Free to Fly

Today we had Steve's follow up appointment! We are so thankful that his oxygen was 96; the highest I have seen it in two weeks! He is free to fly tomorrow! We will be flying out of Nairobi tomorrow morning and then run errands in Kampala then head home on Friday.
There are so many people to thank, but I am going to take another post to do that. But... I want to thank my kids for being so patient and letting others care for you! We love you soooo much and appreciate how flexible you are. God has gifted us with you!

Pictures of the Hospital

Steve is recovering nicely. He is feeling so much better and we are trying to get out and walk! Thank you for praying for us! 

Released!!

We are praising God that Steve was released from the hospital! He is still very weak, but in true Steve fashion, he keeps cracking jokes and pretending he is fine. He is being very careful to not overdue it! I am so thankful that he knows his limitations.
I was actually with Howard and Aileen at a mall getting some fun "American treats" when Steve called and said he was released two hours ago! We rushed to the hospital, paid the bill, stopped for lunch, picked up produce, and headed home to Howard and Aileen's. When we got home, Steve was exhausted and is now resting for a little while.
I realize that produce is abundant in the USA, but they have this fabulous little produce shop and I took pictures because I thought it was so beautiful. We do not have multitudes of produce in Soroti.
We pray that this can be a week of rest for Steve. Please keep us in your prayers as we are separated from out children for another week! We miss them so much, but we know that Steve has to heal. On Wednesday, Steve has a follow-up appointment and we hope to fly to Entebbe on Thursday and then have a driver bring us to Soroti on Friday! It seems so long to be without our kids, but we are thankful for modern conveniences of FaceTime.
Thank-you so much for praying for us!

Off oxygen!!

We woke up early this morning so we could make sure we didn't miss the doctor. We arrived at the hospital at 7:30 am and Steve is looking really good! The doctor arrived around 10 am and she is very pleased with his progress. All the blood work came back normal. Chest x-ray shows great improvement.  He is off oxygen and he is retraining his lungs to work properly. He is now allowed to walk a little more and we have taken a few walks down the hall. They said that he could possibly walk outside today if he promised to always be with me and rest if he needs to. He may be discharged tomorrow, but they will see how his oxygen is throughout the day today and tomorrow morning. We pray that we will be updating that tomorrow. We praise God for HIS healing power! 

Mandy Shaarda is traveling home today. It has been such a huge blessing to have her here with us. I am so thankful that God allowed her to be here and a part of this journey with us. 

Our kids are doing fine. They have their moments and I am so thankful that Auntie Karebear is willing to love them for us. We know that it is not easy to take care of stressed, tired and out-of-routine kids. Our "team" in Soroti has been amazing! Taking care of meals and schedules and all the little details. I cannot express my gratitude enough that God has placed us in Soroti to work alongside these wonderful people. 

We have really appreciated everyones prayer support. We feel very loved. We pray that through this whole ordeal it will strengthen our witness to our local community in Uganda! They have surrounded us with love and encouragement and we pray that we can continue to be a blessing to them. 

We are feeling the financial strain of such a large medical bill and we ask that you prayerfully consider helping us in this way. We do know that God has it all in His hands and we trust in that completely, but sometimes it is hard for our earthly minds to grasp the magnitude of it. If you feel God prompting you, please use this link to make a tax deductible donation. 

World Outreach Ministries

His first walk out of the room!

Just a few pictures!

Checking oxygen levels with out oxygen on. It seems to be lingering around 87-89. They are keeping him at 2 liters of oxygen for now and will continue to check him every four hours.

First time up and walking besides going to the bathroom or shower! He did pretty well. 

It has been so great having Mandy here! We have been trying to enjoy as much "American" food as possible.

Just a few pictures!

Checking oxygen levels with out oxygen on. It seems to be lingering around 87-89. They are keeping him at 2 liters of oxygen for now and will continue to check him every four hours.

First time up and walking besides going to the bathroom or shower! He did pretty well. 

It has been so great having Mandy here! We have been trying to enjoy as much "American" food as possible.

Update November 8, 2016

Today is a new day.  We arrived at the hospital at around 9:30 and found that Steve was not in his room. He was at the pulmonary department. He is making a little progress! It is slow, but it is sure. They are now trying to get him to move at least a little. They check his oxygen before he is allowed to stand and then they will check it when he lays back down. He had a chest x-ray and we are waiting for those results. They will slowly wean him off oxygen and keep him on the strong antibiotics for 2 more days. If his oxygen continues to improve they will look at releasing him MAYBE this weekend! We will have to stay in Kenya for at least a week so can have a follow up appointment. We realize this may change in a moment. We are going to go with it now! We are praying that our kids can join us for at least a little while, if not until we leave. We are trying to figure that out now!

My post may be a little vague, but right now I'm watching all this election stuff and I can't focus! I know that God is in control of all situations. Steve's medical condition and the presidential election. We pray that God can be glorified through it all!