We have made it safely to South Africa and for the first two weeks will be spent with all the women together in White River, and the boys are all together in Botswana. We left Europe and I began to realize that working with the refugees had taught me a lot in the last 5 weeks. I made more friends in that short amount of time the made an imprint on my life than I realized in the moment. I experienced some things that no one should have to endure, and I realized these situations were people’s daily lives. I learned more about my relationship with The Lord and the things I had to surrender to Him.
At the border, we had the opportunity to meet a bunch of people from many different countries and they quickly became our friends. I realized that we carry a spirit about us that attracts people to us and they feel comfortable sharing life with us. We met people from Morocco, Algeria and Iran who we looked forward to seeing every day. The insight they gave me on their situation and who they were as a person changed my perspective. We had an impromptu dance party in the middle of camp one day and seeing the joy that brought so many of them made the day so worth it. One of the men I befriended from Morocco messaged me on Facebook when we got to South Africa telling me he made it to Germany. It brought a huge smile to my face, not just because he made it, but because he cared enough for me and the friendship we made over a few days time to share his excitement with me. They aren’t just refugees, they are people, they are my friends.
Our last two days at the camp were the hardest days I’ve had in a while. Friday, it rained steadily all day long. It was frigid and I watched as people walked around in soaking wet clothes and some in flip flops. They would approach me for shoes or socks, anything dry. I was just as wet and cold as they were. There were people coming up to me telling me how much the situation sucked. Some yelling in frustration, not directed towards me, but still at me. Saturday, our last day there, we arrived around noon to a mob of people carrying a man who was electrocuted by a live wire on boxcar on the train tracks. From there they made their way to the border, where rocks starting flying towards the Macedonian police. It seemed like this went on for a while, until it was interrupted by concussion grenades being fired in return. At first it wasn’t bad until the refugees continued to storm the border, when we realized we shouldn’t be there any longer we moved away to a safer place. We were standing by the food tent and we began to see floods of people running towards us, tears rolling down their faces, eyes blood red. The smell of tear gas filled the air. People running to find water to rise their eyes out.
I realized in that moment, they were doing something out of survival mode fear. It wasn’t who they were as people, they aren’t bad people. In fact I felt more safe at the camp than I did walking around the city at times. In that moment I didn’t see God, how could he let something like this happen in front of us. How could he let these things happened to people we cared about. I had to give it up and place that burden on the cross and not on my shoulders. I learned a lot about myself in realizing that God is in these places, whether I see Him or not. He shows up and provides what I need today, and that is all I need. No more, no less, and for that I am certainly grateful.
I am sad to leave such an incredible experience behind, but I know there are so many amazing things ahead in the next 9 months. I’m excited to see what The Lord does within us girls over the next two weeks! Pray for rain here in South Africa. We are in our tents this month, but they are in desperate need of rain. Pray for our guys in Botswana as they build a roof for a church. Pray for togetherness for us all and for The Lord to show up in ways He hasn’t yet to us.
Loves.
