With the advice of many people and much prayer I made the decision to come back to America to have this done. We’ve seen the hand of God all along the way, beginning with the clear confirmation for the need for surgery which. We found a free “miles” ticket within a week. I flew through Europe one day before significant restrictions began. We found a wonderful hand surgeon who rushed me into surgery before it was too long from the injury to help and before non-life saving surgery was banned, the very next day. God is good! Please pray for continued and complete healing for my arm while I’m living in my own little quarantine and that I can get home as soon as possible. Realistically, both because of the need for physical therapy and current travel restrictions it will likely be a few months before I can go.
This experience has been a real eye opener to me on what the people of third world countries go through. I remember when a few of my children had broken their arms, I had no idea of how much they must have suffered. Though there are some good doctors, there is a real lack of facilities and support people for them to depend on. Most people do not have the resources to obtain the treatment that is available. As I write this, Uganda has not “reported” cases of the virus, but the country is already shutting down from the world and internally as the limited resources of the whole country will not be able to manage an outbreak. The one recent hope is that a common Malaria drug which they have much of is looking promising to treat the disease. Pray, they won’t find it necessary to use and that God protects the country.
Just like in the U.S., our little village of Kamonkoli and the ministry are being effected by these worldwide precautions. All of our boarding and university kids have been sent home to the village and we have closed our Genesis Primary School. Not only do our sponsored kids depend on their schooling for academics, but for consistent nutrition. We are working to continue to offer this support in other ways that still honor the spirit of the restrictions and keep everyone safe. Since we can’t have church or AWANA and do not have the options of live streaming, we will also need to be creative in continuing to reach our community with the Gospel of Jesus. We are grateful for a God that can work within all circumstances and limits to bring people to himself.
Last year we lacked rain and have recently suffered in much of Africa and in northern Uganda with desert locusts coming in and eating all crops. Now this coronavirus. The Lord is speaking to all of us. We need to humble ourselves, look to Him and repent. This has been a message for a long time to all Christians. I have found myself through all of this drawing near to my God, our God, the one and only God, who loves us and cares for us. Life was beginning to become habits but we have a lot of work to do in the Spirit. Let us fix our eyes on Him, and Him only.
Faithfully,
Katherine
