Uwimana Providence : 2017

Today I just have a short post to ask for prayer...

Please for all the missionaries who are facing very emotionally challenging circumstances. Please pray that the peace of God that surpasses ALL understanding guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). It has been a rough few weeks with yet another government strike (nurses this time) in Kenya. This means all the mission hospitals are overburdened. We’ve had a lot of tough cases and fatalities due to delayed care and other issues related to the strike; on top of the increase in workload. This has really taken a toll on me and I believe my colleagues as well, both physically and emotionally. But in all things I am learning to praise God. He has sustained us and given us strength to persevere through what we would have never imagined.

I truly appreciate your support.

After 100 days, the public doctors' strike in Kenya was finally over! Never in a lifetime would I have imagined what the last 4 months had in store. As a private mission hospital we stayed open but lost our government sponsored doctor and all our interns. This left us with a skinny crew to treat the many patients who no longer had the option of going to a public hospital for care. Although working through the strike was challenging on so many levels, it was also very edifying. I have seen and felt the hand of God come to our rescue when we thought we could not be stretched any further.

There were more heart breaking moments than I could even begin to count but I feel we have become a stronger hospital, a stronger team and certainly bolder witnesses for having gone through this difficult time. Many of the clinicians stepped up and picked up new responsibilities and worked tirelessly without complaint for the sake of the Gospel and their patients. As a testament to God’s perfect timing we were blessed by the presence of several short-term physicians, having planned their trips at least a year in advance.

I cannot even begin to fully grasp the effects that this time has had on my psyche, my intellect and my spirit. Perhaps the most difficult part of it all was witnessing so much death. Daily, we received patients who could not travel to the hospital until it was too late for intervention. I experienced feelings of defeat whenever we had nothing else to offer and yet had to explain to family members that their patient may have had a chance if they had arrived sooner. Through this experience I have learned to rely on God alone; all “other ground is sinking sand”.

I have learned first hand that God really does sustain, and He does provide everything I need, all at the perfect time. Moreover, my perception of a situation does not change this truth (Rom 8:28).

Surviving a ~~zombie apocalypse~~ doctors’ strike

Step 1: Stay prayed up