Familie Kieviet in Senegal

“Tomorrow I want to blow bubbles in the taxi. Then all the bubbles will glide through the window so the people outside can enjoy them.” For Maria, the many taxi rides aren’t a punishment: there is plenty to see and do. She can hear the black and yellow cars coming from afar. Sometimes because they honk, mostly because they rattle. After a merry game of determining the price we get in. There is always a doorknob broken or a window that doesn’t close. The latter isn’t a problem at all: a fresh breeze flutters through our hair and moves the pictures of marabouts and Quranic verses that dangle from the rear-view mirror. “Mommy, can I have such a doll for my bike?” Maria asks… The taxi grazes around horse carts, pedestrians, loose dirt and other taxis while the driver hums along with an Arabic song. I am glad that the engine doesn’t run faster than 20 miles / hour. And when we have a break at the traffic lights, all kinds of vendors and beggars come to the window. Maria already knows a gesture to thank them politely. Regularly the driver is a bit curious, and asks what we do here. The clinic is well known by many and often they are planning to come themselves or for a family member. I hope they’ll all come. And that they’ll receive good care and experience that God really cares for them. Small bubbles of hope gliding from the taxi windows…