Donations held up by customs officials at Uganda border - Prayer and funds needed

[wendys]

I received an e-mail today from Dr. Luis Martinez, who works for GMV300/Uganda, which is run by the General Conference.  Dr. Martinez is an SDA pastor who until a few year ago was working here in the United States as a pastor, but decided to go as a missionary to Uganda.  I have never personally met Dr. Martinez, but I have spoken with him by phone and I saw him interviewed at the last General Confenence session in 2010 that was broadcast on 3ABN.  He is requesting prayer over the next few days and if anyone can help him with some funds, it would be of great help.  He has 3 shipping containers full of food, shoes and medical supplies for medical workers in the area of Uganda in the area where he works.  Unfortunately, the Uganda Customs officials are holding up entry of the 3 containers, demanding bribes.  He could lose the shipment entirely if he does not comply.  He gets only $400 per month while he is working there, so its not like he has a large amount of money available to pay the bribes.  The shipping costs to Africa on a boat and the supplies in the shipping containers were donated by a Catholic individual here in the United States.  The supplies are needed by medical workers there.  If you can pray or offer financial help, he and those you help would appreciat it.  I sent him some money to help ship the containers by truck once they arrived in Africa, but I cannot afford the amount of money he needs now.  Below is the text of the e-mail he sent me.  His e-mail address to contact him directly is gmv300uganda@yahoo.com .  Internet service is inconsistent where he is at.  Perhaps you can share this with your church tomorrow and ask them to pray about this.

 

 

URGENT SOS REQUEST:

 

The donation containers (3) we have secured from a good wisher donors from Florida, arrived in Mombasa Kenya and routed to Uganda are been hold by the Uganda Custom and Revenue Authority. One container is a very much needed medical supply and 2 others containers of children soup mix food of 82,000 rations. Even thou GMV300 is a non-profit tax exempt organization handling international donation, the kick back and bribery system is an official  code word to demand money under the table to release the donated goods to help they own people. Corruption is blunt and heartless here. We need to come up with $1000 US dollars per container otherwise they will over charge us custom fees and non-legal taxes. Now the containers have been on hold for two weeks with the threat of paying LATE FEES CHARGES for the forced long stay at the custom warehouses. We running the risk that we may loose all three containers. I am asking you for one or two things, PLEASE PRAY FOR THE QUICK RELEASE OF THESE 3 CONTAINERS AND IF CAN SO HELP US WITH SOME MONEY AS SOON AS YOU CAN WITIHIN THE NEXT FEW DAYS:

 

The containers are been held in custom at Malaba (Kenya-Uganda border crossing). Specially they do no want to release the medical supply containers for the value of this one is very tempting to be impound it and them sell it in the black market.  This medical supply can help sock a least small SDA health dispensaries in 18 villages around the country.

 

Besides your prayers, you can send Western Union donation to:

 

Luis Martinez

City: Fort Portal

Country: Uganda

Test Question: Uganda

Answer: Uganda

Please email or call us with the PIN money transfer number

 

May God bless your prayers and offering. 

 

Pastor, Dr Luis D. Martinez

Global Medical Mission Coordinator

( I am the only one SDA US/foreign missionary in the area

 

As this write this note, two of our natives missionaries have died of sudden death (Bonane and Francis), another one (Elijah and his family) we are removing him from the nearby village to a healthy and safe clean environment. Ebola is re-surging in this area near Congo, close to us.