I TELL YOU, IT WAS A MIRACLE!

Let me post a personal story regarding my last trip to South Sudan. We just finished the most amazing workshop on Theology of Word, introducing peace and reconciliation. We decided we needed to go to another state in South Sudan to empower the churches, leaders and local community based organizations. We started our trip with local inquiries in that it was rainy season if the road was passible. We were affirmed through a number of people that it was. So we started out our 3 and 1/2 hour drive. We did not get to far on what were pretty slimy, muddy roads and we got a flat tire. There were just three of us, and who would think I wore a white shirt that day (already not white).  As we continued our journey we were hitting some very serious mud holes and I was thinking; “this is not a good idea, we should turn around - we don’t have a spare tire and if we go into the night we are in danger of bandits”.  But my fellow companions believed it was worth it and we should push forward. It was not far and we hit our first row of semi trucks lined up before another semi truck with it’s load tipped over in the middle of the narrow rutted muddy road. This was our first real challenge, we had to get around these vehicles and especially the one blocking the road. It looked like some had tried and made a make shift trail through the bush beside the road, so we put the vehicle into 4 wheel drive and pushed our way through, success.At the same time I was looking back and thinking; “I do not want to go back that way, we will get stuck for sure”. As we continued to push forward more rows of trucks and more tipped lori’s. Each time we had to somehow drive out way around these broken down vehicles. We are already 3 hours into our journey and it’s only getting worse.  We finally meet up with a huge line of vehicles and a large group of truck drivers and soldiers. Sitting beside one of the soldiers was a young women with what looked like food in bags. We stopped and found out that this poor lady had been stranded here for 5 days, fearing rape from the truckers, some of the soldiers took it upon themselves to protect her. Five minutes up the road we found out why. It was not just a water hole, it was a lake.I truly feared. One of my companions thought we could do it. Assuming the vehicle was still in 4 wheel drive he started to plow through only to (just after entering) get hung up with water 1/2 way up the vehicle. The cab was starting to fill up with water, and I thought; “we have to get out of here NOW”.   I opened the door, the vehicle was already full of water and mud and got out to turn the hubs to 4 wheel drive. The water and brown mud was up to my waist, and I was only wearing flip flops - but I managed to turn the hubs (you can imagine what my white shirt was looking like). The land rover would not move forward, so we got out and started pushing it in reverse. The thing moved slowly as mud and water was spraying everywhere from the 4 spinning wheels.  We got out, but how were we going to get through? The guys suggested I drive and manoeuvre the vehicle along side of the great lake between the road and a swamp. To me this was not a good idea - but I submitted with prayer and trembling.  I started out, and just got in front of a tree and the vehicle slid over so that the tree was right behind the vehicle and as all the wheels once again started spinning. We were once again stuck and this time I could not move back wards. The guys got the shovels and picks out (it was a good thing that one of the men thought we should bring them, just in case) and they dug me out.  As I began to move forward I hit the gas and gave it all. The vehicle was like ‘flying’ as the swamp tried to pull me in. I was beginning to sweat severely and it was not just because it was hot, I really thought this swamp was going to take our vehicle and then something total awesome happened. The vehicle like ‘jumped’ off that path, and back onto what was part of the road and I didn’t know what was going on. I looked in the rear view mirror and the guys were jumping up and down, waving their hands and praising God. I was a bit in shock.  As I was continuing to fly forward I wast stopped by two lori’s stuck in the middle of the road. I thought the lake was bad, now these and the road was impassable. One of the lori’s we that of a group of Ugandan soldiers and they asked if I could help pull them out - I tried but it was not use. Now what? We sat around for a while and them a police man joined us - I thought that was a good idea. At least if it gets late he will be their to protect us, if he doesn’t rob us first. We were getting desperate and so we asked the soldiers for more help and they decided as a group to build us a road, and so with their picks and shovels and ours we build a new road - and once again I got into the land rover, 4 wheel drive low and it the gas - I pushed my way through the new road and got by the two stranded semi trucks. My companions joined me and we thanks the soldiers and moved on.  We did not get far and another row of trucks and more overturned vehicles. This was getting to be too much. A large group was waiting there too. The police man met some friends and decided to leave us and then I was not feeling to well, begging God to protect us. As we continued to struggle - we had to once again stop for a while and then a Sudanese soldier came up to us and asked us if he could hitch a ride. We said; “sure, but there is not guarantee that we can get through, in fact it is highly likely we are stuck like everyone else”, I was feeling quite discouraged with this situation.  We were able to start moving once again - and then another lake. This time there was sort of a trail with logs laid down along the mucky mess. So up and down we went through this slimy mess of logs, mud and branches. We just got through and there was a rope across the road. A group of people ran up to our window - this is where white is not a good colour to be wearing or just being. They wanted to extort money claiming they had fixed the road. We began to argue with them, saying that it was wrong to do such a thing. If they wanted some money they should explain to us what they did, how much they did and that if we were willing we would reimburse them for some of their labour. After 20 min’s of fighting - we gave them a small amount and moved through the blockade.  We once again did not get to far and more mud holes, and more blockades asking for money. Once again we began to argue with the ring leaders, but by this time it was getting dark and we did not want to face any more angry mobs. Then something unexpected happened. The soldier put on his bar ray and got out of the vehicle - he went directly to the ‘big’ man who was observing from the side lines and he thoroughly rebuked them from trying to rob from the pastors who were trying to help and serve their people. I was just watching with my mouth hanging open.  He got back into the vehicle and off we drove, again. We continued our journey, not moving toward serious darkness, more mud holes, more stranded vehicles with their loads dumped. I was thinking; “there is another $300,000 dollar truck with it’s load lost to the South Sudan jungle”. Well the long story short, we got to the first major junction where the road was starting to get better, with a mother waiting to greet her children (some just babies) and family, and a soldier who miraculously intervened we were greeted by another mob of people.  This time the mob asked us, is the road passible. I responded right away, in sort of frustration; “this road is not passible, but WITH GOD, THIS ROAD IS PASSIBLE”. They had told us that we were the first vehicle out of that road for over 5 days. When I heard that I know that God was directing our path, helping us along the way with the right people, at the right time, and even made our vehicle jump to get past something impassible.  This trip was nothing sort of a miracle!   Oh yes - how did I get out of there! Well I called a small air carrier  MAF and asked as we were stranded, if they could rescue us - and they did!