Going to the doctor

Today was an eventful day!  My tongue has been bothering me some so David and I went to see a British doctor who works in Entebbe, which requires driving through Kampala. We left the house at 7am to get to Entebbe by 10:30. In the waiting room we saw many children with various medical problems, and sitting in the waiting room was a bit of a heartbreaking experience. We saw the doctor fairly close to the arranged appointment time and after some discussion and an exam, we decided to come back in the afternoon for endoscopy. Here you pay in advance for any medical care, so we paid for the procedure before it was done. We found a nice place to have lunch and then returned for the endoscopy. Hospitals look very different here!  After changing into a hospital gown I went back to the "theater" aka operating room. After spraying some lidocaine on my tongue and throat, the doctor used the endoscope to examine the area more thoroughly. Everything looks normal. Praise God! He also had a few Ugandan doctors in training with him. I was happy that this was an opportunity to help train more medical professionals here in Uganda.

On our return trip we picked up several kids who grew up at GSF and were in Kampala trying to register to go to University. Some of them were successful and some stood in line all day and were not able to register. We asked why and their response was, "Welcome to Uganda." Life here either helps you to grow in patience and a sense of humor, or it will drive you crazy. We had some terrible traffic in Kampala and at one point went the wrong way on a busy one way street. A gracious taxi driver signaled for us to turn around and stopped for us. When we returned to the roundabout a police woman walked up to the van and said, "You went down the one-way." We responded yes, it was a mistake. She said, "Are you a vis'tor?" We said yes because we did not want to take the time to explain the whole situation. Her response was, "Don't do that again." "Yes, ma'am." David responded. I think we learned our lesson! The funny thing is that is the way the GPS map told us to go and the median was shaped as if that was an actual exit from the roundabout. But we will know better next time! 

We have so much for which to be thankful! A good report from the doctor, the opportunity to contribute toward medical training and medical care for Ugandans, a safe trip to Kampala and Entebbe, the opportunity to help some GSF kids with transportation, two older MKs who watched our children from 7am until 8pm today, a van that has been a huge blessing, a team of missionaries who have been praying with and for us about my tongue, family and friends back in the states who have been praying, and most importantly, a Saviour who loves us, who brought us into His family, who has given us the privilege of being a part of His work caring for those in need and who is working for our good even in difficult things. 

I don't have any photos from the day, but I like including a picture with each post so here is our best family photo here in Jinja.