By the grace of God, I was able to participate in the African ministry on two occasions. In September 2016, I went to Kenya for my first trip, and in December 2017, I went to Ghana and Togo. From my time in Africa, I gained many wonderful memories and valuable lessons, which not only helped me grow in servitude, but also deepened my personal relationship with God. Since this article's theme is “to see”, I have decided to share 3 insights I gained during my time in Africa.
1) One family in Christ:
When I signed up for the trip to Kenya, in 2016, I was an inexperienced traveler and had only visited the churches within the UK. This was my first experience visiting a church outside of my home country. What initially felt daunting and unfamiliar, soon felt like home. This was made very clear to me when I knelt down to pray with the members there for the first time. We all prayed in spiritual tongues and the sound was so comforting and familiar to me. It was as if I was praying with my brothers and sisters in my local church. It didn’t matter about our cultural difference, because we shared the same faith and the same basic doctrines and it was such a joy to fellowship and learn the word of God together. I was blessed with the opportunity to see for myself how vast our spiritual family was. To know and see that it is only Jesus, Who connects me to these people who otherwise would be merely strangers to me.
2) Simple and Genuine Faith:
My purpose on these missionary trips was to serve the church, but in all honesty, I learned a great deal about servitude and faith from the members. Although they did not have much, they gave the best they had—their time, their physical strength, their humility and their willing hearts to serve God and the church. For example, they provided us with hot and cold water every night so that we could wash with warm water, and every day they lovingly provided meals for us. Bear in mind that without kettles or boiler tanks, heating up vats of water was neither fast nor easy. Sisters had to build fires and work in the heat all day long to achieve things that take us only a little time and effort.
For many of us, who live in a more developed country and who have access to things like conventional ovens and supermarkets, we cannot begin to imagine the labor involved in cooking without such conveniences. In such a society, we have become less patient and more self-focused. We often work on a cost benefit kind of mentality—how much time and effort will this task take and how will it benefit me? If we conclude that something isn’t worth it for us, we are less inclined to do it. However, the African members were so willing to give, even out of their own poverty, and I believe it is a reflection of their genuine heart towards God. Jesus is their God and they worship Him with all their heart. They travel a long way, even by foot, to attend Sabbath and rise up in the early morning to pray to God. Witnessing their simple and genuine faith was a humbling experience for me.
3) Meaning of Servitude:
Some may have the impression that the work in Africa always goes according to plan. The workers preach, many come to believe, demons are cast out, and great miracles are wrought. This is true, and I have witnessed it myself. But during this trip to Kenya, God guided me to a great realization: the path of servitude is not always straightforward; things do not always go according to plan, but we must always press forward. It may seem that, in Africa, people simply believe and are baptized into the fold. But like everywhere else, problems arise. Where we are diligently working for people to reconcile with God, the devil is also relentlessly trying to cause a breach of the peace. People fall due to pride and temptation, and some fall away from church. Going to Africa, I did not anticipate that I would witness this side of the ministry. I heard about situations where individuals had departed from the faith and, in doing so, decided to bring harm to the church. It made me feel sad and discouraged to hear such things.
But through the comfort and guidance of God, I realized that in order to serve Him, one must look beyond these things and serve with even more zeal. To pray and cultivate more and more earnestly. No matter what happens in church, no matter who may depart from the faith, nothing can dilute or degrade the sacrifice made by our Lord Jesus, Who gave His blood and His life on the cross—paying the price for our sins. Nor will anything tarnish God’s glory or impede God’s salvation plan. Therefore, all we can and must do is follow Him till we reach the heavenly kingdom.
I thank God I was not working alone, but serving with great co-workers—preachers, other volunteers and local workers. Having co-workers in Christ is an essential element in any holy work, and our greatest co-worker is Jesus Himself. He is the one leading the workers on every missionary trip. Without reliance on prayer for the Holy Spirit’s power and guidance, nothing would be achieved by the strength and power of men, alone.
By the grace and mercy of God, my time in Africa had taught me many things which I am not able to express completely in words. However, the things that happen in Africa are not limited to Africa—God governs all but we often lack the faith to see it. It is easy to get weighed down and stagnant in our own personal journey of faith; we focus on our own weaknesses and the struggles around us. But when we take a step back and consider God’s wonderful plan of salvation, which is not limited to you and me but is given to the whole world, we understand that nothing is above and beyond God. When we acknowledge and praise God as the Almighty one, and we implore Him to help us in all our shortcomings, that is when our faith and servitude can truly blossom. I thank God that though I still have much to learn, God is willing to teach me where I lack. May all glory be unto His holy name.
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