Well I just spent 5 days in Mtenguleni, a large African Village. We arrived in the city of Chipata in Zambia with 2 other teams. We all spent the night at the church we’re working with called Family Center. Then we were told each team will be rotating and staying a week each at 2 different villages and Chipata. We are back in Chipata for this week and then on to the next village.
I experienced a whole lot of firsts at this village:
1. First bucket shower outside
2. First time using a squat toilet
3. First time doing laundry in a bucket outside
4. First time sharing a room with a live chicken
5. First time seeing cockroaches almost the size of my fist
6. First time sweeping out a hut with a dirt floor
7. First time evangelizing door-to-door
8. First time learning to speak Nyanja
9. First time going to church in Africa in a building missing 75% of it’s roof
10. First time having dozens of African children following me around and fighting over who gets to hold my hand or sit next to me
I miss the village so much. We were there less than a week and we felt like part of the community. Our translator, William, is by far one of the greatest people ever and a rockstar at Phase 10. We loved him so much that our translators are switching and he’s coming with us when we go to the next village!
We’re definitely getting the African experience. Us girls have to wear chitenges every day which is basically just a large piece of fabric you wrap around you like a skirt. All the women wear them here. We’ve eaten shima (sp?) every day. It’s ground corn meal or something like that and you eat it with your fingers. I love eating with my hands. We were given a chicken as a welcome by the chief of the village. Yeah. That happened.
Part of me wants to talk about the poverty and dirty, unsanitary conditions these people are living in. But that part isn’t what stood out to me. I hardly noticed those parts of the village. What I did notice was how friendly and welcoming the community was. These people will see you coming and immediately bring out benches so we can sit and talk with them. They’re open and honest. Their stories of how they’ve seen God work in their lives are incredible and humbling. They may not have a lot of material items, but they know how blessed they are. I noticed how faithful and bold they were to come to our door and ask for prayer. I noticed how much love the children gave and wanted to receive.
My team and I are slowly growing closer in more ways than one. We’ve crammed more people and people-sized backpacks in vans than I would have ever thought humanly possible. I don’t even think clowns are as good as we are.
Please continue to pray for us as we deal with homesickness and missing out on huge things at home. Danielle’s new niece is being born today and praise God that we actually have access to wifi right now. It’s a few blocks away, but we have it! But it’s still very hard for us all being this far away from families and friends.
Please also pray for finances. God brought us here, He’s going to provide the rest. Please also prayerfully consider partnering with me and my team and the amazing things God is going to show us this year.
I love you all and I’ll post again when I can! No wifi in the villages, unfortunately.
