We left the states 2 weeks ago today. I can’t believe the time has gone so fast. The plane ride was long, but so far it is has been worth the 15 hour flight from Atlanta to Jo-burg. We finally arrived in Zambia on Saturday, September 12 around noon. We took a very long and bumpy 3-4 hour bus ride from Livingstone to Choma. I honestly thought, “Are we ever going to make it?”
When we arrived on the WHIZ (World Hope International Zambia) campus, I was amazed at how beautiful everything was/is. There are three main buildings on the compound, the office, a missionary house, and the guesthouse (where we are staying).
Our first meal was a traditional Zambian meal consisting of Nshima, chicken, green beans and carrots, salad, and soup (it is more like a tomato sauce) – It was good and an adventure. Why an adventure? Because we had to eat it Zambian Style, meaning, no utensils. It was a very entertaining experience.
Church was really neat the first Sunday. I went to Choma Central with 4 other IWU girls. It was “Thanksgiving Sunday.” I enjoyed it. The pastor preached for about an hour and a half. Then we had our Thanksgiving offering. This woman brought in a live goat for her offering. What an eye opening experience, truly her best that she could offer. The other neat thing is at the end of the service, everyone shakes each other’s hands. The pastor goes right outside the door, then people line up side by side and as they go to the end of the line, they shake hands with every one. It is a neat thing to take a part in. So, at the end, we had a very long line of people.
The first week consisted of a lot of sessions. We learned about all the different ministries that WHIZ has. We also had class. (I am on a study abroad adventure, so I guess I need to have class, right mom and dad?)
Something that I love about Zambians is how much they are concerned about greetings. They are all so welcoming to us. One time this week, when we were out in the town, we had people coming up to us and saying, “Welcome to Zambia, please enjoy your stay.” I honestly think that not many people would do this in the states. What an honoring experience.
Another thing are the Sunsets. If you have seen my facebook at all, I have taken a few pictures most of the nights with a beautiful sunset. Every night has been different, which is amazing, but the one thing is always consistent, it is ALWAYS beautiful. Just a good reminder of God’s faithfulness and His love for all of us.
Something you could pray for: We were supposed to be going out with some of the WHIZ staff to the villages to take food to them earlier this week. On Monday, we found out that the company that supplies the Mealy-Meal (sp?) is out of stock. This Mealy-Meal is the staple of the Zambian households. It is made of ground up corn, they make Nshima out of Mealy-Meal. Therefore, we cannot go out and give food to the villages. These people are waiting and expecting the food from my understanding. Which means they most likely are hungry. We, as Americans, just want to fix the problem, but it is not a money issue, it the fact that the actual Mealy-Meal is out of stock. Please pray that God would refill the stock and we will be able to take food out to the villages.
Overall, this experience has been great. I am learning about the Zambian culture and falling in love with the people here. It is so neat to see the passion of the workers here at WHIZ. They truly are showing God’s love to the people here in Zambia. I am looking forward to the different opportunities that God will place in front of me. My prayer is that I can show God’s love and power through my words and actions.
