This weekend we left Swaziland for our visa run and made a trip out of it, heading to the coast of South Africa! We had to leave Swazi as our visas are only good for 30 days and then we re-enter for a new 30 day visa. We stayed in a little town called Saint Lucia, where hippos actually walk the streets at night. No joke!
We left Swazi early Friday morning. The boys came from Manzini to our base, and then we started the four-hour bus ride. I spent most of it watching the scenery and listening to worship. When we finally arrived, we checked into our apartments, which were super nice. I roomed with Kynsie, Meridyth, and two girls named Mercy and Carlee.
The Monkey Attack
We barely unpacked before changing and heading straight to the beach. We stopped at a place called Kauai for smoothies, then decided to walk the 40 minutes to the beach since we didn’t have a ride. The walk was beautiful! Trees, greenery, and peace, until it wasn’t.
Out of nowhere, Kynsie screamed, and I saw a monkey jumping at us. Jaydin and I ran ahead while Mer got stuck. The monkey jumped on her, grabbed her smoothie, and threw it. We were all freaking out. It started chasing us, jumping at our feet, until we finally stopped, faced it, and walked backwards while Mer prayed through tears. Eventually, it lost interest and left us alone. Thank God!!
When we finally made it to the beach, it was completely worth it. The water was perfect, and we stayed for hours before heading back.
On the walk home, a few more people joined us. Braden (our leader), Parker, Charley, Brooks, and Ezra which made us feel a little safer from any more monkey attacks. We grabbed dinner together, and right at curfew, we saw what looked like a baby hippo crossing the road. Turns out it was just a warthog. The food was great, and we ended the night playing cards back at the apartments.
Beach Day!
The next morning, Kynsie, Ryley, and I went to a coffee shop to spend some quiet time with the Lord. Later, we met up with Mer and walked through town shops.
Then came grocery shopping. Mer, Kynsie, Brooks, Charley, Ezra, and I decided to pool our money to make dinner together. Best idea ever. We made tacos for about $22 total, so just $3 each!
After that, we went back to the beach—this time with no food so we wouldn’t attract monkeys. It was sunnier, and we spent hours swimming, walking the dunes, and looking at the giant jellyfish washed up on the sand. Around 5, we had worship on the beach. It started to rain a little, and lightning flashed across the sky in long purple streaks. It was wild and beautiful all at once.
We made our tacos (shoutout to Mer and Kynsie for basically doing all the work) which were delicious!! And had a fun dinner together.
Baptisms and Spirit Filled Moments
To end the night we had baptisms in the pool! This might have been my favorite part of the weekend seeing how unified everyone was in the spirit. Braden had a vision before about the baptism, Mia had a dream about it also and multiple people were hearing from the Lord. It is so beautiful getting to see people I love and cherish be on fire for God, wanting more, and a deeper relationship!
Heading Home
Sunday morning came too fast. I went back to the coffee shop one last time, grabbed a coffee and some lunch for the road, and then we headed back to Nsoko.
Now we’re back in Swazi for the next two weeks, and I’m ready to make the most of it serving, loving people well, and leaning in to what God’s doing here.
Feeling refreshed and grateful for a weekend that was way more eventful (and hilarious) than expected. Saint Lucia might have my heart a little bit, definitely looking forward to going back!
The gift of a refreshing weekend in your favorite place, the ocean, & beautiful God moments! Love you, babe.
What a beautiful way to spend time with the Lord. Love you soooo much, Grandpa