Sunday in Zambia

In Zambia, Sunday is a day of rest and worship for the most part...we had a chance to do some of both while also spending time in the village...we went to a community wide church service in a spot outside in Kakolo...the service featured beautiful singing by an African student choir in robes and we had a chance to both sing and dance as we participated as well...they even sang Come Thou Fount of Every Blesing in bemba, their native tongue this morning...there is an immense reverence towards God in this nation as I think so many people see God daily meet their immediate needs, often in very tangible and surprising ways...as they sing and pray, there is so clearly an intensity in the worship and words spoken and sung...one of the local pastors spoke from Psalm 100 and talked about the reality of the unity of the body of Christ which we celebrated together in this worship service...His words spoke to how only God could have brought us together and how deeply they valued our relationship...His reminder to thank God often for all the good things He gives us carries great meaning in a place where from our perspective they might on the surface level need so much more to feel content...

Playing baseball on Father's Day in Zambia was something I was looking forward to all week...baseball is something I have done and loved all my life, and it is very much connected to my dad who played baseball in college like I did...and it is being passed on to my little guy Trey who watches baseball highlights on my phone every morning when he wakes up...so when one of my good friends and WA grads brought baseball to Zambia, it became one of my favorite moments on the trip to play the game I grew up loving with new friends who just embraced it a few years ago in a culture that had never seen it before...I am like a kid in the proverbial candy store standing on that soccer field at shortstop in an African village...

Nevertheless, evidently we taught the Zambians too well as the Americans went down in the game featuring their country's pasttime 21-20...lots of runs on both sides, and a grand slam from the old guy and a homer from a soccer playing girl was just not enough! Looks like the Americans will not produce a win in their athletic endeavors in Zambia this year, but I think we are all just fine with that...

ELEVEN Random Observations after the first week of our trip...

*Small kids are often hurting the worst in these communities, as being small denies you food and other things...many stomachs are distended from malnutrition in the children under 5 as you walk the dusty roads of the village setting...

*The village community always thinks we'll keep coming back...they just assume our friendship will continue because it is past the point of jsut surprise visits now...I'm not sure how to tell them I am leaving WA and that a group from WA most likely will never come again...part of the pain and questions when you enter into relationships, even with people in Africa...

*We are besieged by children...they literally pounce on your students when they see the bus coming...some run out a mile or so to welcome us and run following the bus back to the village...your students are pouring out the love of Jesus to His children seeking and drinking in that love from them...

*Power of music is real...there is such a bond instantly as we sing and chant and dance together...hundreds of children were singing and clapping a song taught to them by a student just a few minutes ago as we drove away this afternoon...

*Belief in a real and different future is real in this place...they can and do dream of doing significant and splendid things with their lives, just like we do...and perhaps some of these new buildings and programs can stoke that fire for the future...

*There is a joy and amazement in being part of other cultures...you learn so much, evaluate your own culture, and feel so much richer in how you can think and feel and understand after being immersed, even for a few days, in a dramatically different setting...

*There is great reward in serving the poor...the benefits often far outweigh any financial and time and personal sacrifices...we will come away filled up in our spirits after our time with those at the most risk in our world today...

*The ability to give and receive love is so deeply ingrained in us...it is so evident when we are asked to do so and gladly respond here...oh, how we want to tap into and release that love when we come home...

*Our resources can change life dramatically here...I still am amazed at the change the Zambia Project has and will brought to this community, in comparison to others we see, and in how they talk about the future...

*This is a country filled with beautiful and talented people, much like ours...it's just that so few of them have the chance to be recognized and highlighted and rewarded in ways like our culture and media does...

*God is at work in and through your students...I often wish you could see what they do and hear what they say on these trips...they believe God is at work here and they are excited to join Him in this place and those He invites them to in the days ahead...

We are off to the best pizza place in Kitwe for dinner and a good night's rest before our final day in this area tomorrow...Happy Father's Day from us all!

CHIP