Besides Guatemala, when selecting my route for the World Race, Africa was another place I wanted to GO.
Yes I know, Africa is the stereotypical place for missions work, but in all sincerity visiting an orphanage in Africa has been a hidden dream of mine. My only fear of going was knowing I would want to or actually bring home several kids with me.
However, in my last week in Panama, as reality hit that I was actually going to Africa, to my surprise I was not feeling excited or really looking forward to it. Instead I was feeling rather nervous and unsettled.
I think part of the reason was Panama ended up being a hard month for a lot of reasons and the thought of traveling thousands of miles away from home and without definite communication seemed daunting. And although Panama was tough, it felt a lot like home. There was a 24 hour Super 99 grocery store across the street that had just about anything you would need, including my favorite drink, Zevia, we paid using USD money, we had WiFi in our hostel, air conditioning in our bedroom and the freedom and safety of walking around by ourselves. I compared this to my assumed remote, unsafe, and barren living conditions I would experience in Africa. Plus, I also loved the relationships we were building through ministry and was sad about leaving them behind.
On top of this, our squad had a safety meeting about Africa that colored my perception of the people’s character. Specifically we were warned not to carry anything we couldn’t or wouldn’t want to get stolen and that at the Johannesburg airport, our luggage could be stolen as this had happened to previous World Racers.
Truthfully, when the time came to leave, I was looking forward to our long travel days knowing it would prolong the time until we got to Lesotho.
As soon as we landed in Johannesburg and left the aircraft my guard was up. Arguments between South Africans in a language I’ve never heard over who would drive our squad to the bus station kept me feeling unsettled. Once we were dropped off, the drivers upping the agreed upon price only fueled the fire. For the first time in my life, I felt completely out of place sitting and waiting at the bus station.
The uneasiness I felt before leaving for Africa was not only confirmed but also growing. I questioned how I was going to handle being here for 3 months.
From the bus station in Johannesburg, we drove 3 hours to Harrismith where we were going to spend the night at a church our logistics teammates Googled online and contacted through Facebook. This was a little unnerving to me not knowing anything about the town or church, but I knew it was only for one night. We grabbed our backpacks and daypacks and walked 15-20 minutes in the hot sun following Google maps directions on an iPhone.
Upon arriving at the church everything changed. We were welcomed by a few South Africans who were extremely friendly and spoke English. The church could have easily been an American church. At the entrance there was a mini coffee shop where we could order drinks and food. The bathrooms were incredibly nice, we were given access to clean drinking water and Wi-Fi and the freedom to spread out and makes ourselves at home in the large auditorium.
This was a gift from God.
The next day we took our final bus to Maseru, Lesotho where our ministry site is located. As we crossed the Lesotho border, the men and women working there were so warm and welcoming.
Then when we arrived at our pickup stop, the Pioneer Mall, we met Mr. Lawrence, the Seed of Love Orphanage’s Property Manager and our driver for the month. He is an incredibly friendly and sweet old man with a contagious smile.
Knowing we were in charge of cooking our own food, we asked him if we could pick up groceries at the mall. I was astonished by the mall and the Pick and Pay grocery store inside. I was not expecting the ability to shop for all sorts of vegetables, fruits, meats, snacks, home goods and toiletries.
From there we drove 15 minutes to our ministry site. My team and I walked into a nice house with a kitchen, a couple bedrooms and bathrooms. To my surprise there were barely any bugs in our room and we could drink from the water taps.
Africa was not only growing on me, but it felt more like home than I ever could have thought or imagined!
The following morning, I met the kids.
In the first few short moments of being in their presence, all my leftover unfavorable thoughts, unease or worries of Africa fled. Not only that, but inexpressible joy filled my spirit. I now feel silly for the way I was feeling before leaving for Africa. I am absolutely loving Africa!
Over the next couple weeks as I begin to share with you about my new little friends you will see why Africa is becoming a very special place in my heart.
