When the huge four-wheel drive sank dramatically into the evil pothole, lunged forward to slam against the side of the rusted fence and threw us out of our seats, my heart leapt into my mouth. Thankfully, no one was injured and the car was undented. But the sound I heard after that was unmistakeable: a mocking, oozing sound of air escaping from the front tyre.
In less than an hour, Cliff was supposed to be the invited guest at a village church some distance away to deliver a sermon.
I watched his expression attentively, wondering if guilt or frustration might curtain his face. “It’s not your fault, sweetie. It was a terrible dirt road with terrible potholes.”
But there was none of it. Very coolly, Cliff got out of the car, examined the problem and with some of the local Ugandans who saw what had happened, got the tyre changed, before heading onto the quaint little village church. He was cool as a cucumber on a hot summer’s day.
A beautiful morning at Living Faith Village Church
Nothing stopped this preacher from delivering a piercing sermon that Sunday morning, on enduring the necessary sufferings in life for a heavenly reward. My heart was beaming as he delivered the rousing message, as the crowd responded in enthusiasm. And what an apt message for the day!
My favorite preacher
An attentive crowd, with the most enthusiastic song and dance erupting from them when the music comes on
That day, not only did a tyre burst, we also got home to find myself stuck in the shower with my hair and body all shampooed and soaped before the water supply decided to die on us.
When things don’t run according to plan, he says it’s because things are “different”, not “slow”; in times of unexpected power and water cuts, he calls it a “surprise”; having to fix a burst tyre before his important appointment to preach is called an “adventure”; being here with me, he says is “the best thing since sliced bread!”
All the time, this man looks for the sunshine behind the clouds.
Just before we left to Africa, it was a pastor who shared with me that I married a very special man, who would often, in my haste, stop me in my tracks to ponder upon and savour life.
Today held one of those moments again- as I rushed off to a meeting with UNICEF and the public health NGO I’m volunteering at, he gently stopped me to sit down next to him and asked me to look up.
“It’s a beautiful day, Wai Jia. Sit here with me. Look up.”
And there it was, the most beautiful rainbow shining through glorious rays of sunshine.
Up in the sky today
It was a Ugandan gentleman whom I had pointed the rainbow out to, as I rushed to the meeting who told me,
“Rainbow is ‘musoke’ in Lugandan-
in our culture we believe it soaks up the rain so it doesn’t pour.”
For all the times you soaked up the rain to bring in the sunshine for me,
thank you for being my Rainbow, Cliff.
Just so happy to be here with you.