Scratching the surface and finding God's heart.

On our way down from North to West Africa we crossed a country called Mauritania. Im sure for most of you the name rings a bell but if you were asked whether you know anything about this country your reply would probably be the same as mine was. Not much. I didnt know much but from what I read and what people told me this was a strict muslim state were Christians were being killed for their faith, a country firmly in the grip of Islam, a dangerous place were one shouldnt really go unless you really had to. But in these three days, God came and showed me a different side of  Mauritania. He came and gave me a journey through his heart for this country and it was incredible. Here follows three days in my life as I take you back to our time travelling through Mauritania.

The price was fixed for our grand taxis to Nouadibou(Mauritania) the next day as I shaked our skinny arab friends hand to seal the deal. Our overland through Mauritania into Senegal was to begin the next morning at 6 am.

So after leaving early out of Dakhla(Western Sahara) on the morning of the 12^th we arrived at the Western Sahara/Mauritania border at around 10 am. After exiting WS and traveling through a deserted no mans land we got to the Mauritanian side with a big black Mauritanian soldier awating us. This is it I though. As the driver openend the window he spoke in a deep and strong french voice asking for our passport and taking it from us as if we had withheld it from him. After giving it to the man in the office he called us out of the car to the office with the same commanding tone. After asking us a few questions our passports were given back and as we were walking back to the car the soldier who was previously very serious started to drop his serious soldier act and gave me a smile, telling me that I should enjoy his beautiful country and that I was welcome. Wow, it meant so much to me and I felt so welcome.

So we got into Mauritania without any major hassles and no real opposition and continued  travelling to the first town were we would spend the night. Arriving in Nouadibou we were dropped off at the campsite where we would spend the night and got welcomed by a friendly Mauritanian man named Bubba. What a friendly guy. He really helped us so much, from changing our money to getting our minbus taxi booked for the next day and buying food at the supermarket. He was really such a pleasant guy and we had a fun time with our friend Bubba. As I was expecting the worse and experiencing the opposite I was very surprised at our first day in Mauritania.

The next morning we woke up very early to catch our minibus taxi to the capital Nouachott. After being dropped off at the station by our newly found friend Bubba we were on our way again travelling through long stretches of desert and sand dunes. After a whole morning and a bit of the afternoons driving we got stopped once again, for I think the 6^th time and once again we were asked for our passports and a series of questions continued. It however seemed that this particular soldier  had  a lot of time on his hands and he ordered all of us to get out of the vehicle and went on telling the driver to get our bags off the roofrack in the same commanding tone that we experienced at all of the other roadblock. So after checking a few bags he called me over and ordered me to open up my bag and so I did that. Pointing out my medication, I explained in sign language to him that it was my medicine, pointing my finger into my mouth. Then he went on pointing to my tent and I indicated by holding my hands in a tent shape that it was a tent, he seemed pleased and then went on asking what my sleeping bag was for. So I explained to him that it was what I slept in. It was here were I started laughing at the situation and then believe it or not this serious soldier joined in with a smile. Probably realising that im just an innocent traveller and not a drug smuggler he kindly and very helpfully packed everything neatly back and helped me to clip all my bags clips back in place. He continued looking through a few more bags half- heartedly after which he told all of us to get back into the minibus with a smile on his face. I remember everybody laughing together at the situation.

Through out the remainder of the day and the next morning before we entered into Senegal I experienced a few more of these situations. Like the Minibus driver. Trying to be serious and strict to ensure he gets us on time in Nouachott but failing everytime because of his hunger to communicate and each effort of him to remain serious resulting in a smile and a few funny words.

It seemed that from the outside the country and its people seem so hard and unreachable but that as you scratched the surface their real hearts were exposed. I realized that they are also just human beings with compassionate hearts. They also just want friendship; also have issues and problems just like us and God loves them just as much as he loves us. God came and showed me his heart for these people and it was amazing. I was reminded that despite what the world thinks and says about the people of Mauritania and the country and what is happening there, that God loves Mauritania. He loves every bit of it. From the empty white desert dunes in the north to the red dunes in the south with its thorn trees and little villages scattered here and there. My time here was very special and I will always have a place in my heart for this beautiful country and its people.