From the moment I stepped off the plane I knew I was going to like it here. We are now in month seven. Africa, the place that seemed so far off, is now beneath my feet. Although, we were surrounded by asphalt, the smell the red dirt filled the air. The temperature felt more like a spring afternoon at home in North Carolina than what I had imagined Africa to be like. It was a vast difference from the sweltering heat and humidity of Southeast Asia. Africa, my home for the next three months had already exceeded my expectations. Although, I didn’t see a giraffe roaming the plains, I was content.
After gathering our luggage and clearing customs, a man with an enormous smile greeted us and showed us to our busses. As we exited the terminal, you would have thought we were celebrities. The white people had arrived. Not everyone on our squad is of European descent but enough to make a scene. As per usual, there was not enough room for all of our packs and us; he had to call for backup. He and the rest of the staff’s primary goal was to make sure we were taken care of and our comfort was of the upmost importance. We have met some amazing people who have taken great care of us but something about the hospitality in this place seemed different.
Once the additional vehicle arrived we were on our way. The excitement in the bus was contagious. The feeling was familiar. You know the one, when you are about to experience something big. It reminded me so much of launch. We had landed in Uganda and were headed to the hostel to get some shuteye before a long journey to Rwanda the following morning.
After some much needed rest we boarded our bus bound for Kigali around 8am. I’m not sure how much you have followed other racers blogs but I have read many a horror story about African buses. We were the lucky ones! We found ourselves on a rather large and well-equipped bus. There was a 50-inch television in the front and power outlets throughout. The driver/DJ has a rather nice selection of Music Videos that kept us occupied for the 9+ hour trip. The bus arrived in Kigali well after dark and we were greeted by our ministry contacts in a grocery store parking lot in the middle of the bustling city. It became immediately clear that I had enough of city life. Thankfully we would only be there for one night as my team’s ministry site was in a tiny village about 3 hours north. We stayed the night and traveled to the village the next day.
We arrived to the village around midday. The bus dropped us off at a long red dirt road where we were welcomed by several people. Later we found out these were members of Pastor Fatier’s family. They were very adamant about carrying all of our stuff. It was a fairly short walk to the house. Taylor and I walked at the back as we struggled to put into words how we were feeling. Mostly we just smiled. The initial feeling was indescribable. We got to the house and were showed to our rooms. Beds? What? Not at all what we expected! Then again, everything this month has far exceeded our expectations.
So far this month our ministry has primarily working to complete construction on a church. It is such a privilege being able to be part of this labor of love. Each day members of the congregation work from sun up to sun down to get everything ready for the opening service later on this month. The entire structure is made of mud bricks, which were shaped by hand and then set out to dry in the sun. For the last few days we have been slinging wet mud against the interior walls creating a solid layer, which is the final application. The people love having us there working along side them. They are constantly trying to teach us bits and pieces of their language and laugh when we mispronounce all of it. We have had such a great time together as a team.
Although it is a four-mile walk each way, walking down the road to ministry everyday is probably my favorite time of the day. It feels like we are in a parade. All the children run to the street yelling “Mzunga, Mzunga”, which means white people, white people. They wave so hard and get the biggest smile on their face when we wave back. I’m trying to figure out how they know we are coming. You would think we were blowing horns alerting them. They are so precious and look forward to seeing them each morning and afternoon. The views are breathtaking. There are rolling hills of farmland that seem to go on for miles and miles. My camera just doesn’t do it justice.
The other day we were told we that we would be hanging out at school and spending time with the kids. When we arrived we were told that the plans had changed and we would be speaking to the students. None of us had anything prepared but we each walked into a class with a translator and shared stories about our lives. I really enjoyed the time with the students. They were extremely well mannered and respectful.
We also take turns preaching at church services throughout the week. I have yet to have a turn but it will be coming up sometime next week. The members of my team are so gifted and their messages are such a blessing to the congregation. I hope they aren’t expecting such greatness from me. God called me to be a missionary not a preacher … or so I thought!
Pastor Fatier and her family have been such a blessing to us. They work so hard cooking, cleaning, and making sure we have everything we need. They wash our clothes and even wipe down our dusty shoes every morning; She says they are here to serve us as we serve the Lord. It feels awkward but we are coming to learn that they enjoy taking care of us. The love they have shown has absolutely blown us away. I’m certainly not looking forward to leaving at the end of the month.
As you can see Africa has been so good to me. I absolutely love it here. I love the climate, the scenery, but mostly the people. It is my prayer that I have been as much of a blessing to this community as they have been to me.
I turned a corner in my soul down that red dirt road.
