Cigarette butts and super glue to fix the radiator in the middle of nowhere

We were stranded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, Kenya. This is not how we thought our day would go.

We had driven to Nairobi to pick up Jeannette at the airport after her trip to America. We made the drive in 10 hours and 57 minutes, which was great time for us. Then, after a few days of shopping and doctor visits in Nairobi, it was time to drive back to Musoma. We were on the road at 6:30am and we made great time out of Nairobi.

Suddenly, the car overheated and smoke and steam poured out from underneath our car. I pulled over on the side of the road and prayed out loud, "God please help our car!"

By the amazing providence of God, a car mechanic appeared out of nowhere and pulled up on a motorcycle in front of us and told us we had a problem with the radiator. Literally, God placed a mechanic right in front of us!!

We thought we were in the middle of nowhere but we turned around and drove back about 50 ft and there was the mechanic's little roadside shop. His "shop" was nothing more than a tiny tin shack and a tool box. He and his buddy immediately went to work dismantling our van. They both had wrenches and screwdrivers going at the same time. Bolts were flying, out came the driver's seat, up came the floor panels, hoses were unhooked, cooling fan was removed, engine coolant was spraying everywhere.

the mechanic's roadside "shop"

Meanwhile I was watching intently to try to learn where everything belonged in case I had to put it all back together again or in case they didn't put something back properly. Jeannette and the kids sat in the back of the van praying and eating snacks. Eventually the radiator was free but it did not come out easily. More pieces of the engine had to be removed to make enough space for the radiator to come out. Finally it was out and they discovered a crack in the plastic housing. {Why is there any plastic on a radiator?!?!?!?}

Then the mechanic pulled out the most hilarious technique I've ever seen. The old "cigarette-butt-super-glue-to-fix-the-radiator" trick. Seriously, he picked up 20 cigarette butts from the ground (he's quite a smoker) and unwrapped them to expose the fiberous material inside. He laid those over the crack and then poured super glue over the whole area. After this hardened, he then applied epoxy to the whole area. While he was fixing the crack, his buddy removed the thermostat that is connected to the radiator. He said the thermostat failed and that's what caused the radiator to crack. Sure, why not, sounds plausible. After 5 minutes the mechanic said "the glue is dry, let's put everything back together."

I was nervous. God please help them put it back together correctly and safely.

They added coolant, checked the levels, and said, "you're good to go, no problem." I handed them a huge pile of Kenyan shillings and we set off on our journey again. The whole ordeal took about three hours. I drove very cautiously and thankfully the temperature gauge stayed where it should be. We made it to our next pit stop and the coolant level was good.

Finally, just before dark, we made it to the Tanzanian border. When we stopped at the border I heard a strange sound coming from underneath the van, similar to when the van died earlier. Miraculously, by the grace of God, we made it through both sides of the border quickly and easily. Now we felt better because at least we were in Tanzania. If the van died completely here, someone could come get us without crossing an international border. We drove very slowly and I stared at the temperature gauge diligently. Going up the steep hills was rough on the engine. It was getting late, it was dark, the kids were starving, they were getting car sick. I just kept praying out loud the entire way. "God please help us! God please keep us safe! God please get us home!"

Finally, at 9:15pm we drove into our driveway. Thank you, God! Almost 15 hours in the car. Yuck! Let's never do that again. But we're so thankful for God's provision and protection along the way.

The next morning I drove the van to the local mechanic and as I pulled into his shop, the temperature gauge spiked to the red line. Phew! Now....to find a new radiator.....