“Everything may be different and yet, stepping out of our van into the community of Maranatha, I was greeted by faces I knew and people I could greet by name. I even recognised some of the kids and greeted them by name, even though it has been four years since I saw them last. I felt joy in seeing them again and, by the faces, I believe this was mutual….”
Hands at Work’s International Teams are groups of people from around the world who come to Africa and partner with Hands at Work and the local Church to serve, encourage and learn from them. It is a beautiful picture of the diversity of the Body of Christ coming together to serve the most vulnerable who are suffering hunger, HIV/AIDS, violence and trauma on a daily basis.
In June, Tim Van Hoffen, a member of the International Office in Canada, with Bill and the Bonin family, Hands at Work Advocates, travelled to Zambia for two weeks. Throughout their time in Africa, Tim wrote a blog with stories and reflections on people he met and ways that God was speaking to him and the team. Featured are a few excerpts from these posts:
“One of the most common questions I get asked when I say I’m going to Africa is, “What are you going to be doing?”. Bill and I are going to be spending our time in Zambia with a family from British Columbia and, together, we decided to study a book about listening for and hearing God speak to us. We came to this decision because our deepest desire is to hear and understand what God wants to do in us and through us. I have always been most intrigued by the story of Elijah when he was in the wilderness. He is in a spiritual pit and wants to die. He has just witnessed the awesome power of God, but the end result of that majestic display of power is an unrepentant king and queen, who still want him dead. How does God meet him in his despair? First with food and water and then in a low whisper. I confess I am leaving for this trip having been in a place where I experienced some empathy with Elijah. I’ve been in a season of questioning what God is doing. We so often seek God in dramatic ways, yet He is a tender loving Saviour who most often gently engages us in a low whisper, or, in other translations, “a still small voice”, rather than blinding lights and shaking mountains.”
“I feel the weight of the brokenness and suffering I have seen here. I have sat with families whose struggles I can’t imagine. I have heard a father whose prayer was to be able to buy a piece of plastic before the rainy season comes in November, so he can keep the nine people under his roof dry. I have sat with a mum whose heart aches for her children, who often go hungry because they don’t have enough money to buy fertiliser and the crops are poor. In the middle of the difficulty, I have also heard stories of hope. A grandmother held up her grandchild for us and said that when he was malnourished and near death, he began to come to the Life Centre, and we could see he was a healthy and strong toddler. I saw kids all around me playing, smiling and being loved and cared for. We saw hope and joy amidst the suffering. God in his still small voice was saying persevere, bring hope in my name, even if it’s one child at a time. It’s easy to get discouraged by the magnitude of poverty, the incredible vulnerability of so many, yet God whispers, go and offer a cup of cold water in my name, sit with a hurting family, give of yourself, and I will be faithful because I have overcome the world.”
“…We were able to make bracelets with all the kids, colour with them, and bless the Care Workers with a gift bag. As we distributed the materials for bracelets and colouring, many of the Care Workers were asking for a page to colour and a bracelet to make. We had only brought enough for the kids. What began as regret on our part began to change as we saw the Care Workers getting down on the floor with the kids, helping them with their crafts, holding the hands of the littlest ones and teaching them to colour. It was beautiful.”