Hands @ Work in Masoyi Africa The purpose of Hands @ Work in Africa, through relationship with the local Church in Africa, is to challenge, encourage, develop and support the ministry of servant hood among those in need in their community through the replication of the Masoyi community intervention model. The biblical mandate to care for the dying, widows and orphans is not only for the Church in Africa, but also elsewhere, and Hands @ Work will be a prophetic voice to the Churches outside Africa, challenging them to fulfill their mandate..... When my sister, Marla, first brought up the idea of going to South Africa, my initial reaction could have been summed up in one word: NO. I just wasn’t the South Africa preacher/missionary type – whatever that was. Missions, neither short nor long term had ever appealed to me, and although I grew up in the church, I never liked being preached at, so it comes as no surprise at all that I wished to stay as far away from that sort of lifestyle as possible. I envisioned a group of privileged and seemingly all knowing white people heading down to a very non-white nation; all the while handing out pamphlets and singing songs like Kumbaya. Not exactly my cup of tea. I tiptoed around the missions subject when it would come up in conversation, and whenever my sister mentioned Africa I would change the subject. Now if you ever have the opportunity to meet my sister, you will discover fairly quickly that once something is in her mind, there’s no getting it out. That natural quality mixed with a stubborn will that would give Gandhi a run for his money was inevitably the reason why I joined nine other Canadians on the trip of a lifetime. After months of saving money, meeting, learning, planning and praying, the day finally came. I have to admit I was a bit nervous. The thought of being stuck in a country with deadly, venomous snakes, other strange animals making unfamiliar sounds, and eating food I was not accustomed to didn’t bother me too much; being stuck with nine other people I hardly knew from Adam, with no escape for three and a half weeks was terrifying. I remember sitting in my seat shortly after boarding the plane wondering what on earth I was doing. I couldn’t figure out for the life of me why God had opened the door that my sister practically dragged me through. The trip was over two years ago, and still there are moments daily when images of South Africa flash across my mind. I’m not going to go into detail about what I experienced and learned. It would literally take hours. But if you have a moment or two, I encourage you to visit the Hands At Work Website. There are many stories and testimonies that explain the African way of life much better than I can hope to. I will tell you it was nothing like what I expected. Our team’s mission was not to “change Africa” like I had initially envisioned. We were changed - from the inside out. We went down with toys and blankets and brought back a much greater appreciation for life. The African people taught us that simply taking the time to love one another is the most important part of everyday life. It’s our purpose. Like Mother Theresa said, “In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.”s.