Issue link: https://alabamapower.uberflip.com/i/1021328
42 PROFILE Some advice if you plan to take a mission trip to Tanzania: Find a "man of peace" to run interference, and be prepared to watch people drink blood. Granted, that's a little graphic. But it's what Anniston Administrative Assistant Kim Screws encountered in May and June when she and husband, Keith, visited Maasai people in the village of Duga. "Though they don't often eat beef, they drink milk, and blood harvested by puncturing the loose flesh on the cow's neck with an arrow," Kim said. Not only is that tradition unusual based on Western standards, the entire trip was unusual. Kim and Keith don't make traditional mission trips. "We don't go into the villages trying to change their lifestyle or teach them 'easier' ways to do things," she said. "Our goal is to reach them with the gospel of Christ and make disciples who make disciples. If we don't do that, then we've simply taken a trip to Tanzania." This past spring was Kim's fifth trip. Keith has been more than 50 times. The couple has also been on missions to Peru and Venezuela. Tanzania is in the southeastern corner of Africa, bounded on the east by the Indian Ocean. Duga is near the coast, a little more than 200 miles from Tanzania's largest city, Das es Salaam, which requires 48 hours on airplanes, buses, vans and sturdy legs for Kim and Keith to walk the final miles to the village. Keith is not only pastor of Greenbrier Road Baptist Church in Anniston; he is the Tanzanian country coordinator for a ministry called E3 Partners, whose goal is to reach "unreached" people like the Maasai. "My husband goes over a year in advance to find these villages and also to make sure we have a 'man of peace' who gives us permission to be there," Kim said. "This is very important. We never go in to an unreached people group without someone knowing we are coming. This could be very dangerous." Another practical step to gain acceptance is to take along veterinarians. "They worship their animals, so when we explain we have a doctor who will come and take care of their cattle, they are almost always willing to let us come. After our vet teams complete their work, the nationals are usually willing to sit and listen as we ask questions like, 'What do you know about God?'" Just as important is not cramming the American way of life down their throats. "Once they realize there is no need to feel threatened by us and we are not there to change the way they do things, we are almost always welcomed into their homes," Kim said. "We were able to go back into the same homes for three days straight and disciple and teach Bible stories." Kim said because most Maasai can't read, they are "oral learners." In mission stories, there's usually a miracle of some sorts. And that's true for Kim. "I was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2016 after a normal mammogram just 12 months earlier," she said. "I had a mission trip to Tanzania planned for May 2017. After I underwent my surgery and had to be out of work for six weeks, I was convinced there was no way I could possibly go on an extreme trip so soon. But God. That's all I can say. "Five months after my surgery, I was camping in an unreached people group area, sharing the good news with those who have never heard." For all the hardships of grueling travel to exotic destinations where you may not be welcomed, the results of mission work can be rewarding on the spot – as in instant gratification. "One of my favorite stories is taking the gospel to a couple who had never hear anything about God," Kim recalled. They became Christians and the man insisted he give Keith and Kim a gift. "I tried to assure him there was no need to do that. I'll never forget his words to me. He said, 'You came all this way to bring this gift to me and my family. So I must give you something in return to express how thankful we are.' "He then began to call up his chickens, picked out one of the largest ones and gave it to me. We carried it back to camp and had chicken for supper the next day." A N N I STO N E M P L OY E E H A S G L O B A L M I S S I O N by Gilbert Nicholson The Screws Kim in Tanzania Visiting Massai people on fifth trip to Africa Duga villager