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.