In 1999, Unesco designated a paleoanthropological site about 31 miles (50 km) northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, as the Cradle of Humankind because it has more human remains than anywhere in the world. South Africa is also known for its wildlife and landscapes, and it is referred to as the Rainbow Nation because of its diverse and multicultural society.
We orchestrated our furlough, the first since we arrived in Malinke in 2019 (because of COVID-19 era travel bans), to coincide with AFM’s Africa retreat, held in South Africa. We met with our colleagues from the different projects in Africa. It was a blessing to meet them and hear how God is using every one of us to reach others.
I was fortunate to hike Table Mountain, one of the seven wonders of nature. In peak seasons, up to six thousand people hike Table Mountain daily. After climbing an hour or more, I felt dizzy and sat down about twenty to twenty-five minutes into my ascent. I told my colleague that I was passing out, and then I collapsed. According to my colleagues, they called to me, but I did not respond. They tapped me, but I did not feel it.
While in an unknown world, I heard an angel’s voice saying, “George, what happened to you?
“I was climbing the mountain, and I passed out,” I said.
“Do you want to go down or up?” the angel asked.
“I want to go up.” To go down is a metaphor for the grave.
We had some nurses in our group; they and others attended to me, pouring water on me and laying me so that my head was down and my feet were up. As the blood flowed to my brain, I started to come around. It took about twenty or twenty-five minutes for me to recover. After eating some snacks and drinking a lot of water, I felt well.
God is faithful, and His mercy revived me. He then helped me climb to the summit, about 3,563 feet (1,086 meters) above sea level. I gladly rode the cable car back down. The Bible says, “All things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Alleluia!
It seems that one of the causes of my collapse was insufficient sleep over many days — and perhaps I am not in the best of shape! But, praise the Lord, my health is back to normal.
