Another Story from my Journey to Zambia: Eustance

There were so many people that we met while in Zambia, including our driver, Eustance, who has a story that needs to be shared (my thanks to my good friend Christy Zacharias – http://zchristy.wordpress.com/ - for posting the story, as I was unable to hear all the details the night he shared his journey to World Vision).  Enjoy!

Over the course of the 2 weeks, we heard some stories that take your breath away. But one of the most beautiful was the night before we left. Our gentle driver Eustance had already dug himself pretty deeply in my heart, but a combination of preparing to leave and fatigue made him open up at supper in a way I had never seen before.

Here is my understanding of Eustance’s story – clearly restaurant noise and a very tired brain may fuzz some details, but those of us sitting at his end of the table were blessed to hear this incredible story.

Eustance came from a terribly poor family. His Father was a policeman who made a very low wage and he lived with relatives to try and complete his high school. They were unhappy having him, so he went to school on an empty stomach every day and pushed through long days without any food. By the time his break for Grade 12 exams came, he was so exhausted that he literally fell asleep every time he sat down to study.

The years of pushing his body, hunger and physical exhaustion made that period of his life extremely difficult, and he didn’t get high enough marks to go to college as he dreamed about. He found work as a regional bus driver, driving long hours between Lusaka and other centres. He was very familiar with World Vision’s work in his hometown, and remembers seeing WV vehicles pass his bus. Every time one went by, he silently asked God to make a way for him to work for World Vision (What struck me, is how he prayed believing it would happen from the very start). Finally he decided to send an application.

He didn’t wait for a job to come open, he just decided to send a resume and see what happened. 6 times he sent his resume and one day, after months of hearing nothing, word came – they wanted to interview him for a position as a driver in Lusaka. Unfortunately, he was hours away. He managed to procure a day off from his current job (without having divulge why he needed the time off!), but he was stranded at least a 6 hour bus ride away. Now, the bus system in Zambia, is nothing like Canada. He spoke to the driver of the bus that day and the driver indicated what he already knew – the bus stays parked by the side of the road, waiting until it is full before it departs. Most days it takes about 6-8 hours from the time you buy a ticket, for the bus to be on it’s way. And even then, it stops wherever people need to be dropped off – it could stop dozens of times before it finally reaches it’s final destination. There is no such thing as a schedule! Eustance went back to his hotel and called the WV office for his interview time. He calculated the time between his location and Lusaka and the bus situation and realized there was no way he could make his slotted interview time.

So he got on his knees. He told God he knew this was not a problem for Him and he trusted him to help make a way. He proceeded back down to the bus, and the surprised driver informed him that the bus was already unexpectedly full. He hopped aboard, and the bus went straight to Lusaka, no stops, and he arrived right on time for the interview!

 A month went by, and he knew they had interviewed another man as well, so he assumed the position was given to the other man. Until one day he again got word, that he was required to come for a second interview in Lusaka. Once again, he was hours away, and once again he knelt before God, asking him to intercede. And once again, that bus filled immediately and made a non-stop drive to Lusaka, in time for his interview. This time he was peppered with demanding questions, while driving, no less!

After 6 resumes, 2 interviews and countless miracles, Eustance was officially a World Vision employee. He hasn’t had any accidents in 9 years and he credits that to getting on his knees every morning and asking God for safety. I’ll never forget his words: “I told my wife My God Loves Me“.

Indeed he does, and his story is a reminder of how very far God goes to see His plans succeed.

Note:  I will be posting additional stories over the next few weeks, and will be sharing Stories from the Heart of Zambia in various venues this summer / fall in Manitoba / Saskatchewan.  I will be posting the dates on this blog, but if you are interested in having our World Vision team share in your church, school or organization, please e-mail me at chris_schroeder@worldvision.ca! 

Thank you for taking the journey with me….