You’ll often find Rick and I watching the TV show, The Amazing Race, on Sunday nights. We hurry home, pop some corn or fill a cereal bowl and sit down to tour the world. We laugh with one another: “You’d take this challenge” or “I think I’d do this one” as we watch contestants eat bugs in Africa, scale the outside of hotel towers or fly through shark pools in Dubai. It’s our way of traveling vicariously and enjoying God’s great world.
In the past few years, we’ve tried a bit of the Amazing Race personally, and we’ve learned it’s easier to watch a race on TV. The many challenges of traveling are much more exhausting when one actually has to do them personally.
During the final (cold) week in Africa, I (Linda) tried to find a hot tea in a nearby guest house. Looking around, there was no tea, but a rare TV displayed the sight of two women trying to finish a marathon. Both were within yards of the finish line, but their legs simply would not carry them. They literally crawled to the finish line.
During our final days in Africa, this picture often came to my mind (without laughing). The “race” of this summer had worn me down. On the final day in Africa, we attended a Sunday service (twice as large as The MET with wonderful African leadership) and then stopped to repair a flat tire (and enjoy Kenyan coffee). After resting, we headed to the airport, only to have another flat tire (different tire). Needing to make our flight, it was a real opportunity for prayer. A policeman flagged over another driver and insisted that he help us. Kenyans are so relational that we were able to depart on time.
Weary and sleepless, we flew all night over Africa, Greece and Albania towards Switzerland. A brilliant red sunrise tinted the Alps with glory. At a most unexpected and exhausted time, we saw the Alps. High, lifted up, and glorious.
God’s glory is often most brilliantly seen when ours is gone:
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord,
sitting on a throne, high and lifted up…
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts,
the whole earth is full of His glory.
Isaiah 6:1
Where are you today? In a time when life seems like funerals and flat tires? Crawling?
We’ve needed a few weeks to wait quietly by still waters. Tonight, after taking our final malaria pill we reviewed our photos from Africa (and the Alps). After all, the Amazing Race is best enjoyed right here at home!
We’ll let you travel with us – right from your home:
View from Double View Hotel in Dar es Salaam – (see post on The Double View)
Monkeys outside the window of our room
Kazuri beads (birthday day)
Africa International University
Dolls (Thanks Hugh and Val) for orphans
This pastor has taken in five orphans!
Always a joy to be with Maasai believers
We saw the Alps! (from downtown Zurich)
On THE Way 