Jim

New requests were coming in every week for vaccinations for cattle in the Diabo region of Burkina Faso (known as Upper Volta at that time). Phil was a Journeyman who was serving with us, but there was too much work for us to get around to all the requests. I decided to write a job request for an agriculturist to help us.

I carefully prepared the job description so that anyone with some farm experience could fill the request and come to help us. While Phil and I were in Ouagadougou to buy supplies, Phil dropped me off at the Post Office so I could call our office in the states.

Placing an international phone call was an ordeal. You had to stand in a long line of people, but thankfully not all of them were going to place an international call. When it was my time to give my call request, I asked the clerk for an international operator to call the USA. He told me to be seated in the chairs along the wall.

I took a seat along the wall per the clerk’s instructions. I watched as the clerk called out some names who were in front of me in the line, but also some people who were behind me in line. Since the line was still very long, I went to a window that sold stamps. I asked the clerk why some people who were behind me were getting to make their calls before me. He said, “We work hard in our positions, and you know that we do not get paid very much.”

I knew exactly what he was talking about: I did not tip the clerk for his hard work in getting me an international operator. In this case a tip meant a bribe. In all the years that we lived in West Africa, I never gave a bribe to anyone, and I was not going to start with this guy. So I sat down in my chair along the wall and waited another hour until the clerk told me to go to one the phone booths.

My call was finally connected. I learned that our company was going to send us a young man named Jim who had just completed his master’s degree in mechanical engineering. I was happy about Jim’s degrees in engineering, but I had to know if he had any farming experience. The consultant at our home office told me that Jim lived on a farm while growing up. That sounded even better than the engineering degrees. Someone who had grown up on a farm would be very valuable in our agricultural work.

When the day came for Jim to arrive, I drove to Ouagadougou to meet his flight and bring him to our home which was about a three-hour drive depending on the number of stops by soldiers or policemen. When we were settled in the Land Cruiser, I started asking Jim about his story. His dad had passed away while Jim was in college. His mom lived in northern Virginia. Jim had secured a job with General Dynamics in Texas, but he delayed starting to work so he could have a mission experience.

Finally, I asked Jim to tell me all about living on a farm while growing up. Jim did not immediately respond. There was such a silence that I wondered if he was not feeling well. Jim quietly said, “Well, I once visited my uncle’s farm in Canada.” I was stunned. I had high expectations of how this young man would contribute to our cattle, sheep and goats vaccination programs.

Fortunately, Jim was a fast and eager learner. On Jim’s inaugural trip to vaccinate some animals, he was surprised to see the corral which was made of thorn bushes that were piled up to create a circular “fence.” The corral was big enough to accommodate about 25 cows. We had no head gate or other corral equipment, just thorn bushes. Phil and I led two teams of helpers who would help us throw the cows down on their side and control the cow’s feet while Phil or I would render services to the cow. Every cow would be vaccinated, some would have a wound that needed attention and sometimes sutures while some males needed to be neutered.

Jim worked with me a while and then he would work with Phil. Early in the day I heard Phil laughing out loud. It was rare that you would hear Phil laugh out loud as he was a quiet, reserved young man. I hollered at Phil and asked what was so funny. Phil yelled back at me, “Jim just asked me what is the difference in a bull and a steer?”

Before the end of that day, our agricultural student worker not only understood the difference between a bull and a steer, but he also actually made a bull become a steer!

Despite my low expectations for Jim because he was not a real farmer, God had other plans for him. The four months that Jim worked with us in Burkina Faso solidified Jim’s calling to serve in international missions. After he completed his commitment to serve alongside us, he began his job in Texas, and he started taking some courses at Southwestern Baptist Seminary. He met Penni who would become his soul mate and the mother of his three children. Cheryl and I shared marriage counseling with them, and I led their wedding ceremony.

Jim and Penni and their family have been serving as workers in Central Asia for thirty years. Jim has been like a member of our family since he served alongside us in Burkina Faso. It has been a great joy to walk alongside this beautiful family as they have served God obediently and served others in the name of Jesus.