A New Car!

Hear the voice of Bob Barker from The Price is Right when you read that title. I never thought I would be so excited about purchasing a car that is 14 years old with 321,000 kilometers (199,000 miles). But I am! After three visits to Kampala to look at vehicles, and finding that the options were very limited, we finally came across a large van that met all the specifications we had in mind for our family car.

Thank you so much to each of our supporters who made this purchase possible. We are thrilled to have a reliable vehicle than can safely transport us back and forth from Kampala on our resupply trips. Now we can fit our family, groceries, and medical supplies and still have some breathing room after these weeklong trips. Thank you for your generous support towards this purchase!

Car shopping in Kampala was a surreal experience. Picture the shadiest used car lot you have ever been to, with the slickest used car salesman. That was pretty much our only option in Kampala. Each bonded warehouse (used car lot) was packed with vehicles bumper to bumper. There was almost no room in front of or behind the cars to even pass through. To really inspect a car, the salesman might have to move 10 or 15 cars out of the way to get to the one I was interested in. Most of the cars on the lots were fifteen to twenty years old, and many had odometer readings in the range of 40,000 - 60,000 miles. This was obviously suspect. Various people told me that most car lots wind the odometers back, so it is unwise to consider the mileage when making a purchase.

Another interesting quirk is that the vehicles on these lots are not registered in Uganda or given license plates until they sell. This is done so that the salesman can save money by not paying a registration fee for a car that might spend a long time sitting on the lot. Because the car is not registered and doesn't have plates, it cannot be taken off the lot for a test drive. So, I was left making a decision about a fifteen to twenty year old car without being able to look at it closely, with no idea how many miles it had, and without being able to go for a test drive! Quite a challenge, indeed.

Additionally, since almost no cars are manufactured in Africa, virtually everything is an import with an inflated price. To arrive at the sales price, the government takes the value of the car when it is imported, then adds 35% for an environmental tax, 25% for an import tax, 22.5% for sales tax, 6% for a withholding tax, and 1.5% for an infrastructure tax. The final price you pay is at least 190% of the value of the car, and maybe more if the seller has marked up the price!

A typical car lot in Kamapala. How do they get those cars in there?!?

To find a car, I went shopping on three separate trips to Kampala. By my final count, I had looked at sixty cars on fifteen different lots. I learned a lot in the process and was thankful for the experience, but in the end I was worn out. I did come away with information on how to do business in Uganda, how to negotiate for prices, and how to navigate around the capital. In the end, those lessons were probably worth it.

After spending five months in a borrowed Toyota LandCruiser (thank you Rhett and Holly!), we decided that our family needed a bigger vehicle. We settled on a Toyota Super Custom - a rugged eight seater van with lots of space in the trunk. These cars are plentiful in Uganda and are often used as commuter vehicles. It's big brother, the Toyota Hiace, is used as a shared taxi called a Matatu. It looks very similar to the Super Custom, but has additional seats so it can hold as many as twelve passengers. After settling on a Super Custom as our desired vehicle, I went on a search throughout Kampala for one that was in good condition. Sounds easy, right?

When I found a car that I liked, the first test was to see if it would start. Since all the cars here are imports, with most coming from Japan, they have been traveling for several months before finally arriving at the car lot. I found that almost all of the batteries were dead or had been removed for the overseas journey. The salesman would have to get someone to bring a new battery and then jump the car to get it to start. 

Yes, he is jumping this car without jumper cables by holding exposed wires with his bare hands!

Once I got a car to start, which did not always happen, I had to make a decision without a test drive. I checked all the gauges, windows, locks, mirrors, looked under the car, examined the engine, looked at the oil and radiator fluid, surveyed for water damage and rust, and revved the engine to look at the exhaust. Very few cars passed this inspection. When I made a short list of vehicles in our price range that looked to be in good shape, I called a local mechanic to come and thoroughly inspect the cars. The salesmen almost always tried to talk me out of this. They questioned my trust in them, they offered a small warranty if I would agree to not bring in a mechanic, and generally tried to dissuade me from taking this extra step. When I persisted and brought a mechanic in, he often found something concerning like a radiator leak, rusted chassis, damaged exhaust system, etc, that would knock the car off my list. Round and round we went. Sixty times.

Eventually, I became so frustrated that I decided to import a car directly from Japan to cut out the middle man. I found one that I liked and made plans to buy it through an importer. After telling me that I could purchase the car remotely at an auction in Japan and have the importer ship it over for me, at the last minute he changed his mind and said that he would buy the car at auction and sell it to me later. Deflated by this news, I had to wait to see what his price would be after he bought the car. After several days of waiting, I found out that he did not bid high enough at the auction and lost the vehicle.

So, back to the drawing board. I finally found another car that I had my heart set on. Good condition, good inspection, good price. Unfortunately, it sold to another buyer just after my mechanic finished looking at it.

Feeling deflated by these experiences, we had one last trip to Kampala to find a car before the one we borrowed had to be returned. I went from lot to lot for the third time and finally found a GREAT car that met all of our needs. It was a 2002, which was about six years newer than anything else I had seen. It had arrived in Kampala from Japan the day before, and the odometer was showing 321,000 kilometers. This was much higher than any other car I had seen. Since it was a new arrival, I think the dealer hadn't had time to wind the miles back yet, so I felt like I had a good idea of how much wear was on this car. Additionally, this particular salesman seemed to be more honest than any of the others I had met. He offered me a three month warranty on the engine and radiator by agreeing to repair any problems that came up for free.

The car looked to be in great shape and passed the inspection from my mechanic. But without a test drive, I was very nervous. However, with no other options I took the plunge and bought the car. When I got it to the car repair shop for a more thorough check, I was thrilled to find out that there were no major issues. The mechanic told me it had been very well maintained. He predicted it would last us for many years to come. 

Sealing the deal on our new car.

Our first upgrade was to add a full length roof rack that can hold up to 600 lbs! This has come in so handy for all the items we have been buying for our building project. Pictured above we are transporting 300 meters of hose pipe to bring water to our construction site.

We love how many people we can fit in this car. Here we are transporting eleven people for an outing to a traveling zoo. There are a few kids hiding in the back!

Thank you again for your prayers and support for our car buying adventure. We love traveling in this new (well, 14 year old) vehicle. We can load up all our groceries and supplies and still have room to move around. If you come to visit us in Uganda, we would love to take you for a spin!

Children's Ministry

Children's ministry is very close to our hearts. We have served as Sunday School teachers for ten years in the various cities we have lived in. We have found that Sundays in Nyahuka have been a bit challenging for us as we try to figure out how to get our four children to sit through a two and half hour service in Lubwisi. To make things more interesting, we often find that we are not just in charge of our four kids, but we are often looking after ten other kids who have been sent to church alone by their parents just to get them out of the house. We usually draw a crowd as they jostle to sit by our little ones so they can look at the books or crayons or cars that our kids have brought to the service.

The church we attend has not had a children's ministry for almost two years after losing some of their regular teachers. We often count about fifty children who are wandering in the worship hall and in the yard while the church service is happening. Someone is almost always crying, falling off a bench, hitting another child, or running around, which makes it difficult for the adults to concentrate.  We have been praying regularly for the church to launch a children's ministry again to help engage these little ones with the Word of God.

We thought about starting a ministry on our own, but we realized that a better long term solution would be to support and encourage a local church member who felt called to this task. Well, our prayers have been answered! The congregation recently sent Marc's language instructor (Thomas) to the capital for a training conference on children's ministry. Since returning, he has been faithful at gathering the children together in a building behind the church for singing and Bible stories during the sermon. The first Sunday that he did this, there were sixty-two children who came. He recently asked us if he could borrow our copy of 'The Jesus Storybook Bible' to use for curriculum.

Please pray for Thomas, and Bundamalinga Church, as they seek to share God's love with the children of Bundibugyo. And please pray for these little ones as they faithfully attend each week and now have the opportunity to hear God's word at their level. We look forward to finding ways that we can encourage and empower this ministry.

Backyard Fun

With an average age of 16 years, Uganda is one of the youngest countries in the world. It also has one of the highest birth rates, with each woman having an average of 6 children. So what does this mean for us? Well, it means we have a lot of kids in our yard. A LOT!

Our children have had a blast filling their days by playing with local kids. Whether it's football (ie. soccer), bike riding, sidewalk chalk, tree climbing, exploring, or butterfly hunting, there are always lots of children around to join in on the fun. The local kids also seem to be having a great time congregating in our yard, peering in our windows, checking out our toys, and garbage, and clothes line. While we have been stretched at times acclimating to all of this attention and constant chatter outside our windows, it has been a blessing for our children to have so many playmates. We have enjoyed watching them interact closely with children who have so much less than they do, but also seem to have a real happiness and zest for life.

We've had our hearts broken a few times as well. Recently, we saw one of Eli's friends digging through our garbage heap and pulling out watermelon rinds to eat. We frequently find trash strewn all over our yard as the children look for things that might be useful for food or fun to play with. But as we spend time with so many local kids, many of whom are becoming close friends, we are learning to appreciate the blessings that God has given to our family. We are also learning about our own hearts. I (Marc) often feel like one of the apostles trying to shoo kids away when they are disturbing a family meal or Isaac and Katelyn's nap time, but I can hear Jesus saying, "Let the little children come to me." Pray with us for more patience and appreciation for these little blessings that come calling each day.

Eli is fascinated with all things creepy and crawly. Here he is playing with a lizard. He likes the ones who's tails fall off to escape when he picks them up.

We always have a few kids right outside the door waiting for Eli to come out.

Isaac and Hailey are getting a bit spoiled because there is always a child who is more than happy to carry them around. They are getting a little too accustomed to this mode of transport!

One of our favorite memories was from the day we brought out a net and peanut butter jars and went on a butterfly hunt. The boys loved it, but they couldn't understand why we would want to catch butterflies just for fun. They eat grasshoppers here as a snack, so they couldn't figure out why we would catch and release the butterflies instead of eating them!

It has been a joy to share food and water with our little friends. Watermelon and popcorn have been some of the favorite snacks. Most of these children only eat once a day, so they are always happy to see food when it comes out our door.

Water is a precious resource here, especially during the dry season. The community taps frequently run dry and people have to fetch water from the river, which is contaminated with bacteria and parasites. As more and more children come to play in our yard, we have been getting a lot of requests for water. It is hard to provide water for our kids when they come inside thirsty without answering the requests from the local children. Here is Stephanie providing water to the boys on our doorstep.

One day the kids discovered cardboard boxes in our trash pit from care packages sent by family and friends. Who would have thought when packing these boxes that they would be perfect for sledding in Africa?!?

This is the 'Nyahuka Biker Gang'. We bought two bicycles for Eli and Hailey shortly after we arrived. The other kids would watch them longingly as they rode around the mission property. We realized we were about ten bikes short of having enough for everyone. On our next trip to Fort Portal we came back with eight more riding toys we bought from a missionary family so the kids could have more to share. Within a week, we were again about ten bikes short! This picture shows thirty kids who came to play last week. This is a now a common site in our yard as kids know that we have bikes and scooters! 

Hailey learned how to ride without training wheels in November. Look at her go!

Eli has gained lots of new buddies. The one he has his arms around likes to pretend he is a karate instructor. The boys call him "Teacher". He apparently learned how to do karate by watching Jackie Chan movies. I have no idea where he got them! But he's pretty good and gives karate lessons to the other boys.

Look at those faces! Who wouldn't want to see these smiling kids each day?