Our first
Sunday in Cape Town we planned to attend the famous Hillsong church in
downtown but I’ve learned on the World
Race things don’t always work out as you plan.
Nick, Ashley, and Emily went in a van with our contact to the nearby “Capricorn” township to pick up any kids interested in joining us for the
Sunday service. Steven, Jamie, and I, due
to space restrictions, took the train to meet them there. The three of us just missed the train from
Muizenberg resulting in a 40 minute wait for the next one. Still hopeful of making part of the service,
we headed into downtown on the 50 minute train ride. Unfortunately the downtown train station was
not our final destination. We needed to
take a minibus (kind of like an airport super shuttle) to the church and
assumed the drivers would know of said famous Hillsong church. Not the case.
By the time we figured out Hillsong’s location, we already missed the
service. So we waited another 30 minutes
for the next 50 minute train back to Muizenberg.
Even with
the failed plans and an abundance of waiting I was surprised by my level of
patience and peace with the day’s detour. Patience is definitely an area where God has
grown me on international mission trips.
The rest of the world doesn’t seem to place a high priority on
efficiency, tight schedules, or customer service. Our bus ride from Jo-Berg to Cape Town is a
perfect example. What should’ve taken 16-20
hours (depending on who you asked) turned into a 30 hour trip including:
- Six 30 minute gas station stops
- 5 hour breakdown on the side of the road in the
middle of the night
- 1 hour inspection by traffic safety
- Calm bus riders accepting there was
nothing we could do about the unfortunate event, and not expecting something
for their inconvenience (If this happened in the US, most people would’ve demanded their money back!) - Changing buses at 11PM when we were only 45
minutes outside of Cape Town - And the worst case of “cankles” I’ve ever
had!!
World Race I could very easily get my “panties in a bunch” if the line at Whole
Foods took too long, or if I had to search too long for a parking spot at the
mall, or if a friend was late picking me up, or if an accident on the 405
prevented me from getting to a meeting on time.
It would not be unlikely for me to get offended, make a snide comment, lose
my temper, or expect something for my inconvenience, all because I felt my time
was so very valuable and everything should always go my way or go as planned.
Race has reinforced my trust in God’s sovereignty, especially with mishaps or changed plans. I’ve learned to not create
expectations and I hold loosely my plans and my desires causing me to be less
stressed, more relaxed and better able to live in the moment. It actually excites me when there is an
unexpected change of events because it usually results in some gained wisdom,
an extraordinary adventure, or a chance to let God take the wheel while I willingly
enjoy the ride.
