In 2020, Jeff, Lyndsey and their 6 children left their home in Canada to go and participate with God’s story in Africa. They have lived and served with Hands at Work for the past 6 years, first in South Africa and then in Zambia. The family has just begun a year-long furlough on a home assignment where they will be speaking to churches about what God has shown them in serving alongside their African brothers and sisters. In this new season, Jeff shares some of what he is reflecting on.
“Our family’s calling wasn’t just to Africa but specifically to the heart and calling of Hands at Work. Hands’ vision is to see the church in Africa caring for the vulnerable; hand-in-hand with the church outside of Africa. In this season of being back in Canada, it is reminding me how unique the invitation of partnership with Hands is.
A beautiful expression of this hand-in-hand participation is when teams come from partner churches, like my own home church, and put their feet on the soil in Africa. They experience a special connection with the ‘giants of the faith’, our incredible local missionaries who are filled with the Spirit of God and serving with the love of Christ. Teams come with enthusiasm and joy, which fills the often weary frontline workers with courage to continue on.
The calling that our family has had to live in Africa is part of providing a bridge between some of the most vulnerable communities on the planet to churches in North America that are facing the pressures of our culture. Because there is something incredibly vital that the western church needs to receive from Africa. This is my heart to share with anyone that will listen.
We would love to invite the western church to spend time in Africa. To make it personal. To meet Jesus in the face of a vulnerable child. But making it personal doesn’t have to mean flying across the globe. I have seen individuals who pray and give faithfully for the seemingly impossible needs that families are facing in places like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and lift up the name of a child daily to our Father.
What stands out to me the most about the Care Workers, who are the hands and feet of their local church, is their lack of excuses. They could have every excuse in the world to not care for a poor neighbour, as they themselves are struggling for survival. But that is where they have met Jesus in their own need and are compelled to share that love with others. This is one of the ways that the western church can learn from Africa: to walk into the dark places where a candle shines the brightest.
The harvest is great, but the workers are few. This is true in all of God’s harvest and it is true in Africa. We invite you to participate in a small way in this “field” of the poorest communities in Africa through praying daily for a child, giving monthly support, and coming to visit or volunteer. Those small things make a big impact for God’s kingdom.
If you’ve ever visited Africa, you will know the red dusty soil in the dry season that permeates everything. God can use the red earth in Africa to help us awaken out of a spiritual slumber. He is inviting us to participate in his redemption of all things, whether that is with Hands at Work or any other field in his harvest.”