Most
of you know that I have spent the past three months in Gulu, Uganda. It has
truly been an incredible opportunity and experience—one that will forever mark
my life. Near the end of my trip, I had planned a three day vacation in a near by safari lodge located
on the banks of the Nile. I was looking
forward to a few days to get away with God, process the summer,
and prepare my heart to return.
The lodge is only about an hour-and-a-half drive south of Gulu. Not bad right? That would be true if we were talking about driving an hour-and-a-half in America. However, driving in Northern Uganda is an entirely different ball game. Nonetheless, I was not too worried. I had spent the entire summer learning to drive on the left side of the road in the chaos of traffic in Africa. On an unrelated side note, I did knock the mirror off of the car and came within inches of hitting a man on a motorcycle earlier in my trip. Nonetheless, I set out at 7:45am for the lodge.
The first thirty minutes of the drive were no problem. I had dodged a few semis driving at nauseatingly dangerous speeds and avoided a few potholes (more like craters) that could have swallowed half of my vehicle. However, about forty minutes into the drive I heard a loud boom and my vehicle began to skid out of control. I felt surprisingly calm and at peace and slowly brought the vehicle to a stop. This is where I received a fresh revelation of the goodness and kindness of my Father. Here goes:
The lodge is only about an hour-and-a-half drive south of Gulu. Not bad right? That would be true if we were talking about driving an hour-and-a-half in America. However, driving in Northern Uganda is an entirely different ball game. Nonetheless, I was not too worried. I had spent the entire summer learning to drive on the left side of the road in the chaos of traffic in Africa. On an unrelated side note, I did knock the mirror off of the car and came within inches of hitting a man on a motorcycle earlier in my trip. Nonetheless, I set out at 7:45am for the lodge.
The first thirty minutes of the drive were no problem. I had dodged a few semis driving at nauseatingly dangerous speeds and avoided a few potholes (more like craters) that could have swallowed half of my vehicle. However, about forty minutes into the drive I heard a loud boom and my vehicle began to skid out of control. I felt surprisingly calm and at peace and slowly brought the vehicle to a stop. This is where I received a fresh revelation of the goodness and kindness of my Father. Here goes:
- There were absolutely no vehicles, pedestrians,
bicyclists, or animals near me when the tires locked up and I began
to skid.
- About 100 yards behind where I broke down there “happened”
to be a semi-truck that had also broken down. Near the truck were three men,
obviously stranded, sitting in the grass. Before I could even get out of the
vehicle they were running up to offer their assistance. We knew we needed
to get the car off of the road as quickly as possible. With their help, we forced the car onto the “shoulder” (or the tall
grass near the highway”).
- These three men were beyond generous. Two of them ran back
to their truck and returned with a number of tools. They immediately began
trying to diagnose and fix the problem. They didn’t speak English very well, so
I just watched.
- Because I was only 40 minutes from Gulu, an American friend
of mine was able to arrive quickly and offer his assistance.
- After about an hour of working on the vehicle it was clear
it was not going anywhere. There “happened” to be a gated Islamic school and mosque
about 30 yards back. We limped the car to the gates and asked the guard if we
could leave it there for a few days. After initially asking for money, the
guard relented and agreed we could leave the vehicle free of charge. This was a
huge blessing because there are no tow trucks in Gulu and to leave the vehicle
on the side of the road was to invite certain theft or destruction of the car.
- On top of all of this my mother, pastor and sister-in-law
had been specifically praying for me the day before. What’s more, the day
before I had been spending time with Jesus and He had led me to Psalm 5:11
which reads… “[He] spread[s] [his] protection over them”. That verse jumped out
at me and I had actually underlined it that morning.
I hope this story encourages you as it has me. God is good. God is faithful. This experience was a reminder of how pointless fear and worry are. On top of fear and worry being sin and disobedience, both are futile because the things we worry about most often never occur, while the real challenges in life are the things that blindside us on an idle Monday morning – things we never saw coming, but our Dad did. So, I finally arrived at the lodge, only two hours behind schedule.
“…fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
When you walk through the fire you shall not be burned,
And the flame shall not consume you.”
- Isaiah 43:1b-2
