“After exploring some different mission organisations, SIM stood out to us and there was a need for a teacher and nurse in Zambia. We are both keen to serve, grow and learn together,“ Stephen says.
Three years ago Anita had been to Senegal with Mercy Ships and was keen to come back to Africa, especially because her time there was cut short due to Covid; she adds, “Mukinge seemed to fit us really well with our particular skills and passions.” She is a nurse with a background in intensive care and surgical ward nursing, who has thoroughly enjoyed working as a scrub nurse and assisting with operations.
“Some evenings I go to Mukinge Girls High School to sit with and encourage the school nurse. Stephen and I have the privilege to help lead a bible study for 80 first-year nursing students once a week.”
Stephen works at Mukinge Hill Academy as a PE teacher and teacher aide, introducing the students to range of new sports such as rugby, ultimate frisbee and volley ball, and taking senior students down to the local pool to teach them some basic swimming skills and survival strokes. As a teacher aide he helps support some students with extra reading and mathematics practice.
“I help lead a men’s bible study with the male members of staff, encouraging one another in our walks with God and praying together.”
Getting used to the cultural and geographical differences has been part of the mission experience. Stephen says, “There are so many differences! The area that we are in is very traditional, so the dynamics between males and females are very different. For example, married couples will often sit in different sections at church and will never show any personal displays of affection — which has taken Anita and I some adjusting to.
“Women will also be expected to do all the chores and cooking inside a household. Daughters are often taught early to do the same as their mothers, so it is common to see the boys running around outside playing but rare to see girls around because they’ll be at home.”
He has found teaching is prescriptive and regimented. Students have big exams and tests in order to go up to the next grade.
The Shirleys’ time has coincided with the hottest months of the year, so heat has been pretty constant, and Anita says, “We do have to be aware of the risk of malaria, so we take antimalarial tablets. We boil and filter water before we drink it and wear lots of insect repellent. Then there are scorpions and snakes.
“Culturally, this is a big honour-shame culture. It’s harder for locals to answer you honestly as they want to be seen in the best light. This is particularly difficult trying to get an accurate description from a patient about how long they have been unwell or what really happened. It also impacts on faith conversions and the weight they put on good works as opposed to grace.”
Stephen: “We knew that we were coming into a completely different culture and had a lot to learn so, initially, there was a bit of culture shock and it took a bit of time to adjust.” One thing he’s found, not being in the medical profession, it was difficult to witness nurses’ and doctors’ tiredness, being close to burnout, — “being there to help, yet not able to support them practically. We help where we can but I can’t physically go into the hospital and lower the work load.”
Anita found it harder to settle than she had expected. For example, it takes a bit longer to build friendships with local Zambian women, and the hospital work is so different from New Zealand.
“I spent the first month working on the Female and Paediatric Surgical ward. Most of the patients only speak Kikaonde, which we are slowly learning. Thankfully, the nurses and medical team can all speak English. Another challenge is learning how to work in a low resource setting. What do you do if you run out of supplies? I knew this would be difficult, but it’s another thing being here knowing that if this patient was in New Zealand they could have survived.
“I initially worked closely with the ward student nurses and we certainly learnt from each other.”
All that said, every day in the hospital Anita sees examples of God’s healing power. “I see patients’ wounds and diseases heal that shouldn’t from a resource perspective. Sometimes we run out of the correct medications and have to supplement them with others but we still see God’s hand at work.
“On a personal note I started going to Girls’ High School to help support one of the other missionaries working there but I didn’t realise that I would find a very close Zambian friend who is a school nurse. She too had been praying for a friend because she found work at school very lonely. God has blessed us both with this friendship.”
Stephen has enjoyed serving at Christian school where each day at assembly the students hear straight from the bible stories about God that can encourage them in their walk of life. He and Anita have been able to facilitate great discussions in their nurses’ bible study, particularly around salvation. We did an altar call at the end of one of our studies and asked if any of the students would like to commit or recommit their lives to God and over 20 students responded.
He says, “One of the greatest pieces of advice that we received before we left was not going into mission work thinking that we are going to completely change the world, but to go into it humble, willing to learn, grow and develop relationships with the locals and long term missionaries around you. Make sure that you don’t try to do everything in your own strength, trust in God and put some boundaries in place so that you don’t overwork and get burnt out.”
Anita, if she were talking to someone wanting to do cross-cultural mission work, would advise: “Go for it. Get in contact with your local mission organisation. SIM is a great place to start. Talk to other missionaries and pray with trusted leaders who can guide you in your journey.
“There are many challenges in cross-cultural mission, but you also learn how to rely on God in new ways.”

Pray for the missionary team that we have been working with in Mukinge, that they will be strengthened and encouraged, and for us for wisdom for our next steps for the following year, as we finish at Mukinge in December.