5.28.08
My last week in Africa has been spent in the country of Tanzania where the ICY teams from all three East Africa countries- Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania- have come together to enjoy a time of fellowship, volunteer work, and worship with one another. Within our group, we represent eight countries- England, Australia, Germany, Canada, America, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. It is an incredible feeling to look around at our group serving in Dar es Salaam and reflect on how our common passion for volunteering in the name of the LORD has united us all in Africa.
One of the days this week we visited an orphanage just outside Dar es Salaam city hustle and bustle to contribute our efforts to a physically demanding task. Upon the arrival of our group in the morning, we visited with the children who call the orphanage their home, as we waited out a heavy rainstorm. When it had cleared up enough to work, our group of over 20 was led to a gigantic pile of logs and branches that remained after a large tree had been chopped up for fire wood.
Upon first glance, I was excited and ready to get my hands dirty. I watched one of the Ugandan volunteers, Benon, walk across the remains of the tree and toward the path which would lead us back to the orphanage campus. The thick piece of tree trunk he was carrying over his left shoulder didn’t look that big or heavy. …But then I attempted to lift up a section of the trunk myself. Each piece was made up of extremely dense wood, infested with aggressive biting red ants, and awkwardly shaped making it almost impossible to carry. Jen, a volunteer from Indiana working with the Tanzania team, and I decided to try to carry a section of the tree together. We lifted it up, then immediatley threw it back to the ground to attempt a different position which wouldn’t cause permanent damage to one of our backs! We counted to three and tried to lift it back up, struggling to maneuver it between the two of us, panting in frustrated exhaustion. How could this piece be so heavy? Everyone struggled to answer the same question, shocked by the misleading size and weight of the tree pieces. Jen and I probably took over 20 minutes to get our section of the tree to the pile outside one of the orphanage buildings. We literally tried every possible position to carry the piece between us and nothing was comfortable. We were forced to take many breaks, hurling the tree from our bodies where it would land with a solid thump. We were covered in mud, bruises, and scratches. We tried using banana leaves to create handles around the base of the second piece we battled with…there was no easy way of transporting the sections of branches and trunk. Everyone was putting forth all of their energy for this project, including the children from the orphanage.
I carried a long and solid branch with John from Oklahoma, who had come with the Kenya team. He and I struggled with the awkward size and shape, trying to keep it’s weight on our shoulders as one of us led the way. However, the sharp edges of splintered wood and extreme pain the weight exerted onto our shoulders caused us to stop several times along the long path to rest and regain strength. When we finally reached the destination of the fire wood pile, I confessed to John that the walk back to the pile of awaiting wood was most difficult for me. While my hands were empty, each step I took closer to the pile was a step closer to carry another portion.
I later decided to try to carry individual sized sections of the tree. I was already exhausted from the few pieces I had helped transport earlier, but I wanted to contribute as much as I could to the cause. On maybe my third round working solo, I lifted a section of a solid branch, about a foot and a half in diameter and began the awful trek along the dirt path back to the orphanage. Not long into my walk, sweat was dripping into and burning my eyes. My body was trembling under the weight, and my shoulder was experiencing an excruciating sharp pain. I knew I couldn’t do it. Just as I was scoping out a place to hurl the log off my body, my friend Ronnie, one of the Uganda volunteers, came up behind me with a log on his head. “You’re doing well, Dani. Keep it up. You’re half way there.” His words of encouragement came just at the right time, and I continued to walk with the weight. I was panting heavily and wincing under the log. I was literally whimpering under the heavy mass and felt a wave of defeat. I had to drop it. Again, Ronnie, who had been walking silently beside me, voiced, “ You’ve got this, Dani. Keep going.” I had almost forgotten he was there. His words fueled my determination. I kept walking, doing my best to ignore the pain. Each step was tremendously difficult, and I was involuntarily moaning and vocally expressing my grief. I was in a mental debate every second, fighting the urge to quit. But Ronnie had again offered me encouragement, “You can see the end ahead now, Dani.” I couldn’t even comprehend making it to the end. But Ronnie stayed beside me, stride for stride. 50 steps. Even though I could visually see the firewood pile, I still felt defeated. 40 steps. It was too far. 30 steps I wasn’t even conscious of my strides at this point. 20 steps. The sweat continued to roll and accumulate at my nose and chin, where the droplets at my nose were blown off by my heavy exhaling. My eyes were tightly shut and I was almost wailing. I couldn’t do it. 10 steps. “Dani, you have come all this way. You are almost there. Look ahead!” Ronnie sped up as I did, anxious and desperate to get the tree off of me. My back and shoulders were in so much pain. My stomach was queasy and my legs were weak. 5 steps. I began to grasp the wood and prepare to expel it from my shoulders. 3 steps. I literally launched the wood into the air with a loud vocal exclaim, expressing my anguish. “You did it, Dani. You did it.” Ronnie dumped his log off his head into the pile. Being one of the last to carry a load, I immediately headed to the circle of people resting and cooling off by the water. One of the American volunteers poured me a glass of water, and I took it from him with my hands trembling. I watched pieces of dirt and bark fall from my hair into the glass, but proceeded to chug the water down. I sat down and breathed deeply to recover.
As I reflected on my experience and my encouragement from Ronnie, I thought about the way the LORD is beside us through our personal trials and challenges. The path to the end was long, and I was unable to see the final destination of the fire wood pile until I was very close. The burden of the weight on my shoulders was painful and defeating. Quitting seemed to be the only answer to find relief. But the moment I felt like giving up, Ronnie had offered support, reminding me that he was right beside me and giving verbal encouragement. He was there for me through the entire walk, and knew the exact moment that I needed extra support. The same occurs with our relationship with the LORD in a tough time. When we feel like giving up, when we lose our perseverance, the LORD offers a way to remind us of HiS love and support. GOD stays beside us always, no matter how difficult the time or how much pain we feel. HE is with us from the beginning through the end of a trail. Ronnie’s support that day helped me to overcome the sense of defeat, which continuously crept over me. I believed in his words and realize that I would not have been able to make it to the end without his encouragement. Ronnie not only helped me to endure such a physically and mentally challenge task, but also offered a visual analogy to remind me of the commitment the LORD has to staying by our side.
