WILD NEW YEAR'S EVE!

"WILDEST NEW YEAR'S  EVER"     Bob's word for the year- "GetGod's word off the shelf, in 2012!"  so we expect to do a lot of teaching!  Happy New Year to one and all. We had such an adventure!      Okay, here it is, a crazy story! Don, Hughena, Sheri, Bob, and I went into the Masai Mara. Sheri is only here a few weeks and you CAN'T  come to Kenya and not see a game reserve. They came from the lake and stayed over and we left at 6 am. We were able to get across the first bridge which has been under water for some months, but is now bare. We had checked on this detail a few days earlier. .  After about 2 1/2 hours of rough road, as in deep mud holes, huge boulders, and overflowing bridges, the under part of the car was making a noise,so we stopped, and Bob got under and fixed a bent bracket.  However, another noise erupted, and it didnt sound good. Hmmmm. We called our mechanic in Kehancha, thank God for cell phones, and he got a motor bike taxi and came in. This took about 2 hours, and we just sat at the side of the road.  We were joined by all sorts of people, as we were "the only show in town! "  Kids, youths, adults, all stopped to greet. Two girls tried to sell us some plain old rocks they insisted were gold! They are all Masai people, and my Swahili is not the best, but we conversed as some spoke English. One man went to his home to find a hammer for the mechanic and another man full Masai traditional dress of red plaid blankets and earrings and stick,  decided he was our protector.  He said he was the "Peace Co Ordinator, and not a child. " He chased anyone that came too close, tried to buy milk for all of us from a passing lady, and then shook my hand, and kissed it! I had a fit, and he just laughed.He informed us he had to leave, that we would be safe, and pointing to a bush, said "there is your toilet!"He left on a motor bike taxi, his blanket flying in the wind.   Another man came along who proceeded to tell us he will be the next General Commander of Kenya. Anyway, we were highly entertained as our mechanic pulled out all the bearings and re-greased them. The sun got hottter and hotter! we gave some  bracelets and New Testaments to some girls, and by 4:00 we were on our way!  Oh, Oh! The road got worse, the  mud got deeper, we all had to get out and walk, up to our ankles in mud!  Some wonderful motor bike taxi fellows led the way, showing Bob where to get off the road and go through the grasslandand how to navigate small bridges that were underwater,and where the deepest mud holes were.   One young man finally got in with us, and as we squeezed into a tight ball to let him in, he cheerily announced, " This is Africa!"  " because they really do crowd in hicles.  He guided us the last of the way, which was many diversions from diversions!  We got to the Gate of the Reserve with 5 minutes to spare before it closed, and to the hotel by 7:30. Because of the wonderful cell phones, we had been in touch with the hotel. They had informed us that "No one is using that way this year because of the heavy rains!  DAY TWO  After a great dinner, showers, good sleep , and grand breakfast, we were ready for the great animal adventure.  Within 5 minutes from the hotel, a very large, blackmaned male lion started a slow walk in front of the car, and then his three wives followed, stopping to drink from a puddle right beside us! It was so thrilling, we never tire of seeing them!   Then shortly after that, we saw a huge rhino! elephants! hyenas! buffalo! topi! gazelles! giraffe!  The time just flew!   Back to the hotel for lunch, and the PR lady told us that we could go home another way! On a good road! We were ecstatic! We had lunch, and set out on the new route by 4:00.  Well, 85 km and 4(yes, 4!!) hours later, we were at a town called Kilgoris. It was pitch black, and we still had a long way to go.  It got later, and darker. There were people now and then, a few rabbits and huge rats on the road, but mostly, just darkness, and thick brush right up to the edges of the road! Midnight saw us driving into 2012!  That is a first! We had done a lot of praying, and a lot of hymn singing, as we were really in a pickle. We found out that the road to the town we had to get to in order to reach the highway had disintigated !  No one could get through! We had to turn back, and got sidetracked down a road, into a mud bog, and then were faced with a large pond! No one remembered seeing it, so we had to turn back. At this point, we stopped completely and had a major prayer event! At this point we got out of the car in the pitch dark to assess how Bob could turn around. We were bedazzled with an amazing sight: the Milky Way, The Southern Cross, and billions of stars were shining down on us! Just the most wonderful sight! Spectacular New Year's Light Show, just for us, lost deep in the African bush!  There was nothing to do but try to navigate the mud bog again, and we got through!!!!  Bob is the most amazing driver! We know angels got behind us and pushed.  Shortly, we were back on the road to Kilgoris, again, got there at 3 in the morning! We parked and sort of dozed, sitting up, until 5, then got gas, and found out we could go another way. hmmmmm ????  it turned out to be an amazing paved road to Kisii, and so we got home by 8;30 am! What an adventure! We weren't robbed, attacked, or hijacked! God truly kept us safe, and it will live on in our memories as the wildest New Year's Ever.  HAVE AND AMAZING NEW YEAR, WONTCHA!  AND DON'T FORGET WHEN YOU'RE STUCK IN A MUD BOG, IN UTTER DARKNESS,  LOOK UP CAUSE THESTARS ARE SHINING BRIGHTER THAN EVER!				12:06:00 AM	by PJMCNeal	Delete
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