Africa the Beautiful

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Colossians 1:16-17

Day 2.

We made it!! We finally arrived in South Africa after a very intense 15 hours. Not the most fun experience, but certainly worth it.

We swiftly made it through customs and baggage claim and proceeded to the Johannesburg airport food court to meet up with our team. With very heavy eyelids and grogginess left over from our sleeping drugs, we greeted our team. I'm not even sure I totally remember this event. Haha.

After gathering all 30 of us together we began the 5 1/2 hour bus ride to Manzini, Swaziland! We were all in and out of conciousness, but this turned out to be a great opportunity to take in the beauty that is Africa.



However, leaving Johannesburg was a very sad site. Johannesburg, South Africa is the most dangerous city in the world. We easily gathered this for ourselves because every single building and home is surrounded by barbed wire fences. There is an immense amount of poverty surrounding the city. Johannesburg needs prayers of deliverance from crime and poverty.

After about a 2 hour drive we stopped at a gas station for a bathroom and snack break. We were all excited and slightly baffled to find exotic animals just hanging out at a near by water hole. I think this was the point at which we all realized we were really in Africa. It's not everyday you're met by a zebra at your local rest stop!



The closer we got to the border of Swaziland, the more breathtaking the view became. Where we were in Africa was nothing what I imagined "Africa" to look like, but it was certainly not a disappoinment! The scenary screamed of God's glory!

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

John 1:3

The bus ride was the first of many times I was struck by the beauty of this place.  Creation unmistakably points back to our Maker.  I am convinced that the Lord has given these broken people such a beautiful view to help them remember His power and love (more on this later).

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Psalm 19:1



After our long journey that spanned the better part of 2 days, we arrived in Manzini, Swaziland!  We were overjoyed to have finally arrived (we stayed at the lovely home of a missionary) and beyond excited to get started.  But, not before we got some much needed sleep.

A local missionary, and staff member of Adventures In Missions, prepared us an incredible meal of grilled chicken.  We ate outside in the chilly night air and thanked God for His faithfulness.  We were all ushered to bed early so we would be rested and ready for the "carnival" we were going to throw for some awesome kids the following day.

We went to bed that night with a lot of anticipation, excitment, and thankfulness.



Our little bus group