The Missionary

Since our time in Zimbabwe (or "Zim" as I'll call it), I've had a few months to reflect on what I saw, experienced and learned there.  I was expecting the disparities in health, wealth, and modern technology.  And for good reason.  We saw countless people who were starving, dying of AIDS, or with unmet basic, human needs.  Access to power, water and sewage systems were inconsistent, negatively impacting commerce and societal order.  We saw a corrupted government that exploited and harmed its vulnerable population.  The conditions under which Zimbabwean people live are unheard of here. 

What surprised me though, were the similarities between rural western Kansas and rural Zimbabwe.  I am in no way suggesting that we resemble a developing country.  If anything, the safety and community focus of these small American towns make them some of the most comfortable places to live.  I just believe we share some similar challenges, access to health care for instance.  The circumstances just differ.  For us, it's a heart patient traveling 2 1/2 hours by ambulance to the nearest heart center in Wichita, hoping to make it in time to save her life.  For the people in Zim, it's one bare-footed man pushing his broken-footed friend in a wheelbarrow for three full days to the nearest hospital, hoping they will make it in time to save his limb, if they make it at all.  The two needs are similar; they just appear different on the surface.  

One thing is certain to me: the same solution works on both sides of the world, and in any other setting for that matter, whether urban or rural. Mission-minded believers immersing themselves in their communities to share the love best described in the Gospel of Jesus Christ to anyone and everyone they encounter is the best societal medicine.  Most people will eventually be open to receiving genuine love and concern from others if that love is authentic.  And we're all called to be missionaries, every one of us who subscribes to the Gospel.  But it’s tougher than it looks. 

When we arrived in Africa, a long term American missionary to Zimbabwe described the process of "integration with impact" in a four-phase process.  Her analogy intrigued me because it very much mirrored my experiences moving from Dallas, Texas to Ashland, Kansas (pop. 900), having never lived in a community smaller than 250,000 people.  Mostly, I found it comforting to know that my experiences, both positive and negative, were part of this natural process.  And for all the happiness and suffering my wife and I have experienced in the last two years, the greatest benefit is a constant reliance on God.  I am reminded of a greeting by Zimbabwean farmer when we first arrived in Africa.  He said with a smile, "Ah.  You in West are challenged because you must choose to rely on God.  We rely on Him every day to meet our every need."

My recent journal entry…

The Missionary

I'm a white, privileged, suburban American.  My life's a right, not a privilege.  I don't know about my heritage.  My mom used to tell me, "Eat your green beans.  There's starving kids in Africa, and you have it easy."  I have friends in my world who make me absolutely crazy, crazy enough to get six shots, and leave my shop, and fly across the continents to try to help the least of these.  What I don't yet know, is I'm about to be floored, by what missionaries call phases 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Phase 1.  I love this place.  It's different in a good way.  There's so much here to see, and touch and hear; every day's a new day.  The smells are new too.  Maybe not too cool.  Pew.  This food looks nutritious.  What kind of dark meat is this?  I guess it doesn't matter.  It can't make me any fatter.  You're all skinny around here.  Here's some clothes; here's a dollar; here's some food and fresh water.  How could your needs ever bother me?  You can't help your poverty.  I have medicine for any ailment; just meet my Jesus. 

Phase 2.  I hate this place.  Everybody stinks here.  The B.O. will knock your socks off.  Can you not just wash your hot spots?  That dark meat?  It's goat, or dog, or anything but beef or hog.  What good is it to dump my time and checks into a bottomless pit?  You can't elect a government!  You starve!  You're sick!  You're poor, 'cause you don't get it!  You're blind, but you refuse to see the need to see any further than your next meal! 

It's hot, and stinky.  I don't know what's going on.  These moms, are freaky.  They're breast feeding right in front of me.  Breast feeding?!  Are you kidding me?!  In public?!  What is this?!  We've got folks, exposed, in front of other folks.  Isn't that their business? 

I'm wasting my time, and wasting folks’ money.  What I wouldn't mind is some steak for my tummy and a break from this ugliness.  I might just, come back some day, when you agree to do things the western way. 

Phase 3.  I've been here five years and I'm through with my tears.  More love, less fear.  Understanding overcomes me as the love of Christ becomes my creed.  I see the need to stop the greed that seeping in from where I'm from that binds and chains the needy.  You buy the lie, defy basic needs for things unclean, the four evil C's: cash, clothes, cars and cell phones.  Hell knows its eternal grip on those who sell their souls for cheap trinkets. 

We know the same Jesus, but you know Him differently.  The Jesus with me is a friend or a buddy.  We use Him as a shrink or a genie back home.  Here, He is your home, your provider for basic needs and things unseen.  I need that freedom inside me. 

My way is not the right way, not always anyway.  I see beauty in your simplicity, though I won’t lose my identity.  I am still an American.  But maybe that smell?  [sniff]  Well maybe it’s me sometimes too. 

Phase 4.  [sniff]  Yep.  It’s definitely me, all the time.  I find myself being critical of my people back home.  You see, that’s not home for me anymore for I’ve been gone for too long.  They’ve ignored the things that money can’t buy and put everything else on Mastercard.  That is hard for me to swallow when surrounded by orphaned children with hollow bellies and yellow fever and fever from malaria and areas without clean water.  No longer can I sit by while generations die from preventive illnesses.  But not even my love for these people can make me one of them for I am not from their tribe.  I hail to the line of Judah and this world is not my home.  Not alone, I toil daily, just awaiting my departure.

God of mercy, Lord of life, bring me please to phase 5.  I am tired of the lies and deceit and sickness and heat and feelings of grief and oppression.  Let me join the poor, the wounded, the widow and the foreigner in my need for thee.  If there is nothing left for me here, take me home.

Thanksgiving

Since Ben's last post, the guys have finished the screens for the whole guesthouse.  It has been so nice to have the windows open at night.  They finished just in time to celebrate our Thanksgiving in Zimbabwe.  While they finished, Lisa and I made a feast.  We made turkey, ham with glaze, green beans, corn casserole, cornbread, stuffing, mased potatoes, pumpkin dessert, and apple crisp.  It was great to have some Zimbabwean couples over to celebrate with us.  John was able to explain the purpose of Thanksgiving in America and we went around the table sharing just a few reasons we were thankful to God.  The Zimbabwean children  played with the light up spintops that Chance brought over and they were captivated!

I took pictures but I haven't had the chance yet to put them onto the computer to upload.  Below are pictures of Karanda's "downtown" area.  If you notice in the first picture the advertisement on the storefront.  This advertisement was on almost all the buildings.  AIDS is taboo here and isn't even mentioned as such in the hospital and surrounding areas.  It is better known as "ISD."  Although Karanda is blessed to have Anti-viral medications, however, the natives here explained to us that the use of these drugs has made people feel as if they were cured, thus not stopping sexual promiscuity even with the knowledge that they have AIDS.  In fact, they figure, why not! 

The second picture is just of the guys walking in "the shops."  We were headed to eat at Dakawni's, which Ben and Chance both mentioned in their blogs.  We had goat, sudza, and relish.  Pretty good! 

Ben is with Patrick, the hospital administrator at Karanda, this morning.  Lisa and I will be eating lunch with the ladies for more sudza.  Chance and the boys will get leftovers from our meal. 

We have been totally blessed by this trip.  It has been an awakening to see the culturea and the issues pressing against the oppressed here.  Yet, at the same time, the amazing friendliness and hope that the Shona people have. 

We leave for Harare in the early morning and starting our decent back to Kansas Friday. 

Kaila

We Ahh Weening!!!

We all went to lunch today at Dokwani's, one of two local restaurants in Karanda.  This was the first time we had left the mission compound and it was like entering a different world.  Though there is inconsistent power, no air conditioning, and nonpotable water where we are saying, the accomodations are quite nice.  The huts we saw throughout the rest of the village had no running water and no need for power; they had no lights or outlets.  There were small community outhouses and trash was everywhere.  There were a dozen rundown stores in the downtown area, all of which sold the same basic items that you'd see in an American convenience store (soda, bread, toothpate, etc.).  We brought our bottles to exchange (they recycle the bottles here and you can't get a new soda without trading in an existing bottle) and each purchased a new soft drink for 50 cents.

Dokwanis was a small, open hut with tables and chairs under a straw roof.  We waited out in the sun to see if they had enough food for our group.  Lisa Birky looked over and said, "It's goat today.  Is that okay?" There were no choices.  It was goat or nothing, and we accepted.  When we sat down, we were each served a large plate of sadza (ground cornmeal served in some form at every meal in Zimbabwe), relish (a plant called rape that has been sliced into strips), and some part of the goats body.  There was no sliverware; everyone ate with their right hand only (the left hand in Zimbabwe is considered the "wiping" hand and therefore unclean).  We all agreed the dish as a whole was quite tasty and Chance and I concluded that we would be eating there every day if not for the delicious meals prepared from scratch by Kaila and Lisa every day (we've eaten like kings throughout this trip - steak last night). 

This is the end of our fifth consecutive day working on these maria screens.  We now have all of the largest, outer windows in the compound completed, a total of 34, leaving only 12 smaller windows.  These are a little tricky because there are no bars on the windows to use as anchors for the zip ties, which forces us to look for another way to secure them in front of the windows.  The few screens that were there had duck tape holding them in, which wasn't acceptable.  We've settled on using narrow wedges to lock them into place and we'll build those tomorrow.  Today was the first day we saw light at the end of the tunnel.  We realized it would be possible to complete the screening project, and probably a day early, leaving us a full day to relax and get to know the Shona people. 

Occasionally thoughtout the day, John Siamukwari, the African tradesman helping us with the screens looks over as we are at work and says, "Ahh we weening today?" (Are we winning), his way gaging our view of the progress.  We usually chuckle and reply, "Yes, we ahh weening."

When everything seemed like it was going well and that we would be done a day early, we had a scare.  7 of our 12 boxes of staples were missing.  We had used 5 of the boxes liberally, knowing we had plenty to spare.  When we realized we were out and the nearest lumber yard was further than the distance from Ashland to Wichita, we were at a standstill.  We had most of the 12 remaining frames constructed and no way to secure the screens. 

We were relieved when we found that Dr. Roland Stephens, the 80 year old missionary surgeon (who still runs 3 miles, 3 times a week) had a stapler with 1,000 staples.  He gave them to us to finish the project.  Dr. Stephens has been here for decades and is committed to the hospital, the other missionaries and the mission as a whole.  These 1,000 staples, if used properly, will get us through to the end of the project, without much to spare. 

In the words of Mr. Siamukwari (as we call him), "We ahh weening."

We'll check back in tomorrow, hopefully to tell you we are done. 

-Benjamin

(We'd all like to send a shot out to Spot's Lumber, who did such a great job preparing us with the supplies to make the dream of a misquito and snake free living environment for these missionaries a reality.  Thanks Mr. Fast.  You're first class). 

power, tea time, screening

     We are making a very good amount of progress on our screens. Have not been able to blog the last couple of days because the power seems to go out in the afternoon. So i am writing this blog during "tee time" which seems to be around 10:30 am everyday, something that I think should be done in the U.S.  The building that we are working on has about 32 large windows and 15 to 18 smaller windows. By the end of today we should be able to put all of the large screens up on all the bigger windows. The lady that lives next to us named Corrie said that a couple weeks ago a Cobra was trying to climb its way through her window, so to say the least she was very thankful that we were able to put some screens up in her place before she leaves.

     Last night we had two couples come over for dinner. Ben and I we very please to see that we were having steak for dinner last night because we were told that steak would not be a part of our diet for these two weeks. But so far every meal that we have had over here has been very tasty and filling. I cant complain about anything that I have eatin so far. Well there was one thing I tried while at the local village near Doma, it was dried fish that we in a zip lock bag. Almost like beef jerky but fish that were about two inches long. Cant say that I would eat that again. I tried to get Ben to eat one of them but he declined. It was nice to have the company over last we talked about the differences between our cultures we it comes to couples and the roles played by men and women. We thought it was very backwards to see a women balancing a 30 lb bag on her carring 20lb bags in either hand and a baby tied to her back while the man walks in front of her with either one bag or nothing. It seems that the women always get the short end of the stick. But Im sure it varies from couple to couple also.

    Yesterday I walked over to John's House (the guy who is helping us with the screens). To cut down the lumber that we have on his table saw. When I got there his wife and daughters were breaking peanuts out of there shell in the back yard sitting on the ground next to a fire that was heating up the tea. After John put the motor on his table saw (he has to take off the motor after every use because it will get stolen if not done so) it started to rain on us. So John invited me inside to his living room for tea and some bread. His daughter came in with a pitcher and a bowl to pour over my hands to clean them before we drank the tea. The tea is pretty good after you add plenty of sugar and fresh goats milk (def can taste the difference in the milk). It was very humbling to see his house and the way in which they live so simply her, even compare to the simple life in Ashland.

I am having a wonderful time so far. Bout to go eat at a local restaurant where you can get a large plate of food for one dollar. Cant wait to see what the food will taste like. Hope its not dried fish!!

See you all soon, take care and GOD Bless!!

Chance Wilkinson

Day Three at Karanda

Day Three...

Thankfully, Ben and Chance had more success throughout today on the screens.  They completed and successfully implemented 10 screens throughout the compound.  Corrie, the teacher in the compound, now has two screens in her bedroom.  Success!  We have pictures of the process, but it takes too long to download.  Tomorrow, we all hope to be a part of the process since it is Saturday.

I spent time this morning at the school with Corrie.  They children have beautiful voices and are eager to learn.  I then helped Lisa take care of Jude (their son), while cooking lunch for the guys.  Everything takes longer here.  So, cleaning entails much more without appliances to do them for you!

The Lord challenged me just last night on my last post.  I mentioned being thankful for all that He has given me.  These people live without electricity a majority of the time, they don't have enough money to find adequate resources, whether that be schooling, food, medicines, etc., they live in fear of AIDS, and the children often are orphans adopted informally by others.  Their lives are vastly different from mine, yet they possess a beautiful contentment that I have never seen. 

So....God challeneged me to see the difference between these two questions.....Am I really thankful for the material blessings Christ has given me? or am I just thankful to have them, regardless of how I received them?  There is an extremely important yet subtle difference between these two questions. 

Honestly, I would answer to yes to the later of the two.  He still has great work to do in my heart and I am blessed to be learning this lesson among others while here in Zimbabwe.

Thanksgiving has a new meaning to me this year.  

Kaila 

One Day at a Time

Our trip thus far has been a mixture of exciting experiences and moving stories, but at the end of day six, the primary task we came to accomplish has begun to loom over us.  This morning marked our second full day in Karanda and with it came the reminder that we had fifty custom window screens to build in seven days. 

Yesterday, we spent the morning taking a tour of the hospital and the afternoon treating the lumber to be used for the screen frames.  By the end of the day, we had one screen constructed, but that model had problems.  Because each window is covered by metal bars, the wooden frames don't fit snuggly against them, leaving gaps on the sides that allow misquitoes to come in.  To further complicate the situation, the building foundation has settled and no two window openings are exactly the same size.  Furthermore, no two sides of a window are identical.  This means a lot of work for us as we hand-build each unit to fit its respective opening. 

This morning was discouraging as we built 10 of these screen frames, only to find out that there was a flaw in the design.  Every frame had to be disassembled and rebuilt to fit a specific window opening using a handheld belt sander and a chisle to make adjustments.  Chance and I have comiserated about attempting to accomplish a complicated and difficult task without all the tools to do it efficiently. 

Just when we began questioning whether we could complete this project before leaving next week, help arrived in the form of a Shona carpenter who works at the hospital..  He is a very nice man and has a good reputation in the community for being competent and reliable.  He also personally owns many of the tools we desperately need to get this done.  He happens to be on holiday (vacation in Zimbabwean culture) for the next month and has the time to help us.  He spent all afternoon with us and we are now back on track.  We have the frames for 7 of the largest screens basically done and they will go up in the morning.  We have also developed a modifiable design model that is consistently working.  We worked until we ran out of light.

The other good news is that we have been blessed with two full days of power.  Usually, power in the city shuts off between 2pm and 8:30pm every day.  This means no power saw or belt sander, both of which are important parts of this project.  It also means no fans during some of the hottest hours of the day as well.  We will count each full day of power as a blessing as we work toward getting this project done. 

In the same complex as us and the Birkys lives a young, American missionary teacher who has been here for a while.  She is elated at the idea of getting screens on her windows because the sweltering heat keeps her up at night and the longer we are here, the more we are realizing the impact these screens will have on the missionary families serving here.  The difficulties we are facing installing these screens illustrate why they've been without them for so many years.  These are offsized windows and no standard screen will fit. 

Tonight, Chance and I had the opportunity to visit with a new Christian named Banderson.  He is a Shona nurse who was trained at the Karanda Mission Hospital nursing school.  He was raised about 30 kilometers (just over 20 miles) from here and his father was killed in the midst of political conflict when he was four years old.  He was raised by his uncle.  He gave his life to Christ about a month ago.  Banderson, Dr. Birky, Chance and I all had the opportunity to share our stories with each other.  It was nice to spend time with someone so hungry for the Lord in the midst of so much struggle. 

It also brought things into perspective.  While I am frustrated due to lack of proper tools or the complexity of this project, I am reminded that God is not as concerned with what we accomplish while we are here as He is with the state of our hearts as we go through the process.  I am reminded of a lesson Kaila taught me. 

More important than the gift that is given is the heart of the giver.

God may not care what we accomplish here at all.  He only asks that we trust Him and the plan He has for us.  If it is in His plan for these people to have malaria screens, He will work out the details.  In the meantime, we will tackle each day, one at a time.

Benjamin

Karanda Mission Hospital

Hello Everyone!

We arrived to Karanda last evening.  We ate dinner by candlelight because the electricity was out.  This morning we got to take a tour of Karanda Mission Hospital.  The people here are so unbelieveably friendly.  One of the most impactful events for me has been seeing the need for care firsthand.  At Eden Children's Village, we saw the need through pictures and by hearing stories.  Here, though, we walked through the pediatric unit only to see infants that did not ask for the diseases they have received.  One child, in particular, had menigitus, AIDS, and was severely malnurished.  The fear in his eyes was heartbreaking.  However, the care he received from the native Zimbabweans and missionaries just expresses God's care and concern for these children. 

While the guys work on the screens, I am finding I will be blessed to have several roles.  First, Lisa (our friend from Wichita) is not feeling well, so I will help her around the compound.  While she is resting, I am looking forward to spending time in each of the wards.  I hope to treat the children to toys and other distractions.  Just maybe, it will help some of them have a brighter day.  I will spend time with the classroom teacher and the students.  

I feel so blessed by the life God has given me, yet, at the same time, I can get so distracted by meaningless things that we have in America.  These people are so joyful and many of them rely on God daily for their basic needs. 

I have attached a few pictures with some descriptions below. 

This is the Eden Children's Village sign that is there when you first arrive.

This is the classroom at Eden.  The children there go through ACE, which I forget what it stands for but it is a Christian based curriculum that allows the children to go through at their own pace.  This helps accommodate for those that come in and are so far behind or ahead of the others. 

Here are a few of the Eden Children.  We will have more pictures from Eden when we return.  This place and Karanda are amazing.  They are self sustaining, growing their own herbs for ointments and medicine for the clinics, raising their own crops, milking their own cows for butter and milk, etc.  Very little goes to waste and these things provide jobs for workers.  The system seems to run well. 

This is Pauline, our sponsored child.  She is full of life and and smiles!  She is the second brightest in her school and wants to be an accountant.  We showed her on the map where we live.  She then showed us her home, with 12 others and their "Ma's".

This is at Karanda Mission Hospital.  We don't really know these ladies but they were SOOO excited to get a picture taken and to SEE their picture via digital camera!

This is also at Karanda Mission Hospital.  At the pediatric unit, this is how they weigh the babies to keep track of their stats.  How about implementing this hanging method to the United States!

This is Ben working on the screens.  We are showing off the Spott's Lumber aprons!  They got a first make done today and know have a rough plan for tomorrow.

This is Chance in the background working too. 

We are now resting for the evening and are thankful to have had power all day long. 

God bless!

Kaila