I am finding that although we often speak of leaps of faith, baby steps of faith are much more common. Sure, it was maybe a leap of faith to get rid of our apartment, quit our jobs, and pack up all our stuff in storage to set out for traveling the world. But as we live each day of our journey, we are confronted with opportunities to take baby steps of faith. A week in Morocco provided a good lesson on this. Going to Morocco wasn’t even a part of our original plan. I had some reservations about it, but when you’re so close to being in Africa (you can see it from Spain) it’s hard to pass up.
So the first step was to board a ferry across the Mediterranean Sea. The next step was to hop on a night train to central Morocco, to the city of Marrakech. As soon as we arrived, we set out to find a hotel that could take us in. We entrusted a little man to lead us, carting around our bags, through the maze of the medina, and found a wonderful hotel that happened to have space for us. We spent all day wandering the city with all its smells and sounds.
The next morning we awoke to the news that (contrary to what we were told) there was no space for us in the hotel that night. It seemed our luck had run out. Where would we go? This place was perfect. I stomped my feet a little bit, and then realized this was a great opportunity to trust that God would provide. And almost immediately there was a knock at our door—they had found a place for us right next door. As another man led us to our new place, I mentioned to him that we were interested in possibly going to the desert for a couple days. Next thing we knew, we were sitting around a table in someone’s house, drinking mint tea with three Moroccan men, and pondering the idea of going on a 3-day trip to the Merzouga sand dunes. We hesitate, not knowing how legitimate these guides are, who speak about other travelers who want to go too, but whom we have not seen. For some reason, we decide to go for it, and withdraw the maximum amount of dirham (Moroccan currency) we can from the ATM (no one ever accepts cards in Morocco), pay up front, and tell them we’re in.
The next morning a new adventure begins, and we meet these other travelers: Sarah and Malcolm, a Canadian couple traveling for 3-week vacation; Nao, a reknowned Japanese photographer working on an exhibition; and Saki, a Japanese woman, studying in Paris and serving as Nao’s translator. We’re off, piled in a van, with Kareem as our guide, winding through the Atlas Mountains. We trust Kareem to lead us the right way as we stop at various locales to take photos and explore Kasbahs along the way. We arrive at the edge of the sand dunes before sunset and climb right on camels. They lead us out into the great abyss, further and further from civilization, until we can only see by the light of the stars twinkling overhead.
After two hours (of painful camel riding), we come upon our camp. We sit in the sand and stare at the stars, and I think, “How in the world did I end up here, in this beautiful desert, under the stars, eating tagine and laughing with our new Canadian friends, listening to the Berber men beating the drums, watching the pretty shoe-store owner from California dance in a tent lined with beautiful rugs and lit with candles?”
Just then, the Rastifarian interior designer from D.C. repeats this Arabic phrase he’s been trying to remember all evening: Hamdulillah, thanks be to God. I smile at the beauty of the phrase and realize that is exactly how we got here. God leads us, God gives us courage to step beyond what’s familiar, God provides: Hamdulillah.
-Jessie, April 17th, 2007
Anna said,
April 23, 2007 @ 7:28 pm
Hi from the States!
Jessie, all I can say, is that I hope that I am in your shoes in 6 months. That sounds just incredible and I I’m glad you took a detour.
Things here are the same–I was jolted back into my job coming back from guatemala, and I am realizing more and more each day that I don’t want to be in that kind of environment anymore–I’d just like a boss who was a little more gracious (I think you understand). So, pray for me and I’ll pray for you (oh damn, that’s a quote from a M.W. Smith song–but you get what I’m saying.)
Love, Anna
shelley said,
April 23, 2007 @ 9:01 pm
WOW! Will you “pray upon a star” for me?
I wondered if you thought of the wise men as you rode camels in the night sky through
the desert? What an opportunity!! I’m glad you and Josh said yes to this adventure.
Peace and blessings to you both~
shelley
Douglas said,
April 23, 2007 @ 9:02 pm
It sounds like wonderful things are happening in your travels! I’m a Solomon’s Porch person following your travels as encouraged by the weekly newsletter. I have a request that you change the color of the text of your blog posts to make a greater contrast with the white background.
dane said,
April 25, 2007 @ 3:17 am
please blog more
Laura Smith said,
April 25, 2007 @ 9:18 pm
jessie, you are such a lovely writer. Thanks for sharing the adventure.
Ashley said,
April 27, 2007 @ 8:34 pm
That was a small glimpse into a visual of “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. I wish I was
there with you.
Marcela said,
May 1, 2007 @ 9:53 pm
Hi J & J!
What a beautiful reflection on Marruecos! Reading about Sevilla took me to Spain again..I loved what you said about your sense of touch being awakened on the street because there are so many people everywhere, but we do not often touch…that is something that I think fades in some places..I love larger cities in the u.s. as well as in other countries for the reason that there are PEOPLE coming into contact with one another through encounters on the street, noisy bus rides, and all sorts of human transactions…how beautiful that you are enjoying this kind of contact with people from everywhere in the world as you take modes of transportation that, though sometimes are uncomfortable, have the ability to get you where you need to go. Thank you for your words!
Love,
Marcela
Malcolm and Sarah said,
May 2, 2007 @ 5:10 pm
Hey Jess and Josh your Canadian travel companions checking in! What a great blog, we’ll be following it with great interest as you continue on your adventures. We’ll drop a note direct to your email and fill you in on the balance of our journey, as well as our flickr account when set up – Josh I’m still eyeing up a D50 just so I can be cool like you – great pictures btw!
Safe travels and we’ll chat soon
Malcolm and Sarah