Mathew 18:20

For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.
-Mathew 18:20

Where do we gather in the Lord's name?

This past week we (meaning myself and many of my friends here in Uganda) found ourselves in an not so unique situation. I suppose for me it was unfamiliar territory, but for the rest it unfortunately and fortunately isn't so uncommon. A significant portion of our Bible study attendees all had patients at the local hospital and were dedicated to spending time there seeing to their needs, providing meals, and loving on them through their hard times.


I was included in this group. I had recently found a girl in need. I won't go into full details of her situation, but I will give you the short version. On my way to work I found her unconscious lying in the middle of the road. Upon getting her help we discovered that she had come down to Jinja, from northern Uganda, for a promised house girl job. The people who brought her here took her things and abandoned her in the bus park. She had been living on the streets for over a week with no food and because of her tribal background she was unable to communicate with anyone. We also discovered that she very likely had psychological problems and may have been a rape victim.


She was a sweetheart. Her smile would light up the room. She was a child of God who I fell in love with quicker than I would have imagined. When I found her she had no hope. In Uganda having no hope means something a bit more drastic than in the States. I honestly believe that had the Lord not led me to her and surrounded me by people who could help me through the situation that she would be dead today and if not today very soon.


Anyway, as we discussed Bible study for the week we realized the obvious solution was having it at the hospital. A great horde of white people came and crammed into the Women's Ward. There were families gathered around patients in beds across the way and several of our patients sat and listened in, some understanding some just enjoyed listening to the songs and watching us as we browsed through scripture and discussed adamantly in a foreign tongue. It was a glorious night. It was such a blessing to see the smiles on the faces, of all within earshot, as we sang praise to our Lord and Savior.


Some highlights for me of the night were; the head doctor who had just gotten off duty fetching his Bible and joining us, another Indian doctor coming in and asking to have a photo taken on his phone of him and the girl playing guitar, and the following day hearing that our favorite nurse was upset she had missed out (we promised we would be back and inform her with plenty of notice so she could attend).

I can't imagine what heaven will be like, but I know that it will be similar to our night in the hospital.

Where do we gather together in the Lord's Name...Al-Shafa Medical Center!

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I suppose I should give a conclusion to the girl I was caring for. We found a lady who spoke her language and organized a tribe mate and a social worker (who works for a friends organization) to escort her back up to northern Uganda to her home. She was sooo excited to be going home and I can only imagine the reunion with her family. I still think about her daily and pray the Lord is working in her heart and that she has the support she needs to deal with the difficult life she will continue to face in Uganda. Please join me in these prayers. Pray for Charity.