Hope
The 2014 edition of the Uganda Medical Mission Trip is now complete. As we start to see coworkers, friends and family for the first time they will ask questions about how the trip was, what we experienced and how many patients did we see. There is a period of “re-entry” when you come back from a trip like this. The experience is hard to process at first as something special happens to you while you are gone. Through the long hours and little sleep you start to look around and notice a group of people from varying walks of life, ages and backgrounds come together to form a team that is nothing short of amazing. Then you realize something bigger is happening you are collaborating and working side by side with the people of Uganda.
Abigail Hayo, Mission Coordinator told the group on our final night in Uganda, “The numbers were out of this world, but it is not always about the numbers, it is about all of the people we touched”. In Uganda, the people that we helped were grateful beyond anything one could imagine. You see it when they grab your hand tightly and take a moment as if they are searching for the right words; they look directly at you and say, “Thank You” and for some reason those two words seem so powerful there.
The numbers are staggering; thousands of miles traveled, record setting clinic and surgical patients cared for, thousands of students taught fire safety and children given the opportunity to do art projects with over 300 lbs. of art supplies and it was the people that made all of this a huge success.
There were so many that worked to make this mission successful and are considered a member of the 2014 Uganda Mission Team. For our families and friends who worried about us, cared for issues here at home and gave us support while we were gone we could not have done it without you. To the donors of the Medical Missions Foundation your product and financial support is changing lives and giving hope to people for a healthy and happy life.
There is hope in Uganda for a bright future. Hope that we will return again and offer more care, collaboration and education. Hope that together we will continue to make a difference in the lives of the people of Uganda. Together we make it more than numbers it is about each person doing what they can to keep the hope alive for others around the world.