As the week progressed, some supporters stepped up to cover the funding. The first major obstacle had thus been removed, and I knew I had God to thank for that!
Next: the paper work... On Friday morning, right before going to see the vehicle, I got a phone call that the NGO Board has approved my application for a work permit!! And so, I went to look at the car, I had utmost peace about it being the right vehicle for our needs here at ELI.
After the test drive and chats with the owner, I thought the vehicle's mine. However, there were still some minor things to be done: Some seats that had been removed during the cleaning had to be put back. Also, the owner needed to use the vehicle for the remainder of the day, since they were moving back to Canada and needed to move their stuff to be shipped.
Using a vehicle from the missionary guest house where I was staying, I went my way to meet with a team that was leaving. But later in the afternoon, I got a call about insurance. I needed to buy insurance THAT day since the owner was canceling his that afternoon. I rushed back to the other side of the city just in time to catch the insurance place open, buy insurance and sign the purchase agreement. Finding my way from where I was to where I needed to go to sign the papers was another God thing!
After finalizing the paper work and insurance, the owner asked if he could still use the car that night to move more things and take his wife to dinner for their anniversary. I obliged but was concerned about how I would get home that evening: I was still using the car from the missionary guest house but was staying at Flora Hostel because the guest house had no rooms available...
Trust God to work things out: After dropping off the team at the airport that night, as I drove up to the guest house, the owner came driving out with the Land Rover! He had just dropped off some more things! The timing could not be more perfect!! He took me (and interns I had with me) back to Flora Hostel.
The next morning, he picked us up again and handed over the keys to the vehicle. Soon after that, we were off to Eldoret.
The car handles WONDERFULLY over these terrible Kenyan roads! You hardly feel the potholes, and it used only half a tank of diesel on the 350-km uphill road from Nairobi to Eldoret.
When I turned into the children's home almost 7 hours after leaving the city, the children came RUNNING. They sang and praised God for the vehicle. They also prayed for God's hand to be on the vehicle at all times.
On Sunday, I was able to go to a church in town, which is something I've really needed. I'll be visiting one or two other churches before deciding where I'll stay, but I really liked the church where I went.
On Monday, after our staff meeting, I took the men from our AA ministry down to road back to the rehab center. The road between our center and theirs is virtually impassable this time of year and the men from that center thus always walk to/from meetings. I was able to drive that road without even having to put the vehicle in 4WD!
I've also spoken to the Kipkaren staff and I'll be helping them toward the end of the month to go and pick up new orphans for the new children's home. Many of the orphans live in remote areas which would be very hard to reach had it not been for the fact that we had a sturdy 4WD.
Having been blessed with this vehicle goes far beyond my needs! It's a blessing to Empowering Lives International and will continue to be so for many years to come.
Yeah God!
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