That is the incredible wisdom from 16-year-old Maddie Janssen, who recently returned from a 10-day mission trip to Northwestern Africa.

 

Janssen, whose family attends Riverside Church in Big Lake, took it upon herself a few months ago to volunteer to travel to Burkina Faso, Africa with six others from her home church. It would be Maddie’s first time traveling abroad and even her first time on an airplane.

 

“I wasn’t too nervous to fly,” Maddie said. “The only time I got a little nervous was on the first takeoff and the plane tilted abruptly to the side. I asked one of my traveling companions if that was normal and they reassured me it was okay.”

 

Riverside Church has sent dozens of missionaries to Burkina Faso over the years and have two permanent missionaries in John and Betty Arnold, leading and serving in the city of Ouagadouga.

 

Burkina Faso’s high population density and limited resources (it is a landlocked country) have resulted in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens. Burkina is consistently in the top five poorest countries in the world. Ninety percent of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture, which is difficult due to the harsh climatic conditions.

 

Janssen and her six other companions set off for Africa June 14 and the first leg was from Minneapolis to Paris, France. Eight hours of flight time.

 

That was just the beginning.

 

“It wasn’t too bad of a trip,” Maddie said. “I didn’t sleep. I guess I was really excited.”

 

After stretching their legs in Paris, the group boarded another plane and they were off to Ouagadouga, another seven hours in the air.

 

That was just the middle.

 

After spending the first two days in the capital to acclimate themselves, the Riverside group was about to take their longest trek — a 12-hour drive in a Land Rover over bumpy and pot-hole-stricken roads, where the Arnolds met them and provided lodging for them.

 

“I was a little nervous, Maddie said. “They had a garage gate and guards. I didn’t know what to expect.”

 

The next day, Maddie and her fraternity drove out to Sector 30, one of the poorest areas in the region. They visited the handicapped and helped re-build dis-repaired bikes and wheelchairs.

 

“It was great seeing the kids and the smiles they had for us,” said Maddie. “Most of the kids in Sector 30 are orphans.”

 

Maddie said what amazed her at first was when the group would be riding down the roads and people would stop and star at them, wondering who they were.

 

“We would look out the windows and wave at them and for most of them, they had never seen a white person before,” she said. “Even people way out in their fields, we’d wave at them through our windows and they’d stop and wave right back.”

 

On the third day of the trip, the Riverside seven spent the majority of the day at the market and some of the day packing for the next day when they’d spend time “in the bush”, building a shelter called a hangar and evangelizing with the villagers in a town called Gain. 

 

“I couldn’t believe all these little kids — probably 40 to 50 of them — just running up wanting to shake our hands,” said Maddie. “They’d also point at the camera and pose for a photograph.”

 

Maddie said the people of the area didn’t know English and spoke two languages — Dyula and French — and translators were on hand for the evangelizing. But Maddie had no problem understanding the kids for the most part as their smiles spoke volumes.

 

“You could tell they were so happy and grateful to have us there helping them” said Maddie. “They are living in the middle of nowhere and they are so poor yet they are all smiling and so kind and friendly.”

 

It took the Riverside group two days to build the hangar and during the downtimes they’d show an evangelistic movie and bring the message of Jesus Christ to the Gain people.

 

After the first day and after the first movie, the leaders asked anyone in attendance if they would raise their hands if they understood the message and had accepted Christ into their hearts.

 

“No hands were raised that first night,” said Maddie.

 

That changed drastically the next night when the question was asked again and 38 hands shot up in the air with excitement.

 

On day seven, the group left the village and arrived at the Cascade Hotel where they were allowed to relax. Maddie said she was blown away by the vehicles on the roads that were packed high and wide with so much stuff it looked like the vehicle would just tip over.

 

“There are accidents on the roads out there all the time,” Maddie said. “People would be hanging out the sides and animals would be tied to the vehicles and to the stuff they packed in it.”

 

On day eight, the group went swimming and then went to a “fast-food” place that served burgers and fries. The place was called McDonald’s.

 

“It was nothing like our McDonald’s,” said Maddie. “There were vines on the doors, African art on the walls and no arches I could see anywhere.”

 

While the Riverside group was in Africa, they were told to keep on the lookout for scorpions and snakes and one of the adult leaders always carried a “cattle prod” that was expected to be used should someone get a snake bite. Since no one came close to getting bit by a snake, the cattle prod was used for some harmless fun later that day.

 

“We were challenged the one day to stand in a circle with our hands clasped while one person got zapped by the prod,” said Maddie. “The current could be felt through the hands of everybody in the circle and it was kinda fun to do.”

 

On day nine, the missionaries took off for home (Arnold’s home) on their seven-hour trek through impoverished zones where they witnessed more poor economy, but still smiling faces. On the final day, they celebrated their trip with a meal at a “fancy” restaurant where they served American food and some native delicacies.

 

“I tried the frog legs,” Maddie said. “They taste like chicken.”

 

Janssen says since she returned from her trip she has a different world view. She is glad she was able to build relationships with the people of Africa and experience some of their day-to-day activities. She said she’d probably jump at the chance to go back if she could, but she hopes to take her experiences and try and change lives closer to home.

 

“I learned to be in-the-moment and enjoy what is happening around me,” she said. “I’d like to take that joy and energy I felt everyday in Africa and spread that around in my everyday life. That’s life-changing.”

 

Maddie loves to travel and considers herself outgoing and she loves talking to people. She enjoys being in choir at school and at church and is a former gymnast and future lacrosse player.