So without giving out sordid unnecessary details, we had to break off relationship with someone we had been working with. It should have been an easy thing but has taken a dramatic turn. Today three police men barged into my courtyard demanding to see my husband. They didn't greet me but just sat down and said they'd wait for him. ( He was on the phone.) I warned Dan before he went out to talk to them that I didn't like the way they were acting. He greeted them and asked how he could help them. They pulled out their police badges and a criminal investigation paper that they wanted Dan to fill out. The day before we had invited people from our neighborhood over to our house for a sunday fellowship lunch. About 30 people showed up and we had an encouraging day of eating, prayer and songs. We thought we had finally found an avenue for ministry. So these police told Dan this morning that what we did was illegal and we were violating our visas by having these people over. Dan explained that it was just lunch with friends yet they started twisting his words and treating him like a criminal. During all this exchange they had taken our passports and were writing down the passport numbers. The head police interrogator became more and more hostile to Dan and I stood in the doorway fearing where this was heading. The head guy wanted a copy of Dan's passport so Dan offered to make a copy since we have a copy machine scanner in our home. He refused and also refused to give Dan his passport back. We became suspicious as the interrogation went from simple questions about our living in the neighborhood to who we worked for. They basically called Dan a liar and said we were in violation of our passport status and that we were cheating the government. Their questions were evasive and confusing and when Dan would try to answer them they'd interrupt him and twist his words. Finally they told him to come to the police station with them refusing to return his passport. I watched in fear as he walked out the gate with these three aggressive men thinking I may never see him again. I called out to them, “Where are you taking him? Which police station?” . They said a police station that wasn't even in our neighborhood and then we knew that we had been set up most likely by this person we were refusing to work with.
After Dan left I dissolved into tears, shaking uncontrollably as Lillian (my house girl and dear friend) hugged me and encouraged me to be strong. She too was fearful of what was happening. I tore the desk apart looking for somebody's number to call. I finally woke up John, our American liason in Minnesota and cried into his sleepy ear about Dan being taken away to the police station. He encouraged me to go to the American embassy without delay. I ran up to the guest house where the other interns were staying hoping to enlist them to help Dan but they were gone. So I kissed Ben good bye and hopped on a motorcycle taxi and sped away to the embassy. At this point I was desperately praying and begging God to intervene. I have heard all the stories about this corrupt government and was so fearful of what they may be doing to Dan. I told Lillian before I left to send the interns to the police station if they came by.
At the embassy I cried at the reception and was personally escorted to the head of the waiting line to see the guy who deals with American citizens. I ended up having to wait for 45 minutes until I could finally see someone. Meanwhile I was trying not to cry as I listened to Americans discuss their short term missions and projects that they were in Uganda for. I wanted to tell them to run away, to get out of this inhospitable and backward country. I was not in a good place emotionally as many of you could imagine. Finally after begging the man to speed up my interview I was allowed to speak to an American man who looked like a pencil pusher. (again remember my emotional state...) I thought, great he won't be able to help me at all. I was hoping for someone more imposing and beefy, like The Rock. He calmly listened to me as I cried like baby and told him about my husband being wrenched away before my eyes. He informed me that we didn't have the correct visa to allow us to ministry here in Uganda and that we were in violation of our passport but that it should be a simple issue to fix. I told him about this disgruntled person who I thought had been the one to send the police. Instead of telling me I was crazy or paranoid he agreed and said, “yeah I imagine this guy will cause you all sorts of problems.” He understood Africa better than I did at that moment. He agreed to call the police station and see what could be done to release my husband. I had to wait another agonizing 20 minutes and he finally called me back in and said he was going to go to the police station right away. I thanked him profusely and ran back outside to catch a taxi back home.
Meanwhile Dan texted me and told me NOT to send the interns to the police station. But because my phone had been at the security station at the embassy I didn't get the message in time. Vitaly and Kostya had gone to the police station and Kostya had gone in and left Vitaly waiting outside. Shortly after that Kostya texted Vitaly and told him to get away as fast as he could. So Vitaly tried non-chalantly to walk away from the police station. He hopped on a motorcycle taxi and said, “GO GO!”. He called me while I was on my way home and told me that now Kostya was being held with Dan as well. As I was leaving on the taxi from the embassy I saw my embassy contact leaving heading for the police station.
I got home and Vitaly and I compared notes. We were stunned at this turn of events. I called our old friend Maria who we had stayed with on our first trip to Uganda. She was an ex-government official and she gave me the name of a lawyer. While I was calling the lawyer Dan and Kostya arrived back at our house and I told the lawyer I'd call him back. I hugged Dan so relieved that he was home. He told me that the pencil pusher from the embassy had acutally been a ruthless interrogator himself and had shamed the police into releasing Dan and Kostya. (Never judge a book by it's cover right?) I called the lawyer and set up an appointment for tomorrow.
So what can I learn from this? Because that makes it valuable and not just a scary lonely experience. I realized that God wasn't taken by surprise this morning. He knew those men would come and He sustained us through it all. I learned that Satan really doesn't want us here. I learned that there is evil in this world and in broken sinful people that I have never experienced before. We are capable of so much evil apart from Christ. I learned to rejoice like Paul when the tribulation came. In the moment I was so scared but through it all I KNEW it would be okay. And how exciting to know that we are being slandered and troubled for the cause of furthering the gospel amongst a needy people. My favorite books have been missionary biographies for the past few years. And now I could identify with the trials that come with missions. ( On a much smaller scale...this drama wasn't nearly as bad as some that I've read about.) I had prayed for encouragement and I believe it came in this form. Until God tells me it's time to go home we will stay in Uganda. Please continue to pray for our safety and protection from further attempts to defame and hurt us. Pray for our kids to be secure in our family and not to worry. And pray for God to send more workers here. We need the fellowship and encouragement of other missionaries here.
Psalm 37 has been giving me great comfort and perspective the past few weeks as this drama has been unfolding. I hope it will be a blessing and encouragement for the times of tribulation that are sure to come in your own lives! As one of my favorite teachers ends his letters, “Much love and many tribulation!” Thanks Ed!
