For me, this was/is a crazy week. I leave tomorrow for Bombo, Uganda. I may have forgotten what that stress is like. Or maybe when one throws into the mix a couple of grandchildren, things just go crazy. But I’m sure there are many things that I have forgotten to do in preparation for this mission. But that’s what those few days on the ground ahead of the mission are for, right?
But as the packing is done (not my personal packing, let me be clear) and the luggage paid for and the travel arrangements as clearly defined as possible, and the team of 11 prepped and ready to travel, it is time to go. But this year, more than ever, it is very clear that this mission is all about team. I didn’t pack one single thing. I ordered a bunch of things, but I didn’t pack even one of them. And we are taking tubs full of joy to Bombo. Ladies have been sewing for well over a year – even through the pandemic to prepare more stuffed animals than we could imagine. Their love will calm the hearts of many a young child as they face a doctor’s smile.
I’ve called on professional resources to clarify the drug list and provide an accurate formulary for the physicians. We have reached out to the surgical team in Uganda and secured most all of the items they say they need. No guarantees, but we tried. And God will provide.
There are 38 extra pieces of luggage sitting around the choir room ready to head to LAX and eventually to land at the airport in Entebbe. That’s a very long journey from our choir room downstairs. And the hours and hours of careful planning and packing make this a rather significant offering to the Lord. A team has come together and made this happen. A big team. A loving team. A hard working team.
It is now time to wait on the Lord. Please pray throughout the next two weeks for this medical mission. May God get all the glory for what He is going to do. Pick up a prayer guide (if you haven’t yet) and pray. We can do all this prep well, but if we fail to pray, we will fail.
So I leave this year grateful for all who have worked so hard to get us to this day. Your gifts, your prayer, your encouragement, your sweat, and your wisdom are coming together to provide medical care – and the Gospel – for those living around Bombo. By next Sunday morning we will be “open for business,” Lord willing. May God do His thing. We are desperate for God to do His thing. On Crestridge and in Bombo.