Africa: A Trip For the Soul

By John Chapman

On a trip several years ago, my wife and I had lunch with a lady who was truly a world traveler, so I asked about her favorite trip. She immediately responded, ‘’Africa. It touched my very soul.”

Years later, we planned another milestone anniversary trip and had agreed on a destination. But after contacting a travel agent and beginning the process, a month went by without hearing from her or returning our calls. So I reached out to another agent. 

In our initial conversation, I told her our chosen destination and asked for help with the process. She agreed then asked a strange question: “Have you ever considered Africa?” 

I told her that was the furthest thing from our minds and not really an option, but in the next few days, the comment from the world traveler about Africa being a soul-touching trip continued to dominate my thoughts.

I knew I wanted an experience like that, so I began to pray for it. And in those months of intentional prayer we would never have guessed it would involve sickness, a level of neediness I have rarely experienced, witnessing a level of care and compassion from strangers, and two stories directly from Scripture played out in real time right before my eyes . . . with me as part of the story.

Asking for help and accepting help have always been uncomfortable for me. I know it is a form of pride that is not God-honoring, but I have not overcome it. This time, God allowed a level of helplessness in a foreign country where I had no choice but to comply.

I was totally dependent on Him and those who provided help. It is one thing to say we are totally dependent on God but another thing to truly be unable to help yourself and live out that dependence in a very humbling way. I had that experience, and in hindsight, I see what a precious and beautiful gift it was. Not only was it a “soul touching” experience, it was a “soul changing” one. I couldn’t see it in real time, but on this side, I am thankful for it.

Shortly after arriving on the African continent, I began to experience digestive discomfort but wasn’t overly concerned, but by the next morning the discomfort had escalated greatly, and I was experiencing digestive issues at an acute level. I’ll spare you the details. 

Over the next 24 hours, my condition continued to deteriorate, and the lodge where we where staying  summoned a paramedic. He provided me with medicine, but my condition only worsened.

By the following morning, it was obvious that I was in real trouble and the remoteness of our location did not allow us easy access to medical care. We considered cancelling the rest of our trip and trying to get home to the U.S. But at best, that would mean 24 hours of air travel, and I was in no condition for that. 

Once conscious, I noticed a young man across the aisle who continually watched me with a look of caring and compassion. Some may think it improper for me to point out that I am a white guy, and this young man was a black guy. But with all the racial and ethnic tensions in our world, it seems relevant to the story to me.

When the plane landed, he immediately sprang to his feet and assisted me. As I stood unsteadily, he took my by hand and said, “I’ve got you. I will help you. I won’t leave you.” It was as if God was speaking directly to me.

Deplaning involved portable stairs and walking to a bus for transport to the terminal. The sight of that young man walking backwards down those stairs while holding my hand will forever be in my memory.

He accompanied us to the airport clinic and assisted us as if he were a family member. He did not leave us until he was sure I was stable and then only long enough to retrieve his luggage. He returned and stayed with us until he was assured that we would make our connecting flight. Then in what was one of the most compassionate acts I have ever experienced, he asked to pay the bill for my care.

As I lay there receiving an IV, emotion overwhelmed me as I realized I was witnessing, in real time, Jesus’ parable of “The Good Samaritan” right before my eyes and for my benefit. Even if you have read that story hundreds of times, I encourage you to read it again remembering that it was not a real story, but Jesus’ illustration to show how things should be.

Then consider that Bible stories did not end when the Bible was complete. God is still writing those stories every day. Reading and studying the Bible is one of life’s really important efforts. But to be honest, it does not compare to experiencing the story personally. 

My prayer is that each of you would somehow experience being in the middle of a Bible story personally and that it would touch your very soul.

Several days later, we received an email from this young man checking on us. His last words of that email were, “Thank you for letting me help you.” Then I learned that his first name is “Goodwill”. All I could manage to say to God in that moment was “Are you kidding me?”

He assured me He was not.

The experience with Goodwill had left us in awe. We have longed believed that God intentionally puts people in place to help others in need. But I do not remember ever having experienced it so dramatically. Little did I know that our need was about to get even more intense and God’s provision even more dramatic.

We arrived at our second destination, an island even more remote than our first, a small Mozambique island about 45 minutes out in the Indian Ocean. There were no medical facilities there and my condition was continuing to worsen.

So we made the decision to continue the second leg of our trip, a short flight to Mozambique. That didn’t go well, and I basically “crashed” on the flight and lost consciousness. Fortunately, a flight attendant took charge, revived me, and stabilized me for the remaining few minutes of the flight.Early the next morning, it became frighteningly obvious that I needed medical care, and I needed it quickly. In an hour, the resort found a nurse who had cell phone access to a doctor on the mainland.

When he arrived, our differences could not have been any more drastic. I was an old white guy from the wealthiest and most developed country on earth. He was a young man from one of the most impoverished and underdeveloped countries in the world. I was accustomed to the most advanced medical equipment and care available. He had no equipment except a backpack with some medicine and a cell phone. He spoke little English. I spoke no Portuguese. But he cared, and that is all God needed.

I watched as he rummaged through his backpack to find medicine that might help me. Fortunately, he found some and it worked. The real story is not the medication but the care and compassion I received later from this unlikely hero:

This young man sat by my bed for over four hours until I stabilized. After that he sat with me an hour on two occasions and returned every couple of hours to make sure I had taken additional medicines on time. He worked an 18-hour day and still came to check on me at 2:30 the next morning. Then he was back again at first light.

Each time he came, he was on foot. He had no transportation. He had no computer or other electronic devices, so he wrote out his report on the back of a scrap of paper. To say I was amazed and humbled by his care would be a major understatement.

But out of all this, there is a scene that continues to bring tears to my eyes. As I mentioned, this young man had no medical equipment and no pole for suspending my IV bag. So he stood with his arm raised above his head holding that bag so I could get the help I needed. Words can never express the gratitude I felt and still feel in that moment. 

Immediately my mind went to the beautiful Old Testament story of Aaron and Hur holding up Moses’ arms when he was too weary to do so. Once again, I sensed the feeling of watching a scene from a Bible story play out in real time. And again I was overwhelmed. 

I fully believe God can heal and help people supernaturally without human intervention. But I believe He most often chooses to use people as His agents to help others. I think people helping people has always been His plan for humanity. We see it in the model of Jesus. God could have accomplished His plan of redemption in an infinite number of supernatural ways. But He chose the route of coming to earth in human form, the ultimate example of man helping man.

Never in my life have I been more in awe than having God use this young man – with few resources at his disposal – to facilitate my recovery. I have been blessed, moved, and changed by the experience. Intimacy with God and love for strangers jumped to a whole new level through this trip. My desire to cooperate with God has never been higher. 

I had prayed for a “soul touching” experience. I received a “soul changing” experience and feel closer to God than ever.

My wife and I fell in love with the African people, the most welcoming, compassionate, helpful, appreciative, and friendly people we have ever met. The poverty was heartbreaking and the needs overwhelming, but we serve a God who created and maintains a universe that inspires creative ideas to address the physical and spiritual needs of these countries. But we must ask Him for that creativity.

My overriding prayer coming out of this trip is that our missionaries and others with influence on the continent would pray for fresh, creative, effective, “outside the box” visions and opportunities for spiritual and economic innovations in Africa. The model of Jesus has always been to meet both spiritual and physical needs. Our collaboration with Him must be inclusive of both.

As I have prayed over the dear people of Africa since this trip, I sense the lack of inclusiveness in Christian business leaders in the missional efforts on this continent. Join me in praying that God will reveal new and creative ways for that to happen.

By the way, the name of the nurse God sent to help and touch me at my lowest point is Fidelis, which means “Faithful”.

Wow!