In the late 1990s we had a visiting preacher from South Africa named Jenny Holtzhuisen, a nurse from the ACTS clinic, at that time an arm of Africa School of Missions in White River.
I cannot remember too much about what she shared, but I do know that all who listened were affected by the plights of Africans suffering through the AIDS pandemic. However, it did have a huge impact on my daughter who decided she wanted to get into medicine and spend time serving in Africa.
In 2001, Rebecca found out about a short-term mission’s trip to Uganda with YWAM and asked if she could go on the trip. Millie and I prayed about it, but felt that this was not the right trip for Rebecca and consequently said no.
However, she was very persistent in wanting to go to Africa, and I believe God inspired me to email a former teaching colleague, Steve Parker, who had felt a calling to go to Africa School of Missions as a Bible College Teacher. He had left a few years earlier with his family and were living at ASM. I asked Steve if there was any chance Rebecca could visit and spend some time with them over the Christmas break.
God had a plan, and all the details were worked out, and Rebecca flew over to stay with Steve and Heidi.
While Rebecca was in White River, she met a couple called George and Carolyn Snyman who were also living at ASM, and were ministering to the sick and needy in a nearby community called Masoyi. Rebecca went out with them a few times into the community and was deeply moved by what she saw.
She came back home with a deep desire to go back again the following year, which we agreed to.
In 2002, Rebecca returned to ASM to stay with the Parkers, and to reconnect with George and Carolyn, and their self-less work in Masoyi.
She returned home and said to me, “Dad, you have to go to Africa. You need to meet George and Carolyn and see what they are doing in their community.”
Rebecca shared many of her experiences in South Africa, and the whole church was moved by her passion for missions.
With her continued prompting and encouragement, we decided to take a team to White River, SA in November of 2003.
I have to say, that God was in all of this, and when I put out to our church that we were taking a team over, I thought I may have had 3-4 others wanting to go, but we had a team of 12 sign up for a trip that we were largely going into blind.
Rebecca had given us some information, but unfortunately, she could not end up coming on this first team, so we were largely going in faith, not really knowing what to expect.
In November 2003, we headed over, and I must admit as the time drew closer, I wondered what we had gotten ourselves in to. It was rather daunting heading to Africa for the first time.
On our first trip we met George and Carolyn and some of the team at Masoyi Home Based Care. What an eye opener!
I can still remember my first few days there, sitting in a little room with my other teenage daughter, Bethany packing vitamin C tablets, Panadol and little containers of ointment into small bags for the teams who would go out into Masoyi to visit the sick and dying in their homes, giving them some pain relief, listening to their stories and praying for them.
I wondered a few times why I had travelled all the way from Australia, just to sit all day ‘packing pills’. But a few days later, we had the opportunity to travel out into the community and see firsthand how those little bags were so important to those we visited. Our hearts were broken by what we saw and felt a little hopeless as we knew that most of the people we visited were going to die soon. The AIDS pandemic was wreaking havoc amongst the people of this community.
A highlight of the first trip was helping out at the Orphans and Vulnerable children’s Christmas parties. Every one of the children were treated to cordial and cake, and then waited as each one’s name was called out to receive their special gift. What a joy it was to be part of those parties.
It was a conversation I had with George one afternoon that gave us a focus for the future. George said to me, “If you think South Africa is bad, you should see Zambia. Education is not free in Zambia, so many vulnerable children can’t even get an education.”
I remember replying to George, “If our church could raise $500 a month, what would that do to help?”
George replied that this would help them start at least 6 community schools in the Luanshya/Ndola area. We went home and presented this to the church, and our partnership in the Copperbelt of Zambia began.
We were keen to return the next year, and so we had a team of 10 travel over in November, this time knowing a bit more about what we could expect.
But I was in for a surprise. George asked if I could take 5 of our team and help drive a car up to Luanshya, Zambia with Sal Hunziker and a couple of his building team, who were going to spend some time working on school buildings in Kabwe.
That was certainly an experience, crossing over borders, traveling through Zimbabwe, and into Zambia.
We stopped in Kabwe for a couple of days, and then left Sal and his team in Kabwe and drove the vehicle on to Luanshya where we delivered it safely to Ps Jacob. It was our first visit to Kachele Farm (nothing like it is today) and spent time in Luanshya. It was the beginning of our long association with communities in this area, as we started providing funding for 6 community schools. We watched in awe as God moved. Many of those school communities grew and are now Government funded schools. We still have a close association with Chibuli, and also support the community of Kikula in the DRC.
In recent years, many of our teams have run camps at Kachele farm for groups of children and careworkers, and we count ourselves very privileged to be part of the Hands family.
On our first visit to White River, George said something that has never left me.
“Africa needs you, but you also need Africa”.
When I first heard it, I thought it was a bit of a one-liner, but today I realise the truth in that statement.
We have learnt a lot from our Hands family and we thank God that He led us to this amazing, growing family of servant hearted, God glorifying volunteers.
Pastor Shane Lepp
