How a Trip to Zambia Changed a Family Dynamic

It’s taken me a long time to process what happened in Africa. I’ve been home for over a month. It didn’t help that two days after returning to the States, I was thrown back into the routine of starting a new school year, half asleep and still hungover from a three-week adrenaline rush. And it didn’t help that as soon as I got back, people were asking about the trip – “How was Africa?” “Did you get sick?” “How was the food?” “Were you scared?” “We’ve been praying for you.”

I was overwhelmed and frustrated with their simple question. “How was Africa, how was Africa?” I didn’t want to diminish the effect this trip had on my heart by spewing out words that didn’t give it justice. I didn’t want people to ask, because I wasn’t ready to answer. My standard answer to people asking became, “It was amazing!” I tried to leave it at that, though in saying it, I felt both trivial and fake. It was amazing, but that wasn’t enough.

There is no perfect way to describe serving in Africa. I guess I can start by telling the story of how my family came to be there. After all, the ‘getting to Africa’ had a huge impact on my life, as well. January 1st of every year I choose a spiritual quality that I want to grow in, and I work on it for that year. This year, I decided I wanted to grow in my faith. Through the process of getting to Africa, I did grow in my faith.

This year I was realizing that it is very easy to be faithful when you have everything you need. I wanted God to test my faith, and to help me grow in it. I had no idea of how he would do this, but I fully believed he would do it.

Africa had never been on my bucket list (and I’d never heard of Zambia!). But I guess God had other plans, because a Bible study at our home led to an idea, which became a conversation, which quickly turned into a vision. And that vision was that Dru and I take our girls and go with the HOPE ww Volunteer Corps to Zambia, Africa to renovate a preschool. The project was such a great fit for our entire family. It was obvious God had his hand in it. Dru is an electrician/plumber/handyman, who was perfect for building renovations. I am a teacher, able to help with teacher training and planning in the classroom. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. It fit in a perfect window in our summer vacation.

Now the need for faith really came in. We estimated the trip would cost us over $20,000. We were determined to make it work. We prayed, cut back on unnecessary expenses, and prayed some more. Still, every time I felt great about our sacrifices and thought we were getting closer to making our goal, something seemed to happen: I sprained my ankle and it was costly to get it fixed. Dru’s parents were facing some health issues as well, which lead to more missed work without pay. God showed us his blessings in other ways though. My oldest daughter decided that she wanted to do a book drive, and we managed to get nearly 500 children’s books across the ocean. We learned how to be humble, and how to ask, and how to accept help. We had friends donate money and volunteer for our fundraisers. And with these lessons, the money came and the trip became a reality.

Once we bought our tickets and it became more real, my brain began whirling with all of the what-ifs. I started to repeat the following sayings to myself: “God is in charge,” “God will take care of us,” “He wouldn’t let us get this far if he was going to let the plane crash!” The more I said it, the more I believed it. And the more things fell into place, the easier it was to believe.

But, back to the original question: How was Africa? I will do my best to answer. In Africa, I considered for the first time that those living in poverty might actually be more blessed than those living with excess. When you don’t know where your next meal is coming from, relying on God is a necessity. The faith and joy of some of the people I saw there was beyond belief. Relying on God truly brings an incredible peace and contentment.

How was Africa? In Africa, I saw my daughters grow close to each other. I saw them take care of each other, and I saw them take care of others. I saw them get along and grow in confidence as they worked together, created, served, encouraged, and taught. I saw their hearts completely joyful as they sang and worshipped and gave. I saw them fall in love with people they had known for a matter of days, and I saw them learn to appreciate each other.

How was Africa? In Africa, I saw my husband grow in his confidence. I saw him lead and give selflessly and encourage. I saw him teach and I saw him learn with humility. I saw a vision of the man that God wants him to be.

How was Africa? In Africa, I became truly faithful. I trusted God with my kids, as I let them work where they were needed, not always by my side where I felt more like I could protect them. I trusted God with my fears of malaria and child trafficking and plane crashes. I trusted God with my fears of speaking in front of others, of teaching adults, of making mistakes, of being the woman he wants me to be. I had no choice – if I wanted to be productive, I had to trust God. If I wanted to be used, I had to trust God. If I wanted to be fruitful, I had to trust God.

How was Africa? In Africa, I saw my family work as a unit. We gave, we served, we laughed, we were afraid, we prayed. We did it together. We marveled at God’s creation, in both the people and in nature. We were shocked at the poverty we had never witnessed before. We rejoiced at the goodness of God and his kingdom, and were grateful for the life he has given us here on earth and the promise of Heaven in the future.

How was Africa? In Africa, I got a vision of how powerfully God can work in my family, if we only let him. My husband can lead. I can trust. My kids can love and serve. And I realized that it doesn’t matter where we are located on this planet – that is still what we can be. So ask me. I’m ready now. How was Africa? Africa was amazing. It was eye-opening and faith-building and awe-inspiring. And hopefully, Africa was just the beginning.