Month: May 2017

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

On Friday before Donny left we went out to dinner and on the way home (actually turning onto the road leading to the village) we were hit by an 18-wheeler. The road that travels past our village is a highway that goes from Kampala to Kenya and is very dangerous because the trucks go very very fast on our stretch. Since moving here there have been three people killed at our intersection. Christian is always very careful when stopping to turn onto our road. If there is traffic behind us he will pull to the shoulder and wait for them to pass. This truck was way up the hill behind us but apparently was doing at least 80 MPH or over. He never hit the brakes and it took him a good bit before he got pulled over to the shoulder. He was so far we could barely make out his tail lights.

We were so stunned, didn’t know what had happened but Christian pulled onto our road and stopped. In a matter of seconds there were at least fifty people that came out of nowhere surrounding our car. In minutes the crowd had to be over one hundred. Ms Betty doesn’t live far from the road so she was there and determined to pull me out of the car! Christian says she was hyperventilating. I kept our doors locked while Chris and Donny were outside. None of us were hurt, pretty shook up.  The truck driver sat on the side of the road for a good bit but we suspect someone told him he had hit mazungus so he ran.

When we got home I was trying to close the gates and people were flooding in. I have to say here, I think all the crowds affected me more than the accident at the time. I get anxiety when there are many people. I definitely have a problem with people touching me and everyone else was panicked and trying to grab me and hug me. Everyone but us was freaking out! So when all the people flooded in the gates I ran to hide! Christian saw all the people and found me to get me inside. He knows me and knew the crowd would freak me out. This is the way of the culture here in our village – everyone wanted to tell us sorry for what happened. (I’m sure some just wanted to know what was going on!) Later we were told that someone went to the center where at that time of night many people are eating, socializing and started telling people we were killed. So I assume that’s why there was so much panic. We were also told that when they see a car smashed like that most of the time someone is killed. I didn’t see the door until all the crowds had dispersed and I cried knowing how close we had come to one of us not making it out alive. If Christian had turned just a hair more he definitely wouldn’t have made it. We just got the car back from the police and seeing the damage in the daylight really brings it home how God had His hands on us.

It was an opportunity to tell of God’s protection, how He sheltered us from that truck. We are all healthy, the car not so much! But a car can be replaced.  There have been people still coming to tell us sorry and to see for themselves we are alive.

We are alive, and very very thankful. Life can change in an instant so make the most of yours and know where you are going when you leave this life.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Saturday night we sent Donny back to the States. We were sad to see him go but happy to know he will be back – with new friends – in August. We had such a great time visiting with him and Christian had a good helper on constructing the birthing boxes for the rabbits and got a good start on our outdoor table. He was so encouraging to us just by listening and offering his wisdom and advice. It is comforting to hear from someone that has experience in the field, and to find that we aren’t the only ones that struggle from time to time! We are looking forward to him coming back and the others that are coming with him.

Thank you Donny for all you do and just for who you are! We love you.

While we were away we had thirty-two babies born! Five of our eight we bred a month ago had litters, big litters! Seven or nine babies in each. We are thrilled at the success of our first official breeding! We have ten possible pregnancies that will be due at the end of this week. Babies R Us!

We have had some new additions the past couple months and are feeling like Noah! We have too many twos – two bulls, two dogs, two female goats, two male goats, one female goat with child, two cats and two hundred rabbits! And then there is Ted the Turtle. (Had to give him two T’s to go along with our two theme we have going on!) Next on our list is ONE camel but I’m not holding my breath. We do see them around though.

The goats started because Raelee and I think baby goats are so cute but then they grow up so we came up with a plan. One female and one male to have babies and we will give the babies to widows when they are weaned from their mamas. That way we can enjoy watching the little babies and help someone! So we prayed about the money to purchase one and God sent a man wanting to trade grass for a goat. We got a little male, Papaya. Then someone needed help with their kids school fees and asked if we would buy her goat for $40. We did and got a female. The school across the street was so appreciative of the extra room and some desks that Mandate built for them that they gave us a female goat. Then a lady who needed money to help her sick mother with treatments came and asked if we would buy a baby goat for about $15. So, now we have two females and two males and we are thinking that is more than enough goats. The little goat house is now full with the extra goat and baby that have been boarding here. And Papaya has been bullied by all the females so we now have him and the new male who is about the same age together in the bull barn!

The cats came along because of the rat population around here. They are Macy and Leopold. They are great rat catchers so we rotate keeping them in the house and in the barn. They are slowly getting used to the dogs.

Ted the turtle has been here about a month. He is a Leopard Tortoise indigenous to Africa. He is tiny, but we have seen at least one other on our property and it is pretty big. They can grow to weigh about eighty pounds so Ted has a ways to go! I went to check on him one night about 2 am and noticed he was not in his basket. The cats were in the house that night so I started searching all over for Ted. We don’t have a lot of things to look under but I couldn’t find him anywhere. Frantic (I know, it’s just a turtle), I woke Christian up…”Ted is missing”. He got up – he has been married to me enough years to know he would have to help or not go back to sleep! We finally found Ted under a chair, he was up against the leg of the chair and is so tiny I missed him the first time I looked. We now make sure his basket is locked up at night!

I think we are up to thirty-six baby rabbits with many on the way, praying that eight or nine will be having babies this weekend! Lala is hopefully going to be a mama this weekend also so that is exciting! I already have my eye on a cute bunny that looks kinda like a bulldog to bring inside. One mama had her first litter and we’ve read that inexperience can cause them to clean their newborns too aggressively. Apparently she was a little too aggressive, she has one baby with no ears and one baby that has two legs missing. They both are healthy otherwise and get around fine!

One thing I am thankful for the most is all the help we have in caring for all these animals!

We have had our special friend with us since late Wednesday night (actually he’s become family to us!). Donny Lee is visiting us from the States and we have been so blessed to have him to talk to, vent to and encourage us! He helped Christian build birthing boxes for our mama rabbits, we are hoping all nine that we bred a month ago will give birth. If they do we will have a lot more babies. As of today we have thirty-six babies from two months down to one day!

This morning we had Sunday School and Donny put on a magic show and lesson. The kids love it but we also had some of the adults come and they always love it as much as the little kids! We will probably have hundreds show up next Sunday thinking he will be here again but sadly he won’t. He will leave Saturday so we are going to enjoy every minute we have with him. I have a list of things for him to help Christian accomplish while he is here!