Lost in the Sneeuberg (Snow Mountain) range
To this day, (where only153 days of 2021 are left), my story about getting lost and a freezing night in the Sneeuberg (Snow Mountain) range has never been told to anyone.
There was no snow on the mountain tops yet, but the winter cold had already arrived. I noticed a crevice in a rock next to the road which would provide me with a good wind shelter that night.
I embarked on that prayer walk of 306 km (double 153 km) in obedience without my tent or my warm sleeping bag. I believed that this was how God wanted me to walk this journey. On that second night of the ten-day walk, I slept outside for the last time. The previous evening, after a spectacular thunderstorm, I slept in a wet rainy field among large puddles of water. From that valley, I took a wrong turn and walked up the mountain for the whole day, until I noticed the crevice in the rock.
Since it was bitterly cold, I put on all my clothes and crawled into the crevice and under my bivvy sheet. Later that night I got up and walked on to see if I could find a place with more shelter from the freezing wind. It was out of sheer exhaustion that I sat down beside a farm gate and fell asleep.
Later, I woke up as my body shook uncontrollably. It was ice cold and it felt as if my feet were freezing up in my sneakers. For the first time in 19 years of extreme trekking, I knew that I had an emergency. I had to do something to prevent my toes from getting frostbite. My sneakers provided no protection against the chilly wind and frosty ground.
Untying the straps of my backpack was a difficult task with icy fingers. In total darkness, my numb fingers were trying to find something that I carried with me in my backpack for years.
It was a gift that I received while on a prayer walk through New Zealand. The intention was to use it while trekking there in the snow, but since it wasn't necessary, I carried it in my backpack for years; to use if ever there was a crisis. It could also be used once, and only in an emergency. That night, after 14 years, the emergency finally came.
I took the small plastic bag out of the package and opened it up. There was quite possibly an expiration date but I was just hoping that the Toe Heaters would still work. To activate it, the seal had to be pulled off. The small pad would then heat up as a result of a chemical reaction. There is an adhesive side with which it sticks to your sock under your toes. The adhesive agent of these Toe Warmers had already dried up and I doubted if it would still work after all these years. I slipped it under my toes in both shoes and continued on my walk.
The day was breaking and I could see the frost on the grass. Step by step I began to feel the heat under my feet. The Toe Warmers were starting to work.
I learned so much about God during those 10 days, and the testimony from there impacted a lot of people very deeply.
Although my story about the freezing night in the Sneeuberg (Snow Mountain) range has not been told to anyone to this day, God saw it all. He worked in people’s hearts to minister to me with the following:
- Someone from one part of the country wrote and thanked me for being able to walk together in spirit – “without the cold and challenges”. She learned to better understand, hear and see God. She explained that all this happened where she was in a “space of grace”. It was precious to me, and I thanked God that even in the awful cold conditions, I could encourage and minister to someone. Even if it was only for that one person's sake that I got so cold, it was worth it.
- After returning back home from that prayer walk, I received a parcel from another part of the country. In the parcel was a pair of sheepskin slippers with a message: “You who are so willing to put on the shoes of readiness for the gospel sometimes need soft soles to refresh tired feet. These slippers immediately made me think of you. Sheep wool on the feet that reminds of Father who is the Shepherd and us as sheep who know and follow His Voice… I send you Warm-Feet. ” She was not sure what size shoe I wear, so she took a number 13. My shoe size is number 13. It fits perfectly.
A freezing night in the Sneeuberg (Snow Mountain) range; and God saw it all!
The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. (Psalm 34:16)
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