Here is a recap of our team’s life for the past week.
September 5th: show up at launch in Chicago.
September 9th: flight from Chicago to New York City, overnight layover in NY.
September 10th, flight from NY to Atlanta, 18 hour flight from Atlanta to Jo-berg, SA.
September 11th, day of rest.
September 12th, 1 PM: board a bus in South Africa bound for Mutare, Zimbabwe.
1:10 PM: pulled over by cops.
2:30 PM: stop for bathrooms.
2:40 PM: pulled over by cops.
2:45 PM: toll booth.
3 PM: pulled over.
4:30 PM: toll booth.
6 PM: stop for dinner and bathroom.
6:30 PM: pulled over.
7 PM: Toll booth.
7:30 PM: Toll booth.
8 PM: Border patrol!
9:30 PM: get off the bus for visas and customs.
3 AM: return to the bus.
3:15 am: toll booth.
7 AM: pulled over and told to get off the bus.
7:15 AM: get back on the bus.
Add booming South African music to our entire bus ride (during ALL HOURS of the night) and we were feeling like true World Racers when we got off that bus at 12 PM the next day.
After the 23 hour bus ride, we climbed into the bed of a truck with our luggage and breezed through the streets of Mutare. The sights and smells of Africa filled me to overflowing with joy.
Despite our weariness, I am so proud of my team. Each person handled the stress and the sleep deprivation and the cranky people at customs like a pro.
Better: they handled it like Christians. They put each other first, they chose joy in every adverse circumstance, and they exercised patience with the situation and with others. It warms my heart to watch the way these people love.
God poured so much grace on us. We’ve arrived at our ministry host’s house exhausted, and she (being a former Racer herself) understands and is meeting our needs for rest. There’s talk of us doing prison ministry in town within the next couple of days.
As of now, I feel like I’ve lived more in the past week than my pre-race life could fit into months.
it’s full, and it’s messy, and it’s beautiful.
Welcome to the World Race, dear readers! So blessed to be sharing this journey with you.
-Anna
