This month we have been living and working at The Father’s House. A church in Heideveld, South Africa. The area where the church is located is known for gang violence and drugs. Due to the surrounding crime, the church is fenced in with barbed wire and razor wire. As an all-girls group we are not allowed to go outside of the fence unless it is during the day and we are with one of the church staff. The staff leaves around 2:30 each day and locks us into the building. As a team, we have all had to grieve what we thought we were going to be able to do and the freedom we thought we would have. Within our first few nights here, we learned that Heideveld is not the Cape Town google images provided.
Despite this, we as a team decided to use our extended hours in the church to bless the staff. Within a few days, I began to feel the confinement of staring at the same walls day after day. We, as a team, grieved the Cape Town people raved about and the off days we imagined exploring the city.
After almost two weeks inside the building, another World Race Squad called to inform us that they were coming from their ministry site to do the touristy part of Cape Town. Their host was extremely generous and picked us up along the way. While we were extremely happy to have the opportunity to venture outside the gate and spend time with them, it also opened my eyes to all the experience they were having this month. It was the first time I really had to grieve/mourned our lack of freedom, the first time I realized that our situation is not the norm.
We joined the other team as they embarked to climb Table Mountain. We were so excited to finally climb the mountain we had been viewing from our window. When we got there, we were in a race against time. We only had less than 2 hours ‘till sunset. The mountain typically takes about 2 hours to climb one way. We started at a good pace, but it was impossible not to stop at certain points to pause and look at the view. At one point, my teammate Anna and I, along with one our squadmate Kristen, took a wrong turn. It lead to a 30 minute detour to another lookout point, although beautiful it was a detour we could not afford. We booked it back toward the original path and continued the race to the top. About 20 minutes from the top we were informed by another hiker that the gondola, our ride down, stops running at 6pm. At that point, even if we made it to the top of the mountain we would miss the last gondal. We would have to hike back down.
Despite our desire to make it to the top, we turned around and began the trip back down the mountain. However, with only 20 minutes to sundown we knew we would be hiking the majority of it in the dark. Between the three of us we had one water bottle, one head lamp, and luckily one team phone. Fear and disappointment began to set in. We had been in Cape Town for over two weeks. This was the first tourist thing we had been able to do and we didn’t even get to see the view from up top. As we and the sun descended we began to pray and sing worship songs, mostly for our safety. It was during these attempts to stay positive despite our circumstances that I realized, this more than just a sightseeing trip. Throughout the next year I will have countless opportunities to see the world and have amazing adventures along the way. However, none of these adventures will be as important as the journey I get to have with the Lord. I get to spend every day with no other requirements than to serve him. I have been given an opportunity that most people will never experience. I have been able to walk away from all other responsibilities and distractions. I have no other job than to be available for whatever he might ask of me. It doesnt matter if I ever make it to the top of the mountain. What matters is that I use this opportunity to grow. There will be challenges and distractions that present themselves, but I can overcome them and grow closer to him.
Throughout the month my team and I have already begun to do so. Despite our unmet expectations and the lack of freedom, we have, for the most part, used our time wisely. We have grown in our relationships with each other as well as our relationships with the Lord. We have also learned to let go of expectations and that nothing is set in stone until it happens. As a team, we have worked on finding the positive in the negative. So, while I might not have made it to the top of the mountain, I got to spend the hour coming back down worshiping God on the side of a mountain with two of my squadmates. In the process, I became more grateful for the World Race. For the opportunity, not only to travel the world, but to grow closer to God through ministry – even if that ministry means spending most of my time in the church building.
