What had triggered that night-long, terrible coughing? Such debilitating weakness beset me that the Bishop cancelled our meetings with the young pastor. This was tremendously disappointing since many had come great distances for ministry and to hear the Word of G-d.

However, by early afternoon, my strength and my voice - which had also been affected - were restored. And, as the Lord works out all things for good, that very afternoon Bishop's pastor friend in Webuye invited me to minister at a women's conference lead by the pastor's wife. I was thrilled with such an opportunity that allowed me to redeem the day for the Kingdom.

The conference was not as large as those in the U.S., but the small church building was filled up. Most attendees were either pastors or pastor's wives. I taught in 3 meetings the same truths the Lord had taught me when I was a new born-again believer:

1. the creation of woman
2. how to be a virtuous woman
3. Sex in marriage.

The last subject I purposefullly placed at the end to ensure full attendance.

As often as I have ministered these truths from the Lord, not only do they rekindle love while promoting glorious freedom in Messiah for a woman, but they also invariably save marriages. And while not all husbands respond positively to the wonderful changes in their wives, most do.

During the session on marital sex, there was much laughter as I "demonstrated" from the Word the delightful intimacy a married couple may enjoy together. Shackles of bondage, shame and subordinate status fell with the realization that the marriage bed is undefiled, sanctified by the marriage covenant under G-d. All rejoiced in the discovery that marital pleasures are sin-free and the “icing on the cake” for husband and wife who are joined in body, soul and spirit.

At the end of the meetings, the women sang, danced and shouted for joy in their new-found freedom. And we enjoyed their customary meal of rice, meat, ugale and greens and lots of sodas. The Kenyans are very hospitable.

Because of today's immorality, marital sex has been vilified even in the churches. Yet the believers' marriage foreshadows the wonderful union we have in Christ¹ which, while absolutely not a sexual one, is one of great intimacy and delight, as it is written: "In your Presence is fulness of joy, at Your right hand pleasures for ever more."²

That night the rains began again. I awoke from droplets of water sprinkling onto my face, as water dripped through a small hole in the roof and through my mosquito netting. We moved the bed to the other side of the wall and Beninah placed an umbrella over my bed.

Heavy rain drummed on the aluminum roof all night.

During my morning prayer time the Lord said, "Today is not a day of ministry; all the roads are bad. Today is a day of prayer."

I told the Bishop what the Lord had said and settled down for my breakfast and Scripture reading.

An hour later the Bishop was visibly upset with me for not being ready. He had rented a taxi  with driver and fuel (his own car being in the repair shop once again) and was all set to go to the previous day's church meetings.

"The Lord said not to minister today because of bad road conditions,” I said.

"Why did you rent this taxi anyway, without saying a word to me?" I asked him.

"The people are waiting," he replied, agitated. "We mustn't disappoint them again. They waited yesterday but you were sick," he said, sounding as though he was blaming me for having been incapacitated. " Please, get ready quickly and let's go," he urged.

Annoyed by his tone and stubborness, I got ready in a few minutes.

The taxi slid to and fro in the mud on the road out from the house while the driver turned here and there to find a way onto the main road.

“Well,” I thought, “we are already in trouble just a few metres from the house; how will we ever get to this village? This is really stupid, seeing as the Lord had warned us about this.” 

So I said aloud, "The Lord warned about getting stuck in mud. He said this was not a day to go out to minister." But my dear Bishop friend insisted we continue.

After about a 45 minutes drive we got solidly trapped in deep, red mud, with the taxi leaning precariously to the left where I was sitting (the British custom of having the driver’s seat on the right has been maintained in Kenya). Had the taxi slanted any more to the left, we'd have landed in a deep ditch, with me right in it.

I sent an urgent prayer for help up to heaven. 

Several men approached, one directing the driver which way to steer, the others pushing the back to get the tires out of the deep grooves. I sat, grim faced, watching this “performance in mud.”

Once on more solid ground, the men demanded payment for their help. It was so unbelievable, I had to laugh. The bishop gave the men some shillings.

Further along the way someone directed us to a shortcut and the taxi driver turned onto a narrow path. Within a few metres, I noticed large, sharp stones smack in the middle of the road.

“If you drive over those stones you’ll get a flat,” I warned the driver. He drove over those stones and got a flat. Now he turned back nearly into a cornfield and drove back onto the main road. He was about to take a detour to the village when we got waved to the side by one of the many police stops which dot Kenya's main roads.

"You have a flat,” the police woman said. "You may not drive until you repair it."

"Oh no," said the driver. "I didn't realize I had a flat."

"What nerve" I thought, "now he is even lying."

Worse still, he had lied to the Bishop as well, assuring him he had a spare tire when he hadn’t. Now what? Where was he to get another tire? We were in the middle of nowhere...