Grimari in detail, a coup attempt in the capital city?, and averting a bribe

Thursday recap of trip to Grimari:
Hello again!!
     On Monday we heard that there was an attempted coup by the former President of the CAR who was himself ousted by a coup by the current President.  March 15 was the anniversary of that event so the attempted coup targeted that day.  From all indications there was not much action, just enough to say it happened but there was no interuption of the current government.  This is just a reminder of the instability of these African countries.  The only stability is trusting that God has a plan for this country no matter who is President. 
     Late Monday afternoon we arrived in Grimari which is a town which is 5 to 6 hours from Bangui.  We enjoyed paved roads for much of our trip which was a great blessing.  Grimari used to be thriving town because the cotton processing company brought many jobs to the community.  There are no other businesses in town except small restaurants and shops.  There is no electricity and no fuel stations.  We stayed at the Catholic mission which did have a generator but they shut it off around 7:30.  Our rooms included two beds with almost non existent mattresses.  We soon saw that we would be sharing the rooms with the spiders and other flying bugs.  There  were no toilets just an outhouse with a hole in the floor to aim for.  Showers consisted of bucket baths.  No a/c or cable tv or other amenities we usually expect but this gives us the true African experience.  Unfortunately Kevin got sick and did not make this journey with us.  This is Thursday as I am writing and Kevin is doing much better! 
     After we got settled in we went to a local restaurant for supper.  Remember there is no electricity so there were no lights, only lanterns and our flashlights.  Our food consisted of rice with chicken on top and gozo.  We had fun with the woman who operated the restaurant and shared some laughs in Sango and English.  We returned to our lodging and then we took time to star gaze.  Wow, this helped us forget about how uncomfortable we were and worship God.  With no artificial lights we were treated to a spectacular view of the stars.  The sky was clear and the stars were very bright.  I am sorry I can't capture it on a picture but I guess you will have to come and see it for yourselves. 

     Tuesday morning we headed out and toured ICDI's new property.  It still has several large buildings with equipment still in it.  We were all excited to hear Jim's dreams and plans for each building.  We were all excited for the potential of this property.  There are several houses that can be used for future teams as well as staff members to stay in.  There is a lot of work to do to bring things back to life because everything was looted and the only things left behind were things that could not  be   carried.  There is a lot of land to develop the ag work as well as two rivers that can be used for irrigation and to fill fish ponds.  There are people already asking for jobs to work for ICDI which shows they have ambition.  Final government paperwork needs to be done to make this a reality.  Please pray for this to happen.  Also pray for God to provide finances needed to renovate this facility as well as tractors and other farming equipment.  This is a huge project but the potential impact is even bigger. 

     After our tour the well drilling equipment arrived and we began to drill.  The whole town turned out to see this process.  John and Sonny had fun running the machine they built.  All the hours of hard work for them was now realized as this machine worked to provide life giving water for this village.  Due to some mechanical problems with a water pump used to get water out of the river, we did not get the well finished.  Rick, Bruce, Jim, and myself each took the opportunity of a big crowd to play with kids.  We passed out balls and played catch with kids.  Hundreds of kids gathered around, it was a blast throwing the ball with them.  Unfortunately the balls don't hold up to the harsh treatment but we enjoyed this time with the kids. 
     We enjoyed supper at our local restaurant and enjoyed antelope meat on our rice.  This was probably the most people this restaurant has seen in a long time.  We enjoyed our time with the owner again and I got my picture with her.  The drilling crew came and ate with us which was great to be with them.  They worked very hard all day and I am sure a good meal tasted good. 

     After another night is our "luxury" suites, we headed back out to the drill sight.  We drilled to almost 300' before hitting water.  What an exciting time to see this water coming out.  I am sure John and his whole family and church can be proud of what was accomplished.  This investment in this community will impact it for many years.
     We left to head back to Bangui, all of us were tired and looking forward to the guest house.  The living conditions tend to wear on you after a while.  We encountered some rain which was unusual for this time of the year.  This made the dirt roads muddy.  Then it got interesting.  We entered a village in which an offical closed the road and said we could not proceed, he said we would have to stay there until morning to let the rain soak in.  Well as you can imagine, this got our attention.  In the CAR they call these rain barriers which are like checkpoints or toll booths.  Sometimes the men who control these barriers are looking for bribes before reopening the road.  Jim Hocking got out to talk to him.  Jim asked for his name and the phone number of his boss so Jim could call and confirm the shut down.  The guy would not give Jim his name, so Jim began to call Bangui with his sat. phone.  The guy walked away probably figuing his job may be at stake.  After a while he came back and gave Jim a lecture but then openned the gate for us to leave.  What a relief, I know I was praying for God to intervene and He did.  Jim had called his bluff.  This episode delayed us about an hour which made our arrival time in Bangui late.  But we made it!!

Thanks for praying
Tim

Tomorrow morning we leave at 5am for Berberti which is usually a 12hr. drive.  My next communication will be from there.