I’m in Zambia! Month 4 of this race has started off fast and fun!
This month ahead looks crazy. I will spend the month with 3 different teams in 3 different cities working with 3 different pastors/churches/organizations. 5 days in each city then it’s off to a new one.
Moving around so much is exciting. Meeting new people is exciting. But the best part of my job is getting to spend time with the teams. After 3 months on this program, the Racers are so different than the ones I met back in May. In just a short amount of time, I have seen so much growth and transformation.
Our time in Africa has taken us back to a simpler time. We handwash all our clothes. We take bucket showers. Sometimes there is water to shower and do laundry, but it’s not guaranteed. Our “toilets” are holes in the ground inside an outhouse. Electricity is a luxury, also not guaranteed. We have had several candlelit meals. Wifi is a minimum 30 minute trek. When you show up, you’re not always sure to connect.
Yet, none of these things are necessary. We adapt easily. Seemingly contradictory, we have discovered that even though “conveniences” are in shorter supply, life here is much fuller in many ways.
Handwashing clothes creates space to have lots of great conversations and play in soapy water. Without electricity, we can go outside and see 1000s of stars. Our outhouse visits are always an adventure, praying the cockroaches scatter fast enough we don’t have to see them.
But while it’s things like this on the outside, on the inside, it’s changing us. We are flexible. We find so much joy in such small things. We depend on each other and God to make it through the days we are missing home, family, and friends. We are confident and bold. We are learning to face our fears.
I’m so proud of this group of racers. They inspire me daily. Getting to live life together is such a joy and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
