For the majority of the race thus far, the living conditions
that Ive had, have not been so bad.
Actually theyve been way better than I expected. Last month I was in Swaziland and I got to
experience some of the conditions that I first expected when I signed up for
the race. Below is a list of some of the
things I got to enjoy living in Swaziland:
Hot Sleeping Conditions. Extremely hot
(Its like a sauna in here and theres no air conditioning or fans). Not to mention that I am sleeping on concrete
with no mattress pad because mine got a hole in it my second week in Malaysia.
Bugs.
Lots of them. Spiders (of all
sizes), beetles, praying mantises, scorpions, flies, you name it they are here
and they are here with a vengeance! The
first day here I spent the majority of the afternoon killing spiders and spider
eggs and they just keep reappearing.
Outhouse. We have an outhouse/port a potty thing
that smells pretty foul. I dont use it
very often to say the least, actually I didnt use it after my third day here.
I wont go in to more details on that.
Just think of the worst port a potty you have ever been in and then add
spiders and other bugs and you get the picture.
Snakes. I
hate snakes with a passion. Oh and there are black mambas and cobras in the
area that I live. Im deathly afraid of
snakes, so Im pretty much terrified anytime I walk out of the church we are
staying at which is pretty often.
Cold bucket showers, no running water, no wifi, very
long walks, only two electric burners to get food
I could go on and on but I think you get the picture. I loved the people of Swaziland, the staff we
worked with, and our contact was amazing.
That said, the living conditions I had in Swaziland were what I feared when
I decided to leave the comforts of the US to serve around the world.
On some particularly bad days (mostly the first week I was
there), I would think why did I sign up for this race again?? Some points in the middle of night when I
couldnt sleep, I was seriously telling myself that I was here in these
conditions because God didnt love me and wanted to punish me for
something. Those thoughts were half
joking but half serious. Right now it
seems crazy but a lot of times I think we can start to believe things like that
depending on the circumstances we are facing in particular seasons of
life.
In times like those, I need to remember the truth. God is
good. God is for us, not against us
(Romans 8:31). God has planned good
things in advance for us to go out and do (Ephesians 2:10). Jesus died on the cross, took the worst
punishment ever known, and rose again from the dead not because he hates us and
wants us to be miserable but because he loves us and wants us to have life abundantly (John 3:16 and John 10:10). When we give up our own wants and desires for
the Lord and seek after the Lord and give him our lives. Through this He
promises that we will not only find life, but we will have lives filled with
joy, peace, love, compassion, and mercy.
Amazing things if you ever experienced them. It took me a while to get past my complaints
about living conditions in Swaziland and see the bigger picture; it changed my
attitude a lot.
I still had days and
moments where I had a sour attitude but there were so many more times where I got
to enjoy time with the kids in the community just playing and loving them. Other times our team met with older members
in the community and built genuine relationship, shared stories (both theirs
and mine), encouraged each other, and praised the Lord together as brothers and
sisters in Christ. The people we met in
Swaziland and their hearts are amazing.
The Lord is doing amazing things in them and through them. Their reliance on the Lord for provision is
not only admirable but inspiring. Its encouraging
especially after I can spend half a blog, spending time being unthankful for
all the things the Lord provided me in Swaziland. I still have some things to learn from my
Swazi friends.
I dont know what situations you may be facing in your
life. You may be going through some
tough times or trials at the moment. No
matter the situation and no matter the way things may appear, Ive found I have
got to remember that even in the midst of hard times God is good, God is love,
God is for us. We must view the
hardships we face in light of these truths and take our situations before the
Lord.
This is easier said then done sometimes and it may be a
process that occurs over an extended period of time. Thats fine.
It may take some alone time with God in order for the Lord to allow
these things to be known in your heart.
However long it takes for that to occur, once it occurs, I truly believe
it will give you the foundation to be able to process or work through any
situation.
