An Act of Faith....

Greetings again! It has been some time since my last post and much has transpired here in my new found home. Today has been a good day, at least by my newly acquired African standards. I have electricity and therefore I have internet access! Believe me, it is amazing what you really learn to appreciate when you may not have it everyday.
The beginning of 2009 brought with it a wonderful surprise! After nearly two months of searching high and low, the Lord in His goodness provided me with a vehicle for the bush. I would now like to introduce you to Hananiah, which in Hebrew means " the Lord is Gracious". (It may sound goofy, but I always name my vehicles.) My "little pony" is a 2006 Toyota Landcruiser Hardtop. When I got it, it only had around 74000 kilometers on it. This translates to around 35000 miles. I bought it from some other missionaries who were returning to the states.
Driving here in Africa is a whole other adventure in itself. First, everyone drives on the left side of the road, and as you can see the drivers seat is on the right side of the vehicle. My little pony is a 5 speed which means I have to shift with my left hand. That in and of itself wasnt too bad to get used to, but the turning signal is on the right side of the steering wheel and the windshield wipers are on the left. To add insult to injury, to look in the rear view mirror I must turn my head to the left. Who would have thought that the simple act of turning could be so complicated here? Half the time when I am about to make a right turn, I find myself looking out the drivers side window trying to find the rear view mirror and the windshield wipers going 90 to nothing!!
Ok, and that is just operating the vehicle. The real act of faith occurs when you pull on to the road. Do you remember when your elementary school teacher had you write with your non-dominate hand and how much you had to really think about what you were doing? Now couple that feeling with trying to control a big vehicle on a pot hole laden single lane road. Add in the fact that you are also trying to focus on staying in the left lane, which feels very wrong at first. On top of all this, as you drive you must navigate through cattle, sheep, goats, donkeys, (and no, I'm not kidding!!) dogs, chickens, kids, pedestrians, motorcycles, people on bikes ( who also think they are big vehicles!) and last, but not least Dala dala's. Dala dala's are mini vans that are used like small buses. The challenge with these vans are that they may pull on or off the road without warning or stop immediately right in front of you. I remember thinking the other day that someone should make a video game of driving in Africa! Another fact of driving here is that other vehicles will attempt to pass you as you are preparing to make a right turn from your left lane. You quickly learn to check your mirror on the right side before you turn to make sure you arent about to turn into someone who is trying to pass you on the right. And lastly, learning that everybody passes everybody all the time. I guess I can say that I am getting used to driving here because it no longer freaks me out when I see a vehicle in my lane heading straight for me as he is trying to pass someone else. In the midst of what appears to be chaos, there is a certain sense of order as everyone looks out for everyone else. Driving here has also increased my prayer life as I travel from point A to point B, and for every safe journey I am thankful. How boring driving will be in the states....