Braving Deep Water

It’s been a while since I have blogged or put to writing the things that have been going on here in Africa and in me. Perhaps I should keep a diary, as a couple of weeks of jam-packed schedule, new adventures and amazing encounters have somewhat jumbled into a bit of a mushy blur. I have definitely indulged, perhaps overindulged, my touristy side. A 110m swing off a cliff over a beautiful, waterfall gorge, trekking a mountain to the indescribable view-spot of ‘God’s Window’, a 4am start chasing the Big 5 in Kruger National Park – Africa demands of you that you try anything once. As for me, I’m striving to get the most of it by risking the slightly altered rule: try everything once, even if “everything” means bat wings for dinner. And so these last couple of weeks have entailed a lot of adventure, risk-taking, new experiences and culture shock. Yet beneath the surface of all of this there is an altogether different adventure. The orientation process, in which we as fresh, new volunteers are incorporated and saturated into Hands @ Work life, is finally at an end. 5 weeks of early mornings, late nights and exhausting days have rushed by too quickly, and I feel a great sadness to be leaving behind this time and passing into the next stage. But first introductions can’t last forever. We have simply scratched the surface of what God is up to here in Africa and here in Hands. We have just dipped a toe into his plans and promises, but to God that seems enough to ready us to brave deep water. So we are definitely being thrown in. Tomorrow morning 5 of the 10 volunteers who arrived, anxious and apprehensive with me in September, are leaving to live and work in Zambia. I will miss them so much. 4 of our team are staying here in SA, working in the unforgettable communities that I have fallen in love with since being here. And as for me, God is proving himself all over again as incredibly faithful, and incredibly funny. Ever since discovering that I was coming out to Africa a nation has been etched on my heart in a way that I couldn’t explain or ignore. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a nation of 65 million, the second largest in Africa, and claims some of the world’s poorest communities. I have prayed for so long, “Lord, give me the DRC. Get me to the DRC.” God proves himself faithful. In November I’ll be heading off to the Congo to work with some of the most amazing communities. However, the DRC’s two major languages are French and Swahili, neither of which I speak. I so longed to get to the DRC that I tried to learn a little French just before I left England. I’m not sure how effective a learner I was, but I guess that will be tested soon... God proves himself funny. My work in the DRC will include some narrative reporting – putting to words the stories of those who remain otherwise unknown, with the hope that relationships would grow and the forgotten would be known by name. I will also be helping in any way that I can in the Hands @ Work office in the DRC, led by Erick and Angel. But none of this is as important as the true purpose for which I am there: to trace and to chase what God is stirring in that broken nation. He is on the move. I can feel it. I say ‘Amen’ to it. And I won’t let him rest until I see it burst into reality. For now, preparations are all being made. Visas can be a real hassle when it comes to the Congo, and prayers are definitely appreciated! Loneliness, in the midst of a language and a culture to which I am completely alien, has been known to be a great issue for volunteers working there. Stocking up on English movies, books, podcasts, and a few home comforts (that would be chocolate hobnobs for me) is good medicine. Yet the utter joy of living in the plans of God is completely worthy of the cost. As I step into something new the words of Christ echo in my ears: “Don’t be afraid, O man highly esteemed. Peace! Be strong now; be strong.” (Dan. 8) Don’t be afraid – the safest kind of danger is to give up your life to the desires of God. I can’t wait to discover God’s desire for the Congo and for me.