Hitchhike... humility... Honour to God!*

Have you ever experienced a 34 hour day? Imagine that... traveling... different time zones... minimal sleep!!! That was South Bound from New Zealand to Mendoza, Argentina!
After we made a semi-successful attempt to sleep on the Mendoza airport, we were given the plans for the next few days! ¨In your small groups, go and explore South America, this is the time, you have 6 days, R100 per day per person... and all you need to do is meet up again in Lima in 6 days! See places, jump of a bridge!!!¨ This was Global Challenge we all thought!!! Time to explore South America! Macchu Pittchu maybe! The beaches of Santiago! We had lots in mind!

Our first night was spent in a hostel in Mendoza, with the 2 other colour groups there as well! We spent some time in prayer to decide which way God wants us to go! It is either through Bolivia or through Chile!  Now to give you an idea of this journey ahead of us… it was as if you just decide to travel from Cape Town to Kenya the next few days… with public transport… without really able to communicate J

So God showed us that we should move through Chile and then go all the way up this thin country, through to Lima! We were up early the morning, ready and packed (after having an early breakfast with a bunch of drunk Argentineans that were eagerly awaiting their soccer game that morning…)! At the bus station we were told that the pass at the Chile/Argentina border was still closed due to snow! Oh no! We sat and prayed and looked at our options! Just before we were about to go back to the hostel, i thought we should just go look once more!On the way in, we walked into PJ… they had just opened the pass a few minutes ago, and they were also getting on that bus! So praise God, we got tickets, and we were on our way to Santiago, Chile!

The bus trip to Santiago was absolutely beautiful! The border pass was something you can’t explain in words… it looked as if it was computerized for some movie… the snow mountains were exquisite!

On the bus, Danie was sitting next to a guy that is from Santiago, Juan, that could speak ‘poquito’ (little) English, and that had just been in Argentina for a Karate championship! He had the trophy, so he was a good guy to know J They chatted the whole way and taught one another some English and Spanish, and through that, he told us that his grandfather lived in Santiago and that he would ask him if we could sleep at his place that night! Wow! God was providing already… He knew our needs! When we arrived at Santiago, he phoned his granddad, and crash-boom-bang… we could no longer sleep there! There was just not enough space! Juan just felt too bad to just leave us, we looked like lost chickens, so we walked around Santiago with him looking for a place to sleep! After an hour or so of walking around, and even checking out the homeless shelter, he told us he had phoned his mother, and she had said we could come sleep at their home! And what a blessing that was! We met his mom Vicky and his 4 year-old son, Nicholas! We were so humbled by their generosity to welcome us into their home, and give us food to eat, and help us with buses etc… all 4 of us!

The next morning, we had realized that this is not just a 2 day trip, and that there wont be time for Macchu Pittchu or beaches J And that the budget is not quite enough for a few 1000 km travel! So that lead us to the next point… hitch-hiking! At this point, it was raining already the whole morning! So when the decision of hitch-hiking came, I gave it over to the Lord, He wanted us to go through Chile and now He will give us the way to do it… and He should please stop the rain! The moment we stepped out of the bus station, the rain stopped! After standing at one spot (that we thought was going in the right direction) for about half an hour with no success, a car stopped and told us (which we could figure out in Spanish) that we were standing at the wrong spot and that they would come back in 10 minutes and take us to the right spot! So a bit later on, the car returned and we all jumped in! It was the size of an Opel Cadette, with a full boot! So it was 2 men infront, and all 4 of us with our bags on the back seat! I think God made the car flexible at that point J

Now at this next spot (the good one), we stood for about 2 hours before we got a lift for 10km! J Luckily God has a sense of humour! So 10km’s later, this little truck dropped us off at the REAL ‘good spot’. Ok, so there we were for the next hour about, and now it was like 4 in the afternoon already, and we had been trying since about 10 that morning! J So finally a truck pulls over! I ran with energy that I don’t know where it came from! We all squashed in the truck and off we were! Our driver this time could speak minimal English (actually none)… but we were with him in the truck for about 7 to 8 hours! Every now and then he would just jam loud music and laugh and then go on driving! He was very strange but great entertainment! So our destination was Coquimbo… that is where he lived and was going to that day! So God once again provides...our driver had arranged for us to sleep at their house that evening (we didn’t even mention to him that we have nowhere to sleep!) J God is good!  All honour and praise to Him!

2 Thess 3:5 “May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.”

After being blessed with a place to stay, food to eat and once again being humbled by our host´s generosity and so amazed at God and His love for us... we were off again to a spot where we could try hitch-hike again to the next town! (We were not half way yet!)

2 Thess 3:16 “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in very way.”

Considering all our options... tried hitch-hiking, and not being successful… we decided to buy a bus ticket to get us to Arica, which is just before the Peruvian border! And with that, we all went and sat in McDonalds, with free WiFi… skyping with the family to just encourage us anew! Danie spoilt us with a McDonalds meal, and we just actually sat a bit and enjoyed one another’s company! We traveled on the bus for about 22 hours! And we arrived in Arica! From there, our next strip was to get over the border, to Tacna! And then from there we got on a bus to Lima! And we made it!!!! J We were the first team there! Blue arrived later that night and Lime only met up with us 3 days later in Chiclayo!

The whole journey to Peru really revealed so many things to us as yellow team! Not only did we learn about trusting God in all situations, not just bad, and to a whole other level... but we learned so much about each other! The boys probably got a bit tired of my nagging at points, Elsabe and myself definitely grew closer, after spoon-lying both night in minute littlebeds... :) But Wow! God really blessed us in this time! And once again showed His faithfulness! We just need to do what we can, and He will do the rest!
Trust Him in everything! And for everything!*

Let me end with Ps 20…

“May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests. Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. O Lord, save the King! Answer us when we call!”