Story – Vincent

Everyone was terrified. The family gathered in an irregular circle while Vincent’s mom roasted fish over open flames. Flame-broiled fish is a treat, but something went wrong. A fish bone lodged in Vincent’s throat. He choked, gasped, and could barely breathe. He could not get it out and no one could help him. Will I even survive? Vincent wonders.

There was no road to his village so several men carried him for hours to a primitive hospital. The doctor and nurses seemed helpless. In urgent desperation, Vincent cried out, “God, if you save my life, I will work, sacrifice, go to school, and become a doctor. Then I will return to my village and save people’s lives.” The bone dislodged without human hands. “It was God!” Vincent declared.

Many years rolled by, but in 2016, Vincent graduated from Fort Portal School of Clinical Officers and received his license to practice as a medical clinical officer (just a step away from a doctor). No jobs existed that allowed him to travel into forgotten villages and use his medical training to save lives, but Vincent remembered his prayer and his promise to God.

In January 2018, Ourganda was launched. Someone recommended Vincent as a man of skill, knowledge, and integrity who would unselfishly serve people in need. We hired him. Every day now, Vincent lives out his dream. He and his colleagues bring medical care to people who can’t get to a clinic or hospital. Every Wednesday, the mobile clinic arrives in his home village of Sarakihombya to teach health classes and deliver life-saving medical care wrapped in kindness.

We are thankful that God heard Vincent’s prayer from a lonely hospital bed. Vincent now leads our teams as ministry coordinator. Ourganda is all about delivering hope, saving lives, and creating a better future for the people we love in the Bundibugyo District.