George's US tour schedule is always jam packed, but this year was especially exciting! Last year we focused on getting all the advocates together: from people who had been to Africa as long as 6 years ago to me (at the time) only six months ago! This year there were multiple events,some big and some small. People I met in Wisconsin last year went to various events, and other people that missed last year were able to make it to events this year. (Maybe this is always the case, but this is the first year I was really aware of everything that was going on and who was going to be where) There was a big event in San Francisco that I didn't attend, but I heard was a blast! There were other events that were smaller, but still filled the hearts of those in attendance.
This year I opted to go to Minnesota. When I considered my options, and events I'll discuss later, it made the most sense. I flew from Pittsburgh...
Franco Harris and George Washington hanging out at the Pittsburgh airport, obviously.
A cloudy day flying out of Pittsburgh...
And I landed in Chicago...
Flew from Chicago to Minneapolis....
Once I landed in Minneapolis it was time to find George!
Once I landed in Minneapolis it was time to find George!
We had a few hours before our final flight to Hibbing....
It looked something like this:
Pam, me, Jed, George and Wally at the pit!
After our brief tour of Hibbing, Jed and George went to an evening church service where George was speaking. Brooke and I stopped to get a few things for our dinner that night and then went to her parent's house for the afternoon. It was beautiful! The leaves were turning, but the weather was perfect and the sky was so blue! There was a bald eagle flying overhead. Brooke's mom, Gina, suggested we have a fire in the backyard. I also got to meet Brooke's sister Kim, her boys, and, of course, the family dogs! Then we helped get everything packed for our dinner that would raise support for Chisamba and Mwaiseni.
We weren't sure how many people would actually be at the dinner, which always makes things interesting. We set up a few tables, got everything situated in the kitchen, and Brooke's parents worked on making Nshima. We also had Chakalaka and Ifisashi.
Brooke and I took over the Nshima, until Jed came and we happily passed the baton.
Chakalaka(the red stuff), Ifisashi(the green stuff) and Nshima(the white stuff): yum!
It was a great night of food and fellowship. George spoke to us and really challenged everyone. I'm not sure you can ever become immune to the realities of life in Africa. Jed and Brooke also spoke. It was really encouraging just to experience that: to see people that were meeting George for the first time. People that were immediately responsive to the call to help the needy and had so many questions about Hands. After cleaning up, Wally took us on a late night tour of Hibbing - because we had to drive past Bob Dylan's house!
The next morning we prepared for church, where George would be speaking again. One thing that Hands has made me appreciate is all of the different ways people worship God. From churches I've personally chosen to attend, churches we get rides to during orientation, churches I've attended in a rural African community...big, small, modern, traditional: I just can't get over churches! (in a good way) Last year the tour took me to Grace Church in Racine, WI, which I remember being a large church; this year the tour brought me to Abundant Life Church in Hibbing, MN, which was a very intimate church. When I saw the outside of the church I was not expecting what would greet me on the inside of the church. Churches always keep me guessing, and that's good! (Side note: I think what gets me is seeing so many different manifestations of the church, and I can say honestly that they were all good, welcoming experiences, I'm amazed (yet not surprised) that the church still has the negative connotation in society that it does.) Abundant Life had been in the midst of their mission week, and we were greeted by a congregation that was eager to be challenged and to accept the challenge. NCU's One Accord was there leading worship. There was so much energy and so much joy in that service! After that we all ate a quick lunch before hitting the road to drive to Minneapolis. We listened to the Vikings lose. (The Steelers also lost that weekend.) We eventually made it to Jed and Brooke's apartment. Minneapolis was so different that what I expected! Everything in Pittsburgh is so close together, but Minneapolis is comparatively spread out! I'd love to go back and really explore the city, but at the time I was only there for a few hours. I was leaving my brief time with George and the tour, and Lisa and Bryan from Calgary just landed to join in on the next events. I think this really speaks to who Hands is. We don't have to do it all. We do what we are called, when we are called. If and when we are called to a new season, there is someone else who will be willing and ready to step in. As I become more involved with the US office and 'see' people transition in and out from the HUB, it continues to impress me.
My time in Minnesota was such a joy. Of course it was great to just be there. In Africa, our ministry centers around Holy Home Visits and community stays. You visit someone in their home, know their names and know their story. There is power in being known. It changes us. This was a community stay of sorts, although it was different than being in Africa. I met Jed and Brooke's family members, saw where they grew up and saw why they are the people they are. Their families are amazing! For instance, Jed's grandmother has a family tree with all of her offspring and there are around 100 people! It's just truly amazing! I saw a bit clearer how their families were doing amazing things before Jed and Brooke went to Africa, in many ways laying the foundation for them to do what they are doing now.
Maybe stories are easier to discern in someone else's life. Last night I got to chat with Suzette in California. We met in Zambia over a year and a half ago and haven't seen each other in person since! She's gotten involved in Teams, while I'm working with the Communications team. We've been on various skype calls with each other, but it was so nice just to talk, without considering projects or deadlines. Suzette and her husband Abe have really been amazing additions to the Hands US family. I so enjoyed my time in Minnesota, but I am SO excited to see what the next year holds for the Hands US advocates and the Hands international family as a whole.
It's Thanksgiving (well, American Thanksgiving) and I am so thankful for so many things: family, friends, Hands family, supportive listeners, kind hugs, for my father being in heaven and my Father in heaven, lessons learned, 'Africa sprinkles', reminders, kingdom culture, and...
...that I'm going back to Zambia,
to Mwaiseni!, to see all of these faces again!!!
I briefly referenced my work with the communications team. Living in Africa certainly comes with its own set of challenges, but living in America after living in Africa with the Hands community can be rough. Lonely. Isolating. Hard. Especially here on the east coast. In terms of Hands family its me, myself and I. Anytime I get an invite for a Hands skype call I am ready and waiting! Last spring the Hands US office began working to re-form a US Communications team. It was put on hold for a few months this summer, and then revisited in the months prior to George's US tour. It was really exciting and challenging. Working on projects with people you never actually see in person is interesting. One of the things about ministry is sometimes there are people with gifts and talents that can be utilized for the good of the ministry, but other times God qualifies the called. Like me: I do have a basic background in managing facebook pages from work, but those responsibilities were officially transferred to our marketing person a couple years ago. I don't know how to create videos, or how to manipulate websites. But I have been able to maintain friendships with people serving on the Communications team at the HUB. We'll see how things unfold in the coming months. I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm anxious to find out!
What I do know is that I'm heading back to South Africa AND Zambia in May!!! I am so blessed and so grateful to be going back! Sometimes I worry that I'll forget the things I've learned and seen. I was in church two weeks ago and had this immense need to immediately name all of the communities I visited while in Africa. Remembering Zambia and the Kitwe SC communities was easy, thinking back to orientation and the Bushbuckridge and Clau Clau SC communities...not quite as easy. I don't want to forget their names or their stories! Being able to go back will keep things fresh. People who have bought in to Hands have the same heart, but their hearts can break for different communities for different reasons. Just like I can name all of the Kitwe SC CBOs, others can name to Malawi CBOs or Zimbabwe CBOs or the Nigeria CBOs. We are really so much stronger together! I can't save all the orphans, but I can save one. If everyone saves one, we can save them all!
It was a pretty uneventful year here on my blog, I've gotten out of the habit of writing. I'm hoping to make a more consistent effort in the upcoming year. Especially to keep you all updated on my return to Mwaiseni and the amazing work that is going on in all of our communities in Africa!
