We are in Benin, but What have We Been Doing Since Texas?

Praying for one of the workers at the township MISSION WHO counsels abused children

Why the Short Term Mission Trip?

In my last issue I told you all about my time at Mercy Ship’s headquarters in East Texas, completing an intense training termed “Onboarding”.  For the last two weeks of this training my onboarding group
(28 new long termers, 3 kids and 2 leaders) spent time in the Winterton area of South Africa for a field practice. The field practice seemed a strange concept at first. Why on earth does Mercy Ship ask its long term crew to basically participate in a short term mission trip before boarding the ship and settle into their long term positions? I don’t know every reason they do this, but let me share with you a little of my experience and what I learned during this process.

As I said above our field practice took place in the Winterton area of South Africa. We worked with two missionaries in 2 large Townships (slum areas) among the Zulu people. 80 percent of the people in this area are HIV positive. Many Zulu are practicing ancestor worshipers. These are among the poorest of the poor in South Africa. The lies of hopelessness, inferiority, and helplessness blanket the area with a fatalistic view of life. Sophie and Betsy (the women running the mission organizations in these Townships) are challenging this view, lights shinning in a dark world.

The plan was for our onboarding group to help with construction projects. One of the organizations had just acquired a plot of land and needed help building walkways, a fence, a playground, etc. We were then going to take turns participating in home visits to connect with and pray for local people; however, God sometimes has other plans. In my onboarding group there are four nurses and one physical therapist. Upon our arrival we discovered that the nurse at one of the missions had quit and left the day before and they had yet to find a replacement. So the home visits quickly turned into nurse visits. The mission was also ecstatic to find out about our physical therapist who ended up seeing many stroke patients in the area.

Our physical therapist making a huge impact by teaching a stroke patient’s wife how to wrap his foot so that he can walk without dragging his toes

The beautiful (hopefully destruction proof) playground made from old tires. I didn’t have much to do with this project, but our team was pretty proud of it. The kids were plenty excited too.

You would think that nurse visits would be in my comfort zone, after all that’s what I do. Right? Wrong! These visits were a struggle. Early on I felt very useless. We didn’t have anything to work with, remember we weren’t planning on doing any nursing. There wasn’t a whole lot that we could do, and I found this very frustrating. As the first week went on many of us in the group started voicing feelings of uselessness. Even our carpenter who was basically leading most of the construction projects voiced feelings of uselessness. Thankfully, someone noticed the pattern and brought it to the attention of the group. We realized that we were listening to a lie, that we were allowing the enemy to demean our time in Winterton. We decided as a group that we would not let that happen. We prayed together and we encouraged each other.

As a nurse I realized that I was providing the exact care that the mission had asked me to. They weren’t expecting me to fix chronic problems. They simply needed trained eyes on their patients. We were able to give them that peace of mind, and on two occasions because a nurse went on the visit, someone recognized the need to send the patient to a hospital. I also realized that I was so focused on the physical impact I was making, or lack thereof, I didn’t see the spiritual, emotional and relational impact I was making until I changed my mindset. One example of this was pointed out to me by the social worker I was riding with on our way to a new HIV patient’s home. The patient’s family worked for a white farmer and lived in a little community on the farmer’s land. If you are aware of South Africa’s history, you know about apartheid and the deep scars caused by segregation between the whites, blacks and mixed Africans. Relations between the races are slowly improving in many parts of South Africa, but in areas like Winterton the separation is still very noticeable due to the drastic difference in class status. The social worker told me that the very act of her black person driving me a white person around was “blowing people’s minds,” let alone that we were coming to visit with them in their homes.

Sifting Sand: Reflection of God’s Grace

I didn’t only do home visits.  I build a ramp! Ok I helped. Actually, I spent nearly an entire day sifting the sand we would need to make the cement for the wheelchair ramp we were constructing for an elderly handicapped couple while the carpenter and a couple of the guys demolished the dilapidated old structure and built the wooden frame that would allow us to pour the cement evenly.

The only sand available for sale was full of rocks, both big and small. When the nurse with me and I took one look at the mess I’m sure we were thinking the same thing. How are we ever going to turn this rocky mess into the fine sand required to create the smooth structure this couple needed for their walker and wheelchair?  Our first load of sand was damp and stuck to the cumbersome contraption we were using to sift. Each shovelful required gentle coaxing by rubbing the sand through with our hands. The dry sand was much easier, but even the dry sand had to go through the sifter multiple times. Every time we sifted the sand the rocks left behind became smaller, and the pile looked more and more of what we had envisioned, but we didn’t stop sifting until it was just right for its purpose. We had a plan. 

As we sifted I couldn’t help but compare our lives (my life) to the sand. I am full of rough edges and rocks, but God has a purpose for my life. He has a purpose for every life, and He is a patient sifter. Sometimes I am not ready to be sifted. I want to hold onto my sin and my flesh. I’m like sticky wet sand, but God doesn’t give up on me. He has a vision and has planned my purpose. He waits patiently for me, coaxing me until I become like dry sand, ready and willing to let go control, let go of burdens, let go of the rocks. Just as the sand is sifted many times, so to must I, but each time I become more like His image and ready for my purpose.

Sailing

As you are reading this we will have arrived in Benin. I will be starting orientation for my new job as a ward nurse while the screening team starts the process of finding the patients we can help; however, as I write this issue we are sailing. The hospital is not in service, and I am currently working in housekeeping, a hard but rewarding temporary job because I have quickly learned every inch of this ship.

We boarded the ship in Durban and sailed around the Cape, stopping briefly in Cape Town before continuing north along the west coast on our way to Benin.

I have decided that I really enjoy sailing (except for an unfortunate event that left me stuck in the crew galley for 30 minutes holding a standing freezer door closed and then paying for it later with a few hours of seasickness).

For most of the trip the sea has been calm, but we had one day when I awoke to what appeared to be an angry sea. The wind was causing the waves to fight our ship. We pitched and rolled more then we ever had before. The sea looked so huge and mighty. You could see God’s strength, His power, His glory, His justice, yet it was also an example of His mercy and grace because in the mist of the chaos and fury our little ship stayed afloat, and we were safe in His protection. It reminded me of two things. First, I deserve God’s wrath, His fury, His justice, but He instead offers His grace and provides a place of safety through His son. Secondly, when I stay within Him, keep my heart and mind steadfast on Him, He is my protection from the hardest storms and the deepest waters in this world.

Thank you for partnering with me in this journey. Your support in whatever way you have given it (financial, prayers, encouraging words) makes you as much a part of this mission as I am. I couldn’t be doing this without support. I am truly bless by you.

Prayer Points:

1.          Pray for the people in the Winterton area. That God’s light would shine and the     truth would be made known.

2.         That God would guide us as we start screenings and treat out first patients in Benin.

3.          That we would trust God to work through us and know how to minister to others cross culturally 

Author's Note: While I am currently serving with Mercy Ships the ideas and opinions expressed here are my own. Mercy Ships has not reviewed nor do they endorse the content written within this blog.