14 JESUIT PERSPECTIVES • FALL 2016 John Zielinski ’17 in Tanzania in July African Mission his summer I had a special opportunity to serve on a mission trip in Tanzania, Africa, along with my father, John. A Maasai village about fi ve hours from the nearest city was home for several days for the 30 of us on the trip. We pitched tents, set-up showers, and dug holes for toilets. Our primary project was to build a concrete fl oor for a classroom. The majority of us knew nothing about making fl oors, and we were working with limited supplies. It seemed like we couldn’t succeed. However, I saw God’s helping hand guide us to complete the classroom fl oor they desperately needed. The project took us three days. At one point we faced what seemed an insurmountable problem – we had run out of rocks. However, with the ring of the school bell and the grace of God, all the school children set out to help us. Somehow, they found enough rocks to allow us to complete the project. The children from the village were amazing, greeting us with hugs and high fi ves. Their joy from seeing us was incredible. Our mission work was done, but we still had a daunting task ahead of us: We set out to climb famed Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa at 19,341 feet. Each day ascending this colossal mountain brought new challenges as we faced the rocky terrain, freezing temperatures, and altitude sickness. Both my father and I felt the effects of all of these. We prayed each day that we would have the strength to make it to the next camp. After looking at the top of Kilimanjaro for almost a week, and getting closer and closer, it was time to summit. We set out at 10:30pm in the freezing weather to make our fi nal ascent. We needed to take many breaks, but if we sat too long our hands and feet would start to freeze. There were hours of silent hiking with instances of throwing up, passing out, crying, and a lot of delusional people babbling away. After about eight hours of hiking, we fi nally made it to the top. I can truly say that it was the hardest thing I have ever done, and I learned that you can do anything if you put your trust in God. Being able to serve with my dad was a great experience. Seeing him play with the kids was priceless. We had a lot of time together on the mountain when were just able to talk. During my time in Africa I would often think of how blessed I am. I would think of how I always desire the newest things while these children are happy playing with a ball made out of plastic bags. The conditions in Africa really had me questioning our values in America. People in the U.S. will line up to buy a new pair of shoes that cost $500 while in Africa people wore shoes made from an old tire. We also demand the best houses and living conditions while these people sleep in mud huts on the hard fl oor. And they are happier. It is really something to think about. O John Zielinski ’17 serves in Tanzania and ascends Mt. Kilimanjaro BY JOHN ZIELINSKI ’17 T Scan to view a video and photo slideshow of John Zielinski ’17’s mission trip to Tanzania, and to read his full story of the trip John Zielinski ’17 and his father, John, atop Mt. Kilimanjaro Life on Himes
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