We’re on mission wherever we are
by Anne Marie Cox | February 23, 2025
In mid-January, I flew halfway around the world for a life-changing adventure.
Several of us joined Father Ray McHenry on his 10th mission trip to South Africa with Urbandale-based Blessman International. Each time he goes, Father brings folks from St. Francis of Assisi Parish in West Des Moines and others with him to serve the poor.
The following are some thoughts from the dusty road in a poor area of the Limpopo Province.
There’s a retreat center near Mokopane, South Africa that had a Stations of the Cross path up a mountainside. The stations needed to be replaced. We spent three hours putting the new crosses made of railroad ties up on a small platform setting, screwing into the metal platform and cross, and bolting the cross in place. The crosses were heavy, it was a hot day, and we were tired.
We also felt fulfilled. There was something spiritually powerful about putting into place 14 symbols of the ultimate gift of love.
Our missionary group went to the only orphanage for babies 0-2 years old in the province.
I sat down by two boys, each one wanted a particular teething toy. A caregiver took one of the boys away and the other looked up at me. I carefully picked him up and put him on my knee, softly singing “You are my sunshine” just as I did for my own children.
Hugging and holding young children is critical to their development of a sense of safety and security. His little head got heavier and he rested it on my chest. The teething toy fell and as I listened to the director of the orphanage share her story, the baby slept in my arms. Such a beautiful child.
There was a lot of love shared in that play yard.
May God’s grace be upon each of the children and caregivers at that orphanage and every childcare place. May they feel God’s loving embrace through those who care for the littlest among us.
In came a grandma. She’d been sitting outside, shaded by a big tree in the front yard of this little country church. She spoke little English. Slowly, using a cane, she walked over to me and sat on the hard wooden bench. She wore threadbare clothing, a sweater over her top and a skirt.
I gave her a pair of eyeglass cheaters with no arms, asked her to put the pair up to her eyes, look at a sign on the wall, and see if she could read it. She shook her head. No. We tried another pair. Better but not good. We keep going until she got to a pair that was pretty strong. She put them up to her face and the corners of her mouth spread into a big smile. In a universal language, I clapped and we laughed a little. Now she can see.
And now we can see. What we take for granted in America, a pair of glasses, can transform one’s quality of life. You could say we gave away 130 pairs of glasses. Or, you could say we improved the quality of life for 130 impoverished people.
Off the beaten path, there’s a small, 90-acre farm. You can see the chicken houses as you drive by and the goats welcome visitors with a “baaaah.”
The fingerprints of generous Iowa companies are all over this farm as they help Dr. Jim “Doc” Blessman feed 50,000 children in South Africa.
It’s just a start. “My goal is to feed 100,000 children!” he said.
The family owning Bike World in Des Moines helped purchase the farm 10 years ago. Hy-Vee helped drill water wells. Hy-Line International recently gave the farm a second batch of about 1,600 chickens that are producing eggs for the impoverished. The Vermeer Corporation Foundation funded a hay baler. The Iowa Rotary supported an education campaign so local schools could learn how to manage a garden, then they received the tools to start one for their children.
Doc is a visionary with big goals. But as he prepares to celebrate his 80th birthday, he can’t achieve those goals by himself. What I find most interesting is not just the impressive work he’s done - and it’s extensive by any measure - but how the Spirit has gifted him with the ability to bring good people together to do great things.
Doc says we’re all called to mission (I’m sure I’ve heard something like that from Pope Francis). He encouraged us to be the hands and feet of Christ in our families, in our communities, and beyond if we can.
If you feel moved to go on a mission trip with Blessman International or support their work, go to BlessmanInternational.org. Doc and his family are the real deal. They’re changing lives and we can help.