Well, as we live in Africa, we seem to continually have experiences that remind us that we are most definitely NOT living in Canada!!!
Here is a story about one of those experiences…
...So last Saturday, Trevor and I were coming home from a conference. It was a home school conferenc
e that was a short drive out of the city, and Trevor had been asked to teach some of the junior high and high school kids some basic mechanic skills, like changing a tire, and checking the oil, things like that. These kids were mostly (or all) missionary kids, and Trevor did a really good job teaching them, and explaining some different concepts to them. It was a good experience for him, and was really appreciated by those at the conference. The retreat center where this conference was held was a beautiful location, and it was a beautiful warm sunny day to be outside!
Anyway, as we had to drive out of the city, we had to get through some police check stops. As we’ve mentioned about these stops earlier, they have blockades set up with spikes on them, so you have no choice but to slow down and stop if they wave you over to the side of the road. This always makes us nervous…not because we have done anything wrong, but because there is so much corruption in the police force, and anything can happen when you get pulled over. Well, just as Trevor was saying “I hope we don’t stopped”…we saw a police man waving us over. So, we sighed, and pulled over.
Trevor greeted the man in Kiswahili… ”Habari yako??” “Mzuri” was the reply. (How are you? Good.)
The police man asked for his driver’s license, which Trevor gave to him. The man held on to it, and then checked the insurance sticker. That was all good. He then walked to the back and asked Trevor to open the boot (trunk!). There are a few things they always check to make sure you have…a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher, and life saver triangles (the kind you set up if in a car accident or changing a tire by the side of the road). That was all there and in good shape. I was still sitting in the car, and just watching Trevor talk to the policeman outside. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but this is what happened…
The man was looking for something to be wrong with the car, and nothing was. He then told Trevor that we were driving too fast, and that we hadn’t slowed down when we saw the police check stop sign. Trevor said that yes, we had slowed down, because we were following a Land Rover that slowed down, and we had (obviously!!) done the same. The man then proceeded to say “no, you were going too fast, and you’re going to have to go to court.” Trevor asked him “really??” And the man replied with “yes, unless you give me a little lunch money. It’s been a slow day here, and I haven’t had any lunch.” Yes, he was asking Trevor for a bribe!!!! This is an extremely common occurrence, like I have mentioned before. So…what do we do. If we don’t give him a bribe (which we never intended to do, by the way), then that means that the police officer gets into our car with us (remember, they don’t have vehicles!) and drives with us to the police station, where we have to pay bail to go home, but they keep Trevor’s driver’s license. Then we would have to go to court, wait all day for our case to come up, plead guilty, pay the fine, and then get the driver’s license (and bail money!!) back. Not the end of the world, but a real hassle, especially when it’s all made up!!
So here’s the part where I get really proud of Trevor!! He told this man that he would just go to court. The man said “really?? How about you just pay me a little money?” Trevor replied with “actually, I would rather just go to court. You said I was driving too fast, so I’m sorry, and I’ll just go to court then. You said Monday, right?? I’ll be in court on Monday!”
This man was getting frustrated, because he knows that if he takes us to the police station, then he’ll miss out on all the other potential bribes he is going to get that day…after all, it’s still early afternoon!! There is still a lot of business out there!! So this dialogue went back and forth for awhile, with Trevor sounding so friendly and apologizing and sweetly offering to go to court, like he was invited to a birthday party or something!!! Paying a bribe wasn’t even an option, and we were at the mercy of this police officer. So the poor man finally got so frustrated, gave Trevor back his license, and told us to drive safely and have a nice day!!! It was one of those “are you serious??” kind of situations!! Aahhh…..yes.
OH… and today was PACKAGE DAY!!! We got our Christmas packages in the mail from our families, and it really made our day!! Thank you!!
And thank you to all of you who have been praying for us, and letting us know you are thinking about us!! We love hearing from you, whether it is through your comments on our blog, or by email, or by calling us on Skype...it means so much to us!!!
Here is a story about one of those experiences…
...So last Saturday, Trevor and I were coming home from a conference. It was a home school conferenc
e that was a short drive out of the city, and Trevor had been asked to teach some of the junior high and high school kids some basic mechanic skills, like changing a tire, and checking the oil, things like that. These kids were mostly (or all) missionary kids, and Trevor did a really good job teaching them, and explaining some different concepts to them. It was a good experience for him, and was really appreciated by those at the conference. The retreat center where this conference was held was a beautiful location, and it was a beautiful warm sunny day to be outside!Anyway, as we had to drive out of the city, we had to get through some police check stops. As we’ve mentioned about these stops earlier, they have blockades set up with spikes on them, so you have no choice but to slow down and stop if they wave you over to the side of the road. This always makes us nervous…not because we have done anything wrong, but because there is so much corruption in the police force, and anything can happen when you get pulled over. Well, just as Trevor was saying “I hope we don’t stopped”…we saw a police man waving us over. So, we sighed, and pulled over.
Trevor greeted the man in Kiswahili… ”Habari yako??” “Mzuri” was the reply. (How are you? Good.)
The police man asked for his driver’s license, which Trevor gave to him. The man held on to it, and then checked the insurance sticker. That was all good. He then walked to the back and asked Trevor to open the boot (trunk!). There are a few things they always check to make sure you have…a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher, and life saver triangles (the kind you set up if in a car accident or changing a tire by the side of the road). That was all there and in good shape. I was still sitting in the car, and just watching Trevor talk to the policeman outside. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but this is what happened…
The man was looking for something to be wrong with the car, and nothing was. He then told Trevor that we were driving too fast, and that we hadn’t slowed down when we saw the police check stop sign. Trevor said that yes, we had slowed down, because we were following a Land Rover that slowed down, and we had (obviously!!) done the same. The man then proceeded to say “no, you were going too fast, and you’re going to have to go to court.” Trevor asked him “really??” And the man replied with “yes, unless you give me a little lunch money. It’s been a slow day here, and I haven’t had any lunch.” Yes, he was asking Trevor for a bribe!!!! This is an extremely common occurrence, like I have mentioned before. So…what do we do. If we don’t give him a bribe (which we never intended to do, by the way), then that means that the police officer gets into our car with us (remember, they don’t have vehicles!) and drives with us to the police station, where we have to pay bail to go home, but they keep Trevor’s driver’s license. Then we would have to go to court, wait all day for our case to come up, plead guilty, pay the fine, and then get the driver’s license (and bail money!!) back. Not the end of the world, but a real hassle, especially when it’s all made up!!
So here’s the part where I get really proud of Trevor!! He told this man that he would just go to court. The man said “really?? How about you just pay me a little money?” Trevor replied with “actually, I would rather just go to court. You said I was driving too fast, so I’m sorry, and I’ll just go to court then. You said Monday, right?? I’ll be in court on Monday!”
This man was getting frustrated, because he knows that if he takes us to the police station, then he’ll miss out on all the other potential bribes he is going to get that day…after all, it’s still early afternoon!! There is still a lot of business out there!! So this dialogue went back and forth for awhile, with Trevor sounding so friendly and apologizing and sweetly offering to go to court, like he was invited to a birthday party or something!!! Paying a bribe wasn’t even an option, and we were at the mercy of this police officer. So the poor man finally got so frustrated, gave Trevor back his license, and told us to drive safely and have a nice day!!! It was one of those “are you serious??” kind of situations!! Aahhh…..yes.
OH… and today was PACKAGE DAY!!! We got our Christmas packages in the mail from our families, and it really made our day!! Thank you!!
And thank you to all of you who have been praying for us, and letting us know you are thinking about us!! We love hearing from you, whether it is through your comments on our blog, or by email, or by calling us on Skype...it means so much to us!!!
7 comments:
HAHAHA, I'm giggling at my desk here! Oh to be a fly on the wall (or on the boot of the vehicle)! That was wisdom Trev, good job!
Wow, you definitely have alot of excitement living in Africa!!
Wanda B.
I must say that was pretty courageous! well, done Trevor. we are thinking of you two often.
Erik and Pam
I totally understand those bribes, its crazy what they try to get you to do hey?! lol.
And the adventures continue! Well done, Trevor! ...and thank You God!!
Oh, Trevor, you make me laugh:)
That's soooo funny!!!
I'm tearing up here at my desk from the thought of it and missing you.
Now I have to regain my composure and act like a propwer civil servant.
Love and miss you LOTS!
MSR
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