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Dr. Jo Anne Lyon



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Interlude to Africa

Two Sundays ago, I was in the village of Nakawanga, in the Southern Province of Zambia. This is the area where David Livingston traversed over a century ago. The road was rough and the fields looked empty—a mud hut here and there. But, when we arrived at the mudbrick church, the crowds were overflowing. Moving between people tightly packed on logs and the floor, we made our way to the front where the pastor and people had proudly found a few plastic chairs as seats of honor. Accompanied by guitars that had been hewn out of a log, the congregation of 800 began to sing: "Pass me not, O gentle Savior, Hear my humble cry; While on others thou are calling, Do not pass me by."

I must admit, as I sat there, these thoughts weighed heavy on my mind: 640 AIDS orphans and vulnerable children in this community, people dying everyday, very few people between the ages of 25 and 40—so many dead—Savior, did you pass them by? The pastor preached a sermon about carrying heavy loads here, but in heaven we would be free. The service concluded, and I was instructed to go to the left when leaving the church. I had not spotted the brand new well when we arrived, as people were all around it. Nor had I seen a beautiful new structure of sun-dried bricks carefully laid with a brand new metal (zinc) roof. It would house hundreds of hens who would soon be laying eggs to bring income and good food to the community.

Stepping in the middle of the crowd surrounding this new well, covered with a beautiful African cloth held with brightly colored ribbons, I suddenly had my answer to the question of the morning. As I was ceremoniously handed scissors to cut the ribbon that would dedicate the well, I understood that Jesus had not passed them by. You see, God allowed The Wesleyan Church of Spearfish, South Dakota, to hear their humble cry. They now had water, hens to provide food, people being trained to take care of the orphans and those dying. And, the story goes on!

Again, my interlude in Africa reminded me how God moves in this world!

I still have three more districts—Kansas, Texas-Louisiana, and Southwest Hispanic—to share with you about their vision and courage. Although I was unable to attend Texas-Louisiana District (as it was the weekend following General Conference) or to the Kansas and Southwest Hispanic District (taking place at the same time of the wedding of our youngest son), I will review the notes from those district conferences and share that information with you next week.

God is moving in this world, and He is choosing to move through us!! What joy!!

Reflections