From
the very beginning, after being accepted to The World Race, I have
heard that this missions trip is a once in a lifetime experience, but
it never really sunk in until Tuesday afternoon. We had spent the
morning in ministry with the childcare playgroup and after egg
sandwiches, we caravanned with Clive and Lynda (two of our ministry
contacts) to a friend’s home. We had been told about a tour of the
mangroves for a week now from another contact, Janice, but only a few
details were shared. It was not until we disembarked from the
vehicles and were introduced to Link, a thirty-something Aboriginal,
that a more thorough sketch of the afternoon was revealed.
After
introductions, we walked across the street to Cooya Beach. Link
handed us each spears, and then we took turns practicing our aim at a
coconut before heading out to the nearby mangroves and mudflats,
visible and walkable due to the low tide. We walked a bit before
leaving our sandals to start our once in a lifetime adventure.
The
eight of us followed Link, spares in hand. Slipping and sliding,
holding onto the mangroves for support with mosquitoes buzzing in the
air, we made our way through a mixture of slimy mud and sand, on the
hunt for crabs, snails, shells, and mussels. I have never hunted for
dinner, outside fishing in years past, let alone barefoot, in an area
where crocodiles roam at night and jelly fish when the tide is in,
with a spare, and the mountains and rainforest on one side and the
ocean and a coral reef on the other. While I was intent on catching a
crab for dinner and mussels and snails for an entrée, I was also
intent on forging ahead of the group to see what else this rustic
paradise held. I was successful in catching one small crab, but let
it go as I marveled at its beautiful shell.
We
later explored the mangroves and Link was ever so gracious to point
out details about these extraordinary trees and their self-developed
ecosystems that encouraged countless sea and shore creatures to
flourish within the area, from snails to salamanders to crocs to
birds. I enjoyed exploring and climbing over and under their roots,
collecting mussels, shells, and snails as I went deeper in the grove.
in all, we explored for nearly four hours and six or seven
kilometers. We rested and learned more about the sea and Aboriginal
life on Link’s porch while his family prepared our catch. I’ve
never had such fresh seafood or escargots and it was fun to attempt
the dijareydo and learn about the native turtles and sealife.
