One of the important aspects of the camp that I left out yesterday was the staff. To run a camp, and maintain the grounds, requires a group of people. The people who work with the Huckabys are not just those who put in resumes or popped up on Indeed.com. They are community members that they have gotten to know over time and invite into the camp staff. While I was there, they had conversations about a person who did not work for them, but that they would love to find a role for. This is how they view it. They are building a family of workers, who also get specific things done.
These tasks include: managing the camp, helping to run errands (which includes use of the Huckaby vehicles), night guards, taking care of the animals, gardening, landscaping, maintenance, laundry, cleaning, accounting, and managing the reading room, among other things.
There is always work to be done and there are always people there doing it. This community of people are not just employees, but people being discipled. They are being emotionally cared for by the Huckabys. As family, they share their struggles and challenges and work with the Huckabys to move forward. These loving relationships that have grown are building long term gains as the brothers and sisters and children of their staff are now connected to the camp.
I can’t really express in words how effective this ministry is. It is the sort of life-on-life shaping that many of us have a hard time making work in our autonomous society. They are with one another a lot of the time, sharing the responsibility, but also sharing the joys. The Bible Study I mentioned the first night was populated almost entirely by these workers. They are connected to one another physically, emotionally, and spiritually. They are really amazing people.
So the Huckabys keep looking for ways to bring more people into this community – creating new jobs mainly to have a place for the people who would benefit the group. As I was there, Tricia came up with two or three new ideas of something that they could do at the camp that would benefit the larger neighborhood, but also create jobs so that they could have more staff.
One of the ideas that has been implemented is a maize (corn) shelling and hammer mill. Those in the community who grow their own corn can bring it down to the camp and have it processed (for a small fee) which gives the meal needed to make food. This saves them a trip into town, to a mill that would cost them more, it brings some income to the camp and it creates a job for the person overseeing the mill.
One of the challenges for the Huckabys is that they are trying to create more business like this without being competition to others – whose livelihood depends on the income. They are trying to thread that needle of doing business in a way that is helpful without hurting (I know a great book on that subject). I really appreciate all of the thought that goes into everything they do, and those things they decide not to do. All of it is aimed at glorifying God as they care for the people in Zambia holistically. It is an honor to be able to partner with them in this.