On transfer day the two sisters on the left arrived straight from the MTC. We drove them to a village named Ngwombe, just about three miles from the mission home. We met up with the two sister missionaries on the right so the four could continue tracting and teaching in the area.
Sister Maznio, Sister September, Sister Chasinda, Sister Makau
Now, if you have only seen paved streets and familiar things so far in Africa, this main street of Ngwombe is the beginning of a culture that is far, far different from Main Street, USA. As you can see, Sister Maznio has a different shade of skin color and will be the only "muzungu" for many, many miles. We were soon to drive away and as we waited for their companions to arrive I thought, what if this was my daughter. Could I just let her out and drive away?
Now let me tell you I was not easy on my daughters. They were worked at home and in our family business of delivering newspapers. They had to earn money for extras and eventually college tuition.
I insisted they get a college degree. I believe it is the best insurance policy anyone can have attached to them going through life. I insisted they learn to drive a standard transmission, just in case. You get the picture. I wanted my daughters to be the kind of woman someone would be lucky to marry. They are. They married well, their equals, because they can stand alone, yet understand that completeness and fulfillment comes in a family setting. They each now are teaching daughters of their own.
So now back to Sister Maznio. In my mind I was sort of wimping out. I was thinking, "Should we be dropping these two sisters here in the middle of Ngwombe, so vulnerable?"
We sat and waited for the other sisters and watched the hustle of village life move at a quick pace.
Finally, the other sisters arrived and I asked "if they were ready for this"? and "What would your mother say if she could see you now?"
Sister Maznio said, "My Mom would say, get out of the car and get to work."
She did just that. She smiled and waved to me a cheery goodbye.
There is the epitome of the future of us all. I thank her mother for raising such a woman.
Two years from now some young man will have qualified himself by following HIS mother's teachings and gather his courage to ask her out on a date.
I learn something new every day.
