Care Workers in Chibote, Zambia holding their new Bibles.
In late May and early June 2019, The Bridge Church from Venice, Florida, sent a team of five to Zambia through Hands at Work in Africa. They visited the community of Chibote in Zambia. Here are some reflections from team members Peter Gemma, Christie McKinney, Zander McKinney and Cheri Chambers on their experiences and the events that led them to join the team.
Why did you join the team?
“I have a special place in my heart for Africa; this was my fifth time traveling there, albeit never on a missions trip… I’m a different man because of that trip.” - Peter Gemma
“I found myself sitting in church listening to a very soft-spoken man, George Snyman, talk about his experiences of loving people in Nigeria and walking a plank over dirty water just to get to their homes. He charged us that, to really know our Father's heart for others, we have to walk the plank. This sermon rekindled a flame that hadn't gone out but was dimmed by children and life but now I found myself in a place where I could go.” - Christie McKinney
“I hesitated at first. I wanted to go because God wanted me to and not my flesh… He reminded me of the call to go and share His love and the light within me with every woman, boy and girl. So I surrendered to His call and went with my oldest son of 14 years.” - Christie McKinney
Were there any experiences or lessons gleaned from the trip that have stuck with you?
“The biggest challenge for me is trying to fix everything. Not really realizing the full scope of what they’ve been doing and their challenges and the steps and progressions… Just wanting to fix, not even knowing the whole situation.” - Anne Eckerman
"There was so much more time to get away from our culture and to just see it in God, in a real honest place. And to learn to do that... To allow myself that time as that's what God desires for me." - Cheri Chambers
“In Zambia, we saw poverty unlike what I have seen before. Small 2- or 3-room homes with no furniture, no running water, no bathrooms, just floor and hopefully a blanket to keep the cold ground from penetrating your sleep. The homes many times were filled with up to 10 people. There didn't really seem to be steady work and school was expensive with the amount of money people would make… Many of the children wore the same clothes for days at a time and the only food they received was from the Life Center. They did have an abundance of joy! We saw it day after day and prayers and songs and play and laughter. On our first day in the Life Center, we experienced something we hadn't before. We sat in a small classroom with about 20 Care Workers and the five of us. They began to sing and the five of us had felt we were ushered straight into the singing of the angels in Heaven. Their praises could have been heard for miles and the Spirit fell on us until it brought us to tears. God was here, God was with us and God is in Zambia; it was all made evident in that moment. In the midst of nothing, joy indescribable!” - Christie McKinney
“I never have experienced such raw spiritual power. The services were more than just inspiring. Even in Bemba, the messages, music, and prayers would take my breath away. I have never experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit like I did in Chibote… The Care Workers were glad to have help, but I never felt like they had the slightest thought of ‘Here come the Americans, we need to do something special.’ In just a few minutes, I was working alongside other local volunteers like I was just another team member. They were very welcoming.” - Peter Gemma
"That was a big change for me, being able to be in [God's] presence and allowing myself that time... The time I spend in God's presence doesn't need to be active... That was a concept that Hands had talked about over and over again, ’Just be’.It’s been such a huge tagline that I'm thankful for at home… We have [Vacation Bible School], we have these activities, but that thread of being a Christian and knowing the Jesus we know is that personal relationship. How can we go to other places, go to our neighbors, meet the people we know and be that joyful Christian?" - Cheri Chambers