Well, it’s no surprise by now that my husband likes to travel. When a good friend of his announced that he would be getting married in South Africa at the end of June, it was kind of a no-brainer for us. We also decided to tack on a few more countries since we would already be on that side of the world.
Bright and happy…obviously before our 14-hour flight!
On June 22nd, we boarded our 14-hour plane ride and headed to Johannesburg, South Africa. We were really anticipating this trip, because Josh has such fond memories with the groom and his family. I had heard stories for years, but it was exciting to be able to meet them all. We arrived Monday morning in all of our jet-lagged glory, rented a van (aka, party bus), and drove about 4 hours down to a town called Ladysmith. While we were making plans, we decided it would be fun to get there earlier in the week so that Josh could have some extra time harassing the groom and relaxing before all the hustle and bustle of the wedding started.
At a game park in Ladysmith, SA
The Drakensburg Mountains
While it was exciting to see a new country, the people made this trip exceptionally fantastic. There were about 20 of us who were attending the wedding staying at a lodge down the road. It was great to be able to fellowship with these people, laugh, tell stories, arm wrestle (why, yes, of course!), etc. How often does that happen? All I know is that I truly enjoyed the week we spent with each of them. (McGraths, you rock my world!) Of course we had a blast celebrating the new couple and dancing the night away as well. South Africans know how to party!
Arm wrestling. Because, why not?
Just some pre-wedding shenanigans
The Skaggs with the new McGraths
This family is fantastic!
The morning after the wedding, we flew out of Johannesburg and headed to Ethiopia to visit Josh’s dad. We had met his 2-year-old brother before, but there was a younger brother we hadn’t seen yet, so we were eager to get there. Before we came, Ben suggested that we could accompany him on one of his helicopter missions to the bush. He works with unreached people groups in Ethiopia and works to plant churches and translate the Bible in their own language. Also, since these people are isolated, they have no medical care. This is what Josh wants to do with his training, so it was the perfect opportunity.
We flew to a few different villages so Ben could teach the people and encourage already established evangelists. Josh was able to help several people receive medical care(see blog post “Lukas Yohannis” for details about one in particular). It was fantastic. While I was severely outside of my comfort zone, I was so excited to be there. In one village, I was sitting inside a mud hut with a straw roof, surrounded by elders of the village sharing a loaf of bread and a bowl of honey so fresh there were still bees in it. In that moment, I thought, “I need to remember this. This is life.” I mean, these people sleep on dirt floors, walk around barefoot, bathe in a stream, and they are far more content than any American I have ever met.
Listening to Ben teach
Sorry for the graphic content, but these kids were tough! This guy couldn’t have been older than 4 or 5 and he didn’t flinch when Josh was cleaning out his wound!
My first time ever flying in a helicopter. I’m a fan.
I wish I could project my memories of that trip onto here so you could experience what I did. That way of life is hard, for sure, but it is so unadulterated by materialism. As I watched half-naked children dance and sing around a drummer beating on an instrument made from animal skin and wood, I felt so blessed to be able to have seen these people. I might not ever see them again on this earth, but man, were they beautiful, beautiful people.
We finished with our helicopter mission and drove back to Addis to spend time with Josh’s little brothers. I think he might start teaching them rugby before too long. For those of you who don’t know, Josh’s dad got remarried a few years ago. God has blessed them with a 2-year-old and a 9-month-old. They were definitely so much fun to be around.
Christian took Josh for a drive.
He is well-loved.
Joel and Christian.
Just as soon as it came, our time in Ethiopia was over. Originally, we had only planned on going to Africa. However, my husband likes to spoil me, and I don’t complain when he does. I have always wanted to go to Greece. The internet doesn’t help when Google searches pop up white buildings and blue waters. Josh had been wanting to visit some good friends in Bahrain for awhile now, and when he found out they would be in Greece the week we could go visit them, we booked our flight to Athens.
While there we saw the typical touristy sights like some old temples, the Parthenon, Mars Hill, etc. One of the days, Josh and I took a boat to a nearby island called Hydra. Athens was great because of all the great history associated with the city, but Hydra was the Greece I was picturing. The buildings were so Mediterranean, the water was crystal clear, there were fruit and olive trees lining the streets, and the only way to get around was on the back of a donkey. We spent the day exploring the little town and swimming in the beautiful water. I died a little bit inside when it was time to leave.
The Parthenon
Stairs leading up to Mars Hill where Acts 17 took place.
Hydra with my boo.
Can you even believe a place this beautiful exists?
Like all great adventures, our three-week, three country journey came to an end. We returned to the grand old U.S. on Friday, attended a wedding on Saturday, packed Josh on Sunday, and kissed him goodbye on Monday. He will be in Alaska for the next few weeks tending to people who wrestle bears and moose for a living. Not really, but I imagine Alaska to be a rough and tumble place, and it just sounded exciting. Hopefully, I’ll be able to visit him at some point (especially since he’ll be there during his birthday), but I have started my internship as a clinical counselor already, so we’ll have to see if time permits.
At good old Southern wedding where the groomsmen wear camo, the only music is country, and the fireflies come out at night.
I met a counselor one time who said that you can’t go to foreign countries and come back unchanged. I think she’s right. It wasn’t so much the places as the people who made every step of this trip memorable and precious. Even if I never get to visit those places again, I am so grateful to have met each person along the way. There are some truly fantastic people out there, and I get to meet a lot of them.
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