Back to Jinja on a String and a Prayer

Sunday, our last day, JB let me teach, and praise the Lord there were fifty adults not counting us from Jinja. The message went well and it was good to be with the believers in Pajule. But then it was time to head back as we had a three day Pastors Conference starting the next morning in Jinja.

We said goodbye to Miss Grace and Aryana. Unfortunately Aryana figured out that her best friend Kelli was leaving and cried. But after many hugs we hit the road for Jinja taking the eastern route.

JB drove the first eighty kilometers to Lira. Then gave the duty to me. As we had been driving I watched the left rear tire going flat so in Lira we got fuel and then tried to get the flat fixed. Nobody had air or a repair kit so we changed to the spare. Now this tire had also been repaired in Pajule. No, not by me but a tire man who knows us from Jinja. He said he could fix it so he did. Showed me a neat trick using string and rubber cement. As he was fixing it I could only pray that we wouldn't have to use it. It is 118 kilometers from Lira to Soroti which gave me plenty of time to pray for our safety.

Now you have to wonder what makes a patched tire fail? Is it time or is it mileage or speed? I personally believe it is time. Some say mileage so they change the tire as soon as possible. Tried that but couldn't get the thing fixed in Lira so view #2 was no good. View #3 says the speed will heat up the tire and cause the patch to fail. Well having 400 kilometers to go before dark required that we move at a rapid pace so that view wouldn't help. As I said I prefer to think that the patch will last a set amount of time so the quicker you start and the faster you go the better chance you have of getting there. So that was my choice. Everybody in the car, it is time to conquer the road! I didn't know our car could go so fast but it does and did. We reached Soroti in 1 hour and 8 minutes. By then all conversation had ceased and serious prayers were being offered. God is so good! He got us safely to Soroti where we aired up the flat and decided to keep riding on the string tire. It lasted all the way home! Of course the next morning it was flat as a pancake as was the spare. Turns out that we had picked up three nails in Pajule from their grading the roads there.

We pray that there is lasting fruit in Pajule. But also in our church as we are beginning to plan outreaches to our village churches monthly. But more about that later.

Thank you Jesus for letting us proclaim your Name to the world!