Pictures of my "faith journey" in Africa...

I finally got my pictures developed from disposable cameras of the last 3.5 months of traveling to Rwanda and back by bus...although the low quality pics don't do the trip justice because most of beautiful moments aren't visible because they took place inside of me, my prayer is that you will be inspired to do your own little trip with God whatever that looks like...It could be tapping into a talent you've always known you had, but haven't, or maybe it's taking a trip by yourself and God to a place that you always imagined yourself going to, even it's just an hour away...God knows what's been on your heart to do because He has given you those desires, ones that make you feel scared, but know deep down they would give you life if you trusted Him to move with you. There's something inside of us that longs to feel alive and do something we have always been afraid to do. Just do it! God and I dare you to step out of our comfort zones to see how to fly...May these pictures and stories push you out of your nest!
GETTING THERE..
SOUTH AFRICA (CAPETOWN, JOHANESSBURG), MOZAMBIQUE (MAPUTO, DONDO)...

After an 18 carride from Maputo, I landed in Dondo at midnight. Here is the family that took me for 5 days in the village, that I mentioned in the previous blog about their generous hospitality. I lived very, very humbly again, taking baths under the stars, and washing/drying my clothes in the sun. My portuguese quickly had to resurface in my brain because for most of the day, I was in the village with few people to speak English to. But I was amazed how quickly I learned and remembered! They really blessed me on my last night of staying there with a delicious chicken meal and touching prayer and words. I was very, very blessed.

Emma, Zacharias' niece, is only 13 years old, and she is an amazing cook! She cooked every meal for me, and even taught me how to cook my favorite Mozambiquan food-- Matapa, which is cooked greens with a rice and coconut sauce! YUMMMMMMY!

I was so tickled by the creativity of the children in the village...they use anything they can find as a toy. They even made their own playclay from the mud, which came to life as people, trucks, and even cameras...What imaginations!

MOZAMBIQUE (QUELIMANE)...
After saying goodbye to Zacharias' family in Dondo, I jumped on a crammed bus at 5:00am and ended up in a city called Quelimane, 16 hours away. I was completely exhausted and dehydrated (you can send me an email why...too long to explain) and the thought of getting on another bus right away the next morning almost killed me. Fortunately I was blessed by a Brazilian YWAM team I had met in Capetown that was staying in Quelimane (again amazingly orchestrated by God). They told me to stay as long as I needed to rejuvenate, eat their food, sleep in their beds with them, etc. They were great to me!

My favorite guy though was a Mozambiquan named Tito, who heart for learning and teaching english to children was huge! He helped me with my portuguese too and he taught me how to make "dolce de coco," which is a bar dessert made of sugar, coconut, and lemon...This picture is him grinding the coconut out of the shell.
MOZAMBIQUE (PEMBA)...

So I hopped on yet another but at 5:00am and didn't get to Pemba until 8:00pm...Here is a picture of what the seat looked like on my bus...I am not exaggerating the rides, trust me! But it was a miracle how I got there (again another story to ask over email if you are curious), and I was picked up by the every so wonderful Salyer family, who I had stayed with in Capetown...I was a huge breath of relief to see Brad in his 4x4 to pick me up and take me back to a place that had a comfortable bed with air condition...let me tell you!


However, the greatest reason I wanted to go to Pemba where I was just a year ago for the mission school was to see my adopted African son, Antonio and the other children I grew to love as my own. It was one of the best reunions I could have ever imagined, because there was no way to tell him that I was coming ahead of time...all I did was ask around the familiar faces of the children if they knew where I was...and when Antonio say me and I saw him, we ran to each other. I had tears in my eyes and we hugged for a long time...He looked so much older. Seriously, blessings come in strange packages. You will never know how much you mean to someone unless you leave them for a period of time and then surprise them. The look on their face will say it all, and if it's of love, there's no better feeling than that...
TANZANIA...

I'd have to say that it was probably one of the most exhilerating feeling exiting the border post of Tanzania and walking towards the entrance of Rwanda.
!!!RWANDA!!!

I just had to cross over the bridge to enter the promised land!

You know how the home crowd greets their football team as it enters the field? That's how I felt listening to the rush and roaring of Rusumo Falls as I crossed over...it was like God cheering me on and what was going on in my heart!

2322 miles later by land, I had seen God's promise fulfilled! He deserves all the glory for getting me there safely, and providing amazing hospitality all the way there and back! You can read more about this in one of my previous blogs...


Breathtaking hills, eh? They don't call it the land of a 1000 hills for nothing!


I stayed with a beautiful couple for 3 weeks who had recently gotten married...Their love for each other was soooo cute and fun! One of Shema's favorite hobbies was cooking, so she wanted to show me how to do it Rwandan style! I even got a bigger belly staying here! Her servant Tayo made the best beans! I couldn't help but have seconds!

THE RETURN...
UGANDA...

I met Anita randomly at the bus station as I was preparing to leave from Rwanda to go back thru Tanzania. I did NOT want to go back the same way on the most hellish busride of my life, so she encouraged me to go to Uganda with her and go through Kenya instead...well, I did, only we stayed together for 10 days! She wanted me to experience EVERYTHING in her culture, from meat on a stick to fried grasshoppers (yummy) to peanut sauce and matoki...and the belly continued to grow! I wrote about her hospitality as well in the previous blog...


Anita made sure to introduce me to all of her family and friends! Hilarious, loud, and welcoming! The way I like them!



Anita even took me to an Ethiopian hairdresser who knew how to make my hair into tight, tight African curls! The secret???? Drinking straws, no kidding! I absolutely loved it! It inspired me to get them permanently when I got back to Capetown...

I even got to ride motorbikes for taxis! They drive like crazy!

Meeting this beautiful African sister, was ordained by God in His perfect timing...the Power of God's love was demonstrated mightily in my time spent with her...Katie will always remain close to my heart...please pray that her life will be used for God powerfully...she has Him in her...

And of course I had to make a couple of little precious friends too! Every morning these twins would cry out "Mazungo! Mazungo!" (White person! White person!) to come out and play with them. They would even lay like this on Anita's porch waiting patiently. This picture was not posed, which made me want to eat them up more because they were SOOOO cute!

And I can't help but see the beauty of God when little African children are taking baths in big bowls like this...when they are wet, their skin is glistening and shining. It's overwhelming how adorable they are, so pure and innocent, giving me so much joy in my heart...It's a wonderful picture of how God sees us when we become His children...clean, shiny, pure...
KENYA, TANZANIA (DAR ES SALAAM)...

It was a blessing to stay with Daniel's family again for almost a month...I truly felt like I could be myself and that I was apart of their family. I felt no pressure to serve in any way. They said, "God sent you to be with us for however long and for whatever purpose. It is not for us to say when to leave." I know God had prepared this place for me to rest and enjoy being in a free, Christian African environment. I enjoyed the prayer and worship group they had every night before we'd eat dinner. They danced and sang many nights until late, besides my color and language, I really felt like I fit in...

I was blessed to have a beach only 15 minutes to walk to at night. The stars and moon would come out over the ocean and the wind would move the palm trees...I could have slept there overnight feeling the fresh breeze on my face.

However, out of all of the countries I visited, I'd have to say that Tanzania had the biggest and tastiest fruits that were sold everywhere! Juicy pineapple, mangos, coconuts, and bananas! I came at the right time!

Daniel's mom, also known as "Mama Miriam," was the amazing woman of God that really kept this family all together...her heart is so big and generous to see her family become all God entailed them to be in Him. Please pray that she continues to receive wisdom, peace, and strength from our Father. She is the one who shared her bed and bathroom with me for a good majority of the time being there. I truly respect and honor her...
MALAWI, MOZAMBIQUE (TETE, DONDO, MAPUTO), "HOME SWEET SOUTH AFRICAN (JOHANNESBURG, CAPETOWN) HOME"...
It felt so crazy to be back in Capetown once again...It really did feel like home because I had people waiting to see me and hear about my adventures. I realized how much I had gotten accustomed to the things here, and I enjoyed the last 3 weeks of my time visiting and catching up with my YWAM brothers and sisters, my Faith Ministries brothers and sisters, and of course, the wonderful Salyer Family, who once again, came to my rescue on a couple of accounts...more miracles...