Team Africa has spent their time visiting schools, an orphanage and a nursing home in Yaoundé, Cameroon. They’ve been sharing God’s love, engaging in discussions about who He is and praying for those wanting it.
For their team day, they all climbed up the highest mountain in Yaoundé! It was very challenging but a tremendous amount of fun!
Here’s Olivia’s account of the day:
On Monday, my team and I climbed Mt. Eloumden. Last week and this week, I was not feeling well due to having gastritis (inflammation of the lining of the stomach).
Usually, I like mountain climbing, so I walked ahead of the team for the first 10 minutes. I, however, suddenly had difficulty in breathing. My heart was beating fast and my legs were shaking. I took a break for a few minutes. When I resumed climbing, I still felt sick.
I decided to rest a little longer. As I sat there, Scothia and Greg, 2 of our team leaders, stayed with me. I told Greg he could keep climbing and Scothia and I would continue to take it easy.
I was progressively feeling worse. Worried, I started thinking about going down the mountain or staying put. I was willing to give up. The view was very pretty at that point and I was satisfied with it. I didn’t even have the strength to get up.
Scothia suddenly said, “We can’t go down the mountain because the team thinks we’ll be coming up soon. All we have to do is wait for the team to come down here and go down together or we go up there.”
When I heard that, I thought about how to get down the mountain. I prayed, “Lord, I want to finish the climb. It’s a beautiful view that I can’t see from here. I want to see Yaoundé at the highest point.”
As soon as my prayer was over, I felt God remind me of the energy drink powder my friend had given me months prior. I remembered I had put it in my wallet. Once I found the powder, I drank it.
Minutes later, I started climbing again because I felt I was getting better. Since I still wasn’t 100%, Scotia walked ahead of me.
I followed where she went and only looked at her feet. Sometimes there seemed to be no road but many obstacles. With following Scothia, I passed through them safely.
I saw Jesus in front of me in the form of Scothia. When I follow Jesus, there’s no problem, no obstacle, only trust in Him. I saw that that is the greatest force in my life. As soon as I realized this, I suddenly felt lighter and my pain was gone. I actually ran and climbed.
Shortly after my getting well, Scothia suddenly began to suffer.
This time, I waited for Scothia and then started hiking ahead of her. I looked for easier and safer roads. I knocked over obstacles and if there were any roads that made it difficult for Scothia to climb, I would reach out my hand for hers. I told her we can rest together and finish the race.
By the time we were almost at the top, I could hear the voices of our fellow team members. They had been waiting for us at the summit and welcomed us with cheers. Even though the work on this land is hard and narrow, the trouble is never wasted.
Jesus is always ahead of us. He finds the best path for us; the safest way and goes before us. When we have obstacles, He reaches out and helps us. When we are weary and faint, He looks at us with love and says, “Don’t give up. I will help you.” He waits with love without any complaints for a long time; no matter when or for how long.
If you’ve ever been to the mountain, you know that it’s rocky and very steep. The roads are really narrow and rough. Sometimes it can seem like there are no roads but there’s always one.
The same goes for life.
I had to overcome my own limits so I could taste the sweet fulfillment. Nothing can be gained if you give up just because it’s hard. All my hard work paid off and it was a beautiful achievement. If I had given up climbing and went down after the first 40 minutes, I would not have seen and felt all of the beauty on the summit.
When I was tired, sick, and had collapsed, Scothia had waited for me. Jesus waited for me for twenty years; took care of me with love and always waited for me warmly. He supported me and waited in love. While looking at Scothia, I saw that she could only wait for me with love.
Through this climb, I realized Jesus led the journey on Earth in preparation for our eternal life in heaven.
He also connected us as brothers and sisters in Christ to cheer each other on when we are in need or tired. It was an important day to learn how precious it is to have brothers and sisters in Christ and how important it is to trust Jesus and follow His way.
Olivia Moon
YWAM Ships Kona DTS Alumna
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