MOYO, Uganda —The Amy For Africa mission team has been waiting to get started with the real heavy lifting since arriving in Uganda.
We went into the day expecting great things from the team that had been assembled. Because Great Expectations should be about any mission trip.
AFA’s team is a mixture of young and old and a group that isn’t afraid of hard work. Amy realized that at one of our two organizational meetings when everybody pitched in to pack the nearly five dozen bags of luggage.
That work ethic came shining through again on Friday in Leropi, an area where the sixth Penne Paris School is currently being built. It’s also an area that was largely forgotten until United Christian Expedition got involved in September 2015.
This year’s mission trip involves medicine but it’s a lot more than that.
All of us aren’t medical personnel but everybody is willing. Case in point is Steff Bowling, who rolled up her sleeves and drew blood from the Ugandans despite never having done it before in her life. I’m not talking about a few samples either. She and Brent McKee drew blood from 300 in about a six-hour span.
For that, it’s hard not to make them the co-MVPs from the day although everybody had a hand in what was truly a successful day where thousands were served with a free medical clinic.
Steff admitted to being a little nervous and she got some excellent on-the-field training from Brent, who had some experience in the area. But she did the job like a trained professional. She maybe did more than most trained professionals would do in a week.
Brent is another of our hardest workers and that tag could apply to anyone on this team. Tony Blankenbeckley is another one who will do anything. He held up a leg of our make-to tent for hours. Really. That’s the kind of people who make going on mission trips successful.
I’m not going to call the roll and name everybody although they do deserve it.
However our doctors, Maggie Lawentmann and William Stephenson, saw hundreds each as well. The lines were long and the day was hot but it remained a day of hope for the Ma’di people who came for treatment.
We worked with some medical professionals from Uganda, including a doctor and some nurses. Much of the time though the AFA team took the lead with Amy doing much of the organizing. We handed out worm medicines, vitamins and hugged on hundreds of children. Among the top huggers was Kylie Rice and Skylar Compston who wanted to take some babies home with them (I’m surprised they didn’t sneak a few on the bus).
Katie Miller jumped in and did physical therapy treatment to some of the patients who came to the free clinic.
Bobby Bowen and Steve Wesolowski greeted everybody in the place at least once it seemed. They are such encouragers. Bobby was taking photos, holding babies, talking, holding more babies and holding babies. Steve passed out gospel tracts and offered that big paw of friendship to the Ma’di people.
We gave sweet little dresses to the Ma’di girls that were given to us by a woman from Coal Grove Nazarene. Andi gave us nearly 200 of the most beautiful dresses a little girl could ever want and they looked spectacular on them.
Rob Barber had them all excited with his drone and handing out of four soccer balls. Rob knows how to draw a crowd in a good way. These kids simply love him. He is magnetic.
People have invested in Amy For Africa and we so appreciate the friendships that have developed.
I could go on and on with how much respect I have for these people that I’m spending time with in Uganda.
I can’t wait to see what will happen in the coming days. Aliba is our next destination on Saturday.