Reports of recent Trips and Work by Godspeed Missionary Care

Africa, March 2001 - Ants and Awareness

Dear friends,
I was able to go to church Sunday, in South Africa. Well, not exactly go to church, but certainly worship. As Karen and I approach the last few days of our trip here, we have now completed all the work that we know to do. Our last 24 hours were spent meeting with a missionary couple from a nearby country. Those of you who have followed our travels know that I usually report a great sense of satisfaction in the work we are allowed to do. This last work did not leave that same sense; we did experience that God was doing something in the time we had together, but it also felt incomplete, even inadequate. The issues were complex and convoluted; I wish we had had more time. But, I think God is reminding me that it is not me or my time that makes the difference, it is He, working in His time.

The result of our having stayed back (from accompanying the team on safari) to work with this couple is that Karen and I have this day before we leave relatively free to ourselves. It is Sunday, and we do not have transportation, so we have breakfast and then take a walk across the road from where we are staying, through a grown-over field, down to a rushing river bed. It is a walk we took once before, last year, but the path is grown over and I am not sure how to get there. After a few wrong turns, we finally come to the rocks which line the river bed. It is sunny on this Sunday, and as Karen wanders about taking pictures of the flora and what fauna is about, I recline on the rocks, looking at the sky and trees while listening to the small rapids running before me; there is debris twenty feet high in the trees, marking where at some recent point this quiet place was torrentially flooded. But now,it is very peaceful here, an oasis in a country of great natural beauty, where for those who live here, fear of personal attack is ever-present, and saps their ability to enjoy their homeland. A dinner guest at the lodge where we are staying, a local veterinarian, had an armed man jump into his car yesterday, hold a gun to his head, and try to hijack his car when he stopped to help two women who were yelling and indicating there was a problem. He was able to get away, but this is not an isolated incident; just like the flood debris in the trees, signs of violence and turmoil are seen in many places in South Africa. Yet, in my little church in the woods by the river, there is no hint of danger. An ant the size of my thumbnail is appraching my toe; he is a deep dusky purple color, like a ripe concord grape. Large purple ants, apparently common here, are not things I have to deal with regularly in my life.

I found myself feeling rather reflective, and wanted to deepen my worship and communion with God. I asked Him, "Lord, could you reveal Yourself to me at this moment?" I am pretty sure I got an answer, which basically was something like, "Let's see now....you are reclining, basking even, on this warm rock, with a river running nearby, in a beautiful spot,looking at things I have created that you have never seen before. You have a full stomach, are feeling at peace, just watching the clouds go by on a warm late morning, safe and secure even in a country where safety is in question, and you say you want Me to reveal Myself to you??" Once again, I am reminded that I go about my usual business consumed by my own issues and impressions, unaware of the blessings and presence of God.

So, our trip has been had a combination of great rewards, gentle instruction, work, rest, feelings of frustration intermingling with awe. The reason for the length of this note is that I am finishing it while stranded for several hours on the tarmac at Gatwick Airport in London. A small black electronic box has malfunctioned somewhere in the bowels of the airplane, and 250+ of us await its replacement, en route from Heathrow. So often, the little things are what hold us back from proceeding. A minor inconvenience for us...we will be late, but will return to family, friends, health, and abundance. The team's Mozambican member, returned from this past week to his home in Maputo to find his four year old daughter critically ill from malaria. She is now better, but did have to have a blood transfusion, which causes concern; 25% of Mozambicans are HIV positive. Malaria and HIV-contaminated blood transfusions, apparently common here, are not things I have to deal with regularly in my life.

We are grateful to all of you whose prayers, e-mails, and thoughts have been used by God to sustain us. We look forward to sharing details in person....
Godspeed,

Barney M. Davis, Jr., M.D.
Executive Director,
Godspeed Missionary Care