"A voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up; every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all the people will see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."
Isaiah 40:3-5
It was the trip of a lifetime, really...a dream come true for Amber and I to be able to go work with orphans in Zambia with one of my long-time clients and friends, Greer and Susan Kendall (Family Legacy Missions International.) Every detail from how it came to be, our airfare, and even a small safari was God-provided. I knew God was going to do great things on this trip; I had no doubt of that. But God had plans far beyond my mind's imagination. The name of the program was called CAMP LIFE, and to be honest, I really didn't know exactly how all that was going to work, only that I would be pouring myself into children who needed to experience love and hear about the love of the Father. The theme for CAMP LIFE this year was from Isaiah 40:3-5 "Prepare the way of the Lord." Although He prepared each step of this trip for us, let me just say that He also kept us on a "need to know" basis pretty much the whole trip. He definitely prepared the way...I just didn't have access to all the details in advance! So to say I was excited about the trip is an understatement, but I might also add that I was a bit apprehensive at even the thought of CAMP. CAMP is a four-letter word, you know. At least in the Beth Banfill dictionary. Feel free to add to that list of bad words "bugs". Physical exertion, CAMP, roughing it, and anything of the sort were all part of the trip's unknown elements, and if you know me, I like to be "in the know."
That "need to know" basis started with our safari at the front-end of the trip. All I knew was that once we landed in the capital city of Lusaka, Zambia on Thursday, July 4th in the morning, Amber and I would meet our friend at the airport, drop off our six bags of supplies with her, and then catch a connecting flight to Livingstone, Zambia. Mind you, we left on Tuesday, July 2nd, so that's a lot of hours of straight travel, but we were excited and ready. Everything went as planned, including navigating the London underground and train system without any mishaps during our full day-layover in London.
Once we landed in Lusaka and cleared customs, we were handed our itinerary, and within 90 minutes, we were boarding a very small domestic plane to Livingstone. The airline was called "Pro Flight", and let's just say you can't buy their tickets here in the good old USA. I definitely spent some time in prayer both before take-off, in-flight, and at landing, but all was well, and we even were served a snack and drink on board. A driver met us at the airport and took us to our hotel. Until that morning, I wasn't even sure of the name of the hotel we were booked at! To our amazement, we arrived to find that the property hosted zebras, giraffes, monkeys, gazelle, baboons, and even a crocodile, all of which were free to roam the property at their whim.
The hotel backed up to the Zambia side of Victoria Falls, one of the seven "natural wonders of the world." We were exhausted, but within minutes of checking-in, we decided to walk down to the Falls. Within a five minute walk down a trail, we were at the edge of this beautiful handiwork of God, with a double rainbow in view.
The sight was even more incredible than the picture. I started to move down a path to get a better view before coming to an immediate hault...I stumbled across this mother babboon, with a baby nearby. I could see the headline, "Woman goes to Africa to work with orphans and leaves her own child as one." Discretion is not something I always take advantage of, but this time I stood my distance and watched in amazement as she climbed the tree and hopped around her palacial home.
We made our way down another path to the top of the Zambia side of the falls and this view below. After snapping quite a few pictures, we were ready to move on and see the rest of the property.
Remember, we were on a "need to know basis" so I didn't have any idea what this little side-trip to Livingstone included. I found out that we had Thursday completely free, Friday was filled with a side-trip to Botswana that included a game-drive safari and a river-cruise, and then the only thing for Saturday was a 12 noon transfer to the airport. We ended up booking a 1-hour "Segway Sunset Tour" with the activities desk for Thursday evening, and I started to inquire whether there was any other activities we could squeeze in before departing back to the airport at 12 noon on Saturday. Liz, the lady at the desk told us we could book the boat to go to "Livingstone Island." She told us nothing else except that we could fit it in our schedule and it was very nice. After weighing the cost and realizing this was a YOLO moment for Amber and I, I booked it. More on that later, because here's a tip...especially while in a foreign land, it's always a good idea to ask what exactly that little boat ride to the island would include.
We were the only two participants on the Sunset Segway Tour, so our guide was pretty liberal in our speed and the path we took. He took us to the feeding area where the giraffes live on the property, and we ended the day watching the sun set over the Zambezi River.
On Friday morning, we met up with some others who were booked for the day trip to Botswana and Chobe National Park. We soon found out that these two families were also attending CAMP LIFE. God sure has a way of setting our mind at ease, because having people with us from Texas and Oklahoma sure made me feel a lot safer in a foreign country. We went on our game drive in the morning and a river cruise in the afternoon. Now, after having been to the Serengeti last year, I can't say that the sites of animals in the wild were the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, and they definitely weren't "in abundance" but we did get to see a lot of elephants, hippos, and crocodiles up close-and personal.
Included in that "up close and personal" was the awestruck view from the river cruise of watching a family of elephants gracefully step into the river and eventually swim across the channel to the island. It was my favorite part of the day, for sure!
Our short time in Livingstone was coming to an end. We were having a wonderful time on the side-trip, but Amber and I both were ready to start CAMP LIFE and see what God had in store for us and the upcoming week. We woke up Saturday morning, ate breakfast, and then we caught the shuttle over to the drop-point for the boat tour to Livingstone Island. We put on our life jackets, and before entering the speedboat, we were given waivers to sign...in three places...with initials in four other places. Perhaps that should have been a clue that we were about to embark on real adventure, but again, God kept us on a "need to know basis". We signed our lives away, made it to the island, and then took a short hike to a campsite.
Then our guide said, "OK, we are in Africa, everyone take off your shoes and socks and follow me." Amber and I looked at each other and our jaw dropped to the ground. "What in the world did we get ourselves into?" I thought. As we hiked up to the campsite, the guide pointed out elephant and hippo dung on the side of the path. Now he's telling me I'm going to walk through this barefoot? But Amber and I shrugged our shoulders and with a big smile embarked on the adventure of a lifetime.
At some points, Amber was literally knee deep in mud, and with each step, I let out a squeel of nasty disgust. I held my breath with furrowed brow. I could only think about what might be under the mud I was sinking in. While I never saw a snake, I was definitely on the lookout for one. As we hiked through the mud, the sound of Victoria Falls became stronger, and my heart began to race a bit more. We went from the mud to a small rapid. Our guide stood between us and a drop-point to the falls. "Step here, he would say, pointing with his foot to a very specific rock, all while holding our hands to cross. Then he would point with his other foot to another rock. "Not here, don't step here. Here. Put your foot here."
I went first, and after I made it over to that first stop-point, I looked him in the eye and said, "That's my only daughter. Don't let anything happen to her!" All I could think of is "what in the world did I get myself into? Why didn't I ask more questions about this little tour? Frank would never approve of us doing this!" After Amber made it to other side safely, my fears eased, and I began to understand why people pay money to put themselves in danger like this. We had made our way to the top of the falls. We were literally standing on the edge, looking over a massive waterfall, and although the pictures don't show the immense beauty because of the rain, it was indeed one of the most amazing experiences we've ever had in our lives. (Not to mention one of the biggest adreniline rushes of our lives!)
We eventually made our way over to several other fast moving areas of water, with our guide holding our hand, one by one, and telling us where to place our feet, step by step. As I experienced it in "real-time", my mind was experiencing it in slow-motion. I immediately thought of the paralel of my Heavenly guide telling me "Go here, my child. Don't step over there, you'll be in danger. Here. This is the way; you'll be safe here. Don't worry, just hold my hand."
Amber and I both agreed that we're not so sure we would have embarked on this adventure to the island, had we known all the facts. In fact, there was a 15-year old girl on the tour from Australia who refused to take her shoes and socks off; she wated at the campsite for everyone else and completely missed the adventure. That thought crossed my mind - I'll be honest. But I'm so thankful I didn't back-out. The beauty on the "other side" was well worth the discomfort and trek to get there.
I know this has been a long post, but I wanted to document the details. I shake my head in wonder at God's love for me to bless me with this trip...and to get to do this with my daughter is really something that cannot be described. We were on a "need to know" basis, and all we really needed to know at that point was that God had clearly told us to participate in CAMP LIFE, and we were being obedient. It was a no-brainer for us, really. That's why we were there, treking across the other side of the world. Because we were being obedient to what God asked us to do.
As I think about that morning, the sound of the rushing waterfall, I can't help but think of the experiences that were to come that next week, the memories still vividly rushing through my mind. Had I known in advance what was to come, the depth of emotions I would experience, the pain I would see in the eyes of the girls I was working with, the reality of the HIV-AIDS epidemic in the country, the poverty these children live in, and the plight of the orphan child in Zambia...well,perhaps I would not have come.
But that's not how God works.
He says, "Step here, my child. Here, on this rock. Step here. It's safe here. Don't worry, I'm holding your hand." And with each step of obedience, before you know it, you're on the other side of the world, feeling as safe as if you're in your own temperpedic bed in Wylie, Texas. Because that's just how God works, on a "need to know basis" as He made the way straight in the desert. He raised up every valley and every mountain and hill He made low. He made the rough ground become level and the rugged places plain. And He revealed His glory. Yes, He revealed His glory to us, and He prepared the way!
Stay tuned...more to come!
--- Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com