Word in Deed Ministries

March 28th, 2014

Kenya Communications – Support that changes lives!

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November 29th, 2013

Ministry in Missions – Why We Do What We Do!

“Mzungu, Mzungu!” you hear them cry.  They are excited because you, the Americans, have arrived.  Children surround you, drums start playing, shouts of joy and exhilaration exude from their mouths as you walk towards a gathering of people.  The men and women come and greet you with songs, hugs, and best of all smiles.  You are welcomed!

You look at the people there and quickly see that many of them have worn their ‘Sunday best’, just to greet you, but you still see bare feet, tattered dresses, half-clothed children, pants a few sizes too small.  You see dirty feet.  You see bellies, which have not been filled and are distended with hunger.  They see a pot of watered-down porridge, which will be that day’s meal, no taste and lacking nutritional value, but it will fill the stomach, only to remind them a few hours later that it’s all they’re going to eat today.充气城堡

As you arrive though, they see hope; they see a chance; they see love.  They see your smile.  All things bad go away.  When you spend time with them, they cherish it.  When you sing for them, they clap and cheer, no matter how badly you keep a tune.  When you pull out a soccer ball to play, they quickly throw aside the plastic bottle they had been kicking and patiently and joyfully wait their turn to show their skills with a round ball.  When you pull out a new t-shirt, or outfit, they dress quickly, anxiously waiting to view their new look. If you take a picture of them in their fashioned attire and show them, this is a sweet blessing of modern technology in a place where it is seldom seen.

When you paint their school classroom, they watch in amazement as the plain walls change into a new world, where brightness and vibrancy exists.  Their faces change, like the color of a chameleon, reflecting the new environment they now are in; they smile, and smile, and smile, quickly matching the effervescent color of the walls with their exuberant faces, filled with the joie de vivre (joy of life).

This is the difference that can be made.  Even if for only a short while, the joy of their hearts is lifted, their fears relieved, their problems gone and they have hope and peace.  The children cling to you and soak up all the love you can give them.  They want you to know they exist.  They live each day as you do, with the same sun rising over their heads and the same moon keeping watch over them at night.

Thank you for being a part of the adventure that the Lytle family and a great team from Word in Deed Ministries took, working in Uganda during the month of September 2013.

The delight that you could see on the children’s faces as they received soccer uniforms for the first time ever.  Shoes, socks, clothes, school supplies, balls, and most of all the love that came with each of these material gifts that was given was felt and received.  Know that you have changed the perspective of a child’s life, as they saw love in action.  They felt cared for because of your gifts.  They felt important.  They felt noticed.

To recap our stay, our first day was spent revitalizing the church and clinic grounds at Ntenjeru Presbyterian Church.  We painted the lower half of the 30-foot walls of the church with a beautiful deep green where handprints and dust had overtaken the light-colored paint, which had originally been applied.  We planted 50 trees, varieties of fruit and medicinal, all around the clinic.  In the years to come, this will serve the clinic and community as a resource for herbal medicine.  Some of the team also helped to plant corn, which will feed the pigs.  Later in our stay, a few helped plant beans at this site, as well.  These will be sold to help support one the local ministries of the church and the Elder-lead care for the orphans, widows, and seniors.  The clinic also got a facelift with a good cleaning and a new coat of paint on the lower half.  A bed was also purchased during our stay, so now there is a place for patients to actually lie down during an exam.

We spent the remaining part of our first week painting the Mpunge Covenant School, which is located in a small village further down the road, in a remote area bordering Lake Victoria.  This new school provides these local children (beyond the education they receive) with a place that is dry from the rain and allows their feet to stand on cement floors rather than the dirt and mud.  There are desks for them to sit at and blackboards on the wall.  There is a new dormitory that is almost completed, which eventually will be a place for children to live (both boarders and orphans).  We also installed two 10,000-liter water tanks for the rainwater collection system while we were there.  Soon, grass will be planted on a full soccer field, which has been cleared and prepared. This will be the site of many local games, with the hopes to also hosting events and exhibition with national soccer clubs; a community-gathering place that will be an evangelical tool to share the gospel also.

The school was given new basic supplies, allowing some kids to continue to go to school, as their parents will not have to struggle to find the money for these simple materials.  My son, Tucker, had fun every day making new friends, and playing soccer with the children during their recess.  He also spent many of the mornings helping in the outdoor kitchen, stoking the fire and stirring the porridge for the children’s daily meal.

The second week we went and reached out to a new village called Bunakijja, and enjoyed a time of singing and fellowship.  We provided some clothing for the children and played games like musical chairs and Frisbee.  A full lunch was served, which fed the 150 or so women, men and children that had joined us.  Here I played a game of soccer with the locals, who had an organized college-aged team.  A few of us Mzunga’s (Americans) joined, as well as some of our Ugandan friends, and we played against them.  They were surprised at how well a big American man like me could play defense!  It felt good to be out there and I look forward to now joining the adult league for UMSC someday, although I will need to work on my endurance for sure.

During the second week we also visited the Ugandan Baseball Little League Headquarters and Tucker (who is 9) was able to practice with the 12-year-old team after they finished school.  They practice every day for about 4 hours after school.  God willing, if we are living here in Uganda in the future, Tucker may have the opportunity to play on their team and I may have the occasion to volunteer at a coaching clinic which they offer every February.  The headquarters also have a soccer team at this school, which is specifically set up to assist the most athletic children of the country, providing them not only with the outlet of sports, but the opportunity of a good education.

We week finished with my wife, Kim, leading a time of teaching and having fun during Kid’s Camp, which included religious education, crafts, and songs.  On the final day we had a huge party of dancing and singing which the whole community participated. We had a loudspeaker system and played Ugandan karaoke.  We also provided two schools with Upper Moreland soccer uniforms, which they can use as their own.  These kids were ecstatic to don these new clothes and could not wait to have their next game where they could show them off.

Thank you again for the support you gave helping make this mission trip a success. But more importantly for the opportunity to help put smiles on these children’s faces, a joy in their heart, and a brief moment away from the depravity they live daily.

If you would like more information on how you can continue to help with these children and the communities we are serving in Uganda, please email me  (Peter Lytle) at –  plytle28@msn.com.

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November 24th, 2013

Unexpected Reason – Why Do Missions?

This story comes from a missionary, teacher & supporter of Word In Deed (Cecil Walker) who came to Uganda in 2012 with his wife & son. This recent experience Cecil had gives a very unexpected reason to share missions experiences. Thank you Cecil for sharing this story and for listening to the Holy Spirit by sharing Uganda with Bob.

******

Hello everyone. I thought I would share this with you.

We have a guy in our neighborhood named Bob.  Bob is in his 70’s and he lives alone. Monty (who also lives next door with his wife Sallie) has really been working a lot helping Bob, taking care of him, as his mind is beginning to fail. Bob has three different degrees from Florida State University in history. He retired as a professor at Rollins College.

Anyway, as you guys all know, Monty and Sallie left to go out of town. Last night I was taking out the garbage and noticed Bob knocking on Monty and Sally’s front door. As I walked over to the front yard I could tell Bob was crying and he was agitated.  Bob’s short-term memory is very bad and when Monty is out of town, it really throws him off.

I started talking to Bob trying to get him the calm down. He couldn’t understand why Monty wouldn’t answer his door, despite the fact I repeatedly told him Monty was out of town. So, in the middle of ranting, Bob reminded me he had three college degrees in history and had been a professor at Rollins College.

For some reason the Lord laid it on my mind to bring up having gone to Uganda on a mission trip.

As soon as I did, immediately Bob’s demeanor completely changed.  He looked at me and said, “Do you realize how special you are for having gone to Uganda.” From that point on I was able to share about our trip, which had a calming effect on Bob.  He went home in a much more peaceful mood than when I first found him.

God is great and His love continues to work through Uganda…even here in Cocoa Beach, Florida, when ministering to our friends and family…we can thank God for our experiences doing missions in another part of the world. You never know what will happen when you share them; God will bless you in surprising ways. Praise God, Amen.

Helping Hands Appear in Godly Ways.

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August 26th, 2013

Action in Missions – Loving Out Loud

Welcome to Mpunge

Praising God & Thanks Be To You!  A note of thanks to all those to helped make this trip a reality.

We have returned from our medical mission trip with the Palm Beach Atlantic University pharmacy school students; the Ugandan dust has settled, but will forever be indwelled in us.  You have been instrumental in supporting the Word In Deed Ministry we have been partnering with, and we wanted to share some stories with you.  A picture is worth 1,000 words, so hopefully these photos can give you a flavor of what we got to experience airblown inflatables canada.

Our team of 15 was certainly hand picked by God, because we had such a great flow of teamwork and the spirit of the Lord was upon us.  Over the course of 3-1/2 days, we saw 439 patients.  We arranged to have 2 Ugandan doctors assist us in the two remote villages (Ntenjeru and Mpunge) during these clinic days.  Most of the people in these areas do not get any medical attention for 2 basic reasons. They cannot afford medical care and the clinics or hospitals are too far away.  Our goal was to be the hands and feet of Jesus by serving them and bringing medical care to them.

Part of the philosophy of Word In Deed Ministries is first attending to the apparent felt needs of the people in the Mukono District of Uganda, we are doing ministry.  When you meet a ‘felt need’, then their hearts are more open to listening and receiving the gospel message. It’s like building a relationship and trust first. Once they see that you care about them by helping with their health and the education of their children, they are willing to listen to what you want to share about God.

Meeting Moses – We first went to the school Word In Deed has been building to meet the children, and even though they were on vacation, they came to school and had prepared a wonderful presentation of songs and dances.  Our PBAU students also did a small skit for them about Noah.  It was great fun.

Preparing the Land

As we toured land, having Pastor Edward Kasaija guide us through where the new dormitories are being built and the soccer field (which will be a great outreach tool for the community), we met a little 6-year old boy named Moses, who lived in the Mpunge community.  Professor Sourial initially picked him up to say hello and noticed a really bad odor and that Moses had a cloth wrapped around his belly.  Moses’ dad was also with him and told us that Moses was very sick and really needed our help.  We were not prepared for anything that day, as our scheduled clinic day with the doctors was on the following Monday.

We took Moses back to the church and upon examination, it was determined that after a previous surgery, the incision had not healed properly and his intestines were protruding from his little tummy and excrement was draining out.  They had tried to take him to a hospital months before, but were told it was not a life-threatening emergency, and he was sent home.  This poor little boy was living like this and would surely die if his stomach wasn’t surgically restored.

After evaluation by one of our doctors, who also happened to be named Moses, we agreed that he needed to go into the city of Mukono (where we were staying) and get admitted to the hospital.  As a team, we collectively put in $20 each and for $300 Moses had his surgery and within 2-days was smiling (he’s the one smiling in the pictures) and he could look forward to being a playful little boy again.  We have since heard that this ‘deed’ has been talked about throughout the Mpunge village. Through the love and caring for the least of these, a little boy was saved.  We want to give God all the glory and feel that we are the ones who have been blessed by being a small part of a life-transformation for one little person.

Sharing God’s Word

One of our goals for this mission trip was to fundraise to purchase Bibles for the 2-village churches we would be visiting. For $10 we could purchase Bibles in Kampala in the native Lugandan language and share God’s truth with people who did not own a Bible.  Our hope was to raise $1,000 so we could purchase 100 Bibles.  Between the PBAU students and Word In Deed fundraising we did, God graced us with the joy of providing 160 Bibles.  We give out some of the Bibles during church the on Sunday we attended service in Ntenjeru and left extra Bibles for the church library, so that they can be used during Sunday service.  The Elders also agreed that they would ‘sign out’ Bibles to anyone who wanted to borrow a Bible, if the need should arise.   This is a testimony that when we ask, God provides immeasurably more than what we ask or imagine possible.

God’s word brings smiles

Bible brings hope and smiles.

The last day of the clinic at Mpunge School, I took with me several English versions of the Bible, hoping to find someone who could read English and would enjoy a new Bible.   I was sitting in the classroom we had set up the pharmacy because it had started to rain.  A young woman with a little baby sat next to me while she waited for her prescription to be filled (Steve was very busy).  She was so beautiful and had an amazing smile.  She spoke softly in a very low voice and asked me if I had extra Bibles.

I was so excited that she spoke English and told her “yes” that I was praying God would bring someone who could read English.  She was very grateful and I too was thanking God that we were able to provide for her little girl with some needed medicine, and for the Mom, with God’s word.  It was a double blessing.

Some More Stories

While at the Mpunge School, some of the PBAU students were doing VBS with the children while the clinic was in operation.  A young girl named Faustine Mamakula (in the blue & red stripped shirt), whom I met last year as she participated in a Ruth Bible study, was there again and we got to reunite.  It was during the kid’s fun time I heard some commotion and I popped into the classroom to see what was wrong. Faustine was lying on the ground with an apparent seizure.  As it turned out, she is epileptic and on medicine for this condition.  Unfortunately, in this part of the world, it is considered a devil’s curse to have these kinds of seizures and children are treated badly because of this condition.  We were able to have Faustine see the doctor and after a short while, she came out of her seizure, slowly getting her bearings back.  We had to fire one of our interpreters that day because of this incident.  He was trying to tell everyone that Faustine was filled with the devil because of the way she was acting.  We quickly told him how wrong he was and that the seizure we witnessed was a medical condition and was being properly treated with medicine.

Sweet Faustine at the clinic in Mpunge.

Steve also met with some of the men he did a small group with last year.  One of them came and shared how thankful they were for all we were doing, bringing the mobile clinic to the Mpunge Village.  He and his wife wanted to show their gratitude and told us they were going to bring us some chicken the next day.  Of course we thought they were going to bring a couple of pieces of fried chicken for lunch – but much to our surprise, we received 2 live chickens as gifts.  And you cannot refuse a gift like that… so they were put on the bus with us and traveled back to Kampala in plastic bags.  We were able to bless 2 of our Ugandan helpers by passing on these live animals for them to have in their own yards to provide eggs for their families.

At the clinic, we did triage and one part of that was taking everyone’s weight.  Most people had never stepped on a scale before, so the reactions to being asked to do this were quite amusing.  Some of the little children were so fearful, they would cry when being asked to step on this flat box.

The Mpunge School Headmistress, Resty, was very thankful to receive some educational tools, school supplies and books for her students.  We are also in the process of providing a set of Encyclopedia Britannica for the Covenant School in Kampala where the children are more dominant in English.  We delivered the first 6-volumes to Pastor Edward.  This September a team of Word In Deed missionaries are traveling back to Uganda and will be bringing with them another 12-volumes.

Mpunge Covenant School gets supplies.

During our clinic days, our team administered 200 HIV tests.  There are many stories that go along with this, but the hardest was having to tell a 13-year old girl she tested positive & a young woman who was concerned about passing the disease onto the baby in her belly.  But this is life in the rural villages of Uganda.  There is much need, little resources, but a hunger for God.

WATER-Next Steps

The Mpunge School is expanding; Word In Deed is building dormitories for the students to live and the teachers also have their own housing, so that this remote village can educate their children.  One of the goals for Word In Deed Ministries is to provide the school & surrounding community with a water source.  Currently there is a shallow borehole that is unreliable and very unclean water.  The Ntenjeru Clinic & Church have rain catchment barrels, which provides water for the community, and is the cheapest method (deep-bore wells can cost $12-25k to dig).  The rain-catchment method can be done for about $4,000.   We are asking for continued prayers for the resources to be in place by the time the September team arrives so that the men going on the trip can help with the construction of the system.

We all need water.

I could go on & on . . . as these are only a small flavor of the many wonderful things we experienced.  Steve & I are praying that with God’s favor and provision, PBAU will join us again next year for another mission trip.  But that of course, is in God’s hands.  Please know that your support is something we dearly cherish. Thank you so much for being part of this God-sized adventure. In awe & humbly grateful, Lisa Sorensen

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August 26th, 2013

PBAU – Uganda Missions

Waiting at the clinic

Uganda Trip Reflection

My chance adventure to Uganda was made possible by no more than a lucky coincidence, rather than an actual interest in going. After initially being “chosen” to go on the Costa Rica mission trip, which I had no interest in going on, I was casually walking through campus when Dr. Chahine made me an offer that would soon change my life forever. The proposition was to go to Africa to begin my rotation. To say I was uncertain about whether or not to spend time in Africa would be a dire understatement of my actual skepticism. Not only was I unsure if I wanted to expose myself to potentially very sick people, but I was even more weary of whether or not my own health problems would drastically hinder my experience. However, my inhibitions and fears were far outweighed by the excitement I felt and the prospect fulfillment from helping those who need help the most.

The next step was to get the opinions of my doctors and the people closest to me. So I began with my parents, who expressed their doubts, and my doctors were no more promising. So even though that is where many thought my adventure should end before it began, I had a different notion. The very next day I woke up knowing that I would be very disappointed in myself if I let my health issues control my life and steal such great opportunities that were in my grasp. Now that my mind was made up I had almost an entire semester to look forward to the trip. However, my excitement was short lived and quickly turned to fear and second guessing my decisions. I began talking myself out of going to Africa and often tried to manufacture excuses to get out of my obligation. Nonetheless, my fear was overcome by courage and a desire to help those who need help the most.

Mpunge School VBS

After returning I realized God has a plan for all of us, and the path laid before us is never perfect but rather a rough one filled with fear and doubt. However, it became clear that the dark curves of my path made the light shine brighter, and the weakness I faced along the trail made me stronger, and showed me the meaning of faith. Similar to Katie’s experience I took a leap of faith by trusting in God and it changed me forever. I was able to draw my inspiration from Katie’s words and experiences by letting go and acknowledging that “Every day, we have a choice. We can stay nestled in our safe comfortable places, as I did when the rat was in my room. We can let fear of something that really is small compared to the greatness of God cripple us. Or we can take a risk, do something to help someone else, make a person smile, change someone’s world. Life to the fullest exists. It’s available. All we have to do is decide to get up and embrace it.” Regardless of the immensity of the decision I always struggle taking the next step because my faith often lacks the strength needed to let go and embrace the world around me. Yet, I took a big leap forward and allowed faith to carry me on an adventure to Africa, and became a stronger person along the way. By choosing to go on this mission trip with the group that was selected I know I made one of the best decisions of my life, so far. Leaving the United States, though still quite nervous, I reflected on how blessed a person I truly am to have such an opportunity, little did I know I would return a much better person. Though my suitcase and wallet were much lighter upon my return, it did not matter. I saw things clearer and the world was put into perspective for me and I came to the realization that money and objects do not bare the weight to happiness. Many Ugandans had close to nothing in belongings compared to many Westerners, but had everything in happiness compared to many people who desperately try to buy their way to happiness.

Emile and Moses meet in Mpunge

My experience in Uganda was overwhelmingly magnificent and eye-opening that I cannot wait to return, and I am more than willing to go back next year if given the opportunity to do so. One of my favorite things to do while in Uganda was to sit with Dr. Moses for hours on end where I was able to learn more from him in those couple of days than I could in any classroom. I have never met anyone as passionate and fun to work with in my entire life. My time spent with him and the experiences I had with him opened my eyes to the possibility of maybe one day becoming an MD….but that’s an entirely other story! Another fun and memorable day that I had, was going to the school on Mpunge in the afternoon and being greeted by all the students with singing and dancing; it almost brought tears to my eyes. It was truly an unforgettable day that spanned from seeing the singing and dancing and treating a little boy named Moses who had an open ileostomy and fecal matter coming out of him. Just meeting this child and seeing the picture of him smiling a few days after his surgery was worth the entire trip by itself. This little boy went home with a new “normally” functional intestine which is a great blessing, and I came home with a new brighter outlook towards life in general. In the end I was the one who was truly blessed more than Moses or anyone could ever imagine. It is crazy to think how I went to another country to help others and change their lives and it turned out that the Ugandans helped me far more than I could have helped them, and I was the one who was changed.

Moses after surgery is all smiles.

When it comes to tangible objects I am way more blessed than most people in Uganda, but I now know that blessings come in different ways and most of the time the tangible goods are often the least important things in life. Children running and playing barefoot in the sun yet smiling and thankful for what God has provided for them. I have returned from Africa a better, stronger, and more mature man, and for that I am eternally grateful. If I could do everything over again I would not change a single moment of the entire trip. The way the trip happened could not have been scripted any better than the way it unfolded. We saw some amazing cases that we are likely to never see again. After coming back and talking to many of the other mission groups there is no doubt in my mind that this trip was the best one as a whole and for me personally to go on. When selecting a mission trip earlier in the year my goal was to go on a trip with my friends, but it was a blessing in disguise that I had the opportunity to go on the trip with the group that we went with. I built relationships that will last a lifetime. The leaders on this trip, Dr. Nornoo and Dr. Sourial, were great because they allowed us to do what we needed in order to get the job done and trusted in the rotation students. This reflection is best summed up with a bible verse which I feel expresses the entirety of this trip, and why I was chosen to go. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future, Jer. 29:11.

Emile Abdo
Gregory School of Pharmacy, Palm Beach Atlantic University

Tags: Gregory School of Pharmacy, Kisses from Katie, Palm Beach Atlantic University, Uganda
Posted in Kampala, Project Updates, Uganda | Comments Off on PBAU – Uganda Missions

August 26th, 2013

PBAU-Gregory School of Pharmacy-Partnership with Word In Deed Ministries

PBAU Visits Uganda with Word In Deed Ministries

Reflection Essay-Uganda 2013

There are some events in your life which redirect the path you choose to take. The first morning upon waking up in our hotel in Uganda a young Ugandan named Gerald explained, very philosophically, what he thought about life to me like this.  Your life is like a stream which is meant to flow. Of course there will be pebbles and rocks in the stream. This will deter the flow of the water and create some rapids but afterwards the water continues to flow. We all want to flow freely without any turbulence but when we get to calm waters is when we should take a deep breath and realize what those difficulties in our lives have taught us. Without challenges we would be nothing and the fabric of our lives would be plain. Proverbs 3:5-6 states “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not; In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths.”

The preparation for this trip was intense. In addition to all of the other classes in our last academic semester, trying to arrange how we would serve a population none of us have ever seen in a place we have never visited was at times stressful. As a team I believe from the beginning we were very connected. I have been on a couple other medical mission trips but have never had the same level of teamwork and understanding as this group. I also believe this group has been the most spiritually-based of all the groups I’ve travelled with. We pulled all our resources together and between us sixteen people and more than thirty bags we were off and ready to go to Uganda. There was still hesitancy though. What if the bags were taken at customs or didn’t arrive? What would we do then?

Thankfully we all arrived safely and with all of our supplies to Entebbe airport. After that long flight and the inability to sleep for over 24 hours I was still ready to go. If there was a word to describe this trip it would be “thankful”. Thankful to God that my dreams have come true to go to Africa, thankful for the people I was with and those we were blessed to serve, and thankful that everything went better than we could have expected.

After reading Kisses from Katie I think we had an appropriate introduction to much of the culture and what we would expect. There is however a huge contrast between what you can read in a book and what you experience in real life. For example, many people see humanitarian ads on television but become desensitized to it. The book did give our entire group something to focus on and ways in which mzungus are already providing aid in Uganda. Since many of us desire to continue with missions in our own way this book shows us how this can become a possibility.

The color of God’s love is a rainbow of reason to be the hands and feet of Christ.

The following day was our first clinic day. We did not know exactly how this was going to function but I believe we all managed it really well. As we continued through all four clinic days it only became more and more organized, especially with the constant advice and guidance of Dr. Sourial. We were full of energy to experience this new culture and make an actual impact in the lives of these people. I remember during the first mission trip meeting we had Dr. Nornoo had told us that many times we could only place a bandage on these people but it is the spiritual strength that we give them that is the most important and lasting. I would agree. As you go through many of the patients, the ailments could be easily solved. Education and better access to healthcare would solve most of their problems. Although through all the hundreds of people we saw and the fact that most came through with numerous illnesses I would agree with another comment Dr. Nornoo made that they’re not “poor” people. They were not poor in spirit and many times not absolutely poor in material possessions. We in the Western world are the poor people. Matthew 19:24 states, “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” I also think of the 8 Beatitudes and how blessed these people are.

The main example I would focus on is the boy named Moses. He had a perforated bowel and had not been using a colostomy bag for a month or so due to financial restraints. He could not get surgery to repair his intestines since this would be considered “elective”. This is the same condition my father had a few years ago and I remember how hard it was on him and yet Moses is only a little kid. When we saw him again on the third day of clinic with Dr. Moses (who coincidentally had his namesake), Sam and I knew without any doubt that we would pay for the cost of his treatment. We arranged for him to go to the hospital and you could begin to see relief in his father’s face. I had not seen Moses smile yet and he looked like the life had been taken out of him. When we visited him again in the hospital after he had received surgery he was not awake yet. To make a long story short I ran to five different banks and supermarkets to try and exchange American dollars to Ugandan shillings. This was extremely stressful and unsuccessful. Considering I had to leave the room Moses was staying in because I felt tears about to come, the thought that if we couldn’t pay for his treatment he would possibly be discharged prior to recovering was a lot to handle. While writing this reflection I saw a picture of him on Facebook for the first time in the hospital bed with a huge smile on his face. The operation and recovery had both went great. I am so thankful to God for all of this. That alone was worth the entire trip. 

Upon leaving in London a few of us sat around discussing the trip and what was to become of our future. Every one of us already had decided that this was only going to be the beginning. We had grown both spiritually and emotionally and have created much stronger relationships.  If there is a way to measure the success of a trip I would say it is this: Days after arriving back in the United States we are still talking about what is next and how we can continue this journey of missions in the future.

Chris Schiel, Gregory School of Pharmacy, Palm Beach Atlantic University

May 28, 2013

Tags: Gregory School of Pharmacy, Kisses from Katie, Palm Beach Atlantic University
Posted in Kampala, Uganda | Comments Off on PBAU-Gregory School of Pharmacy-Partnership with Word In Deed Ministries

August 26th, 2013

Palm Beach Atlantic University-Gregory School of Pharmacy

One of our new friends

Uganda Mission Trip Reflection

“An Unforgettable Journey to the Center of God’s Heart”

We all expected for this trip to be out of the ordinary; we were going to Africa, this had to be extraordinary. We could never have imagined that Uganda would creep up into our hearts and take hold of us like it did. Perhaps it was the red soil described by Katie Davis in her book, or the huge smile that we were greeted with by our guide Rachel; I knew that this trip would be different from any other I had ever taken before, the moment I left Miami.

We arrived at Entebbe airport after two days of traveling non-stop through the world to reach this corner of God’s creation, all of us tired and dirty. It was amazing how even while exhausted I could appreciate the natural beauty of Uganda. We were reminded to look for inner beauty by Pastor Keffa as we ate a hearty meal at his spacious home located near the hotel we had been placed at. He stressed how the people we were likely to encounter would be dirty, beaten, and weathered by life. I was personally reminded that God could care less what we look or smell like and that I was here with the sole purpose to show God’s love to the people of Uganda. With His words in my head I went to sleep that first night, aware that the days to come would bring new challenges and blessings.

After sleeping comfortably in the modest hotel I was worried how many of the patients we would see each day would go without the things in life we so easily took for granted. Breakfast was always served in the morning by the time we woke up, and even though it was not an amazing breakfast by American standards, it would be considered a feast by any of our patients. Day after day at the clinic I could see the stamp of poverty on the patient’s faces and body. I would wonder how things could be changed for the better for these communities and time after time I came up with the same answer: they need education. In order to be raised from their social status these dirty children I was playing with needed to overcome the illiteracy barrier and finish school. We were unable to provide for them anything more than some medical care and a kind word, but at least it was a start. I was letting God use me as His hands and feet for their immediate medical needs, and for the moment it was enough.

I understand that these trips, like most mission trips, are not able to create radical change unless they are longer and more comprehensive. In the end though, it became more about showing each individual that there are people out there that care enough for their needs that they will travel the world just to see to some of them. Perhaps, and this is always my wish, they saw some of God in each and every single member of the team.

There is one man I will never forget so long as I live. He allowed me to be humbled and blessed me more than what I could have blessed him. At some point in the hustle of the second day of clinic I was changed from Dr. Moses to Dr. Peace and was not very happy about that because in my own will I wanted to stay and learn from the more comprehensive and prepared professional, but as always God has a purpose even in the small things that he does. I sat for some time more than a little irked in the room I was assigned to, and looked out the window from time to time out of sheer impatience. I saw a familiar figure going up the steep steps leading out of the clinic. It was an elderly man I had seen before in the clinic, walking with the aid of two roughly made sticks. I wondered how on Earth he would be able to climb all those steps with no help and I realized that it would not be possible. As he tried unsuccessfully to climb the first step while fumbling with both sticks I waited for someone to help him. At that precise moment I felt a nudge from God asking me why was I waiting for someone else to help him when I had able hands and feet. I don’t even remember what I told Dr. Peace, I just ran out of the room as fast as my feet would take me and hoped it would be culturally OK to hold the man like I did. I took a hold of him from the back and quickly motioned him to move forward with my help, that it was OK now. As we made our way up the steps he started to hum, and at that precise moment I knew that he was content. He was showing me and helping me understand a part of God’s word that was partially hidden from me until then. When God tells us in Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” He meant always. He meant rejoicing in sickness and poverty like the man I was holding. I felt like anything that would ever come my way would be fine in the end because He has called me to rejoice even in the worst times. When the man’s humming subsided and we were still halfway to the level terrain of the road I started singing for him, I don’t know why I did it, I just know that it was what we both needed. As I started singing this man started humming once again, and I am sure we made a peculiar sight: the crippled man and the mzungu girl singing a universal song of praise to God.

Stephania serving lunch at Ntenjeru Church picnic.

This trip signified the true beginning of getting to know myself apart from every other identity I could possibly have. In Uganda I was no longer anyone’s daughter or girlfriend, no longer a student or mzungu: I was living God’s purpose in my life and this made me His. I believe that I was more touched by this trip and the many acts of kindness that I was able to witness and be a part of than any other single event in my whole life. It was in His will for the team to be assembled and to be blessed with the knowledge of the human body so that we could ultimately serve His people. If there is anything else that felt as good as this, I have never experienced it. I hope to be able to continue living in His purpose no matter where he places me, and while Uganda is far away from home, it will always have a place in my heart.
Stephania Almonte
May, 2013

Tags: Kisses from Katie, Medical Missions
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February 4th, 2013

New photo of Mpunge school

Mpunge school with windows and roof. Eager students check out the building!

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February 4th, 2013

Kenya Christmas cow sports new calf!

Christmas 2011 cow with newborn calf!

Two Christmases ago, Word in Deed Ministries purchased a cow for a Kenyan farmer.  We recently received this photo of the cow’s newborn male calf!  This a bounty for Pastor Alfred, moving him in the direction of having a self-sustaining farm.

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November 13th, 2012

Mpunge school nearly complete!

outside

inside

A new school which also doubles as a church on weekends is breathing life into a village that has been suffocating under the burden of AIDS/HIV for decades.  Your donations to the Mpunge school have been turned not only into bricks, mortar and plaster, but also joy and hope.  The projected completion date is January, 2013!

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