God provided so much this first month; unreal how He provided time and time again! We showed up in Zambia only knowing of a place to sleep for a week in Lusaka and the rest of it was lead by the Holy Spirit. Some team members knew of someone who knew someone in Lusaka so we followed up on those contacts. Once meeting those contacts, they knew of even more and God’s provision really started to shine! From one Kingdom building contact to the next, God was faithful.
Early on in the month the team had a desire to head south to Livingstone to ensure that we would see Victoria Falls. Being 7 hours away and potentially not seeing one of the seven natural wonders of the world was nerve racking. A team mate challenged us to check our hearts during this month of ministry and be open to the idea that God might have a better plan that doesn’t include heading south to Livingstone.
North we went following ministry contacts that the Lord had provided in Kitwe. One issue…where to sleep? The only option we knew of was 3 times larger than our budget of $5 a night per person. We prayed through it and sure enough the day before we were going to bus north, He provided! Not only did He provide accomadations within our budget but it was a NICE place! There was a kitchen, internet, bunk beds, puppies, green space, and turned out to be an incredible place (New Life Center) that could potentially host a future World Race SQUAD! While in Kitwe, He provided more and more awesome missionaries to encourage and fellowship with.
We quickly realized how important community is at home and especially for foreign missions. Whenever a group of 7 Americans can hang out with other Americans serving and have been away from home for an extended time, you really do lift their spirits and create a bond.
While serving in Kitwe, a contact that another team found while doing ministry followed up with us….and guess what it is in Livingstone! God took us North, relied on His plan, and He brought us back south….a full 18 hour bus ride south! Officially we have criss-crossed Zambia in every way imaginable.
God was in all sorts of the details throughout the month too! From the conversations we had with people at the hostel in Lusaka to people making us home cooked meals. He was present and I am EXCITED about where He is going to take us next.
