not offer the best of fruits out of vain conceit but offer that which is born of love. I am learning this is no easy task.
Pray...pray...pray
1 comment:
Patti! OMG!! That just breaks my heart, brought tears to my eyes! I will keep that precious little girl in my prayers!
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