“This is my body given for you.” Luke 22:19

When you first begin to travel, you think it's primarily about where you're going, and the sights you'll see. And it's certainly possible to travel that way. But, I'm married to Abby who's taught me that it's not primarily the sights, although Victoria Falls and African Elephants are spectacular, that are at the heart of the travel experience. It's actually the people you meet that leave an indelible imprint, especially the people with whom one moves beyond hospitality to reception, from politeness to genuine relationships.

Mr. Chihanna was one of those who welcomed me and kindly opened himself up to me as we talked about his work as a Physician Assistant at the mission hospital and his leadership at the twice weekly chapel services held there. Those services were marked by his warm, personal faith and the devoted commitment of the worshippers who gathered early before their morning shift started. It was a pleasure once to be asked to preach there, and I cherish that memory.

But it was his work with Kandiana, the small compound on the hospital grounds which housed some homeless men and women from the surrounding villages that drew my intense interest. They were a ragtag group to be sure, mostly older, but not all, some facing mental or physical disability such as blindness or final stage diabetes, but others simply suffering the ravages of very old age with no family to care for them. Each had his own small sleeping quarters, but all shared a common gathering area and outdoor kitchen. In short, they lived in community, supporting one another and welcoming the food, shelter, and friendship they thought they had lost forever.

One of my rare privileges was to be given the opportunity to photograph the residents at Kandiana, something which they really enjoyed. Not all were eager, of course, but most were, and several of my favorite portraits are of these lovely people whose community and dignity had been restored. Etched in the lines of their faces were years of suffering and joy, each line seeming to mark a memory of the precious life they had lived.

Mr. Chihanna and I once had the chance to talk at length about his work at Kandiana. I was particularly interested in how persons came to be there. He explained that there was an informal network among the villages in the hospital catchment area so that when he would visit a village with the traveling clinic, he would many times arrive already aware of a need. At that time, the culprit was often HIV/Aids which devastated whole generations, leaving the vulnerable without family members to care for them. Clans lost headmen, as well, and the village structure of care often became dysfunctional.

Thinking it must be overwhelming to juggle his multiple responsibilities, and in particular to deal with the difficulty of bringing a homeless person from a village to Kandiana and to integrate him or her well into that micro community, I asked, "Is it difficult when you find someone suffering and homeless in a village? Do you feel overwhelmed, at times?" Mr. Chihanna paused thoughtfully before tenderly answering, "No, it is not difficult and does not overwhelm me. You see, when I find them, it becomes my body."

As Mr. Chihanna said these words, I was reminded of Jesus' willingness to identify fully with us in our sinful brokenness: "This is my body given for you." (Luke 22:19) And, again: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

In a very real way, Mr. Chihanna was reflecting the sort of love Jesus has shown us on the Cross whenever he found and cared for the hurting. It was a natural, or rather supernatural, expression of his vital Christian faith and, as you might imagine, his compassion informed his whole life. This is how people knew him. It was who he was.

Abby and I are amazed at the incredible people the Lord has allowed us to know in Zambia and Namibia. And, while we love watching the elephants and crocodiles, and cherish sitting and absorbing the thunder of Victoria Falls, we have discovered that it is the people who are the true wonders of the world. Or, I should say that I have discovered this. Abby has known it all along!