From My Living Room to Nigeria

By Stephen Jo

Stephen was a part of a short term missions team that visited the Hands at Work Hub in South Africa back in 2007.  He was greatly challenged by what he saw and the work that Hands is doing and has been a supporter ever since. Here he reflects on his recent trip to Nigeria where he was able to visit the children he and his friends and family have been supporting for years.  

It all began in the living room of my house in Southern California back in 2009. I invited George Snyman, Founder and CEO of Hands at Work in Africa, to come and speak to a gathering of my friends.  That evening, God stirred the hearts of all who were there, although many of them had never visited Africa before.  As a result of that meeting, we decided as a group of eight families to support 100 orphans in the Badia and Ilaje villages of Nigeria.  We started this support in January 2010 and have been doing so ever since. June 2013, after several years of supporting the orphans in Nigeria, four men from the group finally got a chance to visit the villages in Nigeria.  It was a life changing trip that none of us will soon forget. 

The streets of BadiaGeorge met us in Nigeria to lead our team.  On our first day, he led us on a walk through Badia, a large urban slum just outside the capitol city of Lagos.  The four of us had seen numerous examples of poverty across several continents prior to this trip but the level of poverty in Badia was by far the worst. The community was composed of densely arranged plywood shacks with trash littered everywhere.  There was a stench in the air from pools of stagnant water and a lack of sanitation.  Thousands of people populated this slum with 80% of the women being prostitutes and 60%-70% of the children being orphans. 

It was difficult walking through Badia because of the extreme poverty and the fact that there was a spiritual darkness hanging over this place.  However, about a half hour into this uncomfortable walk, something unexpected happened.  I saw a girl in a bright red shirt standing about 30 yards ahead of us.  It was her bright shirt that caught my attention.  She was looking at us and saw Peter, who is the local leader for Hands in Nigeria, standing next to me.  Her face lit up with a smile when she saw him and she came running toward him.  She jumped into his arms and gave him a warm hug then quickly ran off to play again.  I asked Peter who she was and he said, “It’s one of your children.”  That moment was like seeing a ray of light in the darkness.  It taught me the impact that Hands was having on this community in just the short time we had been there. "It's one of your children"

The following day we visited the Care Point in Badia where I had a chance to meet the girl in the red shirt.  She turned out to be an adorable 9-year-old girl named Rachel.  She is an orphan who lives in Badia with her aunt and sister.  Unfortunately, her aunt is a prostitute who works out of their one room shack.  This means that Rachel and her sister are woken up and asked to wait outside when patrons visit their home at any hour during the night.  It’s heartbreaking to know that there are children who have no choice but to live in this way, but Rachel’s story reflects the life of many Badia children who live in this same manner.  Fortunately, there is real hope that Rachel’s story will change some day. She is enrolled in a school through our sponsorship and the Hands Care Workers are raising her in the gospel. For these reasons, I am very hopeful that the cycle of prostitution will someday end with her.

Stephen and his team with Peter and another local volunteerIt was a blessed experience to witness how God was using our modest support to change the lives of the orphans in Nigeria.  We saw how Hands was bringing hope to places like Badia where none would be expected and children without any choices had hope for a better future.  Most remarkably, our partnership with Hands gave 4 Americans an opportunity to be in a gospel community with 100 African children an ocean away.  None of this would be possible without the loving God who not only cares for the orphan and widow but also graciously allows us to partake in the work of caring for them too.

George in the US

George Snyman, Founder and CEO of Hands at Work in Africa will be visiting many churches and advocate groups in the U.S. from October 4th through the 20th. Here is a breakdown of his schedule. If you are in the area, we would love for you to come out and connect with George. If you would like more detailed information, please contact Lauren at lauren@us.handsatwork.org

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

October 5: Artist Showcase at Christ Church http:

October 6: Sunset Church http:

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

October 7

MINNEAPOLIS

October 8 – 11

October 10: St. Leonard's Church http:

CHICAGO REGION

October 11- 17

October 12: Event for Hands at Work U.S. Advocates

October 13: Grace Church http:

NEW YORK CITY

October 17 - 20

An Advocate Story - Sara Waldvogel

Sara Waldvogel joined Hands at Work as a short term volunteer in September 2011. She now works as part of the Hands at Work US International Office, raising up and supporting advocates who partner with vulnerable communities in Africa.

I had the privilege of coming to South Africa, along with 11 others from around the globe in September 2011.  We spent our first five weeks walking together in South African communities and learning from other Hands at Work long term volunteers.  Following orientation, I was fortunate to go to Kitwe, in Zambia to work with and learn from local Hands at Work leaders like Blessings Sambo and Towela Lungu.

During my time in Africa, I met children who broke my heart.  I became friends with Care Workers who were giving all they had and wished they could give more.  I lived with Hands at Work local leaders in Zambia who took me into their homes as family.  I stayed with a fourteen-year-old girl who gave me her own plate of food which was almost all she had left.  I walked through communities alongside servant-hearted leaders in whom I saw an exhibition of the love of Christ to a degree I hadn’t known was possible.  I was inspired to love in the same way.

By mid-December, I was back home in New York.  There was no denying that I had changed, but I wondered what was next.  I had returned to a culture that seems to prioritize self-advancement with little time to devote to the poor.  Except that there is need in every part of the world.  I realized that it takes a lot of effort to live a life of service to the poor in a place where it is easy to ignore that there is need.  Many people in New York feel that the poor just aren’t trying hard enough to survive and thrive.  Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus devoting His life to people who others said didn’t deserve help.  Walking with Care Workers in Africa opened my eyes to the truth that we are all called to do the same.

While I had a new passion for the poor and vulnerable in New York, I would never forget the children I met in South Africa and Zambia.  But knowing how to help them from so far away was difficult, but I knew I had to find a way. I decided to become an Advocate for Hands at Work.  An advocate is someone who pleads on behalf of another. I felt like this was what I could do for the children I had met – speak up on their behalf.  I believe an advocate is someone who lives out what is written in Proverbs 31:8-9, which says, ‘Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.  Open your mouth, judge righteously; defend the rights of the poor and needy.’ 

I also wanted to encourage others to join me in advocating for Africa’s poorest children by finding sponsors for a specific community and beginning a long term partnership of support, prayers and funding for that community.  

In truth, I find it difficult to ask people to give money to my cause.  Even though there are children in Zambia who I would say are ‘my children’, it is very hard for me to ask people to sponsor them.  Some people have a gift for fundraising; I feel like I don’t!  I have asked myself the question, ‘so how do I advocate for these children if I don’t directly ask people for money?’ 

Hands at Work has a saying, "We are before we do".  Over the last two years, many people have asked me why I do what I do, or they ask me about Africa, or they ask me why I waste time on people from whom I may never see the fruit of my investment.  I see these as great opportunities to talk about Hands at Work and our vision.  People see how much I love Hands, and in turn, they want to be a part of it. 

Being an advocate is not always easy.  I often want to get results quickly and it doesn’t always happen.  I want to be supporting multiple communities, and it’s not happening just yet.  People in cities like New York have plenty of money to give to needy children in Africa, but God doesn’t want them to give money because they can; He wants them to give money because they are filled with His love and can’t help but give to the poor.  Isaiah 58:10 says that ‘if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.’ 

God wants us to pour ourselves out for the hungry and the afflicted. I can testify to the truth that is found in this verse.  God has changed my life and I’ve never been happier.  As an advocate, I feel that my main role is to live this out in front of people in New York and pray that God uses that to further His kingdom.  If it results in sponsorship money for Hands at Work, I’m thrilled, but more than that, I pray that it results in people around me wanting to pour themselves out for the poor, whether it’s in Africa or New York.

Teams in Action

Hands at Work in Africa believes something powerful happens when people in a comfortable and conveient society choose to discomfort themselves in order to serve the poor in another part of the world. Friends and family from across the globe visited Hands at Work in Africa this year to learn, serve, encourage and participate in God’s transformation of Africa.

Check out these teams in action!

Oliver for Oshoek (USA)

By Jungjoo Pak

“MOOOOOMMY~.”  My days often start with my almost three-year-old son hollering for me to come and get him out of his crib.  Who needs an alarm clock when you’ve got young kids eager to start the day?  Most of my days are spent running after my two very energetic boys (Owen who’s almost three and Oliver who just turned one), cooking meals after meals and wiping the floor countless times.  Faces and names of the precious children I met in Africa on my last trip in 2007 often seem so distant and irrelevant to my hectic day-to-day life.  I know this about myself—my tendency to be so self absorbed and caught up in my own world.  That’s why I am so grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to volunteer with Hands U.S. office for the past several years.  More than my small contribution to Hands, I really do receive so much more by staying connected through my involvement.  Every story I read from the different communities adopted by Hands reminds me of the stark reality I saw, touched and felt back in 2007. 

How can I ever forget a precious little girl named Thandazile who fell asleep to my “amazing grace” lullaby with tears rolling down her small cheeks as she drifted into sleep?  She couldn’t have been more than two at the time.  Yet when a bus came to pick her up from a Hands care center to take her back home at the end of the day, she just got in line and walked up to find herself a seat in the bus.  Her independence at such a young age was a necessity for survival.  The image of this little toddler walking up to that bus is still so vivid in my memory.  Now with children of my own, these memories dig even deeper into my heart.

It does seem so overwhelming to think about all the orphaned children in Africa who are desperately in need, both physically and spiritually.  But I am so encouraged by Hands’ focus on reaching one child at a time.  One of the songs that spoke to me so deeply during my trip to Africa was a song called “He knows my name.”  This song talks about how our heavenly father knows every child’s name.  Though often lost in a seemingly insurmountable “number” of orphaned children in Africa, every child is known by God!  This is the approach I’ve been trying to take—trying to be faithful with the opportunities God is giving us in reaching and supporting the most vulnerable children in Africa one child at a time. 

When it came time to plan for my younger son’s first birthday, which tends to be a pretty big deal in my culture, I had a vague desire to somehow use the party to remember and support many precious little children in Africa as we celebrate my precious little son’s first year of life.  At around the same time, I became aware of a small community in South Africa called Oshoek.  This community had been in relationship with Hands for a few years and infrastructure has been put in place to bring in practical help (such as providing one nutritious meal a day for the most vulnerable orphans in the community).  When I found out about Oshoek, I wanted to connect my son’s first birthday to the lives of children in Oshoek.   We sent out invitations to our family, friends and co-workers along with a note that asked our guests to consider bringing a donation for Oshoek instead of a gift for Oliver. 

The party was held at a local park on a beautiful Saturday morning with 80+ guests.  Along with cupcakes and a popcorn bar, I put together and displayed a poster of Oshoek that included a brief community profile along with pictures of the community and its people.  Through the party we were able to raise $855.  I was overwhelmed by the generous response of our guests.  I am reminded through this that there really is no village/people too remote or too small for God.   I know that it is ultimately the Lord who caused us to come to know and remember Oshoek.

2010 Conference Dates

In the past we have done two conferences, both in South Africa.  An Africa conference with our African service center partners and an international conference with our African partners and many international churches and donors as well. 

This year instead of having the conferences in just South Africa we will be holding four regional conferences that will be open to anyone interested in attending.  The Hands at Work family is growing at a rapid rate which means that it is becoming increasingly difficult to get everyone to South Africa.  This means we can bring the conferences closer to home for the Service Centres involved, also allowing our international visitors flexibility and possibly allow them to attend in the country of their interest. In the past we have only been able to have a very small number of community based organizations (CBO) representatives present.  By holding regional conferences it will also enable greater CBO participation and give more people exposure to the vision of Hands at Work. 

The conference schedule is as follows:

South Africa & Swaziland | March 24-27 | Hands at Work in Africa near White River, South Africa

Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo & Malawi | April 15-18 | Luanshya, Zambia

Mozambique & Zimbabwe | April 22-25 | TBD

Nigeria | May 20-23 | Lagos, Nigeria

We are excited about the new opportunities that hosting regional conferences will bring.  All are welcome to come and be a part of the different regional conferences.  If you are interested in attending or helping fund the conferences please contact us at info@handsatwork.org. 

View more of last year's conference in photos