This blog was written. 2/22/24. And is being published now because I finally have WiFI.
Yeah, this one was going to be hard. We knew that going in, but we were mistaken. It was brutal.
We get out of a van at the bottom of a mountain. With the eyes of innocent baby doves soon to be ripped out by the dragon, that was the next week and a half of our lives.
Our goal is to hike this mountain with all our food and supplies for the next six days and construction equipment for this village we are going to. This includes wooden beams probably 10 – 12 feet and a bunch of other big crap.
We start off on our journey, which is a relatively difficult, relatively steep mountain. But we make it halfway at a reasonable pace with everything. I took off my pack, and we took a rest. Then our leader tells me to help the 3 African men move this water tank. I thought we were moving it just a few yards up to where we put the rest of the construction stuff. I was wrong I pick it up and we didn’t stop for the next hour. Up and down ridges and eventually we make it to the village. I sit down, absolutely exhausted. 10 minutes later, we head down the mountain to grab more stuff. I went down the mountain four times that day.
This was not me. Not my strength purely Gods I usually try to do the bear minimum then chill not go above and beyond. This was all God. I felt like Desmond Doss from the movie hacksaw ridge “God just let me get one more”. Not that carrying construction equipment up a mountain is equivalent to rescuing soldiers. But it was purely God’s strength and his will getting me up and down the mountain that day.
But this was just the beginning of the next six days; we helped build a church and build a long drop (a hole you poop in). But this was pretty physical in nature, and we became increasingly exhausted. And then a couple of people began to get sick.
It was the last morning on the mountain and we were not feeling great over all but I was feeling fine. We make it down individually and get in the van for the drive home.
By this point, 50 percent of the group felt off. And I didn’t think I was in that group. I was sorely mistaken. That night was the worst night of my life. I won’t go into detail, but the point is I spent all night in the bathroom and the next day. It was rough.
It was a very humbling experience the last week. We don’t control as much as we think we do. Even more reason to trust in God.
