How Called to Serve began.
How It All Began - for Elton..........
In November of 2001, I had just returned from Lugoj, Romania and the meeting of Benjamin Indru and the members of EphrataBaptistChurch. An email; from Dickson Mwankanda in Kyela, Tanzania was waiting for me. In that email was an invitation to come to minister in the Kyela area of Tanzania.
There was no time to correspond, and then we went to Mount Washington, Kentucky to visit our youngest daughter. Just before dinner that night, Chris, my son-in-law said to me, “The next time you go to Africa, Dad, I want to go.” Immediately, my daughter said, “If Chris goes, I’m going”; almost before that was spoken, my wife, Barbara, said, “Well, if Sarah goes, I am going.” I had been to Tanzania, and told them of the invitation, and immediately received the response, “If there is any national I would trust you and a mission group to be with, it is Dickson.” I emailed him to tell him there was a team of four ready to come to Kyela, Tanzania in August, 2002.
Two friends had jut returned from teaching ESL classes in Slovakia. At a luncheon, I was shown the materials used across the years to teach English as a second language in Slovakia. Once it was shown me, I was asked, “Now when are you going to Romania? You have just returned. We are ready to go.” Hesitantly I responded, “This year, my heart and monies are set on Tanzania.” The Collins said, “Tanzania? Africa?” “Yes,” I said, “Tanzania, East Africa. August of this year. We’re going, too, aren’t we, Jim?” That made a team of six.
To get travel insurance, I went through the International Mission Board, and they gave me a project number. A young preacher in the Suffolk, VA area called the IMB for information about the next team going to Africa, and our team was recommended. Jeff contacted us, and in two days prepared to go on the team with us. A mission team of seven. A teaching team. A Bible teaching team. Sara, Barbara and Shirley were to teach the women. Jeff and I were to teach the men. Chris and Jim were to paint a church and put on a roof. God was honored. The people of Nandandala kanisa la kiBatisti received the ministry, and we seven were blessed.
That was the beginning.
How It All Began - for Barbara..........
[this article was written as we traveled from Richmond, Virginia - using a one-way ticket! - to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania]
Monday, December 18, 2006 - on the second leg of three, somewhere between Detroit and Amsterdam......................
Have I not commanded you - be strong and of a good courage; do not be afraid, neither be thou dismayed - for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
Someone must be praying for us - because so far everything has seemed so simple. Yes, we’ve done this quite a bit before - but I prefer to believe that the prayers of our family and our friends are at work - that God is, as it says in Joshua 1:9, really with us. Neat thing about God is that He is also with each of you - and now that I have settled into this seat (perfect, just the two seats next to the window - for E and me) for the next eight hours - we’ve already traveled since 12:40pm. Now it is 4:50. About 4 hours.
There’s a long way to go - yet now that I am awake and quiet - and have a pen in my hand - I think about the long way we have already come. We began doing volunteer missions when we were still serving the local church - each of us in a different church - some twenty-three years ago.
Over those years we did most of those trips separately. I would lead a team somewhere in Europe. Elton would go to Tanzania. He began going there in 1989 when Virginia had a partnership with Tanzania. Then I would go to the Soviet Union or Australia or Mexico - and Elton would go to Tanzania.
He did go other places in God’s world - but Tanzania stuck.
Together we have gone on 48 mission trips all over the world. I have often said that we have had the best of both worlds - serving in the local church - and, also, doing overseas missions.
In 1994 I took a music team to Mexico City to work with Pastor Rolando Rengifo. The team was made up of people from several association churches. We worked together for six months before we went - learning 60% of all the music we were to present in Spanish. There were only 12 of us - but God made maximum use of the talent we had. We took a keyboard (4 of us played), two octaves of handbells and choir chimes (7 players - we can now play handbells in Spanish!!) And a guitar - with 2 players. Two women did clowning with full costumes and make-up. Pastor Rengifo wanted someone to mime - so I learned the sign language for some of the pieces. That worked! The pastor wanted drama - so I taught the team a beautiful pantomime enacted to People Need the Lord. Butch sang it in Spanish while the actors moved to witness for Christ. Then the pastor said it would be good to have some of us speak or preach. So team members prepared their testimonies and two of us prepared sermons.
Whatever was requested - those same 12 were able to provide. All this from a team that did not even speak Spanish!! Well, Rengifo worked us to death - early morning to late night - all over Mexico City. He was driven to win those people to Christ - and he drove us - literally!! That trip was one of the most difficult I have ever led - and one of the absolute greatest blessings of my life. When we came back one of our team members - one who had never been “on mission” anywhere before - said this: “Before I went to Mexico City to do missions I knew - I have always known- that Jesus died for the world. But only after I stepped out into it - did I fully realize - that Jesus died for the world.” I have told you that story in order to tell you this - in the mid-nineties just before I took that team to Mexico I was praying “Lord, I think I will go anywhere in the world for you - just, please, don’t send me to Mexico or Africa. I never want to go to either of those places. No, Lord!” Within that same year I received the call about putting together a music team - that would go to (YUCK!) - Mexico! I still didn’t want to go - but I was challenged by the opportunity to put together the music with the people - so I said” yes”! Kicking and screaming the whole way!
This article is not about that trip- but that entire year taught me so much about how God can work within you - even when you don’t really want Him to.
Just let me finish with this - I loved Mexico. I loved the people- rich, poor, Indian or not! I worked really hard because the opportunity required it - and God blessed. I cannot describe to you the dark, leather-like faces of old women and the bright eyes of little boys - in the Hacienda Chapel hearing music and instruments they had never heard before. Instruments - and voices - and harmonies - and messages proclaiming Christ as Lord. That was a pivotal point in my life - if God could call me ( I certainly didn’t choose it!) to go where I really didn’t want to be - and turn the experience into one that touched my heart so greatly - so tenderly.........what would happen if I trusted Him enough to go to that other place? What about Africa?
In 2001 Elton and I were in Louisville, Kentucky visiting our youngest daughter, Sarah and her husband. One evening while we were there Chris said to Elton,” You know, next time you go to Africa I would like to go with you!” Wow! I knew Elton was pleased. Then, almost immediately, Sarah said, “Well, if Chris goes then I’m going!” And then another voice - “Well, if Sarah goes then I’m going!!” It was MY voice! I said it! In the rush of the moment.
Now here I was. I had finally said it - and there would be no backing down.
I was going to Africa! Tanzania, Africa! Kyela, Tanzania, Africa! At that moment I had no idea what God had just done.