I have been battling lack of strong internet (and even more, lack of time!) since Thanksgiving break! So this is a post of catching up, I wrote it over Thanksgiving weekend and am just getting the opportunity to publish it--hopefully the internet holds up!
Thanksgiving this year was not quite like any that I have experienced. We spent the weekend at Kruger National Park, one of the largest reserves in Africa. It's been something that we have been looking forward to throughout all our preparation and time here, yet it was still difficult to see friends' pictures of going home for Thanksgiving and be so far away. It's not my first Thanksgiving being away from home (I've spent a few in Guatemala now or getting ready to leave), but it was the first time I have been away from my family.
That being said, safari was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had! We saw the Big 5--elephants, lions, water buffalo, leopards, and white rhinos--as well as zebras, giraffes, hippos, hyenas, birds, kudus, and (SO many) impala. It's cool enough to see these animals at a zoo or reserve in the States, but seeing them in the wild it was hard to imagine this being real life.
When people picture Africa, I think many of them imagine what seems like the end of the earth, with lions and elephants roaming the streets. At Kruger, that's pretty much what it was like! We had dinner in the bush our first night there, with a man standing guard with a shotgun because we had seen hyenas driving up to the camp! Friday morning we saw lions eating a buffalo carcass, fighting off vultures and hyenas who were also hungry for the meat. My favorite moment was when a whole herd of elephants crossed the street right in front of our truck--everything was quiet, all you could hear was their feet hitting the pavement, and it was the most intense yet peaceful moment I could have ever experienced! We had a lizard in our room and I saw insects the size of my pointer finger. In short, it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life! God's creation is amazing, and I never realized it more than that weekend.
Kruger embodies many of the ideas that people have about Africa, yet having been to the continent twice now, I am amazed by the vast difference that there is between two nations on this continent. I shouldn't be surprised--different regions of the United States have completely different landscapes and cultures (think Hawaii vs Montana). Morocco and Cape Town are about as far apart on the continent as two places could be. It amazes me that people could think of Africa as one giant slave ship, one giant safari, one giant Ebola or AIDS crisis. During our summer preparation for this project, we watched a TED talk on Africa's rediscovery of its "true greatness." One of her most profound statements was that "Africa is not a village." This shatters the typical view of Africa that the rest of the world often has. Both in Morocco and here in Cape Town, I realize daily how different the world is from our perceptions. It's amazing how homogenous we perceive entire regions and continents to be. How much does this cheapen the unique beauty that God has given to each country, each community, and each person? To treat them as if they were all the same is to lessen their importance in our estimation.
As far as Thanksgiving goes, I am so thankful this year. First, I am thankful that the Lord has given me this opportunity, to learn from some of the most incredible people I have ever met. I am thankful that He loves me enough to be patient with me and love me through this. I am thankful for my amazing family--there is no way that I would be here without them. I am thankful for every single person I have met here, and for all of the people supporting me and praying for me back at home. I am thankful for all of the things God blesses me with every day, things I so often take for granted: food, clothing, electricity, clean water, plumbing, living in a relatively safe and definitely comfortable area.
It is hard to be here and to balance being thankful with being guilty. Every day we drive into Philippi, where people more often than not don't know where their next meal is coming from. They live in conditions that I truly could not imagine. When it's time to go back to the lodge at the end of the day, my heart feels heavy walking away from a situation that is so far beyond my control. I wonder what they think of me, a privileged American coming to help--does it seem insincere, when they know I get to go back to live in luxury at the end of the project?
I guess the best thing that I can compare it to is the story of the Good Samaritan. When he saw a person that needed help, he stopped and did what he could. But he was not the one who nursed the Jew who had been beaten back to health--that was the innkeeper. There was someone else, not the Samaritan, in a better position to provide long term help. I feel like this project is my opportunity to stop at the side of the road. To finally DO something about conditions I feel are not okay, for people who could use hope and love. But I'm not going to be the one who heals them--eventually, I have to turn over the reigns to someone else and trust that God is the Ultimate and Perfect Healer. And I know He merits my trust, He is faithful. For that, I can really give thanks.
Til Later,
Sam
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