Heading back to Sudan

(Sunday)
Today at the second-hand market, I was pick-pocketed.
But, it’s OK, I caught the guy.
Kim and I chased him down. She jumped on his back while I tripped him. It was a wonderful show.
Or at least it would have been, were any of that true. Well, alright, the bit about being pick-pocketed is true. The rest is the scenario that Kim and I decided upon just earlier in the afternoon—what we would do if someone stole our purse. Kim said she’d chase him and jump on his back. I decided I’d do the same, only I’d trip him at the end.
Of course, when the real situation came upon, I was rather polite in my handling of the caper. It was more like, “Excuse me, what are you doing? Do you think I’m stupid?” as I pulled away the sweatshirt he’d throw over my bag as a cover for his hand diving in. He simply laid my cell phone down on the crate table in front of us and slithered away. I gave a few half-hearted “theif!”s after him. Half-hearted because I was taught if you’re going to do that in the Africa culture, you have to accept the fact that said thief could be mobbed and killed right there because of your accusations. So, yeah, I wasn’t feeling so much like witnessing a murder—it’s been a long week—so I just stared, dumbfounded, as he scampered off.
At least this sweet bag Ang gave me for Christmas has a flap and a zipper—pure anti-pick-pocket genius.
So, anyway, another day in Nairobi town, another day waiting for our LandCruiser to be fixed up and this fire engine to come off a ship in Mombassa. The fire engine (no longer equipped with hoses and men in uniform) was given to us as a team car and shipped from Germany. It was supposed to come off the ship nearly two weeks ago, but has been held up since then… and has been holding us up in return. Keep praying they can get the thing off soon so we can be on our way!

(Monday)
We’re finally leaving Nairobi—praise the Lord!
The fellas in the UNI-MOG and us (six chicks in the LandCruiser) are off for Eldoret Missionary College—the end of our first leg of our back-to-Sudan journey and current home to Joshua and Justina & Co., our Kenyan teammates expecting a baby very soon.
OH! I should say! Heinrich and Doris emailed from Germany. They are now four! Little Phillip came just the other day—the newest member to our team. So praise God that both Mom and baby boy are doing fine, and for our team getting even bigger! They’ll be back with us come May. We miss them dearly.

(Tuesday)
So these new, front-facing seats in the LandCruiser are cool and all, but I’ve found a downside. You can see forward.
Looking over the driver’s shoulder is sort of like a wide-screen horror movie. But, unfortunately, a horror movie you’re rather involved in and affected by… yet have no influence over.
You know how when you go bowling and the ball is scooting into the gutter or sliding right through the middle of a split, and you sort of wiggle a little bit, or wave your arms, all in the hope of somehow willing the ball to redirect its path? That’s a little what it’s like being in the back seat of this LandCruiser right now.
We have a new driver, see, and she’s no so used to the vehicle and doesn’t seem to have a splendid grasp of just where the wheels are. But, poor lady, it was a hard, frustrating drive. And praise God we survived it.
Now we’re in Lodwar, somewhere in the Kenyan desert. It’s hot, so I’m dripping, and all I want is a shower.

(Wednesday)
I think this might go down as the trip that just wouldn’t end.
We made it to Loki this morning. Unfortunately, Daniel lost the clutch in the UNI-MOG somewhere along the way. So now we’re here in the middle of what amounts to little more than an airstrip, uncertain of what exactly we’ll do from here.
I think poor Daniel has a night of work before him—another addition to his many frustrations—and we’re all back in the waiting game.
So please pray for the car situation and for our patience with said situation and with each other. We’ve been stuffed together way too long and are at times at each others’ throats.
Oh, and still no news on that fire engine on the coast.
I can’t wait to get home…