BUT I did want to write a post on my most recent adventure to Africa at the beginning of August.
Many of you know about the organization called Compassion International. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a Christian, non-profit organization that works to release children from poverty. I had heard about the child sponsorship program for many years through conferences and others in our church who sponsored a child. I had wanted to sponsor a child for many years, but never had a steady paying job until I started my position as a live-in nanny in Virginia about 2 years ago. When I started working there, I searched the site to find a child to sponsor. I remember praying that I would be lead to the right child. So, I chose Fred, a little boy about the same age as the boys that I was nannying at the time. About a year and a half after sponsoring Fred, I received an email from Compassion about a Cause Trek trip to climb Kilimanjaro and an opportunity to see my sponsor child. I read it and then closed it, immediately thinking it was too terrifying to consider. Little did I know that God would work on my heart in those next few weeks. As I prayed about the trip more and more, God was showing me that I needed to step out of my comfort zone and follow him. So I took the leap of faith and put down the deposit.
Fast forward 8 months and God provided all the funding and worked out all the details when it was coming down to the last minute and I still didn't have my passport and visa back. I was really excited for the trip, but I had no idea what to expect or why I was to be on this trip.
The first day that we were in Africa, we visited a center built by Compassion. As soon as we got off the bus, we were swarmed by all 258 children that were in the program! After the children came up and talked with us and asked us our name hundreds of times, we were taken to the main building where some of the children sang for us. Some of the ladies on the trip all needed to use the restroom and were taken to a different building, which was very clean and new looking. We used the African toilets, called "squatty's". It was like a hole in the ground, but was made of porcelain and flushed. You had to squat over it, as if going to the bathroom like one would in the outdoors. I wish I had taken a picture of one of the toilets, but sadly I forgot. Later we heard that they had just finished this new building the day before we had arrived! The main reason of our visit was to see how the WaSH initiative, that our group was fundraising for, was being implemented in the center. After we had spent most of our day at the center and were fed lunch by those working there, we split into groups and did some home visits. A few families that had a child in the program would offer to have people into their homes and ask about their daily lives and how the program has effected them. After we asked our questions, we presented the family with some gifts, prayed with them and then were on our way.Day two was a little bit different, our whole group was in attendance today, as the day before most were visiting with their sponsor children that lived in Tanzania. This day we were greeted in a less excited manner by the children, but we could all tell that they were excited to see us. The children sang and danced to some Bible songs in order to welcome us. Next we were shown the facilities. This center had two gigantic holding tanks for the rainwater they collected. The rainwater could be used in a variety of ways, mainly for gardens, their fish hatchery or for washing clothing. After being shown the facilities, we played games with the children. I made the mistake of opening a bag of Jolly Ranchers to hand out to the children and was completely bombarded! After hanging out with the kids for a while, we visited another home much like we had the day before. Shortly after, we left to head back to our hotel. After we had supper that evening, we were briefed on what the next 6 days would look like on Mount Kilimanjaro. At this point, I was starting to internally freak out. Doubts of whether I had trained enough or if my clothing would be warm enough flooded my mind. I prayed myself to sleep that night. Time would tell whether I would make it to the summit or not, there was no turning back now.
We awoke the next morning and started a long journey by van to our starting point. After about a 5 hour drive, we walked 4 miles to our first camp. Upon arriving at camp, we dropped our packs in our tents after meeting our porters. Then as a group, we all went on an acclimatization hike for approximately 45 minutes. The idea was to climb high, sleep low which will often help the next day. We came back to camp and had tea and popcorn as a snack before supper in the mess tent. At supper each evening, we would start with a few bowls of soup to get our liquid intake to a 3 or so liters of water per day. Following the soup, then would come our main meal. I felt as though I was slowly getting to know our group and the guides who would walk with us daily.
On day four we were all awaken by our porters who gave us the option of coffee, tea or hot chocolate and would bring it to our tents. They would then bring us a small tub of warm water to wash off with. After packing up our belongings, we went to the mess tent to have breakfast and then start our long day. I found written in my journal much of what our day looked like: tons of beautiful views, lots of peeing and TONS of walking 😅 We started walking around 9:30, ate lunch around 1:30ish. After lunch we hiked another 3 hours. I had a bit of a headache in the evening, but nothing too terrible. My body was slowing adjusting to the altitude.
At breakfast the next morning while discussing how everyone slept, it sounded as though no one got very much sleep. It was a very frustrating thing to be so tired in the evening, fall right asleep only to be woken up a few hours later and not be able to fall asleep again. This day of hiking was pretty strenuous, but we only walked until lunch. We rested for a while and then had an acclimatization hike around 3:30. Had a dance party and came back. I probably had not been drinking as much as I should have at this point. But it was a struggle when I didn't feel thirsty. At this point some in our group were more effected by the altitude and felt very sick.
I slept terribly the next night. I could not sleep for very long without waking up and not being able to fall back asleep. It was supposed to be a 5 or 6 hour day of hiking. A nice, gradual incline but strenuous. I could tell I was feeling exhausted as my pack felt heavier and my shoulders were hurting. It did not help that I didn't have a pack fitted very well to me, something I should have taken more consideration over before buying. We made it to camp and had a very late lunch. After lunch, we would try to sleep as much as we could before waking at midnight for a light breakfast and then start our trek to the summit! Our elevation at camp was just over 15,000 ft. I was surprised that I wasn't feeling sick at this point, but felt thankful. My nose felt so dry, I thought it would bleed at many times throughout the day, but that was the worst of my worries at the moment and many others were worse off than I.
We started up the mountain, all of us with many layers, heavy jackets, hand warmers in our gloves and feet warmers in our hiking boots. There were a few reason why we started our ascent at midnight: the first one was because of the frozen scree which made our trek easier and the second was because many who could see where they were going in the day time would get discouraged and turn back. I felt pretty good as I climbed. We walked very slowly, all very close together. I prayed as I went, for those who helped get me to this point and for my sponsor child, who I would see in a few days. It was tiring, but we kept on until... when we reached about 17,000 feet I started feeling a bit queasy and slightly light headed. One of the guides, Francis, had been carrying my bag since about hour 2 since I was getting sore from the weight of it. Francis encouraged me to eat a snack to help with my nausea. I did and drank water through my water bladder, until the drinking tube became frozen. We continued on for a while before I needed to vomit beside the trail. Many others around me were feeling badly also. Everyone did their best to encourage one another and keep our positive spirits. The guides would come beside those vomiting and help them while making sure they would not fall down the mountain. Each time that I puked, I would feel better afterward for a time. Finally around 6 AM, we made it to Gilman's Point, the first summit area. We made it there just before the sunrise. Hot tea was passed out at the top and we were allowed a short break before another 3 hour round trip trek around the crater rim to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa. I felt sick as I continued on, puked more but refused to turn back. I had come this far, I would not turn back unless I was told that it was dangerous to my health to continue on. Francis was so helpful and patient, he encouraged me when I felt discouraged. We were only allowed 5 minute breaks, they told us that if we rested too long, we wouldn't want to get back up. It was probably best that way considering many of us were falling asleep any time we sat down, some even said they were falling asleep walking. We finally, after holding back from having a meltdown, made it to the top in what felt like an eternity, but was probably only about 2 hours. Everyone took their pictures with the sign, all were excited about how far we had come. At this point, I was not at all excited about anything. I was feeling miserable, sick to my stomach and the most tired physically that I had ever been. Francis suggested that we not stay at Uhuru Peak for very long and told me that I would feel better as we came down in altitude. We flew down the mountain, almost quite literally. The scree that was frozen on the way up was now loose, which made it easy to "ski" down. I made it to camp about 10:30 AM. I changed my clothes and fell right to sleep. We rested for a few hours, had a meal and then were on our way again. It all happened so fast, it was hard to believe that we had just climbed the world's 4th tallest mountain that very morning. We hiked another 3 hours to our next camp where we rejoined the rest of the group that had not made it to the summit or had turned back at an earlier time. I found written in my journal how excited I was to finally be able to shower the next day, it had been quite a long time. I also forgot a hairbrush and was a bit concerned as my hair seemed to be starting to dread.
Our final decent day was here! We awoke early, had breakfast and had a final meeting with all of our guides and porters. We presented them with their final tips and presents. Many in the group left hiking gear that they no longer needed as gifts to those who helped them make it up the mountain. Then we started our 12 mile final descent. By about mile 7, my feet were starting to hurt. Which was, praise the Lord, the first time all trip that they were really bothered. The terrain was so different from what we had dealt with for the last 5 days, more rain forest area as opposed to the normal desert, dry and dusty type area. We made it down the mountain at about 2 and were swarmed by people trying to sell to us or trade with us for souvenir items. Thankfully I was warned about this happening and had prepared myself. We finally got into the vans and made the three hour trek back to the hotel. At this point, I was starting to get nervous about the next part of my travelling adventures. After arriving at the hotel, I had time to get a nice long shower and have a closing dinner with the group before going straight to the airport. I took a taxi there, since I was travelling alone. I was dropped off at the airport many hours before my flight, as it wasn't safe to travel by car at night. When I got to the airport, I thought I would be able to check in right away. There was no WiFi to communicate with anyone and I was too afraid to fall asleep in case I would miss my flight. I felt a bit lost, as I couldn't communicate very well and everyone else seemed to know what they were doing. As the time came nearer to my flight, there were less and less people around and I checked in and talked with the airport workers more. Most seemed a bit bored and asked me questions about climbing Kilimanjaro as I was carrying my certificate so that it wouldn't get bent. I went through immigration, but there was a final security point to get to my gate that I was not able to pass through as it was still too early. I looked through the gift shop and then sat down to wait until the appropriate time to get to the gate. I ended up falling asleep and almost missed my flight! Thankfully, because the airport was so small, I was woken up by one of the security workers who told me that my plane had arrived. I believe that I was the last person to board the plane. The plane I boarded arrived in Kenya and I had a layover in Nairobi for a few hours. This time I was able to use the free internet for an hour to help pass the time. I finally boarded my plane for Kigali and was on my way!
Before the trip, there were a few complications with my visas to Tanzania and Rwanda. I had sent for them later than I hoped because there was information that was needed for the process which I had not received until it was getting dangerously close to the trip(read 2-3 weeks out). Finally, about two days before the trip I had received my passport back along with a visa to Tanzania and was told that I could get my visa for Rwanda when I landed in Kigali. So I arrived in Kigali and hurried to get my visa, I thought that my ride would have been waiting for me. After getting my visa and going through customs I went to look for my ride. I was told he would be holding a sign with my name on it and have Compassion International apparel on. I looked and looked for him but could not find him, it turns out that he was a little bit late as the airline that I was flying with was normally known to be one that arrived later than scheduled. As we drove to the Compassion office in Kigali, we made a quick stop so that I could exchange some money. I was asked what I would like to do with my sponsor child whom I was visiting. I was given the choice between taking him to the Genocide Museum(which did not seem at all appealing to take a child to, in my opinion) or tour one of the former President of Rwanda's house. I chose the latter and a short drive later and we were at the Compassion office. Fred, my sponsor child was at the gate, waiting to receive me. As I got out of the car, I walked up to meet Fred with a friendly wave. He was terrified. The translator and social worker who was with him told me that I was probably the first white person who he had ever seen. But we all got into the hire car and drove to the President's house and had a tour of it. I was only able to take pictures outside of the house and on certain parts of the grounds. I thought that as the day went on that Fred would warm up to me more. But being a 6 year old boy who was away from his family in a new place with this weird lady (me) who wanted to give him a hug and hold his hand, I wasn't surprised by his reaction to me. After touring the President's house, we went to get lunch. He perked up when he tried hot chocolate for the first time. But as I was spending more and more time with him, he wasn't seeming to budge. I am sure he was so exhausted and overwhelmed by all the events of the day. As we left the restaurant and headed to the hotel that I was staying at, I pulled out the backpack that I had brought to give to Fred. As he opened my gifts, he became more and more excited. So finally, as I said goodbye, he seemed to warm up to me. His social worker even convinced him to give me a hug and take some pictures with me before I left. I believe that the next time I go to see him, he may have a better reaction.
At lunch, as we were trying to coax words out of Fred, my translator Frank asked how long I was going to be in Rwanda. I told him I would only be there overnight and had no real plans to see anything in the city or anywhere else. He kindly offered to show me around and maybe take a bus to see some of the country side. I agreed and was excited to be able to see more than I originally planned on. We walked around Kigali and I felt people staring as I was one of the only white people in the city. Eventually, we stopped at a restaurant and tried to see Frank's nephew who was one of the managers, but he was not there. From there, Frank asked me if I wanted to go to the Genocide Museum. Every part of me wanted to say no, but multiple people told me that I needed to go there while in Rwanda. I agreed. I found out later that Frank had never gone before, it was something close to his heart as he was 6 years old when the genocide happened. Some of his family was killed in the genocide. We cried our way through the museum and I found that I was so exhausted afterward. I had essentially no sleep except for the hour here or there that I dozed off on the plane or in the airport.
As soon as we arrived in Kigali, Frank, shortly after meeting me, had asked if I wanted to ride one of the motorbikes. It was cheap, easy transportation. I told him that it seemed unsafe and that I didn't want to ride it! But the easiest way to get to the Genocide Museum was by motorbike, so I reluctantly agreed- it ended up being kind of fun. I survived and it didn't seem quite as dangerous as I thought it was going to be. After leaving the museum, we went back to the hotel that I was staying at. Frank helped me get checked in and then we said goodbye. I was at the hotel the rest of the evening and was able to get on the hotel WiFi and talk to my family and my boyfriend. I was up early the next morning to head back to the airport and fly back to Tanzania. I stayed in Tanzania another two nights and met up with some of the group that I climbed Kilimanjaro with. They were just returning from their safari tour and I was able to share with them about my adventure. We all traveled back to the United States together and parted ways.I learned so much about God's provision on this trip. I knew in my head that my biggest worries would be taken care of by the Lord, but it took much prayer to step out in faith and learn through experience what it truly meant to place my life in His hands. The safest place to be is always in the will of God.
