Rufus says...
1. What were your highlights from the trip?
The first highlight was the van ride from Lusaka to Kabwe. I think we spent the whole two and a half hour ride singing! It was an awesome time of team bonding. The next highlight would have to be the devotions. The singing was always beautiful and the message always powerful. God really spoke to me during those times and it was something that I really enjoyed. Having dinner at the OM workers houses and hearing their testimonies was awesome. It was really wonderful to see how God is using them for his glory. One of the biggest highlights of the trip was meeting Gift. The faith of this man was really inspiring and encouraging. He was paralysed from the waist down after a car crash and before that was one of the leading missionaries for OM. Now he writes songs and prays for everyone and is still strong in his faith. The safari that we went on in our two day break was amazing. First time I was chased by an Elephant! Enjoyed the whole experience even though we did not get to see any lions! The kids at Aids hope and how much they go into the programme was just awesome to witness and be part off. Finally, one of the biggest highlights was being on this amazing journey with the team from St Margaret’s, they made it extra special!
2. What did you find hardest about the trip?
One of the things was adjusting to the food of Zambia (Inshyma!). The hardest thing I found was hospital ministry. To remain strong in those circumstances was really hard as we needed to comfort those people and pray for them, definitely one of the most challenging things I’ve had to do as a Christian. Also in terms of a physical challenge, the maize planting and the digging up of roots at Makwhati was quite hard, got a taste of manual labour! Finally, it was really hard to understand why things were the way they were for Gift. That is something that is just really hard for me to come to terms with. Leading the team was also quite hard as I have never done it before; it put me in situations that were out of my comfort zone.
3. What did you learn about God on this trip?
God gives us certain abilities that we can use for his glory and purpose. I learnt the God is in control all the time, there have been many instances where this was quite clear to me. Even if the situation that you are in seems out of control, God is in control. I also learnt that God speaks to you through the Holy Spirit and I need to recognise His voice and act. During the trip I also discovered that God does everything in his own time and for a reason and God is forever faithful to his servants.
4. What did you learn about yourself on this trip?
I discovered that I was able to do things that I normally did not do back at home. I am able rely on God during stressful situations and remain calm without worry.
5. What did you learn from being part of the team?
I learnt that being part of a team means you have to compromise at times. Also that as a team we can rely on each other to get things done. This aspect of being a team is very useful as each team member has their own strengths and weaknesses, but as a team we were strong. I also learnt a great deal from my team mates. It was also very clear that God was speaking through the team members. Also enjoyed the company of my team mates, made the trip much more enjoyable!
6. What did you like the most about Zambian/South African Culture?
The communal aspect of the Zambian culture was something that I really enjoyed. They did everything together and the thing that brought them together was their faith in Christ Jesus.
7. What thoughts about NZ Culture & Society have you had since returning?
The people here are not as open to the good news as the people in Zambia. We will need to try harder to get the message across. The actual message will need to be backed up more by the person giving it here I think. However, because it might be harder here I think people are scared and do not do it at all or do it less. There are some very real barriers when it comes to sharing our faith in NZ whereas in Zambia it was the natural thing to do. We as a society are actually incredibly blessed and need to thank God for it.
8. How is or will life be different for you now that you are back?
Now that I am back in NZ I realise that I am going to spend the next four years here, and am thinking about how to integrate some of the things I have learnt from my trip to Africa into my daily life.
