You read that correct, my day backpack was stolen along with everything in it.
First things first, let me set the stage for the month. Month 3 of the race is the time for all the guys to get together for what has been dubbed “Manistry” month. Just 10 guys heading into the “bush” of Zambia, what could possibly go wrong? In all seriousness I had really been looking forward to this month of the race. This is the only month where all the guys will be on the same team or even in the same place. Many of the girls on the race will get to experience the fun of having an all-girls team, but for the guys this is our one and only shot, so naturally we try and go big for our time together.
The month started off a little rough with painful bouts of diarrhea after eating some questionable food at a bus stop during our 9.5 hour bus ride to Lusaka. This lower GI distress proceeded to last for the next 9 days, but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. The guys had come to the group decision that we would all shave our facial hair and just rock a mustache (unless you are attempting to grow a yearlong beard). This was so much fun getting to see each guy buy into the month and be willing to make themselves look ridiculous all to bring about a sense of comradery and brotherhood. This can hardly explain how awesome each of these men are, they are dead set on seeking the Lord, brotherhood, community, personal growth, and having a great time during the process. The guys loaded up and we headed north to Serenje, Zambia, which is very close to the boarder of the Democratic Republic of Congo. We dubbed our team the “Staches of Serenje”.
Our hosts in Serenje are part of Strategic Impact Africa and are pastors of a local church in town and told us that after some time in Serenje we would head north into the “bush”. The feel of Serenje was definitely a very rural town with hints of life in a village. Our first full day there we were given a rest day to familiarize ourselves to the area. While brushing my teeth that morning, there were 3 little children watching me intently through the window. Anytime I attempted to get close they would take off running and laughing. Ahh, I thought, a game of chase is in order. After brushing my teeth, I pretended to walk away, feeling the children close behind me. Then suddenly I turned around letting loose a big roar and I chased the kids around the grounds and houses. The kids screamed with fear and delight, the games had just begun. I returned to the house to sit and journal, after journaling for some time I looked up and there were 10 little faces in the open doorway. I paused journaling and got up to scare them away from the door then returned to my seat, chuckling. Shortly after picking my journal up I saw 20 faces in the door, I repeated the previous sequence and upon returning to me seat I could now see 50 faces. I knew that I was starting to get in over my head, so I sought the help of my teammate Jeevan. After successfully flanking the kids a few times we soon realized that there are now over 100 kids and we needed back up. We ran in the house and rallied the rest of the guys, after running like mad mustache man through village we soon were surround by approximately 300+ children! We played and ran around all morning to the afternoon. Now, as the late afternoon came, many parents and adults of all kinds came to sit outside and watch the chaos unfold. I can’t begin to appropriately describe the large smiles and belly laughs that the adults and children alike had that afternoon. Joy had overcome all of us and was apparent on the faces of everyone, many adults that could speak English came up to us to thank us for playing with kids and bringing joy to the people. They repeatedly expressed how joy had laughter had not been present like this for quite some time. We decided to put on a spur of the moment VBS for the kids using a tire as our stage for the 300+ kids. Teaching them about who Jesus is and getting to sing with them was powerful and it was flowing forth so organically. This by far has been my favorite day on the race so far, God is so good and allowed all of us to experience untapped and unbridled joy with the people we would get to serve for the rest of the month.
Now back to that diarrhea, after getting settled in Serenje my battle with the lower GI pain continued and I had many trips to our “squatty potty “going through intense lower GI pain with cockroaches running on and around my feet, spiders the size of my hand lurking above my head, flys and bees buzzing around my exposed backside and face. I kept thinking to myself how much this situation stunk (no pun intended) and how much I was missing out on what was going on. Then the lord spoke to me in the middle of one of my “squatty potty” sessions. He asked me “Am I worth it?” then followed up with “Are these people worth it?” I began to really take that to heart and thought to myself “of course You are Lord” and then after thinking about it more I knew that His people were worth it as well. This became my prayer every time I entered the “squatty potty” I would say, Lord you are worth it and so are these people. After finally going and getting some proper medicine my pain and problem began to go away after 9 days.
After 10 days in Sernje doing door to door community outreach and participating in the Zambia national day of prayer and fasting I was left a few thoughts. How passionate about the Lord am I? Our hosts and the various people that would help out would get up each morning at 4:30am just to pray and not just quietly pray in their room. These people would shout to the Lord and come before him with fervor and expectation. Not just in the morning, but every time we would meet or talk before going out they would not only pray, but with passion. Any chance we could stop and worship the Lord they took it. This continual pursuit and passion was amazing to see from them. I left my time with them thinking these same question that I will pass along to you reading this.
Am I willing to pray or worship the lord any free moment that I have instead of filling it with something to kill time?
Am I willing to pray and worship the Lord even when it’s a major inconvenience to my plan, schedule, or mood?
These questions are something that I hope you honestly take some time to think over. They are questions that can make some major waves in your life. They are currently still challenging me and the way I operate.
Family home in the Machinga bush.
After the 10 days in Serenje we left for the “bush” all of us were so stoked and ready to set up our tents and hammocks. So ready to see what God has for these people and help with planting a church. Upon arriving in the village we are greeted by many people that come up to our mini bus and trailer pulling all of our stuff. The local people are eager to help unload and greet us. After all the dust had settled from the excitement I noticed my day backpack was nowhere to be found and after asking around and having the guys, staff, and locals look for my bag the sinking feeling began to settle in. My bag is gone and someone has taken it. The feeling of loss and anger were very real. I wanted to be excited and pumped with the rest of the guys, however the loss of not just my bag but its contents kept running through my mind. Knowing that I had just lost my go-pro with all the footage of my time in Zambia, my external hard drive and the backup drive that was in the bag, meaning that I just lost almost all of the memories and footage from the last 5 months of my life. My personal journal filled with my log of my time on the race, as well as all the words from the Lord from this past year and all the notes and letters people had written me, all of the personal letters that I was writing to Allyson during the course of this month while we were apart, a personal devo book that my parents and sister made for me with pictures of my family in them. The other countless practical items that were needed for doing life on the race that would not be replaceable in these countries. In total, I ended up losing virtually every single sentimental item and thing that I had not to mention the loss of hundreds of dollars of gear needed for the race. To say that I was devastated was an understatement. I did the only thing that seemed logical at that point, I just sat outside in the shade and prayed. I felt the Lord asking me the same two questions “Am I worth it? Are these people worth it?” I kept tossing around those questions in my mind and through the frustration and sadness I finally replied “yes Lord you are and so are they.” It wasn’t easy responding with that, but the more I began to press into that the Lord gave me more and more peace regarding my bag situation.
Our bush-camp.
After spending the next two weeks in the bush split between two locations and planting the church, Cornerstone, we saw God move in some amazing ways and many people respond to His great invitation. We also saw the enemy try combat what was being done in some shocking and eye opening ways. Witchcraft and Satanic worship are very prominent in these areas and the things that these people are subjected to through the witchcraft is dark and very painful. Seeing people come to the Lord to seek freedom from this life of oppression and being released was amazing. Unfortunately, some people didn’t truly want the love and change that the Lord was offering. Instead, they just saw Jesus as means of obtaining more power. We had many discussions and some left wanting change and desired to choose something different and there was also many who choose to remain the same and continue to stay in their current spiritual circumstance. It was very saddening to see that some people wanted to continue to choose the comfort of their current lifestyle instead of stepping out into something new and unknown, but ultimately offering them the freedom, healing, and love they so desperately sought. I know that their story isn’t over and the Lord is continuing to pursue them even now. The pastors and people of that village love each other too much to leave them alone.
Finally, at the end of the month on our way back to Lusaka on the bus crammed in tight and listening to deafeningly loud African music, I began to reflect and pray thanks for what God had done over the course of this month when all of a sudden I began to feel chills and began to shiver. I knew I wasn’t cold at all in fact it was quite the opposite. I was sweating so much in this hot bus. My fears began to be confirmed once we arrived to Lusaka late at night as I was sitting in our hostel trying to eat dinner. I felt so sick and so hot I had one of the guys check me and I was burning up! The body aches, mental confusion, sweating, chills and shivering were all cardinal signs of malaria. I knew I was in for a long night and following days to come. As the night dragged on and my body desperately ached and my fever burned and as I began to pray, I heard the lord ask me the same two questions “Am I worth it? Are these people worth it?” In the haze of my sickness I clung to the words “yes Lord you are and so are they.” I was able to receive appropriate medical care for the malaria and I am now feeling strong and well again.
I wanted to finish this blog by asking a few questions and closing up my thoughts.
The first question I will ask comes from my month theme. Is the Lord worth it? Are you able to say that in all of life circumstances? Granted the trials and problems of life can become much dire then the things I experienced this month, but the question remains. Is the Lord worth it?
The next question is the other question that the Lord asked me all month. Are these people worth it? With the first question we can all find ourselves standing tall and giving a resounding yes! This question however really tested me. This question I would ask you really sit on and think. Are the people the lord has placed in your life worth it? Not just your family, loved ones, friends, and enjoyable coworkers. I am talking about those unseen people in your life that you know by name and the countless others that you don’t. Maybe these are the people that you drive by often, pass on your commute, or even see on the news. So I would challenge you to ask yourself, is the challenge and the suffering that sometimes comes in life especially when we extend ourselves for others worth it? Are Gods people worth it?
To close I wanted to thank everyone for their love and support of Allyson and I. We couldn’t have done this past month apart from each other, especially with no form of communication, without the prayers you have continually showered us with. We are trusting and praying that God will provide the items and the means to replace the contents of the bag that was stolen. By physical means and also by preserving and protecting the memories and words that He has given to me. Thank you for taking the time to read this blog I hope that you feel encouraged and challenged by the goodness of the Lord. I can’t wait to read your comments and hear your stories on how the Lord going to use these questions to grow you closer to Him and His people.
With love and sincerity,
Austin
