Life is good

Hey Everyone!

I'm sorry its been 2 weeks since the last post. We have been pretty busy, but we are doing really well.

So since the last post about the team not coming and the Ebola outbreak, we have been focusing extra hard on what needs to be done to open the new ward. Its really starting to look like we are nearing the end. Beds have been assembled, equipment has been delivered, and its been cleaned from top to bottom. There are still some logistical things keeping us from opening at this point, but we are making progress in those areas too. One main one being that we need to hire on a full time doctor. We have some good prospects, and I know that God is sending us the right person. I can't wait for this ward to be open because I know that I will learn so much.

As far as the Ebola situation, it has been contained within the Kibaale district, and it is being considered "under control" but not yet eradicated. We are so glad that it was taken care of quickly and that it did not reach our district, but we are also so sad for the many many people who were affected. Only 16 people actually died from the virus. About 165 people remain under observation, and the 200+ people who were thought to have come in contact with the virus have all turned out to be negative. We thank everyone at home soooo much for your prayers and thoughts throughout this time. We felt so looked after, prayed for, and taken care of. We obviously wish that the team that was supposed to be here this week was with us now, but we know God has plans for all of those team members as well as those patients who we were going to treat.

We made a quick trip down to Kampala this week to pick up 3 incubators, a sterilizer, and an oxygen concentrator. It was a good trip, and its always nice to have a change of scenery. We love taking advantage of having some good meals out while we are down there. We tried a new place we hadn't been to called Lotus. Its a Mexican place, and it was really good. We got there in time for happy hour, so we had some yummy half price margaritas and some delicious chips and salsa. We had really been missing Mexican food, so this definitely cured the craving. Even though its nice to go down to Kampala every once in a while, I am always happy to get back to Masindi and into our house. It really feels like our home now.

I don't remember if I mentioned this in a previous blog or not, but we were so excited to discover that we could boil g-nuts here, which are basically just like peanuts, and they taste just like boiled peanuts from home. It was harvesting season these past few weeks, so we had several batches of green g-nuts brought to us. Once people found out we liked them, they were so generous and kept bringing them. I couldn't cook them fast enough, and we had to give a lot away. They were so good though, and we felt like we were back home in the summer. If only our feet were dangling off a dock into some salt water. We did fill our little bucket with water a few times to keep our feet cool while we sat out in the sun, so if we closed our eyes we could trick ourselves to thinking we were back on Wadmalaw or Seabrook. Below are some pictures of Wilson and Newman picking off the g-nuts to be washed. They are so funny together sometimes, like little buddies. They spent a lot of the day Saturday "slashing" the yard by choice, because they like swinging around long pieces of metal and cutting things down I guess....boys. They even competed to see who could do the best job trimming the bushes with the slasher. Wilson definitely won that competition. He's had a lot more experience. He said that when you are bad at school or if you are tardy, the teachers will give the students slashers and have them cut the grass around the school. I have seen children doing this, and I thought it must be some kind of African PE, but apparently it was African detention. Wilson said he did his fair share of slashing at school for not tucking his shirt in. We are reaping the benefits of his punishment.

So that's all the updates for now. Thanks for following along with us and thank you especially for your prayers! Also, I want to give a big shout out to my parents for making the move to Wisconsin this week for my Dad to begin Seminary!! I'm so proud of yall and the commitment you are making to follow God's calling on your lives. I cannot wait to see what he does for yall the next three years of school and beyond. Also, pray that my Mom doesn't freeze! She hates the cold, but I think they will love it up there. Love you Mom and Dad!!!
Love
Trish