KCC In Uganda: STRANDED IN MBALE

Fred writes: Sorry to have been AWOL for a day - we've been a little sidetracked. We decided to take a day off from the bodas on Friday because after three days of tearing up what they call roads over here Heather and I were experiencing some serious chafing in the . . . umm . . . well . . . shall we say, "seat department." Another day on the motorcycles and we would have needed some awkward bandaging. So we left for Mbale (mmm - bali) to visit a Christian school established by Pastor Alfred who also works as The Way Home's construction supervisor. The mission's minivan had experienced some coolant loss problems recently but was thought to have been OK. I was a little suspicious, though, and watched the engine temperature gauge closely from the back seat. About 40 km out from the compound the gauge suddenly went from normal to the peg at the top of the scale so we pulled over and discovered the radiator was empty. Fortunately we had taken two cases of drinking water along with us and were able to fill it back up. We traveled on to Mbale where Pastor Alfred took us to his mechanic. You know that thing about first impressions? Yep. Keep reading. Three hours later we were back on the road and visited the school. It's amazing what God is doing through Alfred's efforts in a heavily Muslim area. Since we were already almost there anyway, after leaving the school we headed up the mountain to visit Sipi Falls. Still don't know what they look like. Half way up the mountain the temperature gauge pegged again. The repair made in Mbale was somewhat insufficient. Turns out they basically tried to glue the leaks closed. After several more stops to refill the radiator we found our way back to Mbale where we holed up in a hotel for the night.

The next morning Alfred took the van to a different mechanic who was recommended by a professional driver he knows. First estimate was "mid-morning," then "mid-day," then "later on," then "45 more minutes." We called Alfred after about two more hours had passed and they were "almost done." We finally left as it was getting dark and returned to the guesthouse about 9:30 p.m.

We had big plans for the last 48 hours. Seems that God's plans for us were different. While we were disappointed to not get to see the falls, had to spend money to stay in a hotel, and spent ALL DAY sitting next to a beautiful swimming pool we couldn't use because we didn't have swim suits (always keep one in the glove box, I guess), we still had a great day. We were forced to slow down and engage in deep conversation and experience some real community together that we would have completely missed if not for a broken car and a totally incompetent mechanic. God protected us every step of the way and led us to a place we wouldn't have wanted to miss. Soli Deo Gloria.