A Hike on the Islands

On the trail

It all started over a month ago when a friend of mine came to the house and asked if during the school vacation the team would like to go on a hike.  He knew a guide who could take us.  I said, “Sure, that sounds like fun.”  This set the wheels in motion to climb to the top of the tallest mountain on Clove Island: (We’ll call it Mt. Ndziro.) I talked to the team, they were all in. 

Here’s the thing about hiking on the Islands:  Islanders don’t do much hiking.  This makes it very hard to know exactly what you’re getting into.  Sometimes, what sounds like an easy hike turns out to be more than you bargained for.  That was the case with Mt. Ndziro.  It was a long hard hike. 

My first clue that it would not be easy should have been when my friend told me he’d never hiked Ndziro before.  My second clue was when we went to find a guide.  It turns out he didn’t really know a guide, he just knew where he could find a guide.  That consisted of going to the town under the mountain and walking up to a bunch of men and saying, “Anybody know the trail up the mountain?”  My third clue should have been as I asked around about how hard the hike is: “It takes 3 hours.”  “It takes 5 hours.” “It takes 7 hours.” Most of these estimates provided by people who had never climbed it.  The final clue should have been the very morning of the hike when my friend bowed out.  He said his sister was sick and so he couldn’t come. I hope he was telling the truth, but I can’t help but wonder...

Some of the non-hikers

The top of Mt. Ndziro is at 1595m/5233ft.  The trail is not well kept and at places was rather treacherous.  We were very thankful for two good island guides.  After a grueling 5 hour hike to the top we reached the summit to find that we couldn’t see any view--too many trees.  The way down was worse, not better. One very bad fall was enough to put the fear of God into us (miraculously he was not seriously injured), and so going down was a long slow process.  All in all, it took us ten hours.

Hiking always has its ups and downs.  It’s highs and lows.  There were more struggles on this hike, but there were some good moments.  An hour into the hike we came to a fresh water lake, a beautiful spot, and not hard to get to.  Along the way we saw many birds, butterflies, and even animals that you don’t see at lower elevations.  Even though the summit didn’t have any view, there were certain points along the way where a break in the trees offered spectacular views of our beautiful island.  Plus, all along we had wonderful weather, clear skies, cool breezes, and not a hint of rain (we are entering the rainy season).  There was much to be thankful for.

Tom & "Sterehi" at the beginning of the trail

But I’m most thankful for the conversation.  Even though my friend who organized the trip didn’t come, another island friend did come along: Sterehi.  Near the beginning of the hike, as a group, we stopped to pray for safety and a good trip.  A little further down the trail, Sterehi asked me about it.  “I’ve noticed how you guys pray about everything.  I’ve never known anyone like that.  You are different.”  What followed was a really wonderful conversation about all the important things in life.  I explained to Sterehi about why we pray all the time, and then about how my life had been changed, and then even about the reason my life was able to change.  It was a special time, made possible by the peace and seclusion of the trail.  Then, all along the way Sterehi got to see us interact as a team--another highlight.  Conversation with teammates, sharing our food and water, looking out for one another, laughter, patience and prayer were quite evident despite a hike that tested the limits of our muscles and endurance.  I am so thankful for our team and thankful for the trip...but I never want to climb Ndziro again!

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We are encouraged by Tom’s opportunity to go deeper with Sterehi. We are also thankful that some of our teammates are already having chances to share meaningfully with friends and neighbors. We are thankful that there was no rain and that everyone stayed safe on the hike (His hand was very evident in this). We had a happy New Year! Our teammate, Amy, on Volcano Island was very sick, but her health is starting to improve (they think it is dengue fever). The girls’ toilet is fixed! There ended up being cement in the pipes?? Tom had a good meeting with someone from the Ministry for Agriculture and the Environment- there is excitement on both sides to partner together.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
The weeks around Christmas and New Years were more relaxed but now we need to jump back into English teaching, language learning, team life and outreach. Pray that we and our whole team would jump back in with enthusiasm. We are earnestly praying that this New Year marks vast improvement for Megan’s back/sciatica - please pray with us! It is the season of heat rash and illness-- right now one of the babies on the team is having tummy troubles. Pray for healing. Unfortunately the situation on the island is not simple-- a complex, sensitive issue has come up. Pray for Tom and others as they seek to navigate the situation with wisdom, discernment and humility.