Friday, June 22
My time in Zambia has come to a close and my HIZ-Path family is going to disperse. We have not really talked about leaving because we don't want these friendships to end. The world is a much smaller place and there is never truly a "good-bye" anymore. The people that I want to visit with again or that want to visit with me will be in contact. I have truly been blessed by these Christian brothers and sisters that I can now call my friends.
We will be flying from Livingstone, Zambia to Johannesburg, South Africa, then after a 6 hour layover we fly 16 hours to Atlanta, Georgia. In Atlanta we go our separate ways and I fly to DFW. Whew! Lots of airport and airplane time. I know my tears will be coming for the next week or so as different things hit me. Nothing is out of true sadness or regret, but out of sincerity for people who touched my life. Everyone has times in their lives that they wish could last forver. While I miss my home in Abilene, Texas there is something to be said about living in another country for any period of time.
Stay tuned for pictures on Facebook and a group PhotoBucket! Coming in July: Dara (and Erika) go to Peru!!
Sunday, June 24, 2012
On Parade
Thursday, June 21
Today is the day!! I am going to be riding an elephant! We had the free time to do any activity that we wanted. Some people chose to go whitewater rafting, zip lining, or a helicopter ride, but I wanted to do something I had never done before. I zip lined in Argentina and have whitewater rafted in Colorado. The helicopter ride was over my budget and I wanted something truly African.
On our safari elephants were the most frequent animals sighted, but being right next to them was amazing. They had us paired on the elephants and there was a guide/driver on each as well. I rode on a middle age bull named Marula and our driver was named Kennedy. He was very informative and asked us about ourselves. I asked him how he came to work with the elephants. That led to him telling me that he stopped his education at grade 4...he appeared to be in his late 20s and has two kids and a wife to support. That is not uncommon because education is not free. It must be paid for each year. Citizens of Zambia realize that education is important for getting a well paying job but it is difficult. I felt almost selfish when I confessed that our school is free until college and that I was in my Masters degree program.
The elephants had so much personality! They sat down so we could feed them through the trunk or mouth and they saluted us as we left. I was absolutely amazed. We then saw the video that was made of our ride before heading back to our hotel. Worth every penny (or kwatcha) that I spent!
Last evening together before flying home and separating. My roommates and I had agreed to do a "Secret Santa" gift exchange and we gave our gifts. They were all we hoped they'd be! It will be weird to leave everyone tomorrow....
Today is the day!! I am going to be riding an elephant! We had the free time to do any activity that we wanted. Some people chose to go whitewater rafting, zip lining, or a helicopter ride, but I wanted to do something I had never done before. I zip lined in Argentina and have whitewater rafted in Colorado. The helicopter ride was over my budget and I wanted something truly African.
On our safari elephants were the most frequent animals sighted, but being right next to them was amazing. They had us paired on the elephants and there was a guide/driver on each as well. I rode on a middle age bull named Marula and our driver was named Kennedy. He was very informative and asked us about ourselves. I asked him how he came to work with the elephants. That led to him telling me that he stopped his education at grade 4...he appeared to be in his late 20s and has two kids and a wife to support. That is not uncommon because education is not free. It must be paid for each year. Citizens of Zambia realize that education is important for getting a well paying job but it is difficult. I felt almost selfish when I confessed that our school is free until college and that I was in my Masters degree program.
The elephants had so much personality! They sat down so we could feed them through the trunk or mouth and they saluted us as we left. I was absolutely amazed. We then saw the video that was made of our ride before heading back to our hotel. Worth every penny (or kwatcha) that I spent!
Last evening together before flying home and separating. My roommates and I had agreed to do a "Secret Santa" gift exchange and we gave our gifts. They were all we hoped they'd be! It will be weird to leave everyone tomorrow....
Setting Sun
Wednesday, June 20
Wednesday was fairly laid back. We were able to hit up the market in the downtown area for our last gifts for going home. I used the last of my pens and hairties to bring their prices down but they weren't nearly as agressive as the market at the Falls. Still don't like bartering very much....
I ate my lunch while sitting out by the pool at our hotel. Even though it is winter there, it is still very warm. That evening we took a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River on a three deck boat called "Lady Livingstone". It was a great way to relax and enjoy the beauty surrounding us. There was food served and we were able to see an active group of hippos on our ride. The sunset itself was absolutely gorgeous! I really don't know if it beats a Texas sunset, but it comes extremely close :)
While this was not the most missional day of our trip, it allowed me to look back on what I had experienced and how my life had been changed for the better. I like to think that I seized every opportunity to learn, watch, and listen to the hearts of Zambia. God will continue to be at work in the children and adults that work with them.
As I wrap up my posts concerning this adventure, I want to express my thanks for your support and prayer. I could not have done this without each and every one of you! May the adventures continue, abroad and at home!
Wednesday was fairly laid back. We were able to hit up the market in the downtown area for our last gifts for going home. I used the last of my pens and hairties to bring their prices down but they weren't nearly as agressive as the market at the Falls. Still don't like bartering very much....
I ate my lunch while sitting out by the pool at our hotel. Even though it is winter there, it is still very warm. That evening we took a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River on a three deck boat called "Lady Livingstone". It was a great way to relax and enjoy the beauty surrounding us. There was food served and we were able to see an active group of hippos on our ride. The sunset itself was absolutely gorgeous! I really don't know if it beats a Texas sunset, but it comes extremely close :)
While this was not the most missional day of our trip, it allowed me to look back on what I had experienced and how my life had been changed for the better. I like to think that I seized every opportunity to learn, watch, and listen to the hearts of Zambia. God will continue to be at work in the children and adults that work with them.
As I wrap up my posts concerning this adventure, I want to express my thanks for your support and prayer. I could not have done this without each and every one of you! May the adventures continue, abroad and at home!
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Elephants, Giraffes, Hippos, O My!
Tuesday, June 19
SAFARI!!
It was an early morning. The bus came to pick us up at 7:30 am and drove us to the Zambia border. We crossed over into Botswana on a boat after having our passports stamped. Then we hopped in vans to be taken to the lodge where we left on boats again for the first part of the safari. Got it? Bus, boat, van, boat, then later on is jeep, boat, bus. The lodge was very nice and so was the boat. We saw monkeys, crocodiles, pumbas, meercats, sables, impalas, elephants and hippos on the boat part! So amazing!! I think my favorite was the elephants...
After a buffet lunch, we got into 3 separarte jeeps for the land part. Our driver's name was Win. He was very knowledgable about the animals. During this part we saw herds of elephants, pumbas, baboons, a monitor, sables, impala, giraffes and....wait for it...a leopard! The giraffes and the leopard was my favorite on this leg of the safari. The leopard was gorgeous but also how we got there was a blast. We had taken the river bank path to look at some elephants that were bathing. Once we got there, the radio sounded with announcement of the leopard sighting. Cats are rare during the daytime, so Win whipped around and jetted down the bank. I was in the back seat so I got all the bumps and we were excited about the chase!
Long day but we made it back and had dinner while watching soccer :) Tomorrow is a free morning and a sunset cruise in the evening. I still need to pay for my elephant ride...we'll see what happens at the ATM. I am missing those babies more and more each day! Pray that they will continue to benefit from our work there and that we will have a safe journey home on Friday. Can't believe its so close to over
SAFARI!!
It was an early morning. The bus came to pick us up at 7:30 am and drove us to the Zambia border. We crossed over into Botswana on a boat after having our passports stamped. Then we hopped in vans to be taken to the lodge where we left on boats again for the first part of the safari. Got it? Bus, boat, van, boat, then later on is jeep, boat, bus. The lodge was very nice and so was the boat. We saw monkeys, crocodiles, pumbas, meercats, sables, impalas, elephants and hippos on the boat part! So amazing!! I think my favorite was the elephants...
After a buffet lunch, we got into 3 separarte jeeps for the land part. Our driver's name was Win. He was very knowledgable about the animals. During this part we saw herds of elephants, pumbas, baboons, a monitor, sables, impala, giraffes and....wait for it...a leopard! The giraffes and the leopard was my favorite on this leg of the safari. The leopard was gorgeous but also how we got there was a blast. We had taken the river bank path to look at some elephants that were bathing. Once we got there, the radio sounded with announcement of the leopard sighting. Cats are rare during the daytime, so Win whipped around and jetted down the bank. I was in the back seat so I got all the bumps and we were excited about the chase!
Long day but we made it back and had dinner while watching soccer :) Tomorrow is a free morning and a sunset cruise in the evening. I still need to pay for my elephant ride...we'll see what happens at the ATM. I am missing those babies more and more each day! Pray that they will continue to benefit from our work there and that we will have a safe journey home on Friday. Can't believe its so close to over
Final Stretch
Monday, June 18
I probably shouldv'e put this in my previous posts but Sunday is also when we had our banquet at an Italian restauraunt called Olga's. We sat out in the courtyard for the meal and soon after gathered around for our awards. They were silly awards and generally had something to do with the personalities during the last few weeks. If I were to tell you the award titles you would not understand, so I will spare you. lol.
On Monday we got up and headed to Victoria Falls again. This time we could see everything and truly appreciate its full beauty. I was just as soaked as before, but had time to dry before going out to barter. I had a chance to stick my feet into the water and walk down a long, steep and winding path to the "Boiling Pot". The view was beautiful (and I didn't have my camera for the last part)! Always amazing at God's natural creations. If you remember my post about bartering before, I did a lot better this time, even though there were some new curveballs thrown in. I brought a whole bag of pens with me to Africa but did not have all of them with me. I quickly bartered off the ones I had and all but three of my hairties, gaining all but 3 of my gifts to bring back. Not bad! The prices were higher than when we came before so I really had to bring them down. Whew! Stressful, but we all helped each other and kept an eye out this time.
The lunch hours and a little of the afternoon was free for eating and taking showers. At 3:15 we met up to go to high tea at the Royal Livingstone. We had tea cups and kettles, 6 choices of tea,s and all the sweets and quiches we could eat. It was hot outside but we still enjoyed it. We were warned that monkeys might attempt to steal our sugar packets but we did not see any! Kind of disappointed. However, we did see a lone zebra walk across the lawn and next to the swimming pool! After our tea when had time to walk the grounds and sit on the deck to watch the sunset.
Great adventure #1 and 2 of Livingstone! Tomorrow is safari day :)
I probably shouldv'e put this in my previous posts but Sunday is also when we had our banquet at an Italian restauraunt called Olga's. We sat out in the courtyard for the meal and soon after gathered around for our awards. They were silly awards and generally had something to do with the personalities during the last few weeks. If I were to tell you the award titles you would not understand, so I will spare you. lol.
On Monday we got up and headed to Victoria Falls again. This time we could see everything and truly appreciate its full beauty. I was just as soaked as before, but had time to dry before going out to barter. I had a chance to stick my feet into the water and walk down a long, steep and winding path to the "Boiling Pot". The view was beautiful (and I didn't have my camera for the last part)! Always amazing at God's natural creations. If you remember my post about bartering before, I did a lot better this time, even though there were some new curveballs thrown in. I brought a whole bag of pens with me to Africa but did not have all of them with me. I quickly bartered off the ones I had and all but three of my hairties, gaining all but 3 of my gifts to bring back. Not bad! The prices were higher than when we came before so I really had to bring them down. Whew! Stressful, but we all helped each other and kept an eye out this time.
The lunch hours and a little of the afternoon was free for eating and taking showers. At 3:15 we met up to go to high tea at the Royal Livingstone. We had tea cups and kettles, 6 choices of tea,s and all the sweets and quiches we could eat. It was hot outside but we still enjoyed it. We were warned that monkeys might attempt to steal our sugar packets but we did not see any! Kind of disappointed. However, we did see a lone zebra walk across the lawn and next to the swimming pool! After our tea when had time to walk the grounds and sit on the deck to watch the sunset.
Great adventure #1 and 2 of Livingstone! Tomorrow is safari day :)
See Ya Later
Sunday, June 17
Today was our final day in Namwianga before heading to Livingstone for 5 days. We had already said "see ya later" to Justin and Webster last night and it was more difficult than I thought it would be. To keep from crying Webster prayed "God, help me to understand this". It just makes me think about how we form relationships back home versus in other countries. We may see them again but they are not likely to be able to make it to the States.
At church, we were able to see some of the kids from the Havens one last time. I have become attached to one of the 3 year old boys and he was already sitting with someone when service started. It made me a little sad but I knew that God would heal my heart. Once singing started, the little boy found me several rows in front of where he was and sat with me! He played with my watch until it was time to pull out my Bible. Then he switched to flipping the pages as I attempted to help him follow along. Sure, he couldn't understand what he was supposed to do with it, but it hit me in a new way. He would someday be able to read and use that curiosity to learn about Jesus. We sang several songs that made me tear up, knowing that I may never see him again. He even looked up at me while I was singing [insert aw].
I am so thankful to have met every one of the people and babies here! They have forever changed my perspective in my profession and my life. May the blessings continue to be shared!
Today was our final day in Namwianga before heading to Livingstone for 5 days. We had already said "see ya later" to Justin and Webster last night and it was more difficult than I thought it would be. To keep from crying Webster prayed "God, help me to understand this". It just makes me think about how we form relationships back home versus in other countries. We may see them again but they are not likely to be able to make it to the States.
At church, we were able to see some of the kids from the Havens one last time. I have become attached to one of the 3 year old boys and he was already sitting with someone when service started. It made me a little sad but I knew that God would heal my heart. Once singing started, the little boy found me several rows in front of where he was and sat with me! He played with my watch until it was time to pull out my Bible. Then he switched to flipping the pages as I attempted to help him follow along. Sure, he couldn't understand what he was supposed to do with it, but it hit me in a new way. He would someday be able to read and use that curiosity to learn about Jesus. We sang several songs that made me tear up, knowing that I may never see him again. He even looked up at me while I was singing [insert aw].
I am so thankful to have met every one of the people and babies here! They have forever changed my perspective in my profession and my life. May the blessings continue to be shared!
Friday, June 15, 2012
Will "The Real Africa" Please Stand Up?
Friday, June 15
We have completed our therapy days here and tomorrow is our good-bye day...what a time it has been. This past week was full of things that we had wanted to do but had put off until now as well. We watched a couple movies (with popcorn of course), had meetings about our travel week, got on top of one of the containers to watch the stars (which was one of the best nights ever, at least 12 shooting stars in the course of 3 hours), and learned the marriage traditions of Zambia. Don't worry, none of us actually got married, but we wanted to know what happens here. Our watchmen friends, Justin and Webster, who are both married already, were kind enough to act it out with us. Pretty sure I laughed until it hurt.
Other than working with the babies, it has been a week of minimal showers and lengthy blackouts. We have, until this point, had plenty of water to shower, brush our teeth, wash our face and use the toilet. As well as predictable blackouts on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but this week did not fit the mold at all. I don't mind because we are all in the same boat, but none of us want to get sick either. This group has been through the stomach bug, pink eye and ringworm. I only had nausea for one day, thankfully.
I will post about more deatils tomorrow. It is bedtime here. Comment if you want to know anything that I haven't written about :)
We have completed our therapy days here and tomorrow is our good-bye day...what a time it has been. This past week was full of things that we had wanted to do but had put off until now as well. We watched a couple movies (with popcorn of course), had meetings about our travel week, got on top of one of the containers to watch the stars (which was one of the best nights ever, at least 12 shooting stars in the course of 3 hours), and learned the marriage traditions of Zambia. Don't worry, none of us actually got married, but we wanted to know what happens here. Our watchmen friends, Justin and Webster, who are both married already, were kind enough to act it out with us. Pretty sure I laughed until it hurt.
Other than working with the babies, it has been a week of minimal showers and lengthy blackouts. We have, until this point, had plenty of water to shower, brush our teeth, wash our face and use the toilet. As well as predictable blackouts on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but this week did not fit the mold at all. I don't mind because we are all in the same boat, but none of us want to get sick either. This group has been through the stomach bug, pink eye and ringworm. I only had nausea for one day, thankfully.
I will post about more deatils tomorrow. It is bedtime here. Comment if you want to know anything that I haven't written about :)
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Worthy Soul
Sunday, June 10
Wow! I feel like I'm just now getting the chance to breathe. Today was amazing!
We woke up early to pack the Land Cruiser (Khaki Jackie), Land Rover (Red Fred), and two trucks for the drive out to Kasibi Church of Christ. I rode in the bed of one of the trucks, holding tightly the whole way of course. One of my roommates, Kathy, had never ridden in the bed of a truck so she had a blast. As they say here, "There is always room for one more", so along our back roads journey into the bush we picked up some more locals. The chilly wind woke us up quickly.
About 10 am, we arrived at the church and began Bible study. The women sit on one side and the men sit on the other. It was the smallest building and we were crammed in. The benches were wooden without back support, so three hours later we were stiff. Mr. Calder was the speaker today and his message was very good. It was relatable to Zambians and Americans alike. I truly felt like I was worshipping with my brothers and sisters today. Not that I don't always, but this was a smaller group.
After Bible study and service, there were special singings. They sang for us and then we got up there and sang three songs for them. One in English and two in Tonga...they seemed impressed. When all of that was done, we shook hands with everyone in a line and made our way to Leonard's house across the creek. He had prepared a meal for us, the town band came and we danced with the children. I am getting closer to their type of dancing but still not completely sure how to move like that! There will be videos and pictures posted when I return home.
Whew! After all that it was naptime. I have loved every minute of my time here and know there is so much more to experience. God has truly blessed me with friends, local and from the States, who are able to share these experience with me and show me new things. In the sermon today we talked about worth and what makes something worthy. I believe that we forget what is worthy, or Who is worthy, beacuse we are so surrounded by things to distract. We don't always wake up and thank God for the sunrise, water to brush our teeth, electricity to see our way around, the person sitting beside us, or the eyes that we use to take it all in. So what is worthy? Does our soul cry out of the glories we have seen or do we pass them by?
Love to each of you! Pray that we will give our best during this last week of therapy and that we would not discount the worth of our time here.
Wow! I feel like I'm just now getting the chance to breathe. Today was amazing!
We woke up early to pack the Land Cruiser (Khaki Jackie), Land Rover (Red Fred), and two trucks for the drive out to Kasibi Church of Christ. I rode in the bed of one of the trucks, holding tightly the whole way of course. One of my roommates, Kathy, had never ridden in the bed of a truck so she had a blast. As they say here, "There is always room for one more", so along our back roads journey into the bush we picked up some more locals. The chilly wind woke us up quickly.
About 10 am, we arrived at the church and began Bible study. The women sit on one side and the men sit on the other. It was the smallest building and we were crammed in. The benches were wooden without back support, so three hours later we were stiff. Mr. Calder was the speaker today and his message was very good. It was relatable to Zambians and Americans alike. I truly felt like I was worshipping with my brothers and sisters today. Not that I don't always, but this was a smaller group.
After Bible study and service, there were special singings. They sang for us and then we got up there and sang three songs for them. One in English and two in Tonga...they seemed impressed. When all of that was done, we shook hands with everyone in a line and made our way to Leonard's house across the creek. He had prepared a meal for us, the town band came and we danced with the children. I am getting closer to their type of dancing but still not completely sure how to move like that! There will be videos and pictures posted when I return home.
Whew! After all that it was naptime. I have loved every minute of my time here and know there is so much more to experience. God has truly blessed me with friends, local and from the States, who are able to share these experience with me and show me new things. In the sermon today we talked about worth and what makes something worthy. I believe that we forget what is worthy, or Who is worthy, beacuse we are so surrounded by things to distract. We don't always wake up and thank God for the sunrise, water to brush our teeth, electricity to see our way around, the person sitting beside us, or the eyes that we use to take it all in. So what is worthy? Does our soul cry out of the glories we have seen or do we pass them by?
Love to each of you! Pray that we will give our best during this last week of therapy and that we would not discount the worth of our time here.
All Natural
Saturday, June 9
We went to Choma again today and this time we knew where we were going. My roommates and I have started a "Gift Exchange" while we are here. The goal is to find a weird, but usable gift for the roommate who's name you draw. Four of us will be be going to Livingstone next week but one is staying behind so we went ahead and got her gift...fake hair to weave in so she will not feel alone once we're gone....we'll see how she likes it :)
Tonight we headed out to Jordan's rock for Ian's birthday celebration. There were hot dogs roasted, s'mores and of course a cake made by Leonard. We took pictures and sang songs around the fire. What fun! It is a tradition here in Zambia to drench the birthday kid with water, but we were nice and just gave Ian a Dr. Pepper to drink.
Yet another blessed day in Zambia! Another full day awaits us tomorrow.
We went to Choma again today and this time we knew where we were going. My roommates and I have started a "Gift Exchange" while we are here. The goal is to find a weird, but usable gift for the roommate who's name you draw. Four of us will be be going to Livingstone next week but one is staying behind so we went ahead and got her gift...fake hair to weave in so she will not feel alone once we're gone....we'll see how she likes it :)
Tonight we headed out to Jordan's rock for Ian's birthday celebration. There were hot dogs roasted, s'mores and of course a cake made by Leonard. We took pictures and sang songs around the fire. What fun! It is a tradition here in Zambia to drench the birthday kid with water, but we were nice and just gave Ian a Dr. Pepper to drink.
Yet another blessed day in Zambia! Another full day awaits us tomorrow.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
True to Your Heart
Wednesday, June 6
Not a whole lot of new happened today, but this was the first time that the girls of the group (majority) got togther to talk about our thoughts and experiences so far. I wasn't sure how people had truly been feeling and so it was nice to hear that I am not alone.
We told of our favorite experiences so far and the kids that had touched our hearts. Actually we have not only been touched, we have fallen in love with these children. One of the young supervisors voiced what I had been feeling...that I love mission work and also love speech pathology, so I wanted to see how they fit together. So far I have been pleased with the results and feeling. God can use everyone's passions for His glory anywhere in the world. We just have to be open to new things, new places and potentially uncomfortable situations. Being with an established group does help, but I think that it is possible otherwise as well.
Heath, Memory, Seth, Kurt, Marcus, Jonathan, Maleele, Lincoln, Joseph, JJ, Peace and Queen are some of the kids I will never forget. Some of them have a long road ahead medically and others are simply orphans, but I love them all the same. Each one makes me thankful for my parents and how I was raised. They make me excited about having my own children someday and watching them grow, getting excited about the small victories each day. Singing them the same songs about Jesus and how much they are loved as we do here. Hopefully the words "Yes, I know" will be yelled with the same conviction and pride.
Have I met my sappy quota today? Haha. Just being true to my heart.
Not a whole lot of new happened today, but this was the first time that the girls of the group (majority) got togther to talk about our thoughts and experiences so far. I wasn't sure how people had truly been feeling and so it was nice to hear that I am not alone.
We told of our favorite experiences so far and the kids that had touched our hearts. Actually we have not only been touched, we have fallen in love with these children. One of the young supervisors voiced what I had been feeling...that I love mission work and also love speech pathology, so I wanted to see how they fit together. So far I have been pleased with the results and feeling. God can use everyone's passions for His glory anywhere in the world. We just have to be open to new things, new places and potentially uncomfortable situations. Being with an established group does help, but I think that it is possible otherwise as well.
Heath, Memory, Seth, Kurt, Marcus, Jonathan, Maleele, Lincoln, Joseph, JJ, Peace and Queen are some of the kids I will never forget. Some of them have a long road ahead medically and others are simply orphans, but I love them all the same. Each one makes me thankful for my parents and how I was raised. They make me excited about having my own children someday and watching them grow, getting excited about the small victories each day. Singing them the same songs about Jesus and how much they are loved as we do here. Hopefully the words "Yes, I know" will be yelled with the same conviction and pride.
Have I met my sappy quota today? Haha. Just being true to my heart.
Wanted: Bartering Skills
Monday, June 4
We worked the morning as usual and then headed to
Livingstone to see Victoria Falls and the lunar rainbow. Everyone is so
excited! Our hotel was so amazing…Protea at Livingstone. We were very fortunate
to have hot showers and comfy beds for the night. In two weeks we will be back
at the same hotel for a week doing the more touristy things.
We had time to venture out for dinner. I went with
Mel, Kathy, Ben and Kara to a seafood place called Ocean Basket. Before that,
we stopped at the store to buy chocolate…definitely a luxury (Cadbury). What a
great group of friends to eat with and I would recommend the food as well. The
lunar rainbow happens only 4-5 times a year and we went on the night that it
was the brightest. If you have been following my blog since I went to South
America, you know that I have seen Iguacu Falls in Brazil and Argentina…Victoria
Falls did not disappoint either. Even at night they are immaculate! After
watching the rainbow for a little bit we walked down with our flashlights and
walked the path, getting soaked in the process. We were all whooping and
hollering with excitement and joy. Can’t wait to go back in the daytime!
Once you leave the falls, there are shops outside at
which the salesmen love to barter and trade with you for the items that they
have crafted. We were thrown into this, having been warned, but not completely
prepared this time. I had brought pens and hairties to trade, but did not have
them with me…bad decision. They will literally trade for anything. I bought a
few things knowing I could do better on a price but got away with little dent
in my bank account. Whew! I will be more prepared next time!
Upon our return to the hotel we took our showers and
went to bed. The next morning breakfast was a dream! We could order an omelette,
have potatoes, beans, crossants, fruit, bacon, coffee, and several juices.
Anything you like! We were stuffed and ready to return on the bus.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Full Cream, Skim Milk
Sunday, June 3
What a full day! Sunday morning church, children’s church,
baking cupcakes, visiting the college dorms, watching a soccer match, evening
church, talk about abstinence, and singing with Webster. Whew!
I would love to write out every detail about today but it
would take a long time to type. I will say that baking cupcakes and the talk
about abstinence were probably the most interesting parts. The title of my blog
post today alludes to the talk and for those of you who wish to know more I can
tell you. HIV-AIDS is a huge deal here in Zambia and church is a great place to
talk about it in biblical contexts. Our
group was just not expecting to hear about it during our time here. Plus, it
was taught by the missionaries here so we understood every word. Baking
cupcakes was a blast and the icing was amazing. We did chocolate and coffee
cupcakes with a cocoa icing (butter and powdered sugar based). I have walked
enough to not gain any weight on this trip, but I still need to be careful. Lol.
Good, good life.
Faith Like Potatoes
Saturday, June 2
Last night we had our first group movie night on the
veranda. The movie was Faith like Potatoes. I had heard of it before, but never
seen it. The story started in Zambia and moved over to South Africa. I won’t
spoil the whole plot for you, but I did cry in several parts and laugh as well
(the mark of a great movie). It is based on a true story and the main point was
that faith is a hard fought process. There are dry periods and plentiful
periods. We must trust, listen, obey, follow, pray and speak. I felt that it
was very appropriate to watch while in Zambia, so that I could appreciate it
better. There have been times in my life that I did not want to give faith
time. I wanted to speed up the process, but in most cases, waiting produced an
even better result than I could’ve imagined.
I think I have forgotten the importance of hugs back home.
Don’t get me wrong, I love hugs but I do not give them as freely as some
people. The kids here need that sensory feeling, but even more so need the love
that it conveys. I know I keep saying this, but the simple life here is
humbling me and reminding me of what I value most. Toys here are pieces of
plastic, rugs, dirt, rocks, string, and occasionally a soccer ball. I shouldn’t
start naming toys that we have….
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