January 19, 2015- a day I will never forget.
My team is serving in Lilongwe, Malawi this month. Another team is close by, within walking distance of our house. We have the same off days, so we decided to take a trip to Lake Malawi together. We took a bus two hours to the Lake on Sunday and camped out. The next day we planned on renting a boat and going to an island in the middle of the lake, Lizard Island.
The weather had been pretty bad throughout the night. Heavy rain and high winds. Most of us didn’t get more than an hour or two of sleep. In the morning, the rain stopped but the wind was still pretty high. The boat ride to the island was fun. The waves were making the boat rock and we were having fun pretending we were on a roller coaster. The lake was so big I kept calling it an ocean. Once we got the island we snorkeled for awhile. There were some really bright fish- bright blue and red.
After awhile, the guides that were with us showed us a rock we could climb up and then jump off. We swam over to it and all climbed up. It was pretty hard to get up. Once we were up there we looked down into the water. It was probably about 25 feet high or so. No big deal. We had so much fun taking turns jumping off the rock, using our GoPros to take videos and pictures. Some people were flipping and diving. After a couple jumps each, the guides told us we could go to another rock. This one was higher than the rock we had been jumping off. We all agreed and set off to the rock.
We had to hike up the side of the mountain, through jungle, and jump over crevasses in the rock to get to the cliff. Once we were there I stood on a rock that was a little lower than the one we were jumping from. I watched a couple people jump, not sure if I was going to or not. Then I decided. I was going for it. I climbed up to the cliff where we were jumping and looked down. It was about 45 or 50 feet and at the bottom I saw three huge rocks. I knew I had to get a running start and make sure I jumped in the right spot otherwise I would land right on a rock. I was nervous. Not so much for the jump but for the rocks.
I said a quick prayer out loud with Midge, Cass, and Holly. And then I jumped.
I have to pause here in the story and tell another story. One that begins at training camp.
Within an hour of being there, after setting up our tents, I began talking with one of the girls- Jen. Since that day we have been great friends. We ended up being on the same team for the first four months. We did almost everything together and became very close. In Ecuador, we had team changes and we both knew we would be split up. Thankfully, she’s on the team that is right down the road from me. We were so excited when we found out we would get to go to the Lake together. Another adventure in another continent together.
Back to the cliff. Jen had jumped before me and she was still in the water when I jumped. Once I was in the water, which felt like forever while I was falling, I started to swim to the rocks where everyone was getting out. Someone was standing up there and yelled out to us. “You can’t come this way! The waves are too big! It’s too dangerous! You have to go around!”
I panicked. I didn’t know where I was supposed to go and the waves were getting really big. Too big. I started to lose control. I couldn’t stay above the waves. They kept pounding me. I would see one coming out of the corner of my eye and before I could take a breath it was taking me under with a mouthful of water. Each time I came up coughing. And scared. Jen swam over to me and grabbed my hand and wouldn’t let go. We made it to a rock where we could stand the only problem was that I couldn’t get a footing on it. Every time I tried I stand, I slipped and another wave would take me out. But still Jen held on. She kept telling me to relax and swim. Reminding me that we had to keep going so we could get to calm water. At one point a wave took us both out. Afterwards, she told me that at that moment she realized it was really bad. But we all remained calm. Tyler was also in the water. He told me that when I came back up after being taken out by a wave, all he saw was terror in my eyes. He came back and helped me. He grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him. I held onto his shoulder and we swam together out of the gigantic waves. Finally, after being pummeled by wave after wave, being seconds away from a full on panic attack, we made it around the rock. The waves weren’t coming anymore, the water was calm. I could swim. Talk about relief. We had made it.
I’m about 93% sure that if Jen and Tyler hadn’t been in the water I wouldn’t have made it out.
Friends. I have never been more thankful for friends. They are lifesavers. Literally. Back in Ecuador I started realizing how much my close friends on the Race meant to me. But that day in Malawi it hit home. Jen told me that she wouldn’t have let go of my hand for anything and that if she hadn’t been in the water when that happened she would have jumped in no matter where she was. She has been an amazing friend since day one and became an even greater friend in the lake.
Friends are a gift from above. Jen and Tyler were in the water for a reason then. Jen was placed on my team for a reason. Together we got through the tough times of the first four months of the Race.
Abwenzi. Chechewa, the local language here, for friends. My word for month 5. I have made some of the best friends I have ever had. Just another benefit of being on the Race.
“A man of many acquaintances may come to ruin, but there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24
