When my group was in Indonesia, praying about where to go next, Namibia wasn’t even on my radar. I’ve had Botswana on my mind for the past several months, so when each member of my team said they were feeling led towards Namibia, I was a little surprised. I didn’t really know anything about Namibia. Prior to the World Race, if you had asked me where it was on the world map, I probably could have told you it was in Africa, but I’m not sure I could have guessed where.
I wasn’t feeling especially drawn toward Namibia, but my team was, so I was all for it. One of my favorite things about the race, so far, has been the feeling of being “along for the ride.” There have definitely been a few times when I’ve felt a nudge from God, and my team has gone along for the ride with me, but this has for sure been one of those times where I’ve trusted my team’s pursuit of God’s voice, and just enjoyed seeing where, and to whom, God takes us.
It took us somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 hours, over the course of 3 days, to travel from Pretoria, South Africa to Windhoek, Namibia, and then another 6 hours from Windhoek to Walvis Bay. During our travels we had a few unexpected connections on bus rides, with strangers in coffee shops, or on the streets who prayed with us or helped us navigate our way around Namibian cities. Our group has just felt really guided and protected by the spirit along the way as we’ve explored this country. The majority of the people that we’ve encountered in Namibia have gone out of their way to be helpful and overly welcoming, and as we’ve settled in Walvis Bay, we’ve been able to see that God’s been at work in Namibia long before we ever arrived.
We’re staying in a complex of small apartments just outside of center city, Walvis Bay. The complex is regularly full of the sounds of dozens of playing children, and we’ve connected with many of these children through soccer, music, and walks on the beach. It’s been a little more difficult to connect with the adults in this area, but we’ve spent time with a woman who lives a few doors down from our apartment, who regularly hosts children in the community for bible studies. We were able to sit in on one of these studies, witnessing this woman’s mentorship of these children, their songs of worship, and my teammate Jacob was able to share a little bit about one of the stories he’s been reading in the gospels lately.
Namibia is the second least densely populated country in the world, so things feel like they’re moving much more slowly here. We’re still definitely learning how to interact with people in this culture, and trying to figure out what our best inroads are to sharing the gospel, but we’ve felt really blessed to get to experience a part of the world that none of us would have ever expected we would experience. I was surprised to end up in Namibia, but I’m really glad we did. It’s a beautiful country with beautiful people and unique cultural experiences. It’s just felt like such a unique glimpse into God’s creativity and an opportunity to experience his image in a people that I would have never expected to meet.
It feels strange being almost 5 months into my race. Over and over again, our team has felt nudged toward places and people that weren’t on our radar when we started this journey, and over and over again God has been there with us, giving us glimpses of who he is and how much he loves his people all over the world. The more our team is led off-script, the more confident I am that God is waiting somewhere for us, everyday, ready to surprise us with his goodness, waiting to be discovered.
I know that the next several months are going to fly by, but I hope that when I return to the states I’m able to retain the ability to see God’s goodness in every corner of my life. I’m starting to believe that this is where real peace comes from…knowing that God will meet me everyday, if I only have eyes to look for him and a desire to live each moment in his presence.
