GOD’S “INCONVENIENT” SURPRISES

Most of us dread the “what if’s” of emergencies; neither Laura nor I ever wanted to experience a medical one in Uganda…but it happened…and we give testimony that God is faithful. 

Soon after our VOICE meeting Monday, 20^th of April, Laura felt some sharp discomfort/pain. Tuesday she called the doctor and booked for a Wednesday appointment (the first one she could get). Following several tests on Wednesday, the doctor diagnosed an enlarged and inflamed gallbladder and advised immediate surgery. Laura pleaded with her to try another option before jumping to surgery. She agreed to strong antibiotics but scheduled another ultrasound on Friday to see if it had shrunk. 

Friday revealed that it had grown even larger. All of the test results were sent digitally to our SEND Canada doctor and he replied immediately saying surgery was a must…his strong suggestion was a certain hospital in Nairobi, which was also the advice of our WorldVenture team leadership and so we began to work toward that. Meanwhile, Friday night extreme pain doubled Laura over for a couple of hours and convinced her that she could not make the trip to Nairobi; it would have to be done here in Uganda. 

Quite early Saturday morning, Laura phoned her doctor who said she would make arrangements with the hospital and surgeon of her choice…and soon called back to give us the details. Our driver, Fred, came to drive us to the hospital. So, we threw together a few things, made a few phone calls to cancel other plans, and off we went…not knowing what would await us…but all the while a warning from a Ugandan missionary back in 2010 was ringing in our ears…“You don’t’ want to get sick in Uganda.” 

Although the process of getting admitted and making arrangements seemed slow, all went well! Connie, a nurse missionary with WorldVenture came to help us through the medical maze of hospitals/surgery! (Neither Laura nor Ruth have ever been confined in a hospital in any country!) A number of additional pre-op tests were run and the decision was to wait until Sunday morning between 8 and 9 AM for surgery. After meeting both the surgeon and the anesthetist, Connie expressed confidence that they both seemed well qualified; a huge relief. We had hoped the gallbladder could be removed laparoscopically, but because it was so enlarged, that was not an option. Ruth spent the night with Laura—a norm for this country and also in the Philippines. Neither of us slept too well, but still there was a deep peace that God was taking care of us.

Prep work started about 6 AM Sunday morning; the reality of it all settled in but God’s strength was sufficient. Connie and our Ugandan friend, Beth, came to be with us. Laura was pretty well ready by 8 AM…but due to other emergencies, it was almost 11 AM when, preceded by a time of prayer, she was wheeled out. The anesthesiologist called us around 12 noon to say surgery had begun. Around 2:30 PM we received word that surgery had been successful—thank you Lord! We were invited/ordered to come down and “see the gallbladder.” Connie was our representative and sure enough, she got to see it and have it dissected before her eyes…with 2 stones about 2 inches across falling out plus multiple other stones of various sizes…and puss. No one could understand why Connie didn’t want to take a picture to show Laura. (We found out that Ugandan doctors have to “prove” that they did what they said they did!) Then about 4 PM, Laura returned to the room and her first words were “Praise God, my work is not finished yet; God has seen me through.” Yes, indeed, praise God! 

These first 2 days of recovery have not been easy, but she is gaining strength. Connie has come by every day and a second nurse friend (from India) came today. Our pastor, 2 from Scripture Union, Laura’s Bible Study Fellowship leader, and a few others have dropped in to pray—none of that could happen if we were in Nairobi. We know the road to full recovery will take time and patience. BUT, how can we doubt God’s wisdom and goodness after all He has seen us through these past days. Praise His holy name!