Uganda update for Friday, June 13

From Chris Thornton:

Subject: Uganda Friday 13

Prayer request are listed within. Please also pray that our group will not be overwhelmed with the need, but lean solely upon Christ.

First thing in morning
Tamara is sick and unable to go out with us today. Prayers for healing.

Libby Haney is heading up child outreach is Tamara's absence. Preston, Sunny, and Karen are helping in this team.

Sylvia is heading up pharmacy team with Daphane and Pam

Dewey, Keith, and Charles are heading up the construction team to paint a school

Mike Adelman is head of crowd control

Dr cross and Fossey are treating patients

April is assisting the doctors

Jody and I are in the prayer room

The excitement is high.... The team is ready to go out and love the people

Talk to you soon

Thank you for the prayers

Special message from Pam to Palmer - "I Love you!" (Palmer e-mail her back even if it is through me, sweetie. I'm not sure which address you are staying right now)

Four hours later…
This is insane..... It is controlled chaos with needs everywhere. Children are everywhere and the team, while stressed a little seems to be doing well. More to come later.... I am off to buy more medicines and 100 mosquito nets to hand out.

The doctors are being the hands and feet of Christ and the pharmacy ladies are incredibile. April is a machine helping people.

Mike has the crowd control down with grace and love for the people.

The construction team is just getting started. More later.

The child outreach team is rocking it. Bubbles are a huge hit!!!!

I am about to ride 10 miles on the back of a motorcycyle to town with pastor Edward and a local doctor. More on this adventure later!!!!

Two hours after that…
Talk about an African adventure all for me!!

I rode as the third person on the back of a motorcycle 10 miles to jinja from the village of lubani where we are set up for the day. I went to buy additional medicines the doctors need as well as 100 mosquito nets we will hand out to families to combat malaria.

2 Africans and a muzungu (white person) flying down a dirt rode in Uganda.... Had to be a sight. I loved it!!!!

Headed back now to eat lunch, at 2:45pm, and continue the clinic the rest of the day.

Not sure how the rest of the team is yet. Will update tonight.

Keep prayers going for organization, rest tonight, supplies to not run out early, and grace to be on the team. It is crazy in the clinic, but everyone seems to really be out there serving and giving of themselves.

Prayer room is awesome to have the opportunity to pray for healing and blessing in peoples lives.

We are flying down a dirt road back to the village in a car. Picked it up in town...... Would have loved to ride the motorcycle back!!!! Not sure how fast we are going as the speedometer does not work......

Keep up the prayers!

Uganda update #2 directly from Chris Thornton's blackberry

This message was typed on a blackberry by a tired missionary. Please excuse the typos.

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Chris Thornton
To: ckthorn@sbcglobal.net
Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 3:41:36 PM
Subject: Thursday

What a crazy day.... We were late getting to jinja due to the money issue..... By the way they ended up giving us $200 to much!! So we are going to return it next week when we fly to gulu....

Today was a PR day. We arrived in jinja and got our rooms. We spent a little time at a house for single mothers and widows with HIV\AIDS. This is run by the evangelizing sisters of mary in partnership with cyorf. Wonderful time with them. We are going back tomorrow for a few minutes as well.

We also spent time with the cyorf board and discussed some future needs and they thanked us for the support we have provided so far. Very grateful.

We them had a visit to a housing project cyorf is working on. They build new perm houses for widows and we got to see one under construction. $2,500 for a brick house.

Them we had a meeting with the vice chairman of jinja district. He is equal to the governor of arkansas. He thanked us for our support of cyorf and is providing us a guard during our stay to protect the medical supplies. This was a big deal for us to meet with him.

We have eaten and sorted the supplies and are ready for the clinics and the construction projects tomorrow.

We met another group of 56 from all over the states doing medical, construction, evangelizing, etc in jinja. They are staying on our hotel.

That is all for now..... The team is getting along very well and bonding. Everyone is excited to get started tomorrow.

More to come later..... Thank you for the prayers. We are felling them.

I love you. Talk to you soon.

Crt

Uganda update #1 for today from Kysia Thornton

Psalm 120:1 "In my distress I cried unto the Lord and he heard me."


The team got to work today. Before going into Jinja though they had to exchange their money. They were shorted by $1000 and had to go back through the process again when they realized it. Chris said, "The Holy Spirit guided us through and everything worked out." Thank you for all who are praying for the team out there. I believe
this "guiding" to be a result from your prayers.

The team is closing in for the evening in Jinja. They have hired widows from CYORF to prepare their meals while in Jinja. Tomorrow (tonight for us) they will hold another medical clinic and hold Discipleship classes. In the Evening (Our mid to late morning Friday) they will hold a Mini-gospel Crusade.

Special prayers:

For Tamara as she leads the children's ministry programs.

Jody as he leads the Discipleship classes.

Prayers for empowering the whole team to be able to express God's grace and be bold with their faith.

The younger members of our team Sunny, Preston, Dewey and Libby we pray for special wisdom and safety as they work alongside the team. That they would carry "a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:7) in their testimonies.
The people of Jinja and the surrounding villages to be open to God's call on their hearts.

Thanks so much!

Kysia

Uganda Mission Trip

I thought I'd post an update for those who follow Karen's blog. Today Karen left with a group from our church, Central UMC, on a medical mission trip to Uganda. This mission is headed up by Jody Farrell & Chris Thornton who have been active with Worldvision and CYORF helping the people and children of Uganda. This is an exciting trip and Karen is thrilled to be able to go and help out! As you may guess, her health is good and she is doing well. We are going to miss her greatly over the next 11 days!

They will be traveling from Arkansas to Chicago to Brussels to Entebbe and finally ending up in Jinja, Uganda tomorrow. Their plans are to work in Jinja and then travel north to Gulu and work there toward the end of their trip.



Please pray for their safe travels and that they will have a positive physical and spiritual impact on the people and children of Uganda. I will post the update emails I receive on this blog so you can check back in on their progress. Here is the first update from Kysia Thornton:
--------------
Psalm 34:3- Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together.

The Mission Team for Uganda is heading out. They will fly from XNA to Chicago to Brussels to Entebbe then into Jinja, Uganda. They will arrive in Jinja ready to work by Thursday. Please pray that everything goes smoothly and that their hearts will be prepared upon arrival to begin their work in both medical clinics and community projects.

Our Team members are Jody Farrell, Chris Thornton, Keith Hoggard, Dewey Dykes, Mike Adelman, Karen Blasingame, Carol Fossey, Michael Cross, Sunny Cross, Pamela Hays, April Steeps, Preston Thibodaux, Sylvia Wulf, Charles Brickey, Tamara Brickey, Daphne Wright, and Libby Haney.

"Also, I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then said I, "Here I am; send me."" (Isaiah 6:8)

Kysia Thornton
-----------------


Thanks! Daniel Blasingame, daniel.blasingame@nominum.com

Happy belated Easter!

Thanks for the encouraging comments and emails. We had a great Easter and Holy Week and I hope everyone did too. Here's a picture of the kids after church & lunch on Easter Sunday and there are some more pics here.

It has now been almost 8 weeks since my last surgery and I have been getting back to exercising for the past week or two and feeling better. I was hoping to do the Little Rock marathon but it just wasn't in the cards. Daniel and I went down to to race to encourage our friends who were participating and I wanted to honor Kim's memory by doing the race as she did the year before (Kimsprayer entry March 2007). Next year for sure! Thanks to all those who participated and thought of Kim. Also, thanks for your continued prayers.

Speaking of exercising, Kori, Leslie, Melanie & I are participating in the Hogeye Marathon as a relay team on April 6 and Daniel & I are doing the NWA Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure on April 19th. Keep us all in your prayers!!

Thanks again,
KGB

At Home doing well

I brought Karen home yesterday around noon and she rested all afternoon and had a good night of sleep, helped by pain medication. Today she is up and about and we enjoyed a good iChat with the McNabbs on the computer before they headed off to a basketball game.

Thanks for your prayers!

Daniel

Going home today

Karen did well last night and is getting up and around the hospital room. This morning Dr. Rob Hix made rounds and gave her the OK to be discharged so hopefully by lunch we will be taking Karen home.

Thanks,
db