Last week my squad traveled from Kampala, Uganda (where we
were reconnecting as a squad for a few days) to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (our
last month in Africa). This was no
ordinary travel day as it literally took days in a bus to achieve this
transition.
We ended up being on the same bus for 33 hours. 33 hours of
hitting each bump on the road with enough force and bang that I confused the
bus with a roller coaster on multiple occasions. 33 hours of speeding down dark
Kenyan and Tanzanian roads. 33 hours of peanut butter sandwiches. 33 hours of
sitting upright in and out of sleep. 33 hours of bliss.
These are the moments that world racers live for. We all
have our opinions of travel days and there are some I enjoy more than others.
But these are the moments that we are truly reminded where we are, what we are
doing and what we have left behind.
We left behind comfort, fast travel, personal space, my debit
card (which is probably still on the kampala bus line system somewhere), and
control. I am reminded of all that we gave up, all that I gave up and realize
that this is where the Lord wants me. That even when things are difficult or
crowded, He brought me here to truly surrender it all to Him. My heart, myself,
my everything.
As I was pondering this journey and life, I began to read
“Through Painted Deserts” by Donald Miller.
Which is a perfect read for someone deciding to leave or has already set
out on a journey bigger than themselves.
I already like what I have read and I have only made it through the
Author’s Notes.
I will leave you with this quote. A quote about leaving and
the importance of change to grow and live. Believe me I hate change, but have
been blessed by the ever changing life I have been leading.
“And so my prayer is that your story will have involved some
leaving and some coming home, some summer and some winter, some roses blooming
out like children in a play. My hope is your story will be about changing,
about getting something beautiful born inside you, about learning to love a
woman or a man, about learning to love a child, about moving yourself around
water, around mountains, around friends, about learning to love others more than
we love ourselves, about learning oneness as a way of understanding God. We get
one story, you and I, and one story alone. God has the elements, the setting
and the climax and the resolution. It would be a crime not to venture out,
wouldn’t it?” -Donald Miller.
