What a beginning! We have been in Zambia for 18 days and each one of them has been rather unique. In the past 18 days, we have visited and shared in two different orphanages, were welcomed by a Zambia Government Cabinet member, purchased a truck and learned to drive in Zambia, saw a few elephants,
moved to Mongu, helped with a big event with over 80 youth at the youth center, ate a traditional Zambian meal as well as Chinese, Korean, and Curry (serving with a multi-cultural team has many advantages), celebrated a birthday, our anniversary, attended some great church services, and got extremely hot…
The heat has been one of the biggest adjustments for us. The two weeks we were in Lusaka, were not too bad as the elevation there is high and the temperatures are cooler. But now that we are in Mongu, it is a different story. Saturday, during our big outdoor event at the Mongu Youth Center, it was over 108 degrees. Mongu is located just on the edge of the Kalahari Desert and is very sandy and dry. It hadn’t rained here in many months, so it just draws the moisture out of you. When we got home, because we have no air conditioning, the only relief we could find was to wet a Chitenge (a piece of material women wrap around there waste and wear as a skirt) and lay in front of the fan. I have heard people say, “You’re about as fun as a wet blanket.” Just let me say, we were thankful for a wet blanket that day.
Setting up for the Skills Challenge event at the youth center
Trying to provide protection from the sun
Today we were waiting for Laurie while she did some work at the Bible College and Velda quickly made a few new friends and began to play. Children seemed to just come out of nowhere and began marching, jumping, twirling, and saying, “I love Jesus!” as she invented new games to play. I am always amazed at how although their is a language barrier, the children can understand Velda’s heart and love for them. It’s a beautiful thing. I am a blessed man!
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