Tanzania

Tanzania
One Heart Church

A team from One Heart Church travelled to Tanzania in 2013 to conduct medical missions. While working in clinics they saw an estimated 2300-2500 patients and ordered over 57,000 pills/drops/ointment/liquids and depleted most of the medications. The volume was tremendous.

One Heart Church traveled to Dar es Salaam, East Africa. For the first clinic, they traveled 4 hours to the Tanga Region, Hadeni District, Kabuka village. After arriving, they were notified that the village has around 11,000 people. There is a high Muslim population and they live in mud and stick homes. They conducted two days of clinic at Kabuka. Next, the team traveled 2 ½ hours to the next 2 day clinic site: Coast Region, Bagamoyo District Msata Village. Patients were seen in the dispensary, and the pharmacy was outside, allowing them to have much more room, in comparison to the congested pharamacy table experienced in Kabuka. The weather was hot and the flies were swarming. One night, they worked until 8pm by the light of the bus to fill all prescriptions. The team was exhausted, but thanking God for the opportunity to serve.

The largest volumes of cases in the patients they treated were malaria, hypertension, respiratory/skin/eye infections, diabetes, and gastric disorders, including parasitic worms. They originally ordered 6000 Acetaminophen 500mg tabs and had less than 500 to leave behind. The only other medication that was not completely used was Promethazine! “The medications that were received from Crosslink Memphis made a difference in so many lives, and because they were so affordable, we were able to order in large quantities and treat more people” – Doris Woodcock. There was a man who had injured his foot in an accident and had been turned away at a local hospital because he had no money. He heard about the clinics and came for care because his foot needed immediate attention. The wound tray, forceps, dressings, and other items that the One Heart church team received at no charge from Crosslink, allowed this man to receive the care that he desperately needed. Another man had a hand injury that was treated because of the supplies we received from Crosslink.

“We saw people who came in HOPELESS and were given HOPE. People who have little to no healthcare were excited to have medications that would treat their illnesses. Each day our team prayed over the medications and for the people who would receive them,” Mrs. Woodcock said.

Mrs. Woodcock shared an unique story her Project Report Crosslink requests from teams. She says:

“I want to share a story told by Pastor Peter, local pastor and the director of VHM. In the second village, there is a witch doctor that has 112 children and grandchildren by many married women and very young girls in the village. He tells them that they must be with him to be healed of their illnesses. If their husbands complain, they will be killed. He told the people not to come to the clinic. He and his “great witch” sent a team of 6 witches into the village to pretend they were ill. Their motive was through witchcraft to cause a doctor or nurse to die, believing that we would all leave the village. When they entered the clinic, according to the witches’ account, they felt a great opposition and felt trembling and they ran to the witch doctor to report that they could not harm anyone. So, he came with some of his men and pretended that he was ill, while his plan was to cause someone to die. After he saw a nurse, his breathing became heavy and his blood pressure elevated. He refused to be seen by the doctor and said that he had to leave or he would die. Pastor Peter and his team had surrounded the clinic in prayer and we were totally unaware of this event while we were filling prescriptions. The latest on the witch doctor is that he can’t stand by himself, he’s gone to another village for healing by another witch doctor, he is very ill and refuses to return to his village until VHM leaves the area. VHM sent him a message: “you have two options, Come to Jesus or leave this world.” OUR GOD is All Powerful!” Information shared by: Doris Woodcock, RN, Tanzania Team Member, One Heart Church