Within the first week of being in Vilancolus, Mozambique I had two encounters with a black mamba snake. The first happened our first day or two after we arrived. Daniel and Becky found a snake in the tree above their tent. Our contact Jaco came out but the snake was too fast and it ended up hiding in the bathrooms for an hour or so before it was caught. Jaco then proceeded to whack it repeatedly on the head until it was dead. Encounter number 2 happened a few days later. I was had just gotten up a few minutes before and was beginning my morning prayer walk around the lake. I had taken maybe 10 steps on the pathway when I heard a rustling to my right. I look down and see a snake, exactly like the one that was killed a few days earlier, slither past my feet and disappear into the grass to my left. Now my reaction was one that I believe most people would have- I screamed the loudest I have screamed in long time and ran away. Now, it was approximately 630am and most of my fellow peeps were still sleeping. A couple of the guys were awake and went to investigate but found nothing. I decided to have a “prayer sit” the rest of the morning instead of continuing on my “prayer walk.” As I sat I felt God speak to me. “Walking with me is not always easy. When it gets hard, really hard, will you run away screaming or will you continue with me, down the path I have chosen for you?” I knew immediately what God was referring to. The first week or so in Mozambique was probably the hardest time for me on the race so far. I spent some part of almost everyday crying. I was a complete mess. I was aching to be back in Swaziland, my good friend Hailee had just left the race, and another teammate of mine had decided to go home. I felt that my heart could not continue losing people that I loved. I seriously considered leaving the race. But, I knew that God wanted me to stay. I knew that with the black mamba snake He was trying to tell me that He knows my heart is broken right now but don’t run away from it. Be broken in front of Him, allow Him to comfort me and be my friend. We sing the song “Shout to the Lord” often in the Christian circle and it says “My comfort, my shelter, tower of refuge and strength,” but does God really play that role in my life? Well, in Mozambique that day I realized He doesn’t and that I need Him to. I can’t be my own tower of strength anymore. And I can’t just give up when things get hard. I am learning that the more open I am to hearing God the more He speaks to me through various methods, even snakes apparently.
