“Why in the world are you going to Africa?”
A question I have heard frequently since I made the
decision to move to South Africa, but one to which I was only recently able to fully articulate
an answer. Africa is a land of
contrasts. We watch Discovery Channel shows about lions and migrations and
imagine ourselves on safari experiencing the stunning beauty and the freedom of
open spaces. But, Africa is often that place we try to forget about – war,
famine, greed, racism, hate, corruption, child soldiers... Our subconscious tries to convince us that if
we don’t think about it, it’s not really happening. Maybe we can avoid facing the truth of the
pain and sorrow that is so common in Africa.
Often it all seems so overwhelming that we tend to give up even thinking
about making a difference.
As I started down this path with Christian
Veterinary Mission I often wondered “What good can I really do?” Will leaving my home, stepping out of my
comfort zone, and asking others to financially support this project actually
result in any benefit for those I go to serve?
While pondering these thoughts, I happened to stumble onto a movie
called “Blood Diamond” (2006) and several thoughts from the dialogue stuck in
my mind. The movie is set in Sierra
Leone during their bloody civil war in the late 1990’s.
Danny Archer, a character in the movie speaks, I
believe, for many in Africa when he say, “Sometimes I wonder... will God ever forgive
us for what we've done to each other? Then I look around and I realize... God
left this place a long time ago.” Those
words struck my heart and stuck with me for days.
Later, just after the chaotic and viscous take-over
of the city by the rebel forces, an American reporter covering the war is asked
to help one local man find his son. Her
initial response is “The entire country's at war. Why should I help this one
person?” and then “I can’t believe I just said that.” That was my revelation. Although I cannot
eliminate South Africa’s lingering racism and poverty, God can use me in little
ways to touch a few individuals. Perhaps
I will bring His hope to a student who has none, His peace to a troubled heart,
or His healing to a broken spirit. I
will focus on one person at a time as they move through the small animal clinic
and then God can send them out to touch others.
Thankfully, South Africa is currently peaceful and
its people are “equal,” but it was not long ago (1989) that war and
conscription and apartheid were the norm and the country is still healing. Despite many improvements, two thirds of the
Children in South Africa are still living on less than $1/day and at least 10%
are underweight. Perhaps even worse, 40% of sexual assault charges filed were
committed against children and you can imagine that many sexual assaults by
family members go unreported. Startlingly, over 25% of pregnant woman are
infected with HIV giving birth to over 300,000 HIV positive babies per year and
over 1.2 million children have lost their mother to AIDS.
Although many in South Africa are better off than
elsewhere in Africa, there are still to many with damaged hearts who have never
had the opportunity to be unconditionally loved or to hear of Christ’s
overwhelming love and forgiveness. Christ’s
love alone can bring the healing needed by these many hearts and I pray that
God will use me to share that love with those I encounter there.
