Prayers For Ndianga

‘Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!’

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Many of you know Ndianga, he has been our friend since the day we came to Uganda. He was our personal driver for the first six months we lived here, until Christian started driving. We got the tipper truck specifically for him to drive and support himself and every week he paid us the amount we asked for to go towards repairs and such for the truck. He never missed a payment on time and was always honest about what he made. We love him very much, and even though he speaks very little English (more now than when we met him) we have developed a strong friendship with him. We can get information from him in an honest way, he is very humble and meek. He is held in high esteem in the village; we told him recently when his mother passed that it was a testament to his and his family’s character that one thousand or more people came from all over Uganda to mourn and pay their respects.

When we moved here, Ndianga had his own car and hired out to drive for people. A year before we moved he was in an accident and broke his pelvis and leg. He couldn’t afford the operation he needed so his injuries healed incorrectly. For the past two years he had one crutch and about a year ago our doctor told him that it hasn’t helped his problem at all. We helped him to get new crutches that helped some but with so much damage already done both from the accident and the crutches the pain finally became unbearable. It came to a point that he had to be carried to the car to get him to the hospital, while he cried in pain. That was hard to witness from a man who has been independent, strong and always smiling even with the disability he lives with everyday. He hasn’t driven the tipper and it has been very hard on him because he has always taken care of his family and not asked for handouts. Because of The Mandate’s long friendship and respect for him we have been helping him physically and financially for the past six months or so to get to doctors and physical therapy that hasn’t helped. It has all come down to having to have surgery – a hip replacement. Because the bone didn’t heal correctly and crutches that didn’t help his posture he has disc’s in his back that are bulging and the only way to correct that is to replace the damaged hip. After much prayer The Mandate and friends of The Mandate have generously given the $4600. for the surgery. We prayed that if the money was given that he would go ahead with the surgery, so many fear hospitals and surgeries so they don’t have them when they do need them. But the pain and suffering and not being able to work has gotten him to the place where he knows he won’t have a better quality of life unless he has it.

After about four different hospitals and as many doctors his friend told him about an orthopedic surgery hospital a couple hours away. He went and was very encouraged by the Dr. and the hospital. It is a far cry from the government hospitals and Dr’s. He decided that is where he wanted to have the surgery done but he wanted us to go first and speak with the Dr. and see the hospital. We were going a couple weeks ago and his mother died so it was put off until this week. We went and met the Dr. who is very friendly, articulate and answered all of our questions about the surgery, recovery and rehabilitation. We joked that Christian told Ndianga after he was healed they would race. The Dr. didn’t get it as a joke and asked Ndianga if he was a runner – why is it so important that he be able to run. And that at his age that wasn’t a good idea because he could fall and break it again. He asked him why he wanted to have the surgery. When we explained that was all in fun he high fived us and laughed. Ndianga told him that he wanted the surgery because of the pain and the inability to work. We felt good and at peace with his decision to have it done there, with that Dr.

Ndianga will go to the hospital on this Saturday, August 11 to get settled and ready for the surgery which will be on Monday, August 13. We don’t know the time of the surgery yet but please pray with us that all goes well with the surgery. that God would touch him with His healing hand and give him the comfort and peace he needs to get through. He should stay in the hospital for one week, go home for a week and then go back to be checked. Then over about three months he will heal and have rehabilitation. Surgery for anyone is a big deal, even in America, but so much more here. Over all the hospitals and doctors we have experienced here this one is the best we’ve seen but it is still scary.

He wants to let everyone who has helped to make this possible how very grateful and humbled he is. He is not a Christian and we pray always that every kindness, every example we set before him will be a witness and bring him closer to being a believer in Jesus Christ. Every opportunity we have we tell him that it is not us, it is not The Mandate that supplies all of our needs but our Savior and our faithfulness and obedience to Him.

The surgery isn’t as expensive as it would be in America, by a long shot, but it is still a lot of money and any donations toward that would be a great help to The Mandate so that we can help others who want to but can’t help themselves. Visit themandate.com and donate to any of our projects or the general fund. And God bless all who have helped in many ways to enable us to help those in our community.

Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;  give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Luke 36-38