On the Road With Neil, in Kenya

 

Picture of a country road near Morris from Neil's 1950 International pickup.

This passage from Isaiah, which describes John the Baptist, came to mind as Neil has been texting and calling me this week:

Isaiah 40:3-5 -- A voice of one calling:

"In the wilderness prepare

    the way for the Lord;

make straight in the desert

    a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be raised up,

    every mountain and hill made low;

the rough ground shall become level,

    the rugged places a plain.

And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,

    and all people will see it together.

        For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” [NIV]

Neil and Francis are on the road again. The glory of the Lord is being revealed as people are giving their hearts to Jesus and being healed, but the rough roads are not level yet. Neil texted me:

We could start a reality show: On the Road With Neil, in Kenya. Whatcha think? 😂 The e-truck was brought to a nearby village to repair a leaking head gasket. Oh, fun. A mechanic will look into it before we leave on Thursday.

The trip on Wednesday will be a day trip to Kuria to do the ROCK interviews at Chacha's church. Thanks for transferring the $ to fix the broken front window on Atkinson's car. Even though Atkinson has a letter verifying he has paid the fine for driving with a broken window, we would have been pulled over at every checkpoint on our trip to Tanzania on Wednesday.

Dennis and Dawn's ROCK support makes such a difference for a delightful little boy who is developmentally challenged. The mother gives a special "Thank You" to them.

We had breakfast at Joseph's house, slogging through the mud. Joseph is the assistant pastor of Hellen's church in Sengera. Leaving Joseph, we slogged another half mile to Chief David's house, then back to Hellen's for a 2-hour pastor's meeting.

The head gasket in the truck is well on the way to being replaced. Atkinson is well on the way to getting his new windshield installed. A nap now and then off to Josiah's compound.

On Tuesday, Neil called to hear my voice again and described his time at Josiah's compound. Neil met Josiah on one of his first trips to Kenya. Josiah was the principal of a Catholic school where he invited Neil to teach the children about Jesus each year. Then his family would gather for a meal at Josiah's house. He was always gracious and hospitable. Neil brought Bibles and soccer balls and sometimes used computers for Josiah's school children. Unfortunately, in August 2022, Josiah died, so this year, Neil missed his dear friend. The family walked him over to see Josiah's grave and brought Neil back to the house, where Josiah's sister-in-law Joyce fixed a delicious meal for them. Joyce said it has been 22 lonely years since her husband, Josiah's brother, died. Josiah's living brothers, Saplone and Jeptha, had accompanied Neil and Joyce to Josiah's grave and stayed for lunch. 

At 4:00 a.m. Wednesday morning, Neil and Francis walked to the marketplace when their driver did not arrive at Hellen's house. Neil and Francis connected with their driver and headed on the main road to Kuria village, located on the Tanzania border, about 2 hours from Sengera. 

After arriving at Chacha's house, Neil texted that they had taken only one wrong turn. Chacha's wife, who had asked for prayer for her swollen legs while they were at the women's conference, told Neil she was okay now. Thank you for your prayers for her healing. Neil and Frances interviewed the 5 ROCK children and their caregivers in Chacha's church. That completed all of the ROCK interviews for this year's site visit! Yay! Neil called Wednesday after they returned safely to Hellen's house in Sengera for the night.

At Hellen's, his clothes had been washed and hung out to dry. However, during the night, Neil noticed lightning and rescued his wet clothing from the rain, hanging it on the rafters of Hellen's house. 

It is now Thursday morning in Kenya. Despite the night's rain, Atkinson got his car over to Hellen's house. Unfortunately, when they arrived in Kisii town, Atkinson's car had a flat tire. Neil texted the saga:

Hark, we have a spare! Our itinerary is to transfer to the evangelism box truck in Nyamira. Then, drive 3 hours to see Francis's daughter up by the equator north of Kisumu. Then, drive 2 hours to Maurice's home for the night.

These guys are Indy-level. The tire is on, and everything in the hatch is reloaded. We are off!

Not so fast... a little longer now... Atkison left the lights on while they fixed the tire. Now they are jumping the battery from a motorcycle. Finally, the car started, and we are off!

Wait a minute... there is a scraping sound from the brake unit... It is a loose brake unit shield. Off comes the tire again. The car is jacked up again. My frustration is that the shield has been loose ever since I arrived. It should be a simple fix. Bend the shield back. Put the tire back on. Lower the car, and we are off! Sounds like Neil, huh? 😉

Hold on... still scrapes... tire comes back off. More bending. More pounding... It would help if the mechanic had a hammer instead of just a socket wrench. All we lack is a camera crew for the reality show. The sun just rose over the eastern hill. More bending on the tire shield... The tire is going back on. I am seated with 3 others in the back seat made for 3. The car jack is let down. The Lugs are tightened. On the road... What's that? Still scrapes, but proceeding.

Back on the road again! We're at the tire shop. At least they know enough to not travel without a spare. So now we truly are on the road again, half an hour from Nyamira.

Riddle: What is the definition of a full tank of gas in Kenya? Answer: Anything above empty!

Neil packed his wet clothing in the plastic the Bibles had come in. He plans to hang the clothing to dry when he gets to Maurice's home.

Please pray the car can make it to their truck in Nyamira, make it to Maurice's home near the Ugandan border tonight, and back to Nairobi on Monday without further mechanical issues. Also, please pray for strength and energy for the trip. They are exhausted. 

Thanks so much for your prayers!