Four Hungarian medics returning from Uganda

After 16 months, the four members of the African Hungarian Union’s medical mission return to Hungary. Some of them will continue working the next day.

Dr Anna Jakkel, Ingrid Lengyel, Dr Katalin Magyar and Dr Csilla Katalin Bartha will arrive to Hungary soon. They recorded their journey on the medical blog called Sztetoszkóppal Ugandában (With a Statoscope in Uganda), retrieved by Globoport.hu.

“My heart is full of sorrow… I will have to say goodbye to Manafwa, my children, and the wonderful environment, soon. Weeks passed in a blink of the eye. Besides doing my daily service, examining, diagnosing and treating our patients, I spent most of my free time with the children. They are the ones who enlightened my days. We can learn very much from them, and if I had to list the treasures of Africa, the children would come to my mind first. They are the ones who can love unconditionally and be happy despite their circumstances.

It is a wonderful experience when we come home and they are waiting on the corner. Also, when we arrive at the house, by car, they are already there and are happy for me coming back. I just drop my baggage, change my clothes, then the fun begins. We are playing together every afternoon. We are playing balls, they have taught us their games —  „bolingo, bolingo”, „matoke”, „imire” — we are playing tag, they dance and sing to me, and, sometimes, we are just rolling around on the ground and tickle each other. The square echoes with laughter and the children’s chirping voice. Sometimes we sit in a circle, sing, pray and I teach them stories of the Bible. Of course, I need Daniel’s help to do so, because he translates these to their language. It is quite interesting how they “understand” Hungarian, as when I am tired and talk to them in Hungarian about what to do, they often understand it very clearly. Moreover, the older children translate it to the little ones. It is wonderful to see how they treat and love each other.”

Dr Anna Jakkel

“These children and the adults in Africa are grateful for everything, they can be happy about everything; they do not rebel against God, but love him. I am touched by their faith. I have been to church services, Bible lessons, prayers; they were praising God so devotedly with clapping, dancing, taking notes of the preaching. They all know the Word, and they have opinions and comments on the Bible lessons. They express their faith by the signs on taxi cabs, cars, boats: they read as “we trust in God”, „God is good”, „God is merciful”. They are the people who could rightly question God because of the life they have to live, still, they are grateful and satisfied instead. They praise God for what they have.”

Ingrid Lengyel

“Satisfaction is a great gift, because it helps being grateful for everything. While I have to listen to complaints and comments, my heart is filled with gratefulness. I am grateful for the simplicity which I can experience here, for the sunlight that gives us electricity, for the rain that lets us clean ourselves, even though in a tub of cold water. I am grateful for every day’s meal, even though it is the same every day. I am grateful for our car, even though I travel in the trunk, because it carried eight people with luggage this week. I am grateful for the kind people: Rose, Flavia and Betty, who cook, wash for us. I am grateful for the church, the school, the Health Center, where we can examine our patients every week. I am grateful for my mates, especially our coordinators, who do a really good job among us; for our driver Daniel and our translator Andrew; for Kamilla, who spent her free time standing by me and writing the patients’ data sheets, so we could examine them and give them their medicine more quickly.”

Dr Katalin Magyar

Anna Jakkel with some children

“I encourage everyone to come and experience this world, because it is very different from Europe where, despite the abundance of wealth, its far from being as good and nice as here. I am grateful to be here and it hurts that time had passed. I feel that I must return as soon as possible… It was good to be a doctor in Uganda. If I could tell one thing to my fellow Europeans, I would tell them to love everyone unconditionally, because only love is capable of things that no other things are capable of. It is the only thing letting wonders happen.”

Dr Csilla Katalin Bartha

Ce: bm

Source: Globoport.hu