Believer

Gap Year on ‘doing missions work’

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This week we’re bringing you another reflection from Lydia, one of our Trent Vineyard Gap Year students. Part of going overseas to serve and live temporarily in a country, culture and situation that is not your own, is about experiencing God at work in a different place. And when people come to serve alongside us at Family Impact or in other local ministries, we value hugely the skills they bring, the tasks they do and the contribution they make. But much more than that, we hope that they come to know Jesus in a deeper way and that they grow personally.

Enjoy this reflection from Lydia…..

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In contrast to last week, this week has been considerably busier, which suits me just fine. While I like having lots of free time, I prefer to be out and about, busy serving people, doing something new or meeting new people. But, after a conversation with Lynne, my perspective on my busyness changed.

The first 10 days were great: they were busy and exciting because everything was new. Yet, in the midst of all the excursions to Chipangali wildlife orphanage and lunches at Food Lovers, I felt I was doing a lot, but not the right kind of ‘a lot’. It just felt too much like a holiday: where were the impoverished children we would save? Where was the mud hut we’d be sleeping in? And why have I been fed (on average) two pieces of cake every day? Of course, I absolutely loved the first part of our trip, it was so fun, but I couldn’t shirk the voices that said ‘what would people say if they knew you were spending your time as a missionary eating ice-cream in the sun, lounging by the pool and perusing orphaned wildlife?’ Chances are, they won’t feel too thrilled that their money had financed a gap year holiday instead of a gritty, sand-in-your-shoes, lizard-in-your-bed missions trip.

And then I had a revelation.

It doesn’t actually matter what people think I’m doing.

Lynne reminded me that we’re saved by grace, not by works. I could call it quits and do nothing for the rest of my life and still be saved and loved by God. Now, I don’t think God has called me to an early retirement so, chances are, me resigning myself to a life of languor is probably not His will for my life. I’d most likely miss out on some cool stuff, but nevertheless, I could do it – and He’d still love me.

saved by grace

(Not that I need to because I’m saved by grace) but I just want to make a quick disclaimer and say that I have been serving and doing my best to help and love people where I can. From helping run numerous kids’ clubs, to assisting in a soup kitchen, to folding clothes in an orphanage, this missions trip has opened my eyes to so much, taught me a lot about myself and shown me God’s love for His people in an entirely new way. So in many ways, serving people has just been one of a number of purposes of this trip for me. But it’s humbling to know (and important to keep reminding myself) that this trip doesn’t make me better or more worldly and it certainly does not make me more holy; God by His grace wanted me on this trip because He wanted to show and teach me some amazing things. But, equally, if I hadn’t gone on this trip or if I had chosen to go straight to uni, nothing would be added to my worth, God would still love and treasure me the same and it still wouldn’t matter how much work people had thought I’d done.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—” Ephesians 2:8 NIV

Written by Lydia Bernard-Brooks

Gap Year goes rural!

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Last week Lydia and Zach had the chance to experience and help out at Ebenezer Agricultural Training Centre which is run by our family and overseen by my sister Renee. Hope you enjoy and are challenged by Lydia’s reflections from the week.

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We’re now entering our third week in Zimbabwe and this week has been a special highlight for us as we spent a few days ‘in the bush’ at Ebenezer Agricultural Training College, helping out at their annual selection camp*. Surprisingly, we found it was really refreshing having time away from the numerous distractions that can come with having a wi-fi connection and it was a great opportunity to get a glimpse of rural Zimbabwe.

On Tuesday, we had our orientation day which gave us the opportunity to have a tour of the farm, which turned out to be very interesting (despite the fact you would never find me visiting a UK farm of my own volition). The following days were spent eating sadza (thick porridge made from mealie meal), marking countless English and maths exam papers and appreciating the stunning scenery and wildlife found in the Matopos.

IMG_4159Yet despite the excitement that comes with being in a completely new environment, what struck me the most during my time was a conversation I had with Renee Cunningham on the way back from our orientation day. Renee is the Director of Ebenezer and has a real heart for showing young people the advantages of a career in farming and serving the local community. Although Ebenezer and Family Impact are not officially linked, Lynne and Renee are housemates and sisters by marriage, and share a vision for equipping people where they are to improve lives and communities, with a clear focus on Biblical foundations and teachings. Renee was born and grew up in Zimbabwe, and when I asked Renee what it was about Zimbabwe that made her return after her university studies in the UK and Canada, she said it was because nowhere else was, well, dangerous enough. Depending on God here and depending on God in a developed Western country seemed to be different to her and, interestingly, it was the risk and unpredictable nature of life here that appealed to Renee a lot more than the assurance of a fast internet connection.

This struck a chord with me because I know that in the West we invest so much (sometimes our entire lives) in trying to be comfortable and well provided for, yet that was the very reason Renee left: it was challenging to say the least.

Spending time at Ebenezer only brought the issue of comfort even closer to the forefront: with no hot water, phone signal and sadza and beans for two meals a day, it was amazing how much God spoke to me. It’s interesting how God often takes us away from our comfort zones to reveal things to us. Saying this, I need to make clear that my level of discomfort was probably nothing in comparison to the Ebenezer applicants who had to endure 6am starts, a 5km run and English and maths exams; but the idea that a person could prefer this, even chase the discomfort, was completely alien to me and yet you don’t have to know Renee incredibly well to see how much God is using her.

IMG_4157I suppose my closing thought is this: comfort is fine and is in no way inherently bad (nor am I going to be one of those missionaries that is going to try to make all the Brits out there feel bad for having the NHS), but I think we need to make more of an effort, irrespective of where in the world we are, to assess our comfort and evaluate whether there’s anything about our lifestyle that hinders us from depending whole-heartedly on God. Because while God can use us anywhere, we may be missing the fullness of what He has for us as a result of our unyielding grip on the safety of our surroundings.

Written by Lydia Bernard-Brooks

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* Ebenezer Agricultural Training Centre exists to equip young people for life in Christ. During the 2 year residential training program young adults are equipped with the zeal and tools needed to be Jesus’ hands and feet in their communities. They learn how to run businesses, farm sustainably and explore other gifts God has given them. Part of their learning experience is that they actually start and run their own small-scale agri-business so that by the time they graduate they have made enough profits to set up on with own. To make this learning and discipleship process effective Ebenezer focuses strongly on relationships, mentoring and linking apprentices into vibrant churches. Selection camp is an annual event where young people come to find out and experience a bit of life at Ebenezer and the next intake of apprentices is selected by the staff team.

What is a real man?

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This is an important question and it is one being asked around the world in a number of forums and campaigns. Many are secular, but there are also plenty of Christians talking about the topic. Let’s take a snapshot of some of the big campaigns:

  • Men Care is a global campaign focused on fatherhood from the perspective of encouraging and equipping men to become active, equitable and nonviolent fathers and caregivers.
  • Front Page Father is a media campaign in South Africa that ‘aims to create awareness of the value of involved fathers and to empower men to become more involved in the lives of their children and families.’
  • HeforShe is a major UN campaign for gender equality fronted by celebrities such as Emma Watson. The campaign takes the position that gender equality is a man’s issue just as much as a woman’s issue, with both genders benefiting from a more equitable world
  • Restored is an international Christian alliance working to transform relationships and end violence against women. They ask the question – where is the church and where are men in ending violence against women. They also highlight that violence in women happens in churches too.
  • There’s even a jewellery & accessory chain for men called William Henry in the US who are running a ‘what is a real man’ campaign. They produced a great video challenging the stereotypical response to that question.

Now, William Henry is running this as a marketing campaign, likely to connect with and broaden their customer base, but it shows how pervasive and relevant this question of ‘what is a real man?’ really is. As you look at these campaigns (and there are many more), there are so many positive things being advocated for. There is a significant push for paid parental leave for men as well as women. There are initiatives to encourage and equip fathers to be more actively involved in pregnancy, birth and child raising. There are many initiatives addressing gender based violence, which is not limited to men, but they do form the vast majority of offenders.

At their heart, all of these campaigns are asking questions and attempting to give answers around the identity, roles and stereotypes around being a man, or a real man, in today’s society. And many also seek to address the negative and destructive behaviours that often stem from or are justified by these stereotypes.

William Henry state in their campaign that it’s a complicated subject. And yes, it is, but at the same time it isn’t. It’s complicated because no two men are the same, because we all bring our own worldview and experience to the issue, because our world is so much more global and connected, and because there has been centuries of stereotypes and assumptions. And some will argue that even the helpfulness of the term ‘a real man’ can be debated.

Fullness of life

But for Family Impact it’s also not that complicated…..

At Family Impact we believe that the family is core and that God’s plan for family can transform individuals, families, communities and nations. Our desire is to see people experience the fullness of life, freedom and wholeness that comes from being part of a strong family. But over the past couple of years we have been challenged by the fact that when we offer trainings on marriage and parenting, which is core to what we do to build strong families, we struggle to get men in the room. We believe this is related to both the format of the training and the content. It’s not that men don’t care about their families or about their role as men in their family and community. But they often feel that they are being made out to be the ‘bad’ parent or spouse. The one who doesn’t care enough, or spend enough time or express their feelings enough. Yet often they are really feeling the pressure to provide for their families in what is an extremely challenging economic environment. And they would probably love some help, encouragement and inspiration in their role as a husband, father, colleague, son and friend. But they just don’t want to sit in a room and feel like they are being ‘lectured’ or ‘talked at’ about it and they especially don’t want to be pressured into attending by their wives.

real-man-champion

So after much thought, prayer and planning, Family Impact decided we needed to add our voice to those around the globe who are inspiring, challenging, equipping and encouraging men to be the best son, father, husband, uncle, friend and colleague they were made to be. In February this year we launched the Real Man – Living the Life of a Champion campaign. It’s a digital campaign focused on men in Africa, with a dedicated Facebook page and a section on the Family Impact website. The campaign has its own brand and tone and it draws on Family Impact resources and messages. But at its heart, it’s inspiration for what defines a ‘real man’ comes from the one place where we all can go to find our identity and learn who we were made to be – God’s word. We bring these messages in a variety of packages – we share good stuff that others are writing, we generate content ourselves, we interview men to give them an opportunity to share their wisdom and experience and we are encouraging men to write content for us. And we have a bit of fun while we do it.

Some may argue that there’s already enough being written on this topic, but for Family Impact we see a gap in Christian organisations speaking into the lives of African men and reaching them through the digital space with a message on God’s plan for family and men’s role in family and communities. We are passionate about our strategic plan goal of reaching 1 million men, women and children in Sub-Saharan Africa with the message of God’s plan for family by 2019 and the Real Man campaign is a big part of that.

To find out more or support the campaign, visit the Real Man page or contact us here.

lynne photo bw

Following Jesus – even when He leads to Zimbabwe

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Adapted from a sermon given by Lynne at Trent Vineyard Church, Nottingham, UK in June 2013.

I run an organization called Family Impact Africa, and until late 2013, I also managed the Zimbabwe team. But that’s not really what I’m here to chat about.  What’s more important is how I got here, to this place, to today.

I am Zimbabwean, but I lived in the UK for 19 years. I went to Nottingham Trent University and studied business and loved it.  I am really fascinated by small business and entrepreneurism.

So I jumped at the chance to join the Malt Cross Café-Bar team in 2004.  Working with a team from Trent Vineyard and other churches in the city to set up the bar. It married my three favourite things, business, bars and Jesus!  So we set it up and 12 months later God told me to resign.  Nightmare.  Who leaves a small business after less than 2 years, which hasn’t even broken even yet?  What kind of leader does that?  I struggled massively with the decision, BUT GOD.  So I resigned, with 4 months’ notice and worked through to the end of 2004.

I had planned a holiday in Zimbabwe, my first visit back for 4 years, to see my sister, brother-in-law and family.  I left the UK on New Year’s Eve 2004, and spent January 2005 in Zim.

I wrote in my journal on the 17th Jan 2005 (2 weeks into a 4 week trip) “I think these next two weeks will change my life. I know that whatever decision God shows to be right will totally challenge me. It seems ridiculous for me to consider moving to Zim…”  I was convinced God would make it clear and I was determined not to migrate across the world for a laugh.  It had better be a God-thing.

I discovered the Lord is gracious with his children (especially me).  I wrote a list of more than 20 things God just HAD to do before I moved anywhere.  And guess what – he didn’t answer them all (surprise surprise).  In fact one of the ones I was most preoccupied with was my student loan – which I carefully laid out to the Lord he should pay off before I go to be a “penniless missionary in Africa”.  But he didn’t.  Yet somehow in the last 8 years, I have slowly paid my loan off.  The answer to that prayer was because God wanted to work through other life lessons with me.

One of the prayers he did answer and turned out to be one of the most important was my residence status.  After 19 years away, I got my residence back.  On the 8th April 2005 I flew into Zim, and on the 9th I got my residency back.  This was God’s big neon sign.

I joined Family Impact on the 9th April 2005.

I have been in Zim through some of the most difficult years the country has ever experienced.  One of the highest inflation rates in history, and certainly the fastest dropping economy every recorded.  We’d pay for bills with holdalls of cash. No food on the shelves, no fuel in the garages, electricity and water cuts. Droughts. At one point we only had running water for 8 hours a week. Some of my friends living in the capital Harare haven’t had water for more than 6 years.

Many times in the first 3 years particularly, I wanted to leave. What was I doing here?  But God said “Lynne, I made it abundantly clear you should be here, and I’ll make it just as clear if you should leave, so chill out and trust me.”

Trusting the Lord has been my biggest journey: do I really trust him? Do I believe he has the best?  Do I know he loves me, unconditionally, even if I never “do” anything with my life? Do I really believe that as Hebrews 13 says “he will never leave you nor forsake you”?

OR

Do I think that it is my stubbornness? Hard work and determined mind and will power that keeps Family Impact together, and helps us make it through the difficulties of no cash, financial turmoil at Family Impact, country economic challenges and a couple of droughts?

One of the things I realised very quickly, was that the Lord spoke to me through his word (scripture) and if I didn’t know my scriptures, what was I expecting him to do – write verses on the wall of my room each morning?  So I read my bible, I read it tested it and depended on it daily, as if my life depended on it.  And some days it felt like it did.

The breakthrough for me came in 2008, through 2 Corinth 4 v 1. “And so, since God in his mercy has given us this wonderful ministry, we never give up.” Later on in that chapter it says  in verse 7 “…But this precious treasure – this light and power that now shine within us – is held in perishable containers, that is our weak bodies. So that everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own”. Verses 8-9 go on to say “We are pressed on every side, by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken.  We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us.  We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.”

In 8 years I have been seriously ill twice, for a cumulative total of 5 years.  I have suffered from depression, anxiety and fear.  I have suffered from insomnia and lethargy.  I have never been in physical danger and God has never let me down.  90% of the time I do not like God’s methods or timing, in either my ministry leadership or the development of my character.  But I was called by him to this adventure and He’s never given up on me, no matter what stupid stunts I have pulled over the years.  So I ain’t ever gonna walk away from Him. 

John 10 v 10 says “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.  My purpose is to give life in all its fullness”.  And I reckon that the adventure that I am on, is life in all its fullness.  It’s been filled with laughter, joy, incredible friends, awesome family, seeing God perform miracles before my eyes, and waking up to amazing sunrises and watching spectacular sunsets.  Living in a country with over 250 days of sun a year.  It has also been filled with tears, despair, self-pity, pride, sickness and confusion.

This doesn’t make me a special person, deserving special respect or favours.  As Eleanor Mumford said last month in a talk at the Alpha International Leadership conference, we are commoners.  All of us.  What makes us extraordinary is the power of the Holy Spirit in our mortal perishable containers that enables us to live life to the full, and experience this adventure with Jesus.

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