LAROPI, Uganda – Every day that the Amy For Africa team goes to work they do it with prayer, praise and promise.
Oh and did I mention gusto?
Our “stick team” of Brent McKee, Steff Bowling and newly added Kylie Rice set a record with 568 samples of blood drawn for Hep B tests. They even stayed extra time because the line was so long. People were even fighting in line because they wanted the test done.
The vast majority of tests have come back negative. The dedication of the “stickers” may well qualify them for the Vampire Club. Count Dracula himself couldn’t have drawn that much blood.
Kylie received a quick tutorial from “Professor” Brent and this baby-hugger became a blood-drawing machine. It was her first time drawing blood. Steff has already proved her worth in the sticking department with performances of absolute precision. Amy Compston got in a few sticks today too.
Brent could make a case for being a professor after “training” Steff and Kylie in the art of drawing blood.
They weren’t alone in the gusto department. What this team will be known for is a relentless work ethic.
Case in point: Katie Miller. She probably doesn’t weigh 100 pounds but she packs a punch as a physical therapist. She pulls, prods, pushes and pounds on patients (in the right way, of course). Not only that but she ends her visit with patients with the sweetest smile around. An incredible worker, she does everything possible to help her patients feel better.
Katie is only 22 years old but she has impressed every one of us with her maturity, knowledge and desire for these people in the Moyo region. You’d go into battle with her, I guarantee it.
Our doctors, Maggie Lawentmann and Bill Stephenson, are workhorses too. They both work so hard for hours on end at these clinics trying to diagnosis the ailment. Bill saw leprosy on Monday and TB on Tuesday, both passed on to him by Katie. “Thanks Katie,” he said. “What’s next, the plague?”
I’ve watched these doctors work with patients from this Third World country and they couldn’t be better with them. We are so fortunate that two doctors have joined our team.
Some other highlights included handing out 3,000 de-worming pills and probably 5,000 vitamins. Steve Wesolowski also handed out all the Bibles and tracts he could find. It only took him about 15 minutes. But he found a lot for his hands and feet to do, including making lunch and filling in wherever he was needed.
Every part of every part of the team works so well and is so adaptable.
Case in point: Diane Anderson. They took her off vitamin-worm pill duty and had her with Dr. Maggie’s group. She gave shots to the rump of Ugandan women who needed it. Yes, that’s right, Diane was a pain in the butt – just not to her AFA teammates. Diane is so sweet she could never be a real pain in the behind. We are all praying for her little granddaughter who was born at 24 weeks.
Amy Compston bounced back strong from a day of being sick and did her normal non-stop duty. She may not have been 100 percent but her 80 percent is better than most people’s best. I’d take that any day.
At the end of the day, AFA was presented with a goat by the Laropi people. It’s quite a gesture. He was named Big Ben and given in honor of Skylar Compston, Chris and Amy’s daughter.
Two more of our team members were a little sick today – Skylar and Randi Bowling – but others stepped up like they always do.
This AFA team is unstoppable it would seem. It’s a joy to be a part of it