One Drop at a Time

I heard the analogy: "Treating the sick and hurting in Africa is like trying to drain the ocean with an eye dropper."  I must admit that the hopelessness in this statement so perfectly described how I felt as we were driving to Jinja from the Entebbe airport (that drive is an adventure in and of itself - a story that someone needs to tell.  Maybe later...).  Charlie Lima perfectly described the scenes witnessed driving through the small communities that line the highway as "instant replay of one huge tragedy." Like the mile markers on the Texas roads back home, the highway here, over and over and over again, is dotted with communities that are fully engulfed by the urgency of the African plight.  Yet despite all of this, the Segners are here.  Healing Faith is here.  Despite this hopelessness, we embark into the villages. Today we went to the Wakisi village, mostly comprised of orphans, many of whom's parents have been lost to AIDS. This village has around 150 kiddos.  The elders of the village must be outnumbered by the kids 10 to 1.  We de-wormed the kids and treated many of them for jiggers (a nasty little mite that burrows into the feet and lays a large ,worm-like egg sack).  All the while, Jason Segner treated the elders in the village for injuries and diseases, including common colds (not so common here as many will die from the infection), eye infections, malaria, a foot that wandered into the path of a swinging axe, chicken pox, and even leprosy.   Despite the witnessed joy that our visit brought to the village, despite the witnessed medical care provided by Jason, despite the laughter heard as the children played and danced with the rest of the team, my hopelessness lingered.  I wondered, will the villagers take the medicine provided by Healing Faith? Will they follow the simple instructions from Jason to drink more water?  Will they clean their wounds and properly re-bandage afterwards...?   After the chaos, Jason Segner smiles and tells me that the village looks so much better.  I learned that he had been there a few weeks before and had treated most of the elders for an upper respiratory infection that had spread through their ranks.  Jason was happy to report that that infection seemed largely cured.  The elders took their medicine, followed his advice, and got better.  Hopelessness gone. Maybe treating the sick and hurting in Africa is like trying to drain the ocean with an eye dropper.  If so, Jason and Kari Segner and their ministry Healing Faith have a firm grip on the eye dropper.  Each village visit may remove but a few drops of this ocean; but today I saw with my own eyes that the hurt feel better, the sick are healed, and the laughter is contagious.  I feel so blessed to be here and to be a part of what God is doing in and through the Segners and Healing Faith. Hopelessness be gone!  There's no room for you in God's army! Jonathan Stark