It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…but it’s over! Our time in Africa has come and gone. I survived the Ebola outbreak, five-hour church services, squatty potties and eating basically the same meal over and over again (any variation of rice, beans, noodles, potatoes, cabbage and bananas).
I managed not to get malaria (knock on wood), and I pretty successfully avoided eating ugali. Other than a bad sunburn, a few badly placed bug bites, and a scraped up knee from falling down on more than one occasion, I’m leaving Africa unscathed.
This picture doesn’t even do justice to how steep and rocky the hill was up to our house.
My friend Nicole wrote a funny blog about all of the random and ridiculous things we put up with on a daily basis on the World Race. There are certainly some glamorous moments, but so much of the day-to-day life on the Race is just plain unpleasant. Check out 'Things You Have to Laugh At' to get a good perspective of what it’s really like to live in Africa.
One of my least favorite things about Mwanza was the trash everywhere.
I’m sure once I gain some time and distance, I’ll think back fondly on my time in East Africa and I’ll most likely come back in the future. But for now, I’m relieved and more than ready to hop on a plane back to Asia, one step closer to America in December.
Overall our month in Tanzania was really enjoyable. We lived with our Pastor’s family and they served us so well. They cooked for us and cleaned up after us and even washed our laundry. Our ministry was mostly just preaching at church services and door-to-door evangelism. I was able to share a message on godly friendships to the women’s group, as well as preached on faith versus works.
I absolutely loved the group of World Racers that were living together, which helped to make our countless hours of free time more enjoyable. We played cards (my favorite!), watched movies, worked out and went on searches for peanut and sesame seed balls, our favorite Tanzanian snack.
The best part about Tanzania, or Africa for that matter, was easily the children. There was always a constant supply of kids right outside our front door, eagerly awaiting our love and attention.
Our neighborhood kids playing out front of the church.
Right now I am blessed to be in Zanzibar (an island off the coast) for a few days with some of my closest friends. Zanzibar is paradise. Bungalows, snorkeling, and lazy afternoons on the beach.
Yesterday I was sitting in a big, comfy lounge chair overlooking the Indian Ocean, and the prettiest turquoise water I've ever seen. It was one of those mornings where every word that jumped off the page was exactly what I needed to read and every lyric coming through my iPod was exactly what I needed to hear. I felt so lifted up and encouraged and simply in awe of God.
With the warm sun beating down on me, a cool breeze blowing across my face and the sound of the waves breaking against the shore, I was gently reminded of how loved I am. There's something about gazing out over the ocean that makes me realize God is so much bigger than I'll ever understand. He is the Creator of the universe. He thought up sand. Palm trees were His idea. Fresh fish and coconuts and restaurants built on top of big rocks in the ocean, are all from Him.
Zanzibar has been the perfect end to three months in Africa. My devotion yesterday said that "The awareness of God's presence energizes us for our work." Couldn't be more true.
