Community

“Do you know where Rebecca Street is?” the driver asked as she slowed down. “No” I replied – “is there another street name that you can give me?” “Piney Plains” was her response. “Ok - go back the way you came – Piney Plains turns into Lochmere Drive – the street you are looking for should be back the other way.” In a few minutes another vehicle pulled over as I walked my dog down the sidewalk “have you seen a big red dog?” “No, but I just started my walk; I’ll be on the look out for it.” What a great feeling it is to be back in the security of my community and to help someone that is lost or in need! And while I’ve had time to reflect daily on my second mission trip to Zambia, God is still revealing much to me as evidenced during my morning walk. There have been lots of hugs and well wishes from those in my communities – at church, my gym and my neighbors. As I was meditating during my walk, thoughts of community, helping others and Africa kept coming back.

Community is something that was often discussed during our evening devotions – we talked about the sense of community and how the community is involved in raising these children. Community was something that we experienced everyday – among our team, among the hotel staff, among our local volunteers and among the children that we served. We witnessed a church community worshipping and praising God at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church in Choma where they are in the midst of a rebuilding project. The sign posted on the wall behind their altar ends: “Remember: The Lord says it is more Blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35)”. There is a great sense of community here as they worship – there is little seating other than the concrete floor, the altars where they kneel for communion or prayer do not have cushions, but they worship and praise the same God that created all of us in His image. Christ is their Savior too! As you held a joint Sunday school class on Celebration of Worship – we were privileged to be part of a three hour celebration of worship in Choma.

My thoughts go back to the first few days of our trip where we served the orphans of Misisi. Every child is beautiful here with an outward glow that will take your breath away! They can capture your heart with a smile; this time it was the little girl in the purple dress.

I was struck again by their friendly nature and their playfulness; they are fed and loved with the help of ZOE Ministry and local volunteers. Fr. Emmanuel Yona Chikoya is the Parish Priest. He was a familiar face and prayed for us again as he had in 2007. The 2009 Theme printed on his card is “Arise, Step Forward in faith”. The community of Misisi exhibits a profound faith in the midst of few material possessions – a small number of children have shoes and most only own the soiled clothes that they wear over and over again.

There was a great outpouring of community during the Friday of our journey as we were privileged to witness two bore hole (well) dedications. These bore holes were partially made possible by donations from Garber UMC in New Bern. Bishop David Njovu, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Lusaka, had planned for the dedications to take place while we were there saying that “it will be good for us that the team witnesses the hand over.” Our team was greeted with hugs and thanks after these ceremonies where the entire communities came together to rejoice and give thanks for the gift of clean water.

During our last morning devotion as we gathered for our final meal before heading to the airport, we asked Farai, Monica and Norah to share some of their thoughts with us. Farai (ZOE Ministry – Zimbabwe) talked about the hope that we are giving these children. Monica (Anglican Church host) called us disciples and shared what the word hope stands for as she unselfishly cares for those in her community living with HIV/AIDS – Helping Other People Emerge. Norah (Anglican Church host) reminded us that love can conquer anything and blessed us by calling us “family”. What a gift to be a part of God’s community, not only at Hayes Barton UMC, but also of the world.

So much has been revealed to me during this trip; I have been richly blessed by the experience. Even though there is much work to be done, the light is shining brighter than I had expected. Although we did not have an assigned “spiritual leader” for our team, we relied on each other – our community of believers and on Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As Priest Chikoya mentioned several times while we were in Misisi “we believe in peace” let us remember to offer peace and support in our relationships – let us build community, not division. Help us remember that we should do all things to the Glory of God in a loving, caring spirit while building up our communities here and around the world. THANK YOU to our HBUMC community; we are grateful for those that provided encouragement, prayers, transportation to the airport and support along the way. THANK YOU for your gift of prayer while we were away; for the stickers, toys and candy for the children, and for the financial support to make our trip possible. May you also be richly blessed by our journey.

Lori Constantino