On Sunday after church we wanted to visit the grave of Mama Godanse, a dear deaf lady of 82, who died a couple of months ago. We wanted to leave some flowers and and pay our respects to the family. We set off in the diocesan pick-up with Pastor Anastase to travel the relatively short distance involved. We were nearly there when the most almighty storm struck - thunder and lightening, big hailstones and gallons and gallons of water from on high. We had to stop and turn round as there was no point trying to continue.
As we headed back down the mud road the water got deeper and deeper and we had to force our way through the branches of a fallen tree across the road until we came to a halt because there were two or three very big trees down across the complete width of the road. Looking back we saw that a following lorry had toppled over into a drainage ditch thereby blocking our retreat the way we had come. Snookered! We had to sit there and watch the flood water rising up the vehicle. The military camp was nearby and we hoped they might come and help - but no! They were more concerned with their own problem - a tree that had gone through the roof of a building on the camp.
We sat for a couple of hours, getting reports from passers-by (picking their way gingerly through the mud and flood water) about the number of trees down between us and the main road - not good! Eventually the rain stopped and the water level went down a bit - so Pastor Anastase ventured out on foot up towards the village. He returned with a machete in his hand which he gave to a wee man to use on the fallen tree behind us. He did a good job - hacking off big branches, bit by bit until there was a way through. Boniface the driver turned the pick-up round and eventually we found our way through back tracks to the main road. What an adventure - I was so relieved I had not volunteered to drive us to Mama's grave myself! We were really thankful that we were not killed by falling trees. It seems that the earth tremors we have been experiencing during last week may have loosened the trees at the roots. That is what people are saying anyway!
As we headed back down the mud road the water got deeper and deeper and we had to force our way through the branches of a fallen tree across the road until we came to a halt because there were two or three very big trees down across the complete width of the road. Looking back we saw that a following lorry had toppled over into a drainage ditch thereby blocking our retreat the way we had come. Snookered! We had to sit there and watch the flood water rising up the vehicle. The military camp was nearby and we hoped they might come and help - but no! They were more concerned with their own problem - a tree that had gone through the roof of a building on the camp.
We sat for a couple of hours, getting reports from passers-by (picking their way gingerly through the mud and flood water) about the number of trees down between us and the main road - not good! Eventually the rain stopped and the water level went down a bit - so Pastor Anastase ventured out on foot up towards the village. He returned with a machete in his hand which he gave to a wee man to use on the fallen tree behind us. He did a good job - hacking off big branches, bit by bit until there was a way through. Boniface the driver turned the pick-up round and eventually we found our way through back tracks to the main road. What an adventure - I was so relieved I had not volunteered to drive us to Mama's grave myself! We were really thankful that we were not killed by falling trees. It seems that the earth tremors we have been experiencing during last week may have loosened the trees at the roots. That is what people are saying anyway!
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