A few highlights from the day...
Esther came into the hospital on our first day of work. They aren't 100% sure what's wrong with her because they can't test everything they need to test. Her condition has improved in some ways, but deteriorated in others. One new symptom is the jaundice, which you can see by the yellow color in the whites of her eyes.
Every day, there are several children who stand by the gates of the hospital, just watching. The hospital guards won't allow them to come inside. So, Smokey and I went to say 'hi' to them all. This girl is 10 years old and carrying her one-year-old baby brother.
The kids laughed at me when I asked them their names in their native language. I must have a horrible accent... that or I said something totally different!! We figured out how to ask how old they were. All of them were 10 and under. They had a good time laughing at Smokey's Vibram Five Finger "toe shoes" and how funny they looked. They all tried speaking to us as best they could, except for this little boy who was very shy!
This is one of the kids at the orphanage. We had planned to do medical and dental clinics there today, thinking the kids were home from school. But there was a miscommunication somewhere, (not uncommon here) and there were only a few kids today. We packed up and headed back to the hospital only 30 minutes after we had arrived. The dental team did stay and serve the kids who needed work.
Obligatory Cute Kid Photo of the Day
One of our own! Miss Tori has been at the orphanage all week. Catching chickens and lizards has been a regular past time for her here!
I meant to spend half the day at the hospital and orphanage in Lira and half with the School of Worship in a nearby village. Instead, Africa got the best of me and I spent the day resting on an exam bed with an IV. I am better now though, so no cause to worry (that means you Mom)!!
About half the group has had some kind of stomach ailment since we've been here. Your prayers for complete healing and protection against anymore sickness are very welcome.
As you can see, I did manage to take a few pictures before they stole my camera and started taking them of me… You can blame the poor photography and photobombing in this last photo on my husband and Gavin, respectfully. They threatened to post this picture on Facebook if I didn't post it here. They never did say how BIG it had to be.... ;)
