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| One of our stops on the road |
Two years ago I was without a license. My license had expired and I didn’t realize it until nearly a year later. That’s how infrequently I drove on Clove Island. For three and a half years we and our entire team managed to live without a vehicle of any sort. How were we able to do this? Taxis. The taxi system on Clove Island is quite wonderful. For almost the same price as a bottle of coke, you can get a taxi ride to any part of the city, regardless of miles or traffic. It’s a set price. Taxis run almost all the time, so except for very late at night or very early in the morning, you can rely on one showing up within a few minutes. So getting around the city, doing shopping, we either walked or taxied, and it worked quite well.
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| Jack O Lantern faces |
But all this is so different from my American relationship to driving. Here in America, driving is a rite of passage, an entrance into adulthood, a key to independence, and almost an inalienable right. And the truth is it would be very hard to get by in America without a car (at least where we’re from). But we have something here that enables this car culture: good roads. Whether I’m racing down a smooth highway at 70mph, or driving down a winding country road. For the most part, roads are smooth and well kept up. In fact, judging by the number of work crews and slow downs we see because of construction, roads in America are in regular repair. The fact that I can cover 300 miles in 5 hours is really absolutely astounding to an islander.
There is a road that runs around the entirety of Clove Island. It is 65 miles long. If you were to do this trip without stopping it would probably take you about 6 hours. That’s an average speed of about 10mph, and by the end of the day you are so bumped and bruised and tired from going over so many bad roads that you really wouldn’t want to do it again any time soon. Who wants to drive roads like that? Sure, avoiding pot holes and driving through mud puddles or dirt stretches might be fun for a little while, but no one wants to do that for hours. Not to mention the wear and tear on your vehicle. Oh and you can forget rest stops and restrooms while you’re at it too!
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| Ready to trick or treat |
When we go back to Clove Island next year, we will again have the question before us. Should we buy a car? Will it be helpful? As I drive my car around the States, part of me says , “Yes, the freedom! The possibility! Think of the villages we could visit! Think of the new opportunities it might bring!” But then I hit a bit of construction where the road is turned up and traffic slows to a crawl. Do I really want a car?
PRAYERS ANSWERED
The first legs of our big road trip are done. We have arrived in Georgia and we’ll be here for about a week before we head down to FL and then back up to the North East. So far the car has done beautifully, the weather has been wonderful, the kids have done better than expected, and the driving has been pretty uneventful. The highlights have been the visits with friends and family on the way. We are thankful for God’s blessing and protection this past week.
PRAYERS REQUESTED
Please keep praying for the situation with our NGO on the islands. Nothing has deteriorated but nothing has been resolved yet. Pray that our leaders would have wisdom and that we would continue to find the favor with the government we have enjoyed for so many years. Pray that we would have many advocates among the islanders who would come to our side.and defend us.
Pray for our week in Georgia as we encourage people on their way to Africa and meet people who could possibly be our future teammates. Keep praying for Megan’s back.
