We were going to try to stick around the festival, but it was starting to get late, so we needed to head home. Bill was calling another teammate to try to figure out the ride situation when I came across the lady who pointed me towards king so Bill and I could see him. We started talking for awhile, and we explained that we needed to get back to Nsoko but didn’t know how to get out of the festival. Previously, we had been overcharged by the taxi, leaving us almost broke. We had a limited amount of money to get us home. We continued talking to our friends, and then told them we needed to start heading home. Our new friends were very kind and helpful to us.
Our new friends offered to drive us towards the main road that would help us get to a combi that would take us back to Nsoko. So, we headed out of the festival and they lead us to their truck and told us to get in. Bill sat in the front, and I sat in the back of the truck with Phumelele. On our way to a combi station, seven Swazi’s jumped on the back of the truck with us, and we headed on our way. When we got to the combi station Bill turned around and told me that her fiance said it wasn’t safe for us to drive in the combi so he was going to drive us all the way back to Nsoko!
Honestly, the day was pretty wild so I wasn’t surprised when they offered us a ride back but I was extremely grateful. Our new friends were so kind to us! They genuinely cared about us and wanted to make sure we got home safely. We originally thought the ride was about 1 hour, but it turned out it was around an hour and a half. My new friend and I talked the entire ride home! I shared about my home in the states, showed her pictures of my family, shared about the worldrace, talked about what I wanted in my future husband, and talked about how much God loved me. I even sang a song for her after she asked me to sing for her!
The ride on the back of the truck this night was one of the best moments on the worldrace for me. It was during this time I got to hear part of Phumelele’s testimony. She shared that she only made it to the tenth grade in school, and because of this she had a hard time getting a job. She also shared that growing up her family was poor. When she was younger her father had a stroke, and her mother was sick so she had to provide for her family. She also had a child when she was in tenth grade so not only was she taking care of her younger siblings but also her own child. She shared that during these times that God always provided for her, and that she was able to take care of her child and siblings.
She shared that her current fiance was a blessing to her. She shared that he was the kindest man she knew. He had made some mistakes but she knew he loved her. When they got together, they went to get tested for HIV/aids. He found out he was negative, but the results weren’t as positive for Phumelele. She was HIV positive. She expected him to leave her, but he told her he wasn’t. Now they have been together for a few years and they are engaged to get married.
My beautiful new friend had been through so much in this lifetime, but yet she always had a smile on her face. She sat before me and shared how God had provided for all her needs. There was so much beauty in how God allowed our paths to cross on this day. If we hadn’t met these new friends of ours, it was possible that we wouldn’t have gotten home.
It was probably one of the most wild experiences I’ve had on the race so far, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. God blessed me through the testimony and love that our new friends demonstrated to us. We were searching for the king, but God also had other plans for us. He allowed us to meet our brother and sister in Christ that we otherwise would never have gotten to meet if he hadn’t intricately crossed our paths. I’m certain it wasn’t by coincidence, and I’m so thankful for that.
