Rise to the Call

Long days and very short nights are the theme for the medical team for a mission trip and Uganda is definitely no different. There is very little time we are in country and precious work needs be done by our surgical staff. Trust that not one minute is wasted during our time here.

The days begin very early with buses rolling as the sun comes up with a return trip after dark. Typically, our surgical team returns well past 10pm for a late dinner and a quick rest before returning for their surgical cases the next morning. Transportation by most of our patients is on foot and travel may have been over many kilometers so turning away anyone doesn’t seem like an option, the team stays on site at Lacor and Gulu Regional to care for those that have made the trip.

People often ask what this mission is like and without hesitation a volunteer will respond, “life changing’’. The people that ask that question feel the volunteers are talking about the patients but it is us that have been changed. How do you travel thousands of miles, get limited sleep, eat a diet that is much different than we would ever experience at home, and work in conditions that at times seem unworkable, but crave for more? You crave for more hours in the day; you crave to help all that have traveled to see you.

Our five surgical teams are amazing and they are changing lives. The people they are helping may have never have had a chance to get the treatment they traveled to receive. They will be changed to be healthier and happier.  But in the end we are the ones that have changed. This mission is made possible by our supporters it is making a significant difference in the lives of our patients but our lives are the ones that were touched and changed forever. We share this feeling with you and thank you for giving us this opportunity to help.