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UNEXPECTED DOWNPOUR
written by Linda Campbell
Our son, Brian Campbell, arrived in Uganda on the 30th of October. After adjusting to the time change, he was ready for an adventure! Bill has a motorcycle and he rented a second one for Brian so they could spend time out on the roads of Lugazi getting familiar with driving in a Ugandan setting. Ugandans drive on the opposite of the road from Americans, and there is little thought of courtesy for pedestrians or right of way for other drivers. You have to be brave to drive in Uganda. That is why only two motorcycles were needed. I was going to ride on the back of Bill’s.
The three of us started out for the village of Nakisunga to see some of our children. We chose to use the back roads through the sugar cane fields. From the looks of the morning sky, the day promised to be hot and sunny so I decided against taking a jacket. We were having a great time riding the motorcycles and trying to avoid the pot holes when suddenly a strong wind came up and sky grew dark. We could see bright sky ahead and only darkness behind, so we decided the best thing to do was to ride through it. The heavy rain quickly soaked through our clothes and our bodies began to shiver.
There was no place to go to get out of the deluge, so we continued. As I looked up the hill to the left, I saw some small outbuildings made of iron sheets. As this point we had no other options, so Bill decided to drive up the hill to find some form of shelter. We perched ourselves underneath the overhang of a metal roof. We were still cold but were finally out of the weather. We then noticed a partially enclosed mud structure, and cautiously entered the dark building. Once our eyes accumulated, we saw that it was filled with chickens and one woman who was smiling and giggling, obviously not able to communicate with us. There were two tiny mud stoves on the ground. I stood as close to one of them as possible but the heat was so minimal, I stepped away to avoid breathing in the smoke of the charcoal.
We had found ourselves in a housing camp for the sugarcane workers. The opening of a squeaky door caught had our attention and one of workers was inviting us into his shack to wait out the rest of the storm. Brian and I eagerly entered while Bill waited with the motorcycles. We were greeted by several men who pointed to little wooden chairs to rest on. The building was dark, but we were protected from the tempest. Unfortunately the men did not speak English so we were unable to talk to them. We used gestures to express our thankfulness to them for their kindness.
The downpour continued for two solid hours. Each time the pounding of the rain on the roof lessened, the man would open the door to check the condition of the sky, and a blast of cold air would entire the little shelter. The last time the door was opened, the rain had stopped, and the sky had turned to a light gray. Brian quickly jumped up informing me that it was time to head back. In my mind, I pictured impassable mud roads. I knew we were at the mercy of our Savior.
We met back up with Bill who had befriended a young man in another shack. We wiped off the motorcycles and started the two mile trip back to Lugazi. The seemingly friendly hill we had climbed a few hours before had now become a stream of muddy water. Bill shouted over his shoulder to me, “Hang on” and we slowly inched our way down the hill. Brian was still at the top of the hill and before he rode down, he overheard a Boda (motorcycle taxi) driver say, “If a Muzungu (white man) can do it, so can I.”
The dirt roads had become muddy rivers two or three feet deep. We took a detour up a hill hoping it would lead to Lugazi. Brian was riding through the middle of the streams, making all kinds of noises, and having a great time. At one point, Bill tried to go around a large mud puddle, the motorcycle slipped, and we both ended up on the side of the muddy hill. Although uninjured, we now carried a thick layer of mud on the entire left side of our bodies. I thought to myself, “If my mother could see me now!” As we passed Boda drivers, they would look at us and laugh. One driver laughed hysterically. He even slowed down so he could look at us longer. This released such a joy in us that we laughed right along with him. When we arrived in Lugazi we tried to enter unnoticed, but for some reason people were lined up on both sides of the road looking and pointing as if a parade was passing. We even overheard the words, “mud slide”.
We were overjoyed to climb the stairs to our apartment. Christine saw us, ordered us to remove our clothes and shoes, and sent us to the shower. While we were getting warm and clean, she was lovingly scrubbing our clothes and shoes. God has blessed us with the most wonderful friends. The depth of their love consistently allows them to sacrifice for us. We thank God for them every day.
Bill and I believe that we are on the adventure of our lifetime. When people look at us like we have lost our minds, we smile and pray that we have. Our prayer is that we have been given the mind of Christ. We are so thankful that God opened the eternal “Book of Destiny” and revealed to us our role in His eternal plan. Abandonment to God is the greatest joy of our lives. We are watching God's dreams become our dreams!
Passionately loving Jesus,
Pastor Bill and Linda Campbell
www.preparethewayministry.com
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