Summer 2007 - Focus on Africa - Brethren in Christ Church

Encounters in African MissionsComplied By Rachel Peterson“Our fi rst task in approaching anotherpeople, another culture, another religion,is to take off our shoes, for the place weare approaching is holy. Else we may fi ndourselves treading on men’s dreams. Moreserious still we may forget that God wasthere before our arrival.”--- The Primal Vision, John V. TaylorI recently watched a theatre groupfrom Northwestern College perform “SiouxCenter Sudan” – a dramatic rendering ofthe life of missionary nurse Arlene Schuiteman.The play got me thinking about theprofound implications of cross-culturalministry, not only for those being “ministeredto,” but also for those who go.I decided that it would be interestingto pick the brains of some former (andcurrent) missionaries from my church tofi nd out what kind of effect their work invarious African nations has had on theirlives. I asked each of them two questions:(1) Why did you go? and (2) How were youchanged by your encounters? Here are theirresponses.Susan Getty, Zambia, July 2006Why did you go?<strong>Summer</strong> <strong>2007</strong> • Page 10Sometimes I feel desperate to seemore of God than what I’ve known before.Cross-cultural experiences are one of thebest ways I’ve found to experience anewthe wonder of our God. The time spent inpreparation and expectation tills the soilof my soul, and when I’m open to see andlearn, God is always faithful to blow openmy mind and heart with His love. Seeingnew places and meeting new people (as wellas deepening relationships with people Ialready know at some level) reminds me ofthe richness of the creation and the Creator!How were you changed by your encounters?As a result of the trip, I’ve discovered thatrelationships, more than anything else, satisfymy desire to serve AND meet my ownneeds. I’ve attempted to readjust my focusfrom task-orientation to people-orientation.Our family has become involved in theprogram at Messiah College that matcheslocal families with international studentsand we’ve developed a close friendship witha young man from Kenya. Not a week goesby but that I’m thinking of Africa and thethings God taught me while I was thereand since I’ve come home.Nancy Hoke, Zimbabwe, 1954-1979Why did you go?I came from a family of missionaries,so from a young age I felt drawn to missionswork. But I knew that I had to have adefi nite call of God to become a missionary;childhood fantasies and wishes were notenough. One evening at the Palmyra Brethrenin Christ Church, missionary David B.Hall gave a call to those wanting to followGod. The Holy Spirit spoke to me and Iobeyed.God confirmed my call many times.When I traveled with the Houghton CollegeChoir, we sang an anthem based onIsaiah 6. Each time we sang the words,“Here I am, send me,” I sang them frommy heart. Two years later, I was on my wayto Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) to servewith BIC missions.How were you changed by your encounters?I have been enriched by workingwith people of another culture. I havemade wonderful friends with Africans whohave inspired me in their walk with Godand their faithfulness to Him. I have alsolearned to understand and sympathize withthe struggles of a people under colonialism.Political and racial tensions duringZimbabwe’s struggle for independence setthe stage for my work. Sometimes I wentinto class, and instead of teaching I’d justlisten to the students. Most of them identified strongly with the nationalistic cause,and unfortunately, these feelings were oftenmisinterpreted by the church and Brethrenin Christ missions.One of the last times I visited a Bulawayoschool during the war, I heard smallchildren singing the hymn, “Peace, PerfectPeace.” Tears came to my eyes as I realizedthat peace was very far from them, perhapsfor a very long time.Ultimately, it was the political conflictthat forced me out of the country in 1977,and again in 1979 after I had returned toteach in a different college. These experienceswere very traumatic for me, but theyalso deepened my spiritual life. I havelearned to trust my Lord in times of difficulty. My experiences have also given mea lifelong interest in God’s work around theworld.I still keep in touch with formerstudents, and at the present time I amvery saddened by the situation in presentZimbabwe. Through websites, I learn ofthe diffi culties facing the church and thelack of food in the area where I taught. Icontinue to pray for a change of leadership.Kathy and Richard Stuebing, Zambia,1969 to PresentWhy did you go?I (Kathy) felt God’s call to missions inAfrica when I was about 11. Coming froma missions-minded family certainly helpedmy awareness of the need for missions andthe rewarding life God gives to missionar-