Leaving American soil and flying over oceans certainly brought an air of excitement. Six months ago I had no idea what to expect, no real news about where I would end up from time to time. Since July things have been shaken up at times. Teams have changed, new goals have been set, sweet revelations have come. I’ll admit it, in the beginning there was a part of me that did desire to do the wonderful “touristy” things on off days. Although it was not my main purpose, I couldn’t help wanting to see a bit of the world. Ironically enough, as we’ve been trucking along and hopping from continent to continent the list has grown long of things I have NOT seen. And I am okay with that.
From Eastern Europe we missed Dracula’s Castle in Romania. When we caught the train in India we gave up a chance to see the Taj Mahal. Nepal landed us with a beautiful view of the Himalayan mountain range, but no trip to Everest. Kenya has some amazing safaris; yet again we passed them by. Rwanda, well, I don’t really know what Rwanda has but we did go to a museum for free! And now we’re in Uganda; the birthplace of the source of the Nile.
We’re talking THE Nile river, y’all. The same Nile River that baby Moses floated down in a basket. The same Nile River that God changed to blood to show His power to Pharaoh. That Nile. I’ve got to see this…it’s biblical! As a squad we were given three full days of free time to enjoy each other and the beautiful landscape around us in Jinja, Uganda. Sunday we had our own church service overlooking the Nile. I uploaded some photos and emailed a few people, took a nice hot shower and just relaxed. It was so nice. That brought us to Monday.
Around 9am we loaded up in a packed van to drive to the launching point for our white water rafting trip. Sausages, fried hard-boiled eggs, pineapple and watermelon awaited our anxious stomachs for breakfast. Sunscreen was applied, shoes were removed and the squatty potty was frequented by most. Time to go!
Grab a life jacket, paddle and grungy yellow helmet.
Smile for your group photo.
Down to the river!
The Crew: (From Left) Sarah Ruplinger, Katie Way, Emily Adkisson, Julie Horst, Sardul, Hannah Dagenhart, Steph Chan, and Anne Cedergren
Although I wasn’t very nervous, all of these events seemed to happen rather quickly and before I knew it I was sitting in the back of the raft paddling out into the river. I silently thanked the Lord for our wonderful river guide, Sardul, who was friendly and encouraging. I trusted him immediately and knew he would take good care of us.
Before Sardul took us to battle the big waves we had to learn the basics. We learned the command for class three rapids: “Hold on!” (Control your paddle, don’t whack your neighbor and whatever you do, cling to the rope!) Next comes the command for all class four and five rapids: “GET DOWN!” (Squat in the middle of the boat while still grasping your paddle and holding on for dear life.) I don’t know how I felt about this one, but I remembered everything Sardul said. We practiced flipping the raft and pulling each other back inside to safety. The number one rule of the day: Don’t panic. If you lost your cool, you’d also lose air and be quite uncomfortable as you’re pummeled with the relentless waves. Training session over. Time to raft!
As we approached the first rapid, a 3.5, I could hear the low rumble before I saw anything. Then it came, the white foamy waves of death. I was a bit terrified now and listened to everything the guide said. When he said, “Hold on,” you better believe I held on! Paddle down, knees in, hand on rope, oh my goodness!!! AHHH! Not surprisingly, we made it out alive and everyone was laughing hysterically, “We did it!” “That was awesome!” Sardul leads us in a high five celebration with our paddles. Cool. I like this.
The day went on and we met more rapids with names like “Hair of the Dog” and “Kulu Shaker”. It wasn’t until the end that we took on “Nile Special”, but I’m getting ahead of myself. After four intense drops and a few teammates launched from the raft and later rescued, it was lunchtime. We pulled up to the shore, climbed (barefoot) up a huge hill and were met with a feast. There was chapatti, lots of salad and veggies, ham, pineapple and mushroom soup. Not to mention there was cold water and Cokes. I was so satisfied. The raft guide prompts us to get moving. I hastily apply more sunscreen in the hot Ugandan sun and start the descent to the river.
After lunch the rapids picked up. They were all class four or five. One was rated class six at its beginning and we were made to get out and walk a few meters downriver to avoid it – class six is strictly reserved for professionals because of the danger of drowning. We finished the second half of this one, and then the fun started. Up to this point I had prided myself on staying in the raft.
The second rapid after lunch was a doozy. Two of our four rafts were in front of us. The first had just cleared the rapid and the second was headed in. It was at this point that the first raft got sucked backward to collide with the other raft! They smashed together and folded up like a taco. By this point Sardul is yelling and laughing hysterically, “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! GET DOWN! GET DOWN!” I don’t know about you, but this made me panic a bit. I gripped the rope as we started to tip. Ahh, we’re gonna flip! The raft started to tilt as we collided with the second raft. Being the pansy that I am, I assume we will flip and land in the wreckage so I take the initiative to bail out backward. I’m still close to the raft and before I know it Sardul is yelling, “Grab my paddle!” He pulls me in to safety. We had not flipped. Premature bail. Ooops. My bad.
The last rapid comes up and I’m mentally preparing. This is the one that my previous squad leader said he thought he would lose his life on. Great. Well, Lord, if SE Asia is not in the plan for me I guess I’m ready to go now. Gulp. We watch the first raft go over the falls. Complete wipeout. Paddles everywhere, yellow helmets bobbing up here and there. Second raft – destruction. Complete wipeout as the raft turns over. We’re next!
We paddle forward with all our strength as we wait anxiously for Sardul’s command to get down. Finally he allows us to grab the boat for safety. I look up and see an entire wall of white water. My only thought: “Hold your breath!” I took a few good breaths before the boat went vertical. I didn’t see it, but the entire right side was wiped out. I remember my feet going over my head as I did a backflip into the water. I rolled a few more times and kept feeling the boat bump my helmet. I thought we’d flipped and concentrated on getting out from under the raft. There were a few seconds where I wanted to panic but I kept holding my breath and waiting for the precious air to come. Finally, after what seemed like ages, I popped up long enough to take a breath before being plunged back under. Eventually the rapid was over and I floated down the river feet first waiting for a kayak rescuer. My raft actually found me and called for me to swim over. They were all laughing hysterically and yelling as they pulled me back in. What a great end to a great day.
Nile Special: I'm the two legs and left arm at the bottom…
After everyone made it ashore we were met with cold drinks, a hot potato and kebab from the grill. We looked at the professional pictures of the day and paid way too much for digital copies. The bus ride home was full of satisfaction mixed with exhaustion.
I slept well Monday night and then woke with a start on Tuesday. Our team was bungee jumping at 10am with Tony, the Bungee master. Gulp. Another day to do the extreme. I was kind of excited and calmer than I thought I would be. I was just praying that I wouldn’t die so my mom wouldn’t be mad at me when I went out that way. Still, I was ready. I’m such a dork that I actually rehearsed in my head what I would do when I reached the platform. This helped and I did it!
After a team prayer and the climb up all those stairs (44m or 145ft) I began to realize that it was really happening. Wait a minute, I went rafting down the Nile yesterday. This is child’s play. Bring it! Thankfully Steph went first and I quickly volunteered to go second…no waiting around! I sat in the chair and gave the camera a thumbs up, then I looked down to see the rope and towel that were being wrapped around my ankles. No backing out now, I’ve already paid for this!
Team Deeper Roots: (Left to right) Steph, Hannah, Ben, Kelly, Brandon,
Michelle (squad leader), and Taryn.
The bungee master tells me how long the tower’s been there, how no one has died (yet) and various other safety facts. I like his dreadlocks and his British accent. He prompted me to hop over and grab the green bar. Don’t look down. Set your eyes on that green roof over there and shuffle your feet till your toes are over the edge. I did what he said and eventually grabbed the yellow bar over my head. I saw the squad watching from below, I saw my teammates to the right as they stood on the platform, waiting. Bungee master: “Right arm down. A little smile and wave for the camera. Ok, both arms down.” Me: “Both arms?” Bungee master: “Don’t worry. I’ve got your shoulder.” I trust Tony and drop my left arm. He asks if I’m ready and says he’ll count me down. Well, ok then. Here we go!
Waving for the camera
Just like I rehearsed. Three…two…one…BUNGEE!! Immediately when I heard bungee I wound up my arms and pushed off as hard as I could. Like a dork, I screamed, “FOR ASLAN!” and after that is when I truly felt terror at what I’d just done. After one more second the rope was already tight and I was swinging and flying upward again. I laughed and screamed, “I love bungee!” Huh. That was fun. Cool. Two men paddle over as I am slowly lowered into their boat and taken to the shore.
Steph and I rejoice that we're alive!
If you had asked me one year ago if I would be rafting the Nile or bungee jumping over its waters I would’ve laughed at you. This year is growing not only my faith in the One True God, but it’s growing my confidence as a person. I’m sure the Taj Mahal is a sight to see and that Everest is breathtaking (even with the small view you get through the plane window), but the wonderful thing about the Nile was the EXPERIENCE.
I blog-stalked countless people on World Races previous to mine, drinking in their stories and excitement… but it wasn’t until I got here, until I held the filthy hands of precious children, prayed for the ladies with HIV, and dodged the cockroaches in the bathroom that I fully understood. We can dream and dream about facing the rapids, jumping from the platform, but until we actually DO it, it’s nothing.
James says that “Faith without deeds is dead” (2:26). Likewise, when we are pompous talkers or placid daydreamers, we miss out on the adventure that Christ has for us. Friday we went to the hospital to pray for people and share the gospel. This almost seemed more nerve-wracking than facing the rapids. Nevertheless, the Lord has not called us to passivity but to a life of ever-changing adventure in Him. Just as He helped me face the Nile, he helped me to share His name with an older man in the Outpatient ward. This man was not a believer but he was searching. He asked a few questions, I shared the truth of Jesus with him and he accepted. It was so simple that it shocked me. We prayed together and he thanked me. Praise the Lord for what he is able to do through the biggest chickens if they’re only willing to trust Him and leap out in faith.
**Below is a little video I made with updates from Taryn and I as we try to tame the Nile. I admit in adavance that the accompanying music choices are cheesy. That's just me! Enjoy 🙂
