One small church in UK: they saw, they told others and together they became a part of healing in Africa

When Iain and Martin touched down on African soil in February 2013, it was to be the start of something special for them personally, and for their church back in the UK. Long term volunteers, Dan and Jen Waspe invited Iain and Martin to come and see for themselves what is happening through Hands at Work in Africa. Iain is the pastor, and Martin a church member from Dan’s childhood church, Battisford Free Church. Iain and Martin were keen to find out more about what Hands at Work is doing in Africa and to explore how they could be part of God’s story of transformation in a broken community. They wanted to challenge their church in the UK, to give sacrificially to more than just an organisation; they wanted to have a personal connection to their giving. Iain and Martin could see the privilege of their church becoming true partners with Hands at Work.

In the 2 weeks that Iain and Martin spent in South Africa, they were exposed to true brokenness and suffering. They saw for themselves just how devastated many communities are and how the orphan crisis continues to sweep across Africa. They saw vulnerability in its most severe form. Iain and Martin also experienced the beauty, vibrancy, richness and joy of Africa. They served alongside both local African people and volunteers from Hands at Work. They became part of the Hands family.

One community that Iain and Martin spent time in is Share, in Bushbuck Ridge. Share is a small, secluded and extremely poor village. Many of its inhabitants are refugees from Mozambique with no South African identification, making it difficult to gain employment and apply for grants in South Africa. Due to the isolation and lack of employment in the community, many of the men are forced to work in the mines in Johannesburg. Alcohol abuse is commonplace for those that choose to stay. A group of 20 local Care Workers, from the local churches in Share have united with the dream to bring hope, healing and life to the vulnerable children of Share. Iain and Martin had the privilege of walking with these ladies, hearing their stories, sharing in their daily work and hearing their dreams for their community. It was Share, this small village in rural South Africa, that Iain and Martin knew was the perfect partnership for their church. Shares in Share!

On returning to the UK, Iain and Martin shared stories of South Africa with their church congregation. They spoke of the children they had met, the places they had visited and the Care Workers who had impacted them. They also challenged their church to have an active, long term partnership through Hands at Work. Iain and Martin knew that a partnership would not just support the community of Share – it would impact the entire church too.

Iain encouraged the church with an idea to buy ‘Shares in Share’: individuals, couples or families could ‘buy’ a share in the community of Share. Each £15 ‘share’ would ensure children access to food, education and basic health care, per month. Funds raised also will also go to support Dan and Jen Waspe in their service. It was with tremendous excitement that Iain reported that Battisford Free Church has now taken up 20 ‘shares in Share’. 20 children, in the vulnerable community of Share will now benefit because of the sacrificial giving of a church in the UK.

It started with an invitation to come, it progressed with a challenge to advocate, and it continues with a commitement to give.

George Snyman in the UK October 2012 - Itinerary

Everyone in the Hands at Work UK office is tremendously excited that George is going to be with us shortly. Here is the list of public engagements where you can meet him for yourself and be inspired (and challenged) with all the stories of Africa that he will bring.

Some meetings may be slightly focussed towards the specific relationships that the host organisations may already have with Hands, but do not let that put you off - you are assured of a warm welcome at any venue. If you have questions, please either get in touch with the office or with the hosting organisation directly.

See you there!

Sunday 7 October, The Forge Community Church, Suffolk

• www.forgechurch.org
• Sunday Morning Services, 9.30am and 11.30 am
• The Forge Community Church, Debenham Leisure centre, DEBENHAM, Suffolk, IP14 6BL

Sunday 7 October, Greenfinch Church, Ipswich, Suffolk

• www.greenfinchchurch.org.uk
• Sunday Evening Service, 7pm
• Greenfinch Church, Greenfinch Avenue, IPSWICH, Suffolk, IP2 0SQ

Monday 8 October, Canterbury Vineyard Church, Kent

• www.canterburyvineyard.org/
• Evening meeting, 7.30-8.30pm (focus on DRC)
• Canterbury Vineyard Church, Unit 8, Cotton Road, CANTERBURY, Kent CT1 3RB

Tuesday 9 October, Stowmarket Baptist Church, Suffolk

• www.battisfordfreechurch.com
• Evening meeting, 7.30 - How can a church like ours be helpful?
• Battisford Free Church, Straight Road, Battisford, STOWMARKET, Suffolk,

Wednesday 10 October, St Giles C of E, West Bridgford, Nottingham

• www.stgilesparish.com/
• Evening meeting, 7.30 - Introduction to Hands at Work
• St Giles C of E Church, Church Drive, West Bridgford, NOTTINGHAM, NG2 6AY

Thursday 11 October, Link4Life, Great Wyrley, Staffs

• www.link4lifeproject.blogspot.co.uk
• Evening meeting, 5-8pm. George speaking around 6pm. Food [please make contact in advance unless you are already associated with link4life]
• St Andrew's Church, Hilton Lane, Great Wyrley, WS6

Saturday 13 October, HANDS UK CELEBRATION, Halesowen, W. Mids

• See the post immediately below for details
• Details
• 9.30-4. Zion Christian Centre, Little Cornbow, HALESOWEN, W. Mids, B63 3AJ

Sunday 14 October, St Luke's Church, St. Albans, Herts

• www.saint-lukes.co.uk
• Sunday Morning Services, 9.00 and 10.30
• St Luke's Church, 46 Cell Barnes Lane, ST ALBANS, Herts, AL1 5QJ

2nd Hands UK Celebration Saturday 13 October 2012

George Snyman to visit UK shortly

Hands UK are delighted to announce that George Snyman, founder of Hands at Work in Africa, will be with us from 4 to 16 October, during which time we shall hold our 2nd Hands UK Celebration Day on Saturday 13 October.

We would like to extend a warm invitation to you to join us as we worship, share stories and pray together, and explore how we can better serve those with no voice - the children of Africa.

The day will include a chance for George to share recent developments within Hands, the vision for the future and his hopes for Hands UK.

Who is it for?

Everybody is welcome!

There is no need for formal booking but it would be helpful to have an approximate idea of numbers - so please e-mail me to let me know that you are intending to come and how many people you are bringing with you.

My e-mail address is: nick@uk.handsatwork.org

Where will it be held?

Zion Christian Centre, Little Cornbow, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 3AJ

Date and Time

Saturday 13 October 2012, 9.30am coffee for 10am start, until 4pm

Lunch

Bring your own, although tea & coffee will be provided.

Parking

There are limited spaces available around Zion CC, but two pay and display car parks within a couple of minutes' walk (please don't park on the town side of the white building in front of the church).

View Larger Map 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Nick Lawrence

Imaging God

Becky Green is Head of Missions at The Forge Community Church, Debenham, Suffolk, which has been partnering with Hands in Zambia for several years. Here, Becky writes about her experiences during her recent visit with a team from the church:

Christina and Douglas are brother and sister.
 
They live in the community of Maposa, Zambia and attend the school there. Christina is 7 years old at a guess, and her younger brother is just 12 months. They are inseparable.
 
We visited Maposa on a Thursday. Earlier in the week, as a team we were looking at what it means to be made in the image of God, and how this has to shape our response to the poor. On the Thursday I saw the image of God played out, right there in Christina and Douglas.
 
The school at Maposa is large, with about 350 children in total. The day was manic with us deworming the children, doing eye tests and playing games with them. All the children were so keen to join in and were running around in the persistent sun just excited to be with the Muzungu’s (white folk).

 

However Christina couldn’t play with us or the other children. She was busy. Every attempt she made to separate herself from Douglas was met with screams and tantrums. The poor lad just didn’t want to be apart from his loving and caring older sister. But she didn’t make a fuss. She dutifully hung on to him and comforted him.
 
It made me angry to start with that a 7 year old girl had this responsibility, literally strapped to her back. That she had to care for her brother and missed out on playing. I don’t know her family situation, I don’t know if she lives with parents, grandparents or others. But it was pretty clear that she does a lot of the caring for Douglas.
 
The remarkable thing is that no one taught her that. No one sat her down and said this is how you look after your brother. Remember she’s 7. There’s this inbuilt compassion and nurturing ability in her very being. Something that makes her love, care and look out for Douglas. There’s God inside her.
 
If I ever needed a picture of being made in the image of God, it was right there in Christina. With our heavenly father’s compassion and grace she was imaging God.

Why are they dancing ?

In March, a combined team from Eternity Church, Guildford, UK and Liberty Church, Johannesburg, South Africa visited some of the CBOs Hands supports in South Africa. One of the UK team members, Tom Fenton, has put together this video montage of the trip. Tom himself is singing.

In the words of Adam: The whole point is relationships

Are you considering volunteering with Hands at Work? Have you ever wondered what it feels like to jump into a completely new cultural experience? Adam Bedford, a 22-year-old university graduate from the UK, shares about his experience of the six-week Hands at Work orientation programme for new volunteers. He lives at the Hands 'village' in South Africa.

I first touched down on African soil in April 2010 in beautiful rural Zambia. At the time I was halfway through my studies and the thought of visiting Africa, let alone moving there, was little more than a romantic dream for the distant future. But then, seemingly out of nowhere, a free ticket to Zambia landed in my lap.

The church that my parents were leading had come across an organisation/charity/family - I wasn’t sure what it was back then - called Hands at Work. In the hope of identifying a community they could support they decided to send a small group of five to Africa and asked if I would consider being a part of the team. I don’t remember having to think about it for long.

The two weeks spent in Zambia left an impression on my heart that would leave me restless for a long time. I had stumbled upon God’s heart for the world’s most vulnerable people and discovered this wild group of Christians committed to transforming Africa in His name.

Another year at university passed...

Read the whole story...

A partner's story

Monday, 16 May

Becky Green is Missions Leader at The Forge Church, Stowmarket, Suffolk, which has been partnering with Hands for several years. Here, she tells her story about her recent trip to Zambia.

‘In April, I had a non-stop crazy week in Zambia with my travel buddy Wendy.

It was a great week but one experience I will not forgot for a long time is staying with a family in the community. We’d been warned this could be a difficult experience where we would be totally out of our comfort zones. No running water, no bed and possibly no toilet. The only guarantee was an insight into real community life.

So Saturday afternoon we headed to a nearby community called Tehila (think Tequila). Dyness, our host, told us her home was a short walk away from the church where we met, so laden with bags and groceries we headed off in the scorching heat. 45 minutes later we arrived at her home. If I’m honest neither Wendy nor I would have made it much further, and we weren’t even carrying the bulk of our stuff.

At her home we were pleasantly surprised how lovely it was. Dyness had obviously gone to a lot of trouble cleaning and sorting in preparation for us. We were quite prepared to slum it for the night but it turned out we didn’t have to! We were shown to our own bedroom where we had a bed complete with mosquito net, there was a bathroom with a standard toilet (it didn’t flush mind) and a small kitchen area. The lounge was furnished with a red three piece suite and a coffee table that you would easily find in Ikea. A long way from the hut we imagined.

Dyness’ household is made up of her, her husband, six children and her husband’s grandmother. So the house was quite full for the night. In the early evening we all congregated outside and started to prepare the supper. They intended us to do the cooking but soon realised that after watching my attempt to cook nshima (porridge like maize) they were far more capable. I did have to giggle when Wendy, a vegetarian, had to consume the sausage that was given to us.

The younger boys thought everything we did and said was hilarious. They had us learning Bemba but found that just as funny. The evening went on and we appeared to be the local entertainment. Every five minutes or so more people would show up to see the Muzungus (white people). Night time came and as we headed to bed the family continued clearing up and tidying the home.

The next morning, Dyness was up at 5am sweeping the house, boiling water for our baths and laying out breakfast. We were truly treated like royalty. My good friend, Dan Waspe, had kindly demonstrated a bucket bath to us the day before – has to be the funniest thing I have seen all year but then it actually came to having one. We were so fortunate to have hot water but it was quite an experience standing in a concrete tray with a bucket of hot water. The bathroom did have a door of sorts, for which we were thankful, but a lot of giggling was going on behind that door so I would question the privacy of said bathroom.

We were then treated to peanut butter on bread and shortly headed off to the 4 hour church service but I’ll leave that story for another day.

I loved spending time with Dyness and her family. They taught me so much in such a short time. I don’t think I have ever met such hardworking and hospitable people, who despite adversity just kept on giving. I can only hope to treat others like she treated us and to make the sacrifices she makes in order to bless others.

Thank you, Dyness.

Is this the way to Amulo? (ZAM) (UK)

Leon Evans, a good friend of Hands and senior pastor at Zion Christian Centre in the UK, wrote about his recent trip to Zambia with Hands at Work on his blog.

"Is this the way to Amulo?" Sounds like a really annoying song that was out (again) a few years ago. Actually, it was what I found myself saying quite a lot in a car whilst bouncing on roads, that had more potholes than road, just outside Kitwe in the Copperbelt mining region in central Zambia.

My wife, Allison, and I had just left a conference hosted by Hands at Work, an amazing organisation - actually, more of a family - who support projects all across sub-Saharan Africa that are actively reaching and serving widows, orphans and vulnerable children. Now the conference was over and we were off to Amulo for a community stay: the chance to stay with a local household and spend 24 hours with a family.

When we finally found Amulo, we found a community of around 3,000 people: no school, lots of child-headed households, widows, orphans, young men who were drunk at three in the afternoon and, at first sight, what appeared to be a hope-forsaken place.

As we walked the streets with Pastor Boyd and another church leader (Webby), our impression began to change. Here were men who loved God and who loved people, who made friends with drunks and those who were sick and dying. We discovered home-based care workers (volunteers) who had nothing themselves, but gave everything. We played with kids who had no shoes, but had the life of Christ in their eyes.

After we had walked the community, we had a meal with the pastor and his wife and were captivated by their beautiful two-year-old daughter whose name meant "peace". We’d been taught how to "bucket bath" and so were apprehensive, but ready. What we were not prepared for was sitting down together after dinner and the pastor saying, "Do you know we have relatives who won’t visit us because of where we live, but you have come from the UK and are willing to stay in our home. This is a privilege for us!" There were tears in his eyes!

We were speechless: we were the ones who felt honoured. The privilege was ours to spend 24 hours in the home of this family. It is something that will live with us for a very long time. The grace we encountered, the spirit of service and sacrifice was both humbling and inspiring.

Now, as we as a church embark on a journey with this community, we pray that we will meet Christ more and more as we look into the eyes of the child, the widow, the vulnerable and the amazing people who are responding to the call of God and bringing hope and help to places like Amulo.

We pray that more and more churches find an "Amulo" and begin a journey of transformation and hope.

There are angels in Chilabula

Ken Donaldson is Head of Missions at Greenfinch Church in Ipswich. Here, he tells the story of his recent trip to Zambia.

'A year ago the opportunity to visit a “Hands at Work” conference and their operations in Zambia was handed to me, a gift which I unwrapped with enthusiasm and the deepest gratitude. They say that Africa can get under your skin. Three years in Kenya in the late 1980s left me with that feeling and so when my church, Greenfinch Church in Ipswich, UK, invited me to lead a team to Chilabula last year, a community in the Copperbelt that our church is now linked with, I offered minimal resistance. But enough of me.

Last year I met Grace. The rural community of Chilabula, numbering 2500 people and covering many square kilometres, is home to people whose lives are dependent upon the land. Poor growing conditions, lack of land, lack of energy because of lack of food, lack of education, lack of clean water, lack of healthcare, lack of transport.....lack of all that we take for granted in the UK......means that the HIV virus has had ripe territory in which to infiltrate and devastate. The resulting lack of a middle generation is evident as Grace’s circumstances give testimony to.

Grace, at four years old, lived a long way from the centre of her community. She was in a very neat thatched dwelling surrounded by a small amount of groundnut plants, maize and sweet potatoes. An avocado tree stood nearby and the scene could have seemed idyllic to the uneducated. Warm and quiet, peaceful and unhurried. Through the Hands at Work care workers with whom I was visiting, I spoke with Grace’s mother in whose arms she lay. Grace was not well. She coughed harshly and her skin shone with a veneer of perspiration. Her eyes were closed at times, lost in her own world of what thoughts? I wanted to know more about Grace to understand her circumstances. Through the care workers, my assumptions were turned on their head. This was not her mother. Grace lay in the arms of her aunt.

Both Grace’s parents had died because of AIDS. Today Grace was lying weakly and without energy, riven by tuberculosis. Serenely and with the deepest, humble care, the community care workers gently exuded Christ to aunt and niece, offering love through their prayers, their careful touch, the offering of a little food and some clothing donated from the UK. And then the care workers, perhaps protecting me a little but feeling they had to tell me, broke news which broke me. That day, test results had confirmed that little Grace was HIV positive. It was hard not to cry, hard not to run off to find a quiet place to howl out the very real and painful anguish which struck so very deeply. Grace was beautiful, her innocent little life and body ruined....her innocent little life and body ruined.

How do you walk away from that, back to the UK and to material comfort, health and self-sufficiency? Walking away was and is so difficult – heart wrenching as many others can testify. What was most difficult was to walk away from people whose experience of self-sufficiency was so limited and for whom trust in God was so natural. Back to an environment where trust in God is so limited and self-sufficiency so natural. I walked away from Grace, my heart heavy, realising that her little life was probably only going to last a few short months more. Death is so much a part of life amidst a people and a place of divine beauty.

And so I returned to my life in the UK, back to “my world”. But I will never forget Grace. Her face will always be etched in my memory – her photo on these pages one that is in my head forever.

But walking away is not an option. Last month I returned to Zambia taking a new team to visit Chilabula. What differences I found there, what encouragements! The care workers showed me a new borehole supplying fresh water to the community; a new care centre had been funded by a partner from where the care workers now feed the many orphans who receive the three essential services from their Hands at Work partners; tomato plants are growing where before there had only been dust, the community (young and old alike) watering them daily. How fantastic to see a community beginning to develop and that on the back of the deepest faith and commitment from care workers offering everything they can from almost nothing. Living sacrifices. Imitating Christ.

Some children smiled and hopped about us, dancing with joy, revelling in our smiles, keen to see our digital photos of themselves. And I thought of Grace. When had she died? Did she ever experience this joy? Would anyone be able to tell me? I looked around at these children, but someone caught my eye, one of the children engaging my memory bank - a familiar shape of head, a familiar face – there before me stood Grace. To say my heart leapt is wholly inadequate. I learned that Grace now has anti-retroviral treatment which will extend her life and the Hands at Work care workers look out for her needs. She sat with me for a while. Some photos were taken and smiles asked for. Grace offered her best smile but as she did I realised with great discomfort that as she smiled, her mouth altered, but her eyes didn’t. What was going on behind them? Grace’s experiences were so much more than I knew anything about, her pain and hurt an unknown, maybe even to her.

How would you define Grace’s story? Is it a success story? How do you measure success? For me the most important thing I witness in Chilabula is the offering of grace, of a Christ-like attitude from a community of care workers that can change the poorest person’s transient journey of pain and hunger into an eternity of heaven. There are angels about in our world. I’ve seen them in Chilabula.

Ken Donaldson                                                                   April/May 2011

A Pastor's Story

Chris Bedford is Senior Pastor at Greenfinch Church in Ipswich. A team from his church recently visited the Chilabula community in the Copperbelt region of Zambia and this is his story:

I guess there are just a few moments in life when something strikes you so hard that you feel totally powerless and useless.

Cue day 2 of my fortnight in Zambia, visiting homes in Chilabula, the village that our church has “adopted”. The harsh realities of everyday Zambian life hit me today like a runaway freight train.

Several homes had been visited the day before and already today – what was immediately noticeable was that there was a distinct lack of young men everywhere we went. All the families visited were led by women and the 20 to 45 year old men were simply missing. There was talk about how many had been lost to illness (no-one ever mentioned “HIV”).

It had the potential to be overwhelmingly sad and yet somehow it didn’t hit home that hard.

Then it happened. Having walked quite a way through the bush we arrived at a clearing where a typical African house was located - straw roof, mud walls, surrounded by a sandy, barren area. On the sandy ground lay an older man, unkempt and distinct for wearing a huge thick coat despite the fact that we sweltered in the 33 degree heat.

He sat up but wasn’t for talking much. This part of his story was that he had been left to bring up 4 children, despite the fact that he blatantly struggled to look after himself.

Two of the children were being “sponsored” by our church so a worker was dispatched to find them.

Duly they trooped in to the clearing.

Just that morning we had played with kids who looked the same - no shoes, ragged clothes, but who played with great joy and gusto and huge smiles.  These 2 were different - shoulders slumped and deadpan faces. They sat down and we tried to engage them in a game of “catch ball”.

Eventually there was the merest flicker of a smile from David, a 6 year old boy. No more than a flicker and yet enough to stir hope in me for him.

Stephen was a different story. Just 3 years old, his face never changed. It is hard to describe – it was sullen, fearful, confused, even morbid. There was nothing that was going to crack this face. Nothing.

Then the harsh truth emerged – his mother had died 3 months ago – leaving him with 3 older siblings and a grandfather.

How does a 3 year old even begin to comprehend where mum is, who will take of him, where his next meal is coming from? Perhaps even worse, where does he get hugs from and who kisses him goodnight?

I could try to rationalise it by acknowledging that we help provide food, education and medicine for Stephen but it makes no sense when you look into the eyes of a confused, frightened, lonely child.

Stephen broke my heart.

Can we stand by and simply watch this happen? As Matt Redman wrote “there must be more than this”.

Mark 9:37 (The Message). (Jesus speaking): “Whoever embraces one of these children as I do embraces me, and far more than me – God who sent me.”

No longer shall they be nameless

Danny and Kim reunited

Kim Burgess, a Forge Church (UK) volunteer, recently wrote to Hands at Work: In 2008 she had an unforgettable experience in Luanshya, Zambia. We'd like to share her story with you here.

In 2008 I met a 14-year-old boy who changed me.

Danny Longwani.

He came to the week-long camp in just the clothes he was wearing. He was quiet, guarded and unsure. He was the oldest in the group of children I was working with and whilst he helped with the younger ones, I could see real pain in his eyes. It was haunting.

One evening he came to me with a broken, plastic flip-flop in his hand. He had no other shoes. I tried at first to mend it with string, but then got angry: Danny deserved shoes! Fortunately, I was able to get him a pair that fitted from one of our team members. He was so happy about his 'new' shoes, you would have thought I'd given him the world, not a hand-me-down!

He began to trust me and told me his story. He was going to Ebenezar Community School set up by Hands. He was living with his uncle who didn't have the means to feed him, so his grades were dropping as he had to spend his time trying to find food. His story broke my heart. He was a young boy who, through no fault of his own, had no shoes on his feet and no food to eat. That's just not right!



Fast forward 2 years: I returned to Zambia with my husband, Dave, and our three children Rosie, Molly and Thomas.

I knew I wanted to find Danny who would now be 16-years-old. I had not forgotten him. I went out one day with a Hands team to visit people near Ebenezar School. To cut a long story short, I found a teacher from the school who knew where Danny lived. Now I knew he was still alive!

I was directed to where he was doing 'piece work'. I wasn't sure that Danny would remember me - I just wanted to see him again. When Danny spotted me, he ran toward me. We hugged and I fought back tears. Danny, with the biggest smile, chatted incessantly about the camp he had been on 2 years ago.

Hands has made a made an amazing difference in Danny's life: He had been cared for and educated. In turn, Danny has made an amazing difference in my life and, I'm sure, many others with whom he has shared his story.

Hands at Work, keep going with your work and may God continue to bless you.

No longer shall the poor be nameless. - Psalm 9:18 (The Message)