Let me be singing when the evening comes

South Africa Team 1824 Blog #8

10-24-2018

“Let me be singing when the evening comes”

A line from the song “Ten Thousand Reasons”

It’s the evening of our third clinic day, and I’m bushed! I would love to be in my bed, but I jot notes all day long about what I can tell our friends and family at home, so I need to blog it!

First, here are some of our beautiful clients from yesterday, each of whom can see better today. The woman on the left is holding some of the hand-made eyeglass cases we give out, and inside are her new spectacles.

These ladies, also from yesterday’s clinic, are mother and daughter. They both have new spectacles; the daughter got two pair - one for distance and one for reading. We can’t bring bifocals, so when someone is both near- and far-sighted, they receive a pair of corrective lenses for each problem. The mother’s name is Leah, age 84. I’m very surprised at the high number of biblical first names we find on the registration sheets, followed by sometimes long and difficult surnames.

Today we travelled 2 hours or so into a part of South Africa the tourists never see. As we drove out of Middelburg, I was again freaking out a little about being on the wrong side of the road. Like in England, the steering wheel on the bus is on the right, so the bus is driving on the left side. I see a car coming at us in the lane I think we should be in, and my heart races until I realize Oh Yeah. South Africa.

The trip to the church in Siyabuswa (see ya boo swa) where we would hold today’s clinic was hilly and winding, and we didn’t know how long it would take us to get there, because we might have to stop for animals in the road. Random, wandering animals.

We saw, in this order, a baboon on the side of the road, an antelope, a female impala (I don’t know how Knut knew it was female but at this point we trust everything he tells us!), an actual living-in-the-wild giraffe(!), more giraffes, donkey, goats, hens with chicks, a monkey, and cattle. The cattle were kind of skinny; not the nice fat ones you see at home.

Since we had asked Knut animal questions, he felt free to expound on the three different groups of poisonous snakes in South Africa. I tried to tune him out but when Knut decides to tell something, it WILL be told. There are neurotoxic snakes whose venom attacks the nervous system, cytotoxic ones which cause some awful thing to happen to one’s flesh, and hemotoxic creepy snakes who change something in the victim’s blood. There. Now you know too. I’ll thank Knut for you.

We passed a lovely dam reservoir, where we stopped on the way home to take pictures.

When close to our destination, I witnessed living conditions I knew existed but had never seen up close and personal. So much trash on the ground in large open areas. Houses the average size of which would fit in my living room back home. I wondered why people were standing on the side of the road, and thought they might be waiting waiting for a bus. No, they were waiting for water. No running water in the homes.

When we arrived at Siyabuswa, some of us needed to use the restroom badly. When we saw the facilities we had so looked forward to using, we wondered if we might be able to hold it for another eight or nine hours. But this is how these people live!

So when the clinic opened, those of us working there had a rough idea how hard life was for our clients. God allowed us, His servants, to be instruments in changing the lives of people the world has left behind. He sent us there to love them, check their eyes, maybe give them the gift of better sight. I was both humbled and awed at the gift I had been given, to serve in this way.

One of the local ladies who visited our clinic today had perfect vision. I told her God had blessed her, that she didn’t need to wear corrective lenses at all! But she was disappointed that she didn’t get to go home with new ‘spectacles’ like most of the others. We stock sunglasses for these clients. When she put them on she frowned deeply, and complained that everything had gotten so dark! She took them off, and I walked her outside where she and I were squinting in the bright South African sunlight. I asked her to put the sunglasses back on; I said they would protect her eyes from dust and harsh sunlight, and maybe prevent some of the eye troubles we were seeing in other clients. She was amazed! She had never seen sunglasses before. She was so proud and happy to own these ‘special’ spectacles!

You might know by now that we use a small crock-pot of salt to heat up parts of the frames we need to bend or unbend. In rural areas, there is no guarantee of electricity. During today’s clinic when I was working on a particularly challenging pair of spectacles, trying to get them to fit just right, I noticed the salt wasn’t as hot as it had been. Electricity had gone away until the evening hours. I knew this might happen, and I knew what to do, but I hadn’t ever tried it before. I lit a votive candle. I held the spectacles over the flame, and walked the tightrope of getting the frames not so hot they would scorch or melt into blobs, but hot enough to bend. What a challenge! But Hazel and I soldiered on and fit those spectacles to all those heads even in what I might call primitive conditions.

I’ve learned so much, and the funniest thing is about me. My name, Linda. The first two clinic days, I heard my name said over and over by the Zulu-speaking workers, Muzi’s people. “Leenda” is how they pronounce it. But they weren’t talking to me, or even looking in my direction. I hoped they were saying nice things about me, that I had given a favorable impression. It dawned on me that maybe the “Leenda” I was hearing was actually a word in Zulu. I asked my new-best-friend Hazel who works with me at the fitting station. She smiled and told me it means “waiting.” As in, “You will be waiting here until your turn go to the next station.” They weren’t talking about me at all! When I told Hazel what I had been thinking, we both laughed until we were in tears.

Tears came again when it was time to leave for the day. I’m overwhelmed with the joy of this mission. I get to hand God’s children their life-changing spectacles, and watch them leave with glad and grateful hearts. I tell each one of them, “These are yours now, a gift from God, who loves you. God bless you!” We are thanked profusely by the happy clients, but also by Muzi’s team and the local church. Today I thanked them back for the privilege of working alongside them. And I meant it from the bottom of my heart.

When we arrived back at the Mission House tonight, we sang songs and had our devotions and sang some more. What a joy! Lord, let me always “be singing when the evening comes.”

Love to the folks back home!

Respectfully Submitted,
Linda Meier
Missionary (!)

Spur one another on to love and good deeds

South Africa Team 1824 Blog #7

10-23-2018

“Spur one another on to love and good deeds”

South Africa and this experience are wonderful, and I’m having fun with the blog; hope you are too. Thank you for your comments! Please remember to leave your name within the comment so we know who you are.

I was asked about the bugs here, since a previous blog post might have mentioned that I hate them. The only bugs I’ve run across are the ones in the Mission House where seven of us ladies are living. They are ants. Tiny, nasty ants. I mentioned to one of the guys that “those are African ants.” He asked me how I knew. I said, “We’re in Africa, and those are ants.”

The weather has really been nice! It’s springtime here, so we have lovely cool sleeping temps, and it warms up nicely during the day. So far, it’s only been hot for a few hours in the afternoon, when the clinic is jammed full of potential clients. Even so, many of the South African ladies are bundled up as though it’s February in Michigan.

Introducing Muzi (Moozee), Pastor Khumalo’s son, who is the Director of the brand new Caring Friends Eyeglass Clinic with whom we are working so closely. Next to him is a member of his team, working as receptionist. I can neither say or spell her name, God bless her. And she did not want her picture taken, which I think is what Muzi was laughing at.

See if you recognize any of the people in these pictures from our clinic today:

You won’t recognize these people unless you have visited Mhluzi, Middelburg, South Africa. The teachers at the Lutheran grade school attached to St. Peter Church were our first clients today, and each of them, including the director, left with new glasses.

David and Judy worked the Nursing Station at the beginning of the day, checking eyes for maladies. Yes, they knew they were being photographed, and chose not to look up. But look at the little smirk on David’s face…

This lovely lady was at the testing station, being tested by Lynne to approximate a prescription. They both found it funny that I said, “Look natural.”

.

Somehow I only got the back of Ruth’s head when showing all of you a young man being tested! Sorry Ruth, I promise you a face shot real soon.

Jean helping Muzi do testing in another room.

Carol is shown here in the Distribution Station pulling glasses for the clients. If the testing showed a +2.25 for reading glasses (best guess), Carol pulls a +2, a +2.25, and a +2.5 for the client to try on.

Also in the distribution area, Glen and Charlotte are having their clients try on the three different prescriptions Carol pulled for them, and will ask them to read scripture verses in different sizes to see which of the three best suits.

Last but not least, we have arrived at the Fitting Station where I’ve worked beside my new best friend Hazel for two days. The client’s head is bowed, not for prayer, but to see if his glasses will fall off.

And here’s me, doing what Hazel does. I got the window seat. That’s the tiny crock pot of salt I mentioned yesterday, and I’m dipping this man’s glasses into the pot to heat them so I can bend them to the shape of his ear.

Sandy, the fearless and unflappable (mostly) team leader of South Africa Team 1824! Sandy spends the day here and there, overseeing and fighting fires, and none of this could be pulled off without her.

Love to all the folks at home!

Respectfully Submitted,
Linda Meier
Missionary (!)

He Has Done Marvelous Things

South Africa Team 1824 Blog #6

10-22-2018

“He has done marvelous things!”

Greetings to all! We’ve had a marvelous day, and I mean that in the purest sense of the word. I marvel at what God can accomplish through willing hands and feet. We saw 147 clients, and dispensed 201 pair of glasses!

After breakfast, Knut was here to pick us up with our luggage-fulla-specs. We brought almost everything needed for a vision/eyeglass clinic except for tables and the like which Muzi and his crew provided.

After getting through the initial confusion and chaos of setting up, our group walked over to the waiting area where about 60 people were waiting to be ushered down to the clinic building - our first clients, one of whom was Pastor Mandla Khumalo, pastor of St. Peter who’s campus the clinic was built on.

In the waiting area, the clients were being educated about different eye troubles, and about what they could expect during their time with us in the clinic. They each paid a small fee of 50 rand, equal to $4.20 American money, and waited very patiently for their turn. Also in the waiting area, they were told about their Savior, in who’s name the clinic was being run - their new “spectacles” would be a gift from God.

They were walked in groups down to the clinic building, where they first visited the Nursing Station. Their eyes were checked for obvious ailments like cataracts, pink eye, styes and pterygium (a white film which grows to cover the eye, caused by dust and the hot African sun).

If the Nursing Station thought the client could be helped by spectacles, they were taken to the Testing Station, where it was determined what prescription they might need, for both distance and reading.

Armed with an approximate prescription, our clients waited for an opening in the Distribution Station. There, the MOST team tried different pairs of spectacles on the client until vision was corrected to the best we could do.

Then, they came to me. I was posted at the Fitting Station, the last frontier before they would leave with their precious new glasses (oops, they’re called spectacles!). It was marvelous. The client would sit, I would introduce myself and try to pronounce their name from the registration sheet. They usually either laughed outright or corrected me. I had them try on their glasses (sometimes two pair, one for distance and another for reading), so I could check the fit, and correct it with hot salt and a pair of needle-nosed pliers.

Trivia question: does anybody know what the piece of the frame on the side that goes from the lenses to behind the ear is called? I didn’t; had to google it. Well it’s the temple. Yup. Who knew?

Anyhow, we heat up table salt in a little crock pot, and stick the temple of the glasses in to warm the plastic/wire frame so it can be bent into a shape that’s comfortable and prevents the glasses from falling off or slipping. That was my job, or part of it. I also bent frames, adjusted nose pads, educated the client as to how to properly wash and care for their spectacles, cleaned the newly fitted specs, and provided them with a hand-sewn eye-glass case.

To prepare for my very first clinic, I decided to test out the bending-the-temple procedure with my very own glasses. I figured it might take a while to get the frame hot enough to bend, so I left it in the hot salt while I chatted with another team member. When I took it out, it was a melted, mangled mess that looked like a dog had been chewing on it. Yikes! So I quickly got the pliers to “bend” it back in place, but it was too hot and slumped again. After a while, when it cooled enough to mold back into some semblance of a temple, I created what is pictured below. I’m so thankful it was MY glasses, and not a client’s new treasure!

An elderly lady came to my station. She had two pair of specs for me to fit. I did the hard ones first, which were her coke-bottle-lens distance glasses. We were sitting by a window, and when I tried them on her, she looked outside for the first time. She was enthralled with what the outside world looked like with her new treasures on her face. When I asked her to take them off so we could fit her reading glasses, she refused. I think she thought I wouldn’t give them back! I don’t speak Zulu, she didn’t have much English, and we were at a bit of a stand-still until Hazel (one of Muzi’s team) translated and let her know she could have them back. Hazel was a godsend, all afternoon pulling my fat out of the fire.

Before the lady with the coke-bottle specs left, she said, translated by Hazel, “I’m going to look at everything all the way home, then I’m reading my bible!” Her face beamed with joy, as mine dampened with tears. I cried a lot today, as God’s marvelous plan for this group of His children in South Africa played out under His loving guidance.

Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things! Psalm 98:1a

Respectfully Submitted,
Linda Meier
Missionary (!)

Safe Arrival, Wonderful Worship

South Africa Team 1824 Blog #5

10-21-2018

“Safe Arrival, Wonderful Worship”

We arrived in South Africa last night, safe and sound, after a somewhat grueling 2 days of travel. We have a retired pastor who’s our driver/tour guide, named Knut (pronounced knoot; the K is not silent). After we squished all our luggage into the trailer hooked to the 12 passenger van, we took off toward Middelburg in search of dinner. We stopped at a fast-food joint called ‘Steer,’ and at first I was in shock at the $20 coffee, until I realized it only translated to about $1.50.

Pray Without Ceasing

South Africa Team 1824 Blog #4

10-17-2018

“Pray Without Ceasing”

Two more days until blastoff! If I were anymore excited I'd have to be twins. 

To those who would like to pray for us (our prayer warriors), I thought I’d get you started. I’ll be posting prayer requests right along, during our trip, but there are pre-game warmup prayers you could go ahead and start on. Thanks!

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

Preparation –

Please pray that each member of our team remembers to pack everything he or she might need on this trip, and that nobody leaves for the airport with missing travel documents, earplugs, toilet paper, or any of the many things on our packing list. Pray for freedom from anxiety, and that we each make time to pray and meditate, and to seek God in every aspect of our preparations.

Loved ones –

            Include our loved ones in your prayers too, please. Pray that they not miss us too much (just enough!), and that they too might have freedom from anxiety (How is Mom/Gammy faring with the bugs?).

Our Team –

            Please ask God to give us a wonderful group dynamic; one that’s pleasing to Him. Ask for help for each of us to excel at the specific jobs we’ll be asked to do, and that we remember to give all the glory to God. Ask God to allow us to love each other as Christ has first loved us, even sacrificially if the need arises. Ask Him to truly make us “one in the Spirit, one in the Lord.”

Travel –

Please pray for safety for our team. Safety getting to the various airports we’re leaving from; getting to Dulles Airport separately and as we travel to Johannesburg together. Give all our pilots a good night’s sleep (before the flight, not during). Keep us safe on the ground once we’ve landed, and as we travel each day to the location of that day’s clinic.

Comfort –

            It doesn’t hurt to pray for our comfort on the 17-hour flight to Johannesburg. Help us remember to hydrate, take our meds, walk around every so often. Ask God to give us restful sleep in a strange location (I’ve never been overnight on an airplane and have no idea what to expect).

Customs –

            Ask for blessings going through customs, that all the bags (personal luggage and luggage chock full of eyeglasses) arrive safely and sail through without a hitch. Pray that my bag of medications meets with everyone’s approval.

South African People –

            Pray for those who will be hosting us, and who are preparing our guest-house in Mhluzi. Give prayers of thanks for those who even now are anticipating the arrival, care and feeding of 10 Americans, many of whom have never set foot in South Africa. Please especially pray that the hearts and minds of the people visiting our clinics would be open, and that the power of the Holy Spirit will help us reach others with the Gospel of Jesus.

Housing –

            Please pray that our living quarters are comfortable and sufficient for our needs. Help us adjust in whatever way necessary, and to embrace the efforts made on our behalf. If it’s God’s will, pray for electricity at the times it’s needed, and an internet connection which will allow us to communicate with those of you at home, at least some of the time. And if it’s not too much to ask, pray that there will be coffee.

Sunday Worship –

            One of the things I’m most looking forward to is the worship service we’ll have on Sunday. It will be a celebration of the beginning of the eyeglass mission in South Africa; not just the one we’re conducting, but the ongoing mission starting up while we’re there. Pray for joyful worship!

Most of all, dear prayer warriors, give thanks to God for His work in South Africa!

  

Psalm 19:14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

  

Respectfully Submitted,

Linda Meier

Missionary (!)

Let Your Light Shine

South Africa Team 1824 Blog #3

10-12-2018

“Let Your Light Shine”

I expected to learn a lot going on a mission trip. I underestimated, though, how much I would learn preparing to go! There’s the packing list, the cultural differences, pre-trip bible study, and more. Remember as you read this that I’ve never done this before, so some of the things I’m surprised at might not move you to a sense of wonder. But some might.

What I’ve learned from the packing list:

·        In our carry-on bags, we are to bring a small roll of toilet paper. Apparently, some foreign airports don’t supply TP. Holy smokes! Glad to know in advance. Imagine me, a rotund middle-aged woman, bowling other passengers over to reach the ladies’ room only to find that I have no TP with which to finish the job. The others would wonder where I’d gone, and once found, I would have to explain why I’m now wearing only one sock.

·        In our checked luggage, we’ll each bring a fresh, fat roll of TP. Probably enough said on that subject.

·        No purse, no wallet. I have a thing to wear around my neck inside my clothes which will house my passport, eTicket, license, credit card, international shot records, medical insurance card, and cash. We’re told to dress in layers to insure comfort on the long flight. I’m chuckling, picturing eleven people going through security together and all fishing their tickets and IDs out from deep inside their layers of clothing.

·        Bring your own passport. A lady once showed up with her husband’s passport and somebody had to get hers and bring it to the airport for her. Wrong passport - that’s the kind of thing I would do. So it was kind to mention it, and on my personal packing list there’s now a reminder to check inside the passport for my own name and face.

·        We are to wear closed-toe shoes only, except when in the guest house, where we may wear sandals but by no means go barefoot. This is because of parasites. Parasites, I said. But God already knew about the parasites, and He has a plan.

·        We’ll each bring a flashlight, because there may or may not be electricity at any given time of day. It goes on, it goes off, we might not know a schedule, so we’ll each have a flashlight and it’s all good.

·        When you take the daily dose of malaria medicine, you must have food with fat. In case I’m eating carbs and veggies when it’s time to take the meds, I’ll bring Clif Bars with hazelnut butter, along with other healthy snacks.

·        For the safari (!), we must wear neutral colors. Black and blue attract the tse-tse fly, which carries some awful disease or other. White makes it easy for the WILD ANIMALS to spot us. We don’t want that. I think the color red whips them into some sort of missionary-eating frenzy, which we also don’t want. I returned the lovely powder-blue safari hat I bought, and exchanged it for a beige one with a mosquito net attached. I’ll be beige from head to foot. Go ahead and laugh, but the big scary beasties will hardly know I’m there. God was able to close the mouths of the lions when Daniel was thrown into their den, so I’ll just keep calm and trust Him. LOTS of people go on safaris and don’t get eaten, I’m pretty sure.

·        Absent from the packing list is Phil, my husband. He won’t be there when there’s something large, alive and spidery-creepy-crawly in the shower (thank you to my son-in-law Jason for pointing that out). So I’m packing a brick.

·        Also absent from the list is a watch or other timepiece. That’s because sometimes time doesn’t matter. More on that under cultural differences.

What I’ve learned so far about cultural differences:

·        Sometimes time doesn’t matter. At home, we can reasonably expect Pastor Gruenhagen to wrap up the 8:30 worship service by 9:45, give or take 10 minutes. In South Africa, nobody is apparently interested in what time it is. There may be an idea as to what time an event should start, but the end time is entirely organic and unscheduled. So we’ll go with the flow!

·        In the South African culture, there is more emphasis on ‘collectivism’ vs. ‘individualism.’ Decisions are often made as a group rather than each person deciding on their own. The example given is that if someone is to be baptized, it might be a family decision rather than the independent choice of the individual.

·        Communication styles are different. If you were to ask a South African in one of the villages we’ll visit a yes-or-no question, you might be met with silence rather than an answer. That’s because to say ‘no’ to someone may be considered rude, or disappointing. “Would you like a piece of pie?” could earn a “Yes, please,” or silence with head bowed. We are to take that as a “No, thank you.”

·        Being vs. Doing: Americans tend to want to DO. In other cultures, including the one we’ll be immersed in, the black South Africans would prefer to simply be in the moment, and be content; not always having to do something. So again, we’ll go with the flow.

·        When we greet a South African, we are to give a firm handshake, and look the other person in the eye. We are not to touch them anywhere other than their hand. No hand on the shoulder, no pat on the back, no hugs. I suppose it’s considered bad form, and invasive. I’m a hugger, but I shall squelch it. Even with the cute little kids, I guess. <sigh>

·        We should never point with our fingers. We may gesture with our whole, outstretched hand. So if it’s time to send a patient to the next room, I shall not point and say, “You’ll go to that room next.” I’ll gesture with my outstretched hand to have them continue on to the next station of the eyeglass clinic.

·        In our culture, when a man and woman arrive at a door at the same time, the man waits for the woman to enter first. In South Africa, the man enters first. I’m surmising it’s for safety, like, “Wait a moment, my dear, and I will make sure there’s nothing on the other side of this door which might harm you.” Or maybe it’s a sign of respect to pause and let the man go ahead. Whatever the reason, I’ll try to remember ‘NOT ladies first.’

·        Gift giving is not allowed at all. We may give a small offering of 2 or 3 dollars during the church service at the appropriate time, but if someone admires my scarf I’m not permitted to say, “Well Sweetie, it’s yours then!” Giving gifts sets up expectations which might not be met in the future, and therefore puts an unnecessary burden on the next team. So I’ll smile and say thank you.

·        We must ask for permission to take a person’s picture, and then must take the pic so as to present our South African subject in the very best light. We are not the paparazzi, and we don’t want to make our hosts look foolish, or embarrass them in any way.

The bible study we’ve been doing in preparation for ‘being missionaries’ is outstanding. We were told by Sandy, our team leader that it’s the “heart and soul of MOST Ministries.” We are continually reminded that Jesus came to serve; that the way to truly be His disciple is to serve others, and bring the Gospel to them. Each of us on Team 1824 has been tasked with writing and presenting a 15-20 minute devotion for the group. I have so much material I could write 3 and not be done! Thanks to God and whoever wrote the bible study, I’ve grown in my faith life during this time of preparation. I’m so blessed!!

We aren’t only going to South Africa to run an eyeglass clinic and help people to see better. We go to Africa to let our “light shine before men, that they may see [our] good deeds, and praise [our] Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 

Please pray for us and follow this blog to see what we’re up to during our 12 day expedition for Jesus. I’m trying to figure out whether to bring my iPad or laptop, phone or camera (Charmin or Quilted Northern!), but there will be regular blog posts, whatever device I decide to use. Sarah Depriest says she wrote her posts in the evenings, when others were using the bandwidth, and waited to post them in the mornings when not too many were online. That sounds like a good plan to me, so if it works out, that’s what I’ll do.

The time difference is 6 hours from Michigan to Middleburg SA, so if I post at 6am (I won’t, but it makes the math easier) it will go up at midnight at home. Or… noon? I’ll never get that right. Anyhow, if you scroll ALL the way down to the bottom of the whole blog, you can enter your email and get an alert when there’s a new blog post.

Thanks so much for your support and encouragement, and for keeping up with us!

Respectfully Submitted,

Linda Meier

Missionary (!)

The Great Commission - Who, Me?

South Africa Team 1824 Blog #2

10-6-2018

The Great Commission - Who, Me?

What makes me qualified to be a missionary? Not a whole lot. I don’t need to be qualified, I need to be equipped. But Jesus has been in the business of sending missionaries for a long time, and He’s very good at equipping the unprepared.

When I first talked with my husband Phil about going to South Africa with MOST, he had two concerns. One was for my safety, since the news out of South Africa wasn’t bringing him peace. The other was the expense. This is not an inexpensive expedition, and team members are responsible for their own fundraising.

To convince ourselves I’d be relatively safe, we consulted the state department website. The country South Africa is twice the size of Texas. Mhluzi, South Africa is in the northeastern part of the country. The unrest seemed to be in the southern and western areas. We also learned that MOST Ministries is in close contact with the state department and other agencies to ensure that when they send out a team, there’s a reasonable assurance of safety. When we learned South Africa is considered safer than Israel (a trip Phil and I are taking in January), we were satisfied. Check that one off! We were at peace with the safety issue.

The expense was a different story. We don’t have the resources to travel the world, and other than a few overseas trips we’ve been saving and planning for, we probably won’t do much travelling. I promised Phil that if I couldn’t raise the necessary funds to take this trip, I wouldn’t go. Then I prayed.

I asked God to make a decision for me. If He wanted me to go, my fundraising efforts would bear lots of financial fruit; if God in His infinite wisdom did not want me in South Africa, hearts and wallets would be closed. Now, the decision was no longer mine, it was in the infallible hands of God. It’s such a joy to have a Savior to see to my every need, including decision making. Why don’t we go to Jesus more often?!

We paid my registration fee, and I told MOST more about me than they probably wanted to know. We waited to see which way it would go. MOST does not have to accept anyone to serve on a mission team, and has the right to deny an application based on the background check or health considerations. I said in my previous post that I am not in the peak of health, and we wondered whether that would keep me home. I’m approved! Praise God!

After finding out I was approved for team membership, I launched into fundraising. When I say “launched” I mean crawled.

MOST suggests 'finding money' in three places. The first person to collect money from is the one in the mirror. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” Matthew 6:21. Phil and I had received a surprising inheritance from his parents. They were Lutheran school teachers, and we all know you don’t get rich doing church work, but they were wonderful stewards of all they received and were able to pass on some financial gifts in their will. We decided the tithe from our gift from Fritz and Helen would go to my mission. There, that wasn’t so hard!

The other two places to find money according to MOST were from fundraising activities and soliciting direct support. I was okay with coming up with a fundraiser, like a spaghetti supper or a karaoke night. I worked on those ideas a little. But it was the soliciting direct support I was SO uncomfortable with.

Self-doubt was running high, so I gave myself a break for a few days to pray and mull it all over. Days turned into weeks, and my prayer life stalled for a while. Satan was working hard, I believe, to convince me of my unworthiness. Memories of a misspent youth haunted me. I compared myself to others and came up lacking. Who was I to ask anyone to contribute to my selfish wish to travel? In my heart I turned away a little; things became blurry. I could no longer clearly see the face of the Savior who died to free me from such thoughts.

My Wednesday morning bible study group is a collection of outstanding Christian women. I’m so blessed that each of them is in my life! I confessed to them that I was stymied. They prayed a lovely prayer over me, and God bless them, I soon felt free again to pursue my goal of raising money toward my goal of South Africa. My prayer life was back on track; Jesus’ face was again front and center in my soul. God is good, all the time!

Now I needed to know the hows of soliciting donations. My brother-in-law Rev. Dr. Peter Meier is the Director of the Center for US Missions (C4USM), an LCMS church-planting organization. While a part of the synod, Peter’s work is funded by donations, so I told him I was having a hard time getting to the ‘asking’ part. Asking for money. For me. How would I get over feeling uncomfortable?

Peter gave me the following advice:

1.     Make a list of people I know. I used my Christmas card list.

2.     Narrow that list to people who I believe are ‘mission minded.’ Those who might want to contribute to a Christian mission.

3.     Further narrow that list to those people who I felt had the means to contribute.

This seemed to be the right plan for me, and it didn’t take long to come up with a list I was comfortable with. Next, composing the letter. I did it in the form of a card, with my picture on the front with the caption, “Send Me To South Africa!” (see the first blog post). I kept it simple, saying in the fewest words possible (not my strength) what I needed and why. I included ideas for giving; so much for one hour of the trip, so much for one day, how much was 2% of the total, how much was 5%. How to give online, how to give by check.

The letters were done. I prayed over the stack of stuffed stamped envelopes, held my breath, and mailed them. While I waited for the money to come flowing in (or not) I also made a poster to put up at church and to show on Facebook. I tried to make it fun, colorful, and appealing. It's pictured at the top of this post.

Dear readers, some of whom are my wonderful donors, between the poster at church, an appeal on Facebook, and the letters soliciting donations, I very quickly had more money in my MOST account than I needed. The newest version of my poster thermometer is topped off red and spurting out the top. I didn’t even need to do a fundraiser activity, it was all there and then some. I am overwhelmed with the generosity shown me.

God had answered, “Go, Linda!” He is equipping me, and I'm going, and Jesus is going with me.

Matthew 28:16-20 New International Version (NIV)

The Great Commission

 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Respectfully Submitted,

Linda Meier

Missionary (!)

Here am I, send me, send me!

 South Africa Team 1824 Blog #1

10-3-2018

“Here am I, send me, send me!”

From Hark, the Voice of Jesus Calling, Lutheran Service Book #827

First blog post for my first missionary trip. We leave in 17 days, and it will be my first time using a passport. First time off the North American continent. Other than a few sojourns into Canada, and one brief and scary day in Tijuana, Mexico in 1978, I’ve never left the U.S.A. So what in the world am I thinking, signing up for a mission trip to South Africa?! More on that later.

This will eventually be a group blog and will include stories about the other missionaries and our shared experience in Mhluzi, South Africa. But for now, until we’re together at the airport ready to depart, it’s just me and the story of my journey. It’s all I know.

Last Friday was a surreal day for me. On September 28, 2018 I was in a meeting, pre-planning my mother’s funeral. It’s a good idea to have all my ducks in a row before I leave the country, as far as Mom’s care is concerned, especially if she were to pass away while I’m gone.

My mother Margaret is an Alzheimer’s patient, living in a memory care unit near my home. She doesn’t know any of us anymore, and often can’t remember her own name. My emotions were running high, especially because it was also Mom’s 91^st birthday. Odd day to plan her funeral, I know.

Later the same day, my niece Allison gave birth to my mother’s 3^rd great-grandchild! Mason being born on Margaret’s birthday was a nice coincidence, and a confirmation of the circle of life. It brought to mind God’s amazing plan for each of us; a time to be born, and a time to die. Mason’s wonderful little life is just beginning, while Margaret, the great-grandma he’ll probably never meet, is nearing the end of hers.

I’m in the middle somewhere, surely closer to the end than the beginning, but with the potential for many more years to live. I’m nearly 60. If my life span mimics my mother’s, I have a third of my life still in front of me. A third!

The first third, I was a child, in school, then in the Air Force, after which I worked, married and started a family. The biggest chunk of the second third of my life was being a mom to our four young ones. I was forcibly retired from my job as “stay-at-home-mom” when our youngest up and left for college. You really can’t call yourself a stay-at-home-mom when the home no longer houses kids. It’s just not done.

So Emily leaving home begged the question, “What will I do with the ‘third third’ of my time on Earth?” Well, why not work for Jesus? I tried getting a job at church, but it wasn’t meant to be. I flailed around for a while, tried different things, still felt vaguely unsatisfied.

When in a church service one Sunday, the powerful hymn, Hark, the Voice of Jesus Calling, jolted me a little. I prayed about it, and I said to God very meekly and without conviction, “Um, send me maybe? Probably not right yet, though.”

The thought of being “sent” rattled around in my head for a while, especially when Sandy Hardies talked about her mission trips. We had prayed about Sandy’s trips with MOST Ministries for years and years. Now she’s in Mexico, now she’s in Guatemala, and so on. And on. And on. I started to envy her a little, even though I knew she wasn’t on a pleasure cruise but was somewhere working very hard, helping people and spreading the Gospel.

During my prayer time, the thought kept coming to me, “Why not go into the mission field?”  I kept squashing that thought until it became too strong and refused to be squashed.

Why NOT me? Why shouldn’t I go? Not a two- or three-year mission trip like the kind that you read about, but a short-term mission like the ones offered by MOST Ministries. Like the one to South Africa in October which Sandy is leading. South Africa. Holy smokes.

When I spoke to my family about it, they were surprised. A few seemed to think I was off my rocker. Here are a few facts about me which do not say “Linda, go to SOUTH AFRICA:”

1.     I don’t like to fly. Since they don’t offer a boat to South Africa, I’ll be spending long, long hours on an airplane, much of the time over water where there’s no place to land in case the plane needs a little rest because one of the engines is misbehaving.

2.     I don’t like bugs, spiders, snakes, or anything that crawls or is in the reptile family. Africa has all of these. Large, ugly bugs and creepy things, along with parasites and malaria-carrying mosquitos. Mosquitos love me. LOVE me. My grandson Bradley told his mom after looking at bugs that live in South Africa, “Gammy’s not gonna like it there.” The wisdom of a four-year-old.

3.     I’m neither in the peak of health, nor in the blush of youth.

4.     I miss my husband and our bed when I’m parted from either. (Maybe that should have been #1. Sorry, Sweetie.)

Despite all that, when I first heard Sandy mention the South Africa trip I knew I wanted to go. I knew. It was and is a “God thing.” He has a plan for me, and I don’t have to know what it is. God has a plan, and I am content just in knowing so. He has freed me from all fear, and I cheerfully say to Him, “here am I, send me, send me!”

Respectfully submitted,

Linda Meier

Missionary (!)