Written by: Lizbeth Rodriguez-Diep
Alarm clocks went off early every morning from the beginning of August to late December at Riverside Farms in the town of Kafue, located in the Southern Province of Zambia. The daily wake-up call gave the three student missionaries enough time to get ready to report for their 8 a.m. duties.
Senior nursing major Kathleen Djami, served in the medical clinic while Avner Shryer, senior biology major, served in dentistry. The third missionary, Sklyer Schiff, senior business administration student, worked on completing his business internship at Akuna Soap Industry, a project previously launched onsite by a former student missionary through Enactus.
Each day had its routine of either filling out spreadsheets, weighing children, making phone calls, charting and performing ultrasounds on pregnant women. The student missionaries were then rewarded with a one to two hour lunch break that was followed by the rest of the work day, which ended around 5 p.m. After work, the three would meet with another student missionary and make their way to a local’s home to have dinner and share their experiences of the day while catching the stellar sunset.
Djami, Shryer and Schiff are just three out of 43 student missionaries who recently returned from dedicating their semester to serving, according to Natalie Hutchins, assistant for deployed student missionaries. Each had envisioned their time abroad panning out one way, but God had different plans for them.
Schiff said his main motivation to become a student missionary was a calling to live a life of service. Before going overseas, he began to intentionally surround himself with people who desired to pursue a Christ-like character and prioritize God in their daily lives. As a result, he said he understood that God calls everyone to serve and felt inclined to try this method of service. Despite COVID-19 and other obstacles, Schiff said God opened the right doors at the right time, making it possible for him to serve and grow.
Djami grew up as a missionary kid. However, she said she had yet to truly embody what it felt like to be a missionary. She said there was something in her that she longed to discover; therefore, she planned her semesters so that she could take a semester off and serve. In her time abroad, Djami said she learned the importance of refocusing and not being as busy. She also said she discovered valuable lessons about the love that God had for her and humanity.
However, making the decision to go overseas was not an easy decision for everyone. Shryer said he struggled with the thought of not being skilled or trained enough to take on a mission like this. He said his perspective changed with time.
“Even if you don’t think you have the most skills or the best skill set, God can put you to use wherever you are,” he said.
For more information about serving through Student Missions, visit southern.edu/missions or visit the Office of Ministry and Missions.