The Follower: Where was I last month?

I love running toilets..

You know the ones... they're connected to plumbing and you just need one flush for everything to disappear!

Last month i got to take part on a Global Xposure Trip with 8 other people from my Church- Riverton Baptist.

Words can't explain how impacting and amazing this trip was, not just for me, but for each of us individually. We were challenged and pushed to rely more and more on Jesus as we experienced and saw His works and ways..

The Team

Some people say going to the orphanage was their biggest challenge, others talk about the villages, hospitals and poverty. For me the challenge occurred from the moment we stepped off the plane in Maputo.

The toilets didn't flush.

I'm not even sure how they were connected to plumbing.. there was a bin to put our toilet paper in and a bucket to wash away our waste.

I've grown up in the city of Perth. I've experienced a long drop once before in Taiwan, and it was a very touristy moment for me- caught up on the excitement of experiencing another culture.

These toilets in Maputo weren't even that bad.. they looked normal- they just didn't flush, and if they were blocked (which ours was) they built up quite a bit and smelt like...well you know..

But for me it was that moment: we're in Africa.

If the toilets don't work what next? No hot water for my shower? no water at all?

It was a culture shock for me. And i was very grateful that everywhere else we went had perfectly fine normal toilets- just like the ones at home. We were only in Maputo for one night (and it was a really enjoyable night)...But that first 'experience' started me on a road of awareness of how fortunate we are here.

A flushing toilet is a luxury, but fresh water is a necessity. And the places we went to struggled to find that.

In Lichinga, Mozambique, we visited a village with one of the Missionaries who is based there with his family. We walked with the local children as they went to the small spring (across the road, past another village, and through some crops) to collect their drinking water. It's not as easy as turning on a tap in the kitchen.. but do you think they were phased? I'm not sure, but they certainly found it hilarious to see the funny white people trying to carry the buckets of water on their heads back to the village!

Anna and Julia doing their best!

While the trip raised awareness of the difference in cultures, it did much more as well. We didn't go to change the world, or to build a hospital or do any of that 'good stuff' in a month. Our intention was to encourage those based in the places we visited, and be encouraged by the work they are doing. We wanted to be exposed to the culture and the mission work. We observed, experienced and learnt a lot! And it will take a whole other post (or two) to cover some of the extraordinary and supernatural work being done in Africa, in these places, at this time.

One tip i will give is, if you feel insecure, lost or just not sure of your self....go to Africa!!! You only need to spend one day with a class in Mozambique, teaching them english, to feel like an Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt.

The class have to bring their own chairs to school each day

We got the opportunity to visit a school and 'teach english' for a day.. We split up into small groups and attempted to decipher the Portuguese being spoken to us, and try to explain simple english phrases. Some were much better than others, and all of them better at english than i was at portuguese! The people in the class ranged from 16 to 20, and i soon found the best question to ask each group was "Do you like to dance?"

The answer was usually "ofcourse" and then the english lessons would stop and the dancing would begin. One girl even interrupted the other groups (for which i was only slightly embarrased about) to find some loud hip-hop music to play as we both danced between desks and chairs in the classroom...

I discovered that day that i make a REALLY bad teacher...but really, who wouldn't rather break out into dance than listen to some crazy small white girl say the numbers 1-10 while pointing at their fingers over and over again?...

Teaching english didn't last long!

When we'd finished, the class went nuts getting each of us to sign whatever they had...i'm pretty sure i signed a scarf, hats and a bag, as well as several books. We got many a hug and there were photos galore. The enthusiasm of this class was infectious and we were all getting in on it, taking silly photos and dancing about. There was sooo much love and joy shared that day and i think we all went away knowing that it wasn't what we had done that was making us feel so happy (because we hadn't done anything really), but rather the gift this class had given us through their joy and love!