Dear friends, I write to you in an hour of need. Father Leonsyo, a Catholic Priest and a dear friend of mine is a man I've probably told you about. He is a Pastor who works tirelessly to love the Flock given to him in the Parish of Patongo, Uganda. Patongo was once a village, but 25 years of war turned it into a massive camp for internally displaced persons, full of poverty and misery and violence. Since Fr Leonsyo came to Patongo, one of the poorest and most desperate parishes in Uganda, he has made it a habit of getting to know the poorest families in the area, and visiting them regularly in their homes. His influence, his love, and his gift for inspiring, organizing and sometimes convicting people has ever so slightly begun to change people's lives. In his previous parish, Anaka, he organized prayer groups for teenagers, gardening groups for kids of all ages where they learned to farm and raised enough crops to pay for their school requirements, began a charismatic prayer group, and helped a community begin to take their future into their own hands among many other things. I believe (and so does he) that he is Called to Love his new flock in the same way: intimately and empoweringly. But he is in trouble. He has a large family with no means of income, and their destitute and desperate lives which teeter on the brink cause him great pain, and naturally, detract from his ability to tend to the Flock which the Church has given him. An opportunity has presented itself out of "nowhere," however, to end his anguish, torn between the needs of his poor and large family and his Flock. I told him I would talk to my friends and family and see if they can help. I think his own words are best. This is the entirety of an email he sent me, unedited: "Omera [=brother in Acholi] How did you reach home? You return was as ever empowering and inspiring! Thank you for sharing into my life and person. Richard is in school in Patongo, he hasnt been attacked yet, hopefully the drug shall help. Am looking forward to taking him into the hospital as we agreed on June 28th. Did you ever talked to your relatives and friends about the house, am to buy? Any hope anyway? Assure your parents and the entire family my all heart for prayers for you all. Just know that, my dad, mom, Richard, Pamela my niece and Goretti, daughter to Alfred are ill. Goretti with cancer of the pelvic, Balbina-wife to Alfred  and Pamela daughter to Pierina and my sister have a heart illness. Besides they eat just once a day, and am to look for school fees of the family kids. The house project would give a huge support to family food, health and education. This thus, supports my ministry as well, since I wont be stressed with worries always. Pray for me dear brother. Fr. Leonsyo." The house he speaks of is a large unfinished but semi-inhabited building in Pajule near his family's home. The owner recently had an accident and can no longer care for it. She will sell it to Leonsyo for 20,000,000 Ugandan Shillings, but for a downpayment of just $2,500, she will transfer the title to him. There are currently 3 tenants living there, whose rent would immediately start paying off the rest of the house, and helping Leonsyo's family find medicine and food. HIs family of 36 will help to keep uo the building and tend to tenants' needs. I'm attaching a couple links to videos of Leonsyo visiting his Flock and talking about his work and his passion. Please use the button to the right to donate now. It takes seconds, and will change lives forever. When I say this will save several lives, and probably change up to thousands for the better, I do not exaggerate. Thank you, and God bless. Nathan

YOU CAN HELP DMP's KIDS ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS!

Dear friends of Uganda, of Chicago, of the Dwan MADIKI Partnership (DMP) of Invisible Conflicts, and of the species Homo sapiens sapiens...
OUR CHICAGO TEAM OF INVISIBLE CONFLICTS DELEGATES TO DMP, the Community Based Organization we support in Lacor Uganda is heading out! They will be in Uganda for the whole summer, and they need your help. More importantly, the CHILDREN OF DMP NEED YOUR HELP! By donating here you can help give one of our friends in Uganda hope for the future by helping contribute to their education. Without DMP, these children would not be receiving the high quality education they're receiving, as they have lost one or both parents to a savage decades long war that targeted children and destroyed families and infrastructure. Quality education is the best chance these kids have at escaping the cycle of poverty, violence, AIDS, and early death that plagues their communities. DMP desperately needs your help. These kids need your help. Please take just 60 seconds to CLICK THE PAYPAL BUTTON TO THE RIGHT, AND ALL DONATIONS WILL BE WIRED TO OUR TEAM IN UGANDA BY ME. This money will provide school fees, books, shoes, uniforms, school supplies, mosquito nets, and a host of other things essential to a child's success in school in Northern Uganda. For just the cost of a few cups of coffee you can make a difference in a child's life forever! Please give 10, 20, 40, 50, 65, 85, 100, 200 dollars... Whatever you can give. EVERY BIT MAKES A DIFFERENCE!
THANK YOU,
TRISH, JACKIE, MARA, ANGELA, CAITLIN, NATHAN, ELENA, KATIE, PAUL, DAVE, AND THE REST OF THE IC/DMP TEAM! And most of all THANK YOU ON BEHALF OF THE CHILDREN!!!

REPORT AND THANK YOU FROM UGANDA TRIP JAN 2011

Well, I'm back, and it's time to say a hearty THANK YOU to ALL OF YOU WHO SUPPORTED Dr. FRANCIS, Dr ALEX (medical director of Kitgum Hospital, the only Dr in the entire 350 bed facility w/ a catchment of 1/2 million to a million people depending on the way you calculate it, a ROCK of a leader for his community, and a lover of Christ), Fr LEONSYO, and me to help bring compassionate and just healthcare to marginalized, poor, and traumatized Ugandan brothers and sisters living in squalid camps. These brothers and sisters of ours have been forgotten by the their government & the world and aching from the trauma of 23 years of war. The suffering they endure is a result of a war marked by mutilation, kidnapping of children, cultish spiritual brainwashing on the part of the "rebels," and systematic debilitation, emasculation, economic paralysis, and marginalization of an entire tribe and ethnic group (the Acholi people) on the part of their government through their forced relocation to camps with conditions comparable to Nazi concentration camps of WWII. The particular focus of our outreach has been to the people of Puda satellite IDP camp, and the people of the Parrish of Patongo. Fr Leonsyo is a dear friend who is the parrish priest for Patongo, one of the most impoverished and remote areas of all Northern Uganda. He is beloved by all, a tireless spiritual warrior of peace, and a man who is filled with Joy, & yet has the greatest burden of anyone I've ever met in my entire life: the Healing of his people, socially, medically, spiritually, & economically, starting with absolutely ZERO resources.
Each of you has been a partner to me, and more importantly our Acholi brothers and sisters in the quest for Justice, Peace, and Healing. Dr Francis, his dad Dr Alex, and the people of Patongo. First off, to get to know the people you're directly helping, please watch the film War Dance. It is an AMAZING Oscar nominated documentary about a school from Patongo's quest to win a dance contest, and it's very personal. It does a good job of helping the viewer to get to know the Acholi people of the area and their story, their beauty, their suffering, their hopes and dreams. I'd really like you all to get to know the Acholi people and their stories personally, as you've consistently supported my work with them. It does not go into much detail at all about history or the war or the current situation, but I think the most important thing in life is relationships, and this film is a great way to help you get to know the people you help me help through your support. The places you see in that film are mere feet from the medical center that Dr Alex, Francis, Father Leonsyo, I and the people of Patongo dream of opening. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the medical equipment/medicine you all bought was ultimately given to Kitgum Hospital, where Dr Alex--Dr Francis' father--is the medical director of the hospital, and the only physician for about half a million people, aside from a few at a private facility accessible only to the few wealthy enough to afford their services..
The decision to give the supplies to Kitgum was based on many things, primarily, the belief that it is our Calling to help lift up the Acholi people of the region and empower them by helping them to sustainably improve their existing healthcare infrastructure. The equipment will save the hospital money, and will thus increase the funds they can set aside for finishing construction of a medical center at Patongo, a remote, horrendously underserved and impoverished area which is in the catchment of Kitgum Hospital, but is so far as to make any trip there a seriously exhausting, dangerous, and expensive journey. The people of the area are essentially without healthcare for practical purposes.
I visited the site of the future medical center with Dr Alex and am very excited. In fact, most of the structure is already built, and awaits only a few basic (but major) additions before they can start actually supplying and staffing it. For example, they still need to construct a drainage system for the surgical theatre, essential to proper hygiene. Much of the structure still lacks a roof. But the glass is much more than half full as far as I'm concerned, and walking through the facility with Dr Alex, I could see and feel his excitement for how much good this place can do for the huge number of people from Patongo. Ultimately, the antibiotics, drugs and equipment you gave all have been invested in the creation of a facility that will serve a host of camps similar to the one where we were going to do a mobile clinic, and reach tens of thousands of people that are effectively beyond the reach of any decent medical care.
Please feel free to share this email anyone who may be interested. I hope to have more information, including some video, photos, and words from Dr Alex to all of you, thanking you for your help, and describing his dreams for Patongo and why they so desperately need this facility.
Thank you ALL, and BLESS YOU! I look forward to visiting the center next year, when hopefully, it will be open, or at least nearly ready for operation. Please join me in continuing over the years to hope, pray, send positive thoughts, or whatever it is you do, as well as partner with me and the people of Northern Uganda as they strive to Heal and rebuild their communities. Your support, through emails, prayer, constructive criticism, encouragement, and sacrificial financial giving multiply in a way I hope one day all of you will be able to witness with joy and satisfaction.
Peace be with you and all those you love, Nathan Mustain

PS You can always donate at at the link to the right on my blog at http://nathanmustain.blogspot.com/, & I'll send the funds to Francis, Dr Alex, or Leonsyo. You can even specify if you want the money to be used to help Leonsyo build up his ministry and empowerment of his people (he lives in complete poverty and strives to create programs, gardening coops, prayer groups, youth groups, peace dialogues out of thin air), or to Dr's Alex's healthcare facility in Patongo, OR you can even help to support Dr Francis, Dr Alex's family with a contribution, as they constantly strive to support their community & HUGE extended family with incomes below what ANY of us pays for rent monthly. I'll be sending out another brazen appeal for money for more support before you know it:):):)

HELLOOOOO

Dear PEeps!~ Hello from Northern Uganda! I'm sitting outside the guest house at Lacor Hospital! I'm having an INCREDIBLE TIME with my Social Medicine class. Today we drove out to a rural HIV clinic and had a dialogue with ~150 HIV positive people who are living well, some of them for 16 years, with HIV on ARV therapy. We were able to ask them questions, they asked us questions, and we had an incredible exchange about their challenges, hopes, questions, etc, and learned a lot about what works and doesn't when it comes to medical interventions on the social scale.
Also, thanks a MILLION to those of you who donated, or who still may. I am so fortunate to be taking this class, which evaluates the social, economic, political context of disease and healthcare, & provides opportunities to see & examine patients with the diseases we learn about in their social context. This has given me an incredible insight into doing global health that I never dreamed of before. Thanks in part to much of the input of this class, and to dialogue with my dear Ugandan brother Dr. Francis and other healthcare providers, I have decided to donate the drugs you purchased through your donations to Kitgum Hospital, and let them do what they will with them. By strengthening the public sector health care provider network, we help Uganda's people to put resources where they think they are most needed. THe IDP camp of Puda where we were going to do our mobile clinic is on a list of priorities for Dr Alex, Francis's father, and for Dr Francis and Father Leonsyo, all a part of the team that helped bring Dr. Francis & his mobile clinic to Puda, and so far as I understand things, they will receive medical help, directed through Kitgum Regional Hospital, which will conduct outreach to the camps in an official capacity, instead of me and Francis heading out there to do our own mobile clinics. This means the people will be plugged into the health network centered at the regional district hospital. These plans are still not in any way final, but please know that with what I'm learning here in Social Medicine, and what I'm learnging from my Ugandan Colleagues, I will make a decision that all parties involved believe is the most effective and compassionate.
IN other news, I went for a run today, I'm working out every day, and I'm happy as a clam. I was 2nd assist on a c section yesterday that went swimmingly and I saw a bicorneate uterus to top it all off. Love yo guys! PEace, Nathan

Dear Friends, yet again I seek your support for another mission to Uganda. First I must thank you all. Your support both monetary and otherwise have made all the difference. I apologize I haven't been able to stay better in touch, but as usual, medical school keeps me pretty dang busy.
This January I'm going to Lacor Uganda to do a rotation at Lacor Hospital. I'm also bringing 4000 bucks worth of medical supplies to give to Dr Francis, my dear Acholi brother, who spends his weekends running mobile clinics in Internally Displaced Persons camps far from the reach of any NGOs, government or other sort of help, particularly medical. Francis' simple clinics, set up on a papyrus mat under palm trees saves countless lives. He and his friend Dr Justin will see 150 people in a day and work sunup to sundown.
The problem with the medical supplies I'm bringing is this: I still have no antibiotics. I have found with the help of my favorite American Dr, David Boulware, an NGO called JMS that sells drugs in Uganda at cost to medical professionals and organizations doing work for the poor. With one or two thousand dollars, we could save hundreds of lives. With these medicines, children will live who would otherwise die of diarrhea, worms, pneumonia, malaria, etc. Please click on the PayPal button to the right to give your life saving donation, and partner with me and francis in caring for the poor. Help us give children a fighting chance at life.
Thank you all and bless you!
PS I'll be going on 2 mobile clinics if we can raise the money for the medicine, so I'll be able to share photos and stories personally, so you'll be able to see exactly who your generosity helped!

UNDERWAY

So I'm in London passing the time in the airport! I'm tired and my back hurts, but I just read my brother's blog about the patience necessary to survive and thrive in Uganda, and I'm reminded of the amazing patience, resilience and quiet Grace of the poeple I'm going to live amongst for the next 5 weeks. My prayer now is that I will be able to live in the moment, be fully present, and experience Beauty and Grace of my surroundings no matter where I am or how my body feels. So, I thank God for the pain in my back, for the incredible generosity of those who were able to contribute to my trip, and for the adventure that is before me. For now, I'm waiting in the airport. I think I'll catch up on my knowledge of infectious disease. I brought some great books. Until we meet again, please, send emails, pray, and don't be a stranger! I love you all. Many of you will be in my heart as I once again travel the red earth and the green fields of Uganda. Peace, Nathan

JUST A FEW DAYS TO PLAN!!!

WOW! Ok, I just found a ticket to Uganda for a thousand bucks, and if I can raise it, I'll be meeting Fr. Leonsyo in Kampala and traveling to Gulu to rendezvous with the now "DR FRANCIS" (now called "DR" thanks to your donations), and my brother Patrick. But I NEED YOUR HELP! Anything you can give will help. This year, as I travel to Uganda, my focus is entirely on learning tropical medicine, learning about the lives of Ugandans, and the strengths, weaknesses, challenges, and resources of the poor communities of northern Uganda. One thing I saw on my last journey was that many of us westerners travel to the poor with our OWN mission, instead of waiting for one to be given to us. Sometimes people with such preplanned missions do wonderful things. But I feel personally called to simply go and make myself available. Francis has arranged for me to work in the hospital outside Gulu, called St. Mary's Lacor. There, I will simply do whatever I'm asked to do. As a 3rd year med student, I will be more prepared to learn effective medicine from my Ugandan colleagues than I was as a second year, since I already have some clinical experience under my belt.
So, I travel to Uganda with your help as a simple student. I do not go with any lofty goals, but simply to open my ears, eyes, and my heart to God and to the people of Uganda. Please click the button on the right to donate. I have only a few days to plan, so if I may be so bold as to ask you not to wait...
Thank you, and bless you ALL!!!
If you cannot give financially, PLEASE send your prayers and positive thoughts and or emails to me, to Father Leonsyo, Dr. Francis, and the people of Uganda and of DMP. Stay well and stay in touch! I'll update this blog when I can!
Peace, Nathan