Time After Time…

ime after time we almost gave up but the encouragement to persevere must have come from heaven because of many people’s prayers. We, being Princess Evelyn Komuntale and Pastor Colin Bond, aided by a great band of prayer warriors and a host of Princess Evelyn’s African friends.

That 40 foot container of medical supplies from King’s, Tavistock and surrounding hospitals had to jump through so many hoops to get to the poor and desperate in Uganda.

1. It became so difficult to find sufficient dry storage for all the goods before dispatch. We desperately need a dry warehouse in Tavistock.

2. The Christian Freight company, such a help in the past, went out of business delaying our dispatch by a month.

3. Arrival at Mombasa Port, in Kenya delayed a week, but our flights were not.
4. Mombasa Port was choked up with hundreds of containers. More prayers! Ours got through in a week!
5. Visit to customs opened a can of worms. Tax demanded on non-medical goods like the hospital electricity generator, plumbing equipment for water supply, baby clothes, nurses’ uniforms, even rubber gloves! More prayer! Audience granted with Customs Commissioner. Discussion and pleading resulted in a letter to the Ministry of Finance.
6. The letter proposed Ministry of Finance to pay taxes. More discussion. More prayer! Agreement to pay.
7. Easter and bank holidays delayed procedures.
8. Container arrived in Uganda after we had left for Kenya and Tanzania.
9. We had to trust others to supervise the clearance of the container. More prayer! Big time!
10. 1,000 boxes of supplies. All listed. Now the value of each item in each box demanded. Oh God help! More prayer! Divine favour on the sweet talk of Pastor Chris and our friend Edreda. Clearance granted. But…
11. Drug Authority inspector arrived. Ouch!
12. 36 kilos of rejects discovered. This has to be returned to UK. More prayer! We were fined and charged for incineration.
13. More paper work. One full day turned into two full weeks to have container cleared.
14. Two clinics and a diagnostic centre eagerly awaiting arrival.

TIME AFTER TIME..!!!!!!!! DID OUR PRAYER LIFE IMPROVE!!!!!!!!!

"All things work together for good..." The challenges with customs brought us in contact with some lovely Christian people. The problems encountered provoked contact with Beatrice at the London, Uganda High Commission, and the staff at the Uganda Revenue Authority (Customs). Everybody went the extra mile to help us, especially Mrs. Allen Kagina, Commissioner of Customs.