When the Truth is Stranger Than Fiction — Part Two

IMG 4397

You can find the first part of Ngumbito’s story here. Ngumbito, a man from Independent Baptist Isanja, was wrongfully imprisoned and accused of murder. His family didn’t know where they’d taken him to jail, but it was somewhere away from the refugee camp.

We knew a couple important things about Ngumbito’s situation in prison. First, there was a strong chance he was not being fed or cared for in prison. Second, any intervention on our part (as foreigners) would make things worse, not better, for him.

We talked with several of the church leaders on Sunday. James helped them with money for transportation and bail money, and extra in case they had to pay “administrative fees” to help Ngumbito when they found him.

Zizi messaged on Monday that they’d found Ngumbito in a town over 3 hours from the refugee camp. They left early Tuesday morning to travel to the town and locate Ngumbito using the motorcycle God provided for our churches out at the refugee camp. It handled the three riders the whole distance without any trouble.

He was being held in a maximum security prison with men who’d been convicted of violent crimes. This prison is where they send the worst criminals in Uganda — and they send them there to die. They’d caught the actual murderers and they were being held at the same prison as Ngumbito. They didn’t feed him the whole time he was there.

We had strong rain the day the men traveled to the prison. Part of their trip was on a motorcycle through mountains — in the heavy rainstorm. 

The prison officials were prepared to keep Ngumbito at the prison until the trial, which won’t happen for another 6 months or more (probably much more). Byuma (Ngumbito’s pastor at Isanja), Zizi, and Kiza (a deacon at Sangano) negotiated with the prison officials for Ngumbito’s release. They paid his bail and hired one of the guards to make sure he had food and water until he was sent home.

They took this proof of life photo with the prison guard who promised to look out for Ngumbito.

IMG 5645

(l-r: Byuma, Kiza, Ngumbito, Zizi, prison guard)

Ngumbito was release on bond the next Thursday. He was in attendance at our huge Easter Celebration Sunday and shared his testimony with everyone. He shared how God had protected him from people who would have tried to hurt him.

***

Now for the other part of the “Stranger than Fiction” story. Because, to get the full picture, you have to see what God did, behind the scenes, years earlier.

Our oldest son, James, had an abscess in one of his molars when he was 10 or 11 years old. It was a permanent tooth, so we nursed it along with antibiotics until the dentist finally decided it would be wiser to pull it.

Then we forgot all about it. His other teeth filled in the hole and we went on with life.

This week, he got his wisdom teeth pulled — all of them, that is, except the wisdom tooth on the side where the abscess had been. That wisdom tooth had grown in without a problem and replaced the molar he’d lost years ago. 

The cost we saved on that tooth removal was just slightly less than what we paid for Ngumbito’s bail and the transport to help our guys find him.

7 years ago, God provided for Ngumbito’s bail.

It kinda sends chills up and down your spine, doesn’t it?

Ngumbito still hasn’t gotten his bike back. They are holding it as evidence against the real murderers. He will have to testify against them when the trial finally takes place. He could have a long road ahead of him. If you think about it, pray for Ngumbito and his family in the months ahead.

/1 Comment/by
,

How’s Africa? – A Trip to the Dentist

The only trampoline accident we’ve ever had (thank God!) wasn’t long after we got to Africa and set the thing up in our yard. The kids went quickly from normal jumping to trying crazy tricks.

To this day, I get mixed reports of what actually happened that afternoon. As I understand it, the kids were trying a variety of flips — backflips, front flips, cartwheels. Jamie didn’t quite complete the flip. His mouth hit his knee and he broke off his permanent front tooth.

At the time, we had a dentist in town who could do simple things like cleanings and basic fillings. He was able to put a temporary polymer in place on the broken tooth, and build it back to its normal size, permanent enough to last until Jamie could grow up and get a crown put on. The dentist also told us the temporary measure would only last until Jamie was 17 or 18.

Right on cue, last fall the temporary polymer started having trouble. We knew it was only a matter of time until it fell off completely. Trouble was, the only dentist we knew of who could do the crown was in Kampala, 4 1/2 hours away.

Around that time, we heard of a new dental office in town, about a half mile from our house. We heard it was clean and that the dentist was skilled. We decided to look into it.

I’m so thankful we found out about Trust Dental. The office staff is wonderful. Dr. Ibra is a complete professional. We’ve been in there so much over the last couple months that they recently told us we need to be sure to keep in touch when all of our dental stuff is finished. Hah! 😀 

We were all able to get cleanings. (No cavities! Yay!) They used 3D printing technology to make Jamie’s crown and put it on in the office. They removed 4 sets of wisdom teeth from us. They can also do orthodontia and bridges — though I sincerely hope it never comes to that!

Trip to the Dentist 1

They needed an x-ray of Jamie’s front tooth, which they took right in the office. I’m pretty sure Alex needed a lead vest for protection, too. The imaging center they used for all of our wisdom teeth x-rays was a lot better shielded for the technician, too.

Trip to the Dentist 2

Trip to the Dentist 3

Trip to the Dentist 4

They went out of their way to make sure the younger kids were comfortable with the whole experience and not frightened or in pain, including letting Brennah be the assistant for the day.

Best of all, knowing I was going to have a challenging wisdom tooth extraction, Dr. Ibra and his staff stopped and prayed with me before we began. Shiba, one of his assistants, prayed for me during the procedure when I was having a hard time.

My dental experience in the states was never this good. I think I’d rather see my dentist in Africa.

/0 Comments/by

When the Truth is Stranger than Fiction

Stranger than Fiction

When the Truth is Stranger than Fiction

Ngumbito wasn’t well acquainted with the men who knocked on his door. He’d seen them around, they were his neighbors, but he didn’t know much about them. They asked if they could rent his motorcycle to move something. Ngumbito agreed. He had a family to feed and every little bit of money helped. The men paid him, took his motorcycle and left. A few hours later they returned with the motorcycle, as agreed.

The next morning, police came to Ngumbito’s house. They asked if the motorcycle was his. He said it was. He had nothing to hide from the police. They arrested him and took him to prison in another district. 

His alleged crime? First degree murder.

Turns out, those men who rented his motorcycle, had used it to drive to someone’s house and murder them. Then they disappeared after returning Ngumbito’s motorcycle. Someone had seen Ngumbito’s motorcycled in front of the house where the murder took place and informed the police. The police didn’t ask many questions. They charged Ngumbito with the crime and took him away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Penal codes in Uganda are similar to the ones in the US Constitution. No one can be held for more than 48 hours without being charged. They must have sufficient evidence of the crime to charge them. They are entitled to a fair trial. Sadly, this isn’t always the way things work.

Ngumbito is one of the leaders at the Isanja church. He leads singing every Sunday, gives announcements, and helps with children’s church. Right now, no one at the church knows where they took him. This might be the most frightening part of the whole story. None of the police they’ve talked to will tell his family where he is.

Prisons in Uganda aren’t the same as prisons in the US. Inmates aren’t guaranteed three meals a day here. They might not even get one meal unless a family member brings it for them. They can be beaten or mistreated. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. 

Typically, a prison inmate’s wife or relative would bring him food, toiletries, and clean clothes. They’d need to visit several days a week. 

Trials can be put off for months. A person in prison for a petty crime might be incarcerated for several years simply because the judge doesn’t show up for their trial. It can take them months to work their way down the docket to that inmate’s case.

You can also be incarcerated with little to no evidence against you. Ngumbito is a case in point. 

Stranger Than Fiction 2

Ngumbito is the man on the far right in this picture. If you think about it, please pray for him. Pray for those who are looking for him to find him soon. Pray that justice will be done and that he won’t be punished for someone else’s crime!

/0 Comments/by