The greatest adventure I've ever had

By Josh Daffern

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(Josh Daffern, a '99 graduate of California Baptist University, recently finished the toughest - and most rewarding - experience of his life: serving as a missionary journeyman in Africa. Here are his reflections on what happened, and how it all started.)

I won't mince words: My experience as a journeyman was the hardest two years of my life. But it also was the best two years of my life.

I experienced the excitement and fulfillment of seeing someone's eyes light up when they hear the name of Christ for the first time, of seeing the zeal and joy of a new believer in the Lord, of knowing that the believers I worshiped with in Africa will be standing beside me while we worship before the throne in heaven forever.

But I also experienced heartache. I lived in Botswana, the country with the lowest life expectancy - and highest percentage of AIDS victims - in the world. I've had lifeless-eyed AIDS orphans with open sores scurry up to me and ask for just a few pennies, for a little bread to eat. I've stood helpless, knowing that thousands die weekly without knowing Christ, simply because there aren't enough Christians around to tell them. I've endured many lonely nights missing friends, family and all the comforts of home in America.

Deeper than pain or joy

But deeper than the pain and joy of the past two years, I've experienced Christ. I went to Africa expecting to lend a hand to the disadvantaged, do my part for God, grit my teeth, suffer a little - and come home the conquering hero, another notch in my "spiritual belt." I went expecting to grow as a Christian, but I came home with a deeper knowledge of Christ.

This revelation came not in a single, cloud-parting burst of divine sunlight, but in a series of quiet whispers, of small steps that took me deeper into Him. One example:

During my work of evangelism and discipleship among students at the University of Botswana, our ministry team came to an impasse. Over the years the university had changed, but our approach had stayed the same. What started out as effective strategy was quickly becoming obsolete. Old habits die hard. To begin to tear down the previous ministry juggernaut and build a new one, we faced challenges from all areas: hurt feelings, apathy and the terrifying view of the great unknown.

During those months of struggle, when we battled tradition head-on and jumped out on a limb by faith alone, the presence of Christ came to me in ways I'd never before experienced. I was taxed out of all my own energy, but Christ came and did the work for me. He raised up a new core of student leaders that is now doing the ministry for us. In my days of doubt, the peace that passes all understanding guarded my heart in Christ Jesus.

More of Christ

I came to Botswana fresh from college with a degree in Christian studies, ready with intellectual and theological knowledge to combat the complexities of life and spiritual warfare overseas. In reality, I found out how simple life really is. Taught to know the right answer and the right Bible verse for every situation, I found out that only one answer really matters: Christ. I didn't experience comfort in my loneliness while in Africa; I experienced Christ, for He is my comfort. I didn't experience power when I preached or witnessed; I experienced Christ, for He is my power.

I looked to God for the answers to the deeper questions of life, and in all things He has shown me Christ. That's what the mission field will always mean to me. Away from the comforts of home, away from circumstances that come in nice packages, I was forced to look to God alone for help, and He has shown me more of Christ. Away from my family, my closest friends, my spiritual mentors and elders, the equation became much simpler. I looked totally to God. And that made all the difference.

Maybe you want to hear about numbers, about how many churches were started or how many people were baptized. All those things happened, and all those things are important. But for me, the best and greatest thing that happened to me during my two years in Africa is quite simple: I went to Botswana. God was there, waiting for me. Through the good times and the bad, He showed me more of Christ, and it has forever changed my life.

And how it all started .

Albert Einstein, I'm told, once said, "Life begins at college."

Whether he actually said it or not, it's the truth - at least for me.

Growing up as a Christian in a Southern Baptist church, I headed off to college full of life and dreams - and what I thought to be the full grasp of the world that awaited me. Attending a private Christian college greatly challenged me theologically and encouraged me spiritually. But by far the greatest legacy I took away from my time at California Baptist University was the imprint of missions that the university left deep within my soul.

How big is God?

Through the Campus Ministries Department of CBU, I began to hear of strange and exotic adventures that awaited me beyond the seas as a short-term missionary. I'd always heard about missionaries, and had even heard a few of them speak at my church. But the mere thought that I could join God in His work of spreading His glory to all nations was beyond my narrow, Ameri-centric worldview.

Yet, through naivete and the grace of God, I agreed to go to Russia for a month-long mission trip at the end of my freshman year. How can I describe the experiences I journeyed through that month? It's as if my eyes were magically opened to a world never before seen.

More than the sights, sounds and countless souls I encountered in Russia, the vision of God that I saw overseas forever changed my life. God burst forth from the small, comfortable box I had created for Him through the years, and He showed me just how - for lack of a better term - BIG He really is.

For me, God grew larger on that trip and I grew smaller. The concerns and cares I thought were paramount became small and insignificant compared to the glory of God and the task He calls me as a Christian to join.

Becoming a "World Christian"

Some people call this becoming a "World Christian." Whatever it is, the transformation God worked in me as He showed me the immensity of who He is and the work He's called me to completely reprioritized how I spend my time, my energy, my money, my very life.

Through the experience of Russia, I also came into contact with the International Mission Board's journeyman program, and the seeds of overseas missions began to take root in my life. Later in college I went to Belize, and also spent a summer as a volunteer missionary in Australia. The God of Russia met me in those places as well.

Through these experiences God cultivated the truth, excitement and purpose of missions in my life. As a direct result of God's working in my life through college missions experiences, I went on to serve in Botswana, Africa, as a journeyman.

"Life begins at college?" In many ways, my spiritual life began there - as well as God's calling for my life.

Want to talk to Josh about his experiences in Africa, or his new perspective on God's world? E-mail him at joshdaffern@hotmail.com.

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