Last weekend, we as a family were on the highway travelling to a destination 500 KM (312 Miles) from Nairobi. It is a relatively new highway, so we were thankful that we weren't bouncing around and bumping up and down like we do on most highways in Kenya. It was there on a lonely stretch of African highway that we realized simultaneously, the importance of both lug nuts and God's protection.We had left home at 6 AM and we were having a great trip. Along the way there is a lot of beautful scenery. Mt. Kilimanjaro, one of the most famous mountains in the world,
seemed to hover above the horizon giving a great view of its early morning splendor. We even had the chance to stop and watch some elephants drinking from a water hole alongside the road. Everything was going along seemingly perfect, until....
seemed to hover above the horizon giving a great view of its early morning splendor. We even had the chance to stop and watch some elephants drinking from a water hole alongside the road. Everything was going along seemingly perfect, until.......until the van started jerking and jolting! We were out in the middle of nowhere, but happened be passing through a small village, so I pulled to the side of the road quickly. I got out, looked, expecting to see a flat tire. Everything seemed normal! So, I got back in, drove ahead a bit... normal is not what I found. Nancy said that she saw the tire wobbling. I got back out, looked and asked Nancy to get in and move ahead very, very slowly so I could see. The back wheel lurched with a grind. Now, I'm no mechanic, but I know that wheels are supposed to turn - not lurch and grind.
After jacking up the car - a great attraction for about 20 kids from the village - I
popped off the hub cap and out fell three of the four lug nuts, with the ends of the bolts in them. They were sheered off completely! One little lug nut remained on the job, holding the tire on (sort of), but having kept us from losing our wheel while doing 65 MPH, and causing who knows what damage as a result. Lug nuts play a big role in keep cars on the road! By the looks of the surroundings, this was a village without vehicles, and therefore, a village without a mechanic. We were an hour and a half from our destination, but no way to get there. In that situation, that is a long way from help.
popped off the hub cap and out fell three of the four lug nuts, with the ends of the bolts in them. They were sheered off completely! One little lug nut remained on the job, holding the tire on (sort of), but having kept us from losing our wheel while doing 65 MPH, and causing who knows what damage as a result. Lug nuts play a big role in keep cars on the road! By the looks of the surroundings, this was a village without vehicles, and therefore, a village without a mechanic. We were an hour and a half from our destination, but no way to get there. In that situation, that is a long way from help. Fortunately, Kenya has very good cell phone coverage! I made a phone call to my mechanic, getting some advice fro
m him. Just then, the lady who runs the guest house we were to stay at called to see what time we were to arrive - and I informed her of our plight. She then said, "Hey, another guest coming here is a mechanic, and he is right now in the town behind you ."(about 45 minutes back) She called him, and sure enough he was still there in that town - his own vehicle had broken down there, and he was having some work done on it. We then talked directly, I described the parts we needed, he found a parts store, bought the pieces. He then passed our way, stopped, fixed the van, and we were on our way.
m him. Just then, the lady who runs the guest house we were to stay at called to see what time we were to arrive - and I informed her of our plight. She then said, "Hey, another guest coming here is a mechanic, and he is right now in the town behind you ."(about 45 minutes back) She called him, and sure enough he was still there in that town - his own vehicle had broken down there, and he was having some work done on it. We then talked directly, I described the parts we needed, he found a parts store, bought the pieces. He then passed our way, stopped, fixed the van, and we were on our way.I started "hearing" Willie Nelson singing about then... "On the road again..."
We did spend a total of 3 1/2 hours alongside the road in that dusty little village... but, if God hadn't provided a friendly, trustworthy mechanic, with access to a parts store, who was travelling just behind us... we could have been there a very long time, and probably spent a lot of time and money trying to get back on the road again.
It was a vivid lesson and reminder for us, and for the kids, of how God watches over us. He made sure that the wheel didn't come off while driving, that when we stopped we were in a village, that a mechanic was already on the way, and ultimately he taught us afresh that we can always trust our lives into his hands.
There is now a lug nut sitting on my desk - perhaps it will remain there for years to come - as a constant reminder of God's protection of our lives!
2 comments:
What an amazing God we have!
Wow! I'm glad that all worked out so well. Miss you guys!
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