I have 
safely arrived in Morogoro, Tanzania after a 20+ hour bus ride. These two travel days were unlike any I have had yet this year. Due to the bumpy roads throughout Africa, I was literally bouncing out of my seat for most of the journey. A couple times all the passengers in the back of the bus would have to move forward for weigh in. We would stand at the front of the bus for about 20 minutes and try not to fall over – it felt like I was on a roller coaster ride. I am still unsure what this weigh in was for. Occasionally, the entire bus would fill up with dust and we would all begin coughing and grabbing for the nearest article of clothing we could find to cover our mouths. The funniest aspects of our trip were the “bathroom stops.” The driver pulled over to the side of the road and we all sauntered over to the nearest tree or bush. Aaah, so this is Africa.
safely arrived in Morogoro, Tanzania after a 20+ hour bus ride. These two travel days were unlike any I have had yet this year. Due to the bumpy roads throughout Africa, I was literally bouncing out of my seat for most of the journey. A couple times all the passengers in the back of the bus would have to move forward for weigh in. We would stand at the front of the bus for about 20 minutes and try not to fall over – it felt like I was on a roller coaster ride. I am still unsure what this weigh in was for. Occasionally, the entire bus would fill up with dust and we would all begin coughing and grabbing for the nearest article of clothing we could find to cover our mouths. The funniest aspects of our trip were the “bathroom stops.” The driver pulled over to the side of the road and we all sauntered over to the nearest tree or bush. Aaah, so this is Africa. I had a lot of time to think and process through my month in Kenya during this little road trip. Busia held a lot of trials for my team. We suffered through Malaria, Typhoid, lice, and a lack of personal space. Somehow though, this was my favorite month so far on the race. Maybe it was the hard work that went into doing laundry or cooking meals, or the smiling children who screamed out “Mzungo!” every time any of us walked past (Mzungo means white person.) Maybe it was the lessons I learned in boldness and the power of the name of Jesus through door-to-door evangelism, or the church services each week which were full of energy and dancing where even though I didn’t understand the language, I could tangibly feel the Presence of God in our midst.
Through each of these aspects and also largely due to the team we were partnered up with this month, I rediscovered my joy. I remembered the person God created me to be. I felt safe and loved for the first time all year. My team dynamic has been a little unhealthy these past 7 months and in the midst of living in intense community, I had lost a little piece of myself. I am grateful for my month spent in Busia and for the many lessons God taught me while I was there. I love that God cares about me enough to send people into my path to speak life into me – to encourage me and remind me Whose I am and the value He sees in me. God has continually shown me little tokens of His love for me this year in various forms and is slowly opening my eyes to the intense, passionate love He has for me. For all of us. I am so underserving. I am so thankful.
