Answered Prayers

Thank you for all your prayers!  We are all up and about.  My ear is still healing.  It is plugged and I can't hear out of it but that should be restored in a couple weeks once the hole in the ear drum is healed.  We are finding our routine here and beginning to adjust to life here.  It has been a long month, but we have survived.  We constantly call on the Lord and trust in Him.

I just wanted to post a few pictures since I am finally well enough and we have internet to do it.  More soon I hope...

Ready to fly

Amsterdam Airport

Our little tired Dutch kids

6 and a half hour drive to our home in Obulle

Our Welcome home party

Yeah, pork and posho!

This was the scene at our house the first week.
Sickness hit everyone in our family.

Update

Thanks once again for continuing to pray for us.

I have been sick for over a week now.  Thankfully not down and out, but also not myself.  Sunday I thought I was recovering so I went to church but by Monday I was feeling sick and in bed again.  Tuesday I ended up with an ear infection.  I have not had an ear infection since childhood and it simply hurts!  The pressure behind the ear was so much it finally put a hole in the ear drum.  My ear hissed, popped and leaked for a couple days.  Now I can't hear out of it because it is plugged and it has a static noise.  Praying all is healed in four or five days.  I am dealing with nausea so I am still often laying down.  I am not sure if it is the antibiotic, the ear, drainage or all of it.

So basically we have still not adjusted to life here, we are just trying to survive.  Nothing is normal when there has been so much sickness to deal with and when mom is down and out.  The kids are helpful and positive, but Josh and I are struggling.  Everyone has pitched in to help get home school done each day.  We aren't well enough to do much, yet at times we are well enough to be bored.

Elections took place yesterday and we continue to pray for peace in Uganda.  Many stores are closed and people are not moving around waiting to make sure unrest doesn't occur.  It all adds to our loneliness and not being able to adjust as everyone waits to see what happens.  Continue to pray for Uganda's peace and safety.  

Down Right Sicking!

We do not have internet at home yet, but I was able to finally run into town and use a friend's.  We arrived in Obulle Friday to a wonderful welcoming from our friends and neighbors (more on that another time), but since then sickness has invaded our family.  Luka started it and yesterday all four kids were sick!  By evening Josh was added to the numbers.  I was the only one well.  They all have had over a 102 degree fevers, vomiting, and coughs and colds.  I felt so bad looking at my family laying all over the house sick.  If being sick isn't enough it is 95 degrees inside our house.  It has been a rough and discouraging few days. We are thankful we know it is just the flu and nothing more serious.  Pray for healing and health.  We feel lonely but remember your prayers often.

Better get back to caring for the family.  Thanks everyone!

Update Saturday Feb. 12
Thank you all for praying for us!  We certainly have needed it.  We have been in Obulle a week now and every single one of us has been sick.  Luka was sick for five days, Josh has walking pneumonia, and many of us still have colds and are slowly gaining strength.  Honestly, we are very down.  It was been an extremely lonely week and we are fighting feeling of not wanting to be here.  Our internet is still not working so we feel very out of touch.  It is hard to adjust when everyone is sick especially when Mom is sick.  Please continue to pray for us as we heal and pray for encouragement to continue on.

Made It!

Just a quick note to say we made it to Uganda safe and mostly sound.  There is no way around all the luggage, emotions, stresses, and long airplane rides.  Thank you for your prayers!  All in all it went very well.  We all got sick on the landing into Amsterdam (because of 35mph winds landing) and so we are thankful for the airsick bags.  We had a wonderful overnight in Amsterdam and were able to swim, eat, shower, and sleep in the most comfy cozy bed (for almost 12 hours!).  It is amazing how quickly we felt far from home and like foreigners.  We arrived in Uganda well rested, with all our bags, and to great friends who picked us up.  We were once again hit with the heat and humid and unsettled feeling of being back in Africa.  We all got a good night sleep but I have this funny feeling of wanting to stay asleep and continue to dream about "normal" like Michigan and people there.  It isn't that I don't want to be here yet it is.  It is hard to adjust.  It is all newish again and overwhelming.  It will take time.  I am so thankful we have each other, everyone is doing well, we have friends here, and so many people are praying for us.  Tomorrow we plan to drive 6 plus hours to our home in Obulle.  We do look forward to being home.