Time flows by in interesting ways here on the World Race. Sometimes I feel as if I’ve been gone forever, and other times I feel like I just left home. It seems crazy to me that we’ve already been in South America for three months, and that we’re already in Africa, but it also seems crazy to me that we’re not even a third of the way done with the Race yet. So much has already happened, but so much has yet to come!
So… we are now officially in Africa! We arrived in Togo 5 days ago, where we are staying in the capital city of Lomé. Our ministry this month involves a lot of preaching and teaching. In fact, on Saturday, I taught part of a class at a Bible school. Our ministry this month is encouraging a lot of people to step out of their comfort zones and do something they normally wouldn’t do. I’ve actually very much enjoyed it so far. I love getting to take a topic I’m fascinated by and talk about it. And the Bible fascinates me quite a bit, so I love to be able to teach it. I’m looking forward to seeing how God uses me in that area.
I thought Argentina was hot, but boy was I wrong. Compared to Togo, it’s nothing. It’s somewhere around 90 degrees every day, plus extremely humid. Today it is 88 with a real-feel of 103. So yeah, it’s quite hot. And on top of the heat, we have no air conditioning in our apartment, so fans have become our new best friends. My pillow is in a constant state of stink now, even when it’s dry, because of how much I’ve sweat on it in my sleep. We’ve spent a lot of our days in the air-conditioned buildings nearby when we need to write a sermon or something.
The people here in Togo are some of the nicest I’ve ever met. Not only are they actually very kind, but their faces just look like it. Everyone here looks like someone you would want to be best friends with. People just hand you their babies to hold. The kids love to run up to us in the street and give us high-fives and hugs. Or sometimes they’ll sit back by their parents and wave from a distance because they’re shy. But they’re all fascinated by us white people. A few of us had a little dance party with some of the street kids the other day. They are such a joy to be around.
Living in the conditions that we are in has been very eye opening. Obviously, I knew that there are people around the world that are starving and not being able to get clean water. But I’m here complaining about the fact that I have no AC and I’m super sweaty all the time. Yes, our conditions suck, but we probably have it much better than a lot of other people around the area. It makes you think twice before complaining.
I’m trying to get back onto the swing of writing blog posts after I took a break for a while, so expect to see another one from me sometime this week. I hope you continue to follow me on my journey as I keep heading into the unknown wherever God takes me! Keep praying for me and my team as we continue to travel and do ministry together. Thanks for reading, and God bless you!
-Ethan
