Success…

Well my co-leader Nikki and I had quite an interesting morning yesterday and I thought…why not share it with all of you. So there we were leaving the school at which we’d just dropped off the team to do ministry for the afternoon. Our plan was simple:

 

1. Go to town

2. Go to the store and find water (we ran out the evening before and our contacts forgot to mention that it was our job to get it)

3. Get the giant jugs of water back to out house

4. Fill 13 water bottles

5. Deliver them to the team

 

Once we reached the main road we hopped on the back of a pichi-pichi (motor bike) and headed to town. Once in town we entered the nearest store and found the water. We asked the nearest worker how much the water was because of course the one we needed had no price. He proceeded to tell us that it was around 400 shillings. “Not too bad,” we thought. We started to grab the giant water container and then he said “no, no, no it is 400 shillings if you have a bottle to trade. If not it is 1,200 shilling.” Ok…no biggie right…schmick (thats what I call nikki) and I  figured we would run back to the house grab an old bottle and trade it out.

 

Back onto the pichi-pichi we headed and arrived at the house. We went to grab one of the bottle and then realized that the bottles had a clear-cut sticker saying, “Will Not be accepted for return.” ……WONDERFUL…. Our Momma at the house found us stareing confused at one another and asked us what was wrong. Communicating our rather inconvienent circumstances, she offered to take us to the store and help us out.

 

So back to the road we went and hopped into a mtatoo which is basically a clown car. On to the store we went. To make a long story short we finally found water at a good price after visiting three stores. We bought three large jugs, threw them into the mtatoo, and headed back home hoping that our water journey would soon be over. Oh how wrong we were!

 

  Once we came to the road that lead to our house we were dropped off. Mamma had remained behind to do some more shopping and Schmick and I were left with three large jugs of water and about a quarter of a mile between where these jugs were and where they need to be. Before I go any further let me explain something to you…I’m a pretty skinny dude. Sure I will kick that crap out of any attack from the enemy with my rock solid prayers but that gifting doesn’t carry into my physical abilities. Schmick…well she is just bit short to say the least. So yes, this was going to be a challenge.

 

So on we go. I hoist one bottle under my arm and then attempt to do the same to the other…not gonna happen. Schmick is Man-handling her bottle but then has to set it down to assist me with getting the other under my arm. Done and Done…bottles in place we start to cross the road only to find an onslaught of vehicles flying right past our toes. As we wait for them to pass, my strength gives out as well as schmick’s and down the bottles go. When the traffic finally breaks we assume the position again and head across the road. Without fail my first step begins in an uncordinated trip and I almost fall to my face. We make it across the road though but I am quickly realizing that I need a better position to continue the journey. Down the bottles go and then I hoist one up to my shoulder. Schmick helps me with the other one which is funny in itself because of our vastly different heights. Once set we continue to walk. My pace quickens because frankly I knew that if I didn’t get them there fast, I wasn’t getting them there at all. Behind me I hear a scream and a slam. Schick has dropped her jug, a hole is now in the top, and she is now attempting to pick it back up and walk all while getting more and more wet by the minute. The humor of the situation was finally getting to me and I couldn’t stop laughing, making it even harder to carry the jugs on my shoulders.

 

With the end in sight I hauled towards the door and when I made it I accidently threw one of the bottles on the ground busting a hole in the bottle of it…YESSSS!!!!…..Schmick finally catches up, we managed to get the water through the gate and to the house and are both overcome with laughter. Filling the bottles with two leaking jugs is another story in itself and that will have to wait for another day. Know this, we got the water to the team…sure it took about 2 and a half hours…but we got the water to the team. 🙂