Will and Karis Stemen recently returned from an eight-month stint as on-site coordinators for the Swaziland Partnership. They shared about their clear call to go, the main mission performed and an interesting insight they gained as a result of their time in Africa.
A Clear Call
The first time Pastor David Busic of Bethany First Church of the Nazarene (BFC), Oklahoma, USA, preached on the AIDS crisis in Africa, both Will and Karis sensed a desire to go on a Work & Witness team. Karis, a loving grandmother and nursery worker in the church, envisioned herself hugging babies for two weeks at an AIDS orphanage. Will just thought he could help out. As they began to talk to each other; God began to talk with them.
The second time Pastor David spoke about the Swaziland Partnership, he invited people to share what they heard God saying to them. Both Will and Karis felt God calling them to go for an extended time. They prayed. Later, they spoke with BFC's executive pastor, Lewis McClain, who told them that although it had not been announced, the partnership was looking for people to go as on-site coordinators for an extended stay. They had an open door.
They contacted the Nazarene Global Ministry Center to see what they would have to do to be sent as volunteer missionaries. They learned they would need to attend cross-cultural training sessions. Was it a coincidence that those classes were starting locally at Southern Nazarene University that very week? No, they knew God was working out the details for them.
Yet, they wondered if their age would be a problem. As grandparents, they had almost totally given up the idea of long-term cross cultural ministry. Many years ago, they had pastored an English-speaking church in Quebec. Mentally, they were up for the challenge, but would they be physically fit enough now to do what needed to be done in Swaziland?
A few days before they were to fly, Karis was told that her mammogram had to be redone. It was possible that she had cancer. She wondered if God had only wanted her to be willing to go, but not actually to go. In the end, she was given a clean bill of health and they left July 21, 2008--right on schedule.
In March 2009, Will experienced heart problems requiring an emergency ambulance trip to South Africa. Although he thought he might die, he now sees it was all in God’s plan. Will’s weakness highlighted medical needs in Swaziland that may not have been obvious otherwise.
The Main Mission
Will said that with the Swaziland Project, “We have an opportunity to show the world that AIDS can be defeated through spiritual and medical means.”
As the first on-site coordinators for the Swaziland Partnership, Will and Karis saw their main mission as affirming for the Swazi people that the Partnership was there to stay. They built relationships with Swazi leaders by visiting pastors and district superintendents and their wives. They spent volunteer time with the medical staff at Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital. They visited many of the 17 clinics associated with the hospital.
Will and Karis did many other things. In addition to relationship building, the couple also helped prepare for the GO (Global Outreach) Teams that came by coordinating hotel accommodations and food. Will was thrilled to preach several times. They spoke whenever asked on a variety of topics including the crisis response to the Oklahoma City bombing. Will lent a hand with construction and repair projects. Karis hugged babies.
An Interesting Insight
Will and Karis said that before becoming Christians, they played Christian. They knew the words to say. They knew how to act. They knew the unwritten rules. In the United States, they think it is hard to tell who really believes. People are able to go day by day and act the part without actually having a growing relationship with Christ.
In Swaziland it is obvious who believes and who does not. They observed that when people live on the border of poverty and death, no pretense remains. The reality of God and the difference he makes in people’s lives and attitudes shine from their countenance. Even faced with AIDS, Christians smile and look for ways to serve others because of the hope they have in Christ. The church community dispels despair and loneliness.
What next?
Will and Karis enjoy being close to their grandchildren again. They do not know what the future has in store, but they are open to whatever God wills. Swaziland and her people remain in their hearts, minds and prayers. Karis reflects, "God is faithful and has been with us every moment and every mile."
Brent and Michaele LaVigne, the second on-site coordinators, will serve for 13 months beginning in May 2009.