| My story, which describes the 25 days I spent in Zimbabwe, is very common to those who have had a chance to go out in a third-world country whether on short or long-term mission. However, for those who have never been out there, especially the skeptics, brace yourself. What you are about to read is as real as you and me. I know, I have been there! I also have the pictures to prove it. The desire for missions has been in my heart for a long time. I recall Pastor Buckingham talking of the need for missionaries in Russia, Mexico, and other parts of the world. I also remember feeling a tug at my heart and thinking how tempting this sounded. But I also remember leaving church asking myself what in the world would I do out there? Afterall, I was not a missionary....or was I? Little did I know that the tug I felt was God’s way of speaking to me, and the way I felt when leaving the church was Satan’s way of trying to discourage me. The latter did not work. I kept feeling that tug until one day in September 1995. The Hearing Impaired Council phoned me to tell me that a school in the northern part of the province was looking for a Sign Language interpreter. They had a young Deaf boy in a hearing school and they needed an interpreter for him. I had been interpreting on occasions for the Deaf at our church so I felt confident in applying for the job. I went on a one-week-trial and another woman came the following week. It suddenly dawned on me how this short week as Max’s interpreter had opened my eyes and how much I wanted to work with Deaf children. I envisioned myself sitting in a circle on the floor with a group of them, teaching them the Bible. At that point, I made a very impulsive decision which was about to change many things in my life. I asked a friend to drive me to the campus of Atlantic Baptist University (at that time, Atlantic Baptist College). I wanted to learn more about the Bible so I could teach it to children...Deaf children! If I did not get the job, that is what I was going to do. The look on his face was asking me “Why would I want to go back to school?” Afterall, I was 34 years old, married, and had 2 teenage sons. Nonetheless, he drove me down and I enrolled for the Fall semester. The next funny look I got was Ernest, my husband. When I announced the big news to him, I got “the look”! His was a bit different though. It was more like a “Who’s going to pay the bills if you quit your job?” kind of look. However, as we talked, he did not mind the idea of my going to school, and I got his support. Later that week, I learned that I didn’t get the job so I started university. The best part in all this is that God was there all the way. Before I started university, Ernest and I both worked long and crazy hours in order to get all our bills paid and keep bread on the table, yet, we never lacked a thing during the 3 years I was in university. There are times when we did not have ALL we “wanted”, but we always had ALL we “needed”. Also, during those 3 years, the desire for missions became so much stronger in my heart. In my first year, I started applying with different mission organizations for the summer of 1996 specifically asking to work with Deaf children. Most replied that they had nothing in that field but I was welcomed to apply in different fields. One had something but it fell through. In May 1996, when I had lost all hopes of going anywhere, I received a phone call from a gentleman named Scott. He was with the last organization I had applied with. By then, it was too lasing. In the spring of 1997, I received an e-mail from Scott saying that if a job opportunity came up, I should take it. “I would hate for you to turn down a job because of missions in case it does not work out for you.” he said. I was so headstrong about the idea of missions that I refused to accept that all the doors would close. But God spoke to me. It was as though He was saying: “Wet your feet before diving in headfirst.” I replied to Scott’s e-mail and told him that the only doors I could see closing were those that would give me a chance to work with Deaf children. I had never gone into the mission field, perhaps God was telling me to try missions before I went to work with Deaf children. |
| PROLOGUE |