Epperly Adventures: From Zimbabwe to Guatemala!

All together again!

In 2013, we had to cancel our trip to Zimbabwe at the last minute due to Shea's 1st trimester pregnancy sickness with Kiera. One month later, God used that time to get both of us to Guatemala for a week that would change our lives. It was then that we realized our trips to Africa would be ending, and God would be opening up a new chapter in rural Guatemala. It was sad to close that chapter of our book on Zimbabwe, and even worse to think we wouldn't get to work with some of our closer friends again. Little did we know, that God was already weaving together our lives in Zimbabwe with our lives to come in Guatemala.

As we fast forward 6 years, God has brought Zimbabwe to Guatemala in a way which confirms the power of God at work. Our good friends, Prosper and Miriam Musipa (and their son Jason), recently arrived to Guatemala after several months of turbulent, and prayer filled planning. Prosper and Miriam are a talented couple whom we became quite close with in 2010. She is a midwife, and he is an OR nurse with anesthesia experience. Their medical skillset is undeniable, but their hearts and love for others is even greater.

As we have continued to pray, and plan for next steps in Guatemala two of the biggest needs identified have been a trained midwife, and an OR nurse. We could not have fathomed that God would use this couple from Zimbabwe to fill these needs. You see, Prosper came to know that Lord at Karanda Mission Hospital, where he was raised by his mother, who was one of the hospital chaplains. Later on he met Miriam, as she was a nurse, at the same mission hospital. As Prosper grew up, and as he and Miriam worked together as nurses, the missionaries at Karanda strongly impacted their faith, and future decisions. They saw the impact of missionaries on their lives and the lives of others, and began to see God breathing those same desires in their hearts.

Prosper, Ever, and I getting the endoscopy tower working

Life in Zimbabwe, even for the educated is quite difficult. Even good jobs are financial "dead ends", with little chance to provide an adequate living for your family. With that, most jump at the chance to leave for the UK or other countries with "greener pastures". This opportunity to leave, and work in the UK came to the Musipas last year, but they just never felt a peace. Instead, God had put on their hearts the desire to be foreign missionaries by serving a people group in a different part of the world. Guatemala was the country they felt burdened to serve. Becoming missionaries, and living on support made no financial sense in comparison to good jobs in the UK, but their desire was obedience to Him.

Now, simply having the heart and desire to go to Guatemala was the "easy part". Zimbabweans getting Guatemalan visas seemed like an impossible task, and frankly unprecedented. Climbing what appeared to be this impassable obstacle took prayers from many, accompanied by months of work and persistence. Thankfully after much prayer, endless paperwork, and 7 days of tiresome travel through Egypt, and Brazil, the Musipas received their initial visa, and were allowed entry into Guatemala.

We praise God for this initial answered prayer. Although, obstacles such as finances, and long term visas remain, God has been faithful thus far, and we have no doubt He will continue to carry them through this process.

You'll find many of the challenges that were faced along the way were not mentioned specifically, but the big picture is simple. Through the faithful prayers, and actions of His people, God answered prayers. These prayers weren't answered instantly, but in His time. Even Shea and I's desire to work with our friends again was answered in a way we least expected. We are especially excited, because we know this isn't the end but just the beginning of what he is doing through the Musipa's and others at Hospital Adonai.

1 John 5:14-15 - "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." "And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him."