Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

| by archiveworldraceblogs

It was the 29th of December and all was well. It was a sweltering hot day and we spent most of it hanging out with the kids and making doctor runs to get people tested for malaria…with many people struggling this month with sickness, we didn’t want to take any risks. Two of my teammates ended up with malaria – and after a phone call to the squaddies, we were advised to get to Johannesburg ASAP so proper testing could be done for one of our ladies who has additional medical concerns…what exactly did this mean? Well that night we knew that we should expect to be leaving in a day or two – likely in the late afternoon. So the next morning I woke up and ate breakfast with the kiddos.
 
 
That’s where expectations come in…we knew this meant we needed to wake up early and have our stuff packed and ready (just in case). Unfortunately we didn’t realize just HOW fast we would be leaving. Kayla journeyed with our contact Peter into Beira at 6:00am to acquire bus tickets and make appropriate arrangements – at 8:00am we got a phone call “we’re leaving at lunch time, make sure everyone is ready.” What!?! We had less than 3 hours – and it wasn’t so much the packing that was difficult – how were we going to properly say goodbye to the kiddos and the women, and this village!?
 
 
It was like a blur. One minute I’m fastening my pack up and bringing my sleeping bag to the little girls so they can have something soft to sleep on at night. Then the women and children are gathering to help us walk out bags about a half-mile down the road to the bus station. I ran to the neighboring house and swooped up Ana Maria – this is when I lost it crying. Deanna was nearby so I hugged her as well and went to search for Stella, Fati, Clara, Pie, and the rest of our rowdy little rascals. I did NOT NOT NOT want to leave these kids – especially not like this. It felt like my heart was being ripped out and I could do nothing about it. Like it or not, we were about to board a bus and spent New Year’s Eve on a good o’ African 24+ hour bus ride. Yipppeee!!!!
 
 

We hugged our dear Mafambisse family goodbye – and as I held my little friend Clara she wiped the tears from my cheeks and laid her head on my chest. We boarded the bus and began our journey to Jo-burg. Little did we know what awaited us in this semi-familiar adventure. We were thankful for safe transportation. After spending the night on an uncomfortable bus, with less than 1/2 a seat because the African man I was sharing with fell asleep on the other 3/4 and nowhere to lay my head, I had to check my attitude. One of my teammates was throwing up – two of the others had malaria with energy and nausea coming and going as they pleased – another was feeling sick – and we were down to 2, potentially 3 healthy people.

 
 

Through this process, I realized that flexibility is like a delicious form of freedom.
When we are mobile, it tastes so stinkin’ good.
It has a lasting impact on our movements, endurance and attitudes, leaving a pleasant and sweet taste in our minds, hearts, and mouths. This is reflected in what we speak and how we speak it.
Freedom itself requires fluidity.
This is essentially a free, non-constrained area of movement…the ability to adjust, maneuver, and be flexible in all situations.
I’m not going to lie…some days this is a LOT harder than others.

Unfortunately, expectations can be risky.
They produce rigidity in our movement and false comfort in our attitudes.
When we expect and things don’t come through accordingly – defeat, rejection, annoyance and frustration are lurking for an opportunity to pounce and consume our outputs (words, expressions, the way we serve, our attitudes and actions), especially with one another.
Then we get stuck.

When we’re stuck, we can’t go anywhere or do anything, and if tempted at the right time, we may choose to sit there and do nothing about it. It prevents us from being useful or beneficial to anyone. We hinder not only ourselves from growing in the situation placed before us, but the potential impact we might have on those around us if we waste time sitting in our…stuff.

I had no time to waste sitting in stuff.
I needed my team and my team needed me.

We rang in 2011 on another bus – watching fireworks dance across the cities we drove by and thanked the Lord for a beautiful year – and the year to come.
 

Little did we know what blessings were in store for us in Johannesburg…
5 days of rest
Doctors to care for and properly medicate the girls
Full recovery for everyone who was sick or infected in any way
The pool we prayed for all last month
Free housing with an amazing family
Home-cooked suppers
The opportunity to go to church
And…a shift in our plans for ATL ministry month (read “a change of pace” for more info.)

Love, love!!!!!