Unexpected adventures....

 Of all the places to be on 11 July, i was, of course, in Durban. I drove up wondering if a next level of lockdown would complicate me getting back home, but never in my wildest dreams did i think riots, looters and protesters would cause havoc on so many levels. My little old plans were the least in the big scheme of things! This poor country, my heart aches....

I was driving up with a friend who was picking up his kids for the school holidays. We arrived Sunday and tried leaving Monday morning early to get back home before curfew, but had to turn back as roads were closed due to unrest and protests and with shopping malls burning. I should have known it was going to be a challenge, as the verse I read that morning was from Isaiah 41:10 “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be distressed for I am your God. I give you strength, I give you help. I will uphold you with My righteousness right Hand.” It was about to get very distressing!

On Tuesday things were still pretty much out of hand, but suddenly there was a lull and a bit of the highway opened up. Siesta time? Unsure, but God surely had His hand in it! We threw our stuff in the car and sped off...as we drove we listened to the traffic reports (the only way we could get helpful news🙄) to know where to go and which areas to avoid. As we went along the highway the roads behind us closed up - there was no turning back this time. We saw smoke rise from burning malls, expensive cars piled high with loot, looters nonchalantly walking with bags of merchandise all along the roads...There were cars parked along the road next to a major warehouse - appliances were thrown down a hill and loaded up. No one was interested in us passing by. They were there to loot. But just as sudden things would flare up and it did. But God went before us. We got the kids and faced our next challenge - all filling stations were closed up tight, guarded by machine gun wielding men. One open one had about 50 plus cars waiting in line....we had about a 1/4 tank of diesel and no food for the night as all shops quickly shut up tight on. Monday morning to try and keep looters out! 

In all of this i just kept praying and remembering the verse God gave me. In about 10 minutes we found an open filling station with no queues and complete with a small bakery! I could fill up my car and was able to buy some of the last and i must say, delicious pies, for all of us. God came through at the exact right time!

We had to take atrocious back roads until late at night and when we came back unto the highway we were shockingly only about 5-10kms above the hotspot where it all started. 150kms to miss 15....But all was quiet. Not a car or person in sight. Again i just felt God say “I am right here with you.” And so we got on that deserted highway and sped off into the dark quiet night. As we got off the highway there was a burnt out tire in the road and by grace we missed that, and as we slowed down we saw the road semi blocked. Carefully we maneuvered through broken glass, rocks and stones. However, totally safe as no person, dog or donkey were out and about. The -3*C might have had something to do with that! Thank you Lord!

And so we drove through the night with no one in sight. The kids were safe, and sleeping or playing on their phones peacefully, the car sped happily along for 1000kms until we found a filling station in once again perfect timing just as curfew broke. Perfect timing indeed. God right there next to us. I did a lot of the past midnight driving - not my usual thing, but i was wide awake and every minute i was just so aware of God’s Presence. I actually enjoyed those quiet moments of just me and God. I guess that is the upside of having gone through severe difficult times, you can tangibly sense God’s closeness. He is Immanuel. 

Bella, adventuring with God...

Ps I feel a deep sadness for my country. Blinded by the enemy who is here to break, steal and burn. Hearts in need of God....a country in desperate need of God.