Opening Doors

 

Our final day in Gulu was demonstrated in a troika of events.

We began the morning with a small medical clinic in the village of Achoyo. The term “small” is relative to the fact we saw over 100 people, with medical issues ranging from a cough to a two-week-old snakebite. While the “daktas” were busy seeing entire families, part of the team branched off to visit several homes, including the hut of Barbara, a born-again Christian living with her extended family. Barbara’s uncle, Benjamin told the team he had been undecided about accepting Jesus for a long time, and afterward, Whitey, Pastor Dave, Andy, and Ryan felt called to talk to him. Whitey shared a passage in Acts, suggesting Benjamin’s new name be Phillip, after the disciple in the Bible. Pastor Dave had been working on a sermon concerning the same passage beforehand, and told Benjamin/Phillip he would soon be famous in the vast metropolis of New Albany, Ohio.

After a delicious lunch where I (Hannah) accidentally ate goat and felt really sad afterward, the team took a much-appreciated rest to journal and nap. Soon after, we were on the road again, this time for an unscheduled visit to the U.G. Prison in Gulu. Many of us had not been inside a prison before, and were surprised our first time was as innocent volunteers in Uganda. Joni, Char, Ariel, and Lauren, volunteered to run the clinic in the women’s wing of the prison, where approximately sixty patients were seen. Along with treating the women, they also learned their stories, some of which were truly tragic. One woman had been incarcerated for fighting back and ultimately killing her husband while he was abusing her, and another had been in jail five years without a trial. In both wings, the prisoners were calm and polite, helping us set up chairs for the medical clinic we came to conduct. While hundreds in the men’s section waited in line to be seen, the praise team from the church at Koro entertained them with Christian songs and dance. The clinic was hectic, but the cooperation and understanding of all the patients, translators, and doctors helped it run smoothly, enabling us to see approximately one hundred people. All the patients were grateful for the medical help and prayers, and some who spoke English helped translate for the American team members. Ugandan compassion was evident even inside the prison as one man helped another who could not walk to the clinic, asking nothing for himself in return.

After returning to the hotel, the team had several more hours of relaxation before a farewell dinner with the Gulu SOI staff. We had devotions with them, thanked them, and said our teary goodbyes, promising to keep in touch. While leaving the people at Koro farm was saddening, tomorrow we will pack up and head off to a true African safari, seeing the beautiful countryside and animals of Uganda. As our trip approaches its end the true impact of what we’ve seen during our few days in Africa is helping us appreciate more fully what Jesus has done with this great country. As perceptions change and our big problems become small in light of harsh Ugandan struggles, God remains as he always has, good.

- Hannah & Rossi

P.S. Jonathan is the only one who knows what "troika" means.