Monday, January 23, 2012

One Last Time

This past week I picked our car up from the mechanic hoping that it had been fixed enough to give us a few more months of driving before we had to find a replacement. As I drove it from the shop, it seemed a lot better. The shaking was gone, the exhaust was no longer black and cloudy and the brakes were no longer grinding.

Because it felt so good, I decided to press my luck and drive back to our home. The trip was rather uneventful until I passed Kafue and got out of cell phone coverage. It was then that the engine suddenly lost all its power and the car started sputtering. Now, being in the middle of nowhere without communication ain't fun, but doing it in the middle of the night is a little bit worse (I didn't get out of Lusaka until evening. So, it was really dark by the time I broke down).

Luckily, or should I say providentially, I was close to some local street vendors when I broke down So, I was able to use one of their phones to call Kerri and get help. But lesson learned.

It's kind of ironic. I was praying for wisdom on what to do with our car situation and God gave me His answer. When I looked under the hood, there was oil all over the engine and under the car. That coupled with the fact that the engine wasn't able to generate any power means that there is something really wrong. Translation - our car will most likely need a new engine if it is ever going to see the road again - something it's not going to get.

So, the Roberts are officially without a car. Please pray for us. Pray that God would give us wisdom in finding a new car for our family. Pray that he will provide all of the necessary funding for such a purchase. And pray for us as we continue to settle in here and start this new ministry.

Thank you

1 comment:

Christy said...

I can't seem to get over the fact that street vendors in Zambia have phones.

Oh, and I'm really glad you die stranded in the middle of nowhere at night.

That really bites about your car.