Raphael

It happened so innocently – it started with a casual conversation about Mr. K – our bus driver from our previous trip to Zambia. Those of us that were coming back to Zambia already had a connection with Mr. K; Constance (our 2007 host) had indicated in correspondence that Mr. K would be our driver again. Several days into our trip, Mr. K came to our clinic in Misisi for treatment and I assumed that he would be taking over as our driver for the duration of the trip.

But as we left for Choma, the same young man that had been our driver was at the wheel again. It was several more days before I learned his name - it was Raphael. There were so many details to work out each day that learning the name of our driver didn’t seem to be that important. So on the last Wednesday of our trip as we headed to Victoria Falls to witness and experience the magnificence of God’s creation, I began to chat with Norah and Monica – our 2009 hosts. Norah sat beside of me; Monica was across the aisle.

I asked Norah if Raphael had driven for the Anglican Church before. "No," she replied. "The bus that Mr. K drives is being worked on; we found out only a few days before we were to arrive that the bus was not going to be ready. So at the last minute, we hired Raphael to drive his bus." (Raphael's purple bus, later aptly named Grimace, endured 2 weeks of intense abuse delivered by the unforgiving Zambian roads and delivered us, against all odds, unscathed to the Livingston airport).

Our conversation continued, and I joked with Nora saying “I guess he didn’t know what he was getting himself into” as I thought of how we communicated with him by yelling so that he could hear us over the roar of the bumpy ride and constantly asked him to close his window to keep the dust out.

We spent a lot of time talking with Monica, Norah and Farai each day, but Raphael’s English was not as polished as the others; communicating with him took more time and effort. He attended devotionals with the other ZOE staff and could be seen quietly picking at his food, rarely looking up as we shared our experiences and sobbed together. I had viewed his shy, quiet manner to mean that he was just there to do his job and that he didn’t want to become any more connected to us than the job required.

What Norah said next came as a surprise – "No, he didn't quite know what he was getting himself into," she said. Then she asked Monica to share something that Raphael told her and it is a statement I will never forget: “This team is turning me to God.”

I felt a chill over my body as her words began to sink in. As tears began to trickle down my face, Norah said “You don’t have to preach with words – you can do it by your actions.”

Norah went on to say that Raphael had been watching how we treated the children; he had been a witness to our love, care and compassion – to our smiles and laughter. Through my tears, the only response I could give Norah was a simple "Wow" as I told her that this was making me cry!

So, God in His infinite wisdom knew that Raphael needed to be with our team instead of Mr. K. What a lesson for me to trust God as I had wondered why Mr. K. wasn’t with us. As written in Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.” Thanks be to God for the seed that has been planted in Raphael and for the transformation that has already begun.

Lori Constantino