Here is a look at some of the ministry we’ve done in Uganda:
Baby Ben is lying on the bed, squirming and fussing. I would too, if I had malaria. Cassie scoops him up in her arms and he calms down. We’re visiting health centers today. They’re dotted around the area we’re living in and are basically small clinics with a few rooms and a few wooden beds. Jess sits on the bed next to Ben’s mother. I’m not sure what she says to her, but all of a sudden our translator announces that she wants to accept Christ. So Cassie leads her in a prayer as heaven rejoices.
We walk along the bumpy dirt roads to the next clinic. I rarely watch what is going on around me. I am so preoccupied with staring at my feet, determined to not be the first one to fall in a rut, or step on something I’d rather avoid. At the second clinic there’s only one outpatient, an elderly woman who is recovering from a stroke. I introduce myself and then step back, hoping someone else in the group will take over. But then Andrew looks at me and says, “It’s all you, Jen. Old people ministry, this is your thing.” And he’s right, I love ministering to the elderly, and to the sick. His encouragement gives me the push I need to talk with the woman some more and pray with her. I’m able to share with her about the period of my life when I was sick, and talk with her about my God who heals and comforts. We pray, and I’m reminded of how much I love praying these kinds of prayers. I’m reminded of some sweet prayer times with a precious friend last year, and what a blessing she was to me. I’m thankful that God is allowing me to minister to the sick again this month.
Next we sit down to talk with a couple of the nurses. One of them is just about to have a baby. Her round tummy is testing the buttons on her white nurse’s dress, threatening to poke through the gap. She tells us she was once a “born again” (the term used to describe Christians here), but she says she’s fallen away. Our translator decides that it’s Jess’s turn to speak. Although she is hesitant at first, she is able to share a piece of her heart that is extremely applicable to this woman’s life. I’m always amazed how God is able to use our stories in ways we never expect.
It’s lunchtime, which means it’s time to go home and get some rest before the evening church service. When we bless our meal while sitting around our dining room table, I will have a lot more than food to be thankful for.
