We made it to Romania!! It is so strange, but we have real, stable internet for the first time on The Race. I’ve decided that I would like to post a blog or a blog update everyday while we are here as long as the internet is working. I’m really excited to share all of the stories that I have stored up! The stories may jump around a little, but I will try to include the day that they occurred and give you an idea of what country we were in.
Day 152, Swaziland to Romania
On Saturday morning we woke up at 0530 and began finished cleaning our rooms and the common areas at our living quarters in Swaziland. The evening before, we had a bonfire and worship to close out the time that our 3 teams had spent together. That evening, it began to rain. Noooooo! We were staying up very high in the mountains, and the roads to get there are dirt and very steep. If it rains, we would not be able to get out in the morning. Thankfully, it did not rain all night long, and it looked like we would be able to make it out. We did our last minute packing and waited for the van to arrive to take us to the airport in Johannesburg. The girls that we had been close with had borrowed paper from me the afternoon before and used my markers and pens to write notes to people. They had refused to give them to us, saying that they would give them to us in the morning when we said goodbye. The van was late in arriving, so I went up to say goodbye to the girls and hang out until it arrived. They gave me the notes for all of the others and we said our goodbyes. It is so frustrating sometimes knowing that they cannot be adopted by US citizens, but only by people that are Swaziland citizens. I walked away with the hope that I would be able to see them again or contact them. Our journey to the airport was about 5 hours long. We crossed the border of South Africa for the 3rd time in 3 months. It went smoothly, by now we feel like professionals.
We arrived at the airport to find out that Turkish Airlines would not allow us to check our bags for our 8pm flight until 4:30pm. It was currently 2pm, so we set off to explore the airport. Many people found places where they could get something to eat and use the internet. Tiffany and spent most of the time meandering and finding baked goods and a milkshake. The airline changed the check in time to 5:30pm. We waited in line some more. Travel days are often like this. It is hard to get 43 people through security without any issues. We made it through and arrived at our gate to hang out on the floor some more. Before we knew it, we were on a bus to take us to a plane. We were leaving Africa.
It has been a long and difficult three months in Africa. But God always brings so much good out of the difficult times. I have learned things that I am capable of that I would have never thought was possible. I have spoken in church with very little notice, I slept under mosquitoes nets and still endured hundreds of bites each day, I have showered with a bucket of water outside, I have love children that don’t seem to want to be loved, and tried so hard to love children enough that can’t seem to get filled up by it. I have cried so hard and laughed even harder. I made a movie with my team, taught chapel to children who might not understand what I’m saying, and performed in skits for church. I prayed for people that are said to have evil spirits or demons in them, and prayed for sick people that might be contagious by laying hands on them. I have contracted things from children that could have been avoided, had I just decided to protect myself and not love on them, but I chose to love. And it was the right choice. I have been so very hot, and so very cold. I have shared one bedroom with 12 women and lived to tell the tale. I have seen poverty that I have always known existed, but it broke my heart just the same.
I leave Africa forever changed. My hope is that someone is Africa is changed because they met me. I know God sent me here for a reason. I trust that His will was done through my team and I. I will remember this experience for the rest of my life. I have left a part of my heart in Africa, and I hope to return some day to leave even more.
We made it to Romania!! It is so strange, but we have real, stable internet for the first time on The Race. I’ve decided that I would like to post a blog or a blog update everyday while we are here as long as the internet is working. I’m really excited to share all of the stories that I have stored up! The stories may jump around a little, but I will try to include the day that they occurred and give you an idea of what country we were in.
Day 152, Swaziland to Romania
On Saturday morning we woke up at 0530 and began finished cleaning our rooms and the common areas at our living quarters in Swaziland. The evening before, we had a bonfire and worship to close out the time that our 3 teams had spent together. That evening, it began to rain. Noooooo! We were staying up very high in the mountains, and the roads to get there are dirt and very steep. If it rains, we would not be able to get out in the morning. Thankfully, it did not rain all night long, and it looked like we would be able to make it out. We did our last minute packing and waited for the van to arrive to take us to the airport in Johannesburg. The girls that we had been close with had borrowed paper from me the afternoon before and used my markers and pens to write notes to people. They had refused to give them to us, saying that they would give them to us in the morning when we said goodbye. The van was late in arriving, so I went up to say goodbye to the girls and hang out until it arrived. They gave me the notes for all of the others and we said our goodbyes. It is so frustrating sometimes knowing that they cannot be adopted by US citizens, but only by people that are Swaziland citizens. I walked away with the hope that I would be able to see them again or contact them. Our journey to the airport was about 5 hours long. We crossed the border of South Africa for the 3rd time in 3 months. It went smoothly, by now we feel like professionals.
We arrived at the airport to find out that Turkish Airlines would not allow us to check our bags for our 8pm flight until 4:30pm. It was currently 2pm, so we set off to explore the airport. Many people found places where they could get something to eat and use the internet. Tiffany and spent most of the time meandering and finding baked goods and a milkshake. The airline changed the check in time to 5:30pm. We waited in line some more. Travel days are often like this. It is hard to get 43 people through security without any issues. We made it through and arrived at our gate to hang out on the floor some more. Before we knew it, we were on a bus to take us to a plane. We were leaving Africa.
It has been a long and difficult three months in Africa. But God always brings so much good out of the difficult times. I have learned things that I am capable of that I would have never thought was possible. I have spoken in church with very little notice, I slept under mosquitoes nets and still endured hundreds of bites each day, I have showered with a bucket of water outside, I have love children that don’t seem to want to be loved, and tried so hard to love children enough that can’t seem to get filled up by it. I have cried so hard and laughed even harder. I made a movie with my team, taught chapel to children who might not understand what I’m saying, and performed in skits for church. I prayed for people that are said to have evil spirits or demons in them, and prayed for sick people that might be contagious by laying hands on them. I have contracted things from children that could have been avoided, had I just decided to protect myself and not love on them, but I chose to love. And it was the right choice. I have been so very hot, and so very cold. I have shared one bedroom with 12 women and lived to tell the tale. I have seen poverty that I have always known existed, but it broke my heart just the same.
I leave Africa forever changed. My hope is that someone is Africa is changed because they met me. I know God sent me here for a reason. I trust that His will was done through my team and I. I will remember this experience for the rest of my life. I have left a part of my heart in Africa, and I hope to return some day to leave even more.
