Treasure Hunts, Part I

This was one of the coolest days. “Treasure hunt” is a Christianese term (for charismatic Christians, mainly), but it describes the experience pretty well. Basically, we decide that we’re going to go out and pray for people someplace. Before we go, we all spend some time in prayer, asking God to give us direction on where to go, who to talk to, etc. While praying, we write down anything we hear from God. The things we get are “clues” – a sample list might be: Walmart, green hat, tall guy with red hair. So you go to those places and look for those things; if you find them, then it’s usually a sign that God wants you to pray for them. If you don’t, then, hey, just pray for whoever’s around you. God can use anything.

We split up into two groups. Lauren, Jessica, and I were together, and Auguste came with us to guide us, since it’s not the best idea for a bunch of Americans to wander around downtown on their own during their first week in the country. We had a bunch of things on our list after praying. Most of them didn’t come to anything – did we not notice them? Did we not spend enough time looking? I don’t know. But we did find two things on the list. When we were praying, we wrote them down as:

• Checkers (Lauren saw a checkerboard and simultaneously heard the word “checkers” as she was praying)
• A signpost, like a street sign, with a word on it that started with “Jac” or “Jaq.” (That was mine – I don’t know how to explain how I know the word was longer, or how I saw it in my mind’s eye but wasn’t sure which spelling of the “Jack” sound applied. That’s just how it was.)

We went downtown and parked near the Hilton, the same Hilton that Jeff and I would stay at six days later, when we were bumped from our flight home. There was a mall across the road, and there was a Checkers grocery store inside - a local chain. We decided that was as good a place to start as any. We walked across the street after helping Auguste carry the stroller down a long set of concrete stairs leading from the elevated parking lot. Emmanuel was very well-behaved during the journey.

As we entered Checkers, I noticed two security guards at the entrance. They were just kind of half-watching people as they came and left; both were in their early twenties, one girl, one guy. They put little stickers on our water bottles to indicate that they were paid for before we entered the store. As we passed them, I suddenly had a strong feeling that we were supposed to pray for the girl.

I want to pause for a moment to explain how my mind works with these things. I can’t say that I can hear God clearly on anything and everything – far from it. However, when I do think I hear Him, there’s often a clear identifying factor: I know something without thinking about it. I’m a classic overthinker, analyzing everything that could possibly happen in any scenario a thousand times before it plays out. When I’m thinking about doing something, I need to mentally write 17 thesis papers on the pros and cons and historical factors and how the decision is affected by atmospheric weather conditions before I decide for sure. Sometimes I do this more quickly than others, but I still do it. Plus, I typically don’t like talking to people I don’t know. All this to say – when God drops something into my heart (or gut, or “knower”, as Pastor Tom would say), I tend to trust it, because I never have that feeling otherwise.

So I knew we needed to pray. We did a circuit around the store; I didn’t see anyone else that jumped out as a “treasure” (oh yeah, and the people we pray for are the “treasures” in the treasure hunt) and neither did anyone else. So I vocalized my feeling about praying for the girl at the front, and paused by her on the way out. I said something vaguely awkward about asking to pray for her because I felt like God wanted me to. I don’t really remember. But she said, “yes” readily, and even motioned us to step outside the store into the mall area. I was just going to pray for her while she watched out for potential shoplifters or whatever, but hey, this was even better.

With the other team standing close by, I asked for her name. She said, “Jacqueline,” and I felt the connection click into place in my brain. The street sign I had seen in prayer wasn’t a literal street sign, but a metaphor. I asked Jacqueline if she had been praying specifically for direction about a major decision, and she said yes – and it was the quick, wide-eyed, nodding, yes, not just a “sure, everyone needs direction, I guess” kind of yes. It seemed to be right on target. I started praying for her, and as I did some more words came about the subject – I told her that God wanted to give her an answer after all of her persistent prayer, and that He wasn’t going to give it through us ( I had no idea what it was), but that we were to encourage her to keep praying because He wanted to reveal it to her that day. I prayed some more, and then Auguste stepped in and told her that she shouldn’t feel down on herself, but she should realize her worth and importance.

She thanked us sincerely for the prayer, and we left to walk around that floor of the mall a bit more. There wasn’t much else around, so we circled back toward the exit. This brought us past the Checkers entrance again, and Jacqueline called out to Auguste as we passed.  She asked for her phone number, and what church we belonged to. Auguste told her where All Nations church was (the church where she and Paul were on staff, if I haven’t said already), and invited her to the weekly young adult group that met Saturday nights. They weren’t meeting that week, but the girls in our group were planning a girls’ night for the young adult girls, so the invitation was still open.

After talking to her, Auguste felt like buying her and the other security card a soda (or “cooldrink”, as they call them there. Still better than calling it “pop”…) While she was in the store, Lauren and I went into the Christian bookstore across the hall. Jessica guarded/entertained the baby.

Lauren felt led to pray for the girl who was working in the bookstore; after waiting for her to finish with some customers, she spoke to her and prayed with her. The girl was a Christian already, and was very happy to receive prayer. She shared a bit about her dreams and plans for a career change. Eventually, Auguste came in and prayed for her as well. They invited her to the girls’ night that weekend, too – and she actually came and brought two friends! It turned out that they had recently gone to pray at the same hospital where we had prayed  – on the same floor, even. Crazy!

I think the bookstore girl’s name is Katrina. Apparently, she was awesome. I was not at the girls’ night, for hopefully obvious reasons.

The other group had a pretty intense experience as well. In fact, it seemed like theirs was even more exciting! I'd write about it but, you know...I wasn't there. However, I have promises from members of that group that they will tell me the details again so I can properly record it (it just might be a couple of weeks before I get it posted). 

Food

The food was awesome.

I ate some interesting things over there, and it was all delicious. I don’t want to write too much about it, so here’s a quick rundown:

• We went to a restaurant called Joe’s. It had a great, unique atmosphere, and the kind of food you’d expect to get in Africa. I had a skewer of giant hunks of meat that included oryx, kudu (both animals are similar to a gazelle or an antelope), zebra, crocodile, and ostrich. The zebra was the best. I also tried snails for the first time, but that doesn’t seem like a particularly African thing. One of the other guys at our table ordered a “beef knuckle”, which looked exactly like the humongous chunk of meat on a dinosaur bone that Fred Flintstone always ordered in the cartoons.
• Auguste prepared a traditional Oshiwambo meal for us one night. This included Mopane worms (which looked like caterpillars), some kind of tiny fish that still had eyes on them, and cornmeal. It was all great. I think I may have been the only one on the team who went back for seconds on the worms.
• Our host family made us a great dinner one night and to repay them, our team made dinner a few nights later. We made Mexican food. It actually came out really well – we all pitched in to help, but Jessica was the director and master chef of the evening. We had to google how to make refried beans.
• One of the guys at the church owned a nearby diner, and he catered lunch for us several times. He made some great schnitzel, the best was the ox tail. It was my first time trying it, and it was awesome. Just ask Jeff to describe it. He’s very passionate about how much he loves ox tail.

Orphanages

We went to two orphanages while we were there – one on Tuesday, and one on Thursday.

The first one was an outdoor area in the middle of a shantytown, wedged between two makeshift buildings with a tent covering over part of it. The kids were all in a line, waiting for us as we walked in, and they sang Christian songs to welcome us. It was touching, and a bit overwhelming. They had so little and seemed so happy to see us.

We heard about this place through some twice-removed connection (I think Auguste used to work with someone who knew someone who was involved with it, or something like that), but we were so happy to be there. The kids were great – they sang songs with us, answered questions about the Bible, and played games like “Duck Duck Goose” and “In the River, On the Line.” We gave out candy, then sandwiches, then shoes. We prayed for all the kids, and then for the adults who were there working with them. I think we there for over two hours; it flew by.

Paul said that we were the first Americans to ever visit that place.

Our experience at the other orphanage was just as good. That one was also a preschool – the woman who greeted us was their main teacher, helping them prepare for primary school when they got older. She taught them about Jesus in between the other subjects; we could tell that she was awesome at her job and had a genuine love for God and for the kids.

The children there were so happy and easy to entertain. We blew bubbles with them, read stories, took pictures, ran around. We got into a circle and told Bible stories, then talked to them about how much God loved them and how much He thinks about them. We painted faces; we gave out prizes that Paul and Auguste had previously gathered.

This orphanage was also outside, but that was because the building had burned down a few weeks earlier. Paul said they thought someone had done it on purpose, one of the many, many people who were squatting on the extra land they owned. Construction had already begun on a new building, however, as a Kenyan group had heard about their trouble and mobilized construction and funds to put up a new shelter. We got to meet some leaders of that group, as they stopped by to check on the construction while we were there.

Once again, the time went by incredibly quickly. We left tired but happy in the knowledge of the work God is doing through that orphanage/school and its teachers.

Katatura Hospital

One of the non kid-related things we did in Namibia was our visit Katutura hospital. We wanted to pray for people there; Namibia tends to be pretty open about that sort of thing (at least compared to America), and, as expected, the employees at the front desk said no problem, just check with the nurses station on whichever floor we go to. We walked around to the elevator lobby and started right away – there was a guy on crutches standing there, waiting for the elevator, and we asked if we could pray for him. After we did, another guy came up, and we followed him into the elevator to continue talking/praying.

He got out on the 4^th floor, so that’s where we went. (I think someone in our group said that they wanted to go to the 4^th floor anyway, but I’m not 100% sure about that.) We hung out in the elevator lobby up there for a while longer, as people kept walking by and we kept asking to pray for them. One guy came up to us and asked for prayer – he wasn’t injured, but his son was (I think he had a burn on his face), and he also asked for prayer to find a job, find housing, and other needs. It’s one thing to pray for someone when we seek them out and ask them, but I’m always especially touched when they come to me (or the group I’m in) to ask us. It’s an honor, and it encourages me to see such faith in prayer’s power.

We split up into two groups of three (Paul was with us, but Jessica wasn’t feeling well so she stayed behind) and went down different sides of the hall. It turns out we were on the floor that mostly dealt with broken bones and amputations. There were a lot of broken legs, and several people with missing limbs. One guy had an infection that took most of his left arm and his entire left leg; he turned off the radio he was listening to so he could talk to us. Many people had been injured crossing streets, hit by a careless taxi or other vehicle. One kid had tried to huff some kind of chemical; he was probably 12 years old or so. Paul talked to him and explained why huffing things was a bad idea and invited him to the youth group at All Nations.

We prayed for every single person we saw (except for a couple who were sleeping.) We even prayed for the nurses – one of them was watching us make our way around the room, praying as we got to each bed, and called us over to ask why “we” (people who regularly come pray at the hospital) never pray for the nurses, too. I think we had planned to already (I hadn’t thought much about it, but I think Paul had), but we stopped right there and prayed over her. Lauren, a nurse herself, talked to her about dealing with stress and frustration in the job, and how to give those burdens to the Lord, and then prayed with her again. She seemed to really appreciate it!

It was a great experience. I felt a little out of my element – going up to random people and asking if they want prayer isn’t all that comfortable for me as an introvert, and I’m sort of uncomfortable around hospitals anyway. But being with the group helped, and I didn’t feel any stress or worry; everyone was happy for us to pray for them, and it was incredible to see their optimism and their faith that being prayed for was worth it.

VBS

The last two days we were there, we ran a Vacation Bible School program. Or, as we called it there, a “Children’s Holiday Club.” (They’re UK-influenced for some things and go on holiday instead of taking vacations.) We knew this was one of the biggest events of the trip and had been discussing/planning it for several months before. Still, we didn't have many details about what exactly was expected for it or how many kids would be there; we were told to expect anywhere from “0 – 100.” Also, we didn’t find out that the entire thing would be outside until two days before. So we were continually refining our ideas, even up to the day before it started.

We wound up getting around 75 or 80 kids the first day, which was a lot. We all made guesses at how many kids would show up, and Jeff was the closest at 46. Despite this, we were ready – we had a good mix of activities to keep them occupied, and some of the young adults from All Nations were helping us. First, we started with some worship outside, picking some songs that they could do hand motions to. The majority of them were young – between grades 1 and 6.

Then, we did a skit about the story of friends lowering a lame man in through a roof for Jesus to heal him. The first day’s theme was unity in the body of Christ, so we focused on how they had worked together to help their friend get closer to Jesus. After that, we split the kids up into three groups and rotated them through different activities. Two of them involved drawing/making things (either for themselves or for each other). The other one, the one that Jessica and I ran, was a relay race. We tied the kids’ legs together and made them run a three-legged race across a field to get some popsicle sticks. Then, they had to balance these on their head while they ran to another table. Once there, they wrote down a quality or aspect of Godly character that a Christian could display (honesty, generosity, love, etc.) We helped them glue these in the shape of a house.

They were a little too good at it, so we adapted to make them do the whole thing with their eyes closed. They all seemed to have a good time. After each group finished, we showed them their progress on the house and explained that the church was not actually a building, but all of them working together, and that they each brought a piece of something that was necessary for the body.

We wrapped up that first day with snack time. We were exhausted, but it felt like a success.

Day 2 was a little easier, because only about 45-50 kids showed up. The previous day, many kids had told us they were leaving for trips to the beach or elsewhere, so we expected that (and didn’t think they hadn’t liked the first day, or that we smelled or something. But who knows.) We had more worship, a glow stick dance party in the front part of the church (which the pastor was kind enough to let us use, despite the original “all outside” rule), some more relays, and dancing lessons in which we taught them how to “follow the lead” of Jesus – we showed them a basic dance, and then had them do it with their eyes closed as we led them through it. (Yes, there were a lot of “eyes closed” events there; I supposed it’s an easy mechanism when trying to make something with kids more challenging or interesting.) The dance thing was Brianna’s idea, although Jessica had the most dancing experience and led the group. Elisa and I helped her, which for my part meant two-stepping with a bunch of little girls, most of whom were half my height. It was awkward, fun, and most likely unbearably cute for anyone watching (see the pictures on facebook.)

The end was awesome. We brought all of the kids into the courtyard to make “gospel bracelets”, those little bands with different colored beads on them that are meant to represent different facets of the gospel and help them share it. We talked about what each bead meant as they put them together, and then led a time of worship and prayer. It was amazing to see these kids, some of whom had been wild during the running-around parts (although really, they were all very well-behaved the whole time for kids that age) calm down, focus, and genuinely open their hearts to pray and worship God. Two kids came forward to give their hearts to Christ, including one boy who had been the biggest handful during the earlier events. Jeff led them through a prayer, and all the other kids joined in. That’s a still-frame memory I’ll hold on to for a while – sitting on a table at the front, guitar in my lap, watching Jeff stand in front of these boys and pray with them as they bow their heads in reverence to God.

They focused on prayer and worship for a solid half hour or more as we ended that day, not even hurrying away to the snacks and juice they had waiting for them. It was a blessing to see the impact the Holy Spirit can have when we invite Him to move.

What can you do on a short-term mission trip?

Paul and Auguste were crucial in keeping our trip focused and productive. They set up our itinerary, arranged the events at the orphanages, brought us to the school assemblies to announce the VBS. Oh, and they also (along with Pastor Volker) had the idea for the VBS in the first place. And Paul taught us some skits to break the ice with the kids. And they were running the skate competition and…okay, so basically the whole trip flowed through them.

We knew that going in, though. Lauren’s contacts in Namibia were old friends, not ministry contacts. So it was a blessing to get that kind of guidance from someone who’s actually living there and can say, “This is where you’re needed. This is where you’ll make the most impact.”

Because that is a common worry about short-term mission trips, isn’t it? Will you really make an impact? Will you change anything about the lives of those you work with? Sure, sharing the gospel or encouraging a child is worth doing, don’t get me wrong. But why spend all that money to do it across the world?

To me, the answer is to do it with the local church, the local missionaries. That may seem obvious. But not all trips work that way. After working with the Streets and others on this trip, though, and after hearing about all of the good that came out of the Finland mission trips our church did (where they mostly ministered directly to the church leaders/members), I’m a firm believer that this is the way to do it.

We were able to reach out to children who know that they have a church right there to return to for further encouragement. Enjoyed our skits and reenactments of Bible stories? Come to Sunday school, they have cool stuff every week. A bunch of weird Americans stopped you in a mall to pray for you and now you’ve realized you want to make Christian friends, specifically with young adults close to your own age? Well, here’s the address of the local church they were working with; their young adult group meets on Saturday nights.

Discipleship is huge. And it’s something we can’t personally provide through a short-term trip. But we can:

• Be something different or interesting that sparks the attention of the people we’re ministering to.
• Provide extra manpower to make it easier for the church to do the things they want to do, like run skate competitions or Vacation Bible Schools.
• Remind the local church that they have brothers and sisters in Christ on the other side of the world. (That always encourages me on these trips – you know it, but it’s something else to see it.)
• Encourage the missionaries who come from our country, our church. Give them a taste of home, and remind them that they are supported and prayed for and that they haven’t been forgotten.

I feel like we did that. And I’m grateful that God gave us the opportunity.

Paul and Auguste (and Emmanuel)

These people are the reason we went to Namibia and not, say, Hungary or Laos. I guess Lauren had her tie to the country, having been there for a year or so with the Peace Corps, but I still don’t think she would have organized this trip at this time if it weren’t for the fact that Paul and Auguste were there.

Paul is a Two Riverser. Two Riversian. Whatever – he used to be at Two Rivers. He was the youth pastor there for several years, and when he went to Africa to become a full-time missionary, our church continued to support him, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. His parents (who are super cool) still go to Two Rivers.

Auguste is his wife. They met on the mission field in Namibia. She’s Namibian, from the Oshiwambo tribe. I had met her twice before, once each on the last two trips they made to Phoenix. The first time she and Paul came to my house and chatted for a while – but she was pregnant at the time, and feeling very tired, so I didn’t get to talk to her a whole lot. The second time I barely saw them – they spoke at Awaken (young adult group) and the youth group, so I saw them there, and I went to Paul’s house to hang out with him and my friend Aaron for a bit, but Auguste wasn’t around while we were talking. So I didn’t really know her before this trip. Not her fault – a product of schedules and time, and I can’t say I made an effort to arrange anything with her and Paul together.

Emmanuel is their son. He’s a little over one year old, just starting to walk and speak gibberish and sometimes repeat words people say, like “Amen.” (A holy child from the start.) We all got to serve as uncles and aunts during the journey. He dances whenever anyone plays music or taps out a rhythm. He’s pretty awesome.