As I
reflect back on the trip, I cannot emphasis enough how often we heard from
Climent (our Zambian boss) and from Gary Sidle (the missionary) how amazed they were with the
amount of work we got done, They both repeatedly pointed out that though we were a small group we outworked much
larger teams who had worked on this project. This was satisfying for us to hear. We came to work hard and with God's help we did. I have been on 13 trips, and 12 have been with this team representing MV First
and/or the NCO district and it matters a great deal to me that the teams we
take around the world have a reputation of going overseas to witness for Christ through our labor of love. This trip was no different.
We completed everything we could at the work site and then some. I
know several people had minor trips and falls on the last day of work simply
from being physically spent. We sent Climent for more supplies numerous
times. He was amazed that in the 7 days of work they planned for us, the
paint crew used up 60 gallons of paint. The framing crew had installed, from scratch, all the 2x2 grid
work remaining to be installed for the ceilings in the building. We installed grids in 13 large rooms and each of their respective 13 bathrooms, the central hallway and the entry way. We also installed the
actual ceiling panels in 10 rooms, the hallway and most of the entry way before
the time ran out that seventh day of work. Praise The Lord for what He can
accomplish when a group of people come together as an effective team for the
common purpose of building something for their fellow man. We offered up our labor to that of the Zambian workers here and God
multiplied it many fold in the 7 days on the work site.
Gary Sidle explained to us that since we unexpectedly almost completed the ceilings, the building may be ready for use by this fall. There is another crew coming in July and they have 4 tilers
in that team, so they hope to get the floors finished and bathrooms operational
this summer. When this building is ready to house people, W&W teams can
start rooming here as they build the kitchen/cafeteria building. This will
eliminate the sometimes hour long commute to and from work we experienced staying in the
Baptist Guest House in Lusaka. Once the kitchen/cafeteria building is
operational then this Central Africa Regional Center will be ready to hold
conferences, meetings, camps, training events etc... for Nazarene groups and any other church related groups that want to rent the facility. Eventually
there will be more buildings on the site including a large auditorium/chapel.
Once again it has been my privilege to witness the amazing
things God can do when a group of individuals say yes to the call to "go into all the world" and then come
together as a team and give of their time, talents and money for the Kingdom of
God. We worked hard and had a blast doing so. We also "played hard" enjoying the fellowship within the team, with the Sidles, with Climent, Pherie, and the other nationals we worked with. And after the work was done we got to witness the majesty of some of God's amazing creations in Zambia and Botswana.
As usual, near the end of the trip we were already talking about where we will go next year on the NCO Work and Witness trip. That has not been finalized yet. Originally we thought Vanuatu was the destination for the 2015 trip, but they are not going to be ready for us by next Spring, so the 2015 destination is yet to be determined. Stay tuned and prayerfully consider if God might be calling you to a front row seat to see what He can do when those called by His name simply say YES when He says Go!
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