Jason Segner held in his arms a 3-year-old girl with burns on 80 percent of her body after her family member doused her with hot cooking oil.
Segner drove the girl to a government-run hospital and returned three weeks later to find the girl fully healed, despite the burns that almost took her life.
Segner, Class of 2002, along with his wife, Kari, and four children moved to Uganda in January 2012 and started Healing Faith, a ministry that seeks to provide physical, emotional and spiritual healing to the people of Uganda.
Though Healing Faith focuses on delivering medical care to those suffering from diseases such as malaria, Segner said he and his family have felt rewarded by various experiences, such as that of the 3-year-old girl.
That has been one of the most rewarding cases that we have dealt with, Segner said referring to the girls case. Not every day is like that, but every case of malaria that we are able to test for and treat is another child that has a chance of survival.
Segners twelve-year experience as a paramedic and Emergency Medical Service professor at Blinn College provided him with the experience necessary to test and treat those diagnosed with malaria and other parasitic diseases, in villages around the city of Jinja, Uganda.
Segner said the field tests and treatments for malaria and parasites costs about $2 per person.
For malaria, first we have to test the suspected cases with a field test kit, and if positive then we give the medication, Segner said. For [about] $5, you can keep four kids [with parasites] de-wormed for an entire year.
Segners wife Kari grew up longing to visit Africa some day and has a passion for maternal care. Kristi Stark, a member of Healing Faiths board of trustees in College Station, said Kari aspires to provide better maternal care in underdeveloped countries.
The way that they give birth over there is pretty rudimentary, Stark said. So one of [Karis] goals is to set up some kind of program where she can help expecting mothers with pre-natal care and with taking care of the babies.
Segner said the hope of satiating spiritual needs in addition to medical needs influenced Healing Faiths name.
We also want to bring spiritual healing for them as well, Segner said. Thats where we got the word healing. Where the word faith comes from we lost a daughter and we named her Faith. And it was our faith that got us through that experience.
The Segners are raising their four children, all under the age of 8, in Uganda and Kari homeschools them.
They have adapted really well, they really love it, Segner said about his children. When possible, I take the children out to the village with us because we want them to be a part of the ministry too, to see and experience when appropriate, their part in the ministry as well.
Rachel Driskell, a mission team leader for Healing Faith, said it has been incredible to watch Jason and Kari take on their calling.
I hope theyre able to make a difference with their ministry since theyre so unique to the area and offer medical assistance thats readily available, Driskell said.
Noting the Aggie Networks integral influence on his life, Segner said he was excited to connect with Aggies through the benefit, even though his family will be in Uganda.
We have a big Aggie connection, so its exciting for me to have the Aggie Network rallying around us and what we are doing, Segner said. We talk about how the Aggie Network is everywhere, and its a real tangible thing. The Aggie Network is reaching into the remote villages here in East Africa.
Stark said she would be thrilled to see college students get involved in Healing Faith, about which details can be found at www.healingfaithuganda.org.
Healing Faith also hopes to provide the opportunity to serve on a hands-on trip with the ministry alongside the Segners to anyone who wants to. Stark recommends that willing and interested individuals email [email protected] for more information.