The Work Continues…

A long overdue update…

The Mercy for Mamas team had a great summer and did a lot of work! Our mission team worked non-stop during our July trip. We had such a great team. Everyone jumped right into the work and found the place they could be used the most. It was great to see! The teenagers on our team played non-stop with the kiddos. This is a blessing because it allows the moms to really sit and listen to our teaching and not have to worry about their children.  Other ladies helped with teaching, held babies, helped to organize supplies, serve food, and pray with the women.

We hosted eight different outreach events around Uganda. We focused primarily on Eastern Uganda, working in Kampala, Jinja, Mbale, and Soroti. We were able to serve more than 1500 women. We had some great times of teaching and the women asked really great questions at each place we visited. It’s always interesting to see what topics seem to be most pressing to the women. It really can vary from place to place depending on their education, access to medical care, experience, etc. This time we had lots of questions about UTIs, danger signs in pregnancy, and breastfeeding. Every pregnant mama received a mama kit. They were so thrilled to receive them. It’s always humbling to realize that these women often walk miles, wait for hours, and shout for joy to receive a mama kit. It always help us to remember the importance of these supplies and what a relief it is to each mama that receives one. We were also able to provide many of the mamas with cloth diaper sets. They were thrilled to receive them. These sets will help to keep their babies healthy and save these mamas a lot of time on laundry!

We encountered several women and children with medical needs beyond our capabilities. It was such a blessing to be able to help these women and children get the care that they needed. Several people on our mission team had money set aside to help when such needs came up. These donations covered the costs of bloodwork, ultrasounds, medicine, and several visits to a specialist.

We visited with some of our ministry partners and were able to encourage them in their on-going work. It’s always a pleasure to get to bring them supplies and encouragement to let them know how much we appreciate and value the work they do. It’s also great to hear testimonies from them on how our mama kits are truly helping mamas in need.

During one of our outreach events, a small group of us got to lead a special seminar for teenage girls. We talked about puberty, hygiene, and all of the changes going on in their bodies. We also talked about how much God values them and loves them. Realizing that many of these may have faced some sort of abuse or will in the future, we talked about how to deal with those situations, their power to say no, who to tell, etc. It was a great conversation. We were also able to provide those girls with reusable menstrual pad sets. These sets are a simple way to show these girls that they are valued and loved, and it relieves a big financial burden for them. We are grateful for the group at South Shore Baptist Church that helped to provide these sets.

We also had the privilege of hosting two dinners for missionary women serving full-time in Uganda. We had close to 100 missionaries attend our events. These dinners are always such a delight. The evening includes dinner, fellowship, door prizes, goody bags, worship, and prayer. It is amazing to see these women network, encourage one another, and form new friendships. Thank you so much to all of you that contributed towards the items for the goody bags and door prizes.

And do you want to know what is really great news? The work of Mercy for Mamas is on-going. Some people may not realize that we are able to pass out mama kits, help with prenatal education, and support our ministry partners all year long. It’s not just when we have a mission team on the ground. Recently, we’ve been to help a new work starting with mothers and babies in the NICU of a large Ugandan hospital.  We’ve hosted more outreach events, especially in Western Uganda. We’ve supplied mama kits to mission teams, churches, pregnancy centers, and those working with refugees.

Every week we get more requests for mama kits. The demand is great. The good news is that your continued, generous donations allow us to provide these life-giving kits to women in need. Thank you for providing the funding we need for our work. Every donation matters.

Make sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date with all of the work we are doing in Uganda!

Order your Mercy for Mamas shirts now, just click here or on the image below. We are taking orders until the 22nd. Check out these super comfy shirts. We’ve also included a long sleeve tee option this time. Grab a cute tee and help us spread the word about what we do.

Meet the Mamas is a feature on our blog where we introduce you to some of the women we serve. Our goal is for you to hear their stories, see their faces, and get a better understanding of where they are coming from, the needs they face, and how we help.

During my 11 years of traveling to Uganda I have met thousands and thousands of women. I have heard so many stories of abuse, poverty, death, and survival. I don’t ever want to exploit these women and their stories. I don’t want to embellish their experiences to fit my purposes. I simply want you to hear their stories, to understand a bit more about their lives, and get a grasp on the needs they face. I must say that Annette’s story is one that has lingered with me more than probably any other.

I met Annette in a small village at the edge of the sugar cane plantation. When we asked the crowd of women if anyone had a birth story or had used one of our mama kits and wanted to share about that experience with me Annette was the first in line. I could tell she was so eager to talk to me.

Annette is 38 years old and works in the sugar cane fields each day. She is a mother to 10 children from age 1-19 years old. She delivered all ten children completely on her own. Six of the children are living.

She sadly told me how one of the children was a stillbirth when she was seven months pregnant. She felt like that baby died because she had been working too hard and had not had enough food to eat.

She then told me the story of how one of the children was born in a swamp while she was working. She said that labor came on quickly. She didn’t know what to do, so she just delivered the baby right there in the fields. She said when the baby came out he fell into the dirty water. She didn’t have any tools with her so she used a piece of sugarcane or a branch to cut the umbilical cord and a piece of thread from her dress to tie it off. One week later the baby died from an infection.

Two of her children at ages 2 and 4 died from severe malnutrition and anemia. She said it broke her heart that she did not have enough food to feed them properly.

While she was talking, I didn’t know what to say. There was so much pain and loss to take in. I had a million questions for her, but didn’t feel right asking most of them. I simply sat and listened.

Then she began talking about the birth of her youngest. She said she had attended one of our outreach seminars while pregnant. She couldn’t believe it when we gave her a mama kit. She had never had special supplies for the birth before. When the time came to deliver she set out all of the things from the kit. She said she realized at one point that the baby was not in the right position. She proudly said she put on the surgical gloves from her kit and was able to reach up and get the baby in the right position. (I think my mouth was probably hanging open at this point of her story. I can barely cut my own hangnail, let alone reposition my own baby during birth.) She told me how grateful she was to have all of those sterile supplies and what a difference they made for her and her baby.

The baby was strong, but was born with an eye condition which causes blindness. Thankfully, our ministry partner in this community, Welcome Home Ministries Africa, has been able to get him treatment. He has had surgery on one eye which restored sight and is awaiting the second surgery.

I asked Annette how often she had gone for prenatal checkups. She told me she had never gone. She told me she never saw the need before. When I asked her why she gave birth alone, she just told me that was how she had always done it and didn’t know who to ask for help.

Annette has been able to use her experience to help others. Her oldest daughter (age 19) gave birth several months ago.  When it came time for her to deliver, Annette packed up her mama kit and started walking her to the local clinic. Unfortunately, her labor progressed too quickly, and they didn’t make it. So Annette opened up that mama kit and delivered the baby on the side of the road. Thankfully, mother and baby are doing well, and grandmother is quite proud she was there to assist her.

Annette went on to tell me that her husband left her not too long ago for a younger woman. She doesn’t know if he will come back. She said she won’t be having any more babies. She is just focusing now on taking care of the ones she has and helping her daughter with her baby.

Annette’s story is full of pain and suffering. But she is such a picture of strength, resiliency, and survival. When I sat with her she kept pouring out her thanks for the mama kits. She told me what a difference it had made for her and her daughter and how she wished she had had them before for the other births. As I was listening to her I was completely overwhelmed. She was thanking me for a $7 mama kit. Why should she thank me for such a meager gift? If I was in her shoes and had gone through these trials, would I still be grateful and have a genuine smile on my face?

Annette and Melissa

I have no idea why this precious woman has endured so much in her life. There are some things I will never understand this side of heaven. But I think that meeting Annette was a gift. She will probably never know the impact her story has had on me. When I question if what Mercy for Mamas does really matters, I think of her smile. When I wonder why I am spending so much time, money, and effort on this work, I remember Annette. She is my why.

Friends, can you please pray for this mama? Anet is 33 years old and has three children. I met her in February shortly after she delivered her new baby via c-section. She works hard as a hair braider to provide for her family. Sadly, last week her husband died unexpectedly. (Her first husband died several years ago) Also, her home was demolished as it was in the path of a new railway line. This poor mother is mourning a huge loss and is also trying to provide for her family. Anet is a Christian and loves coming to the weekly Bible study in her area. Pray for God to give her peace and comfort. Pray also for their provision. My heartbreaks thinking of the amount of suffering this woman has endured at such a young age.

Update: Several friends have given to help Anet with her moving costs. Stay tuned for an update on her and her family.

Can I be honest? There are days that I am not super excited about fundraising and doing logistical work for Mercy for Mamas. Sorting out airline reservations, doing spreadsheets, filing tax forms and organizing merchandise is not very exciting. I could spend that time working a real job and getting paid. I get bogged down in the mundane. Then God reminds me of my mission and passion.

I look at pictures like this one of my precious girls, and I remember my why.

With the Fearless Girl statue in New York City

I have four precious daughters. My two biological daughters did not come into this world easily. There were complications along the way, and I often wonder what would have happened if I had not had access to great doctors and hospitals. My two adopted daughters lost their first moms because they did not receive adequate medical care. The injustice of that is not lost on me. These gorgeous girls remind me why I do what I do.

I look at pictures like this one and remember the thousands of beautiful women on the other side of the world that we’ve been able to help.  I see them parenting their precious little ones and I remember my why.

I think about this sweet baby I got to hold just hours after he was born in a remote village using one of our mama kits. He is my why.

I know you have not had the same experiences as me, but I hope I can help you see and understand the need and the reality these women face every day.  Women should not have to choose between feeding their family and buying gloves and a razor blade to give birth. Women should not die giving birth because they could not afford a simple $7 mama kit.

It is a sad and dark reality that hundreds of women in our world die every day giving birth and that the majority of those deaths could be easily prevented. But the good news is that we have a simple solution. It will not save every woman, but it is making a difference. In the last 6 years, thousands of women have been given the chance for safer birth through the work of Mercy for Mamas. They have received the necessary supplies (mama kit), they have learned important warning signs in pregnancy and when to seek medical help, and they have successfully delivered their babies.  On top of the medical care, these women have heard about the love of Jesus and his great mercy and peace for us.

This Mother’s Day season, I encourage you to give mercy. Here are a couple ways you can give:

• What if you prayed for God to lay on your heart the names of a few special women in your life you could honor and encourage? This could be your own mother, a friend, a mentor, whomever. You could donate a mama kit(s) (they are just $7 each) in honor of your special person. Write them a personal note explaining why you choose them. I know this lady would be so honored that you thought of them and that you chose to help a mother in Uganda in their name.
• You can also give toward our diaper project. Every $5.50 provides a mama with a cloth diaper set for her little one. This can help to prevent sickness and infection and saves the mother time and money. These are such a blessing to each mama. Thank your mama for changing all of your diapers, by buying diapers for another mama.

Go to the “Support Us” tab up above on our website.  To give for mama kits, just go to “donate”. To give toward the diaper project, look for the “diaper donation” option. We’ll give you a card that you can give them explaining your gift.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mamas!

(this post was originally published in May 2017)

Meet the Mamas is a feature on our blog where we introduce you to some of the women we serve. Our goal is for you to hear their stories, see their faces, and get a better understanding of where they are coming from, the needs they face, and how we help. We are really excited for you to hear these stories.

We met Fedeles in a remote village on a sugar plantation near Jinja. The scenery around this village is breathtaking, but life in this village is not easy. Many of the women in this area work long hours in the sugar plantation. Others struggle to garden and look after their family, while their husband’s work in the sugar fields.

Fedeles is just 19 years old. She is a mother to two children, but only one is living.  She stoically told me how two years ago she found herself giving birth with no supplies and no medical help.  She is not sure what happened to her baby, but he was stillborn.  About a year later she got pregnant again. This time, she was able to get some prenatal care. She had a mama kit she received from our ministry, which allowed her to go to the local health center for delivery. She said it was so helpful to have the mama kit, and that she had a pretty easy delivery. Her sweet baby is now 5 months old.

Outreach event where Fedeles got her mama kit

The most striking and humbling part of my interview with Fedeles came when I asked her about what sorts of challenges she faces. She smiled and told me that she did not really have any problems right now. I must have looked surprised. She paused for a moment, and then she went on to say that the only problem she has is that sometimes she does not have enough food. She usually only eats the food from garden, so if there is a drought she will go hungry. I just stared at her blankly.

Fedeles and her baby

I often complain when there are too many food choices at a restaurant. I whine about the weather. I wish I had a newer car. So here I sat with Fedeles, a teenage mother mourning the loss of a child and struggling for food, and I stared at her blankly.  In my 10+ years of working in Uganda, I have many times been faced with my own selfishness, impatience, and materialism. I’m not sure why I felt the weight of her words so much on this day, but it felt like a slap to the face. This isn’t to say that I do not have problems. I’ve faced challenges in my life. We all have. To me it was just a brutal reminder that I need to keep my priorities in check and not waste my energy whining and worrying over trivial things.

Now, I cannot say whether a mama kit would have created a different outcome with her first pregnancy, but I am so glad that this second time around she had one. It helped to ease her fears and anxiety. It gave her hope. So for that, Fedeles and I say thank you.

We want to start a new feature where once a week or so we will introduce you to some of the women we serve. Our goal is for you to hear their stories, see their faces, and get a better understanding of where they are coming from, the needs they face, and how we help. We are really excited for you to hear these stories.

Sometimes people get this idea in their head that every one Africa lives in a mud hut deep in the village. And while that is true for many people we meet and serve, Uganda also has several large cities. Kampala is a city of about 1.5 million people.

There are people in all economic classes. There are some extremely wealthy business and professional people. There are shopping malls, international schools, resorts, and mansions. There is also extreme poverty, and there are many people who are homeless or living in slums. It’s tough even to know the current population of the city because people move around a lot, and there is no way to really calculate the vast number of people living in these slums.

We met Carol in a Kampala slum. She attends a weekly bible study there run by Uniquely Woven. We’ve partnered with this group and their leader, Isabelle, for a very long time. We love the work they are doing.

Carol is a 30 year old widow. She has five children from ages 3 – 14 years old. She told me the story of when her youngest was born. Sadly, her husband died just before the baby was to be born. She is originally from Sudan and had no family close by to help her. She had no job and no way to care for her family. She was helpless. One day she was passing by and saw that there was some sort of education workshop going on in her neighborhood. She was very curious, especially when she found out they were talking about pregnancy. She came and listened to the teaching we were doing on prenatal education. This was one of our outreach events that we do in conjunction with Uniquely Woven. Carol was so excited when she got a mama kit for her delivery that day. She began attending the weekly bible study and became a Christian.

When it was time for her baby to be born, she went to the local clinic, but did not have her mama kit with her. They refused to help her. She called her neighbor to bring the kit to her. She had a difficult labor. Her water had broken, but she was also bleeding heavily. The local clinic decided that she needed to be transferred to a bigger hospital. However, she did not have money to pay for the ambulance. So she sat on a bed, bleeding, in labor, with no help. She did not know what she was going to do. Finally, a man came to the hospital to pick up his wife who had delivered earlier. He saw Carol and realized how desperate her situation was. He paid for the ambulance to take her to the hospital (it was about $9). Once she arrived at the hospital, she still did not get help right away. While she was in a triage area, the baby came quickly and she ended up delivering the baby by herself.  Shortly after the delivery, the nurses wanted her to leave the hospital. They were upset that she had not delivered in the right room. This poor woman was still bleeding. She was exhausted, hungry, and all alone. Some of the other women in the hospital took pity on her. They pooled their money together to get her some food and to pay for a ride home for her. She took a motorcycle taxi home with her newborn just a few hours after giving birth.

This sounds like a nightmare delivery to me. I struggle to imagine having to endure all of those difficulties. However, when Carol told me the story, she said she saw all of the ways God provided for her. God provided a mama kit. He provided the money for the ambulance. He provided the food and transport back home. God protected her life and the life of her baby. She received the gift of salvation, which sustained her through such a difficult time. How narrow my vision can be at times. I fail to see how God is right there with us and providing, even in the midst of crisis.

Today, Carol is an active member of the women’s bible study. She is known to be their top mobilizer. She is always inviting other women to come. She wants them to learn how to be better mothers and how to have a relationship with God. She encourages all of the pregnant women to come to learn about pregnancy and delivery and to get their mama kits.

Carol recently lost her job as a bead maker. She is struggling with paying her rent and her children’s school fees. She asked us to pray for her. She also asked us to pray for the many people in her neighborhood that need Jesus. Will you pray for her today?

Check it out… we have new t-shirts! You are going to love the design, and they are available in 6 different styles and lots of different colors! It’s based off of one of our favorite bible verses, Micah 6:8. The two sets of arrows (look closely!) show how God makes an inward change in us that then leads to outward change and service. I think it is a perfect shirt for Mercy for Mamas! Every purchase goes straight towards the purchase and distribution of mama kits. Shirts will arrive in time for Mother’s Day!! For black shirts click here… https://www.bonfire.com/iove-mercy-shirt-black/
For colors (make sure you click through to see all 6 styles)… https://www.bonfire.com/mercyformamas2/

It’s not too late to apply for our July 2018 trip! The dates are slated for July 16-30th. The cost is approximately $2500 (depending on airfare) Email info@mercyformamas.com for an info packet. We are especially looking for doulas, dietitians, counselors, nurses, or midwives to accompany us!