Walton Ave 

South Harrow 

MIDDX 

HA2 8QU 

Catherine’s Trip to Africa

The most memorable Bible verse I ever heard shared before starting a mission was the miracle of Jesus’ feeding of five thousand people. If you focus, not on the people but on the boy, you have a person who looks at an impossible situation and says, ‘here’s what I can offer – take it and use it’ – and Jesus does, taking what he brings and transforming it to provide for the enormous, hungry crowd. 

Going on a mission journey to South Africa felt like that. When we drove into the township where we were working, we could see such a poor community, begging the question ‘where do you start?’ Yet we had a specific job to do for a specific group of people and the little we brought to God, he would take and use to perform a miracle in his way and provide for his people.

The garden and the street outside 

I was part of a team of 12, all from different church backgrounds – Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, organised by members of Hemel Community Church and it was wonderful to see that Christians across the spectrum could join together, working and praying to achieve something for God’s Kingdom. We were adding toilets and showers to a house which was sheltering about a dozen children including some AIDs orphans, making the lighting and electrics safe, fixing the leaking roof and erecting a fence and gates for added security.

Bit by bit, it came together. First the foundations for the new toilet block, dug deep, then the roof – fiddly, hot and difficult. Then the clearing of the existing fence. I don’t think I have ever seen so much accumulated rubbish and overgrown plants – from tyres to barbed wire, bits of cars to glass, a guava tree to foot high grass, we cleared it away. Meanwhile, the electricians were working tirelessly inside, day after day, making the lights and sockets safe.  

It was long and hard, frustrating at times, but it came together. One of the biggest joys was when the children came home from school each day. They were so bubbly and full of joy, despite their mended school uniforms and mismatched and worn clothes. To play together, to look after each other and to mess around with adults, singing, trying on sunglasses and taking pictures was a source of great excitement for them. 

Toilet block underway

Clearing the way for the fence 

They lived in a house, sharing rooms and beds, with few places to store clothes or school equipment, some of them were ill with HIV themselves and the employment prospects were bleak for the future, yet they were full of life and joy. The whole house felt like a place of joy, where heaven touched earth.  

Three moments stand out in my mind. The first was hearing that Thuli, the lady who ran the house and looked after the children, danced around the house with joy when she realised her roof no longer leaked in the rain. The second was when another lady asked me if I would leave any clothes I didn’t want with them at the end of the trip, bringing home to me just how poor they were and how the tiniest things helped. The third was praying with a little boy, whose joints were swollen with fluid and feeling a helplessness I have never before experienced, where the only thing that I could do in my ignorance and inadequacy was to throw myself on God’s mercy on behalf of this poor child and trust in His absolute power and desire to heal.  

The fence went up, the toilets and showers were installed in a new block on the side of the house, the roof was repaired and the electrics made safe. In addition, we managed to clear and tidy the site, repair the kitchen table and purchase a new washing machine and cooker – God provides so much more when we offer what we have. I learnt to mix concrete, to put up a metal fence and saw elephants closer than anyone ever should, as well as having the privilege of getting to know some wonderful people from England and South Africa, all of whom heard God’s call on their life in different ways, responded and continue to respond whole-heartedly and in His strength.

My deepest thanks to my friends and family and to the church, all of whom supported me in this experience, through prayer and through donating money. It couldn’t have happened without you and it was a privilege to take part in this special trip. We really did make a difference, so thank you.

Catherine Wells