To be
honest, this is a very confusing blog to write. There are so many details that
I could go on for pages and pages, but you would either get bored, stop
reading, or become super confused, so I will attempt to keep it short. If you
would like to have more details about any portion, feel free to email and ask
me :).
The
following seems to all blend together, and truly feels like it was a movie; not
that I actually lived it. Almost all of us who experienced this ‘event’ can say
the same thing. Thank you Emily Milroy for helping me piece the days together,
because this blog would not have been possible without you.
October 26th
we left on an overnight train from Moldova (8pm) Romania which arrived at
5:45am (9 hrs 45 mins). Yes, it’s early, but it’s the world race, no big deal.
We then stayed in Bucharest until the 30th where the bus picked us
up at noon, and then proceeded to have flights from Istanbul to Dubai to
finally arriving in Johannesburg at 10:50am the next day (22 hrs 50 mins).
During one of the flights Julian and Alicia fell asleep on each of my
shoulders. I also fell asleep, but didn’t have a shoulder to sleep on so I
ended up slipping and head butting Julian. Yes, head butting. We both woke up
confused and delusional, but had a great laugh about it later when we were
lucid.
From the airport
we were supposed to catch a bus to Malawi, however, they cancelled on us so our
AWESOME logistics found us a place to stay for the night (this was bus issue
number one). The hostel was PHENOMINAL!! Gorgeous and such a blessing as a place
to rest after hours of traveling. The next day the bus was supposed to come at
2pm…then was delayed until 4pm…and then was cancelled again (We are now on
Monday, November 1st, and supposed to arrive at our contacts place
tomorrow…uh oh). P.s., I meet a guy named Luis from Portland staying at our
hostel…whoop whoop, Oregon representing in South Africa.
The next day
we are told the bus is coming at 2pm, at 2:30pm we are told the bus is coming
at 4pm…it arrives!! However, being the fact that we have a years worth of stuff
with us, not all of our packs will fit on the bus. So, after piling onto the
bus, we are told to get off so that they can go back to the station to get a
trailer for our packs. 5pm rolls around, bus is back!! However, we are told it
is crazy rush hour, so again, after all 65 of us pile onto the bus, we get back
off to eat dinner and wait it out. 6pm, pile back on the bus, AND WE’RE OFF!
Off towards Malawi! Mind you, I was told by my team leader it would be about a
14 hour bus ride..no biggy right…well, the info was a tid bit off.
We arrive at
the Zimbabwe border and 2:30am and get in line to get our passports stamped and
are there until 8am. We then get back on the bus and arrive at 8pm at the Mozambique
border…but the border is closed. We now have to sleep in a stationary bus for
the night. There was no breeze, and each one of us was shoulder to shoulder
with someone…let’s just say the air was so hot and thick I thought I was in
Haiti and they turned up the heat even higher for the entire night…yep, delusional
and very little sleep that night. 4:45am we get off the bus to a) breathe, and
b) get ready for the gate to open at 6am. By 7am we are through with our
passports and onto the second portion of the same border (see, you have to get
an outgoing stamp of the country you are leaving, then go through no-mans-land
to the second part of the border to get the incoming stamp for the country you
are entering). So at this point we are entering Mozambique (which we arrive at
the border at around 8am). We end up being there until 2:30pm! That’s about 16
and a half hours at the same border…yes, not my favorite border. We now find
out that we HAVE to arrive at the Malawi border by 8pm or the border closes and
we are 6 hours away…do the math…NOT AGAIN. So far our bus driver has been
driving rather slowly, but thankfully he picks up the pass. We make good time,
and after having to cross this one lane bridge (which involved our huge bus and
trailer jumping a curb and waiting in a line…again, ask me if you would like
more details), we arrive at the border at 7:50pm!! And even better, we find out
the border doesn’t close until 9pm!! However, during our venture toward the
border there was a massive storm, which knocked out the electricity and so all
of the workers went home early and the border is closed…wua wuaaaa. Second night
sleeping in the bus. A few of us girls opted to sleep on the asphalt outside
with all of the guys…which turned out to be an adventure in itself as Tommy got
taken to the police station for pooping in public (again, email for details).
No worries though, Daniel bailed him out.
Oct 5th,
6am the border opens. 8am we’re done with the first portion of the border. 10am
we are done with the second!!! 1:00pm people realize we are almost done with
this bus and start to go a little crazy. Like, crazy. It was more chaotic for
about 15 minutes then it had been the entire bus ride. 1:30pm WE ARRIVE IN
BLANYRE (November 2nd 6pm- November 5th 1:30pm, 67 hours
and 30 minutes of that bus…if you add since 4pm the first day, that’s 69 and a
half.)! My 1 and a half by 2 foot area of the bus I am now leaving behind
forever, praise God.
4:30pm we
pile into another mini bus to go to drop off some people. 6:40pm two of our
teams pile back into the mini-bus to head up the Lilongwe. FINALLY, we arrive
at our final destination at 12:30am (8 more hours). That’s a little over 75
hours of bus/mini-bus, plus the flights (23 hours), plus the overnight train (9
hours), leaving us at a grand total of about 110 hours of travel from Moldova
to Malawi within 11ish days of travel. WOW.
Through the
cramped spaces, swollen ankles, wearing the SAME CLOTHES for 4 days,
desperation for at least SOME personal space and alone time, getting pulled
over numerous times for numerous reasons, only a few hours of sleep, border
people who are supposed to be stamping your passports deciding to read the
paper instead of helping the 65 of you in line, lack of food and water, car
sickness, squatty potties that have bugs crawling out of them, our bus jumping
curbs, smells that could only be possible from serious sweat, lack of hygiene,
65 bodies, cramped spaces, and no change of clothes; let’s just say the entirety
of who I am was tested.
How could
one not ask themselves the question of, “Is this really worth
it?” “God, is your Kingdom really worth being stepped on for the umpteenth time
within ten minutes?”
I will admit, I was in a bad mood at some points. What was awesome though, was
that instead of snapping at people, instead of really complaining, God gave me
the ability to keep quiet, and turn to Him. I was able to watch my squad come
together and pray together, lift one another up, prefer each other, and worship
like crazy together. Yes, in the 90 degree bus we were singing praises of
thanks to God. Is it worth it? Heck yes it’s worth it. Jesus and his disciples faced angry
mobs, threats of death and even brutal deaths, prison time, giving up everything,
having nothing. Who knows, maybe at one point Paul turned to Barnabas and said “Man,
it is stinking hot; this really is no fun to be in these conditions.” But
either way, he stuck through it, clung to God, and ended up writing the greater
portion of the New Testament. Really, what on Earth do I have to complain
about? This is exactly what I signed up for. To get uncomfortable, to have very
little, and to have my focus be on serving God. Here we are going to places
with no running water, no electricity, no AC (HEAVEN FORBID in America we live
in 90 degree weather without AC), and very limited resources. Yeah, I got a
taste of that life for a few days, but that doesn’t deserve me a medal or any
big pat on the back for ‘sticking through it’ and keeping my cool, sanity and turning
to God. If you read through the bible, I am not doing anything radical, I am
doing the minimum of what Jesus called us to do…if even the minimum.
“Don’t take any money in your money
belts-no gold, silver, or even copper coins. Don’t carry a traveler’s bad with
a change of clothes and sandals or even a walking stick.” -Matthew 10:9a
Um, hello,
WHAT?! Those were the instructions Jesus gave to His disciples to go share the
Gospel in other towns. This way, God HAS to show up in your everyday life. Wow
God, you are awesome.
