Health update

Well I guess it's time to fill you all in on what's going on. 

First let me say how grateful we are for everyone's love and support and prayers. 

They are greatly appreciated. 

If you read the previous blog you will know rob had to return home due to the findings from our last surgeon who thought it would be months before I could have surgery. 

Not long after Rob left it was discovered that what they thought it was - it wasn't. So we were back to square one waiting to see another surgeon! 

Did I mention how horrible it was watching rob get on the plane not knowing how long till we'd be reunited ? 

Anyways -  Thankfully the previous surgeon managed to get me in quickly with another surgeon and have been consulting to try and find the problem. 

I had an appointment last week with ANOTHER surgeon and believe we may have a diagnosis. 

The lovely surgeon believes that I have a bilateral hernia. One on both hips. 

The reason she thinks it hasn't been picked up is because of scar tissue from previous surgeries in both spots. 

She thinks the hernias have been caused from strangulation build up from scar tissue and that has in turn entrapped the nerves - which is why I have lost some feelings in my leg and experience an unusual pain and have a strange feeling in lower half of my body. 

She couldn't say exactly but she said its possible that my lifestyle in Uganda had caused this to come about or made it worse. 

All the bending over to do Everything Etc. 

she also believes there may be some endometriosis but we will see when she operates. 

So due to the risk of complete strangulation of certain nerves and intestinal track - she has put me in for surgery next week! 

Wednesday the 12th of February! 

A month exactly after robbie left. 

How grateful I was to hear that news when we had been told it could take months on the waiting list. 

But she followed this up by saying - don't get too excited just yet as you won't be able to fly internationally and leave before end of March or maybe April - and thats the best case scenario. 

There's a large follow up after the surgery to ensure they fixed it all and that it's right for me to travel so still no word on when I will be reunited with my darling husband. 

Although it could be 3 months away from my husband, I am incredibly thankful to God for leading us to a doctor who has been so helpful and keen to help rob and I be reunited soon. 

Although I have no clue why this has all happened and even though rob and I are struggling being apart - I have much to be thankful for. 

My amazing family and being able to be here for two of my nieces birthdays. 

Being here to see my youngest niece start to walk and to get to spend time with people I wouldn't have had chance to otherwise. 

God is good- even when I don't understand - He does and that's enough for me ! 

Well I guess it's time I share with everyone what has been going on.

After countless months unwell and doctors appointments, scans and tests and treatments we are still not that much closer to having it all sorted.

I do have two surgeons who believe they have a rough idea of what's going on but we are not 100% sure yet.

Which has lead us to where we are now.

With the advice from my surgeon we have had to make the hard decision of rob returning to Uganda without me.

Drs believe I need surgery and due to the extent of it, it needs to be discussed with a team of specialists come early February. Then we will plan for Surgery. Timeline is up to 6mlnths though they said they'd try and rush it through.
They said it wouldn't be advices to have surgery elsewhere or to wait for it so we really have no other option than to be apart for now.

We have struggled with this and prayed for a few other doors to open but none have. So we are trusting God who sees the big picture when we only see the here and now.

Rob has to leave on Sunday.

He is due to start his internship up again come beginning of feb.
he cannot take anymore time off or he would have to begin all over again next year.

He also has to return for his graduation ceremony from medicine.

This for me is so hard as I have been waiting for this day and making a big deal out of it.
Rob never planned to go because he knew he wouldn't really have any one there to celebrate - immediate family wise.
But now he does - and I can't be there.

Absolutely devastated about that.
A lady who has helped to sponsor rob through last few years of university from America is also coming now.  To meet me and come to graduation. Saddens me that I won't get the opportunity to meet her this time.

I can't imagine being part from rob for 24hrs let alone 6 months.
Especially when we are suppose to be having our Ugandan wedding in June. And my parents are coming over too around then.

So we believe that I will be back in plenty of time for that.

Looks like we may be planning our second wedding apart as well!!!! :)

I am thankful for my family and our friends and all the drs here.
We really are blessed to have the facilities we take for granted.

I have no idea how we will cope Sunday night 7.30pm as rob gets on the plan. Or how I will function without him here.

I feel so helpless that rob will now have to care or himself with the incredibly long hrs he works. Especially as he moves into the busier areas at the hospital with internship.

We are trustin God though. He knows all things. ...... And we will test in that and remain strong in this time apart.

Thankful for technology but if one more person says oh he is only a phone call away - they my get hit!

The hard things is rob works longggggg hrs and doesn't have phone in those times.
Reception is never good let alone the time difference. So it won't be easy. Writing letters may become our main way of communicating. Plus the expense of phone calls is crazy!

My prayer is that Go would be with us each while we are apart and give rob all the energy he needs to keep everything running on his own including th farms.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and uppity.
Ill be staying with my parents while I am here and will keep writing the blog when I have stories to share of robs experiences.

When we don't understand things I am thankful that God does.
And so thankful for my amazing husband who I know this is even harder for.

As a doctor all he wants is to make me better and be here to care for me during Surgery etc.
what a blessed wife I am to have this incredible man as my husband!

An unexpected trip home?

Sometimes God and life take us on a little bit of a detour on our journey.

Just want to share a small part of our journey that has caused a minor detour in our lives which will end us up back in Australia in next few days.

I have been very unwell these last few months.

It started before we left Australia but dr’s had thought they had whatever it was fixed.

Well it would appear this is not the case and especially within last 6 weeks every day I am in more pain than the day before.

 I won’t go into all of what the problem is but it becoming very difficult to do any of the normal daily tasks here from pain, which is hard when in my head I am fine.

This is one of the things that has stopped me from being about to do any volunteering since we got here.

We have seen many doctors here and had tests done but they are now at a stage where they can’t do anymore and are recommending I return home to have it sorted out.

My Australian doctors are in agreement with this.

When we heard this I didn’t believe this could be what had to happen so I kept taking all the medicines and kept believing for healing.

But every day brings new pain and challenges.

When some friends of ours who will remain anonymous said that they had felt challenged to let us know they had money for us if we ever needed to go home, we started to pray that if this was the right thing God would open the doors.

Due to Rob’s internship he doesn’t normally get holidays or time off – I was not keen to go without him, nor was he, especially as we have no idea how long it will take.

We prayed that God would allow Rob to be able to have the time off if he was suppose to come.

Rob’s intern bosses have been very understanding and have given him to January off. It will not in any way affect his internship, only that he will make up that time at the end, which is fine.

We quickly applied for a visa and everything fell into place with that.

We came to city to wait the visa – which normally takes 15days – ours took 1 day after they received it – they processed it in a day!

A miracle!!

I have honestly really struggled with this decision (just ask Rob J ) even though I desperately want to see my family and friends – I struggle to see how this is right when we are really just settling in. But with all the prayers prayed and all we have done, and all of the ways God has opened the doors ( so many others I haven’t mentioned) it is clear that God goes before us. I’m pretty tough when it comes to health matters, but the pain and uncertainty of it all has become a struggle, and not being able to do all I feel I can do here.

So for now we will enjoy the time with family and really pray that my health will be sorted quickly so that we can be back here and both of us will be able to continue helping the people of this country we love so much.

We pray that God will watch over our farms and Rob's family and our home as we return to Australia for a little while.

I don’t understand the reasons but I trust God and are sooooo thankful for the amazing friends that God has used to make this possible.

Fun with local kids

In our neighbourhood and community there are A LOT of kids - actually there's a lot of kids everywhere in Uganda. Which is something I love.

Even though sometimes they are afraid of the white girl ( especially little ones)

And we often can't communicate with the language barrier - love has no barriers - neither does laughing and playing.

Kids are kids and wherever they are in the world they love to laugh, be silly and have fun.

We have kids directly on all sides of our place plus our two landlords girls who are live right with us almost.

But there are 100s and 100s of kids surrounding our place within walking distance.

Recently I sat outside and painted the nails of our landlords girls one afternoon.

I wasn't well so spending time with them cheers me up.

They have only had their nail polished twice - and the first time was by me as well - they love it.

After we finished painting our nails we just sat in the sun drying our nails.

Janice ( the older one) and I try and chat ( her English is ok because she is at school ) and JOOVIA who is my little shadow many days.

Joovia doesn't speak English but is very good at copying me and does this - when I introduced myself I pointed to myself and said LEAH - so now she always points to herself and says LEAH LEAH LEAH as she points to herself  - hahaha

After sitting there in the sun - late afternoon the kids all have finished school and their chores and are wandering around - before too long I was surrounded by about 25kids who all live within 3 minute walk of our house.

All afternoon they danced and sang for me and watched themselves on the videos I took of them.

They were shy at first but that doesn't take long to overcome.
I got some fantastic footage of them singing and playing.

There's a few links at the bottom to some videos from the kids - gorgeous and worth watching

PAINTING THE GIRLS NAILS - LOOK AT THOSE SMILES

Some of the kids who came to see me

Not one of them had ever heard of Australia !

 

 

Little Jimmy who lives next door- I see him a lot - he and Joovia follow me around a lot. He is quiet and so so gentle - you can see on his arms he has been burnt  - his chest is also burnt and he can't move it well.

This happened in a fire in a hut when he was a baby

Sadly this is not uncommon

 

Little Joovia - my shadow some days - she has a little feisty personality :) she's fantastic but I'm sure a handful too for her parents - especially the house girl who looks after her most of time.

Here she's trying the cake I made in our camping pot and cuddling the dolly we bought from Australia to give away.
She loves it

A GAME I PLAY WITH JOOVIA AND LITTLE SARAH IS TO MAKE FUNNY SOUNDS AND FACES AND THEY COPY - WELL JOOVIA IN PARTICULAR HAS TAKEN THIS TO ANOTHER LEVEL AND HAS ADDED ALL HER OWN NOW

WATCH THIS VIDEO AND SEE THE GORGEOUS SARAH AND JOOVIA PLAYING THIS GAME WITH ME

TAKE NOTE OF JOOVIA'S FUNNY THINGS - SHE MADE THOSE UP FOR ME TO COPY - AND WATCH HOW SHE IS WHEN SHE SAYS LEAH - SHE POINTS TO HERSELF

wHEN I FILMED THEM I HAD CAMERA FACING THEM SO THEY WERE WATCHING THEMSELVES AND SEEING THEIR FRIENDS TOO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Memc0C-9AY

THIS GORGEOUS BOY was sitting next to me and just breaks out in song all on his own - he had best facial expressions

He didn't understand English but we communicated through actions and laughter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_xHxW7YILU&feature=youtu.be

My GRANDFATHER WAS KNOWN FOR MAKING THE POPPING SOUND WITH HIS CHEEKS - EVEN THE GREAT GRAND CHILDREN WHO WERE ONLY TODDLERS WHEN HE PASSED REMEMBER HIM DOING THIS.

THIS IS A VIDEO OF THE KIDS SEEING THEMSELVES ON THE VIDEO FOR FIRST TIME AND AS I TAUGHT THEM TO MAKE THE SOUND WITH THEIR MOUTH.

WATCH THE KIDS EYES WHEN THEY SEE THEMSELVES ON THE VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-Hfp7n2_dg&feature=youtu.be



WALKS

My favourite days are the one’s where Rob gets home before dark. 

It usually gets dark here around 7pm.

Every few weeks Rob will have a quieter week and manages to make it home before dark.

On these days we go for a walk. 
We are trying to explore all the areas around our home. 
We will probably see more of this community than many locals. 

i always love the walks - especially all the huts and the country side - and the sunsets are beautiful. 
We get called to or sometimes chased after - especially when we stop to buy fruit at a little stall - 
OK let me rephrase that - I GET CALLED TO - :) haha
And rob says  - people dont even see me when i'm with you :) hahaha 

i try to collect pictures on our walks of the different areas to show different parts of our community. 
Here is a small collection of some we have captured. 

There's even a link to a video I captured of some kids

This is often our view on an afternoon walk or the reason we don't get to go. 

Lira is in wet season at moment and get amazing rain and storms often with hail and always with heaps of lightening and thunder.

A normal view here - babies asleep on mummies back

the biggest paw paw I have ever seen!! Being sold by a little girl about 9years - we bought a pineapple here

this was a favourite day - we discovered an area that was fairly bushy and quiet and we watched the sky for ages. Was amazing. 

The kids that we saw in this area could not believe their was a Mzungu/mmnu in their area

I love this grass in Australia and we saw it here for first time. 

Rob said I'm going to the toilet and headed to the bush - but actually came back with these.

Still feeding my love for flowers (especially from the wild) even here

Another little stall - we bought tomatoes and mandarines here

Kids came running over and jumping up and down

The kids that came running over - took their photo and showed them - they loved that!

When i reached out to shake their hand - they screamed with excitement !! ADORABLE

A corner store that sells tomatoes and a few local foods

I love this picture - the simple hut and their crops and green grass - majority of the homes where like this in this area. 

One of the best things when we go for walks are the stories ROb shares about his life growing up in the village or ugandan way of life. 

\We stopped one day when he spotted this tree with beans that looked very much like snow peas( i really wanted to eat one ) and then he opened it and said 

this is what we use to use for glue for our school work 

AMAZING  - and it was super sticky - just like glue

Little huts about 3 minute walk from our house after we walked to little shack shop to buy bread and a treat of Raspberry Fanta

CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO - AS WE WERE WALKING ALONG TALKING I SAW THESE KIDS PLAYING IN THE TREE - SINCE THEN I HAVE SEEN THEM DO THIS LOTS.

APPARENTLY ITS POPULAR WITH THIS TREE - ROB SAID HE DID IT AS A KID AND YOU CAN BOUNCE REALLY REALLY HIGH.....

 

CHECK IT OUT ON YOUTUBE

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19iHG03tzb4&feature=youtu.be

 if link doesn't work you can right click and go to - GO TO COPIED ADDRESS and then watch it

    

My amazing HUBBY

I just have to share how amazing my husband is.

And how many skills he has.

He may have had the opposite childhood to me and never have even made a sandwich before he came to Australia but he can do so much more than I could have imagined.

Often using the oddest materials and natural materials.

His dad was only around till Rob was 6 but it seems that Rob learnt much from him in those early years.

I love that along with seeing the way Rob works, I learn more about his past and childhood and the interesting way he grew up.

One day I will share in depth Robs amazing life story.

We are continuously amazed how God bought two people from opposite sides of the world to be together.

Who knew a boy from a traditional African village, would become an orphan, be raised in an orphanage and grow to be a Doctor.... and along the way meet a white girl from a tight knit family who had suffered from medical problems her whole life, and everyone always said - you need to make sure you marry a dr or someone to help care for you one day

God is amazing...

Here's some photos of the things Rob has done for me.

 

 

When we ordered our bed it still wasn't ready when we had to leave - so we had to take it unsanded and not varnished.

Very late one day Rob worked on it after doing 12 hrs at work!!

I made him a mask out of my facewasher and elastic mum send us with

He did an amazing job

 

Rob has never really cooked before meeting me because of the circumstances he grew up in ( except for a few local foods)

He has now MASTERED the art of hot chips ( thanks to our slicer dicer plus from Mailee - chops best chips!! )

 

When I feel like chips or I am unwell  - he sneaks off and comes back with these  and they are AMAZING..... I won't even try and cook them because now this can be his job ;) hehe

He has made Chapatis for us ( a local food) while  he made me sit down

And then a week later proceeded one day to teach me

All after a long day at work for him....

They turned out amazing!

I simply mentioned one day that I wish I had a mirror and somewhere to put my jewellery and makeup that I bought.....

Yes I know I bought a lot of jewellery and perfume from home..... I'm just not 'LEAH' without some jewellery - Rob and I still can't believe we got my vintage suitcase with 10kgs of jewellery on plane

 

ANYWAYS

With some simple nails and he bought a tray to fit over the slates so my makeup wouldn't fall through and he bought a mirror - he made a little beauty area for me on my clothes rack.

 

I love it!

A neighbour mentions her baby is sick over the fence and can she see him at the hospital on Monday  - ROb says i'll come over now and we went over and he did full medical examination on baby and prescribed medication and gave the new mum some ideas.

This saved her sitting in line alllll day at hospital and leaving her sister and brother who she is raising alone.

He then made sure we went back and checked up on the baby next day and again another day.

Our kitchen doesn't have any benches - most African cook on the ground in traditional way with charcoal or sometimes gas.

Rob knew my back wouldn't cope with that although I would have done it.

So with the tiny bit of money we had from his allowance he bought scrap wood and knocked up a bench for our gas stove and pots and pans.

 

He did this after a 9hr day at work

Rob shared with me that when he was at school - students had to bring a broom every term to donate to school and help in cleaning up the dust.

Since rob lived at childrens home, all the kids that lived there would collect the items needed and sit and make brooms together before taking them to boarding school at start of term.

When we bought our broom - it was one - and very thick and Rob said - This is not made very well

He bought cut up rubber from a tyre and then remade them into two and they work great.

Who knew my husband was so skilled in making brooms.

 

All the neighbours have looked at it and said how good and clever it is - he even added handles - something no one had seen done before :)



Our Farms and future dreams

Some of you may have noticed I talk about our farms and wonder what I’m talking about.

I thought I should fill you in.

Life as a doctor in Uganda is certainly not like Australia and they receive a very small wage.

Most dr’s need to have some sort of other business or study to become a specialist to get ahead in life.

You certainly do medicine because it’s your passion and calling.

With this in mind, Rob had always wanted to have farms to be able to help him to support his family and future dreams. Rob’s father was a farmer.

So earlier this year with a loan from family members – we started leasing 3 small properties, in different locations in Uganda.

We have a cabbage farm, a maize and tomato farm and a Cassava farm.

Running these farms especially when we are not nearby has been difficult to say the least.

We have had to deal with drought, language difference and communication difference, lack of funds and many more challenges.

We have already had our first harvest of cabbage and maize and have already planted for the next season.

God has been good to us, we certainly haven’t done as well as we would like due to the drought, but we did not lose everything like many others.

Some days, especially when there are problems and Rob has to sort that out with all the normal busyness and stress of his normal work hours I wonder what is the point.

But then I remember that everything good has to start somewhere.

And although we are still working towards that, I am reminded of what our farms are doing already.

We employ 5 people on our cabbage farm that had no jobs before and without us would have no way to support their families back in their villages.

We employ Robs eldest brother and this is way of supporting his wife and children.

It helps us to be able to have the money to pay university fees for Robs brothers and school fees for his other.

These reasons alone are life changing – maybe not directly for us – but certainly for those we employ and support – and that is what we want our lives and our marriage to be about.

We have BIG dreams for our future.

One day our plan is to own a large amount of land where we have one big farm, where people are trained in farming and agriculture and can be equipped to start their own businesses.

We will then use profits of the food to support a school and health clinic.

And one day would love to have other programs running -  sewing, mechanics, wood work, jewellery making, English  and reading classes, theology classes etc.

All while over the top of that using our profits and resources to help support families that care for orphans.

So many people take in their nieces/nephews or neighbourhood children that are orphans, and would gladly raise them well and give them a family home, if they only had the help needed. Sadly so many don’t have the support so the children end up in orphanages.

Rob being an orphan himself and experiencing being raised in a children’s home is able to bring so much wisdom and dreams into how we hope to do this.

Rob dreams of being a cardiac surgeon – and to be able to offer surgeries that people would normally have to leave country for – and thus never actually get because they can’t afford it. And his work in turn would also help us to support our projects.

Our dream would be that the farm and everything attached would be self sustained, that we wouldn’t have to rely on donations all the time, that the main donations from people in the west wouldn’t be money but their time in volunteering etc. This is turn would allow those in the west to experience life and the people here and to be able to help make a difference.

And Of course we also want to have a house full of children, biological and adopted.

We have big dreams – but all dreams start somewhere –So I have to remember that for now we are in training, we are learning what it means to run and operate farms, employees and to care and support people.

We are thankful for this time of learning, and even amongst the frustration of farming at times, grateful that it gives us a means to employ others, support rob’s brothers and learn through the good and the bad what we need for our future endeavours.

We are especially grateful for those who are helping us in doing this.

OUR MAIZE FARM

OUR FIRST CROP

OUR FIRST HARVEST OF MAIZE - DRIED, THRASHED AND BAGGED READY FOR SALE

People will groiund it into powder to make local food - Posho

We have already planted our second crop of maize

OUR FIRST LOT OF TOMATOES

( Which are much bigger than this now)

Our first Cabbage harvest

We are harvesting our second lot now