Relaxation

Relaxation—the return of a system to equilibrium after a displacement from this state. It is the abatement or relief from bodily or mental work, effort, and application. This should be the definition of a Saturday. As the day brought forth new beginnings, new choices, and new adventures, it was time for me to let the past go and embrace the present. The destination of choice for the day was in the eye of the beholder. There was one vehicle traveling past Mbeya to a coffee/tea plantation, and another trudging its way up the mountain the paints the landscape behind the Chimala Mission property we call our home. I braved the mountain with my peers and Miss Patty. We all hopped into the Defender, our land cruiser, and began our journey. Nyenye, our driver and guide, informed us of the 52 switchbacks we were about to face. At about the 3^rd switchback, with our wheels testing the edge of a very steep mountain, Miss Patty asked, “Is everyone here baptized?!” The car erupted with laughter, to lighten the air behind the truth of those words. We all responded with “yes” and knew that the rest was in God’s hands. At the halfway mark, Nyenye got out of the vehicle to check under the hood. He informed us that everything was okay, and we continued climbing the mountain. As we reached our destination, sighs of relief could be heard from Allison. Her eyes appeared out of the comfort of Alaina’s hands and we all exited the safe haven of Mr. Land cruiser. The fresh air filled our lungs, and the elevation gave way to a breathtaking view. Mountains set the landscape with various peaks and summits. The African jungle added a touch of greenery. The sky proudly portrayed its blue vastness, welcoming the sunlight that poured on our faces. As much as we wanted to capture the moment, a camera would not suffice. Justice to the beauty of God’s creation, the work of his fingerprints, is only something that can be preserved with a memory. After we embraced the moment, and yearned to stay longer, we knew that we must continue moving forward with the days events in order to return home before the dangers of darkness are upon us. We snapped a few more photos and piled back in our vehicle. Nyenye continued to maneuver on the “road” or better described as dirt path covered with large rocks and giving way to depths  and small hills. I attempted to take a video but it was so blurry and bumpy it makes one’s stomach feel as if they are on a rollercoaster. If the internet worked at a faster pace, I would attempt to upload it but it takes about 20 minutes to upload one still shot (photo). We began to question the faith we had in our driver when we were about five minutes down a “road” not visible to the American eye. The grass was taller than our vehicle, and honestly, we had no idea what our current position was. If the car broke down, or got a flat. We would have to face the dangers of the bush…spiders (poisonous) the size of my hand, snakes (pythons, deadly mambas) and who knows what else. Miss Patty asked the driver to stop and inform us where we were going. E said to the old Chimala Mission hospital. We hesitantly put ou faith and our lives into this man’s hands as we moved forward. All faith faded when he said are you ready to drop out? We were still in the middle of the bush, life to grass taller than my head. We thought he was kidding—for a second—but there was no humor behind his words. He was serious. We asked him if he could call and make sure this is where Mernard had told him to go. We could tell he was frustrated when he hopped out of the car and began to disappear in the bush, talking Swahili on his cell. And then the unthinkable happened—a man appeared through the grass, carrying a bundle on his head. As he passed our car I boldly snapped a picture, as seen below.

 

Maybe this was a road after all. I must remember that I am in Africa. On first thought, I see this man as crazy for traveling on foot through this grass, brave to face the dangers within its borders. But this is his home. The culture and tradition is the unknown to my life. I am continually introduced to new concepts daily.

I must say, God was watching over his children. A large tree had fallen on the road and we were forced to turn around and retrace our tracks. I’m not sure how we returned to the visible road, but we did. Nyenye took us to the next stop on our list—the river. A good 30 minutes or so later we arrived.

The water welcomed our presence. As we walked to the waters edge, Ashli introduced a new concept to my thoughts. She said, “Isn’t it amazing how the water makes noise. It flows over the rocks and creates such a peaceful sound but you would think it would flow silently.” Those words left an imprint. I have never thought of this before. God made that noise, he created the sound that brings peace and relaxation to the soul. He knew that today, we would hear that water and he placed us at its border.

I continued to journey down the rivers path and found a place to sit on the warm stones. I hung my feet over the edge and watched the water flow beneath me. I was propped slightly after a small waterfall and I couldn’t take my eyes off of the water—flowing over rocks, plummeting a couple feet, surfacing with bubbles, and creating its own course glimmering in the sunlight. The sound was music to my ears. I closed my eyes and laid down, cuddled up in a ball on the bed of stones that radiated its warmth to share with my body. The sun rays lit my face and danced across the waters surface, sparkling as if God brushed glitter into its stream. Each of us found our own place, and embraced the beautiful outdoors. My eyes remained closed and soon enough, I fell asleep. Typically when I wake up from a dream and return to reality  I am not surrounded by such a fairytale environment, in the middle of nature’s womb.

Once again, we needed to get on the road and continue our adventure. Nyenye said that his father was in a village nearby and we all decided to stop by and visit. A phone call and long drive later, we entered back into civilization. Fields of many crops, mostly rice and corn, enclosed either side of the road. There were patches of flowers, assorted between the crops. We inquired Nyenye what they were and he replied medicine for the crops. Sunflowers also peaked out of the corn stalks. We pulled onto a side road and Nyenye parked the car. His younger father (father’s brother) was there to greet us. This is his family member who sent him to school to learn to be a mechanic and learn English. Now, he can see the fruit from his money, the results of Nyenye’s schooling. They brought out benches for everyone to sit on and offered us fresh soda. I felt bad taking one but it would be rude not to receive what they offered their guests. Allison and I split a Fanta orange and thanked them for their hospitality. We stayed and talked for awhile and played Frisbee with some orphans before heading back home. We took a different route down, which took about an hour and a half. The road was extremely dusty, and we were covered upon arrival. When you patted your clothes, a cloud of dust filled the air. Our clothes had a brown tinge to them, and you could see the dust in the air for the last hour of the drive. When I blew my nose, it was brown. When I cleaned my ears—after I showered—the Qtips were still brown. My contacts took a dive and met the bottom of the trashcan. All in all, what a beautiful day we had been blessed with. As God’s children, we rejoice in the splendor of his creation.