Namibia Week One
Well, it’s been a week and so much has happened already. We all met at training last Monday (5/17) in Ft. Wayne, Indiana and we were supposed to fly out Thursday (5/20). However, the second day into training we found out that someone from one of the other teams had a positive test for COVID. This was a huge disappointment for all of us because it meant we had to quarantine for seven days before we could leave. So instead of packing everything up and heading to the airport on Thursday we packed everything up and headed to Michigan to go camping for seven days. One of the Experience Missions (the organization I’m going on this trip through) staff member's parents have land in Concord, Michigan. We left Fort Wayne and headed to Concord where we pitched our tents and have been just roughing it for the past five days.
Although this is not what we had planned it has actually been a huge blessing. Instead of just jumping straight in in a completely different country with this group of people that we don’t know, we have gotten seven extra days to get to know one another. My team (pictured on the right) includes (Left-to-Right front) Mayci, Zera, Kiana, Lydia, Milana, and Lily. (Left-to-Right back) Jubie, Jenna, Heaven, Dena, and me. We have learned so much about each other from our enneagrams, to our families, our testimonies, and so much more. We had to just get comfortable with one another really fast because we are sleeping right next to one another in our tents and there is no room in between us. We have gotten so comfortable with one another and I believe that will be so helpful and beneficial for us when we finally arrive in Namibia.
One huge benefit of having this extra week is that we have been forced to take a sabbath. We have no service out here and the only reason I can send this is because we had to go into town to get our new COVID test done. We are out in the middle of nowhere in the woods. There’s so much nature around us and no distractions from our daily lives. We just can hear the birds, the wind rustling in through the trees, and the laughter of people in community with one another. It’s honestly so beautiful and peaceful. We have so much time to spend with God and with each other. We just get a week of rest and it’s been so refreshing and fulfilling.
It’s also been just been so cool seeing all the ways God has provided for all of us. He provided a free place for us to stay for a week. He provided tents for us to stay in for free. He provided porta potty’s so we don’t just have to go dig a trench in the woods. He provided food for us several different times through out this week. All of our flights were able to be switched for a low fee and He even provided us with showers. I don’t think I have ever been more excited to take a shower in my life. He has just been providing for us abundantly throughout this time. He has even provided for me personally. I am still sore and stiff because camping and fibromyalgia do NOT like each other. However, I have still been able to have a very positive attitude and it hasn’t been as bad as I thought that it was going to be. It’s been a very manageable amount of pain.
I love my team and this quarantine time has been a fun and encouraging time. It has been a blessing and God provided us with another week in the country so I will now be coming home the 22nd of June. So we still get the same amount of time in the country as we were originally suppose to do we just added a whole week on to our trip how cool is that! I look forward to getting into the Namibia and being able to just jump right in because we have gotten this extra week to get comfortable with our team.
God is so good! Please continue to be in prayer for me and my team and that this time in Namibia would be good for those we serve, for us, and ultimately for God's Kingdom!