It seems a bit odd to say we went on a mission trip this summer. It might be even more odd to say that we did a mission trip in our home country, which happens to be Uganda. Just as in years past, Rafe brought a team from Christ Fellowship to help with planting 4 churches, doing medical & dental clinics, and sharing the gospel.
This year's team was smaller than usual, which God clearly had planned because the locations were smaller and hotels were smaller. A bigger team could have been very difficult. Because of the team size, we didn't do a vision clinic. That meant Raegan and I would have completely new roles. Also, Floyd didn't have a worship team this year, so that was different.
Raegan and I were basically the triage team for all the doctors. We saw every single patient, which was over 100 almost every day (on the last day, we broke a record for number of patients). Raegan and I took their blood pressure, temperature, pulse rate, blood oxygen level, respirations, and worked with an interpreter to ask what their primary complaints were. For particularly high fevers, we would give them an initial dose of medication to start bringing down the temp while still waiting for the doc. 
Floyd sang songs in the clinics to give folks something to listen to and it really helped those of working. We had between 3 and 5 doctors each day, so Raegan and I were very busy preparing patients. By the time we got a patient's info, a doctor was calling them in. We never got ahead, so we never got a break. The worship music was a great source of energy!
Troy and Tyler did not have a lot to do, but when they worked it was necessary. For example, Troy went every day to help fetch water from the well. He carried between 12 and 15 jerry cans of water every day (each one of those cans weighs about 40 pounds - think of a 5 gallon jug of water).
They also ran errands, help load and unload the bus, and just did whatever was asked of them. Tyler ended up with one interesting job. When the sun comes into the clinics, it can seem unbearable at times. Tyler would climb up the wall and hang a tarp to block the sun. As the sun moved across the sky, the tarp would cover less sun. Fortunately, Tyler didn't mind climbing up to adjust the tarp. Sometimes he had help, but other times he had to go it along. :)
This year's team was smaller than usual, which God clearly had planned because the locations were smaller and hotels were smaller. A bigger team could have been very difficult. Because of the team size, we didn't do a vision clinic. That meant Raegan and I would have completely new roles. Also, Floyd didn't have a worship team this year, so that was different.
Raegan and I were basically the triage team for all the doctors. We saw every single patient, which was over 100 almost every day (on the last day, we broke a record for number of patients). Raegan and I took their blood pressure, temperature, pulse rate, blood oxygen level, respirations, and worked with an interpreter to ask what their primary complaints were. For particularly high fevers, we would give them an initial dose of medication to start bringing down the temp while still waiting for the doc. 
Floyd sang songs in the clinics to give folks something to listen to and it really helped those of working. We had between 3 and 5 doctors each day, so Raegan and I were very busy preparing patients. By the time we got a patient's info, a doctor was calling them in. We never got ahead, so we never got a break. The worship music was a great source of energy!Troy and Tyler did not have a lot to do, but when they worked it was necessary. For example, Troy went every day to help fetch water from the well. He carried between 12 and 15 jerry cans of water every day (each one of those cans weighs about 40 pounds - think of a 5 gallon jug of water).
They also ran errands, help load and unload the bus, and just did whatever was asked of them. Tyler ended up with one interesting job. When the sun comes into the clinics, it can seem unbearable at times. Tyler would climb up the wall and hang a tarp to block the sun. As the sun moved across the sky, the tarp would cover less sun. Fortunately, Tyler didn't mind climbing up to adjust the tarp. Sometimes he had help, but other times he had to go it along. :)
Every year there is a group of people from the VLW that puts on skits during the crusades. One of the skits starts out with various scenes of people assumed to not know Christ - prostitutes, a woman who is dragging her daughter to a witch doctor, the Witch Doctor, a thief, a drunk, a Catholic priest, a Muslim, and I think that's it. A girl comes out and shares the gospel with all of them and some except. Suddenly Jesus shows up and only those who have accepted are allowed to pass into the entrance to Heaven. The ones who didn't except are turned away. Next, a horrible soundtrack plays - one like you might hear at a haunted house - and some guys dressed up as demons come out from all sides of the crowd. The kids usually take off running terrified. After scary the children, the demons go on the stage and take captive all those who had not accepted Christ. One of the characters is dressed up as Satan and he motions to the crowd as if asking who else is going with him. It's quite dramatic but somewhat effective at getting the point across.
This year, Troy and Tyler got to participate in the skit. They dressed up as demons and played their parts. Here are some pics.
I know you might not really recognize them because they're growing up so much...
It's pretty much dry season right now, but one day we did get a sudden down pour. These guys were out on the back of the truck going to get water from the well. They got soaked, as you can see!
This is Mirembe Joy. She is the daughter of one of the couples from VLW. She is just adorable and really enjoyed playing with Tyler and Raegan. I think Raegan became her best buddy. Sometimes you'd find her following Raegan around the clinics, and as soon as the clinics ended you could always find her dancing or playing with Raegan. Her name suites her well.
This was the table with 3 doctors at the moment. You can imagine trying to treat patients while sharing a table with all the other doctors and having only sheets hung up to separate you from the crowd outside.
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