The Human Animal Bond
I’m so glad that I’m a vet! Being a veterinary doctor in Africa is truly amazing. I also have a chance to work on wild animals as well! Working with tribal leaders, herdsmen and pet owners brings such joy and camaraderie. Each person, with the animals that they value, comes to us with a challenge, a need and a concern. The Animal-Human bond that we share draws us into unique conversations and connections. Herdsmen and women come asking, “What could be causing this problem?” “Can he be treated and survive?” “Is she suffering?” Being in a helping profession allows a vet to step into the owner’s lives with compassion and knowledge, to address their concerns and seek an answer to the challenges they are facing.
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Over the years, CLIDE and I have been training many (over 400!) local people to work as Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs), and setting them up to provide village veterinary services. This gives them a valuable, sustainable income generating job in the villages and allows me to multiply myself, reaching many more herds and communities than I could on my own.
 I miss treating animals on a regular basis, but sometimes, people still come to our hut with their sick or injured creatures.
The other week, I had a chance to see several sick goats, a wounded tomcat and a little girl with basket of sniffling chicks! The sniffling, sneezing chicks, we dosed with an oral antibiotic/vitamin mixture which brought a big smile to the little girl’s face, gaining some hope for future egg-laying! An Italian Priest brought the injured tomcat, who had had a heroic interaction with other tomcats a few nights before, fighting over a neighbor’s female feline. Antibiotics and a preventative surgical procedure will keep him out of trouble in the future! Waffle and I also got a nice spaghetti and pizza feast with our Italian Priest friend!
The goat herdboy timidly waited at the gate with his bleating herd, hoping to attract my attention to come examine his ill caprine. I thanked him for being a good shepherd to his animals. Several skin diseases, pleuro-pneumonia and a deadly clostridial disease later, we treated those that could be, and recognized one wether that had little hope of survival. Sadness at the soon-to-be loss of their favorite goat brought a quietness to our conversation, with a recognition of the inevitable. I prayed for the herder and gave him some preventative meds to keep this deadly disease from killing others. Living in a place of suffering and sickness can be hard on our hearts, but we push through it, sharing the losses with a thankfulness and a hopefulness for past and future providence.
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This month has been one filled with wild animal orphans as well. Spring is like that here. The communities are going through a famine time, and wild animals and the ecosystem suffer with them, as they seek to provide food and income by extracting natural resources from their environment. We’re seeing a surge in killing of wildlife for food as well as a significant increase in cutting down of trees to make charcoal for sale. When a female wild animal is killed in the springtime, there is often a nursing baby with it. We hate to see these small, orphaned creatures eaten, so we end up adopting them and try to help them recuperate enough to be freed again. 
Currently, we have 3 suckling antelope, an immature pied crow, an injured, fledgling hamerkop, a quickly growing ostrich-chick, a couple baby mice, and a gamboling baby monkey!
 I’m in the states briefly for my Mom’s memorial, so I left Waffle pretty busy there in Uganda! He does well as a “father figure” for these various creatures, and enjoys the Dr. Doolittle duties that I’ve bestowed upon him! 
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Overcoming Suffering With Love
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As our hearts reach out to orphaned animals, we also long to help the orphaned children that we find surrounding us in the villages. Why does God allow children like these to suffer? A few have seen their parents murdered, some returned home from school to find that their parents had died. Others have had to watch them slowly deteriorate from chronic, debilitating diseases. Can a good God allow suffering? Is God not culpable for the evil we see around us? When we begin questioning God’s purposes, we need to make a decision. Are we going to blame Him for Evil, or thank Him for Grace?
Why doesn’t He DO SOMETHING? How can He be silent in the midst of suffering? Well, He IS Doing Something. He’s doing it in and through You and Me! His love for us drives us to Compassion and Love for others. We know that in the Final Act, LOVE WINS. Hatred vanishes; Death becomes extinct; Pain is eliminated. Each day of our existence on this spinning globe, we have a chance and a choice to win a small victory over these destructive woes: we can bring light and hope to those around us. I want to thank you all who are bravely participating in this battle for the Victory of Love, each one contributing to bringing Hope for a Humanity that often spins towards Hopelessness. Thanks also to those of you who have joined us in conquering the Evil that wants to overcome God’s people and God’s creation in Uganda. “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Gal. 6:9. There is victory in getting an orphan through school, in caring for an injured bird who fell from its nest, and in helping a witchdoctor to understand the love of our God who put herbal medicines in the trees. It takes time and effort to press through, but God is honored and Satan is shamed.
 May Love continue to break through your sufferings, and your challenges, and may Your Love help others to break through the pains and hurts that they are facing. May we all have the heart to seek out the downtrodden, those who mourn, those who are wounded, and join the victory march with our Lord.
Keep praying for us, that God will keep filling us with His power and love, and never let our tanks get depleted. Thanks!!
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Fun with Missionary Friends!
Waffle and i had a great visit with our former missionary colleagues, Drs. Tim and Paula Ulrich, and their son, Micah. Micah was 5 years old when he was with us in Soroti, now he's completing his Engineering Degree!
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Waffle Visits his Family in Colorado
Waffle had a very good, short visit with his Mom, sister Missy and bro-in-law Bill. It's hard being away from family, but God's grace and mercy continue to surround us all!
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Meet Rev. Waffle!
Waffle has received his ordination from Good Shepherd Community Church! They reviewed his Bible College studies and experience and after an interview, decided to ordain him! (My new name, however, is no longer Dr. Val, but Mrs. Reverend!)
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Outreach to Lopei, Karamoja draws many to Christ!
After several years of minimal spiritual growth, God blessed us with a great outpouring of His spirit in the community of Lopei last month! More than 30 decided to follow Jesus, and several dozen were baptized! The church, under a large tree, has now doubled in size! God's mercy continues to flow on this land that had been swallowed up in pain and suffering. Now joy and peace are taking over! Please keep PRAYING!
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Prayer Points and Upcoming Events:
1. Val in USA with her family for Mom’s memorial June and Wheeler High Class Reunion!
2. Our sponsored school kids are doing great in school this year! Two more have joined colleges. Several have been sick with Malaria. Please pray for their health. Thank you for providing scholarships for them!
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