We made it! I’m here in Mokhotlong, Lesotho, and it is beautiful! We are in the Mountains, so it has been a bit cooler than we were expecting, but for me it is almost perfect weather 
I promise to upload pictures at some point in time!
OK, I will share more about what we are doing and our ministry at a later date.. Right now I would like to share a lesson that God has taught me early on in my race.
So, I have this jacket, and it is a really great jacket. I got it from REI in Anchorage, and it was on sale! The outer shell is a black rain jacket, and the inner part is a mint green fleece. The fleece zips into the jacket, so you can wear it by itself or all together. It was perfect for Alaska’s spring, summer, and fall weather. Have I mentioned how much I love this jacket?
I took this jacket to camp. One day I wore the fleece liner to one of our meetings. Of course it warmed up, so I took it off. And then I left. Later I realized what had happened and spent a good 30 minutes trying to find it. Eventually it was placed in lost and found, where I was able to recover my missing article of clothing.
This is the first time I lost part of my favorite jacket..
I had heard that it is advisable to bring a rain jacket with you on the race. I had also heard that it would be pretty cool temperatures in Lesotho, Swaziland and South Africa, because we are here during the end of their winter and start of their spring time. So of course I wanted to bring my favorite jacket! It would be perfect for just about everything.
Before I start the rest of this story… Let me preface it by letting you know I had told the Lord, if I lost anything, I would take it as a sign from Him that I could live without it. OK what I was really thinking was, if someone steals my laptop or phone I would find a way to be OK with it. It didn’t cross my mind that I might lose a favorite piece of clothing…
Back to the story of my jacket. So I get cold on airplanes and of course carried it onto the first plane with me. Well our first flight was about 10 hours long, Atlanta to Istanbul, Turkey. They were super nice and gave us blankets. So I put my jacket in the overhead bin. When we landed in Istanbul, I quickly stood up and grabbed my backpack, so that I could put my laptop and book away. We exited the airplane directly onto the tarmac and took a bus to the terminal. We got off and then had to walk through to the international side of the airport. About 5 minutes later, I realized, I forgot my jacket. One of my squad leaders went with me, and we asked around if anyone had grabbed it and brought it to the terminal with them. Several people had seen it, but no one grabbed it. We walked back a little ways but were told that we would have to leave the secure part of the airport to get it. Eventually we did find a customer service desk and asked them if there was a way to get it back, but again we were told that we would have to leave the secure portion of the airport. My squad leaders suggested that I take a few minutes to pray and decide if I wanted to continue to try and get my jacket back. I knew what ‘I’ really wanted, but then I remembered what I had told God. ‘ If I lost anything, I would take it as a sign that I didn’t need it.’ And so with a heavy heart, and a few tears, I let it go.
We got to Lesotho, and found that the evenings and mornings are indeed a little bit chilly. On our first evening one of the pastors, Matsolo, found out that I had lost my jacket. She ran home to get me one of her extra jackets, so that I would be warm. It was such an unbelievable blessing, as well as a good lesson that God will take care of your needs.
Many people have been surprised at how little I am able to bring on the race. Just a back pack with a few changes of clothes, toiletries, a tent, and sleeping bag. Packing for the race is an excellent exercise in considering, ‘what do I really need?’
Matthew 10:9-10 says,
“Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.”
Just for context, what happens at the start of the chapter is that Jesus is sending his disciples out to minister to the people. When He did this, He was instructing them to bring nothing with them. No extra clothes, shoes, or even money. He wanted the disciples to fully rely on God to provide for their every need.
The same applies to me. I must rely on God to provide what I need. Even something as simple as a warm jacket while I am in the mountains of Lesotho.
