Sharing the Little that You Have

https://www.africafreedommission.org/mission-trips

I'm always blown away by how inviting and sacrificial African families are when you come to visit them in their home.  The other day, we were visiting a family in a nearby village when the father sent the children to fetch a drink for us visitors.  This family lives on a small farm in the bush and makes ends meet through farming, raising pigs/cattle and running a small shop in town.

They're definitely not the type of family that will buy and keep coke around the house for daily consumption.  And here they were, offering the little that they had to us.  To say that I was humbled is an understatement.

It kind of reminds me of this passage from Leviticus 19:

33 “‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. 34 The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

Little Bit of Off-Road

https://www.africafreedommission.org/mission-trips

I'm now in Kijabe, Kenya in the middle of rainy season and I'm already having experiences that remind me of my time in the bush in Zambia.  Yesterday, my friend Will and I were driving to a nearby village and had to use back roads around the side of a mountain.  We were going to visit a good friend of the ministry, Charles.

The road to his village is a single lane, dirt road that has been washed out by the heavy rains.  As you can see from the pictures above, we had quite the adventure on this drive.  As we rounded one corner, we came across a dump truck that had been stuck in the same place for 3 weeks.  We thought that we could make it.  So, I just held my breath and tried to keep the car moving, praying that I wouldn't run into the side of the mountain or the truck. The mud was deep and the space was quite small for passing, but we somehow managed.

After this, we came across a Matatu (mini bus) that was stuck in a mud rut.  After performing a 20 point turn and reversing back to the bus, we were able to tow it out.  The ladies in the bus were so thankful.  They had been sitting there for 45 minutes trying everything that they could to get it loose.

It might sound weird, but these are some of the situations that I miss about Africa.  Some days, the simple ride to the next town turns into a great adventure!