Wholeness

July has been a busy month. Malcolm has spent 2 weeks at Kisiizi Hospital to assist the Treasurer with preparing the annual accounts. Irene has been concentrating on the Vocational Training Centre; ensuring that tailoring samples were ready to be taken back to the USA by a Peace Corp Volunteer who will try to find possible outlets for their work, as well as preparing for end of term exams. And on the last weekend of July she went to help with a Mission at a local village church. In the meantime our son and daughter in law have arrived for a few months to help at the Potters Village Home for vulnerable babies.

During July Jenny Green, the long term CMS Mission Partner here, has been using all possible means to publicise far and wide that a medical team will be coming out to Potter’s Village to treat disabled children free of charge. She has been able to join in partnership with an organisation known as O.U.R.S. who send out a team of doctors to work amongst disabled children up to the age of 18. The call has been for parents to register their children ready for the day in August when the team arrive and about 100 children are expected to register.

Caring for children with disabilities here is very difficult. Parents are often ashamed that they have a disabled child, thinking that they have done something wrong. Maybe that they have been “cursed” and fear witchcraft. One of the mothers who registered with Jenny cried out to her, “Have you ever seen a child who has suffered so much as my son?” Her 2 year old son was suffering from hydrocephalus (water on the brain) and his head was very enlarged. Jenny gently explained that it was not an uncommon illness and pointed out that she already had five other children with hydrocephalus on her list. The mother was stunned; she had thought her son was the only child who had ever had this illness. She had hidden him away and suffered in isolation having no one to talk to who she felt would understand.

The day when the medical team arrive will not only be a day of physical healing and assessment for the children but also a day of emotional and physiological healing for the parents. A time when they can unburden themselves to others in similar situations, and learn how to help and support each other. We pray that they will learn of God’s love for them too.

Do you sometimes feel like that? That you are the only one with that ugly, marring sin? You hide it away, you don’t tell anyone as you are sure they will not understand; surely no one has been this bad before? God understands and sent His son to forgive you. No matter how big or impossible you think the problem is to solve, God has already cured it. It takes a lot of courage for parents here to bring a disabled child out into the open. There will be stares; there may be even open hostility, fears of evil being let loose, but those who love their children will bring them out for a chance to be whole. God loves His children and has given us all that chance to be whole.

Do not neglect the offer whilst it is there.

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. – Isaiah 1:18


Prayer requests

Please thank God that:
- a couple of retailers in the USA have placed orders for items to be made by the tailoring students of the Vocational Training Centre
- there has been a good response from mothers of disabled children to register for the clinic in August
- the safe arrival of our son and his wife
- Malcolm has travelled safely to and from Kisiizi Hoapital

Please pray that:
- those parents that need help will hear about the free medical clinic and will have the courage and the means to bring their children to be assessed
- the medical team will have the energy and wisdom required to treat and assess so many in so a short time.
- Christ’s love will be seen in the work of the team
- Malcolm will be able to help the Treasurer complete the end of year accounts for Kisiizi Hospital when he returns on 8th August
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