At Hands at Work, our volunteers are called by God from all over the world to serve the most vulnerable in Africa. Each of us has a unique story of how we were transformed when we stepped out in faith and were obedient to His call. Kara McLaughlin shares her story of following God's voice and the journey that has led her to fully trust and serve in Africa.
I grew up as the oldest of four siblings with parents who decided that their marriage and life decisions would be built around the priority of serving Jesus and others. I remember a somewhat dorky family singing session in the car, where we were belting out, “It’s an adventure following Jesus… let’s go where He leads us!” This was all forming a foundation that would become layered as the years rolled on.
In my early teenage years, there was a young woman who decided to walk with me. Somewhat arrogantly, I thought she loved my spontaneous visits to her home. I am not so sure she did, but I do know that she always made me feel loved. Subconsciously, I decided to mimic what she prioritised. One of her priorities was mission. We would visit mission conferences in Sydney, where I witnessed hundreds of people exploring what it would mean to serve Jesus overseas. It was at some point in High School that I decided that was what I wanted to do. As the years moved on, I seemed to forget this desire but our Father did not. My journey would take a different route, but interestingly, it would still lead me to serving Jesus overseas.
After High School I studied theatre acting. Throughout the course, the style of theatre that most excited me focused on giving a voice to the voiceless. My studies came to an end, but with no clear direction, I got involved in work with vulnerable high school students. A pattern was emerging, I just could not see it…yet!
My next season saw me living in northern England training with a church who had a heart for bringing the good news of Jesus to their neighbours and vulnerable people. This was a transformative time and gave me the opportunity to be discipled and serve alongside people dedicated to living and breathing the gospel.
It was actually during my time in England that my family and church got involved with Hands at Work. They sent a team to South Africa in 2009 after one of our church family moved to serve as a long-term Hands volunteer. Little did the team know, but this trip would deeply transform their personal lives and by extension, the life of our church. On their return, they started seeking out and loving the most vulnerable in our town.
When I moved back to Sydney, I witnessed a noticeable change in my family and church through their relationship with Hands at Work. I still knew very little about Hands, but over the years I would get to know some key Hands leaders on their visits to Australia. Their passion for pursuing God’s heart was impactful. Despite all of this, I famously told my family on a number of occasions that I believed Africa was their ‘thing’. I was convinced that God was calling me in a different direction.
Nevertheless, in 2013, I finally made my way to Hands at Work for a two-week trip to Africa. I remember feeling at home and caught myself thinking “oh dear, I could end up here”. Throughout the two weeks, I experienced a community of Christians from around the world, who had committed to serve Jesus and the vulnerable children. Their focus, humour, authenticity and passion were striking.
Through this trip, God also used a small boy in one of our South African communities to unlock something in me. I had met a young boy with sad eyes at the Care Point. We found ourselves sitting silently on the dirt. There was a soccer game being played nearby that was flicking dirt our way. It seemed to be his unswerving mission to ensure no dirt stayed on my skirt. Tears formed in my eyes as he served me in this way.
At this stage of my life, I was a High School teacher in a Sydney Christian School. I was given a number of opportunities to share and unpack my experience with students and colleagues. From my two-week team trip onwards, it was like God’s Word started to sing a new tune revealing God’s heart for the widow, the orphan and vulnerable.
Through a number of experiences, coupled with tears, I made the decision to move to Hands at Work in South Africa in 2017. I was more surprised by the decision than my family, church, students or colleagues. Yet somehow, I knew that Jesus’ call to take up my cross and follow Him meant accepting His invitation to Africa. I tried to convince myself that it would only be for a year but as I met our families, as I walked alongside courageous and godly African brothers and sisters longing for transformation in their communities, and as I became embedded and discipled by the Hands family, I realised I was in for the long run. My cultural blind spots were being exposed and my personal brokenness was beginning to heal.
So here I am almost five years on. My time with Hands has been richer than I could have fathomed. Jesus’ call is full of adventure but it’s also accompanied with tears. To have compassion is to choose to ‘suffer with’. I have learnt God truly is the God of compassion. I have also come to realise that being at Hands is less about the call in itself and more about the privilege of getting to know and experience Jesus.
Kara lives in the South Africa where she serves as a member of the Zimbabwean Regional Support Team.