Serengeti

Special thanks to Mark Berryman for planning out our trip to the Serengeti. Mark works in the Bible department at Harding and led our group through HUT (Harding at Tahkota). He has become a good friend to us so we were all happy that he was able to join us in Tanzania. Thanks to Mark, we were able to explore the central and western regions of the Serengeti and stay in the nicest lodge I have ever seen.

This entire trip I have simply been going with the flow of things. I take it one day at a time and try not to ask questions. I did not know what to expect from the Serengeti, especially since we had such a wonderful Safari in Botswana. Our time in the Serengeti turned out to be another life-changing experience where I was able to experience God's creation bringing glory to him. I have read many books during my stay in Africa, looking for answers; however, words are not enough to explain God. Although C.S. Lewis is an incredible theist known for his logical explanations of Christainity, his books could never clear as many doubts as the Serengeti. God's creation first hand answers more questions than any book and gave me a break from trying to reason my way through Christianity. 

We spent two nights in the middle of the Serengeti. The lodge was incredibly nice. When Quintyn and I entered our room we agreed it was the nicest place we had ever stayed. There was a front deck overlooking the Serengeti and we could see Zebra, Cape Buffalo, Antelope, and more. The guys spent a lot of our time by the pool in our robes. The whole experience made us feel guilty from living in the bush for three months. I am sure I will experience this again in the states. The lodge has Masai warriors as the security. The Masai who escorted us, Moses, claimed to have killed a cheetah, lion, and buffalo all with a spear. We were very skeptical at first, but after learning more of the Masai people I no longer doubt Moses, who stands at 6'4. To this day, the Masai fear nothing and they often drink cows blood mixed with milk. 

The safari was more than I could have ever asked for. During our drives we saw everything possible. Many people have been to the Serengeti many times without seeing lions, leopards, or cheetahs, yet we saw all three. I cam within five feet of a female lions and was able to see 4 cheetahs.

Goat and Rice

The four of us, along with Kevin, made a 120-kilometer journey to visit a couple of village churches. I cannot explain how far out in the bush we ended up. Just imagine driving out into the middle of nowhere as far as possible and then driving another hour. On the way to the village, we stopped by a small church, led the service, then left. A few more kilometers down the trail we came across a woman with a terrible second degree burn on her hand. In Zambia, a woman would gladly allow us to scrub her hand to clean it; however, the threshold of pain here in Tanzania must be much less. The woman did not want us to even touch her hand, she just wanted some medicine to put in it. If she would not let us clean her hand, Tanner's first-aid ointment would be no better than soapy water; so we left her there with some ibuprofen. I will never forget the unbelievable tolerance the Zambians had for pain. Sometimes I would clean a wound that had to be excruciatingly painful, but they would simply take the pain without squinting. On our way back, we found out the woman visited the nearest clinic so Kevin gave her some shillings to help cover the costs.

When we eventually arrived at the small congregation known as Mwanaluku, I gave my second lesson of the day. I spoke about persevering and not letting people, alcohol, or witchcraft stand in the way. I tried to use illustrations that would make since to them, like hills and bikes. My name was recorded in the church's small notebook. Kevin jokingly informed me that praise songs will be sung using my words and several children may be named Kelsey in the future.

The Sukuma people are extremely hospitable and treated us like honored guests. Our presence gave them and excuse for a 48-hour celebration. Two goats were slaughtered for us and we were given more than enough to eat. Each time we sat to eat there would be a huge pile of rice and goat before us. Our second meal of goat was quite a shock. As we sat in the pitch black room, I knew I smelt something funny in the rice. I decided it would be best to not know and just kept eating (if one does not eat all of their food, it is not wasted because the children will eat it. However, Africans will sometimes be offended if you do not finish). My appetite completely vanished as I bit into something with hair in it. I made the mistake of smelling my fingers, which were stained with the scent of dirty intestines. At this point, we were all suspicious since we could only identify a few pieces in the dark. Q pulled out his flashlight, which was a big mistake. Trey and I found a few things in the bowl that we still are not able to identify. All I know is that one piece was just skin with hair that resembled a black wig. I just told myself it was part of the tail and did work. I never thought I would be relieved to get to the goat testicles. Aside from the organs, the meat was wonderful. Mom, please no rice for a while!

Anytime we were standing, the village people would immediately bring us their wooden chairs to sit on. At one point they were nervous that Tanner was sitting on a rock and made him sit in the chair. The chairs were quite uncomfortable, but they made sure we were never standing. They also insisted that we each bathe.

I will never forget the Sukuma people and their way of life. Hopefully this will not be my last visit to Tanzania, and I will one day sing and dance with the Sukuma people again. I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Mwanza

After three plane rides we have arrived safely in Mwanza, Tanzania. I will be updating this blog using my iPhone, so the entries will be considerably shorter. I continually notice how wonderful airplane food is, no matter how bad it tastes. Although I would never eat a birdseed granola bar type thing on the ground, it tastes magnificent at 30,000 feet. Something about having packaged food brought to you on a fold out tray on a plane enhances the tastes of a bologna sandwich. 

After only three months overseas, the barrier of language has already become very frustrating. I spent my entire time in Zambia struggling to understand Tonga, only to get on a plane full of people speaking French. I took two years of French in Highschool and do not remember a thing. Once we arrived, I was informed that my luggage did not make it, along with three others.

Tanner, Trey, Quintyn and I are staying with Kevin and Charity Linderman and their three young boys. The Linderman's are very hospitable and have allowed us to eat all of their food. In return we will try to entertain their children enough to exhaust them and put them to sleep early. 

Today we visited a museum and watched traditional dances pertaining to the Sukuma people. I will not bore you with the specifics of the museum. After the dances we met at Jason Miller's house. Jason and his family make up another fourth of the missionary team. Before dinner they explained the different roles each family plays on the mission team. Tanzania is a beautiful place. Mwanza is much more developed than most of Zambia.

Things I Have Learned...

What NOT to do in Zambia

I have learned many things about the African culture that I would have never been able to pick up on from reading. It is hard to find time for oneself since we are always so busy and the children wish to be entertained at all times. These are some things to avoid if you ever go to Africa.

• Use the new iPhone 4 to take pictures instead of an ugly less appealing camera.
• Leave food and other intriguing items lying out to see in the room.
• Swing one child around in circles until becoming dizzy. 10 will be in line before you come to.
• Entertain an orphan five minutes before leaving. When it is time to go, they will cry and the feeling is awful.
• Eat a termite without killing it first. The big pinchers work.

Cultural Differences
1) Men hold hands
a. My friends always catch me off guard when they walk up from behind and interlock fingers with me. This is perfectly normal for friends to do in Zambia, but in America these guys might receive a punch in the face after being called a “homo.”
b. I do not mean a firm man hand hold either. It is a gentle finger hold that is very awkward for those of that are not use to it.
c. It is important to take this as a sign of friendship and not be rude to someone who holds your hand.
2) Nursing children at funeral
a. Doesn’t matter when or where; here it is culturally appropriate to breast feed your child no matter what the occasion. It is no surprise when a baby starts to cry in the clinic and the mother immediately begins to breast feed in front of those around.
3) Time
a. Time is very frustrating here; especially if you have something to get done. Many times people show up two hours late for something and do not feel the need to apologize. Because for Zambians the event is important, not the time. If someone is running late for a meeting, they will still stop and talk to a friend for up to 30 minutes and this is normal. The graduation ceremony was supposed to start at 1; however, no one even showed up until after 2. When I say no one I include those who ran the ceremony.
4) Electricity is not a necessity. No one here relies on it.
a. The electricity goes off all of the time, but this is not a complaint. After a couple weeks it no longer fazes me. So you can imagine how little it affects those who have spent their entire lives here.
5) Water is limited
a. We currently are limited to 100 gallons until the water line is fixed.
b. There is a saying: “If it is yellow, let it mellow.” I like to add: “if it is green, flee the scene.”
6) Food
a. Zambians have snima EVERY meal and they LOVE it. Some say they are even addicted to it. Augustine says you are not Zambian if you do not like snima. I have acquired the taste and enjoy it as well. It is simply corn meal stuff and water. I do not exaggerate when I say they eat it every meal everyday.
7) Hunting
a. We went hunting with the guys from Eric’s house and this was a completely different experience than in America. We simply took off with knives and a pack of 6 fast dogs.
8) Hitching Rides
a. If you have room in your vehicle and someone is walking along the road, one is obligated to pick that person up. Many times we have piled up to 8 people into a little car or even more in the back of a truck. Everyone here is very hospitable and caring when it comes to giving rides. I look forward to using my car when I arrive back in the states. I miss my little Dodge Neon that my parents were willing to give me; I now see that it is nicer than all the cars in Zambia. If an elderly woman is walking along the road, one must stop to pick her up.

Marles' Gift

Some of you may be wondering what has happened to Marles (NOT Mars). Although we have been quite busy we still keep in touch with our old friend. Marles finally brought us the cow that he had promised. The cow looked quite healthy and we are very grateful for this gift. Today we decided to slaughter the animal and give most of the meat to the workers here on the mission. I won’t go into detail, but it was a great time!

Independence Day

So yesterday (Sunday) was Zambia’s Independence Day. Since it fell on a Sunday the word around town was that celebrations would take place on Monday, since all of the students are out of school. Several of us headed to town today (Monday) with a couple of our Zambian friends, Augustine and Edmo. Both Augustine and Edmo are students at George Benson Christian College here at Namwianga.
When we finally arrived in town, we headed towards Kalomo highschool for the Independents Day celebrations. We were looking forward to drums and dancing all day. When we arrived, several older men informed us that the city kids celebrated Independents Day on Sunday. I was absolutely shocked that people would celebrate Independents Day ON Independence Day; instead of the day after. I was determined when I woke up this morning to have a culturally enlightening experience, so we decided to keep walking. Augustine and Edmo led us to a very old-school bridge that was quite sketch. Although I was afraid of breaking through the old wood on the walkway and falling, it was very beautiful. The bridge reminded me of a great setting for senior pictures. Apparently the other guys felt the same way, so we began taking pictures of one another with our shirts unbuttoned and the wind blowing in our hair.
While climbing on the bridge we saw some Zambian children playing in the water. We obviously had to strip down to our boxers and join them, disregarding the fact that the water is filthy with parasites and that we could very possible get hook worm, bilharzia, roundworm, whipworm, or death. We had an absolute blast playing with the children and throwing them into the air. We formed a basket toss (cheerleading type things with two people) and threw the children into the air one at a time. Some went up to 10 feet in the air, doing flips and flops. Quintyn teaches gymnastics and I used to be a gymnast myself, so we entertained the children with flips and spins. I was looking forward to celebrating Independence Day with my Zambian friends; however, I ended up having much more fun diving headfirst into African Culture.

Northern Province

As many of you already know, most of my valuables were stolen before our trip to the northern parts of Zambia. The whole ordeal did not seem to bother me at all while we were on our trip. Now that I have arrived back at the mission, it is extremely frustrating to not have some of the material possessions I am used to. I am fine without a computer; however, all of my pictures and documents are on there. It is not the computer itself, but the things that were stored. Although I recovered most things on my external hard drive, I lost several documents and pictures. Having to rewrite papers for my classes and update this blog without a computer will be a very frustrating task. I pray that God will give me patience with the people around me and the thief that was low enough to steal from a visitor. People in the group are supportive and willing to let me borrow their things; however, I hate mooching off of others and I hate asking for help. The internet rarely works and if it does, my account is expired. So we will see how this works out.

There is much to be said about our trip north, but unfortunately I have a lot to catch up on and time is not on my side. Most of the trip consisted of traveling and awful roads in an old yellow school bus. Regardless of all of the rough travel, everyone had an excellent time on the trip. I spent most of my time on the bumpy ride reading. I read The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis, Peace with God by Billy Graham, and The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.

After traveling two days we eventually reach Mumena, which is in the northwestern area of Zambia. Mumena is truly a wonderful place with wonderful people. Bryan Davis and his family head off a team of missionaries that are very inspirational to each of us in the HIZ group. Bryan gave three lectures to us while we stayed at Mumena; each was two or three hours long. I am very impressed with the theology and methods that this team of missionaries has developed in only five years at Mumena. Before coming to Zambia, Bryan worked with inner city gangsters in Tennessee and in Cape Town, South Africa. Bryan’s ability to teach the gospel to anyone is quite impressive to me. Bryan’s team does a very good job of letting the indigenous people do the work, and allowing everything to be self-sustainable.

On Sunday, we visited the largest refugee camp in the world. At one point this camp had the largest population, but now it is simply geographic. There are 90,000 refugees, mostly from the Congo and Rwanda (genocide). I was asked to speak for 30 minutes on creation, but kept it closer to 20 minutes. I was quite nervous when I got up to speak in from of all 90,000 of the refugees; this was quite an adrenaline rush. Just kidding. I spoke in front of a local congregation that included maybe 100 people. Regardless, the service went well and the congregation loved having us. I spoke to the refugees about hope. I said that God created all of us for a reason and that God does not forget anyone. I said that God created us not only to glorify him, but because he wants us as his children. I said that God created us and that we were destined to be a part of his royal family. For lunch we had nsima, snima, and more nsima. Out of respect we decided to eat all of the snima that we were served. Each of the guys in our group ended up eating around 14 handfuls of nsima. I could barely walk.

Many things happened that I have no time to mention; I look forward to sharing more with all of you later. On our way back to Kalomo, we stopped in Lusaka to visit Zambikes. Zambikes was started by a man named Dustin, who is very skilled in International Business. Although Dustin does not have his MBA, he has successfully started three businesses in Zambia that benefit the local community. Dustin runs Zambikes, a pig farm, and a Mexican restaurant; all three provide many jobs for the local Zambians.

Zambikes is a business in order to make profit, but the main reasoning is to make a difference in the lives of Zambians. Zambikes allow locals to own great quality “bush” bikes that allow them to get from A to B. Zambikes also provides over 1000 Zambulances throughout the country. Zambulances are boxes big enough to fit a mattress and can be pulled on the back of a bicycle.

After eating at Dustin’s Mexican restaurant we stayed at a camp site in Eureka. On the drive in we noticed many Zebra off to the side (an animal that we had yet to see, even on the safaris). So obviously, the guys began to walk the trails as soon as we settled at camp. As we were entering the bush, a guide stopped us and told us to go back to the campsite. He informed us that buffalo and other animals are nearby and that to be out at night is very dangerous. We told him OK, and continued our journey once he disappeared. Normally we would have walked a short ways and came back, but now that we were taking a risk, things became very exciting. Throughout our walk we ran across several animals and hundreds of antelope. After walking about 30 minutes into the bush, we finally located two Zebra among a group of antelope. The antelope were spooked and ran; however, the Zebra trotted slowly while staring at us. Quintyn, Heath, and I were eventually able to get about 20 yards away from the Zebra.

Chillin in the Heat

I apologize for not posting for a while. Limited internet makes it difficult; plus things have begun to slow down. I have spent time getting to know the George Benson College students by sitting by them in chapel and hanging out at their dorm rooms. Each of the students gets along great, which is encouraging for me. At Harding many clicks are formed and often times people are cast aside by the way they act or look. There is an albino student with several facial deformities; however, I have never seen another student look at him funny or avoid talking to him. He is always surrounded by friends and has a smile on his face. I hate to admit he might often find himself walking alone on Harding’s campus.
Saturday, an Herbalist came and spoke to the group. It was very interesting to see the different plants that are used for traditional healing in the local area. Either the bark or roots are used from the plant to treat various dysfunctions and diseases. Sunday we visited Ba Leanard’s (our cook) church for service. After service the congregation gathered for nsima and dancing. Ba Shawn gave us permission to dance with the locals, but we had to “lock our hips.” I don’t know that anyone knew how to dance with their hips locked, but we had a wonderful time dancing and playing music with the church members. I have some great videos that I can share later.
We have spent some time focusing on classes and resting up before our big trip up north. Tomorrow we are leaving early to head toward the northern province of Zambia. My Tonga tutor, Augustine, is actually from the north in Kabompo. Augustine and I have become quite close and he was kind enough to share some basic phrases and greetings that people use in the northern part of Zambia (mostly Luvale and Kikaonde). Augustine is my age and I respect him very much. I met Augustine at my front door one day. Augustine is the Zambian that located my Iphone when I lost it and searched the compound until he found who it belonged to. It is interesting that Augustine ended up getting matched up with me later on, but I will never forget his honesty and care to find me and give me back what belonged to me. Just imagine finding a touch screen device that is more elaborate than anything you have previously ever laid eyes on. Would you go in search of the owner? Or would you conveniently hang onto it until someone came to claim it?
During our eight day journey north we will visit Mapepe Bible College, Fringilla, Mumena, Meheba Refugee Camp, Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in Chingola, Lusaka, and Eureka. I will keep a journal while I am there and post some information about our trip afterwards.

Inspiration

Today I have been inspired by a doctor who has made a difference in the world. Medical mission work can often times be very disheartening when you are faced with death over and over again and are unable to see immediate results. Thuma, a pediatrician who has lived in Macha, Zambia for 45 years has lived long enough to see tremendous success in the surrounding area. The hospital in Macha has helped to increase the quality of life for thousands and thousands of people since 1906.
Although the hospital does not have private wards or the entire necessary resources one will find in America, the hospital is very nice in comparison to most in Zambia. Thuma gave our group a tour of the different buildings that they have added on and shared his secrets to success with us. I certainly know who to contact if I ever decide to start a hospital in Africa. The Macha Hospital is able to receive donations and grants, but the main reason for success is the hospital’s ability to sustain itself without outside help. Nurses are limited, so mother’s stay with their children to take care of them.
John Hopkins University helped fund several projects that are currently taking place. The hospital surprisingly has a Molecular Biology lab with an Insectary. The lab is used to study tuberculosis, malaria, HIV, etc. The Microscopist explained the different types of mosquitoes, which ones cause malaria, which ones bite what, and the geographical location of different bites.
I am inspired by the work that is being done at the hospital in Macha. In 15 years, Thuma was able to provide clean water to the entire town (after almost dying from a water related illness.) In Thuma’s lifetime he has made an incredible difference in lowering the percentage of cases pertaining to Malaria, TB, HIV, and more. Many babies are saved each year thanks to Thuma and his success with neonatal care.

Living on the Edge

After church Sunday, most of the group headed back towards the mission, which has become home. About ten of us stuck around for our elephant safari that was later on Sunday evening. Riding on the back of an elephant is an unforgettable experience and I look forward to sharing pictures and videos with all of you when I arrive back in the states.
That night, those of us that were left over visited an excellent authentic restaurant called “The Arts Café.” Although I have eaten nsima several times, I tasted several traditional Zambian foods that were new to me, such as Kapenta (sardine type things), caterpillar worm things, a fish head, and cibwantu (sour milk tasting drink). The restaurant has live music and we had an excellent time dancing and laughing with the local Zambians. There are videos of us dancing with the waitresses and cooks, which is truly hilarious. For whatever reason, this is the night I changed my mind and decided I would not live with myself unless I bungee jump.
This same night, we all decided to go swimming at the Waterfront Hotel. As we were adjusting to the cold water, Ba Shawn appears out of nowhere and belly flops into the pool. Ba Shawn is truly an amazing man. I already had respect for Ba Shawn as a good Christian professor and leader, but after this weekend I have a deeper respect for him; a respect that is of one friend to another. The fact that Ba Shawn was able to lower himself to the level of college students means a lot to each of us that were present. Ba Shawn organized everything so that we would have as much fun as possible and his sincere love for each student is quite evident. He loaned me 150 dollars so that I could experience the bungee jump, gorge swing, and zip line on Monday morning.
This weekend I decided to live as if I was dying. I value my life here on Earth much more now that I have free fallen 111 meters two times in one hour. I was truly relieved when I survived the bungee jump and gorge swing. Although I was not quite as nervous as I anticipated, my heart was racing around 120 bpm. It is impossible to explain the adrenaline rush one receives while free falling this far; I cannot begin to replicate the sensation in my mind. I am very pleased that I decided to overcome such tremendous heights and plunge off of the Victoria Falls Bridge above the Zambezi River. Once I raft the Nile my bucket list for Africa will be complete.

Life in Livingstone

Friday morning we woke up early (as usual) to travel down to Livingstone, Zambia. I was very pleased to see how developed some of the areas in Livingstone have become. One area has a very nice shopping market with a pizza place, burger place, and one other nice restaurant. I spent most of Thursday watching members of our group bungee jump, while others in the group went on an elephant safari. I set aside money to do one thing, so I booked an elephant safari for Sunday evening. I was very pleased that I decided NOT to bungee jump since it looked so dangerous and sketch. I later changed my mind and forked out the money to jump on Monday.
Saturday morning we traveled into Botswana for the big safari. During the cruiser safari we were able to see many animals including giraffe, impala, hippos, elephants, kudu, hogs, and so much more. Our group was fortunate enough to see a leopard that was hidden in the bushes. Our guide had very good eye sight and knew the leopard would be hiding nearby. That morning, the leopard was seen killing an impala and hanging it in a tree. Our guide knew the leopard would be nearby, so we eventually found it. We were scary close and the leopard could have easily attacked at any moment. After lunch, we loaded onto a pontoon boat for the second part of the safari. This was definitely my favorite half, simply because our guide was AWESOME. He would park the boat very close to the animals nearby, which allowed us to take a good look at them and take pictures. During the boat portion of the safari we saw many crocodiles, hippos, buffalo, and elephants. The whole experience was absolutely fascinating. Seeing the majesty of God’s creation through the different animals that he has placed here on Earth was very enjoyable. I feel that God speaks to us through every living thing, from small ants to big elephants. I noticed an interesting parallel between the way we view elephants/hippos with the way we view God. Throughout the entire safari I heard members of our group say how “cute” and “innocent” and “sensitive” these animals are as we admired from distance. Elephants and hippos seem very innocent and cute from a distance, but hippos kill more people in Africa than any other animal. An elephant stomped a young woman into three pieces in Livingstone less than a week ago. Too often we view God as some cuddly bear who will give us what we pray for and who will comfort us and make our lives happy here on Earth. I often view God from a distance, without the appropriate fear and respect. We admire these beasts on Earth, neglecting their ability to kill people with ease; the same way we view God, forgetting his incredible power that is unimaginable.

Mission Outreach

Today I traveled with Tori Thoreson, LeAnne Stegall (soon to be Griffin), Jessica Snail, and Natalie Fisher to an outside village in order to give vaccinations to the babies nearby. We gave DTap, live polio, and TB prophylaxis (not given in US). This was a wonderful trip, not because we made all the little babies cry by sticking them with needles, but because we made them all laugh shortly after. Each of the ladies I was with brought tons and tons of stickers and the young people of the village went absolutely crazy. Soon we were handing out sticker after sticker to each of the locals. I placed one sticker on my forehead and soon all the children wanted a sticker on their forehead as well. It is a wonderful feeling when one is able to reach out to the villagers. There are many different languages in the world, but everyone should be able to smile and laugh with one another. There are many different world views, beliefs, values, and behaviors; but there is only one God. This God is our God and he deeply loves each of us, regardless of our geographical location on Earth.
When I arrived back at Namwianga I met up with Zach Daggett, Tanner, and Trey in the garden. They had picked many of the tomatoes and I began to help them water the lepu. On my way to the garden, several of the local boys spotted me and chased me to the garden. Zach is more afraid of the Zambian children messing up our garden than the cows that graze nearby. The small children are capable of stomping on each of the green bean seeds that he so diligently planted. We soon neglected the gardening work and began to play with the children. Musa and Gordon gathered several of their young friends and started throwing nuts at us. We used the garden fence as a fort and began throwing rotten tomatoes and lemons back towards them. The battle intensified and soon we were running all throughout Namwianga attacking one another. The older boys eventually won and the young Zambian boys came out with their hands up. Although Gordon faked the surrender and tried to escape, we pegged him with five or six lemons that splattered him with juice.
After calling it even, we joined forces to attack the house that the ladies are staying in. After pegging their house with several lemons, the women realized they were under attack and came out onto the porch. By this time many of the younger boys had collected to join our team. I feel bad for the commotion that we started by running around the compound, but the battle was an unforgettable experience. Several locals gathered in the street to witness our lemon war.

Zimba Hospital

Several of us were able to travel to Zimba and visit the local hospital there. Aside from me: Ba Janice, Jessica Snail, Trey Carlock, Tanner Nichols, Katryna Cardwell, Christine Hall, and Callie Donaldson made the 45 minute trip. Once we arrived, Ba Janice introduced us to the American Doctors that are staying at the local mission. Dan Jones and his wife, Jone Jones, have been practicing medicine for 20 years and have done many incredible things for Zimba. Although Zimba was a very small town, the hospital is very nice; there is an X-Ray, lab, and operating room.
The first place I visited was the OR. It was very interesting getting to know the surgeons. I was surprised to see how young they are; they are no older than 23. It is almost like a trade school; they each studied three extra years to do surgery. In America one may have up to 12 years of extra school to do the same thing. Despite his young age, the surgeon was very professional and sanitary. I was very surprised when he asked me to dress out and assist him in the first surgery of the day. An older woman who has previously had 10 children needed a BTL (bilateral tubal ligation). I was able to assist the surgeon as he sliced her stomach open to tie her tubes. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see parts of the body first hand; it is much easier to remember the information this way. I was able to use the instruments to cut and help sew and I am very grateful that I was given this opportunity. The next surgery was an older man who had an inguinal hernia that needed to be fixed.
After leaving the OR, I shadowed Dr. Jones as he made his rounds. I ran several errands and helped to clean several wounds. One woman had a c-section that had become infected, so I replaced the bandages. Another woman injured her leg badly from a large rock; cleaning her leg was a mess. The coolest thing I was able to witness this day was a child being born. Up until my visit to Zimba, I have never seen childbirth; however, babies are popping out everywhere in Zambia. Apparently this was the woman’s ninth child.
Visiting the hospital in Zimba was a wonderful experience and I am happy that Ba Janice gave us the opportunity to make this trip.

Speak Wisely

This morning I was given the opportunity to preach at the church here at Namwianga. All of the students were in attendance and about 650 people arrived for the service. In America I would be quite nervous speaking in front of so many peers, but things are different here in Zambia. Zambians do not come to church just to hear a good preacher; they come to glorify God through praise and take part in the Lord ’s Supper.
I gave a 15 minute lesson on the importance of controlling our tongue. Using scripture from Proverbs and James, I gathered thoughts pertaining to righteous speech. I explained that the most important thing one does with his mouth is to praise God; not eating or communicating through language. Through our voices we give glory to God. God is in our breath and our breath is one with God. I explained that righteous speech is limited or reserved, but one must listen as well. A fool may seem wise if he remains silent, but we must be slow to speak and quick to listen. I stressed the importance of using words wisely and giving consideration to the words we wish to speak. My goal was to communicate to the congregation that we cannot allow a worthless worship to God. We must not bless God one moment and curse man the next.
I tried to incorporate a couple of stories and used my papa, Ron Huddleston, as an example. I have been blessed with such wonderful grandparents and when I think of the most righteous people, all four come to mind. Not just because of their continual support and encouragement, but because of the example they set. Without them, I would not have the incredible parents that I do. When I look at my father and grandfathers I see men who are slow to anger, slow to speak, and quick to listen. Growing up, Dad would not punish us immediately after we messed up. He would take time to think and approach the issue with a level head. I chose papa Huddleston as an example because of the tremendous respect he has been given as a true man of God and the way in which he reserves his speech. I remember as a child how quiet Papa would be at the dinner table. Everyone seemed to talk and talk, while papa limited his words. When he did speak, all would fall silent and listen intently to what he had to say; knowing the words were from a man who has truly obtained wisdom. I look up to Papa Huddleston and PawPaw Reely in every way, and hope to one day impact my grandchildren in the same way.

Clinic

I have thoroughly enjoyed working at the health clinic here at the mission and getting some hands on experience. So often, pre-med students are too buried in the books to be certain that the path they have chosen is the correct one. I am relieved that I am not fazed by the site of blood, broken bones, teeth pulling, etc. Although I have not spent many hours volunteering yet, my experiences here have helped to confirm my decision of medical school.

Tuesday, I was able to assist one of our Physician Assistants, Tori, drain an abscess from a child’s neck. Tori and I have become good friends and she is truly a unique person. She is the opposite of me in that she cannot hide emotion from her face. She is able to make us all laugh due to her funny personality. Although she can be goofy, she is completely zoned in at the clinic and does a wonderful job. Tori simply took a razor to the abscess and all kinds of mayonnaise and ketchup was released. After using a very interesting way of irrigating the abscess, she used packing gauze to fill the hole. Leanne is the other Physician Assistant, but I am not sure of the spelling. It has been great getting to know the women who are working at the clinic. Many times in the evenings several of us will sit and talk for hours. Our topics range from serious spiritual matters to pointless jokes and stories.

Just from talking with Dr. Frank and the others at the clinic, I have been able to pick up on some basic health care and medicines. Wednesday I began helping the dentist, Ba Ian, pull teeth. Tanner has spent much time with the dentist and is possibly considering dentistry. I have enjoyed helping Ba Ian, but have no interest in being a dentist for a living. Most patients wait too long before coming into the dentist, so their tooth infections are usually chronic, meaning that their tooth is no longer of use and just needs to be pulled. Each patient is given a shot to numb three different nerves in their mouth; however, none of them are sedated. The adults are usually fine, but convincing small children to let you give them a shot in the mouth and then yank their tooth out is a difficult job. Pulling someone’s tooth out was definitely an interesting experience.

Immediately when I left the dentist’s office, I am able to help clean up a deep laceration on a young man’s arm. Although the knife wound was deep, it only skimmed part of the underlying muscle. I held the flash light and cleaned up blood, while Tori and Frank stitched his arm back together. I really enjoyed the close up and learned a lot. Apparently the young man has been beaten up several times, and this time the attackers used a knife. The man had been injured for two days before coming in, simply because of all of the stipulations involved. He had to go through the police before being emitted to the hospital. Either way, Frank would never turn someone away if they came straight to the clinic. The young man’s threshold for pain was incredible; apparently all Zambians are this way. Many women show no emotion or pain during pregnancy. The young man was given an anesthetic that wore off 2/3 into the procedure.

Compost Material!

Our group has taken over a nearby garden, which contains tomatoes, onions, cabbage, green beans, and rape (lepu). We collected 25 bundles of rape to sell at the market yesterday, hoping to make a profit. We eventually sold all of our bundles for about 700 kwacha each and I am fairly sure we got ripped off. Regardless, this was a fun experience that made us feel like true Zambians. We had lots of pun fun on the way to the market, as each person took their turn yelling, “Rape!” I would like to say our group matured and the jokes were no longer funny; however, they made it almost all the way back to the mission. I have a video of Trey standing in the middle of the market with two bundles yelling, “Rape!” to the locals. I look forward to spending more time in the garden, so that I may hopefully apply some of the knowledge on sustainable foods that I obtained during HUT. We have begun collecting compost material for a pile and often reflect on good times that we shared at our garden during HUT.

Glorified

Have you ever pondered why God created man? Of course you have and so have I. Although there is no way of knowing for sure; I like to think that God created man on Earth to give glory to him. If God created us to be glorified then is it not important for us to glorify him?
So how is it that we may glorify God? There is no better way than through our voices; through singing praises to God. The Greek word for God used in the Bible is Yahweh. When translated to Greek and pronounced correctly, it is about as close to a breath sound that one can make. God is in our breath and our breath in God. What better way to be connected with God than through the air we breathe? What better way to glorify God then through our voice? In order to glorify God through our speech it is important that we speak wisely; that we speak righteously. Righteous speech is limited (James 1:19). Righteous speech does not boast in anything, EXCEPT for the death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. Those who speak righteously reserve their language and consider the thoughts that leave their mouth (James 3:6-12).
Much more, God can be glorified through singing praises. I have no passion for singing, so church services can be tough for me sometimes. I refuse to manufacture some type of joy that is of my own earthly pleasure; not joy that is in peace with the Spirit. I sin outside of worship enough, so I refuse to give habit to an earthly joy and that is why I often remain silent and listen to others sing. It is scary to think that we may become so accustomed to manipulating neurotransmitters to their brain, that their worship is quite empty. It is scary to think that some of us that attend church our whole lives can be living off a short term high that we are getting each time we enter the building; a feeling that we simply give to ourselves. Whether other people are glorifying God through their voices or not is none of my concern, for I can see God in their voice regardless. Someone could be thinking about what they will eat for lunch, but from a distance all I can see is their breath being lifted up to God.
I have been blessed with a gift for music, which has its negatives. I am often bored with the simplistic melodies of church music; however, if it is not the music that stands in the way of my praise it can be the words. Putting words to music can have a positive or negative effect. Wonderful words can make a poor song beautiful, while lame words can make a beautiful song dead. I cannot help but listen to the words I hear during a song, which often interferes with my connection to God. You often hear people say, “There are no words to describe what I wish to say.” Then why do we always try?
I have joined the George Benson College choir here at Namwianga, which has sparked my love for music once again. The Zambian students here have such powerful voices and I take pride in our deep sounds that project from the bass section. But the songs that move me the most are the songs in which I do not understand (or should I say that these songs are the only ones I TRULY understand). The songs that I see God being glorified are the songs that we sing in Citonga; the songs that I do not apply words to. I do not care what the words are for the songs that we sing nor will I ever ask. The times that we come together and sing in Citonga are the only times that words do not hinder my praise to God. These songs have such wonderful sounds, sounds that do not symbolize anything earthly to me. For someone that speaks fluent Citonga, that language is simply sounds that represent certain things. For me, Citonga is a way that I may witness someone’s breath used to give glory to our creator.

To Die is Gain

It has been wonderful to witness the love and care that the women of our group give to the orphan babies. Observing their maternal instincts has been very interesting. I have no doubt that holding the children and taking care of their everyday needs has fulfilled an important role in the children’s development. It is equally painful to see the women’s reaction to the death of one of the babies. Luseko and Elli both passed away this morning. Both were given help, however, I cannot help but feel that more should have been done to save their lives. Sometimes it seems as if there is a somewhat hopeless, fatalistic view of sick babies in Africa. Trey stated, “Maybe I am simply naive, but I feel like more should be done for the dying children. There is a hospital nearby. This being such a nice compound in Zambia, the death of three children in two days is unacceptable.” I agree with him, but unfortunately most women who work in orphanages do not know enough about health care to identify when a child should be rushed to the hospital (not to take away that the aunties here are incredible women.) I feel that spreading primary health care throughout the world is critically important.
Several have shared their thoughts of anger about the situation, but I am not angry. In order for me to be angry I would have to pinpoint a person or thing, but I cannot. I see injustice here in Zambia. I see an economy in shambles. I see children dying simply because there is not enough money to go around. I see things that are the consequence of people allowing sin into the world.
Although the deaths of Request, Elli, and Luseko disturb me, the impact is not the same for the women. The guys in our group spend much time playing with the hyper, healthy children from Eric’s House, while the ladies comfort the smaller children. Obviously the ladies play with the older children and we the younger; but this is the typical pattern. I was around Luseko for several days last week, but mainly from a health standpoint. I helped in the clinic to rehydrate the children and shadowed Dr. Frank as he assessed them, but the ladies in our group change diapers and feed the small children, even the sick ones (diarrhea and vomiting make this quite a job.) So to see the hurt on their faces is very disheartening.
We often view death the wrong way. To die is gain. This is all I wish to say.

Chacos

For those of you who do not know what Chacos are: they are simply the most amazing type of footwear currently known to man. They look like sandals, but are so much more. If you mixed a Merrell hiking boot with the same sandals Jesus wore, one would get Chacos. I have yet to find an occasion in which my Chacos are not appropriate. I have decided to make a list of the activities I have performed while wearing my Chacos. I may also add some that I have seen or heard of. This is a very short list and does not begin to list the uses for such an amazing sandal. If I ever settle in a developing country, I will do all I can to make sure the indigenous people around me own a pair. Unfortunately the sandals are expensive and could probably not be distributed in a way that Toms shoes are.

If anyone has one to add, feel free to comment below. Although I cannot attach any photos, I am sure I will be tagged doing these activities on Facebook at some point. This is 20 out of 6,726 things one can do while wearing Chacos. They are in no particular order.

Ping-Pong
I have never felt more agile.

Weddings
I have never been married, but many people have. And I have heard of people getting married in Chacos.

Basketball
I practically flew from one end of the court to the other; getting traction like no other. I don’t remember missing a shot either. I cannot dunk in basketball shoes, but I can two-hand slam it in my Chacos.

Football
I have never been tackled wearing them.

Soccer
I was able to kick someone in the face without moving my leg.

Hiking/Climbing
Check Guinness book of World Records 2010.

Church
I have gotten so many compliments on how beautiful my feet look at church.

Cross Country
I literally ran across the country and didn’t need any water to drink.

Sprinting
My forty yard run was timed at 3.3 seconds in these sandals.

Sleep
Coma like sleep

Eat
Last week I consumed three plates in three seconds.

Elephant Safari
I tamed the elephants with them.

Bungee Jumping
My friend wore his Chacos to bungee jump and didn’t have to use a chord.

Rafting the Nile
I didn’t even have to use a raft.

Insanity
Rebecca Daggett could only do 12 pushups barefooted. When she put her Chacos on, she was able to do 67 without stopping.

Speak Tonga
Once my sandals are strapped on, I can speak any tongue I desire.

Hunting
Several of us went hunting with some of the locals. Or should I say that we went killing?

Sing
Majestically 

Read
As long as I am wearing my sandals I don’t have to open the book to read; I simply just think about it.

Slaughtering animals
…using nothing but my bare hands.

Not only are all these activities POSSIBLE wearing Chacos, but the Chacos actually make one better at each. I can dive off of cliffs with better form. I can run faster. I can kick the soccer ball further. I can win every game of ping pong. I can jump higher. I WIN wearing these sandals. I can swim and climb faster than ever before. I can shower in these sandals (“Chaco shower”). While I have these sandals on I become smarter and I can feel more oxygen in each breath. Chacos enhance my ability to live.

Everyday Adventures

Once again Trey and I set out with Quintyn to visit locals in the market. We have made good friends with an older gentleman named Marres (pronounced Mars) who I mentioned earlier. Marres has been somewhat questionable up to this point and we were unsure whether to buy in to his unusual kindness towards Americans. Marres is very passionate about Americans (not just whites) and wishes to give us all of his land. We ran into a couple named Frank and Rebecca who helped to run a local charity, but since they were from the U.K. Marres showed no interest in them.

We began walking towards the market in order to meet Marres in front of his cousin’s convenient store. Although this is a two hour walk we were able to hitch a ride from a nice gentleman by the name of Dennis. After chatting with Dennis about his children, he dropped us off a short ways from the market. Soon we were talking with Marres and he began to show us around town. We planned to get to know Marres better, ask him of his intentions, and do a check up on him by interviewing local Zambians. While Marres chatted with Quintyn and me, Trey snuck over to meet locals and ask them their opinion of Marres. Without fail, every person we asked about Marres mentioned what a respectful man he is. They also told us how he was a great father and leader. Marres seemed to know everyone at the market; He even introduced us to the chief’s son! Each time someone approaches Marres they seem very respectful. At one point we were sitting with Marres, and others made a point to kneel and greet him in a respectful manner.
The main reason we met with Marres was because he hoped to give us one of his healthy cows. This is a very generous thing for one to do in Zambia (men buy their wives with cows) and for us to turn such an offer down is not culturally appropriate.

During our tour of the town we ran into a little black boy who had never seen a mukua (white person) before. He began to cry in the middle of the kapenta (sardine) market and all of the women laughed. His mother began pushing him towards us, which caused him to scream and hide. He was horrified of us and this was a hilarious experience that I will never forget. All of the people in Kalomo are very welcoming and accepting of us. Marres later took us to the house of Linda and Mike Johnson. The Johnsons are a very nice couple who run an orphanage about 30 km away. I look forward to visiting them again and talking with them about their work. They have lived here for 17 years now. The fact that Marres had such a good relationship with strong Christian people strengthened our confidence and trust in him.

After visiting with some more locals, Marres took us to the automotive section of town so that we could get a ride to the slaughter house. Once we arrived, I could no longer breathe through my nose. Each time I tried to breathe in through my nose I would gag and almost throw up. The smell was unbearable, but I tried to hide my disgust. Random cow parts were scattered throughout puddles of blood. Complete cow heads were lying around in different spots. Several cows were hung from the ceiling, while others were still kicking with severed necks. We were taken out to the line of cows. One by one the cows are lead into the building, where they will be shot and have their throats slit. The slaughter house was another example in which Zambians work in a less organized fashion than Americans are accustomed to.

The last place Marres showed us was the land that he recently purchased. It is quite a large plot of land that is right on the highway. The land is three blocks total and is very close to the Namwianga Mission. Marres wishes to hand this land over to us, which is very exciting. We have encouraged him to form good relations with Roy Merritt and the people here at Namwianga. We then encouraged him to form connection with Harding University and use us as a connection. Although we cannot occupy the land currently, we hope that Marres will consider giving the land to Namwianga or Harding University so that it may be used for good. Marres is very kind to us and insisted on paying for our drinks and lunch in the market. We had grilled chicken and schema (sp) at a local restaurant. Schema is a ball that has no taste to me; however, many of the locals love its acquired taste. You eat it with your hands by rolling it into a ball and dipping it into a sauce. During lunch Trey did most of the talking and did a wonderful job of speaking with Marres reasonably on issues concerning land and Marres’ visit to the United States. Throughout our stay, I had to be careful to only drink bore whole water or else I will become very sick. Our weak stomachs cannot handle some of the water that locals drink.

Marres is a very kind man and payed for us to be driven back to the mission. We have kept our relationship with Marres as brothers; NOT as business partners. He has been very kind to us and has agreed to bring us a live cow to slaughter today. Although this is a very kind gesture, I sincerely hope he does not bring the cow. If he does I will be sure to film Ba Shawn’s reaction so that we may record as one of the greatest moments in Harding history. Also we have no tree that is big enough to hang a huge cow from. After my experience with killing a goat at H.U.T I can only imagine how chaotic a dying cow may be if we are unsuccessful in slaughtering it. Cleaning a cow will certainly be a new experience for all of us.

The guys got in a dispute with the girls over who was next to play ping pong. The guys put the ping pong on the roof so that one has to climb a huge tree to play. win.

Convicted

I cannot brag enough about our group that has come to Zambia. But should I be surprised that the students that committed to a three month mission trip in Africa are the greatest people I know? Should I be surprised that the greatest group I have been a part of includes students from Harding that are willing to give up anything they have? The nurse, Jessica that has traveled with us gave up her job in the states in order to volunteer her time here at the mission. I could go on and on, but I will save my praises for another time.
Trey Carlock has a tremendous desire to serve those around him and spends much of his time here walking and forming relationships with people in nearby villages. Although his knees are weak, he has spent several days walking up to 20 kilometers to reach out to the local Zambians. He would not like me to brag on him; however, I would like to share the journey that we took today.
Yesterday, Trey met a man who had his house burn down and lost many of his possessions. He did not have a name, but he knew that the man could not speak English and that his three children had no clothes to wear. This morning Trey decided he would trek back into the villages and try to find this man’s house. I agreed to set out with him, both of us having no idea where to find the man. We figured we could ask around; Trey has picked up on the Tonga language very well and was able to communicate surprisingly well.
Before our journey, we collected first aid supplies, food, and shirts to take to the man’s family. Once the students knew the trip we were taking, everyone was willing to give. Several people gave of their own clothes and food while others gave medicine and ointments that they have brought. Several of the ladies in our group wanted to walk with us once they found out about the trek. We warned Kristin, Katrina, and Katy that we may not return until evening and that we would be walking fast. This did not faze any of them and they did an incredible job of keeping up.
A mile in, we ran into our friend Elvis who pointed us towards another friend, Belvis. Belvis escorted us to the man we needed: Given. One of Given’s ears is missing and he cannot speak English well. We eventually discovered the man’s nickname (Diabu Diabu which may mean march in Tonga) and had a rough map that was drawn in the dirt. Eventually, we found the man that could help us find Diabu Diabu. He has three children and one of his children apparently has seizures. We are not quite sure of his situation, but his family is for sure living in poor conditions. We left what little we brought and agreed to visit them again soon. The children were very respectful and received our gifts with two hands.
I look forward to learning more Tonga and visiting Diabu Diabu’s family again. I admire Trey’s willingness to travel and serve those around. I also admire Kristin, Katrina, and Katy for their endurance and caring hearts. There is much to say about this experience, but there is one thing that bothers me. There is a question that constantly bugs me while I am here and there is no answer. Why did God choose us to be so blessed? Why do we have so many material things, while some people in Zambia are lucky to feed their children? For this I feel convicted. It has never hit me from watching television or reading National Geographic. It never hit me until I found myself staring at Diabu Diabu and his children in the dirt, as if I was having an outer body experience. I continued to ask myself, “is this really where they live?” How can they live in this small hut with no door?
Once we arrived back at the mission I was exhausted and fell asleep on my comfortable mattress with my white sheets. After I woke up I took a shower with clean water. Only two hours away there are children the color of dirt. We eat three meals a day and each meal is different food. When I am thirsty I drink water out of the sink. For all of these things I feel convicted.
The only thing more surprising than these conditions in which many Africans live is the fact that they are more content than many Americans. Although I will never have the answers, it is comforting to know that the Zambians are very content with what they have and are able to live a life of joy no matter what their situation; something many wealthy Americans do not possess.

Funerals

In the short time that we have been in Zambia, three children and one adult have passed away. I have attended two funerals at Namwianga. The first funeral was for Mrs. Moonga, an older lady who had an obvious impact on the lives of many people. Although I did not know Mrs. Moonga, her impact on the lives of many is very apparent and I look forward to meeting our teacher, Mr. Moonga. I am very grateful that we were able to attend the funeral of Mrs. Moonga; this was a great learning experience.

The first thing I noticed during the ceremony that began in the church, was that several men videotaped the congregation. This is something that one would never see in America. Ba Siyaziyu was very generous in answering all of our questions concerning the funeral. He clarified that the video is simply for the family to see. The video is to keep in memory, especially for those who may not have been able to attend the funeral.

Next, I noticed the different ways in which each person dressed. Men that were directly related to Mrs. Moonga wore black suits in order for those in attendance to know. Several of the women wore headdresses known as chitambalas. This was to hide their hair, in what is to be a more respectful manner. I also thought it was very interesting that the women insisted on carrying the casket.

It becomes obvious to one the impact that Mrs. Moonga had at Namwianga since the funeral lasted for several hours. Cement was used in burying Mrs. Moonga; this is for several reasons. First, they bury people in this way to keep thieves from stealing the casket. Secondly, the cement keeps the ground very sturdy. Lastly, the cement helps keep animals away as well. After the family members threw a handful of dirt into the grave, the young men proceeded to bury Mrs. Moonga. Once the dirt was filled in, individual people in attendance placed assorted flowers into the grave. Different people gave speeches pertaining to the life of Mrs. Moonga and the impact she had here on earth.

The second funeral was for a small baby named Shelby. Little Shelby had measles and passed away at a very young age. In a way, this funeral is more saddening than a longer funeral, which may be held for someone that lived a long life. It is also sad that I must struggle to find words to write; simply because the funeral was so short. The graveyard is near the Haven and Shelby was buried next to five other graves, each surrounded by cement blocks filled with rocks. Very few people attended this funeral aside from our group and the area was under a large tree, which was surrounded by a fence. During the burial we sang several songs in Tonga, and then there was a short prayer afterwards.

The hole for the burial was considerably small and Shelby was wrapped in a sheet and blanket before being buried. This was a very sad experience for each of us in the Harding University group, because in America one will not have to bury near as many children. I did not know Shelby, but it is very sad to see small child buried at such a young age; especially with no family to witness.

Update

First picture is Request on Wednesday. Request passed away this morning. Second picture is little Christine at the Haven.

Here at Namiwanga we have begun classes and are starting to get involved with some of the school activities. Several of us are in the choir and participate in the soccer games. Here soccer is football and there are no shin guards or cleats. The players here are incredibly fast and make me look very sluggish.
We have begun doing clinical rotations, exposing me more to the sick children here in Kalomo. It is very sad to spend one day with a child, knowing they may not make it to the end of the week. Wednesday I spent much of my time with a child named Request. Request came to the orphanage with several problems and most likely had AIDS. Some thought that Request had measles; plus he was dehydrated. So we were able to hook an IV to his head and soon he looked much better. Although he did not have measles it was obviously a virus of some kind with visible bumps all over his body. This morning we found out that Request passed away and will no longer be with us here on Earth.

During Quintyn’s rotation at the Haven last week, twins were born. Neither of the babies had names so Quintyn was able to name them. Now two children at the orphanage go by the names Quintyn and Tanner. I hope to witness a child being born so that another Kelsey can be running around. Hopefully if I do get to name a child Kelsey it will be a girl, so a boy doesn’t have to worry about having a girl’s name. However, if the child is a boy and is named Kelsey this will make him very patient with the ignorance of others and will be a very humbling name for him during his teenage years. He will look back and be glad that he was given this name and will be proud.

Yesterday George Benson had their 16th graduation ceremony. This was a very interesting experience. The graduation was suppose to start at 1 p.m. but did not start until 3 p.m. Time is something that Zambians do not consider. To them the event is important, NOT the time. This is very frustrating to me because I do not understand, plus I feel as if I am wasting time. If a meeting is scheduled for 10 it may not start until 11:30. Throughout the ceremony different African music played, which I enjoyed very much. Although the ceremony seemed less organized I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. The students danced their way in to receive their diplomas and had a very light hearted approach.

Many of the ladies in our group have become sick. Something is going around; however, none of the guys have gotten it yet. I hope to avoid this illness, simply because it seems quite miserable. One can tell who his sick that day because they will be missing in action for 48 hours.
Today Dr. Frank asked me if I would like to join him at the clinic, which I immediately accepted. Since today is Saturday, there is no clinical rotation and I was the only student to go. This was a great opportunity to talk with Ba Janice and Ba Frank and learn some general physical assessments. I was able to give my first shot to a child named Memory. Memory has some type of conjunctivitis that caused her eyes to be swollen shut. Hopefully this will not pass to the other children at the Haven.

I must mention how beautiful the stars are here. There are no lights to hinder ones view of the sky and night and I am able to see stars from one side to the other. Last night, several of us climbed on top of some storage containers and watched the stars. The sky was completely full of stars, leaving me in awe of God’s power.

Ants vs. HIZ

Although I have not been in Zambia long, I have already gotten use to seeing huge spiders, wasps, and ants everywhere. Often times there will be a huge spider on my bedroom wall and it no longer fazes me. If anything, we hope that they will kill the ants and mosquitoes. Much like in America, there are good bugs and bad bugs. Here at Namwianga the ants are invading, and ants are BAD. I must inform you that ants here in Zambia are huge and have pinchers. These ants bite and are nothing like one seen in America.

At first the ants invaded the Mann House, which is where half of the ladies in our group are staying. Here in Zambia, one cannot just call a terminator; they must take care of the problem themselves. This has given the guys a great chance to mess with the bugs; something we have loved doing since childhood anyways. We were able to kill all the ants surrounding the Mann House and the problem seemed to be taken care of; especially since we covered the edge of the house with ash. If you know anything about ants you know that we did not attack the main source, which would be underground. Sometimes killing ants in this way can make the queen ant very angry and only make problems worse. We ignored this reality and hoped that the ants would invade somewhere else. Little did we know that we were very wrong and the ants were only preparing for their next attack.

Last night twelve of us were watching Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (very funny childish movie) on a twelve inch Mac computer screen. We were having a blast in the Mann House living room, drinking soda and enjoying the movie. The room was very dark, so the ants chose this hour to schedule their revenge. Throughout the entire movie, ants were swarming back into the living room from the ceiling above and we had NO IDEA. The reaction on everyone’s face when the lights came on is priceless! Tons and tons of ants were pouring into the room and covered the living room floor and some of the furniture. As the girls were screaming I remember looking over at Quityn as he emptied ants out of his shirt and pants. Shortly after we discovered the ants he was bitten a couple times. Those that were sitting on the couch near the wall had ants in their pants and didn’t even know! The whole episode was hilarious; however, action had to be taken.

While some of the guys began spraying the ants and stomping, several of us made a mixture of boric acid and flour. This was Ba Shawn’s idea and worked quite brilliantly. The ants will either eat the boric acid and flour and die or carry it back to their home and kill the other ants. Once we walked outside and discovered where the ants were coming from, chills ran up my spine. Although the number of ants was overwhelming, they did not stand a chance. Since the spiders didn’t do their job, the men stepped up. Dead ants were everywhere in the house and how we got rid of them is a whole different blog entry in itself. While spot checking the area I found a black snake with white stripes. It escaped and we were unable to identify it. So if you have any ideas let me know. Miss you all.

Heavenly Sounds

If one was to tell me I will experience the most magnificent scene AND sounds of my life up to this point all in the same week; I would laugh directly in their face. However, they would have been exactly right. After visiting the market in Kalomo, the group visited a local congregation to worship and sing with one another. I believe the name of the church is Motata, but I am not sure. The men of the congregation were outside making plans, while the women and children of the congregation were inside the church building with us. The church was lit my three candles, one in the front and two in the back. It was very simple, but one can see how much the church building means to these people. As the women and children began to sing praises in Tonga, I was shocked. I cannot explain the sounds in proper words; it was absolutely magnificent. No recordings can capture the beauty of their voices. It is almost as if every person sings their own part and it somehow fits together. Once the men of the congregation arrived, the sound became even more phenomenal. Each of the Zambians has such a powerful and loud voice. I will never forget my first impression of the Zambians and their ways of worship. Once again my eyes have been opened to something real and magnificent. Once again I have experienced a praise that is truly connected with Christ.

Getting Settled

Things at the Namwianga Mission have begun slowing down, only for them to spring up again. The weather is absolutely incredible and we spend much of our time eating, reading, and talking outside in the porch area. Kalomo is much like Searcy in that the students are the life of town. Everything seems dead this week since all of the students are away. All of us begin classes a week from today (Monday) and close to 1000 students will be flooding in. Here at the mission there is a primary school, secondary school, and George Benson college.

This week we have been spending all of our time learning to speak Chitonga, commonly known as Tonga. This will allow us to make our way through the market and make friends with all of the students once they arrive. Making friends is particularly important to me, because we are allowed to stay with friends on the weekends. Some of the students will live within a few hours of walking from the campus and this will be an opportunity to get the full experience. Like I mentioned earlier, according to Zambian standards we are staying in a very nice location. I hope to get a taste of what life is like in the outside villages.

We have befriended many young children who want to play with us at all times. Often times I will have one child on my shoulders and the other two will be holding my hands. I particularly enjoy watching little Jason. At one point yesterday, some of the children were chasing us, but he fell behind and began to cry. Trey and I helped him to get his pink Crocs shoes back on and began to run full speed while holding him in the air. He immediately stopped crying and began to taunt the other children that had fallen behind. From that point on he insisted on holding my hand while running.

There is an older man by the name of Marres that enjoys talking to the Americans very much. He continually speaks of his 1000 acres and wishes to leave his land with a white American. Several times he has offered his land to Trey, but we are not quite sure if he is joking or insane. Either way, we continue to talk with him and have exchanged information. Obviously this could just be a scam, but it would be silly to neglect a man with so much land, especially since it could one day be used to build a hospital and orphanage. We will not make any big decisions or promises that cannot be kept; it is just fun meeting new people and form connections where possible.

Getting Accustomed

From the left is Bill, James, and Gordon. I am not sure if Bill is the correct name. We taught them how to play tag and tic-tac-toe, which they seemed to enjoy greatly.

We have begun the transition between life in the United States and life here in Zambia. First off, I must mention such a wonderful place the Namwiaga Mission is. The Zambians do a wonderful job of cleaning and maintaining the nice buildings they have here. Compared to the living conditions we have seen in the villages, we are staying in a five star hotel. The only grass I have seen is on the mission. Regardless of how nice our homes are compared with the rest of Zambia, there are still adjustments that have to be made for us new comers. Water is no longer just there at all times. Water is a precious commodity and is not to be wasted. I usually use little water if any to brush my teeth. For showers it is appropriate for one to wet down quickly, lather with the water off, then turn the water back on to rinse. I plan to only take a shower every three days, but this mainly depends on the days I exercise. I am blessed to have nice clothes that are able to resist from sun, bugs, wrinkles, and smell (kind of). I do not have a mirror nor do I care for one. It is nice going from day to day without the regular concerns of Americans. Zach Daggett and I are currently in a competition to see who can where the same shirt the longest. We are both wearing North Face shirts that are the same material, but different colors. I am on day 5 and do not seem to smell yet; however, I am sure Tanner or Trey will be the first to tell me if so. Trey Carlock is one of the guys who talked me into considering the trip to Zambia. He is very intelligent and I envy his ability to retain information without studying. He actually reminds me of Dad, especially when he cracks his witty jokes. We were joking about putting on a show for Harding when we return to America and Trey recommended we call it “H-I-Z positive.” I immediately saw Dad saying the same thing in that situation.

Since we have arrived, the electricity has gone out once every day and I personally have been unable to connect on-line. If you are reading this then I was obviously able to connect long enough to send this information. We have a local cell phone that is free to receive calls. The caller has to pay 15 to 30 cents every minute. I will be giving this information to my mom if one of you ever needs to reach me.

Yesterday was a very long day and several events happened that I will never forget. Ba Merrit gave us a tour of the mission and we later rode the bus into the city of Kalomo. Ba Merrit keeps things running at Namwianga and his father founded the mission many years ago. Right from the beginning it was obvious how socially awkward I was being. It was not until the end of the day I could greet the people in Tonga and understand enough to reply. At this point I know all the common greetings, but unless they respond in a way that I can reply, “Gabutu” I am in trouble. Gabutu simply means fine and I am not sure of the spelling.

The first event I would like to share is my first experience at the Haven. The children are not use to men holding them, so it was interesting reading the facial expressions of the Zambians. After playing with the healthy children I made my way to the building where the sick babies stay since. Most of these children are either born with AIDS or are currently sick with any other type of virus. It is very important that one is healthy before entering this area because the children can become very sick, very quickly. A little baby girl that was barely old enough to stand, reached her hands up towards me, motioning for me to pick her up. Her name is Kim and she has a twin sister that is sick as well. Kim found all of the new visitors very intriguing and could not help but stare. Her blank confused face was very cute and her little hands clinched my shirt as tightly as possible. Although I know her name, I do not know her sickness because I did not ask. I wanted to hold her as if she was just like any other baby. I wanted her to feel loved. Often people neglect these sick babies because they are only looking out for themselves. The sick children need care and love like any other child and we must not be afraid of attachment for our own selfish reasons. I respect the women who take care of these children and give them the love they need, knowing the children's lives here on earth are very limited.After playing soccer with a few of the local children, I met up with the HIZ group to drive into the town of Kalomo. The market was very crowded and we stood out like a pink backpack. I cannot upload any pictures, but can share them later. Many of the Zambians that approached me were eager to ask us questions concerning our lifestyle and climate in the states. It seems as if each man I have a discussion with is eager for change and development. It seems as if they see our skin color as opportunity. One man dressed with an assortment of old torn dress clothes asked us to take an application from him, while others asked how to improve their ways. One man asked, “How can we find development?” while another stated, “When we see you, we see God.” Whether these questions and statements were heartfelt or simply hollow, I have no idea. But I do believe that people in developing countries are seeking a better way.

Victoria Falls

The double rainbow was truly incredible and defined in person. The rainbows swoop under this bridge in the picture and complete on the other side, above some trees and shrubs.

Second Picture: Throughout the pathway along the falls one can see baboons throughout. I was within hands reach of these two.

Once we arrived at the airport in Livingstone, the first place we drove towards is Victoria Falls. Victoria Falls has become a huge tourist attraction and it is obvious why. At this point of the entry I would insert some pretty nifty facts about the falls and about David Livingstone; however, I have no internet or books to use as a source. This is something I will definitely have to get use to. In the states, I ALWAYS iPhone it, google it, YouTube it, or wiki it. The Internet has its positives and negatives, but without it I will no longer be able to obtain the useful and often useless knowledge I am accustomed to.

Although I do not have all the facts, I can describe what Victoria Falls looked like to me and how it impacted my life forever. The first glimpse I had of the falls was when the plane was beginning to land in Livingstone. It was truly amazing to see the falls from an upper perspective; not only because of the angle, but because one can see the desolate land surrounding the zigzag of the Zambezi River. There are several things I noticed about the falls that made the experience incredible.On the way down to the falls there is a statue of David Livingstone alongside the path. Shortly after, one comes to the best angle of the falls. A rambunctious group of us fell dead silent upon the first glance of such a magnificent show of God’s glory. No camera is able to take a picture that can give justice to the beauty of Victoria Falls. I was able to get close enough to the edge of the cliff in order to be drenched by the mist that shoots out, well above the waterfall. There have been rare moments in my life that I have been able to close my eyes and truly be at peace and silence before God. So far in Zambia, this has become an everyday experience. Facing Victoria Falls, I did not need to close my eyes or tune out my surroundings to hear what God has to say. I simply looked towards the rainbow above the water and allowed the mist to cool my face. No words or pictures can scratch the surface of what I experienced, I only hope that each of you have or will experience the same in one way or another.

Namwianga

We finally arrived at the Namwianga mission last night (Thursday) after leaving Harding’s campus on Sunday. It has been quite a journey and I am very relieved to finally be here in Kalomo. I was very exhausted last night and was able to fall asleep at 9 pm here, which is 2 pm in Arkansas. I feel great this morning and do not seem to be experiencing any culture shock or jet lag. I joked with several of the guys once we arrived in Zambia that I was having culture shock after an upset stomach; placing myself in a ball in the corner of the Livingstone airport. The last plane ride along with a couple of bus rides left me feeling pretty terrible towards the end of the trip. My stomach has never done well with antibiotics so I assume this is from the Doxycycline malaria medicine, since I have never had motion sickness before.

I was very surprised how westernized South Africa has become, especially Johannesburg. Of course, everything was still in English and many of the stores in the airport are stores we see in America. Zambia, on the other hand, is very very poor and this becomes apparent the moment one enters the airport in Livingstone. Although Zambia is very poor it is quite beautiful in its own way. I am very pleased with where we are staying at the mission. The Zambians made their appreciation known to us right from the beginning. The people here at the mission want to truly take care of us and for that I am grateful. I know that I, alongside a few others, would have been content with much less.

Here at the mission we are not to kill spiders or lizards, simply because they help to kill mosquitoes. And everyone knows mosquitoes cause malaria. It would not be smart to kill a spider in the presence of a Zambian since the spiders kill mosquitoes and mosquitoes kill their loved ones. When I awoke this morning several spiders found their way into my room. I admit that I stomped a couple, however, there is a spider in one of the upper corners of my room who has already built a solid web and caught several bugs. For this, I decided to keep him and name him Jesse. From this point on I will try not to harm any bugs and will allow Jesse to guard over the room. Between Jesse, the mosquito net, and my malaria medication I believe I am safe from Malaria (no guarantees). Ba Leonard is our cook and does an amazing job. Ba simply means Mr. or Ms. in Tonga. Most of the people in this southern area of Zambia speak both English and Tonga. Some know up to 5 languages or more. We will spend the next few weeks learning Tonga as well.

Pictures take a long time to upload. I may compress the images somehow and post them or send them to someone through email to post them for me.

Finally

Starting from the left in the picture: Quintyn Bolay, Shelby Chambliss, Tanner Nichols, Trey Carlock, Mallory Doran, Emily Sansom, and David Gray.

I could not ask for better people to be doing this mission with. Each student brings something special to the group, not to mention the wonderful job that Janice Bingham and Shawn Daggett do in leading us. Our patience and attitudes have already been tested with all the little troubles that occur during long distance travel.

We have just arrived at a magnificent looking hotel in Johannesburg, after our 15 hour international flight. The flight was quite an experience for me. I was very surprised once I realized that the spiffy plane seats each had touch screen televisions on the back. One could use the screen to call an assistant, adjust the fan, or turn on the reading light. There were several choices for entertainment including recent movies, games, and shows. The last thing I thought to be interesting was the satellite view of our current location along the route as well as other informative information concerning time and temperature. During the first 5 hours of the flight I was thoroughly enjoying myself and was able to catch up on movies and television; however, things only went downhill from there.

I became very restless a few hours later and my love for flight DL200 vanished quickly. I was only able to sleep for a few hours and my flight was not near as productive as I had hoped. Although I was very ready to leave the plane, it was still a great experience. The hotel has a very nice pool area with neat decorations all around. Unfortunately I am very limited in the number of pictures I can upload from Zambia. Now it is time to catch up on some sleep!