They Call Me Momma Katherine
is finished and will be ready for shipment on July 8 for all of you who are interested in reading. In the book I have shared how God brought me to serve him in Uganda, my experiences during my time here and stories of many of the children whoselives God has touched through this ministry. It is my prayer that it will encourage you to take steps of faith and make a difference for our Lord. We are asking for a suggested donation of $15.95 + $3 S&H (We can hand deliver to the church for those at BVC)
and you can request your copy here or text HUM to 41444.
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Our medical clinic is a busy place. It is not unusual for the clinic to see around 10-30 patients a day. The most common complaints are headache, flu like symptoms, aching feeling all over. The number one killer in Africa is malaria and is it very common. Often we have children being treated for this. The other very common illness is typhoid fever. It has similar symptoms. I have had both of these more than once and know what it feels like. However, children often do not know what is going on and keep quiet as they fear getting pricked with a needle for testing!
My first experience with typhoid was not good. At first they were treating me for malaria because the symptoms are so much alike. After about a week my head hurt so bad that I could not lift it from the pillow without throwing up. Then the room seemed to be spinning around and around, and when putting my head back down, the bed was floating and spinning around and around. It was a terrible feeling. My fever was high. I have only had it twice and the second time was not so severe. The first time my vaccine had worn off without me realizing. The second time my vaccine was up-to-date and I believe that is why I did not suffer as much.
We have had children who have suffered with dysentery and other infections that come from bad water, even a few cases of amoebas. . I am thankful for clean water at the school and at home with the deep wells that we have. Most of the people do not have access to good water. Most of the wells are only 50-80 feet deep and the water is not clean enough. There are many organizations working to put in wells but unfortunately, the wells are shallow due to a lack of funds.
One of our children a few months ago was burned badly. He had third degree burns on one leg and the rest were second and first degree burns. The badly burned leg is now healed, though it has scarred, and he is doing much better. We have only had one death in our clinic from a case of malaria. This person came to us when it was too late. The longer one waits for treatment the bigger the parasite grows.
There are many skin issues as well. The one that is treated the most is ringworm. Children get ringworms as a result of bacteria from the dirt and from playing with each other and passing on the fungal bacteria. We find that we go through the fungal cream that kills ringworms, together with the tablets that are sometimes given in bad cases, very quickly. We had one child in the ministry that came for treatment of his head and at first we thought he had an extended case of ringworms. We later discovered that the child's head had been shaved badly. The schools want all the children to have no hair so often they get a razor and do it themselves. Another problem with this is that often the people do not sterilize their razors and spread the ringworms from one child to the next.
"This is Africa" and not just in Uganda! These are just a few of the problems that a clinic faces on a regular basis.
As I write this letter to you, I have a few children in my home being treated for malaria. Please pray for the clinic and the needs and the patients that are treated there. We charge only for the lab fees and medicine, no consultation fees. The lab test for malaria is less than a $1, but this is a day's wages for most in Uganda. Typhoid is under $2 - two day's wages.
We have told you about Moses before. He suffers from problems with the bone in his leg. It has caused him much pain and limits his mobility. He had surgery on it several months ago to remove part of the bone. He currently says he is feeling less pain and is able to put some more weight on the leg. Please continue to hold Moses in your prayers as the infection has been somewhat of a mystery to doctors.
Our administrator in America, Cindy Stutheit, is working on my schedule for this fall and many things are already booked. Please let her know if you would like to see me when I am there and understand if it does not work out. Please know that I love you and desire to visit with as many of you as I can. I will be arriving in the states sometime in mid-September through mid-November. May the Lord bless you and thank you so much for helping me and my Lord, Jesus Christ to make a difference by being a part of us. Thank you for your prayers and keep them coming as well as your prayerful financial support.
In Christ Love,
Katherine
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| Hines Ugandan Ministries |
Katherine@hineskids.org http://www.hineskids.org
303-847-9522
P.O. Box 620727, Littleton, CO 80162
P.O. Box 1402, Mbale, Uganda, East Africa
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Michael checking on a baby that turned out to have malaria. Children from ages 1-5 are the ones that usually die from malaria due to lack of complaining in time to be treated.
Our lab technicians and volunteers from our May Orphan's Heart team.
The orphanage houses are having a lot of maintenance due to the heavy rains and we ask for those who can to help with funds to make these repairs. We need around $2,200 for all four houses. This includes repairs to the screens and windows, roofing repairs where we have leaks, some floor repairs and door frames replaced in the boy's home.
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Write Your
Sponsored Child
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