| Preachables
Eastern Africa:
EAST
AFRICA—Having just completed language training in central
Kenya, the Phillips family were making their first trip to
the town of Morogoro, Tanzania, where they are to begin their
ministry to the Luguru. During the visit, Mark and Cara and
their four children--Caitlynn, Laurynn, Benjamin and Natalynn—planned
to tour the area and check the progress of work on their
living arrangements.
However,
on a deserted stretch of road about 25 miles from the Kenya-Tanzania
border, a car driven by four men pulled alongside the Phillips
as they were driving. Bearing a pistol and an AK-47, they
waved the Phillips over. Mark stopped the car and three of
the men jumped into the four-wheel-drive vehicle, sending
Mark, Cara and all the children to the back of the vehicle.
“Caitlynn
had seen them pull up next to us and told Laurynn to get down
on the floor,” Mark related later. “Then she leaned
over to the middle seat and unbuckled Natalynn's carseat.
As Cara came from the front to the back, she was able to scoop
up Natalynn and take her along. Benjamin had fallen asleep
about 20 minutes before, and God mercifully kept him asleep
almost the whole time.”
The
hijackers turned the vehicle around and headed it back toward
Nairobi. Rummaging through the Phillips’ possessions,
they took all of their money (a considerable amount, as they
had planned to buy visas at the border as well as furniture
for their new home), Mark’s watch and the Phillips mobile
phone. After driving for about two hours, the men drove the
vehicle about a mile off the highway. They then stole one
of the Phillips’ footlockers from the roof of the vehicle,
as well as one of their two spare tires. After letting the
air out of one of the tires on the vehicle, the hijackers
sped away.
“After
they drove off, we stayed in the car awhile, thanking God
for His mercy and consoling each other,” Mark continued.
“Some Maasai men nearby helped us change the tire and
provided a cell phone for us to call a friend in Nairobi.
Right at dark, we left that place and headed back to town.”
A
week later, the Phillips family successfully traveled along
the same road to Tanzania, with another family accompanying
them as far as the Kenya-Tanzania border. Before making the
trip, the Phillips commented, “We will be traveling
this road many times, and we do not want fear to prevail.”
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