Greetings from Gulu and Kitgum,
A couple of weeks ago one of our security guards, Geoffrey, came to Keith and asked for 50,000 shillings (about $22) so that he could take his brother-in-law back to the village to die. When Keith question him about this he explained that couple of months prior, this young man, named Patrick (19 yrs. old), was driving his boda at night (a boda is a motorcycle taxi), and several men jumped on him, stabbed him nine times and left him for dead, stealing his motorcycle. Someone heard the commotion, came and found him, and took him to the government hospital. One of the wounds was so deep that his intestines were protruding. The hospital did surgery and sewed up all the other stab wounds.
A few weeks later, the family realized that he was not recovering well, so they took him back to the doctor. He was given some medication and sent home. As time progressed, he got worse and ended up back in the government hospital. His stomach was swelling and he could no longer eat. Approximately three months after the attack was when Geoffrey came and asked for the money.
As Keith was listening to this request and explanation, the Holy Spirit spoke to him and urged him to give the 50,000 Ugandan Shillings, but instead of using it for transport to the village, he told Geoffrey to take him to the Gulu Independent Hospital (reputable, dependable, but very expensive). Most Ugandans cannot afford the private hospitals. He instructed him to tell the hospital that he will be sponsored and that he would come there himself shortly.
Keith arrived at the hospital and for the first time saw Patrick’s condition. Left as he was he may not live another day. Swollen, erratic breathing, with something like hiccups, was his condition. He was septic. His Hemoglobin count was 5 (it is supposed to be 15-16 for an African). They wanted to give him blood and antibiotics IV for a day or two before doing surgery. Two days later his HB had reached 10, so they did the surgery. The previous surgery was a botched job. There were areas in the intestines that were blocked from the previous sutures and there was a large abscess near his left kidney. They re-did much of the suture work on his intestines and cleaned him out leaving an opening in his left side for the area to continue to drain so it would heal from the inside out. They are changing the dressings frequently. The following day after the surgery, he was smiling! It has now been one week and he is walking all over the hospital and giving the Lord the praise for his life.
At this time, Monica, was with us in Gulu waiting on the time for her to deliver her baby. She gave birth to a 9lb girl on March 1st. Her name is Yana. Clayton was in Kitgum when the baby was born -he could not get transport back to Gulu in time, so I (Lisa) was blessed to be there for the birth. As I was moving around the hospital many people stopped me to congratulate us on the miracle of Patrick’s life. Glory to God for these two lives!!
It is hard for us to write about all that we see and experience here without it becoming a huge volume, but we can say this:
There are many thousands of people here in northern Uganda, who have not been exposed to God’s word. They may have heard from people about God but they have not clearly heard the gospel of Jesus. They will die and live an eternity without God. There has been virtually no education in Northern Uganda for the 20 years of LRA insurgency. This affected an entire generation of adults! They cannot read, and they are led by fears and traditional superstitions. This manifests itself in all areas of life. But… They want to know!!! We cannot reach them without your prayers. May the Lord burden your hearts for these thousands! Please pray, please Give, so that we can be more empowered and equipped to add to His Kingdom.
Please, join us in sincere praise and prayer to the Lord for the continued healing for Patrick and for the little Yana and she begins her new life with her family.
In Jesus’ Name,
Keith and Lisa
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