Uganda
Ugandan church prays for member’s daughter injured in terrorist attack
The terrorist bomb attacks that claimed more than 70 lives in this East African city took a personal toll on a church member’s family.
Lydia Mbazira, a 21-year-old university student, and two of her friends were among the hundreds of Ugandans who poured onto a rugby field to watch a broadcast of the final game of the 2010 World Cup live from Johannesburg, South Africa. Mbazira’s family attends a Church of Christ in Kampala.
“For the three girls, theirs was a day of fun, a day to witness history when Africa hosted the finals of the World Cup,” minister Isaac Sanyu said.
But the day turned tragic when a bomb blast ripped through the stadium, killing one of Mbazira’s friends and embedding shrapnel in her head.
“Several people were left dead because of lack of facilities and equipment in the hospitals,” Sanyu said. Mbazira was treated at Mulago Hospital in Kampala, where physicians removed most of the shrapnel.
One fragment remains in the young woman’s brain, however, and doctors are unwilling to remove it. They don’t know when — or if — Mbazira will recover from the injury, Sanyu said.
Mbazira’s father told the Kampala church about the situation.
“The church prayed over Mbazira and his family,” Sanyu said. “We all continue to visit and pray for Lydia and her family in the hospital. We ask that you all continue to pray for Lydia as well.”
An American, 25-year-old Nate Henn, also died in the attack. Henn was visiting friends whom he had worked to support through the nonprofit Invisible Children. The group makes documentaries about war-affected children in Africa. Church of Christ members have participated in events supporting the nonprofit’s work.
A militant Islamic group based in Somalia claimed responsibility for the attack at the rugby club and a Kampala restaurant.
“The situation in Kampala continues to be tense,” Sanyu said. Ugandan officials have tightened security across the nation, as has the church’s Better Living Resource Centre.
“Please continue to pray for security and protection,” Sanyu said.
RELATED BLOG POST: Uganda bomb blast takes toll on church family
Lydia Mbazira, a 21-year-old university student, and two of her friends were among the hundreds of Ugandans who poured onto a rugby field to watch a broadcast of the final game of the 2010 World Cup live from Johannesburg, South Africa. Mbazira’s family attends a Church of Christ in Kampala.
“For the three girls, theirs was a day of fun, a day to witness history when Africa hosted the finals of the World Cup,” minister Isaac Sanyu said.
But the day turned tragic when a bomb blast ripped through the stadium, killing one of Mbazira’s friends and embedding shrapnel in her head.
“Several people were left dead because of lack of facilities and equipment in the hospitals,” Sanyu said. Mbazira was treated at Mulago Hospital in Kampala, where physicians removed most of the shrapnel.
One fragment remains in the young woman’s brain, however, and doctors are unwilling to remove it. They don’t know when — or if — Mbazira will recover from the injury, Sanyu said.
Mbazira’s father told the Kampala church about the situation.
“The church prayed over Mbazira and his family,” Sanyu said. “We all continue to visit and pray for Lydia and her family in the hospital. We ask that you all continue to pray for Lydia as well.”
An American, 25-year-old Nate Henn, also died in the attack. Henn was visiting friends whom he had worked to support through the nonprofit Invisible Children. The group makes documentaries about war-affected children in Africa. Church of Christ members have participated in events supporting the nonprofit’s work.
A militant Islamic group based in Somalia claimed responsibility for the attack at the rugby club and a Kampala restaurant.
“The situation in Kampala continues to be tense,” Sanyu said. Ugandan officials have tightened security across the nation, as has the church’s Better Living Resource Centre.
“Please continue to pray for security and protection,” Sanyu said.
RELATED BLOG POST: Uganda bomb blast takes toll on church family
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