Sarah Bennington was a happy and frequent flyer before she had children but when a work trip to Zimbabwe came up, she struggled with the fear of leaving them behind. Here is what she learned.
My younger self travelled a lot. I visited far-flung places across five continents, loving the adventure of new cultures, new people, and aeroplane food.
In recent years I have embraced the adventure of motherhood – a delightful calling, for which I am daily grateful. I work flexibly to fit around school-gates and bed-times, and I hadn’t been away from my children for more than the odd night when the opportunity to travel with work to Zimbabwe came my way.
I hadn’t been away from my children for more than the odd night when the opportunity to travel with work to Zimbabwe came my way.
CBM (the overseas Christian disability charity) has a fantastic project in Zimbabwe called Light Up Lives, funded by our wonderful supporters and the UK government through their Aid Match scheme. It provides free cataract surgery to thousands of people in Zimbabwe, which has one of the highest rates of avoidable blindness in the world.
We needed stories to report back to supporters: I was desperate to visit the project – but I would be away for more than a week. How would my family manage without me?!
My husband Matt was immediately supportive of the trip; it was a different story with my children Tom (11) and Lucy (9). They were worried about being apart for nine whole days. The bottom line fear we all shared was that I wouldn’t make it home again.
As the time approached, their nerves grew – and so did mine.
As the time approached, their nerves grew – and so did mine. I worried about making them sad. I worried about the flights. Getting ill. Being far away if anything went wrong back home. I found myself questioning whether it was right to go. Maybe I should just stay home.
A penny-dropping moment for me was to remember who I am aside from being a mum. I have always felt God’s calling on my life through my work across 20 years in the charity sector, fighting injustice in the world. I wanted to see for myself how CBM is transforming the lives of people with disabilities in Zimbabwe. I remembered that whilst God has called me to motherhood, that’s not the only thing he has called me to. And so, after a tearful goodbye with my family, I flew out of London knowing that the trip was part of God’s call on my life. I wasn’t neglecting my responsibilities, but pressing into them.
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And I had the most remarkable time. We were shown unparalleled warmth and hospitality. We witnessed people’s sight being restored – including mums just like me, who hadn’t seen their children’s faces in years (like Lucia – see photo). We heard stories of struggle and sorrow alongside many testimonies of answered prayer and encouragement from God’s promises. It was a hard-hitting, thought-provoking trip, punctuated by moments of pure joy.
And my children back home were fine. They loved hearing about the trip, taking details of my stories to heart and telling them to others. Their understanding of injustice in the world has grown. It was an enriching experience for me and for my family; I am so glad that worry didn’t win the day.
Find out more about CBM here.
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