Logistics and Lesotho
We made it to Lesotho!
After…
5 star hotel
4 travel days
3 continents
2 delays
1 faithful God
My friend Haley and I are the logistics coordinators for our squad which basically means we are in charge of finding ground transportation on a budget for everyone on the squad and our packs to the ministry sites.
Quick recap:
Guatemala to Nicaragua: we researched and emailed many companies but many of them were over budget. Then God answered our prayers for transportation when a team’s ministry host knew some guys who were willing to take us all the way to Nicaragua! We had a one night stay in El Salvador and 2 hours of interrogation at the border but overall it was a smooth ride.
Nicaragua to Panama: again, we emailed and researched many bus companies and talked to the host about the cheapest way to get to Panama. The tricky part about this one was, all the teams were going to different places in Panama! And my partner in crime, Haley, ended up having to go home for a week the day we left for Panama. So this one was interesting. Our ministry host hooked our squad up with a ride to the Costa Rica border (about 20 minutes away from where we did ministry). From there we were supposed to book a bus for the squad, stay the night in San Jose and then the teams would split up and take their respective busses to David, San Felix, and Panama City. However, when we got to the border and tried to buy bus tickets, we were told the busses were all full! I was freaking out. The squad ended up splitting up between 2 different busses (nerve racking) and all making it to the hostel we were staying at in Costa Rica safe and sound. God provided a way and protection for us. The next day we all got to the busses we needed to and made it to our ministry sites!
There’s a whole new appreciation for a country when you are in charge of getting people there. Like thank you country for existing and not moving around. And there’s a certain type of peace that comes when you step foot into the country you are supposed to be in even if it isn’t exactly where you are supposed to be. The previous travel days came with their challenges but everything that needed to be set in place was. The hostel and busses were booked and we had a plan on how to get to where we needed to be before getting there.
This travel day, that was not the case. With Haley back, I thought this travel day would be a breeze. I mean all we had to do was figure out how to get the squad from the Johannesburg airport to Maseru, Lesotho. A 6 hour drive. After weeks of researching busses and emailing bus companies we didn’t have anything figured out come travel day. But that was ok – we had 3 flights and a 14 hour layover in America to figure it out.
We had nothing but time.
Nothing but time until our first flight in Panama City that was supposed to leave ?at 3am Friday? got delayed 10 hours while we were waiting in the airport. Our 14 hour layover just got turned into a 4 hour layover. We were now leaving ?at 1pm Sunday?. No big deal – we will just use this delay to do the research… except it was the middle of the night and the airport put us up in a 5 star hotel for free with a king sized bed that we could not resist sleeping on. And we had a phenomenal breakfast that next morning. That, I must say, was a blessing we did not see coming.
So we make it on our first flight to Florida. When we get to Florida, we grab some grub and head to our gate. This is where we should have done our research but it was also the last time to speak to anyone from home for awhile. So with no plan on what to do when we land in Johannesburg the next day, we FaceTimed family and friends back home. But I wouldn’t take it back because what God does later in the journey is incredible.
So Haley and I were freaking out a little bit, but not too much, as we get on our 14 hour flight to Dubai because we know we have one more 4 hour layover to figure this thing out. AIM hooked us up and we flew Emirates. And I must say, it was the best flight I have ever been on. Hot meals, lots of movies, games that I could play my friends against, free socks and some sleep.
We get to the Dubai airport (mall), that is apparently in Asia and not Africa which is cool. And after Haley buys an $8 Starbucks coffee and a bathroom break – it’s go time. This was it. This is where we were going to find transportation to Lesotho because we always found what we needed before we need it. There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to be able to tell everyone how we were arriving in Lesotho before we boarded the plane.
But we couldn’t and didn’t find anyone willing to take us from Joberg to Maseru. We emailed every bus company and searched every combination of bus schedules. Nothing. Nada. Zip.
So I googled churches to stay at in Harrisburg, SA (about a 3 hour bus ride from the airport) because we knew a bus that could at least get us to that city. Haley messaged the pastor of the first church that popped up basically asking if we could stay the night at their church the next night if we can’t find a ride to Maseru. The pastor replied immediately saying he would be happy to host us.
Wow. A complete stranger willing to help out 19 strangers from another country at a moments notice. That’s the church in action.
In order to avoid traveling through the night (and because we had no idea how to get to Maseru) Haley and I decided that our best option would be to stay at the church in Harrismith. So we landed in Johannesburg ?at 5:45am?, grabbed a couple taxis to the bus station, and bought everyone bus tickets. We hung out in the bus station, got some food, got in trouble for sleeping, and boarded our bus. We got dropped off in Harrismith and used offline maps to find out where the church is. A 15 minute walk from where we got dropped off. Literally messaged the first church we saw pop up on google and it’s a 15 minute walk from the bus stop. Praise the Lord!
We made it to the church jet lagged (because we just time traveled) and ready to rest. There were some sweet people there to meet us and they even gave us blankets! Best part – the church had a coffee shop/restaurant inside so we were all able to get food and just relax! Many people went straight to bed (it’s about ?3pm? South Africa time) to catch up on some sleep. God could not have provided a better set-up for the night.
The evening went on and Haley and I still have no idea how we are getting from that church to Maseru – where our host was expecting to pick us up. At one point during the night someone on the squad said “travel is going very smooth, great job!” If they only knew that we still had no idea how we were going to leave the church the next morning. ?3pm?, ?4pm?, ?5pm?… ?10pm?. Searching and emailing and asking questions – still finding no way to get to where we need to be and I can’t stay awake any longer.
At this point jet-lag was hitting hard and I was facing insecurities of feeling like I’ve failed my squad, at not being good enough, and defeated. I literally wrote in my journal “God if you don’t provide a way for us to get to Lesotho tomorrow, my faith will be shattered, I’m already in a place of defeat”. (Thankfully we have the most supportive and encouraging squad in the world, who had full faith in us which was encouraging!)
So I went to bed. Having no idea how our squad of 19 people plus bags were going to travel 3 hours by bus or car to Maseru the next day, even though my only job was to know.
I woke up ?at 6am? with my mind racing. I immediately got up, grabbed a WiFi code and checked my email. Someone had emailed us back saying they could take us all the way to where we needed to go in Maseru and would pick us up from the church! A bus company 3.5 hours away that normally requires a 2 days notice was willing to give us their best price, pick us up that day and take us to Maseru. What a tangible act of faithfulness from the Lord! We were ecstatic!
There was a catch though.. we had to pay all the money up front by taking it to the African bank and getting it transferred to their account. I was a little skeptical but we were desperate. We got everything in order and all we had to do then was wait… the driver was an hour late but he showed up! And he was the greatest! He had driven Oprah!!
We got through the Lesotho border no problem and the driver took us right to the people that were in charge of getting us and another team to our ministry, AFRICA4JESUS this month. Our third team is currently serving with an orphanage in Maseru and are doing great things there!
Needless to say, being logistics can be stressful at times but the reward of seeing God show up in ways that most people don’t is worth it. My faith and trust in the Lord has been challenged and grown more because of logistics and because of that, I am happy to carry the weight of travel days with Haley while everyone else blindly follows our lead. Our squad is very encouraging and the amount of trust they have in us continually amazes and encourages me, especially considering I thought Dubai was in Africa… I am humbled that the Lord has allowed me to serve our squad in this way!
Please continue to pray for our squad as we serve in Lesotho! My team is in Malealea Village and the biggest prayer request for the villages we are serving in is rain. The people here grow their own food and depend on that throughout the year. This is supposed to be the rainy season but it isn’t raining as much as they need! Our teams that are here are going to the villages everyday to build relationships by getting to know the people, praying for them and sharing the Gospel. We also serve the people by helping weed their fields, fetch water, or whatever else they ask us to do!
So if you think about us, pray for rain and the relationships that we are building here! Thank you for your support and prayers! This experience has been life-changing and it’s only month 4 of 11!!
