Earlier this year on our facebook fan page we asked you to share with us photos and reflections of your time with us in Africa. There was an outpouring of responses and here are some of them. To learn more about volunteering, click here. To read about Adam Bedford's (UK) experience of the six-week orientation programme, click here.
In the words of Adam: The whole point is relationships (SA)
Are you considering volunteering with Hands at Work? Have you ever wondered what it feels like to jump into a completely new cultural experience? Adam Bedford, a 22-year-old university graduate from the UK, shares about his experience of the six-week Hands at Work orientation programme for new volunteers. He lives at the Hands 'village' in South Africa.
I first touched down on African soil in April 2010 in beautiful rural Zambia. At the time I was halfway through my studies and the thought of visiting Africa, let alone moving there, was little more than a romantic dream for the distant future. But then, seemingly out of nowhere, a free ticket to Zambia landed in my lap.
The church that my parents were leading had come across an organisation/charity/family - I wasn’t sure what it was back then - called Hands at Work. In the hope of identifying a community they could support they decided to send a small group of five to Africa and asked if I would consider being a part of the team. I don’t remember having to think about it for long.
The two weeks spent in Zambia left an impression on my heart that would leave me restless for a long time. I had stumbled upon God’s heart for the world’s most vulnerable people and discovered this wild group of Christians committed to transforming Africa in His name.
A Peculiar Work, a Letter from Lynn
What a peculiar work we’re a part of!
A new group of international volunteers has arrived with us at the Hub in South Africa and yesterday I heard how one of them struggled to raise funds to come here: he sold his few possessions to pay for himself to come serve the poor in Africa. Of course it had been scandalous to his friends and family, but he was convinced it was part of God’s calling for his life.
That conversation came after I’d spent the morning with a team of care workers in a Bushbuckridge village near the South African border with Mozambique. Sitting with the care workers, one of them a woman in her mid-forties, had explained to me the impact that her husband’s death had on her life: she was left to care for six children (only four were her own), she has no job and she’s battling serious health issues herself.
This is My Story (SA)
Elvis Mahlanya, a self-portrait
Today Elvis Mahlanya, a strapping 22-year-old, is rather known as a passionate social change-maker, than an orphan. The product of the close relationships Hands at Work volunteers forged with him, Elvis shares his story below as only he can tell it.
No one can tell this, only me. I am Elvis, the eldest son of the late Sinah Mahlanya who was basically a single parent. She passed away in 2004 when I was just 15-years-old. In her absence I had to take over responsibility for my younger brother, Africa, who was just 13 and my sister Tebogo who was just 6 years old. I had to make sure that I could address their needs all by myself. Everything from fetching water down by the river and providing food for us became my responsibility. Most of the time I had to ask help from my family members or friends. I remember being scolded and shouted at by my own uncle as I tried to advocate for my brother who needed school shoes. His were torn in such a way that he could not wear them. Some days he just went to school barefoot.
A Dire Dilemma - Sam Shin's impressions (SA) (US)
Full-time UK volunteer, Catherine Clarkson, with the Shin kids as they serve chicken feet and broth at a South African care centreSam Shin, his wife Shua and their four children have been a part of the Hands at Work family for the past six weeks whilst this church-planting family have been on sabbatical. They desired to "rest in Christ" and to expose their children to the reality of life for orphans and vulnerable children in Africa.
The Shin family fully embraced the Hands at Work 'culture' and have taught us what a Godly family looks like. They've essentially become working limbs of this part of the Body of Christ. We will miss them when they leave tomorrow.
Below Sam shares about the hope we have in Christ. For more on their African adventure and photos, visit Sam's blog.
We made another round of visits to Belfast, a poor region in the eastern part of South Africa. And as we made our way up the home of a girl about 16-years-old, we noticed she had began to weep. She was sitting in a chair wearing knee-length, striped stockings. We sat around her as she sat there, crying. When we asked her to share her story, you could tell she was hesitant to say too much. Our group was large as my family of six was there along with Levy who is the regional coordinator, a couple of care workers and a couple of field workers.
When Levy asked if anyone had any encouragements for her, I couldn’t but say something. Hopefully I didn't speak because I felt that as a pastor everyone was waiting me to say something, but instead it was because the Lord had laid something upon my heart. I shared with her from 2 Corinthians 4: Those in Christ have a treasure in a jar of clay. Even if that jar should break the treasure is secure because God has secured it through His Son’s blood.
Running for a Purpose
James Moreland (in photo on right with friend) ran the Edinburgh Marathon in May 2011. At the age of 18 years, 1 day and 20 hours, he became the youngest person ever to have run the Edinburgh Marathon. Below is his story of about why he decided to do it and the trials and triumphs along the way.
Last November while sitting in a Saint Andrews pub on the east coast of Scotland, my friend and I made a deal to run the May 2011 Edinburgh Marathon together. Now, my friend was a runner; I was not. I kept myself reasonably fit—a 30 minute jog around St. Andrews would be more than sufficient for me—but forget about a gruelling 26.2 mile (42.1 km) annihilation around the Scottish capital!
I first heard about Hands at Work through my mum Judith who travelled to South Africa to witness the work out there. Seeing her return really compelled to help was actually quite infectious, and after reading through the Hands at Work webpage, I too came to really respect the work that is being done. To me it felt like a perfect demonstration of Christians showing others–especially the poor and needy–God’s love and compassion for them, putting into practise one of the two commandments Jesus highlighted: love your neighbour as yourself. It’s a brilliant display of Christian ‘brotherhood’ as people come together—local churches offering love and support and oversees volunteers using their giftings to serve. I can’t emphasize enough how inspired I was by Hands at Work and I found God really challenging me to give and serve more, which is ultimately why I felt running the marathon to raise money for Hands at Work was a perfect opportunity to support the work. So I would run the marathon for Hands at Work, and I would do it in less than 4 hours.
Teams!
As the northern summer is now in full swing, so is our busy season of teams and visitors. This week we’re featuring the Forge, a church partner from UK who is serving with Hands at Work in Zambia right now. Read about their experience here and follow them as they blog and tweet.
Have you recently visited Hands at Work? Would you care to share about your time with us? Comment on this post, connect with us over Facebook or one of our other social media and share with us and your friends about your experience.
Here are some easy ways how:
Facebook Fanpage – Become a fan, leave a comment and post your photos to our wall.
Facebook Cause – Join and invite your friends to do the same. Start a new fundraising goal and challenge your co-workers or classmates to be a part of bringing healing to vulnerable children in Africa.
Twitter – Follow George as he tweets. Re-tweet your favorites and spread the word about Hands at Work.
Flickr – Are you on flickr? Connect with us and we’ll share a thousand words a hundred times over.
YouTube & Vimeo – Took some video while you were here with us? Upload to YouTube or Vimeo and tag it: “Hands at Work in Africa”
We're all on the same road, it's just a very long one (ZAM) (UK)
Oliver Westmancott is the non-medical member of a team from The Forge, UK on a short-term, well, medical trip to Hands at Work communities in ZambiaToday we visited two different schools on the same day. This begged the obvious question: How far is it between the two?
The reply was insightful: "They're on the same road, it's just a very long road."
Two schools. Both on the same road. Both community schools. This basically means that they are run by volunteers and get no money from the government, but are, crucially, free to attend.
We have to feed the kids before we deworm them. They don’t eat everyday and if a kid is properly full of worms it's not good to give them the tablets. It is worth giving that a second thought: They don’t eat everyday. It's not that sometimes they skip breakfast, it's that some days they don’t eat. At all. The food we provide gives the tablet something to work on.
The food is appreciated, but is just so temporary. It probably doesn't last much longer than our visit. Even the deworming needs to be repeated in six months. On its own it's not going to transform their worlds.
Primary Caregiver Coaching Programme
“When my orphaned children would come to me saying they were hungry, I would say: ‘Go to the graveyard and tell your mom.’ Now I am different. I know that these kids will sometimes misbehave because they are coping with grief.” – A granny attending a Primary Caregivers Workshop. She attended her first one just 1 year ago. Today she gave her testimony.
The HIV/AIDS situation came like an unexpected storm that devastated many of the significant resources/belongings children had in their lives. Today, children are left deserted by their loved family members. There has not been a devastation of this magnitude before. The orphaned children are going through a very difficult time in their lives because while they are developing they are forced to give up their childhood and face adulthood responsibilities. This is a serious burden in the lives of these children.
George in the UK
George Snyman, Hands at Work founder, will be in the UK from 10 - 20 June. Don't miss him!
HAMPSHIRE
Venue: Locks Heath Free Church, 255 Hunts Pond Road, Titchfield Common Fareham, Hampshire
Date and Time: Sun, 12 June at 9AM and 11AM (both morning services)
ST ANDREWS LANDYWOOD
Venue: Tea at St Andrews Landywood
Date and Time: Tues, 14 June at 5:30 - 7:30PM
SUFFOLK
Venue: Morning service at Greenfinch Church, Greenfinch Avenue, Ipswich
Date and Time: Sun, 19 June at 10:30 - 12:00PM
Venue: Forge Church, Debenham Leisure Centre, Gracechurch Street, Dehenham, Stowmarket
Date and Time: Sun, 19 June at 6:30 - 8:30PM
Is this the way to Amulo? (ZAM) (UK)
Leon Evans, a good friend of Hands and senior pastor at Zion Christian Centre in the UK, wrote about his recent trip to Zambia with Hands at Work on his blog.
"Is this the way to Amulo?" Sounds like a really annoying song that was out (again) a few years ago. Actually, it was what I found myself saying quite a lot in a car whilst bouncing on roads, that had more potholes than road, just outside Kitwe in the Copperbelt mining region in central Zambia.
My wife, Allison, and I had just left a conference hosted by Hands at Work, an amazing organisation - actually, more of a family - who support projects all across sub-Saharan Africa that are actively reaching and serving widows, orphans and vulnerable children. Now the conference was over and we were off to Amulo for a community stay: the chance to stay with a local household and spend 24 hours with a family.
Celebrating in Zambia (ZAM) (US)
Greetings Friends,
A couple of weeks ago Lauren Lee and I had the opportunity to attend Hands at Work in Africa’s Regional Celebration in Zambia. Each year these celebrations are a time of gathering together Hands at Work international volunteers and the community-based partners from all over Africa to encourage each other and celebrate all that God is doing throughout the global Hands at Work Family. This year, from 13 to 16 April, Hands had its biggest Celebration ever in Zambia with nearly 200 representatives from over 40 communities in Africa as well as representatives from Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States.
The theme of the Celebrations this year was, “Going Deeper.” The vision of Hands at Work is the local church in Africa effectively caring for the orphaned, widowed and the dying and unified in this mission with the church outside Africa. All of the different sessions focused on Going Deeper in relationship to make this vision become a reality. The celebration kicked off with a message from Hands at Work founder George Snyman who focused on Going Deeper in our relationship with Christ. He asked the question, “Why do you do what you do?” The motivation for caring for the orphaned, widowed and dying should come out of a deep love for Christ, a thankful spirit for what He has done for us, and a willingness to share that sacrificial love with others through service.
An excerpt of Ephesians 4 was given to everyone at the start of the Celebrations to read. I think it speaks directly to the purpose of these regional celebrations.
Just a few short weeks - how a quick visit made a huge difference (ZAM) (CA)
Kim Wiebe from Manitoba, Canada poses for a picture with a group of children in Luanshya, ZambiaI woke up this morning thinking of my sister-in-law. She has just returned from Zambia and all the love and frustration and friendship that Africa holds for us are fresh in her. When I spoke to her for the first time since she returned, I could hear it in her voice: Africa is front-and-centre in her life and purpose again. Life in North America luxuriously crowds out thoughts of Africa, like a fluffy towel blots out the moisture on our skin, before we can absorb it all. Africa never leaves us, it's infused into us, but it can be diluted by all that our regular life entails.
I caught a little of that urgency this week, speaking with Kim. Her stories and updates on those I love and miss were like stories from a family reunion! Many good things, many difficult-to-hear things. Some continue to break that part of my heart that Africa has infiltrated.
This week I had a letter from a young woman I adore who is going on missions for a few weeks this Summer. She will be volunteering her time in Romania. She possesses a beautiful heart that is passionate for others. It has led her to pursue a nursing degree and I can't even fathom the amazing things that this knowledge, combined with her passions, will mean for our world. One of the things she addressed in her letter updating friends and family, was the thought that perhaps spending a lot of money to go and spend only a few weeks with children abandoned to orphanages in Romania may not be the most effective way to minister. This letter is for her, but it's also for each of us.
Dear Erin,
Never underestimate the way that your presence will change the lives of those you encounter.
All Hands on Deck: The South Africa/Swaziland Celebration 2011
In early April a group of local church leaders, friends of Hands, and Hands at Work staff and volunteers got together at the Hub just outside White River to talk about Who, What, Where and How we are.
Sensing God's favour on the day, the Hands at Work team were up at the crack of dawn to set up. By the time guests arrived, lively chatter and upbeat music filled the air.
WHY Hands at Work
George Snyman, Hands at Work founder, spoke first and said that he hoped the day would give everyone a good glimpse of the family's handiwork.
George showed the child mortality rates of the countries that Hands is working in (see a PDF of his PowerPoint slides linked below) and asked of each person: "What would God do with His available resources if one out of five of His children did not reach the age of five?"
Then a second question to chew over: "According to the indicators, it is life endangering for a girl to go to school in sub-Saharan Africa. How can this be when Africa is the most evangelized place on the planet?"
"Every month there are 180,000 new orphans. The number of orphans due to HIV/AIDS continues to grow and grow," he went on to say. "There is no time to be quiet when 6,000 children will walk back to their huts as orphans. We cannot tell them about Christ alone, we need to show them Christ's love through our actions."
Thank the Lord I knew what to say! (CA)
Hands at Work founder, George Snyman, is currently visiting Canada. He met up with Hands friend, seven-year-old Nathan Chong. Here he is pictured with George at the Global Outreach Conference in Toronto:
Nathan wrote to George:
Thank you very much for letting me be part of your talk today. It’s a nice picture isn’t it? I’m glad that the Lord gave me the right words to answer to your question: “Why did you do that?”
Read about Nathan's work with Hands here.
It's good to be back!
Soon after the annual Hands at Work South Africa/Swaziland Celebration, hosted at the Hub in White River from 29 - 31 March, 20 of us set out - in a variety of transport modes (some flew, some endured 45-hour bus rides!) - to Zambia. The Zambian leg of the Celebration, 13 - 15 April, was cause for a large family reunion: Hands at Work volunteers and community-based organization workers from as far as Nigeria, the DRC, Malawi, Zimbabwe and from across Zambia came together for three days of much singing, dancing, eating and sharing of stories, encouragement and starting of new friendships.
Now back at the Hub, we've enjoyed a slow Easter break and even celebrated a family wedding!
Watch this space for a report back on our Celebrations
Hands at Work family members from across Africa shared stories that had us laughing out loud at times, in tears at others. We talked, too, about our plans to roll out the Walking with Wounded Children programme in collaboration with Petra College: A phenomenal programme that aids care workers - often wounded themselves - to deeply care for the orphaned and vulnerable in their communities.
And, of course, we took a lot of pictures! We'd love to share them and our stories with you.
Todd and Katie: No room for frustration
Frustrations. How many times in a day do you feel frustrated about something? Frustrated that you didn’t receive good service at the grocery store, frustrated that you were stuck in traffic on the way home from work, frustrated with the filing of your taxes, frustrated by a co-worker, the list goes on and on.
I know that when I was living in Canada I, too, often felt frustrated over these kinds of things!
My husband, Todd, and I have been back in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for a little over a month. We are serving with the local Hands at Work office called the Likasi Service Centre. Our time is split between helping to do project support work in the office, building capacity in the local staff and spending time in the communities pouring into the local volunteers and loving the beautiful, orphaned children.
On Wednesday mornings we have a small group sharing and encouragement time. It is slightly ironic as our entire team, of only six, is already a “small group”! This particular week Erick, the coordinator of Hands at Work in the Congo, shared with us on frustrations and on how consuming and distracting they can be.
In the Congo there is a whole other playing field of frustrations, some of which are unique to us as foreigners. Let me give you a few examples:
Children caring for children, 8000 miles apart (USA) (ZAM)
You might remember this family: Johnny, Joey, Holly and Hannah Gilchrist from Illinois, USA spent their last Summer doing odd jobs to raise funds for the community and children of Baraka in Zambia.
The Gilchrist family, Hannah, Johnny, Holy and Joey, and their parentsThough the Gilchrist brood have never visited Zambia, working to support this community that they had heard about via Hands at Work founder, George Snyman, they feel as though they are "a part of the family".
Baraka is located 10 miles northwest of Kabwe in Central Zambia. Kabwe, and the surrounding area, is high in lead content, placing it fourth on the list of the Most Polluted Cities in the World and causing many birth defects in the children in the area. The rampant HIV/AIDS pandemic further plagues the community's health. In a community with more than 900 households, there are an estimated 500 orphans, many vulnerable children and child-headed households.
In the middle of this poor, rural community, a team of 26 volunteer care workers are bringing hope to orphaned children by visiting them in their homes and ensuring that they receive nutritious meals, a basic education and that their health and safety is seen to.
With a generous heart and a desire to support and multiply the care workers' work, Joey (11) is dedicating another Summer to pet-sitting. All the money he raises will go towards caring for the community's children. He even made his own business cards!
Joey's business cardBelow, read a note from Joey's mom, Bridgette, to the Hands at Work office in Zambia, and a letter from Joey to the children in Baraka.
"I will not do crime" (SA)
A new team of short-term volunteers arrived at the Hub in South Africa in February this year. Armed with compassion, humility and an open mind, they embarked on a four-day community stay to conclude their orientation programme.
The team of six returned with a sparkle in the eye and many stories: some humorous, some sad, some hopeful.
Tommy, from England, and Jon, a Canadian, spent their weekend with Silo Ngobeni in Clau Clau, a semi-rural settlement in the north-eastern province of Mpumalanga.
20-year-old Silo is only in grade 11. Since his mother died in 2008, he has been living alone in a one-room, make-shift house. On first impression life doesn’t seem too bad. Silo seems to have all the essentials: food, clothing, water, a bed, even electricity.
As the weekend unfolded, though, it became obvious that Silo is a very lonely young man. He told Tommy and Jon that often he doesn’t have anything substantial to eat for as long as a week on end. Despite the hardship, however, Silo is determined not to revert to crime. Instead he looks to God for help.
Silo wrote two short stories that he has agreed to share:
Update 3: Determined not to be 'people who wander aimlessly'
One of the values of Hands at Work that I find most alluring is to know each child by name. There is something powerful about a name. If a child is a number or a checkmark on a list, no relationship will flourish with him/her. Think about it, have you ever been in that awkward situation where you meet someone for a second time (or third, or fourth) and they remember your name while you have no clue what theirs is? We are quick to devise a plan to remedy the situation. We convince someone else to introduce themselves so that we can find out the name surreptitiously. Or, if that doesn’t work, maybe we start putting their phone number into our mobile and deviously ask, “So, how do you spell that again?” Unfortunately, I’ve been a culprit of both schemes recently. It displays how much people appreciate the personal connection found in knowing each other by name.The problem I’ve found myself in, since being in Africa, is somewhat more complicated. I’ve enjoyed learning children’s names and stumbling over the unfamiliar syllables numerous times, prompting laughter from the children who struggle as much to say my name. Even though it’s short and simple in my mind, the vast majority of the time we are known as Mzungu rather than by our confusing English names. I don’t mind nicknames, but for a while this one has slightly troubled me:
We’ve taken in a handful of Swahili church services in the Congo, not understanding much of the content, but enjoying the colorful melodies of the small buildings filled with African ladies’ not-so-small voices. On occasion we would recognize an old English hymn being sung in their language. The word Mzungu kept landing in the same place as the word God would have, had I been the one leading the song. Suddenly, I became apprehensive about how much the word for God resembled the nickname given to white foreigners. I was ready to accept a nickname which I had assumed translated as “white person” because after all, we are indisputably white. But, if there was some kind of reference to deity or the historical superiority of white colonialists, I was prepared to launch a search-and-destroy mission to eradicate the term.
Thankfully, after a short investigation, I discovered the term Mzungu translates as “people who wander aimlessly,” innocently referring to the fact that, historically, much of the European presence in predominately Swahili territories consisted of transient traders, missionaries and tourists. Now, rather than spending my time on some sort of misguided kamikaze mission against every person that calls me Mzungu instead of Todd, I can embrace the name.