I am 30 hours away from leaving Africa, and I’m not sure what to think.
To be completely honest, the Race has not been what I expected – not that I had any idea of what to expect exactly, but the novelty has worn off of whatever it was.
Life in Africa has been hard.
Schedules change without notice. Your taxi/bus driver/ministry host may end up being 30, 60, or more minutes late to meet you because culture expects you to make time to talk with everyone who greets you. A mixture of sweat, dirt, and grime become your eighth layer of skin. There may be American bathrooms with toilets and showers, but you’re not guaranteed running water. If you’re traveling, be prepared to pay an entry fee at roadside bathrooms, which are most likely squatties for which you’ll need to bring your own TP. Rolling power outages require you to get creative with meal preparations. You need thick skin to ignore the catcalls and proposals from men at the market. Biting mosquitoes wake you up in the middle of the night, even though you have a mosquito net. Being constantly stared at while walking through town or sitting in ministry makes you feel like the main attraction at a zoo. Living in community with people not of your choosing just adds to the frustration of daily life. Cramming 5 people and their 50-pound packs into one hostel room requires grace and patience. And the only thing you can do when the taxi driver picks up passenger #27 and tells you to make room in the 16-passenger van is laugh.
But life in Africa has also been beautiful.
I have seen God’s creative hand in breathtaking mountain vistas, peaceful sunsets, midnight skies displaying star-filled galaxies, majestic natural wonders, animals (and insects) of all varieties, and kind-hearted people. I have watched God provide food for an entire village and weeks of rain for drought-stricken countries. I have seen God in the glimmering eyes and full-face smiles of children and heard Him in their laughter. I have witnessed the seeds planted during a month hard manual labor turn into a bountiful harvest of children learning of their identity as children of God and deciding to trust Him with their lives. And I have been accepted and loved for who I am – struggles, insecurities, quirks, and all – by God and the family he has placed me in.
Africa also brought new depths to my relationship with God, and I know He will continue the work that he is doing in my life. I’ve been mad at and disappointed in God at times, but he has also loved me through every moment. I am learning to trust and find joy again. I am learning to identify and fight idols I’ve had in my life for quite some time. And I am learning how to forgive myself in order to find freedom from years of shame.
As sad as I am to see my time in Africa end, I am expectantly hopeful for ALL that God is going to do in Asia.
