We were both sad and excited to leave South Africa and fly to Pemba. Before we left another adventure was had. It was actually an unpleasant experience but in hindsight, quite funny.
I ended up losing my mobile phone in a taxi ride and someone subsequently picked it up and eventually wanted 1.2 million rand ($120,000 USD) for it. Yep, no joke. When I tried to appeal for compassion, he said he would call back later as he needed to get to church. That was priceless! Afterwards we laughed so hard at the irony… of course we prayed blessing, favour and the goodness of God on our new friend.
Finally we are in Pemba. It really feels like Africa now 🙂 We are living in a very hot and humid climate. The ride to the Iris base was very bumpy and we spent as much time airborne as we were sitting. The ocean here is gorgeous.
Our room in the student compound is humble but still 5-star compared to how many Pemba villagers live. Running water is a luxury when we have it and electricity has been relatively reliable with only a few interruptions ranging from a couple of minutes to a few hours at a time.
Sleeping under a mosquito net on a double bed has not been easy
Getting used to more hand washing. Teamwork rocks!
This transition time was challenging, especially due to the heat, general health and mental as well as physical fatigue. Nevertheless my first experience of Heidi Baker, in person, stirred up renewed faith, shift in perspective and determination to press on. God is so faithful!
Bring on the last leg of Harvest school!
~D