Adventure By Bike

Western Orphanage: Day 3 (Written 10/1/08)

We played soccer two days ago, and I was less than exemplary, although I played good enough to live up to my brasilian heritage. Also this was right after we watched the kids perform 5 or 6 welcome songs for us along with one about wanting to see the River Nile, the longest river in Africa. Then they did a couple of tribal dances, which were very cool. The setting was a church with mud floors and walls and there was a girl beating out the tribal drum beats on a plastic jerry can.

After the soccer, the kids and I were washing out feet in the outdoor shower barracks, and Godfrey took my sandals off and washed them, then he and Dennis helped me scrub the bottom of my feet. I couldn’t help but think of the parallels with Jesus’ ultimate act of service to his disciples, and wonder if I was so quick to show recent acquaintances and friends that kind of service.

Yesterday, Jes and I (mainly Jes) helped treat some of the kids’ sores and injuries. As we were about to get started doing this, we realized that we were missing some essentials: hydrogen peroxide… so Godfrey and I went on a mission for it.

We walked about 2-3 miles to a little ‘village’ if you can call it 5-10 mud huts along a mud path that, and found the clinic. There we found a half bottle of peroxide, and then another half bottle at another clinic a couple of huts down.

Not finding the cell minutes Kiiza needed, we decided to keep walking to the next village. On our way out of town, I saw a couple of bicycles parked on a tree by a hut store. I asked Godfrey to translate for me and ask if we could rent the bike to take us to the next village and back. For 500 shillings 30 cents the old (and a little drunk) man demanded we enter the hut-store and greet the chairman of the village.

We entered and sat and greeted, after being informed there were no cell minutes in the store we were granted the bike. I hopped on and Godfrey sat on the metal grate atop the rear wheel. We were at the top of the hill and a few seconds into the ride I realized that I had only half brake pressure. So we went down the hill, and then Godfrey hopped on and rode/pushed the bike up a hill…I got on and we proceeded to almost die down the steepest hill EVER!!!

I was using my sandals as brakes along with a white knuckled grip on the faulty brakes, plus Godfrey kept saying “don’t be frightened” along with a constant stream of prayers in LuChiga. We arrived exhilarated at the second ‘village’ and coasted to a stop in the middle of the row of huts.

We got the cell minutes but no more peroxide. The way back Godfrey steered and I rode on the back of the bike holding onto him for dear life. We made it back in one piece and Godfrey and I talked all along the way. It was an awesome adventure.

-Travis (typed by Jes)