When surrounded by the right people, exhaustion and jet lag can be quite amusing. It is funny to watch people nod off mid-sentence, or sleep in the most awkward and uncomfortable positions. I see some of the most amazing hair-dos and smell some awesome body cologne. Breath mints and mouthwash become legitimate food groups. And who needs fluoride treatment when that natural film builds up enough to coat your enamel?

Seriously, though, this trip has impressed upon me the sacrifice and gutsiness of previous mission generations. Today I will have crossed an ocean and a continent in 11 hours. Yesterday I was happy to have travelled 100 feet in the same time span. Eighteen hours of bone jarring, teeth rattling, washboard roads is still approaching light speed when compared to horseback or foot travel. We at Hume have a three hour roundtrip to buy groceries for two weeks or so. The Maples have a twenty-four hour commute they hope will supply them for 12-16 weeks. I was irritated at dial up speed internet trying to IM with my wife half a world away, while the Maples struggle to keep a 1960’s era deep freezer operating via kerosene.

I am not struggling with “post trip guilt syndrome”, otherwise referred to as PTGS.

The fact that God has placed me at Hume to serve Him is His call, not mine. Honestly, I don’t miss my cell phone reception. I don’t miss smog and traffic and a five minute drive home after a movie (okay, so maybe that last one is pushing the truth a bit). There is great contentment and peace that comes from obedience.

The Maples have that peace, that deep-seated joy; and they reveal it in speech and attitudes. Is it hard for them to watch their youngest daughter grow up without friends? Do their hearts grieve for her loneliness? Do they miss family birthdays, celebrations, holidays? Is it hard for them to say goodbye to sisters for a three to four year span? Is there a little bit of jealousy for the comforts of civilization? The answer to each of these questions is absolutely, whole-heartedly, unashamedly…yes. Yet, as painful and difficult as these things may be, they, like the Apostle Paul, “consider all things but loss, save for the excellency of Christ.”

I began this post comparing travel times and distances. I close it with a request for you to pray for those who are so greatly removed from the comfort and security of family and convenience. Pray that God may reward them with peace in this lifetime and rest in the one to come.

Nine hours and counting…It’s dark. It’s dangerous. We are exhausted. Some are afraid. Others are encouraging. All are praying. All are tired of counting. How much longer is directly linked to how patient we can be.

This day started out early enough. We woke at 5:30am, ate breakfast and packed by 6:45am. After a tearful goodbye with lots of hugs for the Maples’ family, we were on the road by 7:00am. Our vehicles of choice: a 10 passenger Toyota Land Cruiser and Big Blue – a 15 ton Mercedes Benz commercial duty truck retrofitted to haul 22 passengers, their luggage and camping gear.

Sometime around 11:00am we stop. The road ahead has been washed out/flooded by recent rains. Our drivers search for an alternate crossing. A few hundred yards upstream, the Land Cruiser crosses without incident. Those of us in Big Blue were required to cross the stream on foot ahead of the vehicle. We took great care in staying as mud-free as possible.

As we stand on the opposite bank, Big Blue made her attempt to cross. What a classic African adventure. Our driver tries to maintain momentum as the truck plows through the water. The front wheels start up our side of the bank as the rear wheels enter the water. Water flies. Momentum slows. Wheels spin. The truck stops. Now Big Blue is stuck. The time – 11:30am…

We dug. We pushed. We unloaded luggage. We pushed again. We dug again. After four attempts, our guide had only succeeded in burying Big Blue up to her axel in mud with 12 inches of water flowing above the mud. It was time to get serious. It was time to embrace what we had at first avoided – the mud. We kneel in it – we sit in it – we crawl through it – whatever it takes.

We dug a new channel, built a water restrainer and diverted the entire stream around Big Blue. We raised the 15-ton truck with a 5-ton jack to place sticks, branches and traction plates under the tires. It is now 8:00pm. It is dark. We have one chance to get Big Blue out or risk spending the night in the bush and starting again at first light.

The men are ready to push. The women have been praying. They ask PK to drive. He does. The truck rocks back and forth. The men push. The women encourage. Again and again, this cycle is repeated. One more time…and Big Blue gains traction… then momentum… then dry ground!!! We have done it! Thank you, God!!!

Nine long hours to move 100 feet – from stuck to unstuck. Our police escort informs us the road ahead is washed out even more severely than our current location. We will have to cross back over the stream and backtrack to an alternate route in order to reach our destination. We can’t afford to get stuck. We don’t have the energy to lift. So we plan. We prepare. We dig dirt and shovel mud, removing bumps and inclines. We cut free branches (with inch and a half thorns) to lie on top of the mud and muck. We fill the stream with branches. Another hour passes. It is the time to make our crossing. PK slides into the driver’s seat. All of us are standing, watching, praying. We have one chance…

-Jason Whalen

Each of us was given the opportunity to do a “Home Stay” the night before. Ours was filled with conversation and laughter as we handed out glow-in-the-dark jewelry to our host’s wife and children. For Robbie and George, their host decided to roast fresh goat for them. The girls on the team were a little frustrated as their hosts did not speak much English. Hand gestures aren’t very effective in the dark.

This morning started early for the guys as we were to be privy to a Samburu right of passage. Robbie and George started @ 4:45 am with a run to catch up to Jason, Andy, Andreas (our host) and me as we headed to a neighboring village. Andreas was to be godfather to a boy who was to be circumcised. The boy was 13. No medication. No anesthesia. NOTHING! If they cry out or flinch or wince, they and their families are disgraced. Talk about pressure… Needless to say, we have no photos from the experience. Three boys were circumcised in ten minutes. In Samburu culture, they became men. We also saw a bloodletting and drank chai tea with the village elders before the sun rose.

FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
WRAP-UP

Thank you,

Sarah

RECREATION:

Friday
Saturday
Sunday

After a few days of high-energy recreation, heart-felt chapels, and
action-packed free time with students, I experienced my favorite
moment of camp yesterday morning. We invited the students the night
before to an early morning worship and prayer meeting before
breakfast. To be honest, jet lag was my great enemy and made it hard
to feel awake and lively at 7AM. Apparently, for the students who are
currently starting a school break, 7AM is absurdly early as well.
However, we still had a few who wanted to be a part of worship. We
allowed the students to lead us out to a great spot. It overlooked
over the entire Rift Valley.

It was here where I found myself blown away by the thought of what God
was doing in our lives. He brought the other Hume leaders and me clear
across the world simply to encourage and to love these students. For
the students, He has placed them in a country where they could be
light for Christ to the people. Now we were both worshiping the same
God as we viewed His incredible creation. For all of us, this was not
a show, or time to impress others. It was a morning of humble worship.
A small group of people sang genuinely to the Lord, “HOW GREAT IS OUR
GOD,”… simply because He Is.

- Robbie Conrad