Gracious, it’s been a crazy week. When we left Morogoro on Tuesday I had a fever of 100.2, body aches, the same headache I’d had for a week and a sneaking suspicion that it was the infamous malaria that was plaguing me this time. After a few hours on a bus we arrived at the YWAM base in Dar Salaam, Tanzania and prepared to meet up with the rest of the squad. I wasn’t feeling great, but I could manage.. no biggie, or so I thought. The squad arrived in shifts and feeling a little tired and overwhelmed by it all I slipped into bed, setting my alarm to wake up for a 7am malaria test at the clinic on the base.
Let’s just say that when I got up that morning I couldn’t make it to the clinic on my own. They carried me out to a car and drove me there where, amazingly enough there were two American doctors. I was able to clearly and fully explain how I was feeling and I could understand what the doctor was saying to me. THIS DOESN’T HAPPEN IN AFRICA! They gave me a wonderful shot in the butt and a bag full of medicine, telling me to get some rest and drink water.. I’d be feeling better in a few days. Though a little worried about the 3:45am flight we had the next morning, I never imagined I wouldn’t travel with the squad. But hours later when I still couldn’t get out of bed, my squad leaders came in and though I’d been denying it all day, I had to admit it… I couldn’t travel.
So I watched as, one by one, my squad mates packed up their bags and left the room. Various people came to my bedside to say goodbye and to pray for me before they left. And that was it… the squad was gone, leaving my teammate Brooke, squad leader Tommy and I behind.
The next four days all kind of run together. I was sick… really sick. I laid in bed all day with one or two escorted trips to the bathroom. Brooke and Tommy took good care of me, forcing me to drink water even when I didn’t want to and serving me in every way they could. The people at the YWAM base were amazing. There was a Norwegian family there that cooked me food (that wasn’t the typical rice and beans that were served otherwise) and though I couldn’t really eat it, I tried and I was so thankful that they cared enough to do that for me. I got to drink lots of mango juice the last few days (which is great, because that was my favorite drink ALL of Africa).
It was a rough week. But God is faithful and I sit here today feeling better than I ever expected to feel a week after the who ordeal began.
And through the whole thing I was so blessed. First, I could not have made it through the week without Brooke and Tommy and I am so thankful for both of them. Secondly, the fact that there was a clinic on the YWAM base was a gift from God. The ability to get to a doctor quickly when the moment arose was more than I could ask for. Also, the fact that there just so happened to be two American doctors present at the time I was there blows my mind. One of them, Deborah, who is in Tanzania for a month to serve at the clinic, was a major blessing and came often to check on me throughout the week. Being at the YWAM base meant a bed, a fan, a western toilet and a base full of people who prayed for me the entire time. I could not have asked for more.
Thank you to all who prayed for me during my sickness! I can credit my speedy recovery to all the people I know were praying back home and on my squad.
All for His Glory, Hannah
In September… just a month after I return to the States… I will be moving to Gainesville, GA to attend something called The Center for Global Action. I will be living in community with other alumni racers, working as an apprentice in a department of Adventures in Missions, and attending discipleship classes in the evenings. Check out the video below or the website by clicking on the link above.
And I need your help.
Please Support me as I attend The Center for Global Action
By September 1st I need to have raised $600.
For each month following I will need $300 to continue.
That's a total of $3,600 for the year.
Please support me as I continue my Kingdom Journey. Just click… here.
