Day 29
Friday – 10/06/17
I don’t have much need for an alarm clock on all squad month. Per usual, I woke up to the sound of my 15 roommates getting ready.
Day 16 of my race started like any other day here at the Anchor Center. I rolled off my sleeping pad, took a wet wipe to my face, and made my way to the main room. I picked a spot along the wall amongst my family of 50 and ate dry cornflakes with my broken travel spoon.
At 9am, six other girls and I made our way to the mountain we see every day when we open our front door (I was the only one on my team to go, so I went with another team). Our guide was a 15 year old local named Paulette, whose godmother lived at the top of the mountain. I doubt we would’ve made it up without her, considering we got lost even with her (but don’t worry, her cousin and little brother secretly followed us, so when we spotted them, we had some extra help). But after an hour hike to the base of the mountain, and a two hour hike through thorns, over loose rocks, and along shockingly steep yet beautiful cliffs, we made it.
We were surprised to find a village at the top, with tiny hut houses and one main dirt road.
“How far away are we from South Africa?” we asked.
“You are in South Africa,” Paulette told us.
“No, the country South Africa. Not Southern Africa,” I tried to clarify.
“You are in South Africa. You are not in Swaziland.”
Discovering we illegally border hopped was the first of our surprises.
With the ice cold wind on our backs, we followed Paulette to her godmothers house. The view was incredible. But sadly, her godmother was no where to be found. We ate lunch, took pictures, had a small bible study, and purified some water before we set out again.
After Paulette asked neighbors and locals where her godmother was, we were pointed past the school and down a seemingly desolate road. Then in the distance, a circular structure appeared. It was large enough to fit a house, and made of tall branches that curved inwards at the top. People were everywhere. And judging by the chants and shouts coming from inside the structure, it sounded like there were many more people inside. We immediately received plenty of stares that inspired us to stay on the road and not intrude on whatever was going on.
We were so excited when Paulette found her godmother, and before we knew it, we were being guided into the structure by a man with a feather on his head.
Men in skirts made of animal skin carried shields and sticks, and woman wore paint and tribal coverings. Culture shock set in. There were chants and dances that we didn’t understand, but felt honored to see. Paulette’s godmother explained that today was Heritage Day, a holiday this Swazi tribe celebrates once a year. The dances and traditional clothes and songs were to honor the Chief of the tribe, who Paulette pointed out to me as the man wearing leopard skins. Out of all the days of the year, we just so happened to stumble across something so unique and beautiful. At the end, a few of the women gave us sticks and danced with us.
One woman took off her only covering, and put it onto me. That action, that would normally make me feel uncomfortable and out of place, made me feel the opposite. I felt accepted. It was freezing outside, yet she was willing to literally give the shirt off her back just to dance with me and take a picture with me. After returning the shirt and exiting the structure, it was rather hard to leave the tribe. They really wanted us to stay, and if we didn’t have to be back to the Anchor Center by dark, we probably would’ve. So we left, but of course with boxes of traditional food for each one of us. They weren’t about to let us leave without giving us something for our trip home.
It was delicious, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to experience days these. When we had a small Bible study at the top of the mountain, I spoke about 1 Kings 19:9-14 , a passage my brother Steven once spoke about on top of Mt. Yonah when I was at Woodlands Camp. In the passage, Elijah is on a mountain and the Lord passes by. He witnesses a strong wind, an earthquake, and a fire. But the Lord wasn’t in those things. He was in the sound of a low whisper. Elijah wraps his face in his cloak and the Lord asks him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
That phrase has always stuck with me.
“What are you doing here?”
For Elijah, he was jealous for the Lord. The people of Israel had forsaken the covenant, and were seeking to end Elijah’s life. Elijah was there to seek the Lord, and boy did He find Him.
I challenge you in the same way that my brother challenged me, and that I challenged my friends on top of the mountain. Let God ask you, “What are you doing here?”
What is your answer to this convicting, yet tender question?
The Lord has exposed many wrong motives of mine to be here on the race. I came into it of course wanting to serve and spread the Gospel, but there was definitely a part of me pondering all I could get out of the next nine months. But now I see why I’m here.
I’m here because this race is not about me. I’m here because we live in a broken world that needs the love of Jesus. I’m here to let the love He’s given me overflow into every song I sing, every child I hold, and every opportunity I have to serve.
Please keep me in your prayers as I learn this, and pray for my squad as we’re now in debrief in South Africa. In a few days, we’ll split up and head to Lesotho. Keep praying for Swaziland as well (you’ll be happy to hear: it rained..a lot). I only have about $2,700 more dollars to raise! Please donate if you are able. Thank you all for the encouragement and support. I hope you enjoy all the pictures and stories my squad and I get to share with this week of wifi. I love you all, and keep the faith.
