Pacing in the empty nursery downstairs, my mind raced through the hundreds of hours of research, anxiously attempting to recall the very details around the time we finally ordered our tickets. “How could we have missed something as significant as an election?!” Nevertheless, we could not change the past, and Doug Stauffer had just announced his verdict about our ticket situation after returning from a supposed win at “The Great Rapture Debate” in Colorado. He told my husband, Matthew Olds (Matt), “You didn’t do your homework.”
The fire started boiling inside of me as I imagined the dissertation, but I believe it was the Holy Spirit that reminded me that we bought those tickets by faith. We bought them not knowing where our family would actually stay when we arrived, but we held firmly to the belief that the same God who had called us to Zambia was able to work out everything according to His good pleasure. The Lord continued to flood my mind with His countless miracles over the last several months, pivotal moments in which God had proved Himself faithful in our lives and worked in ways beyond our wildest imagine! And yet, at a time when our faith was being tested again, there was Douglas Stauffer, the man Pastor encouraged us to seek counsel from, now firmly purporting that our plans and our research were done in ignorance, and without appropriate investigation.
**Names marked with an asterisk (*) have been changed for the privacy of individuals and their families**
Ignoring the Proof
Despite the poor internet reception in the downstairs nursery (near the pastor’s office), we finally found our saved copy of the Zambian Embassy’s calendar, proving that the upcoming election was not listed even a few months’ back. Matt immediately raced out of the nursery doors and presented the document to Stauffer, but as Matt and Stauffer walked into Pastor Ray’s office just moments later- I was with the children in the nursery- Stauffer proceeded to announce first-thing, “I told Matt that he did not do his homework, but that wasn’t a nice thing to say.” We were essentially caught off guard, despite our belief that Stauffer was a prideful and arrogant man, because we never presumed that Stauffer’s ego would manifest into such an under-handed blow! Unfortunately, Stauffer’s purposeful misleading continued throughout the entirety of the meeting with Pastor Andrew Ray.
Matt followed by presenting our case, humbly admitting that we eagerly bought the tickets shortly after the Lord provided the funds. We had considered the calendar and the drastic season-changes in Zambia, but failed in specifically seeking the Lord’s direction about the exact dates to travel. Stauffer, of course, continued to attack our situation with his concerns, questioning if changing the dates of the trip would not still be futile considering the unknown duration of the rioting, while Matt simply presented what the missionaries in Zambia had advised us to do. Thankfully, Pastor Ray suggested that they call Mitchell Dickens*, a missionary our church supported in Zambia who was currently state-side, but Mitchell Dickens* was unavailable to answer at the time. Following the attempted phone call, Douglas Stauffer then instructed suggested that Matt email Mitchell Dickens* about the situation, as if it were Matt’s responsibility to verify his innocence, or rather, his assumed ignorance.
We understood Stauffer and Pastor Ray’s questions, particularly as we questioned ourselves as to how we could have missed the existence of an election, and why it was not listed on the Zambian Embassy calendar just a few months prior, but within a few days of the meeting, Brother Dickens* responded back, supporting the other missionaries’ advice to change the dates or land somewhere else other than the capital on election day. He further explained why the embassy did not provide prior notice about the elections on the Embassy website:
“With my experience with Zambian elections and being in Lusaka even around election time (not on the very day), I wouldn’t recommend to fly in there on Election Day. The reason there wasn’t prior notice about what day Election Day would be is because it’s not like the USA’s set date in November. Parliament votes on what day Election Day will be with each election and the ruling party sets the date at a time it feels would be most advantageous for them to stay in power (this is the British way of doing it and Zambia has kept that system).”
Matt and I were relieved after reading Brother Dickens’* response a few days later, but Stauffer’s deceitfulness in the meeting had not stopped there. His false allegations transitioned toward the missionaries with whom we planned to stay with during our trip.
In this series I share my thoughts and opinions concerning these ministers and the events which led to my departure. Click here to continue reading: “Blindsided: Douglas Stauffer Twists the Truth” or click on the link below.
For a list of the complete series, click here.
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