The stars at night are big and bright....

This past week I had a chance to do something that I had done many a times in the Dominican Republic, host a workteam. I headed out to Malambo (seriously, a town in Maasai land in the middle of nowhere) with 10 Texans. We stayed in the "Help for the Maasai" compound that is run by Angelica, a German woman who has been here for about 25 years. And at one point in the week, two Dutch couples (real Dutch, not fake Dutch like me) showed up for a few days. Needless to say, there were many cross-cultural experiences throughout the week!

The group spent most of the week putting on eye clinics, working in the school and doing maintenance around the compound. And as with most workteams, one of the greatest concerns at the end of the week was "did we do enough?" Great things did happen during the week (though at one point I really questioned why we were giving out reading glasses to a predominately illiterate society...and I had a heck of a time trying to explain what "begotten" meant when I helped with arts & crafts at the school).
Some of the guys put up a wind generator which will surely benefit the compound and many of the teachers are desiring more teacher training after a few team members taught their classes. But if you ask me, the real work happened through the relationships between the Maasai and the Texans. By the end of the week, we had been invited to more bomas (homes) to drink chai than we had time for and the group was gifted 2 goats and countless amounts of beaded jewelry. And I was again reminded that not all communication comes through spoken language because let me tell you what, I had to think hard about what some of the Texans where saying at times, and I speak English!


While it was great to see people excited about getting new sunglasses and the hear the hum of the new wind generator, it was even more amazing to watch Angelica and hear some of her stories from the past 25 years of ministry. God does not call us to success, but to be faithful. And Angelica has been very, very faithful and through this faithfulness God has blessed the ministry. Yes I am sure she came with some new ideas and I am sure she has given some advice, but more than that she came with a heart to know people and to live amongst the people.

I do think short term missions do have value. But their value lies more in how the team is changed than what the team "does." I think the greatest thing that can be accomplished through a workteam is people coming to the realization that we often benefit each other most when we first listen. When we take time simply to observe and to be with people.