This past week we learned that the Lord is still trying to teach us patience. I'm sure that the quest for true patience will never be completely reached, but after spending 10 months in Africa and dealing with "Africa time" we thought for sure that we had learned all that God wanted to teach us about being patient. Turns out we were wrong! This last Monday we went to camp with the 6th and 7th graders for three days and TIA (This Is Africa) came along. :) First off, let me explain TIA. Whenever things go a bit differently here than they might go back home, we volunteers always say "TIA, This Is Africa". The program is starting hours late...no worries, "TIA". We aren't prepared for what we have to do today...no big deal, "TIA". No one told so-and-so to be here...oh well we'll call them now, "TIA". Get it?
Well, the morning of camp we were all told to be ready to go at 8 am. The buses would be picking up the first group of children at that time and then they'd be by to pick up our children in Masi around 8:15. TWO HOURS later, the bus finally arrives to pick us up for the three hour bus ride we have ahead of us. We then drive to our final stop, a community called Capricorn, to pick up the remainder of the children. We get there and load up so we now have 100 children in two buses. Finally, we're off to camp! Then the worst thing possible happens...the drivers turn off the buses. Oh no, now what!? Turns out that these drivers hadn't been paid and they refused to drive a single kilometer further without 10,000 rand cash!
While they decided to wait until we got ALL the children on the bus before telling us this information is still beyond me. Now, it's not that Living Hope didn't have the money. In fact, we had already paid it in full. But, the company that we rented the buses from didn't have enough buses that morning and contracted these two buses to do the job for them (which is why they were two hours late in the first place)...so, we had to track down the people from the ORIGINAL bus company to get the money to these guys. We were all sent on a wild goose chase to get a hold of this money!
THREE AND A HALF HOURS later we have finally have the money and we're off, FIVE HOURS later than originally planned...Wow, This Is Africa. Another thing that some of the volunteers say is TINA (This Is Not America), and unfortunately TINA came along that day as well. None of this would have happened at home. We would never ever have been stuck in a place like this with drivers who refused to drive, especially with 100 kids already in the bus. Oh the joys of being in Africa...and constantly learning what it means to be patient!
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