Let me take you on a brief trip to the past.
The year was 2022, the month was May.
My team, New Creationz, and I had just came off an incredible month in a small city in Kosovo. We had seen God’s provision and had made great relationships there. Things kept falling into place and He led us all the way. We stepped off the plane onto Georgian (the country, not the state) soil after a long plane flight, a long layover in Istanbul, and another long flight.
We arrived in Tbilisi, the capital city, exhausted but excited. You see, we had heard and read many stories about what teams do in Georgia: trekking! So many past teams have been able to hike the many mountains and trails of this amazingly beautiful country. Plus, we had just watched Lord of the Rings. Needless to say, our hearts and minds were burning for true adventure, sacrifice, and survival. We were pushed along by adrenaline and testosterone. However, we realized something. Planning a month-long trek is tough. We wanted to pick a trail that took us high and far, one that would provide us with stories filled with danger, peril, and God’s grace. But what about food, water, shelter, warmth, etc. Eventually, we decided on a smaller trek, but still we came to the problem of transportation. We couldn’t get to the spot we needed to be. Oh, and it was still “winter/early spring” season. Snow-covered mountains, overflowing rivers, and extremely low temperatures stood between us and our glorious quest.
I don’t know if you have ever been stuck in a room for a few days when all you want is to be outside. Now, times that by four. Add some extra exhaustion and anger. Sprinkle in distraction and misunderstanding. Top it liberally with strong heads and stubborn will. What you have is a recipe for disaster.
This was the week that I knew that my team was my family, a true brotherhood. We fought with each other a few times. We had small spats, loud disagreements, and even explosive outbursts. We each hurt, and we each got hurt.
Through it all, though, we made sure to come back in love, compassion, and understanding, never going to bed in our anger.
Finally, we decided to “full-send it”. We found a city on the coast called Batumi. Between that city and Tbilisi were several highways and trails, including a walking path. In fact, we also found out that hitchhiking was big in this country and on that highway. So, we had a plan. We would take the three weeks and hike the nearly 250 miles. We would try to walk 16 miles a day and reach a tiny village every night to stay in and shop for water and food. If we couldn’t find a village, we would simply use our tents.
The big day came. We packed up, stored a lot of our belongings, bought a little water, and headed out. One thing I should mention first. Tbilisi is built on a series of hills. On one of this hills is an amusement park. To get to that park, you can either take 1000 stairs, or you can take a tram called the Funicular. The funny thing about our trail is that it started near the park.
At the bottom of the hill, each loaded with 40 to 60 pounds on our backs, fresh and ready for a journey, we had that same choice to make. Guess which path we chose? That’s right! We all thought it was best to take the stairs going up a steep hill, mainly to save on travel costs.
Nearly 8 hours, a really tasty lunch, and several excruciatingly steep climbs later, we came to a monastery that was close to a village. We decided to stop there for the night and go into town to buy hotdogs, bread, Nutella, and fruit. We also met some bicyclists that gave us some good advice.
Here however, we came face to face with several problems. First, we were still technically in Tbilisi. We hadn’t even left! Second, we had only gone 8 miles, half of what we had planned. Third, the entire road that lay ahead was just as, if not much more, uphill as what we had just hiked. Fourth, the trail we had picked was not a good one for hitchhiking. Not many cars actually went on it, and those that did would either be too small for us and our packs or simply unwilling to help us. To say the least, that was a pretty tough night.
The next morning, we decided to head back into Tbilisi for one more night and instead take a bus to the main highway, where we would have a much better chance to find a ride. After a long hike back downhill, we found a hostel, where another team was already staying.
We looked into buses and different routes, but then, sickness hit, and our plans got pushed back.
We went back to a church that we had visited the first week, Love Dominion Assembly. This church is an amazing place. We made many friends and connections that encouraged us greatly.
Sitting in that hostel, I started getting discouraged. I kept looking back at everything that had happened in Georgia. We thought that we were going trek and leave Tbilisi, but instead we kept getting stuck, hitting closed door after closed door. I felt so unproductive because no ministry opportunities presented themselves. If you know me, you know that big cities don’t really agree with me, so I was itching to be done with this metropolis.
However, God was making it clear that we were right where we were supposed to be. He kept closing doors, not to frustrate us, but to keep us focused. We had fixed our eyes on our own desires and had forgotten the people under our very noses. We kept banging our heads on a door labeled “Keep Out!” when all along, Jesus was standing right beside us, showing us an entire world filled with beauty and possibilities.
After we realized this, things changed. We did leave Tbilisi for like two days (see my blog titled Tragic Love), but we started taking advantage of the city. We made friends with people in our hostel. This led to an impromptu day trip going down the exact same hill we had just climbed up, where we had fun, got to have Gospel conversations with very open people, and picked pine needle buds(?) so that our friend could make jelly/syrup for tea. We also got to attend prayer meetings, church services, and a small group at a church member’s house.
This was by no means the most adventurous, unique, or even “productive” month on the Race that I, or anyone else, have had. However, I will forever thank God for Georgia: for the things He taught me, the people I met, and the growth He gave. Nothing is wasted if it’s done for Him!
Upcoming blog: “Growing in God’s Goodness at 3G”
