April 2025: An Unexpected Connection
Earlier this month, two Ravens Youth studying in healthcare fields, Vicky and Joel, got the opportunity to attend a day-long intensive of lectures on diabetes, hypertension, cardiology, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, as well as hands-on CPR skills training with infant, child, and adult CPR manikins and hands-on skills training in the Heimlich maneuver for choking victims.
Joel is a nursing student and Vicky is studying to be a lab technician and they were the only students among the 130+ nurses, doctors, and midwives who attended these lectures and skills workshops. The opportunity came about through a Ravens community connection: our communications support team member, Anna!
Anna's "day job" is as the head of communications for the international nursing education nonprofit that offered this training, Nurses Heart to Heart.
Back in September 2024, Nurses Heart to Heart was in the process of planning their first trip to Uganda and Anna realized that NHTH's local partners were located in Wakiso district, where Ravens Ministries is based. She immediately sent an email to connect Ravens and NHTH.
Anna says, "Realizing that Nurses Heart to Heart would have a chance to connect with Ravens Ministries was a real 'worlds collide' moment for me. On paper, they don’t have much missional overlap and NHTH does most of its current work in Iraq, but then NHTH's Uganda plans started to come together and I realized that there are Ravens Youth pursuing various paths in medicine and healthcare—investing in nursing education is the heart of NHTH. I got really excited that there could be a meaningful connection beyond just the fact that I write emails for both organizations! The common phrase is 'it's a small world,' but in this case, I feel like it's more accurate to say it's a small Kingdom of God!”
Vicky and Joel traveled to the NHTH training and then the NHTH team came to Ravens Ministries to spend time with Abel, Mildred, and some of the youth. A highlight of the day was Joel demonstrating his new CPR training to the Ravens community! He did an excellent job—Anita, the founder of Nurses Heart to Heart, said he was textbook perfect.
After spending time with the Ravens Youth, Abel and Mildred gave the NHTH team a tour, including the community library and computer room where Ravens Youth come to study, research, and do coursework with reliable and free internet (Ravens Ministries also used the space this year to offer a year-long computer skills course to their local community).
The Nurses Heart to Heart team was so grateful and blessed to spend time with the Ravens Community. They have begun discussions with Abel and Mildred about how NHTH can support the wonderful work that Ravens Ministries does and invest in our Youth who are pursuing nursing and midwifery.