The Bad Place
I wanted to fill you all in on what life has looked like for
me since I was assaulted on the beach in Tanzania. It has taken time and a lot of prayer to begin to trust the
intentions of strangers again. I
find myself tense and anxious every time I’m walking the streets or in a large
crowd. It has taken so much energy
to always be on the defense, my spirit poised like a fighter ready to strike at
the smallest startling movement.
My trust in mankind is slowly being renewed with every day that passes… thank you all for your prayers and words
of encouragement.
Through this experience I have started to look at my life a
little different and have started to worship and thank God in a completely new
way. I have come to the realization that my life is not my own- that I have
chosen to give it away to serve our God….and in doing that I have to swallow
the idea of not always doing what I want or getting the things I expect in my
life. I now have a greater
appreciation for the blessing of simply having the very breath in my lungs and
the chance to live for another day. Through this I have been filled with great
joy from reveling in the little moments that might have commonly gone
unnoticed.
Last week started a new chapter for the team; we left Tanzania
and headed north 
to Uganda for month #8 of our journey. We were all in dire
need of a few days to recover from the trials of Tanzania; so we headed to the
banks of the Nile River for a short getaway. We spent 2 days bungee jumping and
rafting down some of the most wicked rapids I have ever seen in my life. Okay, not relaxing I admit…..but just the thing I needed to
release the fighter in me that wanted to take on the world with my fists
clenched.
The first day I found myself on the top of the bungee
platform, toes curled around the edge of the dive plank with the guide counting
down from three to one…. I was seconds away from leaping off a giant tower over the Nile- what was I thinking!? As
I leaped into the air a rush of freedom filled my body that released the
buildup of fear that had been lingering for weeks. As I opened my eyes to
absorb the incredible landscape, God reminded me that I was not alone; that the
freedom I was experiencing was from Him; that the life that was being poured
into my spirit from witnessing his creation was also a gift- it was a landscape
that was built by His perfect design, it was breathtaking. In these moments I knew
that God has created me to keep leaping off the largest cliffs, to praise Him
through the darkest of trials, to never settle for ordinary, and keep running
after His unique purpose for my life.
On the second day, we all suited up for a full day
of rafting. The river was incredibly high which meant that the rapids were
pounding with aggression- there was a high likelihood that most rafts would
flip more than once during the day.
The river wasn’t technical & littered with rocks and obstacles like
Washington waters, but rather; they had large holes and consecutive drops that
could toss a 10 man raft over faster than you can blink your eyes. We charged
through class 5 rapids and even had to put-out and walk around waterfalls and
class 6 drops at times. After a machete to the throat and bungee jumping I was
ready for the most intense rapids the Nile could dish out. I’ve never felt so
alive!
Towards the end of the day, our guide Nolan began to brief
us on a rapid we would encounter called “The Bad Place.� This was a rapid where there is no
option of staying attached to the boat- it was sure to destroy and spit out any
boat that went through it. So…naturally, I was begging to hit it head on! Nolan
decided it was best for the whole boat to try to stay right of the rapid and
attempt to stay upright since there was a 50% chance of getting slammed into it anyhow due to
the unpredictability of mother nature.
As we approached “The Bad Place� we all tucked down into our safety
position, bracing ourselves for what the rapid had to offer. As Nolan hit the
right side of the rapid, it felt as though the left side of our boat was
hanging over a ledge of water that was greedily anticipating our fall into the
heart of it. Sitting in the front of the boat allowed me to stare at the core
of “The Bad Place� head on with wide eyes and great respect. We made it out
exactly as Nolan had planned, boat never flipped, all members of the crew still
on board- We were ecstatic!
Every moment of this day was a reminder of how amazing God’s
creation is- and how our God is
one who has built us for true Freedom! Through witnessing the beauty of the land,
sharing great laughs with friends, and breaking the chains of fear- I’ve
never been so excited to live for God!
Where do you come alive? Are you living in freedom?
“….where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” – 2 Corinthians 3:17
