Postscript

Dehydration has been a major issue for us ever since we came into the Sahel.  This is a transition area between tropical areas in the south and the great Sahara Desert to the north.  I don’t think I’ve ever been in a place this dry.  Three liters of water today…still getting dehydrated.  It’s not even the hot season here, and we still struggle being out between noon and two.

Photo by Zeke Du Plessis

We’ve been making rehydration drinks, but the drinks taste like sea water. Yuck!  However, a 1.5 liter hydration drink and a 2 hour nap has been our solution to our dehydration daze.  It’s a harsh environment, at least for us.  I feel like I’d die in the heat of the hot season.  My lips are peeling off.  My skin feels scaly.  I have a headache. My eyes look glazed. I need water. I need sleep.

But, at night the sky is amazing.  The stars–I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many.  They are so bright.  Is that a planet?  Mars has never looked so red. I think I see a satellite–yes, I think I can distinguish the difference between God and man’s creations in this sky.   The air is cool at night.  I have to wear a sweater.  We eat outside on a mat each night after dark.  I finish my food, and I look up.  I can’t stop looking at the sky.  I’m returning to my hut, and  I’m still looking at the sky.  Wow, God–I’ve never enjoyed your cosmic lights like this before.  I look back up–Orion’s belt has moved.  It’s the only constellation I recognize here. I’ve never noticed how it moves before.  I feel alive.

Read someone else’s thoughts on this area.

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