Personally, I am not one you will find hiking a mountain or in the woods. It’s not something that really appeals to me. But I have found that, while on the race, not only is it good exercise but there are some places that are worth it. Doing ministry on a mountain is awesome! I get to wake up every morning, look out the door and see God’s beauty.
Looking out from where we live, you can see the top of a waterfall. There was some talk about going to the waterfall and how many people wanted to go. One day, my teammate, Nick, asked me if I wanted to hike to the waterfall with a small group of people. I was very hesitant about it, but I figured why not? When would I get another chance to see a nice waterfall in Swaziland?
Not long into the hike, we came to a stopping point. We could see the waterfall, but we could not figure out how to get to the other side where we could get a better view. We went many different ways, trying to find the right path, but never made it. After trying and trying and trying, I was over it. I was tired, thirsty (I drank most of my water bottle) and wanted to get out of the hot, draining sun. While trying to find the waterfall, we came across and beautiful stream and decided to rest before calling it quits.
Shortly after we left the stream, I was dying. “What the heck was I thinking?” and “I want to die.” were the thoughts running the through my head. Most of the people I was with, decided to take the path that led to the primary school not far from where we live. It was safer, not as steep, and not very grassy. Seeing that I was taking baby steps and looked like I was dying, Nick, Steven and Lauren (some of the people I was with) decided to take a short cut that was steeper than the path.
As we climbed, it got harder and harder for me. While were resting, out of nowhere comes a Swazi man and asks us if everything is alright. We told him that we were just resting. At that point I got up and started up the mountain again. When he asked us if I was alright, we told him I was just a little tired. Without any notice, he randomly picks me up on his back, piggy back style, and starts carrying me up the mountain. I told him that while it was nice of him, he didn’t have to carry me. He didn’t say anything and continued up the mountain. He was huffing and puffing, so I mentioned multiple times that if he was tired he could put me down. He said he was tired and still continued up the mountain with me on his back. When he finally did put me down, we thanked him and asked what direction he was going in. Fortunately he wasn't too far out of his way. We thanked him again and continued hiking. Luckily for us, and thanks to a Swazi man, we were not too far from where we were living.
I have learned to go with my gut if I’m hesitant about a hike. Thanks to God for the help I needed. I also know to make sure I have Swazi man with me when I hike. Or a native man, depending on what country I’m in!
