Update on Mark's car accident

First, some background info - a few weeks ago Mark was hit from behind while waiting to make a right hand turn (like a left hand turn in America). Thankfully, he was not hurt, nor was anyone else involved in the accident. Mark is pretty sure he had his turn signal on, but witnesses to the accident disagree about whether or not it was on. Some say it was. Others say no. Mark's vehicle did not suffer too much damage, but the other car involved was pretty badly damaged. For those of you not on Facebook, here's a pic of Mark's truck:

And here's the other guy's vehicle:

The guy driving the other vehicle was insistent that the accident was not his fault, and that Mark should pay for all damages. This seemed ridiculous to us. How can it be your fault when you are hit from behind? The case was put in the hands of a police lawyer, to determine which party was at fault. In the meantime, Mark has had to report to the police station every 3 days to post bail. (Didn't know I was married to a criminal :). We were advised by several Ugandan friends to be prepared to pay for all damages. The vehicle was a government car, and we were told it was unlikely that the police would judge in our favor against a government employee. One friend told me, "You will not find justice in Uganda. You will have to wait for God to give justice."

Well, it turns out, our Ugandan friends were right. On Friday, the police found Mark fully at fault in the accident, charged him with reckless driving, and ordered us to pay for all repairs. While I was trying to prepare myself for this, I gotta say it was pretty hard to swallow. In my better moments, here are some lessons I am trying to take away from this experience:

1. No one was hurt. Vehicles are all repairable, and we have the money to repair them. This is relatively small potatoes. Thank you Lord.

2. Many of our brothers and sisters around the world face much more serious injustices everyday. I now have a little bit more empathy for them.

3. Jesus, who I claim to be a follower of, faced the ultimate injustice on my behalf. Why do I think I should never have to face any trials?

4. This has been a real cultural lesson. As Westerners, we place such a high value on truth and justice. The boys and I read a great quote in a novel the other day that sums it up quite nicely, "He knew that these English folk worshiped Truth as a god, and preferred always to hear the bitterest truths, no matter how hard for themselves, than the most golden lies." True statement. I like truth!!!!

Here in Uganda, relationships are valued more than truth. After hearing of the decision on Friday, a friend who has lived here 16 years remarked, "Ugandans care more about making everyone happy, than about truth." This decision is perceived as being the one which will make the most people happy, I guess.

In summary, thanks for praying for us! Pray that we would love well, and would not allow ourselves to grow bitter.