Mission Trip to Africa Changes Idea of Poverty

DENNISVILLE — Robert “Bob” Grace had long been told, “Leave your comfort zone and things will happen.”
With the aid of some local churches, family and friends, the 66-year-old former Dennis Township committeeman and retired Bell Telephone employee went to Africa to visit missionaries in South Africa and Kenya.
The odyssey impressed Grace in ways he could never have imagined.
“I redefined what poor is. You cannot describe it, the pictures show it,” said Grace.
Those photographs are among the 835 he snapped from Nov. 22 to Dec. 14.
He first visited Word of Life missionaries in Johannesburg, South Africa. He then visited Soweto.
His main impression of that place: Fences topped with barbed wire to thwart thieves surround all houses. Nearly everyone has a dog for security reasons, he said.
But he also got to visit the stadium where the World Cup of soccer will be played.
His main reason for the trip was to visit the Word of Life non-denominational churches and speak with the missionaries. Word of Life, based in Schroon Lake, N.Y. has placed missions in 64 nations.
Because seasons are opposite those in North America, it was late spring, and very warm in South Africa and Kenya, Grace said.
He found the locals there poor, but with grateful natures. They were also amazed to see a man of his age, since, he said, the average age in Kenya is about 30, due to poor sanitary conditions, AIDS, and high infant mortality.
“When they have church, they have church,” said Grace. Most services last at least an hour and a half or longer.
He said congregations he visited loved to sing, with or without accompaniment.
He found the young children eager to learn, since they soon understand the importance of education to bettering themselves and the lot of future generations.
One girl he met plans to attend Harvard University next year to study microbiology. Once graduated, she plans to return home to Kenya to work in hospitals to better the lot of her people.
Prior to his trip, Grace, a long-time Boy Scout leader, had attended several world jamborees and met African scouts who seemed “always pleasant and smiling, so I wanted to see if that was normal.”
His opinion was confirmed on his trip.
One evening in Okunda, Kenya, a youth meeting was held attended by about 400.
After hearing testimonies, 40 of those young people “accepted Christ, what an experience that was,” said Grace.
In that area, the Christian mission gets along peacefully with the native Muslims, said Grace.
“The missionary there is very active in the community,” he added.
Also impressive to him were visits to wildlife preserves, such as in East Tsavo, where he saw an elephant herd that “was so peaceful, it was amazing,” he said.
In another place he had an opportunity to pet a three-week-old lion, which was the “thrill of a lifetime,” he said.
He visited Nairobi and Mombasa, saw the Indian Ocean, and was ferried across a body of water on an overcrowded ferry in Mombasa.
Grace is grateful to the Dennisville United Methodist Church, churches in Heislerville and Dorchester, and Bethel Commandment Church, Whitesboro.
While he traveled alone this time, he hopes that one or two others might accompany him on the next visit to Africa.
Some young people expressed a question to Grace: We cannot understand why you came 10,000 miles one way to help us.
“When we have a chance to share the Gospel, that’s why we do it,” said Grace.
Contact Campbell at (609) 886-8600 Ext 28 or at: al.c@cmcherald.com