Serving Him In Namibia & Peru

     I have been praying about the opportunity to serve in two locations south of the equator (both around 17°S, to be precise) since about January.  I feel led to serve God in two different locations this summer doing two very different things for one common purpose; to serve others and glorify God.  Firstly to Namibia, Southern Africa and secondly to Arequipa, Peru.     
     For Namibia, I plan to leave the 18th of June and come back the 20th of July, 2012.  I will be a full-time volunteer at the Children of Zion Village.  Children of Zion Village (COZV) is a home for orphans of the AIDS epidemic, which is rampant in the area and leaves almost no one unaffected.  My "job description," as you could call it,  will be to serve in any way possible to assure that things run smoothly for the directors, staff members, and children of the home.  Because in Africa every day brings a new challenge, each day will mean a different job.  This job could be distributing food or supplies, aiding with the up-keep of the village, working in gardens or digging fish ponds for self-sustained food growing, tutoring kids in school, chopping and searching for firewood in the bush to cook food, or any number of things.  But mostly I will be there to minister to those I come in contact with, whether that be through sports, talking and hanging out with the kids, leading a bible study with the older boys, or teaching or learning a new talent or activity.  This particular home encourages the children raised there to use the skills and lessons that they may learn to go back and help their own villages and country.  So rather than "giving fish," we are "teaching to fish" at this village.  I am extremely excited to return to this village and reconnect with the kids and adults there because each and every one of the kids and adults at this home have a special place in my heart.   
     For Peru, I plan to leave the 11th of August and return the 25th, right before classes start for college.  I will be joining a team of Physical Therapists and medical students who will be setting up a clinic to provide medical assistance to the poorest of the poor in Arequipa, Peru.  As the Physical Therapists and medical students will be American, and the patients, Peruvian, there is an obvious language barrier that needs to be overcome.  This is where I come in.  I am extremely excited to use my knowledge of Spanish to break down the communication barriers between the Peruvians and Americans.  Additionally, because this trip is a volunteer trip, and everyone will be quite busy, it will also be my job to perform any task that anybody without medical or Physical Therapy experience can perform.  

Any questions?  Feel free to shoot me an email at samuel.s.mason@hotmail.com!

Below is a video made by Becca Mason with some facts and depictions of the AIDS epidemic in Africa narrowing down to the Caprivi Region of Namibia, where Children of Zion Village (COZV) was started. COZV now cares for 58 children physically, emotionally, medically, nutritionally, and most importantly, spiritually. All pictures were taken in the villages where the the COZV kids came from.  

We will be helping people like this woman with physical and spiritual healthcare.

A woman in Arequipa, Peru