My time in Uganda has been a mountain top experience. Each day brought new challenges that stretched me beyond my comfort zone. Each day ended with undeserving blessings beyond my comprehension.
I came to Uganda in an attempt to follow the example of Jesus by crossing the road to help someone in need. Here is a lesson I learned and will tattoo on my heart:
It is easy to cross the road but it is difficult to stay there unless you are totally dependent on God as your guide.
How many swollen little bellies did I exam this week? How many dirty little hands reached out for mine this week? How many precious heartbeats did I listen to this week? God created them all and the abundant love they are so eager to share is evident in their eyes and smile. Crossing the road enabled me to experience the sheer joy of little children who are content in all things. Oh to see the world through the eyes of a child….that is a renewed prayer of mine.

Tuesday, March 15
Everywhere we go in Uganda, we hear “Muzungu, Muzungu!” (white people). The children flock to see us and the adults crane their necks to look. In some cases it is because we are an oddity; in others cases, it is because we are rock stars! (or both!) But nowhere were we bigger celebrities than at the Mawero Calvary Baptist Church, sponsored by my extended Scroggs family! Two years ago, my family members all contributed to a fund to sponsor the first Helping Hands Foreign Missions church plant near Busia, Uganda, and my son Reed and I finally got to visit it ourselves! Pastor Douglas, his family and church leaders welcomed us warmly and expressed sincere gratitude all day long today!
We set up a medical clinic inside the church and treated about 130 people. After the clinic, we had a worship service led by Pastor Moses ,director of the Grace Baptist Association, Pastor Douglas of Mawero and Pastor Loren Hildebrant of Flat Creek Baptist church, my home church. After we left, the Ugandan pastors showed “ The Jesus Film” and had revival services. Throughout this wonderful day, dozens of Ugandans received salvation. Praise God!
The low point of the day was when a little boy, maybe 4 or 5, wandered up to the crowd with his baby brother on his back. Dr. Brenda thought he was an HIV baby, severely malnourished and dehydrated. We washed his eyes and put eye drops in them. Then she handed him to me to hold & try to rehydrate. I got a Nutri-grain bar & trail mix out of my backpack, mixed a bottle of Pedialyte & fed small bites & sips to the boys. After an hour or so, the baby was revived and both boys even sat up & smiled for me! What a blessing that was! Dr. Brenda and Pam stayed after we left and walked the Mawero neighborhood with some of the church men until they found the boys’ family and home. Dr. Brenda made provisions to make sure the boys would receive proper care.
What a day of blessings this certainly was!

Submitted by: Beth P. Suggs

God is so evident in the beauty of His creation.

Today I had the privilege to travel into Kenya with Joy Breedlove and pastor Moses. We visited and worshiped with the wonderful people at Nabwino Baptist Church. Pastor Rogers and his congregation were so gracious and accommodating. There were several pastors from neighboring churches there, and we just had fantastic time of fellowship. I had the honor of presenting the church with a brand new Honda generator from their sponsor family. They were overjoyed to receive this new ministry tool in an area far from electricity. In return the pastor's wife presented me with a live chicken! It was a little funny when she walked up to the van as we were about to leave and handed it in the window to me. It was calm until I got it. Apparently there is a correct way to hold a live chicken, I don't know. The whole community got a kick out of me and that chicken, wings flapping and feathers flying. It was a great day.

The drive into Kenya was beautiful. We drove through rolling hills planted in sugar cane, with mountains off in the distance. It was the picture I had imagined before ever visiting Africa. I just can't understand how people can be so blind to what is so evidently God. Please pray for the people of Kenya and Uganda and the many churches and pastors who give so much of themselves for the cause of Christ. God is working and Muslims are receiving Christ! Praise the Lord!!

Stan Bell

After the events of 3/14.

This is a record of my journal entry for this day. It is entitled "The beginning of the end".

Day 6 of the trip marked the beginning of the end. For me, it was day 7 of a week's worth of sleeplessness. Last night I didn't sleep at all. I got out of bed completely exhausted and not wanting to be here. In addition, I had become bitter and angry inside. The night before, I had ended my journal with the question, "God, what on earth am I doing here?" I had come to Uganda because I wanted to commune with God in a much deeper and more profound way. Thus far, I had only worked myself to the point of exhaustion and had yet to experience God in this place. Except on a few rare and brief occasions had I felt the Holy Spirit. I was becoming very angry on the inside, and most if not all of my anger was directed towards God. He had asked me to come to Uganda. I just assumed that He would be here, but as the days passed, it appeared that He wasn't going to show up. Even worse, He was allowing the devil to make my life a living hell. It was the beginning of the end.

Before we left this morning, my wife said a prayer over me asking God to give me strength. To be honest, I didn't even close my eyes in reverence. In my mind, I thought to myself, "Why bother? He isn't listening." Yet, deep down in the recesses of my being, there was still a faint glimmer of hope that God wasn't quite done with me. I had to believe that God was only preparing me for what He had planned since the beginning of time. It was the beginning of the end.

Truly, I had reached the end of myself. All that was left was the debased nature of my true self. All of the ugliness inside was beginning to bubble out. Up to this point, I had been operating under my own strength, and I was failing miserably. Once I had reached the end of myself, all that was left was a faint, fleeting glimmer of hope in God. Many times, I have heard my best friend say that when hope in man ends hope in God can finally begin. It was the beginning of the end.

My second patient of the day was a women and her seven year old daughter. They were both Muslim. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, I was able to share the gospel message and lead them to Christ. About halfway through the morning clinic, I realized that I was not tired. At that very moment, it was as if God whispered into my ear, "My grace is sufficient for you." I fought back tears as I realized God's goodness and His love for me. After lunch, the pharmacy got backed up which was undoubtedly a God thing. Earlier in the morning, I had shared with Mike and Brenda that I thought that it would be great if one of the local pastors could present the gospel message to the crowd before clinic started and then again during lunch. It just seemed to me that this is what Jesus would do. I have subsequently learned that you don't recommend anything to Mike unless you are willing to do it yourself. During the lull, Mike came over and asked if I would speak to the crowd. Instantly, my heart began to pound in my chest, and my initial instinct was to say no. However, I knew deep down that this is not what Jesus would have done. Thus, I said yes. With the aid of an interpreter and through the power of the Holy Spirit, I shared the gospel message with those who were waiting to be seen. During the reciting of the Sinner's Prayer, many heads were bowed and lips moving. I do not know if anyone receive Christ during that occasion, but I do know that I was obedient to the call and that is all that really matters. Compared to the previous day, the clinic went very smoothly, that is until the very end. It was the beginning of the end.

My last patient of the day was a 4 yr old boy named Peter. I am not sure what is wrong with Peter, but whatever it is, it is really bad. I doubt that Peter will be in the world much longer. Peter had the most beautiful eyes and the most precious face. From the chest up, nothing appeared amiss. However, it was hard not to notice his abdomen which was massively distended with ascitic fluid. Instantly, my heart broke for this boy who seemed to be nearing the end of his life at the tender age of 4. It was only by the grace of God that I didn't completely lose it. We were able to arrange for some basic tests at one of the local hospitals, and hopefully, he will be back to clinic tomorrow. I would like to make sure that his eternal salvation is fixed for I would very much like to see him again on the other side. For him, I pray that this world will be the closest to hell that he ever gets. It was the beginning of the end.

I had reached the end of myself, and in that place I finally found God. It turns out that He had been waiting for me all along. If any good was done by me on this day, then all the glory has to go to God because it wasn't me but He that lives within me that was in control today. And I believe that this was the whole purpose of bringing me to the end of myself in the first place.

Brad Pierce, MD
Gainesville, GA

A Woman Named Ester

It has been an interesting but wonderful three days. I will share the highlights of each one with you.

On Saturday we had our first medical clinic in the bush. We arrived at the school around 9:00 am to find over 200 waiting to be seen. Many had the normal aches and pains resulting from the hard life they live here. There was a little girl who came to us with an abscessed cyst. Dr. Brenda and Mike drained it and put a dressing on it. She returned to our compound yesterday for a follow-up. Dr. Brenda found that it really wasn't that much better and it was too large for us to remove and she was sent to the hospital. The saddest case was a 67 year old woman named Ester. She was 67 years old, blind and had a prolapsed bladder. There was nothing we could do medically. One of our team members named Gabby couldn't just let her leave without trying to make her feel comfortable. As we watched Gabby and Pam wash her eyes, face, and her feet, it was amazing to see the expressions on her face. She had no shoes and her feet were in much need of attention. As it tells us in Matthew 25:40 "Assuredly, I say to you, in as much as you have done to one of the least of these My brethren, you have done it unto Me." Well I can only say that Gabby and Pam washed the feet of Jesus.

During the clinic a few of the team members went out to evangelize in the community and more than 7 souls were saved. That ended a great day of work for the Lord.

Saturday, March 5, 2011: Food -or lack thereof-

Food –or lack thereof- was my stretch on our final day of clinic in the pygmy village of Nkwenda – we had finished seeing our last patient and had bought corn to distribute to the people of the village. As the pastor of the church began dipping out the corn, the people became more and more agitated, fearful that they would not receive their small portion of corn. As the tensions increased, we had the pastor take the bags of corn inside the small church building in order to better control the situation. But the people continued to push and shove, trying to get to the front of the crowd. I watched as women and small children stooped to pick up kernels of corn that had fallen to the ground. I had to ask God “why?” as I held back tears – tears for mothers who would put their children to bed hungry; tears for the pregnant women, who are bringing children into a world where they will not have enough food.

God has not answered me yet, at least not fully. He only tells me that I must continue taking His message to these people. The message of hope through Jesus Christ. It is hard to pray for the people and then drive away, knowing that we will eat a good supper, while these people whom I treated with various medicines today, will lie down with empty stomachs.

But…that is not the end of the story. God also told me not to focus on the physical condition of the people. There will always be poverty and hunger and death and illness and atrocities that occur and violence and abuse. Here on this earth, as long as Satan reigns, there will be sin and death. I cannot be overwhelmed by the physical suffering, or I will stop there, and try to fulfill all of those needs, while neglecting the reason we are here. The spiritual poverty must be our first priority.

That is why at every place we visited, every day of ministry, with every person we treated – we shared the story of Jesus. God has not forgotten the pygmies or all the people in these tiny remote villages, where witchcraft and voodoo hold sway. He has not forgotten them. He has sent us to proclaim the Good News; as we do this daily, we are reminded that you, as one of our supporters, are here with us and that you have made the way for us to assure the people of Africa that indeed – God loves them and is calling them into His Kingdom.

Tomorrow we leave early to return to Busia, Uganda, where we will have a few days of rest before welcoming our mission team of more than 20 people who are coming to serve the Lord with us. Goodbye for now from the fields that are white….

from Dr. Brenda in the Congo

Friday, March 4, 2011: No, we will not give you money (translation-corruption in Congo)

On the home stretch now, and we head toward 2 pygmy camps about 3 hours from Goma – with only 2 more ministry days, we are expecting these days to be the toughest. Along the way, we stop to buy some roasted corn on the cob, which was delicious (even as I swept aside thoughts of how it was prepared and that I could possibly get some dire stomach ailment from eating roadside food.)

Sitting in the back seat of the van, I watched with interest as our African brothers and sisters ate their corn – very slowly, one row at a time, making sure that each kernel of every row was eaten before starting on the next row. I don’t think it was so much them savoring the flavor of the corn as it was, that they are careful not to waste any bit of food that they are provided.

Just before entering the first pygmy village, we encounter another check-point – this time, all of the pastors who accompanied us (4 in all) got out of the van and went into the little security office. After about 30 minutes, everyone emerged and we continued on our way – the men had demanded money for us to proceed, our team refused and after some heated discussion, we were allowed to continue.

This simply astounds me despite the fact that it is not uncommon for us to encounter bribery situations. I cannot fathom how officials, who can personally see the poverty and devastation in their country, can demand money from people who are only coming to serve the people freely. I am continually reminded that wherever God’s work is taking place, Satan is working just as hard to destroy the work and to destroy lives. Satan is hard at work in the Congo but I am assured, and I know whom I have believed – God is greater.

Arriving at the first village of Burayi, we quickly set up clinic and get started – the people have been waiting for us for months (since last October when we promised them we would return.)

The pygmies are one of the shunned people groups of the world – in the DRC, they are huddled into small villages (called ‘camps’) where they are almost cut off from the outside world. In Burayi, the majority of the children do not attend school (located several kilometers away)- they are "chased away" due to lack of school fees. So they end up working in the fields to get food. I am surprised that the camp is so clean – there is no clean water, little food, no electricity or running water – but the camp is very neat and orderly – no huge piles of trash that I am accustomed to seeing in Uganda and other countries where we work.

The church that was begun in October 2010 is struggling but going on. The pastor is faithful, and travels on foot 13 kilometers several times weekly to have church services and to minister to the people. One problem is that the “officials” (people who decide they are leaders of the camp) want to be in charge. The church has service in a small building that was loaned by the pygmies and thus these self-appointed leaders feel they have the right to dictate what goes on. We are praying for land very near to the camp where we can build our own building and where the church can operate without pressure from the officials. We are also praying that the church body can begin a school for the pygmy children.

There are still larger numbers of pygmies who live even further out in the bush – a few of them have come to the clinic today, but the majority of them are born, live, and die in the bush. Those are the people we need to go and see. We will have to return another day.

From Dr. Brenda in the Congo

Receiving a portion of maize (corn) that we distributed at the camp


We saw many, many large swollen stomachs - the effects of malnutrition and parasitic infections


Beautiful pygmy children





Happiness is sharing Jesus with the world!

Thursday, March 3, 2011: Aftermath of volcano and wars

Streets of Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo

I love Africa and can always find something to rave about when it comes to the landscape – the sunsets are beautiful, the mountains are breathtaking, the banana trees – well, I can’t think of a word that describes them. But I have now seen a piece of Africa that is not so beautiful.

Goma is a city in the eastern portion of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), bordering Rwanda, and is the site of the eruption of Nyiragongo Volcano in 2002. The aftermath remains – the city is black. There is very little green, or anything much growing. The streets, the yards, the houses, buildings, everything just looks like black lava rock. People step over rocks, they decorate with them, build with them, collect them and sell them. It is also not a very safe city – and our contact there, Pastor Florentin, was very careful to have us safely inside a compound before dark. The DRC has been devastated by war, and continuing tribal violence – including rapes and murders. In many statistical listings, it ranks as the poorest country in the world.

As we drive through, I see women in the fields, with children sitting nearby, waiting to be cared for – they will be sitting there from sunup to sundown, as their mother toils to make enough coins for food that day. At the end of the day, we see dozens and dozens of people as they are returning from working in the fields, carrying hoes across their shoulders. This is subsistence – existence.

Our first day in the Congo is spent at a school (really just a big outside shelter with a leaky roof) where many children are orphans; some are being cared for by relatives, friends, or church members. It is where I break some of the rules of my clinic. When explaining how to take medications, I always ask the translators to tell the parent or guardian to have the child eat something first, to prevent stomach upset. Although I know that food is scarce in most situations, I think it is important to remind people about this rule. So we were telling the guardian to give the child food before taking morning medication.

As we continued to see children and explained medications, the teacher/director of the school finally came to me and through my translator told me, “that is going to be too hard for most of the children, because they don’t have food in the morning.”

I took off my “doctor” hat, and treated from my heart – just take the medication I said. Another rule I have is that I don’t dispense medicines except to adults; but we saw youth 14 and 15 years old, who were living on their own – living on the streets in some cases, still trying to come to school. So another rule down the drain. Can vitamins and worm pills really hurt anyone? I tell myself “no” and give out the medicine.

All through the day, the children and all the guardians and parents who show up, hear the gospel. As I prepare and dispense the medicines for the children, I can hear the preaching, the singing, the prayers, and can feel God with us. He gently reminds me that is why we are here in this place and that no, He has not forgotten.

The children jump for joy when we give out bread and juice and I am happy today.

Pam just hanging out (don't get to do this very often!)

Duck Ae teaching one of the pastors how to play the harmonica

Bread and juice....

Here I am (Pam assisting) opening and draining a large infected mass on a boy's leg - the next day he could walk for the first time in 2 weeks! God is a God of greatness and miracles.

From Dr. Brenda in the Congo

Wednesday, March 2, 2011: Democratic Republic of Congo

We spent the past 2 days traveling from Tanzania, back through Uganda, from east to west frontier, to reach the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and today God made our path smooth as we finished our paperwork and crossed the border in about 2 hours. The difference in Uganda and the Congo is as great as night and day.

I have always thought the roads in Uganda were bad, poverty was horrific, and corruption was rampant. But that was before the Congo. There are no paved roads (at least that we were on) and potholes are several feet deep, so there was no resting/dozing/sleeping/relaxing during this last day of driving to the Congo. We are stopped every hour or so, for a police check-point or some other military check-point; some wave us through, others question us but finally give us the green light to proceed. We arrive exhausted and manage a few hours of sleep before it is time to wake up to another day of clinic and Jesus!

From Dr. Brenda in the Congo

Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011:Roadside Clinic - Why am I here?

We were happy to see new believers at church this morning in Tarime, and we worshiped God together – so many nations represented in that little church. We were blessed as we heard our team member, Duck Ae –a Korean American- singing to our brothers and sisters from Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. Pastor Moses prayed with many people and more gave their lives to Christ during the service.

Not much time to sit and reflect though as we had another clinic scheduled at our 3^rd partner church in Bukwe, Tanzania.

I can’t really call it a clinic though – we held it on the side of the road, under shade trees (thank the Lord for the shade!) It turned out to be a good place though as many people walking by stopped to see what was going on, and they stayed to hear the gospel.

One lady in particular has stayed on my heart, her name was Karolina, a 22-year old with AIDS and tuberculosis. She was infected with the AIDS virus by her husband, who has since abandoned her. She lives with her mother-in-law, who really doesn’t want her around, but she has no place else to go. She doesn’t have money to go for any treatment, not enough for transport even to be checked. Many days she has no food.

Examining her, she has trouble breathing, it seems she may collapse at any moment. We have her sit and rest as we talk to her and get some medicines together – medicines that will only give her moments of relief, but maybe will show that someone cares for her. I have our Kenya nurse, Celestine, take time to talk to her, witness to her, share the love of Christ – I give her the equivalent of about $10 and hold back my tears as she rejoices over this small gift. Lord, what am I to do? What do you require of me? I cannot “fix” all of these people. I can hardly relieve any of their suffering even for a moment. So why am I here? I know that it is enough to share about your Son – I know this in my heart, but it doesn’t make it much easier, when I see Karolina leave, knowing that she may have only a few days to live. Will she go to heaven? I don’t know – I will be praying for her, praying that she understood and that she believes.

From Dr. Brenda in Tanzania

Duck Ae shares with the children through songs and crafts.

Pastor Moses praying during church service

Our roadside clinic