As we drove to our compound when we first arrived in Madagascar, I felt mixed feelings and I was taking it all in. The streets were crowded by people on foot, bicycle, and car. The backdrop consisted of modest homes (some painted in bright colors), and hills. I was in awe of the beauty, and then I noticed other details.
Along the hills, fences, and rooftops (pretty much wherever), were clothes laid out to dry; the clothing was well worn, stained, and humble. Some of the foundations of the homes were surrounded by pools of standing water (a cyclone had recently passed through). And along the sidewalk were people selling fruit, bread, and meat.
One woman caught my eye. She wasn’t selling anything; she sat on the sidewalk, her legs spread before her, her arms crossed, and her hair was wild as she hung her head. Her clothing seemed to droop, and hang loose, and looked a shade or two darker than they should’ve been. Next to me, I saw a look of concern cross my squad-mate’s face as she took notice of the same woman.
Poverty.
We drove past her.
I remembered the night before pulling into the hostel we’d be staying at for night, and the locals told us to get inside (I learned day one that when the locals tell you to get inside you run). Within seconds a downpour came upon us and we hustled to get to shelter. I remembered having a warm shower, and chicken with vegetables for dinner. I remembered drinking green tea before snuggling into the soft bed. And I remembered her. I remembered many faces I’ve seen over the past two months. Young, old, man, and woman…they seemed to flood my memory like the rains had flooded the streets.
The World Race will strip of you many things and you will have to learn to live on less…even with what you think is necessary: clothing, food, water, bug spray, communication back home, and sleep. But in your one backpack and daypack you will have more than many people who you’ll cross paths with.
We tented our first month in Mozambique and it was a stretch for me. I’ve been camping once and I was suddenly in the African wilderness with spiders as big as my hands running around me, malaria infested mosquitoes that left me with over 80 bites, and we had to endure heavy thunderstorms that flooded my tent twice. But I realized that I had more protection than the local staff that month. I had a year’s worth of malaria medicine, and a tent that kept the mosquitoes out, resulting in less bites and better sleep.
To choose to praise and worship God, and to have an attitude of thanksgiving in each moment is vital. The World Race is what you make it to be, and you grow as much as you allow God to grow you. You can choose to either focus on what you do have or what you don’t have.
