Dear Future World Racer,
Wow, this is super hard. Month 1 is tough.
You go into this experience having been to training camp, through months of personal preparation, to every REI/outdoor shop in the country buying everything to make you a professional camper; and yet I am not sure that anything can prepare you for what this trip is.
Life on the mission field is entirely different to anything I have ever experienced. Life in West Africa is certainly nothing like what we are used to. Life in general is entirely flipped on its head.
Things you consider as basic at home are an absolute luxury. A working shower, toilets, roads, fridges, water from a tap (we draw it from a well) – all luxuries here and very hard to come by. When you get a cold drink it is like all your Christmas’ at once, and that is in 100 degree weather. Everyone gets sick from the water/food and you will likely spend time in a local medical clinic, pray to God that he places you near to one. You are served consistently in West Africa and as wonderful as that sounds it also makes you feel unworthy and like you are a burden for the people you are with. You do nothing without 5-50 children watching you. Everything is different.
I think wherever you spend month 1, Africa or elsewhere, it is always going to be super hard because your life changes drastically overnight and your new family are somewhat strangers that you have met once before. Comforts, people and situations are completely different. Nothing is the same. Ministry is wake up early-go to bed late- exhausting at times and time alone is scarce to none. You will miss your people from home so much it hurts, you will crave your favourite foods and things, you will likely tell yourself you are going to get yourself home no matter the cost every time it gets hard. I certainly have done all those things.
And then you go to the one ministry day that makes it all worthwhile. You get to see people worship Jesus, you see people have hope in your Saviour that they get from nothing else in their lives, you get to play with children who are so full of joy it is contagious. You get to speak to women who hang on to every word you say. You are constantly surrounded by your teammates who encourage you and lift you up every time you are down, yet still validate that everything you are feeling is ok and normal. You learn from your leaders who have done this crazy adventure before. You finally get wifi and get to speak to your wonderful family, who cry with you and tell you they are so proud of you. You get a day off and sleep for 18 hours. You have the most incredible intimate moments with the Lord. You learn how to wash your clothes with a bucket and a bar of soap. You tell your story to your teammates and they hear everything with grace. You have a movie night and for 2 hours everything feels like it did once before.
We were on a bus ride yesterday (hitting our heads off the ceiling because it was so bumpy), and I had my music on a random playlist, and a Macklemore song came on. Bear with me.
“I wish somebody would have told me, that someday these would be the good old days. All the love you won’t forget, all the nights you won’t regret. Someday soon your whole life is going to change, and you’ll miss the magic of the good old days”
And I firmly believe I will finish the race and look back on it and wish I had seen the beauty of it more while I was in it. So this is my vow to do that. To see the beauty in the ashes, the incredible in the hardship, the joy in the sadness.
Tips from Month 1;
Bring condiments (think salt, pepper, spices, hot sauce, mustard, soy sauce)
Spend the months leading up to the race preparing (by this I mean spending time with the Lord in prayer & scripture, not buying a thousand camping accessories that you will never use – trust me!)
Start to consider flexibility and truly walking in it
Abandon control (for example absolutely everything runs late here, think 3 hours waiting on a taxi, realise a schedule doesn’t really exist #AfricaTime)
Have sermons pre-prepared, you will be asked to give a word with 5 minutes notice, if even
Have songs pre-prepared (see above)
Spend time that you get alone being filled up by the Lord, you need him more than ever
Bring letters from home, I wish I had some to open on the days it gets hard
Bring essential oils, they come in handy for just about anything!
Love,
Chloe x
