Abilene's Unsung Heroes, Part III

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming. Here's part 3 of four:
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This past July, Star Ferguson made her seventh trip halfway across the world to Zambia as part of the medical mission organized by the Hillcrest Church of Christ. Zambia is a long way from the tiny community of Maryneal, TX, that Star called home. Star not only makes the yearly trip to these remote parts of Zambia, she has now taken on a leadership role for the mission trip. Having passed an array of tests she now serves as the mission’s Pharmacy Director.

While she spends three weeks of her summer in Zambia each year, preparing for the trip is a year-round project. “In October I’m raising funds for buying medicines. In December I begin work on the budget. Then the majority of the time leading up to the trip is spent organizing the medicines and preparing to ship it overseas.” For this most recent trip, Ferguson assembled 67 foot lockers and 12 large boxes full of life-giving medicine for the poorest people of this African nation. Over the past two years alone, the Zambian Medical Mission has seen more than 35,000 patients and distributed more than 6 million dollars worth of medicine.

Even though her role as Pharmacy Director means she leaves a week before everyone else, Ferguson is quick to mention the work of the other 129 members of her mission team. “This is both a medical and spiritual mission,” Ferguson says. “There is an eye clinic and a dental clinic going at the same time that we are distributing medicine. And each day there are two sessions of Bible classes for the children. Each session will have up to 400 kids.”

The past couple of trips to Zambia have been extra special to Ferguson. Her husband, daughter, and son have all accompanied Ferguson to Zambia. “Each night we get together in our tent as a family and talk about all the ways that God worked through us that day. What a blessing it is to be able to minister to the poor of Zambia as a family!” These trips have been especially beneficial to her daughter, Rebekah, who plans to attend Pharmacy school after completing her degree this Spring.

When she stepped onto the ACU campus in the Fall of 1978, Ferguson immediately felt its impact on her life. “My teachers like Mae Robbins, Overton Faubus, and Colleen Durrington were the biggest blessing to me. They wanted me to learn, but they were mentors for my spiritual growth at the same time.” Ferguson also credits ACU for helping her find her passion for her Zambian ministry. “ACU gave me a broader view of Christian ministries throughout the world.”

Ferguson is already making plans for next summer’s trip to Zambia – writing thank you notes to sponsors, developing pictures, and preparing reports for the different churches and organizations who support her work. While it may be a lot of work, Ferguson says she plans to continue her yearly excursion for as long as she can.

“Nothing makes me happier than when I’m able to do something for someone else,” Ferguson says. She retold a conversation she had with a Zambian mother on this latest trip. “The mother looked at me and said, ‘God must really love us.’ I looked around at the malnourished children, the sick and the dying, and those living in poverty we can’t even imagine. And she continued, ‘Because He sent you here to help us.’”