Participants: John Lomacang (Host), Ann Hamel
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY016055A
|
00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:29 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:45 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:06 Hello, friends, and welcome to 3ABN 01:09 if you're part of our family, you know, who I am 01:11 but if you're not, my name is John Lomacang 01:14 and I will be your host today 01:16 for this very inspiring program about missions. 01:20 Now normally, when you hear the word missions, 01:22 you think of overseas. 01:23 Well, missions is not necessarily only overseas, 01:27 it's something that can happen in your local community 01:30 as well as thousands of miles away. 01:33 And today, our guest is going to share her story 01:35 about how missions has not only become a part of her life, 01:38 but really has become a major function out of which 01:42 the Lord has inspired her and equipped her 01:45 to reach into the lives of many people 01:47 that are around the world, 01:48 including those who are here in America 01:50 as well as many continents away. 01:53 So don't turn away from the program, 01:54 hit the record button 01:56 because I know that the Lord has something 01:58 to challenge you with today, to inspire you 02:01 and to let you know that as a Christian 02:03 there is a call on all of our lives and guess what? 02:05 Every one of us is called to be a missionary 02:08 and if we're not, we are the mission field. 02:11 Now before we get into our program, 02:12 I want to thank you for your prayers 02:13 and your financial support of this network 02:15 that continues to go and grow, 02:17 as we believe Jesus is soon to come. 02:19 We want to do all in our power 02:21 to get others ready for that great and glorious event, 02:24 so thank you for your prayers 02:26 and surely for your financial support. 02:29 Now just before we meet our guest, 02:31 we always have some wonderful music 02:33 on our program as you know, 02:34 and this particular person 02:36 that's going to minister to us today is Gale Murphy, 02:41 Gale Jones Murphy. 02:42 Now she not only plays the piano well, 02:44 but she sure does sing well 02:46 and she is going to bless us with a song entitled. 02:48 "No not one." 08:04 Thank you so much, Gale, for that wonderful song, 08:07 No not one. 08:09 What a name, the name of Jesus 08:11 really is the cornerstone of our walk 08:13 on a day-by-day basis. 08:15 Thank you so much for that. 08:17 Well, let's meet our guest at the time, at this time, 08:20 Dr Ann Hamel, good to have you here. 08:22 Thank you, it's good to be here. 08:23 Dr. Hamel. 08:25 Thank you so much for gracing our studio today 08:28 with this very important program about missions. 08:31 You know, there are some people 08:33 that are tuning in that may say, 08:34 "I know that voice or I know that face." 08:37 If the voice for radio, the face for television, 08:39 but there are some people might say, 08:41 "Who is Dr. Ann Hamel?" 08:43 So let our audience know who you are, 08:46 where you're from, and kind of what you do right now, 08:48 kind of in a nutshell? 08:49 Okay, I'm a psychologist. 08:50 Okay. 08:52 I have a private practice in Berrien Springs 08:55 near Andrews University, but I work with missionaries. 08:58 I work with the General Conference 09:00 and I provide missionary care 09:01 and crisis intervention for missionaries. 09:04 Okay, well, thank you so much for that, that's, 09:06 you know, when you put that together, 09:07 we think of psychology but we don't think of it 09:10 in the context of missions. 09:11 At least my mind doesn't click in those two arenas. 09:14 They seem to be so far apart. 09:16 Yeah. 09:17 But just kind of before we get into that 09:19 'cause we're going to talk about 09:21 missions and psychology together. 09:23 But when we think about psychology missions 09:25 doesn't automatically jump on the back of that bandwagon. 09:29 But tell us about your walk in ministry, 09:32 because you've been now involved in ministry about 09:34 how many years would you say. 09:38 My husband and I went to Africa in 1979. 09:41 Wow. 09:43 So we, during my senior year in college, 09:45 we got a call to go to Africa as missionaries. 09:47 Wow. 09:48 So, I consider it like my core, 09:52 I consider myself a missionary. 09:53 Okay. 09:55 So it's been a long time. 09:56 Wow. 09:57 And home for you is where? 09:59 Berrien Springs. 10:00 And married right now with children? 10:02 Yes. Okay. 10:03 I'm married to Lauren Hamel, 10:04 we have seven children all but one is married, 10:08 and we have seven grandchildren, 10:10 six grandchildren sorry. 10:12 Six grandchildren, 10:13 there's a picture of your wonderful family. 10:15 Yes. Wow. 10:16 That's, that's a lot of future right there mostly, 10:19 mostly guys, if I'm looking correct. 10:20 Six boys, one girl. 10:22 Wow. She's got a lot of protection. 10:24 Yeah. 10:25 Now, psychologists, you mentioned psychologists, 10:29 then you also mentioned missions. 10:32 But we talked about ministry. 10:34 Tell us your position, 10:35 you're also working with the General Conference 10:37 of Seventh-day Adventists 10:39 and there might be somebody watching that might not know 10:40 what the General Conference is. 10:42 What is the General Conference? 10:43 Okay. 10:45 The General Conference is the... 10:49 World headquarters. 10:51 World headquarters for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 10:54 and is responsible for the church around the world 10:59 and it sends missionaries. 11:02 And, you know, we... 11:03 I'm a pastor also so that comes into play. 11:05 I'm a part of the General Conference, 11:07 you're part of the General Conference, 11:08 but you work at the General Conference. 11:09 Yes, I do. 11:11 As well as your practice in Berrien Springs, Michigan, 11:13 I want to go back into your early years of, 11:17 since missions is the major focus of our program. 11:21 What college did you attend 11:23 in your preparatory stages for mission or at least 11:27 when missions became a very active part of your life? 11:30 I went to Southern Adventist University. 11:32 I did a degree in elementary education. 11:36 When I went to Southern, 11:37 at first I wanted to become a psychiatrist 11:40 and I remember telling people 11:41 that I wanted to be a psychiatrist. 11:43 And their response was, 11:44 "Why would you want to do that? 11:45 I thought you were a Christian." 11:47 So the split between religion and psychology was very much 11:51 evident at that time. 11:52 And I was a Christian, 11:53 and I wanted to serve the Lord with my life, 11:56 so I said change majors, I'd got a degree in education. 11:59 Okay. 12:00 I married after my sophomore year. 12:02 And during my senior year in college, 12:04 we had a call to go to Africa. 12:06 We left the States on our second wedding anniversary 12:09 and we flew to Belgium where we spent a month studying French 12:12 before we traveled on to Bujumbura, Burundi, 12:15 where we spent the next three years of our lives. 12:18 Wow. 12:19 So you speak some French also. 12:20 I speak French. Okay. 12:22 Now the place that you were called to in Africa 12:26 was it directly at Rwanda immediately or... 12:28 No, we went to Burundi first, 12:30 Burundi is the sister country to Rwanda, 12:32 it's just south of Rwanda. 12:34 Same people groups, 12:37 they speak very similar languages 12:39 that one speaks Kirundi 12:41 and the other speaks Kinyarwanda. 12:43 There is different British and American English. 12:47 So the same people groups. 12:49 After we spent three years in Burundi, 12:52 we were asked to move to Rwanda, 12:53 because at that time the General Conference 12:55 had decided to build a university in Africa 12:58 to serve French speaking students of Africa 13:01 in the Indian Ocean. 13:02 And we moved there 13:04 and were a part of building that institution. 13:08 Okay, now when a person thinks 13:09 about going to the mission field. 13:11 Okay, here you are in college in America. 13:14 What kind of psychological change, 13:16 I mean the mindset, you're thinking, 13:18 oh well, you know, I'm going to a foreign country, 13:22 I'm preparing myself to learn a foreign language. 13:25 I'm going to be in a foreign field. 13:27 "How does that, how does that pan out, 13:29 I mean, when we think about going on vacation. 13:31 Let me do some comparisons, 13:32 we think okay, we put clothing. 13:34 What am I going to enjoy there, 13:36 but when you think about missions, 13:37 this is more of a permanence to that 13:40 than just a two week vacation or a month 13:42 or one month furlough somewhere. 13:44 Well, let me back up just a little bit. 13:45 Yeah. 13:47 I was born into a home where my dad was Catholic. 13:48 My mom was Adventist, 13:51 so very early in life, 13:53 I developed a very personal relationship with God, 13:56 I didn't know which one of my parents was right. 13:59 And I remember asking the Lord, 14:00 how do I know how to find you? 14:03 How do I know which way is right. 14:05 And I have a memory of being very young 14:07 and the Lord saying to me, and it wasn't an audible voice, 14:10 but it was very real poise. 14:11 He said, "I will show you the way." 14:13 So I put my hand in His 14:15 and I have allowed God to show me 14:18 His way in my life since that time. 14:21 And as a young girl, 14:23 I remember seeing the lives of the nuns 14:26 and admiring their lives of sacrifice 14:28 and commitment to the Lord. 14:31 But when I was 14, I became an Adventist 14:33 and Adventists don't have nuns. 14:35 That's right. 14:36 But when we received our call to go to Africa, 14:39 I saw that is the Adventist version of being a nun. 14:42 Wow. 14:43 Is the life of self sacrifice, total commitment to the Lord, 14:47 so for me it was a big sacrifice, 14:49 I had barely traveled outside of South Carolina 14:52 when I went to Southern, which was in Tennessee. 14:54 Right. Go to college. 14:56 So going to Africa was a bit like 14:57 stepping off the edge of the earth. 15:00 I had no idea what to expect. 15:02 You know, I had these dreams of very remote places 15:06 and difficult living circumstances, 15:10 I really didn't know what to expect. 15:13 But, I had a desire to serve God with my life. 15:16 I had a desire to make sacrifices for Him, 15:20 because He had has and had done so much in my life. 15:26 God was a very personal friend to me. 15:30 I had many instances where I knew 15:33 that God provided for my needs 15:34 and that He had directed my pathway, 15:37 so going to Africa was in many ways 15:39 a dream come true for me. 15:41 And so even though there were challenges, 15:44 it was difficult to say goodbye to family and friends, 15:47 I embraced it. 15:48 And as my husband and I flew to Belgium 15:51 on our second wedding anniversary, 15:54 our minds were full of hopes and dreams 15:57 for serving the Lord with our lives in Africa. 15:59 My husband was British, 16:00 he had moved to the States to go to Southern 16:04 because Southern offered more than the Adventist school 16:07 in England did. 16:09 And when we met, he shared the same passion 16:13 to serve God that I did. 16:15 Wow. 16:16 So we both looked forward 16:17 to a lifetime of service in Africa. 16:20 So now you feed on the ground in Africa, 16:22 I mean with all these hopes and dreams, 16:24 and I would say as a counselor 16:28 on my end idealistic at best. 16:31 How do you just dive in there 16:34 in start to get involved in what's called missions, I mean, 16:39 what do you do? 16:40 What would you do to get back to get started there? 16:43 Yeah. 16:45 Well, when we arrived in Bujumbura, 16:48 I was 21 years old, I felt very young. 16:51 The missionaries that we joined there were all grandparents. 16:55 We were the youngest ones. 16:56 I remember once Swiss missionary saying to me, 16:59 "You're the youngest missionary I've ever met." 17:02 And I really felt young, 17:04 because there was so much to learn. 17:06 We didn't, we had spent a month studying French 17:08 which wasn't very long. 17:10 We had a lot to learn 17:13 and the first year was really hard. 17:15 I have to admit that it was hard. 17:19 The cultural differences just seemed huge. 17:23 The separation from family and friends seemed really, big. 17:27 That first Christmas away from family was hard. 17:32 No snow for example. 17:34 No snow, you know a tropical Christmas, 17:36 we had no Christmas decorations, 17:39 I remember some other missionaries 17:42 gave us a string of lights 17:43 and I put it on this banana plant 17:46 to make it somewhat Christmas, 17:48 so those kind of things were hard. 17:51 But after the first year, I had learned to love it. 17:54 I remember seeing 17:57 the relationships with the people 17:59 that we interacted with, this is my mission. 18:02 I remember bargaining for about an hour one day 18:05 to by a bucket of lemons and I did it all in French 18:09 and I was so pleased, I bargained with this guy, 18:12 had a great time learning French. 18:15 And afterwards I showed my husband 18:17 this five gallon bucketful of lemons and told him 18:20 that I'd done the whole thing in French and he, 18:22 he laughed and said, "That's great. 18:24 Did you forget that we have a lemon tree?" 18:27 And I had, I've forgotten that we had a lemon tree. 18:29 But I loved learning to speak French. 18:33 I remember learning Bible stories 18:35 and teaching Sabbath school 18:37 and having them translated into Kirundi 18:39 but I loved being involved 18:41 with the church and with the children. 18:45 So our time in Burundi was beautiful time, 18:47 we loved it there. 18:49 We love the people, 18:50 we learnt to love the environment. 18:53 We got used to the heat 18:55 and the market and things like that. 18:57 In fact, I learned to really enjoy 18:59 going to the market to buy food. 19:02 The market in Burundi? 19:04 Yes. 19:05 It's probably like the market in certain parts of Brooklyn. 19:08 You know, it's just a lot of people, 19:10 a lot of activity, a lot of things happening 19:11 like the flea market down in Miami. 19:13 Yeah. 19:14 There's all kind of interaction but the reason 19:17 I wanted to talk about this particular part of your life is 19:19 because you are very much American 19:21 in a completely different culture. 19:23 Yeah. 19:24 And there is that point of no return 19:26 where all of a sudden you say, "Okay, I'm here. 19:29 Let me just get used to it." 19:31 At after the one year point, 19:33 you feel that that was where you kind of just said, 19:36 "Well, we're here. Let's just make this home." 19:39 Yeah. 19:40 Even though I wanted to the whole time, 19:42 there was a very difficult transition period. 19:45 And I have to say that 19:47 my adult identity was shaped and formed in Africa. 19:52 I was American. 19:53 But I begin to think and feel very African. 19:58 And then after the three years 20:01 and we were asked to move to Rwanda, 20:03 that move was also a bit challenging 20:05 because I loved Burundi, 20:06 and I didn't want to leave the people 20:08 that we've come to love there. 20:09 But we moved to Burundi, I mean to Rwanda 20:12 and instead of being in the capital city 20:15 as we were in Burundi, 20:16 we moved to the university site, 20:19 which was an eight-hour drive on dirt roads 20:22 away from the capital. 20:24 We thought, we had some hardships in Burundi, 20:26 because there were times 20:27 when the electricity would go off for weeks at a time 20:30 and the water would go off every day, 20:33 but only be on during the night, 20:35 but in Rwanda we didn't have electricity 20:38 except by generator. 20:40 The water was very dirty. 20:43 There were times when you couldn't see 20:44 the bottom of the bathtub, 20:45 so we had other challenges there. 20:47 We moved there when the university 20:49 was under construction. 20:50 We moved into the home of the university president 20:54 who was the first one there, and he had a two bedroom home 20:57 and we moved there 20:59 when our oldest son was eight-months old. 21:01 We've had our first son 21:03 while we were living in Burundi. 21:05 We moved to Rwanda when he was eight-months old. 21:08 We moved into their home with them. 21:10 A couple of weeks later a third family 21:12 moved into their two bedroom home. 21:15 And so at that point the third couple 21:17 was also a couple from Southern 21:19 that we had gone to school with. 21:21 We moved out of the university site together 21:23 into a very much unfinished home. 21:25 So we had the unique privilege of being the first missionaries 21:29 to move on to the campus 21:30 of the Adventist University of Central Africa. 21:32 You know, I'm thinking of the living conditions 21:35 for an infant, for a child 21:38 and that was being your first child. 21:41 I'm I correct? Yeah. 21:43 How did you handle that, because I know in America, 21:45 you know, when a mother has her first child 21:47 or a family have their first child 21:49 and they go to the hospital. 21:50 You know, wash your hands, 21:53 put on a mask, don't touch my baby. 21:56 Do you have a cold? 21:58 You're in a situation quite more adverse than that. 22:01 I mean you're not worrying about a cough. 22:04 You're worrying about the color of the water. 22:06 How did that pan off for missionary mom? 22:08 Well, I actually was not brave enough 22:11 to have my first son in Africa. 22:13 We planned his birth, so that I was home, 22:15 so he was born in the same city 22:17 that I was born in, in South Carolina. 22:19 Okay, I got it. 22:20 But we went back to Africa when he was one-month old. 22:22 Okay. 22:23 So for all intents and purposes. 22:25 Yes, we went back when he was one-month old, 22:27 and there were those challenges. 22:31 Giving him a bath that 22:33 the water wasn't clean that was... 22:35 Mineral bath. 22:36 Yeah. 22:38 And I remember when we moved into our home. 22:41 There wasn't a place that was really safe to put him down 22:44 and he didn't walk until he was 18-months old 22:47 because I carried him all the time. 22:49 Right, just because of the condition there in. 22:51 Yeah, and I didn't realize that was abnormal 22:54 because the African mothers carried their babies too. 22:57 It was only later that 22:59 I realized that babies walk much earlier than that, 23:01 but he didn't have much opportunity to 23:03 because there weren't too many places. 23:06 Our home was still a construction site. 23:09 But we managed it, it was a challenge 23:11 and we embraced the challenge. 23:13 Now your husband is a British citizen. 23:15 Yeah. 23:16 How, how did he acclimate? 23:18 What was he doing actually while he was there? 23:19 Well, when we... 23:20 he was the assistant business manager 23:23 when we first moved there, 23:25 but he was the chairmen of the business department 23:27 when the school opened. 23:28 So the first two years, 23:30 we were involved simply in the building 23:31 and the construction of the university. 23:34 But after two years, 23:35 we were able to open the doors to students, 23:38 that was in 1984. 23:39 And the school opened, we had students from 23:43 15 different countries in Africa 23:44 and the Indian Ocean they came to the school. 23:49 And that was a privilege. 23:50 He chaired the business department. 23:53 We had a study leave to Andrews during that time, 23:55 where my husband got MBA 23:58 and masters in Information Science. 24:01 And I learnt to, to love Rwanda. 24:05 In fact, there were times when I felt like 24:07 God had created and designed me to be a missionary in Africa, 24:11 it fit who I was. 24:12 Wow. 24:14 So Rwanda is now home for you and your husband 24:16 and your new child who is a son. 24:19 Yes. 24:20 And the school is still not completely finished, 24:22 but you have quite an international 24:24 contingency of students anyway to come to school there. 24:27 Yeah. 24:28 And not only was our, we were with our first son, 24:32 we had a second and a third son there. 24:34 And by that time, I was brave enough to have them in Africa. 24:37 The second son was born in a little African hospital 24:41 not far from our campus, 24:43 and the third son was born in our home 24:45 there at the university. 24:47 So they're African-American. 24:49 They are African-American. 24:51 One of my sons recently, he had to fill out a census 24:53 and he checked that he was African-American. 24:56 See, so it's not, it's not a category 24:58 that's necessarily skin color related. 25:00 No. 25:01 But really by nationality. Yeah. 25:03 That's interesting, so here you are, 25:05 things are getting off the ground. 25:06 You're getting acclimated, 25:08 you're steamrolling three, four, five years into, 25:12 but somewhere along the way 25:14 a major trauma came to your family. 25:16 Let's kind of fast forward 25:18 to this particular turning point 25:22 event in your life. 25:24 Well, you know, I had learned to love Rwanda so much. 25:27 I love the people, I love the students there. 25:30 It felt really fulfilling to be a part of something 25:33 bigger than we were. 25:34 To be a part of an institution that was training students 25:38 that would take the gospel to the far corners of Africa 25:42 and the Indian Ocean. 25:44 And there were times 25:45 that I felt like I couldn't be happier. 25:47 I loved being the mother of three little boys, 25:49 they were adorable, and I just loved it. 25:52 And I remember talking with the Lord and saying, 25:56 "Lord, I'm willing to go anywhere, 25:58 do anything as long as my husband 26:00 and our three little boys are together." 26:04 And there were times when I felt like 26:06 heaven couldn't be better than what I was experiencing. 26:08 I didn't need streets of gold, the dirt roads were okay. 26:13 But in reality, we're not in heaven yet. 26:16 We may have a piece of heaven. 26:18 The Adventist home says that 26:19 a Christian home is like a bit of heaven 26:21 and I experience that. 26:23 But then in 1990, 26:26 we made a decision to go and visit Victoria Falls. 26:30 My mother-in-law had written and said that my, 26:33 my husband's uncle was moving to Zambia. 26:36 So we made the decision to take this trip, 26:38 and it was a long trip, and traveling to Africa 26:40 during that time could be risky. 26:43 Good friends of ours also decided to go with us. 26:46 They had three small children as well. 26:48 So we made plans for this trip. 26:51 And it was at that during the time 26:53 of the General Conference in Indianapolis in 1990, 26:56 and the number of missionaries planned their furloughs. 26:59 At that time we have furloughs every three years. 27:01 Okay. 27:02 They planned that so that they could attend 27:04 the General Conference session. 27:05 So quite a few people were away, 27:08 it was during the summer. 27:10 And we prayed about it. 27:11 My husband was acting 27:12 as the business manager at that time. 27:14 And we felt that God led us on the trip. 27:19 We always prayed about things like that. 27:22 And I remember saying to the Lord, 27:24 if you don't want us to go, just let us know 27:27 because we don't want to step outside of Your will 27:32 in anything that we do. 27:33 We went on the trip, we had a wonderful time 27:37 traveling through Tanzania, 27:38 the game parks in Tanzania are magnificent. 27:42 The animals were wonderful and the three little boys. 27:45 It was once again like a bit of heaven. 27:47 That's true. 27:48 And we camped much of the time 27:51 Victoria Falls was fantastic. 27:55 But our last... 27:56 the last day of our trip, we stopped at noon, 28:00 and we could see the mountains of Rwanda. 28:02 And we prayed and we thank God for safe and enjoyable trip. 28:07 We were hurrying home, we traveled long that day, 28:10 we've gotten up early in the morning. 28:12 And we're trying to make it to the border, 28:14 that Rwanda Tanzania border, 28:16 because they close it at sundown. 28:18 And we wanted to cross the border, 28:19 because inside Rwanda there was a newly paved road, 28:22 the roads in Tanzania were paved 28:25 but they were not newly paved, 28:27 they were more reinforced potholes. 28:30 So we were looking forward to getting into Rwanda, 28:33 and a half hour's drive inside Rwanda there was a hotel 28:37 inside Rwanda's only game park. 28:40 I think it had one elephant that Tanzania gave to it, 28:44 it wasn't a very big game park. 28:46 But it had a nice hotel and we were looking forward 28:48 to sleeping in the bed that night. 28:51 And having a shower and spending the Sabbath there. 28:57 I remember us reaching the border right at sundown. 29:00 I can still see my husband's face 29:02 coming out of the passport office 29:04 with his passport, my passport and our three son's passports. 29:08 He had a big smile on his face 29:10 and we were looking forward to resting well that night. 29:14 My next memory though is awakening 29:16 in a hospital bed in Brussels. 29:18 I didn't know where I was or how I've gotten there. 29:21 I learned that our family had 29:23 had a head on collision with a truck 29:25 and that my husband had been killed instantly. 29:28 This is a picture of that accident. 29:30 Yeah. Wow. 29:32 Yeah. 29:35 My three year old son, 29:37 I learned was four floors above me 29:39 in the pediatric's unit, 29:41 His skull was fractured, his leg was crushed 29:44 and two toes were missing. 29:46 My six year old and my eight year old sons 29:48 were the only two family members 29:50 at their father's funeral. 29:51 When we had been camping in Tanzania on this trip 29:56 we would put our... 29:58 we would have worship with our six children, 30:00 we put them to bed 30:02 and then we would sit around the campfire, 30:03 and share how God had lead in our lives. 30:06 And my husband and I had shared 30:08 that if anything ever happened to us 30:10 that we wanted to be buried in Africa. 30:13 That was the desire of both of us. 30:17 We had no idea at that time 30:18 that would be useful information to our friends 30:21 but my husband was British, I was American. 30:24 Where would we, you know... 30:26 Right. 30:27 Africa was our home, so our friends knew that, 30:30 and so, before I regained consciousness 30:34 in the hospital in Belgium, 30:36 they had already buried my husband in Rwanda. 30:38 Wow. 30:40 When I regained consciousness... 30:44 it was overwhelming to me. 30:46 You know, I had always seen God 30:50 as a loving protective Heavenly Father 30:54 who provided for my needs, who guided my footsteps, 30:58 who had honored me 30:59 with the privilege of serving Him in Africa. 31:02 And it did not fit what had happened. 31:05 So I was not only in an emotional crisis, 31:08 I was also in a spiritual crisis. 31:11 The two weeks that I spent in the hospital in Belgium 31:13 were the worst two weeks in my life. 31:16 I wrestled with God where, where are you? 31:20 Why did you let this happen? 31:22 It didn't make sense. 31:24 I knew missionaries who didn't like being missionaries, 31:26 who didn't enjoy the market, and the difficulties, 31:29 and the challenges of living 31:31 in a very impoverished third world country. 31:34 But I loved it and why couldn't I be there. 31:37 I long to go back to Africa, 31:39 but I knew that Africa didn't need a widow 31:41 with three young children. 31:43 They needed my husband and they would need my house 31:45 for the next missionary that would take his place. 31:49 So I struggled with the Lord. 31:53 After two weeks in Belgium, 31:54 we were transferred to a hospital 31:56 in South Carolina. 31:57 And let me back up just a bit. 32:00 I said, "I didn't think I knew anyone in Belgium." 32:03 There was a missionary in Rwanda 32:04 that was from Belgium. 32:06 He contacted his church 32:08 and every day someone from there, 32:10 his church there in Brussels came to visit my son and me. 32:17 The president of the Belgium Conference 32:19 and his wife came and visited every day. 32:23 They ministered, they represented Christ to me. 32:28 I felt abandoned by God, but God had not abandoned me, 32:32 He was there in the person of these individuals 32:36 who came and cared for us. 32:38 When we were transferred to South Carolina, 32:40 we spent two more weeks in the hospital there. 32:45 And a huge issue for me was, where will I live? 32:49 We had spent... 32:52 We had flown to Belgium on our second wedding anniversary. 32:55 I was in Belgium again on our 13th wedding anniversary. 32:58 When we went to Belgium, 33:00 our hearts were full of dreams and plans for our future. 33:06 On our 13th my dreams had been shattered. 33:10 Instead of hope was filled with despair. 33:12 I didn't know what God had in mind for me. 33:17 I didn't know if I could trust God. 33:18 Wow. 33:20 That's, you know, that's a traumatic intersection to be at 33:23 because you mentioned that even 33:25 you couldn't even go to the funeral. 33:26 No. 33:28 You know, you were able to a while after that, 33:30 I think we have a picture of you by the graveside. 33:33 Yeah, it was actually a year later, 33:35 when I was strong enough 33:38 to take care of myself and my boys, 33:40 and able to make the trip back to Africa 33:42 to say goodbye to our lives there 33:45 and get our belongings, war had broken out in Rwanda. 33:52 So it was a whole year later, 33:53 before I was able to go back to Rwanda 33:56 to see my husband's grave for the first time. 33:59 And to say goodbye to our lives there. 34:02 I think you have a graphic of that. 34:03 Yeah. 34:05 Yeah, of you standing. 34:06 That's where he was buried right there. 34:08 Yeah. 34:09 In Rwanda and that's...? 34:10 That was a year after he was buried. 34:12 And it was the first time that I saw his funeral. 34:15 And you're companied by some of the people there? 34:16 Yeah. 34:17 These were workers there, when I first went to the grave, 34:19 I wanted to go by myself without my son, 34:22 so without anyone else, 34:23 I just wanted time by myself by the grave. 34:26 But when I got there, 34:27 these men were all there working 34:29 and they just stepped back and let me grief. 34:35 And then after I had spent some time alone with the grave, 34:37 I looked up at them and they all surrounded me 34:40 and wept with me, which was very, very healing. 34:43 Because part of the challenge of coming back to the States 34:46 after a traumatic event like this is, 34:49 even though I was American, I no longer felt American. 34:53 And I no longer had a support system in the States. 34:59 I was 21 when we left the States. 35:02 I was 32 when I came back 35:04 as a widow with three little boys. 35:07 I didn't know how to live in America. 35:09 I had a degree in elementary education from Southern. 35:14 But I hadn't bothered getting certification, 35:17 because I was going to Africa. 35:19 So I would have to go back to get certified, 35:22 I wasn't in a position to work at that time, 35:25 I just really struggled with what, 35:27 how will I live in the States? 35:29 What will I do? 35:32 After going back to Africa and seeing my husband's grave, 35:36 I was able to say goodbye to our life there. 35:39 And was in a position then to allow God to begin, 35:44 to rebuild my life in the States. 35:46 Wow. 35:47 And the rebuilding was an amazing rebuilding 35:49 because here you are at an intersection in reality, 35:53 closing one door, 35:55 which in fact emotionally as a psychologist, 35:57 you know that there are indelible strings 36:00 connected to that past that will never be severed. 36:06 But then you get to the point 36:09 where at that same intersection, 36:11 you have to say, "Well, I have to continue to live." 36:13 Yeah. 36:14 And there were certain strides, 36:16 you made some tremendous strides, 36:17 you went back to school. 36:19 I did. 36:20 Talk about that? Yeah. 36:21 Well, I moved to Andrews 36:23 and there's a whole long story of 36:24 how I moved to Andrews and how God led in that. 36:28 But I moved to Andrews, 36:29 and I began to take psychology courses. 36:32 As I mentioned earlier 36:34 when I first went to a Southern, 36:35 I had interest in becoming a psychiatrist. 36:38 At that time, I actually didn't know the difference 36:39 between psychology and psychiatry. 36:41 Very interesting. Yeah. 36:43 In a nutshell, what's the difference? 36:45 The psychiatrist has a medical degree, 36:47 becomes a medical doctor, 36:49 and a psychologist doesn't have that 36:51 and they learned how the mind works. 36:55 Okay. Yeah. 36:56 And they treat using psychotherapy, not medications. 37:00 I got you. Yeah. 37:01 And that's really what I wanted to do. 37:03 I wanted to be able to help the mind healthy. 37:05 I believe that God created the mind to heal itself 37:08 just as much as He created the body to heal. 37:12 And if you get a cut, the doctor may clean the wound 37:16 and stitch it up. 37:17 But the body heals through and God 37:20 works through the body to heal itself. 37:22 And a psychologist may help clean the wounds 37:26 and they help stitch it up, 37:27 but God has created us to heal. 37:30 And so I wanted to be a part of that process. 37:32 Wow. 37:34 It's a very nurturing aspect of life also. 37:36 So here you are on the frontier of starting over. 37:39 You've got your degree in psychology, 37:41 but then also, you added another degree. 37:44 Tell me what that was? 37:45 I did a Doctor of Ministry degree later, 37:48 but when I did the psychology degree. 37:52 I think you asked me too about my remarriage. 37:54 Yes. 37:55 Yes. Yes. 37:59 I began working on the degree in psychology 38:01 and then, you know, 38:02 my goal was to find a new mission in life, 38:06 and God put a new mission in my heart, 38:08 in the lives, in hearts of people 38:10 who are hurting because, that is a mission field. 38:14 That's right. 38:15 But I do want to share one little bit 38:17 that I forgot to tell you about. 38:21 A few months after my husband was killed, 38:23 my oldest son came to me. 38:24 And he said mommy, 38:26 "Do you think you could find a really nice man 38:28 and marry him, so I could have a daddy again." 38:30 Wow. 38:31 That just pierced my heart because more than anything 38:34 I wanted my sons to have their father. 38:36 And how do you go about finding a daddy for your children? 38:40 And I didn't know what to say. 38:41 Before I could say anything he said, 38:42 "I know mom, that would be really hard to do, 38:44 it would be really hard to find, 38:46 ever find a man as nice as my daddy." 38:49 But it's not too hard for God. 38:50 That's right. 38:53 When we first moved to Andrews, I made an appointment 38:56 that I tried to make an appointment 38:58 at the medical center there to see the doctor 39:01 and my sons and I all still 39:04 needed quite a bit of medical care. 39:06 And the receptionist said, 39:09 "The doctor is not taking new patients." 39:11 So I asked. 39:14 She asked my name for some reason, 39:15 I told her and she happened to be the sister 39:17 of a missionary in Rwanda, 39:18 and she said, "I know who you are. 39:20 I'm sure the doctor will want to see you." 39:22 In any case made an appointment with that doctor 39:25 and five years later we married. 39:29 Wow. 39:31 So the Lord did find as nothing is impossible for God, 39:35 did find a wonderful man 39:37 to take the role of being the dad 39:40 and also your husband. 39:42 Yes. 39:43 How healing was that. 39:44 Incredibly so because the part, 39:46 the thing that really touched my heart was the Christ 39:49 like tender and gentle way that He interacted with my sons, 39:53 that just really won my heart. 39:55 And in fact, our first date, 39:58 he asked to take my boys and me to an air show 40:01 because he understood the needs of three little boys 40:06 and that was an incredible blessing to me. 40:10 I did my first dissertation on marital satisfaction 40:12 and remarried families. 40:14 My husband was a single father of four children, 40:17 three sons and a daughter, and I had three sons 40:20 so we blended our seven children 40:22 into a family of nine. 40:24 That's a blessing. Yeah. 40:25 So you have a healthy family today. 40:27 Yes. 40:29 And both of you are still involved in the missions. 40:30 Yeah. 40:32 My husband actually is no longer 40:34 a practicing physician, 40:36 he's the hospital president of Lakeland Healthcare 40:38 in southwest of Michigan hospital little system there. 40:41 But he is very, very supportive of my work with missionaries. 40:46 And I'll just back up a bit, after I finished my degree, 40:48 I began working with Adventist Frontier Missions, 40:51 providing mental healthcare for their missionaries, 40:53 and with the General Conference doing missionary care 40:57 for their missionaries in crisis intervention. 41:00 So that's what I do today. 41:02 I'm almost full time with the General Conference. 41:04 Now I have a very, very small practice in Berrien Springs. 41:09 And I live in Berrien Springs, because most of my work is 41:12 traveling to where missionaries are. 41:14 Now talk about that for a moment because we, 41:16 we talked about the traumas of going to the mission field. 41:20 But then there are traumas coming from the mission field, 41:24 and that's a lot of what you deal with today 41:25 helping people re-acclimate. 41:27 Give me some idea of some of these situations 41:30 you deal with because, you know, 41:31 there are people in the field that, 41:34 for example, you lost your husband 41:36 in a terrible accident in Africa, 41:38 but then there are other traumas that happen 41:41 where you cited some stories like for example, Bob Roberts. 41:44 Yes. 41:45 We talked about that. 41:47 Now Bob and John Roberts were missionaries in Congo. 41:49 When we were missionaries from Rwanda, 41:51 so we knew them in Africa and after we left Rwanda, 41:55 they moved to Papua Indonesia. 41:57 And so when Bob was killed in the plane crash, 42:01 I was asked by the General Conference to go 42:02 and help support the family and that community, 42:05 because they had been there for 22 years, 42:07 so it was a privilege and an honor for me 42:10 to be able to support that community. 42:12 You know these traumas that we talk about, 42:16 when you think of the ministry aspects of it, 42:19 I'm tying it back to your beginnings, 42:21 because you mention your. 42:23 One, your dad was Catholic. 42:25 Your mom was Adventist and you said, 42:27 "Lord, I need to find my own identity." 42:29 But even from that mix you thought, 42:31 "Well, there are no Adventist nuns." 42:33 But the ministry of compassion is something 42:36 that was planted in your heart from young 42:38 and you still continue to this very day. 42:41 But now, we mentioned your need as a mom, 42:44 but talk about some of these missionary children, 42:47 their needs when they... 42:49 kind of something of war. 42:50 You know POWs we talk about that, 42:52 there should be POMs, you know, 42:53 prisoners, it's not the word. 42:55 We call them MKs, missionary kids. 42:57 Okay. 42:59 And that's where my greatest passion lies 43:01 because coming back to the States. 43:05 I was coming back home. 43:06 You know, I was American. 43:08 I didn't really feel American, but I was American. 43:11 My children were more or less African. 43:13 They had never lived here. 43:15 Their identity was, you know, 43:17 I remember them going to school and say, 43:19 "Why do we need to say 43:20 the Pledge of Allegiance we're not American." 43:22 And I had to explain yes, you are American. 43:25 So coming back for them, for them was very hard. 43:28 It wasn't coming back. 43:29 It was a new place for them. 43:32 Also, you know, Ellen White says, 43:34 "That we have no need to fear for the future 43:36 unless we forget how God has led us in the past." 43:39 We often forget that children 43:41 don't have that past to draw on. 43:43 That's true. 43:45 So their faith is often very much challenged. 43:48 And my, my plea is for the church 43:51 to embrace missionary children, especially, missionary children 43:55 who have experienced trauma. 43:57 Often they feel abandoned. 44:00 I felt abandoned by God, but I was a mature adult 44:03 with a very strong relationship with the Lord. 44:06 Children don't have that and they feel abandoned by God 44:10 and by the church when tough things happen, 44:14 and they need the church to embrace them, 44:16 to support them during difficult times. 44:19 And all missionaries when they come back 44:21 struggle with coming back to their home culture, 44:25 who they are is changed by their experiences. 44:28 And so your sons are they... 44:31 are any of them in the mission field today 44:32 or are they all are back in America 44:34 or I should say in America not back in America, 44:36 because as you said, 44:38 your sons were raised in the mission field 44:42 and to come to America. 44:43 That was a very interesting thought to be an American 44:48 that is by association, by family origin... 44:50 By birth... passport. 44:52 By passport and then you think Pledge of Allegiance, 44:56 but this is not my country. 44:58 Right. 44:59 That is... 45:01 Help me grasp that how did they, 45:02 how did they transition? 45:04 Well, they, they gradually adopted America, 45:08 but they're in their core they have many African values, 45:13 many missionary kid values, 45:14 they're considered third culture kids, 45:17 because they're this blend half of American and African. 45:21 And so, we that the General Conference 45:24 does a re-entry seminar 45:26 for returning missionaries every year. 45:28 And for the teenagers and young adults, 45:30 who are coming back to the States to go to school 45:33 many whose parents are still in the mission field, 45:35 it's a tough transition. 45:36 You know, just before we go, 45:38 I want to give the address roll right now 45:39 for those who are watching the program so they could know. 45:42 If you want to find out more about missions 45:44 and how the General Conference plays a role 45:47 in the world field of missions, 45:49 here is the address information that you would need. 45:53 If you would like to contact Dr. Ann Hamel, 45:56 you can do so by writing to Dr. Ann Hamel, 45:59 9045 US 31, 46:02 Berrien Springs, Michigan 49103. 46:05 That's Dr. Ann Hamel 9045, US 31, 46:10 Berrien Springs, Michigan 49103. 46:13 You can call 269-473-2223. 46:18 That's 269-473-2223. 46:22 You can also reach her at doctorannhamel@gmail.com. 46:26 that's DrAnnHamel@gmail.com. 46:39 You know, Dr. Hamel, we called you. 46:43 I called you Ann earlier. Right. 46:44 But I used Dr. Hamel for a particular reason now 46:48 with psychology and also a degree in ministry. 46:51 Now you are in a place where 46:54 you are continuing to minister to people 46:56 that are still connected to missions. 46:59 Tell me about your approach to missions 47:02 because my approach to missions will be, 47:04 get your bags pack, head to the mission field. 47:07 What's your approach to missions dealing with people 47:09 that are going and coming back? 47:11 Well, I think when you're dealing with missionaries, 47:14 you are very much dealing with spiritual issues. 47:18 The church has always been involved in missions 47:21 because it's Christ great commission 47:22 to go into all the world. 47:24 That's right. 47:25 And in Acts it says that, 47:29 Ananias supposed to go and anoint Paul 47:31 because he was God's chosen vessel 47:34 to carry the gospel to the Gentiles. 47:37 But then it goes on to say, 47:39 "That I will show him how much 47:40 he must suffer for my namesake." 47:44 The call of a missionary has always been 47:46 a call of self sacrifice and suffering. 47:48 You know third of the countries in the world 47:51 have very limited or no religious freedom 47:55 and 70 percent of the people in the world 47:57 live in those countries. 47:59 It's also true that there's never been a time 48:03 when the gospel has gone to a new people group 48:06 where it wasn't met with resistance. 48:09 And that it wasn't costly to the messengers 48:11 and to the new people who received the gospel. 48:15 So hardship and trials 48:18 and trauma is a part of mission service. 48:20 So, you know, I got the degree in psychology 48:23 because I wanted to help missionaries 48:25 deal with difficult experiences that they were dealing with. 48:28 It wasn't long 48:30 after working with missionaries that I realize 48:32 that we are involved in a great controversy 48:35 and there are spiritual issues very much a part of any issues 48:40 that many missionaries deal with, 48:41 so I went back to school 48:42 and got a Doctor of Ministry degree. 48:44 So I always take a dual approach, 48:47 I look at the psychological aspects of it 48:49 but I'd also look at the spiritual aspects 48:51 of any challenge that a missionary is facing. 48:55 And Jesus said, "In this world, you will have tribulation." 48:59 That's right. 49:00 But he says, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." 49:03 1 Peter 4:7 says that, 49:05 "We are not to be surprised at the painful trials 49:08 that we suffer as if some 49:09 strange thing has happened to us, 49:12 but that we are to rejoice." 49:14 Because we're able to participate 49:16 in the sufferings of Christ. 49:18 We have incredibly good news to share with the world. 49:20 That's right. 49:22 No matter what we experience whether you are missionary 49:24 or whether you stay here, we all have a cross to bear. 49:28 Jesus invites us to take up our cross to follow Him. 49:32 Now your husband and you together know, 49:35 how has he gotten on board with your approach to missions? 49:39 Yeah. 49:40 My husband is a gift that got to me to my, to our family. 49:44 He is no longer a practicing physician, 49:47 he is a hospital president and he supports me 49:50 in my travels and the work that I do. 49:52 And he... 49:54 one thing that attracted me to him is he was actually 49:57 born in the hospital that he is the president now. 50:00 He didn't have to go far away to be a missionary. 50:02 He considers his work as a mission 50:07 that we are to represent Christ in all that we do. 50:11 And whatever role we have, we don't have to go far away. 50:15 That is wonderful. 50:16 We're to serve the Lord wherever we are 50:18 and to represent Him, to those around us. 50:21 Now have any of you your children 50:22 thought about becoming missionaries. 50:25 Or have they gone back to Africa since they've left? 50:28 No, we actually took all the children back in 2008, 50:34 to see my husband's grave 50:36 for the first time after 17 years. 50:39 We took all seven of our children in 98 50:43 but Rwanda was not stable enough at that time, 50:46 but in 2008, we took my three sons 50:49 and their wives and we went back. 50:51 And that was the first time after 17 years, 50:54 and it was a difficult but very healing time. 51:00 For my sons, it's been hard for them. 51:05 Yeah, it's hard to understand 51:10 how an all powerful and all loving God 51:12 can allow such terrible things to happen 51:15 because it's not just in our lives. 51:17 It happened in the country that we loved. 51:20 The genocide in Rwanda ravaged that country. 51:25 The General Conference built the university in Rwanda, 51:27 because at that time Rwanda was considered 51:30 the most peaceful and stable country in Africa. 51:33 So in many ways it parallels my life. 51:35 You know, I felt like I couldn't be happier. 51:38 Rwanda was a peaceful and stable country, 51:40 but the enemy has attacked. 51:43 But God has redeemed that. 51:45 And, you know, the beauty of missions is that 51:46 the Lord always comes out ahead. 51:48 He always comes out victorious in whatever situation we're in. 51:52 You know, it's amazing how quickly our time goes 51:54 but our viewing and listening audience knows that 51:56 this is a time for our short newsbreak. 51:58 And then we will be back 52:00 with a few closing comments to our program. |
Revised 2016-08-04