I want to explain the past couple days. I am having trouble figuring out where to start. What a whirlwind. On Wednesday we left to head to Botswana. Our original destination in Botswana was Seronga. However the only road in and out of our ministry location was swept away by all of the rain. As Beth would say, “I feel like things just stop phasing me.” So we left Wednesday morning for Maun, Botswana. The most God loving man, Sanderson, volunteered his entire day to help us get there. He picked us up from our hostel and drove all 13 of us and all of our luggage to the border. We got our passports stamped out of Zambia and then stood for 2 hours in the rain on a ferry boat(and sometimes under a parked semi truck), waiting for the ferry driver to show up. Two hours later we took a quick 10 minute ferry boat across the river to Botswana, and got checked in. Sanderson had called his best buddy, John, from Botswana to meet us at the border. John volunteered his house up to 13 American (and one Canadian) girls and Sanderson. Sanderson would not leave to go home to Zambia until he knew we got on our bus to Maun quickly. During our short 7 hour layover at Johns house, the boys took us on our own personal safari that held 7 (there was 15 of us at that point). We did not see any elephants which was the hope, but we did see some warthogs. Our safari ended at the bank for currency exchange, a quick worship session in the parking lot, and the grocery store for milk and coffee (thanks again for the coffee Sanderson).
If you were wondering what our worship session looked like it pictures as follows: 4 white women and John in the normal indoor seats of the safari vehicle. 10 white women and Sanderson on the back of the vehicle normally meant for two. The front of the truck was playing worship music when Sanderson yells to John “Jesus has set us free for crying out loud. Turn the music up. Maun needs this.” We sang reckless love and then proceeded to jump out of the truck for a parking lot rendition of church clap. Then to John’s for the 7 hour layover.
Sanderson has hooked us up with our own private bus for the 9 hour ride to Maun. Around 8pm we set off. About 3 hours into our journey we were quite rudely awakened by the stopped bus, the lights on, and our bus driver yelling at Sahara “sister sister tell that girl to get down from there now!” (At Katie who was sleeping on top of our previously rained on luggage). Sahara (our bundle of joy) did not take it well and apparently at this time Gabby and Kayleigh were laughing at the fact that I had said “this is the angriest I have ever seen Sahara” (which I do not remember happening).
During this stop we were told to get out and put our shoes on. At the border we had to put all of our shoes from our bags and on our feet in a bucket of chemicals to prevent the spread of hand, foot, and mouth disease. I guess we were doing this again, in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere. I got out, stepped in the dirty puddle (as Oriana called it. And Yes. Baby wipes would clean our shoes more than this puddle of whatever) and asked for the bathroom. The response I got was this “the nearest bathroom is 4 kilometers away and you cannot go on th left because there is elephants (i see trees) and you cannot go on the right because there is lions (i still see trees).” Might I remind you, when I say middle of nowhere, I mean middle of nowhere. After all stepping in the dirty puddle we boarded our bus. Sophia yells “I see an elephant.” She yes indeed did see an elephant. Right off the side of the road is the largest, most wild elephant I have ever seen. The bus proceeded on. We all took our places: on top of the wet bags, full bodies laying on the rolling luggage, feet on each other, bodies on floors.
About 40 seconds later the bus stops, lights come on, and we are told we can now pee- on the side of the road- 40 seconds after we saw a large wild elephant. There we peed.
After another 30 minute rest stop, we made it to LOVE BOTSWANA in Maun at 5am.
We spent Thursday (and the next several days) washing our packs and everything in them (might I remind you they all got rained on). Thursday evening Tyler finished her shower in our bathroom and comes out in just a towel announcing that our water spicket fell off and she can’t stop the water. We rapidly had about 5 people shower because we have limited water for the month, so we might as well make the most of it. Meanwhile a few of our girls went to the neighbors to tell them of our situation. They had to shut the water off to the entire house. I tried to make popcorn and it exploded, burned, and popped all over our kitchen floor. We had 13 girls clothes hung on every surface imaginable such as fans, chairs, cabinets, and counter. During the popcorn incident Katie made me laugh (I pee when I laugh too hard). So I ended the night peeing in my only pair of clean underwear.
As much of a nightmare everything sounds it is so comical because the actuality of it all seems so unreal. But flash forward to today, Saturday, I started my day at 4:20am to go watch orphans, saw my favorite security guard, and I currently just woke up from a nap in a hammock with this view of our most gorgeous home for the next month.
