More Than Just Mangos

For many years, I went on mission trips and my main role was support. I just did whatever grunt work was required and I was very happy doing that. I had great experiences, and I loved each of the trips I was privileged to travel on. I loved the places we went, the people we served and the people I traveled with. As I got a few trips under my belt, though, I became more and more conscious of the reality that there were some heavy hitters in their perspective fields on these trips. I started wondering what my real place was.  

We had doctors who were literally administering life-saving medicines and medical care; pastors and evangelists, who could preach a sermon with the best of them…and then there was me. I tried to add things to my repertoire aside from carrying bags, such as photography…not a fit. And still, I knew I wanted to do more than help those on my team.  I wanted to impact the people we were there to serve! 

But in a faraway place, one of the most remote I had visited up to that point, something happened. Something changed! We were in a village near Lake Mweru, called Kashikishi, and our team was leading a pastors training seminar in a small church. We had done this same training in multiple churches over a three-week period, so I had heard the same sermon ten times. I stepped outside, just to get a breather and not fall asleep, and when I did, I noticed there were several children gathered outside the church apparently wondering what these muzungus (white guys) were doing in their quiet little village. When I showed up more kids started to come, and I knew we were becoming a spectacle and getting too loud for the conference. 

I moved across the street, and though I didn’t have any ministry tools with me, or much ministry training, but I had the idea to pick a mango off a nearby tree. In this part of Zambia, mangos grow everywhere — they are plentiful. These weren’t quite ripe yet, so it had some non-mushy baseball-ish qualities, so I invented a game called mango bola wherein we throw the mango, catch the mango, sing a funny song in the process, and dance while completing mango tasks. Sounds crazy without seeing it, but you’ll have to take my word for it — was a hit! And by the end of it, there were nearly 100 children gathered, laughing, giggling, and having a chaotic great time. 

I had this sense in my heart that what was happening on that soccer pitch, was just as important as what was happening at the leadership training inside. I also had a sense that kids and young people would become a big part of my life and that it would be a people group that I would proudly serve for the rest of my days. I didn’t preach an eloquent sermon or lay out my best theological exposition of the Pentateuch (by the way, Pentateuch sounds like something you need cream for — the kind of cream you have to whisper to a pharmacist about). 

But I didn’t have to pretend to be eloquent or stretch to try and be more than just me; more than just there. I showed the value of others by sharing myself and my time with those dear kids.

Mango Bola was an admittedly simple game that had unintended results, at least for me. One of my new favorite quotes says, “every earthquake makes another earthquake more likely.” And an earthquake happened in me that day. Mother Theresa said, “Little becomes much in the Master’s hands.” As I offered my availability, my willingness to play and be silly, and my creative idea to use a mango as a ball for a wild hopping, shouting, dancing game; I started a children’s ministry that has not stopped ever since! Thank you, Jesus! 

 You might think you don’t have much to offer. You might think you don’t have many skills. You might think you are not as gifted as the next guy, but when you step out, willing to make a bit of a fool of yourself, and you put your seemingly small idea in the Master’s hands it has the potential to become powerful!

If you have felt undervalued, let my mango story be a reminder to you that what’s inside you, who you are, what you bring to the table, are more than just mangos. You can be used as a powerful agent for change in this world.  

Mangos are sweet and so fragrant. They are colorful and add beauty to life. They are unique and they last. The trees live large and have a wide reach. That can and should be true of you and I, too! We can have a wide reach and can leave a unique and lasting legacy that adds color and beauty to your life and those around you. 

Our lion lives are more than just mangos.