Banks to Bush Journey - Support Team
Journal Entry :
Preparation for Banks to Bush:
Part of the preparations for Banks to Bush was that I was privileged to be apart of the Rack Sack Team. We were making bags for our bedding. The total number of rack sack bags we were making were 75. Our wonderful team was Mine’ Leigh-Ann, and myself. We were determined to get this task done. We worked diligently at measuring, cutting, folding, pinning and sewing for about 2 weeks. We missed most of the conditioning in the afternoons and worked until 16:00 or 17:00, but having done all of that we were still behind schedule. Mine’ did most of the sewing of the bags on their industrial sewing machine. Leigh-Ann did most of the pinning, folding and measuring and she was our Quality Control Manager. I helped with the extra sewing on the little sewing machine. I focused on the smaller items like sewing the handles, the straight stitiching for the bags and anything else the little sewing machine could handle. We were a great team and slowly but surely made progress.
In the last few weeks we had to ask for some help because we had to get these bags done as Banks to Bush was just around the corner. Our team increased. Meagan and Elrika joined us. Praise the Lord! The work sped up rapidly because Meagan brought her sewing machine and helped with the extra load. Elrika helped to sew the little items once another person had finished their part. They would jump in and help anyone finish their task. I really appreciate Mine’ going the extra mile because when we had all left to go home she continued to stay up late and work to finish the bags to be ready in time for Banks to Bush. I really admired her commitment. I learned grit through the process of making the bags because it was daily repetitive work and every day there were a lot of bags to complete. Praise the Lord! He helped us conquer the 75 rack sack mountain.
On the trip:
I was so excited to be apart of this wonderful trip and I asked the Holy Spirit to please help me practice serving others as in 1 Peter 5:5 (AMPC) says, “Clothe (apron) yourselves, all of you, with humility [as the garb of a servant, so that its covering cannot possibly be stripped from you, with freedom from pride and arrogance] toward one another.”
My aim for the Banks to Bush trip was to apron myself in humility and to serve as the scripture says. The morning of Banks to Bush finally came and we loaded alot of luggage and groceries into the cars. Then, we were on our way to Middleburg to drop the cyclists off at their starting point. Some supporters were allocated to drive behind the cyclists (like the media team) as well as a few others .I was allocated with the Setup and Cooking Team.
Day to day Flow:
I was on a Cooking Team with Tandeka, Nkuli, Tannie Liesl, Harno, Jade and Yatteer. There were two teams.The two cooking teams would take turns cooking three times a day. For example – team 1 would cook breakfast, team 2 would cook dinne,r then team 1 would cook tomorrow’s lunch and the next morning it would be team 2 turn to cook breakfast again. I really enjoyed working with my Cooking Team, they are amazing and I’m trusting that their skills are rubbing off on me.
At a destination we would unpack the portable kitchen, the luggage, camping chairs, the rucksacks and then start cooking. If it wasn’t my cooking team’s turn then we had to set up the camping chairs and could have some time to ourselves.
When the cyclist came to camp, they would wash their bikes, shower and eat. At night all of the Banks to Bush people would sit in a circle around the fire and the cyclist would get briefed about the next morning’s ride. We had Appreciation Marshmallow Moments. Someone could nominate another person because they were grateful for something that person did on the day. It was wonderful to witness and experience how gratefulness grew for each other on the trip.
The Cooking Team had to wake up early to feed the cyclist at around 5:00 – 6:00 in the morning. When the cyclist left the location, all the supporters would start packing up and getting ready to move to the next destination. Most of the same preparations happened for all the days from Banks to Bush. Some of the days we would camp, others we would sleep in dorms, so we set up accordingly.
Highlights on the Trip:
We had a few real fun moments in between serving the cyclists. One of my favourite highlights on this trip was when we were on our way to Dullstroom, we were all driving in a Ford Bus and Harno decided to be DJ and play music from all different eras. He started off with old Afrikaans worship songs. We wouldn’t even be listening for 2 minutes and then would change it to the next song. Rock came next, then some weird Afrikaans song, then a country song, then a nice Afrikaans song… and so it continued until we arrived in Dullstroom and back to camp. Tina told me that I heard all the eras of music in the short space of 15 min. It was so funny but my emotions were completely upside down with the overload of songs in that short space of time. We also stop for coffee in Dullstroom and had wonderful moments of fellowship, walking around, and looking through shops. After that, we headed back to start cooking at camp.
My highlight every day was when the cyclist would came home. We as supporters would cheer them on, on their way in. I could hardly wait to hear how they were doing and how they have experienced the ride that day. Some looked tired, others muddy, and a few looked perfectly normal.
I enjoyed the scenery of nature, the mountains, streams, sunrises, sunsets and the surrounding farms. I tooked many photos to capture the beauty.
Making stok brood” around the fire was an amazing experience, this happened on day 5. Some of the people were sitting around the fire. Zani and I chatted with to each other and enjoyed stokbrood with Nutella. Oh my gosh! I really think I have a new favorite treat, that was one of my favorite memories on the trip.
Things I have learnt:
It was a wonderful thing to experience all the moving parts on the trip. The cyclist, the mechanics, the media team, the support teams, those who planned the trip, the people who managed certain things, and the ones who executed the plan. I saw the gifts in the body of Christ working seamlessly together, I also realilsed that without one part doing their part, the body can’t function properly. Banks to Bush was about finishing together. I realised that if no one worked together, and no one brought their part, then no one would have finish at all.
I saw how gifts opened up places for other gifts to function and flow, for example if Nkuli and Thandeka did not bring their part in cooking, I would not be able to have served in the way that was required to serve in my assignment for the week.
I really also thought of Banks to Bush as an army working together, strengthening one another, everyone finishing as a unit together. I had a great appreciation and love for the people around me who were given to me as gifts in my life, and without them I would not be able to finish alone.
I have learned that when you stay in your comfort zone you will get nowhere in life. On this trip I spoke to people who I don’t normally talk to, and as I spoke to them I saw the life of God in them, and it was beautiful to touch Jesus in them. I realized that if I operate in a comfort zone, I miss out on the life that God has for me in other gifts. I experienced great I joy in this journey as God was leading me.
God’s grace was so evident on this Banks to Bush trip, it was almost tangible. Whatever we did, it seemed as if we just flowed easily from one thing to another without any difficulty.