Long Day

Great To Be Part Of A Family

June 14, 2011

Winter continues here.  Winter African style.  Wearing long pants and sweatshirts qualifies our Uganda weather as winter.  Of course the hail that pinged off the roof of our van helped confirm that we are most definitely in the peak of winter.  The hail was sporadic. Followed quickly by rain.  LOTS of rain. Rain that stopped traffic and put over foot deep water on the bridge.  It took me an hour and 20 minutes to travel a distance that normally takes ten minutes!

But, I was with family and it all just capped off a day of adventure together anyway.  It began early ... we left the compound before 7 AM.  We ... Pam, Blair, Robyn, Sami, Grace (our cook) and me.  We were soon adding Robert and Sarah.  Peter took over the driving from Mbiiko and our adventure officially began with prayer.  Robert and Sarah had a 10:30 visa interview at the U.S. Embassy.  Grace was going to Kampala Imaging Center for an ultra scan.  Sami was going to attempt to find some decorations for my 43rd wedding anniversary party Friday night.  Blair and Robyn embrace every adventure.  Peter negotiates our van through hundreds (maybe thousands) of bodas and taxis.  Pam makes sure everyone stays on task and she gets coffee.  Me?  I talk to anyone and everyone that will even give the slightest bit of encouragement ... and attempt to administer the multitasking that is necessary for 9 people.

Supporting Grace at the Clinic

Grace asked us to pray for her last Friday when we had coffee with her.  I inquired about what and she revealed that she had some severe abdominal pain and had it for over four months.  We took her to our favorite Jinja doctor and he ordered a scan immediately, saying her uterus was as hard as the surface of his desk top.  Since we were going to take Robert and Sarah to the U.S. Embassy we combined the trips to Kampala.  Pam and the girls stayed with Grace, encouraged her to finish three bottles of water before her scan, and blessed her as her family.  The radiologist/doctor asked Pam why Grace had waited so long to address her serious condition.  Lack of funds was the obvious answer.  Her scan revealed that she has several small tumors and one large one, but they were confined to her female organs.  She will take the report of her scan to the doctor here in Jinja tomorrow, find a gynecologist, and schedule surgery.  She is blessed to have family ... connected by the blood of Jesus.

Waiting for Robert & Sarah's results

Robert and Sarah were in the queue at the Embassy around 10:00 AM and had an answer from the consular who interviewed them by 12:30 PM.  It appears that everything is ready to go, but they did not get a YES for their visas until the consular can call the cancer center in Spokane and the doctor providing his services to confirm that Robert's medical expenses will be covered.  They will hear back from the Embassy in less than a week.

Robert picked up 48 Lugandan bibles and I picked up 48 English bibles at the International Bible Society in Kampala and the we headed out to Seroma Christian High School in Mukono.  Robert moved to the back seat to see if he could get some sleep.  His foot was not all that bad today, but yesterday he was tested for malaria and typhoid and was positive for both!  Sarah and Robert are blessed to be a part of a family ... related by the blood of Jesus.

Dickson & Pam with Maureen, his school advisor

In February 2007, I lost a really good friend to AIDS.  His name was Freddy Kasango and he left a young son behind.  For the past four years, a wonderful lady ... retired and on a fixed income ... contributes to his school fees.  He is now in his third year of high school and was moved up to the highest academic level possible.  The staff told us that he was not only performing well in his studies, but he is a disciplined young man who gives them no trouble at all.  He appears humble and was proud to introduce us to some of his instructors and show us his school, particularly the computer lab.  Dickson is blessed to have a family ... the body of Christ.

Dickson's computer lab - great facility

I'm connected to some amazing people in northeastern Washington who love Sera and her Caring Place boys ... although they have never met her and her boys!  They are having their Vacation Bible School next week and are featuring Sera's Caring Place and taking an offering for the home each day.  Sami and I are putting together three short videos featuring some aspects of the home's life together so they can introduce this great work to the children who attend.  Isn't the family of God something out of this world?