We recently found Samuel at home in excruciating pain.
He had been hit by a motorcycle taxi while he was walking along the road in our village. The impact threw him several feet and broke his leg in two places.
When the accident first happened, he traveled 40km to get to the hospital in Kampala. Sadly, once they learned he did not have enough money for treatment, they removed him from the bed and left him waiting in the hall for several days. Realizing they were not going to help him, Samuel decided that he would prefer to suffer at his home in the village instead of staying at the hospital without food nor a place to sleep.
A little more than three weeks had past when we found out about Samuel's condition. As we visited him at home, he told us about the accident and his attempt to get treatment. He also told us how he had pushed the bone back inside his wound on multiple occasions since any pressure on that leg would cause it to pop out. He told us that he had lost all hope of receiving medical treatment and was waiting for his leg to get "bad enough" before he had someone cut it off with a machete.
His suffering was extreme.
We prayed with him and told him we would help him. The original estimate of treatment was approximately $250 and praise God! we were able to raise that amount fairly quickly.
Unfortunately, when we took Samuel back to the hospital for treatment, they refused to treat him because he had "left on his own" the first time. Once again we had to take him back to the village without being treated. The pain of moving so much at such long distances was intense. His hope faded even more.
The following day, we loaded Samuel into our vehicle again for the long drive to the city. We found a hospital that would treat him, but they weren't able to admit him right away and asked us to come back in three days.
An additional challenge was that the cost of surgery and care at the new hospital was going to be $1,400 instead of $250. They actually specialize in orthopedic issues and that was great news for Samuel, but that amount was quite an increase from the original estimate! We encouraged Samuel and told him we would ask God to provide for him. Our hearts ached for the torment moving him caused, but once again we took him back to the village.
At this point, we had less than three days to raise the money needed for Samuel to be admitted to the hospital and receive the medical care he so desperately needed. We put out a prayer request asking for donations for Samuel's surgery -- trusting God to provide.
Praise the Lord! In His perfect faithfulness, through His people, God provided all that was needed for Samuel's surgery!
Surgery was a success and Samuel was released from the hospital five days after his operation with instructions to return in several weeks for a checkup.
For a month he endured great pain, but within a day of his surgery, Samuel's pain was gone. For the first time in his life, he praised God.
Samuel's hope was restored.
Samuel returned to the village on a Friday. The following Sunday, he arrived at church and stood before the congregation to thank all those that made his surgery possible.
He witnessed the love of Jesus through the generosity of strangers. It truly baffled and touched him in a profound way. As he finished his thanksgiving speech, he told our Pastor that he wanted to confess Jesus as Savior. <<insert Happy Dance!>>
Hallelujah, Praise the Lord!
Samuel's hope has been restored and his life is changed for eternity!
A big THANK YOU to everyone who donated and prayed for Samuel's surgery and salvation. Your generosity and support truly makes a difference in the lives of those we minister too.
Please continue praying for Samuel's leg to heal perfectly and for him to regain strength, but most importantly pray that he will grow in the knowledge of the Lord and walk with Him all the days of his life.
““May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13”