Life would not be exciting without local transportation, especially when you
are in Kenya. They call their local buses "matatus". This word comes from the
Kisuaheli "ma tatu" which means "for 3". Apparently, in colonial times anyone
could travel on any road for 3 Kenyan cents.
Naturally with gas prices on the rise, matatus now charge more as well, and for
30 Kenyan shillings (about 50 U.S. cents) they will drive you anywhere on a
twenty mile stretch of road. Really not bad for the price!
What is convenient about a matatu is that it will stop for anyone who waves, and
it will drop anyone off anywhere that they want, literally, as long as it is on
the route. It used to be that matatus would pack these 14-seaters with double
that amount of people. For some reason, however, too many people died from
accidents, and since early 2004, only one person per seat is allowed.
Interestingly, the death rate has drastically dropped…
Riding on a matatu is literally an experience on its own, sure to be enjoyed by
anyone who loves roller coaster rides! In fact, they are even more filled with
impromptu wild surprises than what you find at your local amusement park! The
first thing you will notice when you enter a matatu, even though it may be
brightly decorated, are the numerous dents and scratches on the body and in the
paint. You immediately know that the driver lives by adventure. He will drive
faster than you are comfortable with (usually 160 kms an hour on pot holed
and/or murram paved roads), he will swerve at the blink of an eye, and he will
stop with neck wrenching accuracy! Moreover, if you ride in one after 10:00
P.M., be aware of the numerous carjacking!
On one of their trips in a matatu, our mission team noticed that the odometer
read 980,000 kilometres. "They sure must be good mechanics around here!" One of
them decided out loud. However on the way to their destination, the matato
mysteriously overheated… Could it have had something to do with the wild
driving?
They were stuck in the middle of nowhere and it was pitch-black outside the van.
They resorted immediately to the best course of action: prayer! Fifteen minutes
later another matatu came to their rescue, one with a somewhat more acceptable
odometer reading! The good news is, they did finally reach their destination.
A thrill ride? You bet.
Of course there are those of us who shake our heads and roll our eyes and wonder
if it is really worth it to step into one of "those"! But then we have to ask
ourselves: Is it better to proceed by faith or to be conquered by fear?
In life we are constantly facing this same type of dilemma. We can live by fear
or we can live by faith. The first one will fill us with dread, the second one
with inner peace. What will be your choice?
"We live by faith, not by sight." (2 Cor 5:7-8 NIV)
"Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." (1 Peter 3:14 NIV)
Let's go to Nairobi and have the ride of our lives! You bet! This is real
adrenaline-filled living!
But so is living with God as our pilot! Never a boring moment!
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.