Update

Thought I would put out an update six weeks into our adjustment back to Obule.  I will let the pictures do most of the talking, but I have a few thoughts.  

The heat came to a climax a couple weeks ago with everyday over 40 degrees Celsius.  It was about 108 degrees and very dry.  Felt like I couldn't breathe. So, we went for an overnight by the mountains!  We went to a couple waterfalls to hike and enjoy the peaceful view.  It was fun and beautiful.  But it was also dry and hot there which is very unusual up there.  Then we stayed at a hotel with a pool and AC.  We had a good time as a family trying to stay cool.

Thankfully since then the weather is staring to change!  We are back down in the upper 90s, have clouds sometimes, and had a couple tiny showers of rain.  It isn't rainy season yet, but the signs are all around us!  Last Monday on a rare cloudy day our house didn't get above 80 degrees, and it felt great!  The people here said it was cold and put on coats to stay warm.  In the meantime, Grace said they went from snow to 68degrees, and the students were in shorts.  What a funny world we live in!

I also found it quite something that our family is on three different continents right now.  We are in Africa, Lydia is in Greece which is in Europe, and Grace is in North America.  Talk about feeling separated.  It's exciting and sad at the same time.

I definitely miss the girls. We're finding our new routine, but the other day I just felt like I want my house to be full again.  Our house is meant to be full.  It was a lonely feeling.  I love my home, but I want to share it.  I long for visitors, people I love to know my home.  It was a moment of feeling loss and separation.

Homeschool, ministry and life in the village are now pretty routine...other than pneumonia and other colds and flu.  We'll make it!  Thanks for praying for us.

Beautiful!

Emalai's chameleon 

Getting wet and cooling off!

Oh Makai!

Homeschooling

Our class got a visitor one day...

We borrowed an evaporative cooler to help keep us cool for school.

We made a volcano!

And painted birds.

Makai really wanted to go camping so he tented with his dad and Emalai in the yard.

Fishing

Emalai loves being Ugandan! 
She is thrilled to have a new outdoor bathing shelter like her friends.

Homemade pizza night - family favorite!

Luka works out and plays soccer every evening with friends. (Even with it being so hot!)

Makai found a homemade soccer ball made from plastic bags.

Check out these pictures.  The one of Makai on the left is this year and the one on the right is last year the same time.  This year a true dry season and last year we stayed green because of continued rains.

Burning is very common here in dry season before the rains come.
(So yes it's hot, dry, dusty and smokey!)

Josh at work.

Preaching at church.

The glory of God!

Praying for Makai

Tuesday March 11 

Prayer request. 

Makai got 104 fever Monday night and didn't feel well. He's been throwing up and had terrible left side back pain today. We knew we needed to do something but what? We prayed first of all. Should we mess with Soroti and question if we can trust it or drive 3 1/2 hours for more trustworthy health care???

We ended up starting in Soroti. Makai has a raging bacterial infection. I know the numbers probably don't translate but it is suppose to be 4 to 12 and his is 28. Poor guy. He has had and still has a cold and small cough. Because of vomiting they are doing three days once a day IV treatment. Then oral. He is also getting a drip now for rehydration.

Thank you for praying with us for Makai's full healing.

Update Wednesday March 12

Thank you everyone for praying for Makai!

We thanks God Makai woke up with a little improvement that gave us hope. He was still mostly down today with a low fever, terrible left side back pain and not wanting to drink or eat. But no vomiting.

We went for treatment number two this afternoon and asked for a chest X-ray. We felt we needed to know why Makai has a bacterial infection and his breathing was labored last night.

The X-ray showed pneumonia in his left lung. Thus the pain.

Please continue to pray for Makai's full healing. We go for one more IV treatment tomorrow then hopefully he can take oral medicine.

So very thankful Makai is doing to be ok!!!

March 17

Appreciate so many people praying for Makai and for us.  We thank God for healing Makai.  It was an exhausting week and I realize how quickly a traumatic event can happen here and the toll it takes on us.  You see living in a place where the medical world is an injustice and unrealizable can cause trauma.  Not having anywhere to trust for a medical emergency is scary.  To see your child so sick and not know why or how to get help is scary.  It brought back a lot of memories of when Luka was sick and ended up in ICU.  It is stressful, emotional, and physically and mentally exhausting.  The hospitals here are so very basic and some staff are very kind and knowledgeable and others not so much.  The cultural difference in care is huge.  Yes, we trust in the Lord and call out to Him to be our wisdom, provider and healer.  However, I have learned that times like these it is ok and even a reality to say all these extra stresses in life add up to have a trauma effect.  We need to take time to debrief, rest, seek truth and trust God again instead of any lies and fear that might want to take root.

So again, thank you for encouraging us with lifting us up in prayer.  God is to receive the glory for healing Makai!