“Brown bread and soup” – a missionary moment

When my three children were very small, my husband and I joined a short term mission team to Namibia and South Africa. There were 25 young people on the trip along with us, and in several of the places we stayed, it was quite uncomfortable with only one bathroom!

We drove long hours and visited many cities and towns, sharing the gospel. The children were sometimes fussy, and the young people found it hard to tolerate. Often, all of us got on each other’s nerves. The trip seemed to last forever, and I found myself in a tent during a downpour with bedraggled children asking God what in the world I was thinking to come on this journey! At one point, our little cash box was stolen and we all spent the rest of the days living on brown bread and soup packets, our tummies rumbling.

However, on a short stopover, one of our team members broke his foot and had to see a doctor to have a cast put on. The leaders decided we would stay in that town longer and the farmers there took such good care of us, treating us to wonderful foods and caring for us. God knew we needed a lift!

The mission trip was often a sore trial, but people came to know Jesus and we thanked God for their lives and for His provision. He does not promise us a world without trouble, but He cares for us and we are thankful we were able to serve.
-Zimbabwean short-term missionary