Well, so much has happened over the last several days. Where to start . . . With pictures, which I am not able to post right now. We are not hooked up to the internet at our house yet, some of our cables were chewed through by rats so we are waiting until we go back into the city to replace what we can or find some fix around I guess (David is the one who figures this stuff out!) For now we are occasionally popping into Scott and Jennifer’s place when we can during internet hours and checking email, etc. Actually we just did for the first time today, hence the long delay in anyone hearing from us! We are also having difficulty using the system here to send to our large prayer email list, so that is why you have heard little or nothing.

The trip in over the mountains was something else!! Wow. It was far more harrowing than my previous most adventuresome experience (bungee jumping). First of all, we have our new (to us, actually ten years old) van which David has never driven before. It’s pretty big (a ten seater) and a manual (not what we’re used to) and the steering wheel is on the “wrong” side of the car, and we’re driving on the “wrong” side of the road, and we are in the middle of Kampala (Uganda’s largest city) needing to head out. That first bit of our ride felt like true insanity. I was pretty terrified and don’t think I have ever come as close to praying TRULY without ceasing. David is a wonderful driver and I have the utmost confidence in his skills, but this challenge really seemed unbelievably difficult to me. I just prayed like crazy that God wouldn’t let us hit anyone.

This is the situation; you come out of the ARA (the hotel where we were staying which is completely gated off), out onto a small dirt road and from there up onto a slightly larger dirt road filled with vehicles of all sizes and pedestrians and bikers, and bicyclists EVERYWHERE. The road is very narrow, it is filled with changes in grade, large potholes, and ditches on each side. The bato bato’s (mopeds for hire) weave in and out with multiple passengers on board; matatus ( vans like ours that function as taxis) fill the road driving quite recklessly, mobs of people walk along both sides of the road, many carrying huge bundles on their heads or backs, cyclists, often with very wide loads such as long bundles of sugar cane add to the excitement. And every so often a VERY large truck from the World Food Program or some such rumbles along displacing everyone in it’s path. Along this road we careen trying to avoid people, bato-bato’s, matatus, other vehicles, food trucks, cyclists, and most of all PEDESTRIANS, while also avoiding tipping our vehicle by steering into a ditch or otherwise destroying it by steering into a pothole or other road obstacle. Believe me, if you are craving that adrenaline rush, forget Disney’s Space Mountain and come to Kampala for a few minutes of driving. Unforgettable. As I mentioned I spent the time praying feverishly, gripping my handhold (you know those handy little handholds in cars? Here you REALLY need them, unbelievably bumpy, without those you just fly around), pointing and muttering loudly to David (you see that pregnant lady right there, right???!!!) And other equally helpful statements meant to keep him from killing anyone. Actually I think here in Uganda, the key, as someone put it to me is “community driving”. Pretty much you need everyone in the whole car to keep their eyes open and help keep you from endangering yourselves or anyone else. David was truly grateful. I have never seen him so at the end of himself in my life. He did great. And God brought us through. It’s moment by moment grace without a doubt – and since we’ve been here I’ve been more aware of it than every before in my life.