A trip to Africa is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many. Ministers Sonji Pass and Sonia Crawley of the Park Church last week embarked on their 16th such opportunity.

The two are missionaries to the town of Isiolo, in Kenya. They have been making mission trips to the Motherland since 2004.

Pass and Crawley were first invited on a mission to Kenya by their pastor, Bishop Claude Alexander, because of their nearly 20 years combined experience at the time in HIV/AIDS education and prevention.

“When we went in response to the invitation from Bishop, we just went out of obedience,” Pass said in an interview before the two departed. “And just out of the experience in being there, we heard the call of the Lord to actually work in that nation.”

For Pass, that calling was clear. She said she encountered pockets of poverty-stricken and marginalized people, and she knew that meeting their spiritual needs would require meeting their physical needs as well.

“What we’ve come to understand is that many times in sharing the gospel, we try to provide the gospel message for people, especially in third-world countries, but it’s difficult for them to hear the message of the gospel when they are hungry or when they are sick,” Pass said.

The focus on Isiolo began with an invitation from the town’s government after seeing work done by the Park Church’s mission teams in other parts of the country. According to Pass, Isiolo was one of the two towns in Kenya with the greatest number of HIV infections.

Five areas of focus

The initial Isiolo mission began with about five tribal meetings under acacia trees with the chiefs and leaders of the various villages in the town. The ministers asked the villagers about their needs, and Pass said it was clear that Isiolo was the place they should be because its needs met the focus areas that Alexander had assigned to them. Those areas were village infrastructure, including clean water systems where there is no water; leadership development; mission teams; HIV/AIDS education; and church planting.

“We go into the area and we develop a relationship, find out what their needs are and see which one of those needs align with our five areas of focus,” Pass said.

To help them in those areas are 25 to 30 volunteers on the ground in Kenya, ranging from government officials to local pastors and nonprofit leaders, and at times mission teams of about 15 people who accompany them from the Park Church.

Like other parts of Kenya, Isiolo presented Pass and Crawley with a level of poverty they described as unimaginable. Pass said income for the average person is about $30 a month.

“We ministered in a couple of shanties where there’s no running water; naturally there’s no plumbing, no electricity, literally nothing but either a piece of metal leaning up against a tree or leaning up against another piece of metal or even cardboard,” she said.

And with the lack of clean water, sickness is prevalent. Many of the children suffer from cholera and potentially fatal ear and eye infections on top of severe malnutrition, Pass and Crawley said.

They described how, on their first visit, the children of Isiolo were eating what appeared to be porridge. The ministers later learned that it was flour mixed with contaminated water. They shared this information with an individual who has since been providing money for one nutritious meal a day for children in two of the villages.

“When we first saw the kids in 2007 their eyes were discolored. They had the potbellies from malnutrition. They had absolutely no hair whatsoever on their heads, all due to malnutrition,” said Crawley. “And when we returned in February those same children that we saw the previous fall actually met us at the front of the village. We didn’t recognize several of them because their bellies had gone down a substantial amount and they now had hair on their head. So our prayer now is that the Lord will eventually allow us to provide three meals to the people.”

'The Lord's Well'

Another advancement that has aided in the health of the people was the construction of a well this past February. Named “The Lord’s Well,” it was funded by the Park Church and gives villagers access to clean water for the first time in many of their lives.

In addition, Crawley and Pass brought with them for the first time last year a medical team. Like all mission teams that Crawley and Pass bring, the medical team was made up completely of volunteers who supplied their own means for the trip. The team consisted of doctors and nurses, as well as educators.

Crawley said it was the first time a majority of the people had seen a medical professional.

“We have individuals in the community that are 70, 80 and 90 years old, and they had never ever been to a doctor, and didn’t think they would ever have that opportunity in their lifetime,” she said. “There is one hospital in Isiolo town, but you have to have money in order to get treated, and they have no money.”

The medical team focuses on general health, dental care, HIV/AIDS education, and personal hygiene.

And while health care is paramount, Crawley said evangelism is a major part of everything they do. “We want them to get to know the Great Physician,” she said.

The medical teams put on a sports camp for children, many of whom had never seen a soccer ball. The goal is to keep the children active and help then build self-confidence. When the missions end, the balls are left with the children, and any extra medical supplies are given to a local dispensary or district hospital.

Pass and Crawley usually stay 30 to 45 days in Kenya, so their current trip will end in late September. Leaving, however, is rarely easy.

Pass said the two have been in villages where the people were so appreciative that, even in extreme poverty, they would not allow the missionaries to leave before giving them something to take with them.

“What’s amazing is that even in the midst of experiencing all that (poverty), we experience the hospitality of the people,” Crawley said. “They value life and they are just so appreciative for whatever they receive.”

A life-changing decision

Soon leaving won’t be an issue for the dutiful duo. In April 2011, they will make their last 18-hour trip to Kenya -- as visitors, at least. The two are moving there to become full-time missionaries in Isiolo. They said it’s something that has been on their hearts for a long time, and they are excited about making the move.

Meanwhile, Pass and Crawley have great expectations for this current mission. Their desire is to move further out into the bush to meet the needs of villagers who are even more isolated and impoverished.

But what they expect most is the unexpected. Pass said that each time they go to Isiolo God provides their needs in extraordinary fashion, and performs amazing feats and wonders -- wonders that, for them, include keeping them from dangers, seen and unseen.

Some of the perils include cattle raiding and violent robbery. While they’ve never been victims, they’ve been in places where such dangers were imminent.

They said that after they landed in Kenya for the first time they were informed that Nairobi is also known as “Nairobbery,” on account of the high theft rate. And their being American makes them an even greater target.

However, the ministers add, God keeps them from walking in fear because they know they are working in accordance with his calling.
 

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