A Big Metal Box--Conclusion

It arrived.

After much angst, much waiting and many, many months,that big metal box finally rolled into our compound. I could hardly believe it.



A frantic afternoon, evening, night and early morning ensued. Just as we opened the doors, God opened His clouds. The rain poured and poured. But we couldn't stop. The truck driver wanted to go home and the box had to be emptied in order for him to do that. So we worked. And carried. And hauled.

And got very, very wet. The Martin's goods were to be kept in our car port which very quickly became The Muddy River of Destruction. Jeff rallied the troops and laid metal trusses on the ground to stack the Martin's treasures on. Our goods were hauled to our veranda and inside our living room. Kristin (visiting from Tyler) cooked food, pointed people to the bottled water and managed to keep a path cleared through our overflowing home. She also, very capably, held our dirty dishes at bay. No small feat my friends. No small feat.

I walked miles in and around our home as did every member of the Unloading Posse. Every box...every item...was rejoiced over and admired. Comfy furniture, camping gear, home organization items, a real American mattress...all bring pure joy! Even the drum set that somehow made it's home in the corner of my living room, was welcomed with much rejoicing! (Don't be surprised Jana dear, when Em receives Bagpipes for Christmas from Auntie Cheryl this year!:-)) Each box was like Christmas. My kitchen and pantry were filled to overflowing. MacnCheese, Dr Pepper, canned spaghetti sauce and pie fillings...

It was 2AM when the last crate came off the truck. A very tired team of men succeeded in emptying our big metal box. We would have high-fived if anyone had one ounce of energy left. :-)

There are no words to adequately thank all who worked to make this shipment a reality. Charles and Joan Colwell, who served us over and above. Jana, Kristin and Lori for shopping and buying so very well! For all our Glenwood family who gave so generously to purchase the church tent and chairs. Also our loved ones in Tyler who snuck on goodies and helped pack. For Andrew, Jeff and Ryan and their exhaustive efforts on both sides of the ocean. And finally for the team of guys (Brian, Bob, Peter, Jeff, Andrew, Derrick and co.) who unloaded and unloaded and unloaded that wet, rainy Saturday.



We love and thank you all.

May God use these tools to rejuvenate us, further His kingdom growth and bring honor to His Name.

Praise!!!

A Big Metal Box--Part Two

About 5 years and an Airplane Saga later (Airplane Saga to be shared at a later date:-))another container became a reality for the Ft Portal mission.

Through a "Master-full" feat of endurance, my "never say die" hubby had a repaired airplane engine that had to be shipped. In the same months, the Martin family had made their commitment to serve in Ft Portal and needed to get their household items here.

The shipment took shape.

All the logistics are daunting for such a shipment. The cost of the container itself and the fees for moving it hither and yon are expensive, so it is inherent in every missionary heart that each tiny bit of space be used effectively. We are paying dearly for it...we should fill it well.

On our last furlough, we worked with the Martins on preliminary plans. We discussed companies and costs. We made lists and shared ideas. Then we began to budget.

We enlisted a wonderful couple to gather our items in Tyler, TX. Charlie and Joan offered their time, know how and storage space to help us with the container. We flew back to Uganda thankful for their willingness to help.

As the months drew near for the actual packing of the container, we began to discuss our being present for the daunting task. We felt that Jeff would be a blessing to completing the process, so we bought one ticket and sent Jeff back to the States.

He, Andrew and Andrew's cousin spent three sleepless days and nights shopping, filling, building, organizing and securing a world of physical blessings into one big metal box. As the box rolled down to the nearest sea port, the guys crashed hard, weary to the bone. Their efforts were successful and the box set sail for our foreign homes.

Within six weeks we received word that the box was on African soil. We all rejoiced, but Jeff and I set our minds to wait. We knew, now would be the hardest part.

The container moved somewhat smoothly through Mombasa clearing and customs. We received regular updates (which impressed us considerably) of the clearing process. By early November, the container had reached Kampala.

And then the real fun began. We were optimistically hopeful that we could get the box by Christmas. There were some treasures for the kiddos that would look lovely under the tree. So we hoped and set our hands to the task.

It is indescribable what took place next. Derrick and his uncle and Jeff began to go from office to office to office to office.... from desk to desk to desk...from person to person to person. We would be told The Process. We would set out to complete The Process. Upon reaching completion we would told that we must begin again. On another Process.

After several rounds of The Process Shuffle we were informed that we owed alot of money for taxes. Alot.

Gulp.

We've been living in this foreign land for awhile now and have well honed our reactions to such atrocious bits of news.

We simply inquired of The Next Process. The Process for People Who Cannot Afford Alot of Money for Taxes.

We were respectful. We were resolute. And we began to follow still more procedures.

Month after month passed. Reams of paper were filled with letters and rubber stamps, then carried from one official to another. Derrick basically moved to Kampala for awhile. And Jeff wisely navigated us all through a maze that could have very easily had no end. We had no idea, really, where the maze would take us. We just continued turning the corners, overcoming the obstacles and asking for direction.

In mid March, just a flow of visitors began to grace our home, we received word that we had, in fact, reached the end of the Process line.

The final papers were signed. We could bring the box home.

A Big Metal Box--Part One

When we first moved to Uganda, most living supplies were not easily available in this land locked country. In the capital city (about 7 hours drive from us at the time) we shopped at two smallish "supermarkets" that carried Kenya made items and we bought our meat from one of two nice butchers in the capital city. Here in our own town, meat could be purchased live and butchered yourself or bought in the fly-infested meat markets of our local shops.

Larger items like refrigerators, stoves, living room chairs, beds, dressers...all were either not available, very used and broken or super expensive.

We were advised, as we planned to move our life across the ocean, to purchase some goods and send them on a sea container. A sea container is virtually a big metal box. It is filled at your home in America, trucked to the nearest sea port and then shipped to Mombasa, Kenya. Where it is then loaded on a truck or a train and brought across Kenya and Uganda into Kampala where it is stored.

In Kampala, you must clear the container with 500,000 different people. (oh, I kid) After the final person signs the final document, you can load the box back onto a truck and have it driven to your home for unloading.

In 1995, we shared a 20 ft container with another family. We had 10 ft of space. We brought our wedding gifts, a propane stove, a propane refrigerator, and a propane chest freezer. We also brought a couch, loveseat and an old recliner that was my Grandpa's. Jeff had two motorcycles and my sweet Granddaddy had fixed us up with every lawn and small engine article available to man (chainsaw, weedeater, lawnmower, tiller, generator).

We did not receive our container on this side until 9 months after our arrival. Nine months of sleeping on the floor, sitting on the floor and struggling through meal prep from scratch with only two burners to work with.

Our landlord loaned us an electric refrigerator for those nine months, but after our first trip to the capital to stock up on meat, we returned home to 5 days of absolutely NO POWER...which translated to $50 of precious meat, spoiled and ruined.

Jeff and I became vegetarians at that time. Not by choice really. Just by necessity. We ate alot of soups. And we longed for fajitas from home. As we enjoyed our vegetable soup, Jeff and I would talk about American food. For hours. Then we would cry. (Or I would cry. Jeff would just look sad and hungry. :-))

We made it, though. And when that shipment arrived we rejoiced. Jeff and his Dad (who was visiting us at the time) drove across Uganda twice with loads of our treasures. We began the agonizing work of setting everything up. Propane tanks had to be secured and fittings reworked with no stocked hardware store to help out.

Over the years of adjusting, settling in and having a family we were blessed by the items from that first shipment. We did need to purchase locally made items, as well as using what we brought from the States. We purchased beds with foam mattresses and had shelves and dressers made by carpenters in the area. The shelves and cabinets proved to be difficult endeavors. Wet wood became our nemesis, warping furniture beyond recognition. We borrowed some furniture items for our babies and scoured the Sale Lists posted in Kampala by departing expats for other items we needed.

Every missionary or expatriot that would move back to the their homeland would put out a sale list. Such sale lists were gold. From the departing missionaries one could score American bath mats, transformers, baby furniture, TVs and other treasures. Granted, the items would be well used and worn...but gold, nonetheless.

Always, in the back of our mind, a "if we had access to a container" list grew.

When the Lord led us to Glenwood church of Christ this mental wish list had grown long. In one of our first meetings with Glenwood's mission committee, they asked about helping us with a container. The idea was suggested that they buy the container, park it in their parking lot and fill it over a period of time. A list of desired goods was requested of us. We were stunned. We eventually did make a list and continued to dream of another shipment.