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A recent mission trip to South Africa produced so wonderful experiences for Lee Johnson and daughter, Elizabeth, of Sleepy Eye that they could fill countless hours telling their stories.
The trip, sponsored by the Watonwan Conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), took place from Nov. 14 to Dec. 5.
The mission’s goal was to assist with projects being developed to boost protein in South African villagers’ diets by teaching them how to raise chickens and rabbits for food.
The Johnsons were part of a seven-member team from southwest Minnesota.
The Johnsons decided to take part in the mission for a couple reasons. One reason was they felt it would be a good father-daughter bonding experience. “We thought it would be that way,” Lee said. “But we stayed with host families living about an hour apart.”
“I only saw my dad for five days out of the whole trip,” Elizabeth said laughing.
The second reason for the trip was the agricultural aspect. Lee is a farmer and Elizabeth the president of the Sleepy Eye FFA chapter and a 4-H member. Helping others develop their ag skills seemed like the perfect mission for both Lee and Elizabeth.
Lee helped with the chicken project in the village of Dondi. Some progress had already been made helping the local pastor and church members hatch and care for indigenous chickens.
As part of the project, chicks are hatched in incubators and sold for a dollar each to villagers who raise them to butcher weight age of 14 to 16 weeks. Four-week-old chickens were also sold.
“People were paying 70 rand, or about $10, at the market for a live finished chicken,” Lee explained. “In that impoverished area, $10 is a lot to pay.
Culturally, the Johnsons experienced a Lutheran church service that lasted six and a half hours long. “It was so interesting, I thought it had only last three hours,” Lee said. “I couldn’t believe we had sat there that long.”
Elizabeth visited an orphanage where some of the soccer balls the group brought along were distributed. Together, Lee and Elizabeth toured a game park where many photos were taken. On Thanksgiving Day, the pair swam in the Indian Ocean.
“Everyone is so happy,” Elizabeth commented. “They were so willing to learn and help out. Never was anyone sad or upset.”
“People think they are poor in American, but there is much more poverty there and they seem happier,” Lee said. “I fell in love with the people, their attitudes and the country. I will get back there someday.”
“I can’t wait to go back,” Elizabeth concluded.
A recent mission trip to South Africa produced so wonderful experiences for Lee Johnson and daughter, Elizabeth, of Sleepy Eye that they could fill countless hours telling their stories.
The trip, sponsored by the Watonwan Conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), took place from Nov. 14 to Dec. 5.
The mission’s goal was to assist with projects being developed to boost protein in South African villagers’ diets by teaching them how to raise chickens and rabbits for food.
The Johnsons were part of a seven-member team from southwest Minnesota.
The Johnsons decided to take part in the mission for a couple reasons. One reason was they felt it would be a good father-daughter bonding experience. “We thought it would be that way,” Lee said. “But we stayed with host families living about an hour apart.”
“I only saw my dad for five days out of the whole trip,” Elizabeth said laughing.
The second reason for the trip was the agricultural aspect. Lee is a farmer and Elizabeth the president of the Sleepy Eye FFA chapter and a 4-H member. Helping others develop their ag skills seemed like the perfect mission for both Lee and Elizabeth.
Lee helped with the chicken project in the village of Dondi. Some progress had already been made helping the local pastor and church members hatch and care for indigenous chickens.
As part of the project, chicks are hatched in incubators and sold for a dollar each to villagers who raise them to butcher weight age of 14 to 16 weeks. Four-week-old chickens were also sold.
“People were paying 70 rand, or about $10, at the market for a live finished chicken,” Lee explained. “In that impoverished area, $10 is a lot to pay.
Culturally, the Johnsons experienced a Lutheran church service that lasted six and a half hours long. “It was so interesting, I thought it had only last three hours,” Lee said. “I couldn’t believe we had sat there that long.”
Elizabeth visited an orphanage where some of the soccer balls the group brought along were distributed. Together, Lee and Elizabeth toured a game park where many photos were taken. On Thanksgiving Day, the pair swam in the Indian Ocean.
“Everyone is so happy,” Elizabeth commented. “They were so willing to learn and help out. Never was anyone sad or upset.”
“People think they are poor in American, but there is much more poverty there and they seem happier,” Lee said. “I fell in love with the people, their attitudes and the country. I will get back there someday.”
“I can’t wait to go back,” Elizabeth concluded.
