1. Baboons are quite frightening and aren’t afraid of humans in the least bit.
There were baboons all throughout the Victoria Falls area, kind of how peacocks are walking around loose at the zoo. Some huge, some small. But quite terrifying. If you had a local grocery bag, you could guarantee that a baboon would come right up to you and snatch it out of your hand. They weren’t fazed in the least bit by humans walking around or even right next to them on the path. They didn’t seem ferocious or attack any humans, but I wasn’t going to really test the waters either.
2. Rain storms are an excellent resource of water and make showers possible.
The room that was my home while in Zambia didn’t have working water. Sure, other rooms had water, but I was one of the lucky ones to end up in the room that didn’t. So the first week or so, it rained pretty much every day. So we took advantage of it and filled up our water buckets during the storm so we could take bucket showers. Some even resorted to taking their shampoo and soap outside for a shower under the roof runoff. We were thankful for the rain after a dirty day’s work.
3. Even though food has the same name as American food on a menu, doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the same thing in Zambian culture.
There were a couple of instances where I ordered something because it sounded great and I liked it in the U.S. only to receive it and it wasn’t quite the same. For instance, I ordered a peanut butter & banana milkshake. When I received it, it looked like what I envisioned. It had the same flavor as what I thought it was. But the difference was, for some reason, the milkshake was warm, not cold. Still not quite sure how that happened. It still tasted good, but was not the refreshing and cold drink I was hoping for.
4. Doctor visits consist of sitting in front of a desk and talking to the doctor about what’s wrong with you.
This wasn’t the first doctor experience I had in Africa, but it still surprised me that when I went to the doctor, I went into a doctor’s office, literally, and told him my symptoms. He maybe asked me a couple of questions, looked briefly at what was wrong without even testing anything, and then gave me a prescription. Just so different than doctor visits in the U.S. I am happy to report though that the doctor did prescribe what I needed and am healthy once again.
5. Flies. I think I may detest flies more than mosquitoes.
For some reason, there were a ton of flies in Livingstone. So much so that we started to have contests to see who could kill more flies first. My skills advanced throughout the month to killing two flies at one time. I’m still trying to figure out the purpose of why God let flies on to the ark and didn’t destroy them in the flood. Maybe I’ll never know, but I’m thankful to not live in fly-infested environments all the time. One month was good enough for me.
6. Lawn mowers aren’t a thing. That’s what slashers & humans are for.
Part of ministry this month was clearing a piece of property our hosts had purchased to be turned into a play park for kids in the area. When we first arrived, it was completely overgrown with grass, weeds, and plants. They handed us these machete/slasher type things and we went to town. By the end of the week, we had run out of band-aids from blisters, developed some great tan skin on our shoulders, and worked out our shoulder and back muscles. I actually really enjoyed it, but it was definitely a tiring job. It’s interesting doing manual labor that takes a week to do when back in the U.S., it could have easily been done in a couple of hours with a lawn mower. There’s something about using simple tools though that brings simplicity and ease of mind and at the end of the day, some great accomplishment.
7. Day camp can be run with very little resources and actually turn out okay.
I think the total equipment we used for day camp for 80 kids consisted of a couple of hula hoops, some cones, a football, and maybe one or two more pieces of sporting equipment. Oh, and rocks from the land that we painted yellow to be our pieces of gold for gold rush. But that’s it. And it was a great day. Kids had a blast. We had a blast with the kids. It makes me wonder if simple can be done well and successfully in every situation. I don’t know if we could have made it work in the U.S. because of the culture. But I’m thankful that the Lord made it work and work well in Zambia with what we had. It was just enough because He knew exactly what we needed before we even said a word. He’s that good of a Father.
8. You get to the point where you hear that there’s going to be a shower where you are going, so you end up taking shampoo, conditioner, and soap just in case you can use it.
There was a rest day where a few of my friends & I went to a really nice resort in Livingstone to go swimming and just hang out. Rumor was that there was an outdoor shower at the pool. With that in mind, and the lack of water & showers from my room, I slipped some shampoo & conditioner into my bag just in case. And boy, was I so glad because it was the best shower of my month. It’s the little things I have learned to love and appreciate along the race. I have also learned to not care if people think I’m crazy for washing my hair in an outdoor shower at a super nice resort. They don’t know my life. And it’s great to be able to laugh off the crazy looks and be free.
9. Kids still want their hand to be held.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect after being with the loving kids in Malawi in February. But we were able to hang out with some kids at a local orphanage. And as soon as I stepped out of the van the first day, I was greeted with the sweetest smile and my hand was grabbed and never let go of until the van door was shut as I was leaving. The little girl was 9 years old. Every Friday when we went, I saw her eyes search the faces of our group until she saw me. Then she ran over with the biggest smile and grabbed my hand. Such love to give from someone who I’m sure hasn’t experienced the most love in her life. Yet holding on to her hand was enough for her to know that I loved her.
10. Victoria Falls makes you feel like a kid playing outside in the rain.
Such a great and liberating experience. If you ever have the chance to along the path [and splashing in the puddles] was incredible. Sure I was soaked. But I was laughing and had no worries in the entire world. It was just me and my friends, soaking up the overwhelming beauty of the Father’s creation from one of the seven wonders of the world. What a sight. What an experience. What a joyous experience that I would love to experience again some day.
11. The Gospel message just doesn’t get old. And it’s exciting to see how it translates and connects to people in each culture.
During day camps, our ministry host was the person who shared the Gospel message with the kids at the end of the day. It was so great to hear him share it because he shared it in new ways that I had never heard before. It was refreshing to hear him speak because he shared the message of salvation in ways I had never heard before. And it clicked. It clicked with the kids. And over the course of the 2 separate days of day camp, I was able to witness over 60 kids come to know the Lord. It just doesn’t get old. And it’s incredible to see how the Gospel message is one that is relatable in every culture and to every age. Beautiful.
