Wheelsblog -- Uganda 2019, Day 7
The Wheels for the World team are in Moyo, Uganda from the 5th to the 15th June. We'll be bringing you their stories and news as often as the internet connection allows. Here's the seventh report, as the team unloads the container, and travels to Bidi Bidi camp to distribute wheelchairs and change many lives! Please keep praying for the team as they pack up and head home over the next couple of days.
Wednesday 12 June
We woke early this morning at 05:00 and packed our vehicles with our belongings as we were leaving our accommodation today and moving onto Yumbe and the Bidi Bidi camp for the first and last distribution.
Our first job at around 06:00 was to unload the container and separate out the various chairs and walking aids as some were to be left in Moyo and the rest taken to Yumbe by lorry. The whole process was done in record time and by 07:40 we were on a dirt road direct to Bidi Bidi.
We arrived after about 90 minutes and stopped for a while at a church, but then relocated closer to town because we needed to be closer to the clients. We ended up in a good location under two large tents on a hill overlooking the area. There were already a few people sitting on the ground waiting to be seen and we soon got underway with the distribution as a steady stream of people came.
We saw several young children and some complex cases keeping the therapists busy all day. We used today to continue mentoring the HHA team and by the end of the session they were feeling confident to take on their own cases in readiness to complete the distribution without our assistance.
After seeing the therapists each client is given the opportunity to meet our pastor, Nathan, and receive a Bible and prayer. This was a precious time to be able to find out more about the clients themselves and understand how we can best be praying for them. Many were now able to get to church based purely on the fact that they had received a wheelchair. The stories varied greatly but they were mostly stories of immense sadness and suffering as people left their country of South Sudan, their homes and families. God was clearly at work during the pastoral time and it was a blessing to be able to serve the clients.
During the afternoon we had a visit from the local head of government who warmly welcomed us and thanked us for what we are doing for the disabled people in the camp.
At the end of the distribution we thanked our host partners, HHA, and after giving them small gifts and saying our goodbyes, we boarded the transport to our overnight accommodation in Yumbe town. We are all looking forward to a relaxing day at Murchison Falls and a safari tomorrow.
