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An update on the outpatient building construction status from Michael O’Neal, PMI Project Director -

“Time keeps flying by here in Masindi Uganda.  We are “pushing” as the
locals say here.  Meaning we are getting things done on the construction
of the OPD.  The roof is on and looks great.  We are working hard to have
the plastering of the ceiling finished by the end of next week.  The
septic tank for the building has been dug and is currently being
constructed.  I am very pleased with the progress and quality of the OPD.
The community here is getting more and more excited with each step that we
take to completing the clinic.  Thanks to all of you for your prayers and
continued support of PMI.”

Thank you to everyone who kept up with the August team blog posts during the trip – your comments and support were greatly appreciated! I am happy to report that the whole team is back home in the US and volunteers have been attempting to settle back into their normal routines over the past week.

Overall, the team had a fantastic experience and was able to treat close to 1,000 patients in just five days. Each PMI volunteer excelled in their chosen area of service: RN/Triage, Provider care, pharmacy team, kids ministry, clinic coordination, public health teaching and more. We also greatly enjoyed having the “Sassinator” dental team with us as well and it was a privilege to be able to offer dental care to the people of Masindi through their efforts.

The team was also able to visit the PMI clinic site and see the outpatient building in it’s final stages of construction. The roof went up this week and we will post pictures soon – stay tuned for updates! Thanks again to everyone who helped make the August trip possible. We look forward to returning in December with another strong group of volunteers.

August 2010 PMI Team

The line outside Kimengo location

Nursing students come to learn from PMI volunteers

A baby with 3rd degree burns - one of the many patients the team was able to treat immediately and help facilitate future care.

The team checking out the new outpatient building with Michael

See you in December!

This is the delayed blog edition – sorry, gang, but we had technical problems yesterday.  Day 4 was a long road trip to Kiryandongo and another large and long clinic day.  We took care of many people but I am certain that we may have saved the lives of 2 children by understanding their need and, after doing all we could on site, arranging for their transportation to a larger hospital 3 hours away for definitive care.  It was a moving performance by the entire team.

Today was our last clinic day as a group.  After going full tilt for 4 days we backed off the pace a little and took advantage of the opportunities to talk to our patients and interpreters to get a more in depth understanding of life in Uganda. Shortly after lunch we packed up the minivans one more time, a job that gets easier each day as the loads of medication and supplies dwindle.

The highlight of the afternoon was our visit to the orphanage.  Every member of the team experienced the joy of being swarmed by 100 smiling children of all ages.  After many hugs and introductions we were seated and entertained with songs by several of the children followed by a play providing a harsh depiction of life for orphaned children in Uganda.  Afterwards we played games – the boys really took to American football and displayed some flashy moves with a soccer ball.  The girls played games, laughed and danced and the littlest ones chased bubbles and collected stickers.  As our first thunderstorms of the trip rolled in we packed it up to return to another warm shower and meal at our hotel.  Tonight we will all eagerly seek out our beds in preparation for tomorrow’s adventures.

Day three of our clinic here in Masindi began bright and early at 6:45.   The familiar aroma of french toast greeted us outside as we all gathered for breakfast.  Granted, there was no syrup, but it was still delicious.   After another thoughtful devotional, we gathered our gear and all headed out on vans to a clinic new to most of us.  The village of Kamengo.  The drive was short this time, a mere 30 minutes on a paved road, yet the line of eager awaiting patients was longer than ever.  We pulled up to our make-shift clinic to be greeted by a row of no less than 200 people, mostly women and children, many of whom probably had been waiting long before the sun had risen.  They all seemed relieved at our arrival, and were eager for our aid.    Reality struck instantly.  There was much work to be done.

It was a busy day indeed, treating more than 180 men, women and children, not including the estimated more than 100 patients seen in our adjacent dental clinic.   The air remained cool all morning and things ran smoothly.  With our improved organization, the flow of patients continues to become more and more efficient each day.  Our helpers in the triage area were excellent today, gathering vital information and keeping patients in order.  Each of our providers worked diligently with little breaks to get through everyone.  And the people working pharmacy kept up with incredible pace!   All in all today was a tremendous success.

More than just numbers though, I truly believe that many lives were changed today for the glory of our Lord.  I saw people’s faces light up as they were inspired by the encouraging words of our team members, offering them comfort and prayer, above and beyond the mere medicine that is handed out routinely.  I heard stories of a young man who left our clinic today encouraged to remain abstinent until marriage, despite the social and cultural pressures that abide.  I caught frequent glimpses of countless children running around, laughing and playing with our team outside, through the cracked window of the clinic room.  Perhaps one of our greatest ministries to these people is not with our medicine, but with laughter, a prayer, a hug or just a handshake.  For the first time today, I could truly feel that the purpose of this trip has transformed from the hope of sharing Christ’s love, to a reality.  I saw it come through on their faces, I heard it in their laughter… and I believe that the Spirit’s presence with our group is impacting lives.

Coming back to base, called quite plainly, Masindi Hotel, we are once again greeted with a wonderful meal.  We shared stories about our day and heard testimonies from 5 more members of our group.   Our time spend after dinner each evening is my favorite part of each day.  It is a time of getting to know one another on a personal level.  Many of us are opening up and sharing stories our our pasts, and the group is coming together.  It is a beautiful thing to witness this happening, because I believe that the heart of Christianity is fellowship and without fellowship we are less than God desires us to be.  I hope we continue to work closely together for the rest of this week, and I pray each morning that God will grace us again with His presence and bless the people of this country by some small act of kindness we might provide.

Angelo Del Re      CHKD Pediatric resident

Today was our second day of clinic and we started bright and early this morning. After some hot coffee and some breakfast to get us going, we loaded the vans and headed to Kiyara sugar cane plantation about 45 minutes from our hotel. The ride to the sugar cane plantation was beautiful and as we approached the school house were clinic was to take place, we quickly learned that the workday was well under way. Workers were out in the sugar cane fields and tractors were on the road. As we arrived at the clinic we could see that a line had already formed outside of the school house and people were eager to be treated. Although we were exhausted yesterday, we quickly learned that it was only a warm up. Within 30 minutes triage was set up and patients were being sent to providers. The dental team joined us today (and EVERYONE HAS ARRIVED SAFELY! And Melissa and Danielle join us tomorrow…) and added a whole new element to the clinic. Although screams could be heard from people getting their teeth pulled the patients were grateful to receive care and the dental team was busy all day. The PMI team saw close to 200 people and were able to not only treat people, but also educated them on health issues that they knew nothing about. It was amazing to see how many patients returned today who had been to the clinic in May and wanted more medication because they had seen an improvement in their health. I think that is part of what PMI is all about. We are able to provide the people of Masindi with continuous care and they look forward and return to the next clinic to maintain their health.

As we sat down for supper tonight we all commented on how it seemed like we had not seen each other all day and talked about how busy everyone was today, but no one said that they didn’t enjoy the day. We worked hard today, but it was worth every minute. Prayers were said, smiles were seen, and great thanks was given. It was another great day in Africa.

Julia Anderson

Hello friends and family!

Greetings from Masindi…tonight we shared a wonderfully prepared meal together after our first full day of clinic. Everyone is tired but doing well and in great spirits.

We began our day at 7 am, all of us eager to get started after many long days of travel. After breakfast we left Hotel Masindi in two groups: the first group went to register patients and set up clinic, the second group shortly thereafter to being seeing patients. Many locals walked miles and slept overnight at the school sight where the clinic was set up today just to be seen. Most brought their families with them. There were families with multiple children, and children without any family. Their faces were joyful in the midst of obvious great struggles with pain and illness. We were greeted warmly, and there was a visible air of trust for the PMI team because of the time that PMI has spent in the community over the past two years.

The line wrapped around the school building in the morning when we arrived, and over 120 patients were registered to see a provider. Although the team would have liked to have seen everyone, it was logistically impossible to meet every need in the time we were there. The PMI team was divided into triage, pediatrics, adults, and pharmacy, and other team members spent time playing with children (who do not tire!) and also praying with locals and their families. I must say, the team we have here is awesome. Praise the Lord that most of the supplies arrived so that we were able to care for as many people as possible today. We also received enough dental supplies at the airport today to begin the dental clinic tomorrow.

Please continue to pray for us…for energy to sustain us for the next four days, for the health of the PMI team, and especially for the people of Masindi. The people we have met here have been so gracious to us, both warming and breaking our hearts.

Thank you all for being a part of the team as well- we could not be here without you. We look forward to keeping you posted as we continue to serve and be served this week!

Joanne Jemsek

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thess. 5:16-18

We have all arrived at Masindi Hotel!!! Because of our first flight being cancelled, we were split into 4 groups. Two people were sent to Brussells and arrived at Entebbe late last night. Nine people were sent to Frankfurt, Germany and then flew to Ethiopia. They were supposed to arrive in Entebbe at 1 AM but their flight was cancelled so they were the last to arrive today at 1 PM. Five people were sent to London were they had a day of touring through London before joining 3 other people and flying to Entebbe. They all arrived today at 8 AM. The 3 other people that flew through London had flown to Atlanta as their connecting flight. The early arrivals arrived at the hotel around 2 PM and had lunch. The others arrived around 7 PM and we all had dinner around 8 PM. Right now we are all sorting pills and organizing all the equipment needed for clinic tomorrow. However, a few bags and trunks did not arrive with us today so if everyone could please pray that our bags arrive as soon as possible. We are all excited for this week and all the experiences we will have. Please continue to pray for all of us and the people we will meet throughout the week.

Thank you for all the support and prayers,

Amanda

Hello friends and family,

A quick update on the team travel situation: Our plane in Charleston had a mechanical issue this morning, so we missed our connecting Ethiopian air flight. Not to worry – we are rebooked on several alternate flights and the whole team should arrive in Entebbe airport by 8 am Sunday morning. With any luck, we should be at Masindi Hotel by early afternoon and still have time to prep for a week of clinic starting Monday. We will post a new update as soon as the team arrives in Masindi Hotel (most likely late Sunday afternoon/evening) and will be sure to keep you posted on our travel progress. In the meantime, thank you all for keeping us all in your thoughts and prayers.

Many thanks,
Marianne
PMI Administrative Director
marianne@palmettomedical.org

Amanda and Michael are close to completing renovations on the house where they will be living near the clinic site in Masindi. Eventually the doctor hired to run the clinic will move into this home so that he/she will be as close to the clinic site as possible. But until then, Amanda and Michael will continue to fix it up and turn it from a house to a “home”. Read below for updates from Michael and pictures of the new place!

“The new house is unbelievably close to being completed.  All of the major work and painting is done.  We have had a carpenter that is part of the Masindi St Mathews congregation working on furniture for us for the past two months and on Wednesday he delivered the first batch.  We are so excited to start the process of moving into our new house and making it a home.  There are obviously a few weeks of “finish work” to be completed but the big things are finished.  We will, by the grace of God, be spending Amanda’s first night back in Masindi in the new house.  We look forward to seeing the team  in just a few days and can’t wait to be a part of another great group from Chuck-Town.”

Time continues to fly by here in Masindi and it is hard to believe it is time for another update. The construction process is going extremely well. We are making great progress on the outpatient clinic. The walls are up and the crew is scheduled to start working on the roof this month. The community is very pleased with how things are coming together and the speed at which we are moving forward to provide them with high quality medical care. Thanks to the help of Curt Berg and our architect here in Uganda, we have finalized the plans for the ward buildings. I will be meeting with town council the later this month to present our plans to them for approval. Thanks to all who continue to support and pray for Amanda and I as well as for the clinic.

-Michael O’Neal, PMI Project Director (Masindi, Uganda)

Check out photos below outpatient building construction progress – can’t wait to finished project this October!