Hello again! I’m finishing out my time in Zambia and wanted to give a summary and share some fun pictures from the month! As far as travel and my next destination, I’ll be heading to Swaziland on the 31st where I’ll spend my final month in Africa before heading over to Asia!
Our ministry this month consisted of home evangelism, market evangelism, and getting the opportunity to share Jesus at some local schools and churches! If you would like to hear more about our time evangelizing, I wrote about one of my favorite encounters in my blog entitled “Power in the Blood.” I made some special friends at our base here in Livingstone that are affiliated with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) and will be forever grateful for their friendship and impact in my life! One of them is a girl from Switzerland, named Julia, pictured below!
A favorite encounter of mine from this month was meeting Ron! Ron is quite literally a modern-day Paul. We met Ron one day when we were visiting a church. He was the only white guy in the entire congregation. Let’s just say he wasn’t hard to spot. After service, we introduced ourselves and were blown away when we asked about his life and why he was here. He’s from the States originally and attended a church born from the Hillsong movement out of California. He wanted a life away from the typical nine to five and he felt the Lord leading him to Africa. When he was confident the Lord called him to this drastic life change he told his family in the States good bye; not “see ya later” or “I’ll be back soon,” but good bye. He did not come to Africa with a plan, but instead told the Lord he would go wherever he called him. He’s been backpacking through Africa for three months now with no money, no plan of action, and an incredible faith in God’s goodness and provision. He told us stories of being held at gun-point, saving someone’s life (literally), evangelizing to gangsters, and countless, countless stories of God continuously providing for his every need. He said he hasn’t gone two nights without food, water, a bed, and a shower. When asked about safety or concerns he reminded us that the safest place we can be is in God’s will. He’s someone who’s inspired my faith considerably and definitely someone I’ll never forget.
This month, while I enjoyed walks in town, a museum visit, and the occasional ice cream with friends on our rest days, I had two larger adventure days that definitely made the books!
A few of us girls took a trip to Victoria Falls, one of the seven Wonders of the World, and waded in the Devil’s Pool; a rock pool with an up-close and personal view of the sheer drop off the side of the falls! It cost us a boat ride, a rocky walk and a swim in the Zambezi to reach it, but the adrenaline-pumping expedition was far beyond worth it!
A week later, I got to check a box off my bucket list and went on an African safari! My knowledge of Africa prior to visiting didn’t extend passed the Discovery Channel, the Tulsa Zoo, and Disney’s The Lion King, so this trip, for me, was nothing short of eye-opening and incredible! (Although, I’m slightly disappointed none of the animals had a song and dance routine planned for us. The Lion King had me expectant.) While the pictures don’t do it justice, the sights and the animals were so beautiful and a wonderful reminder of God’s creative mind. Seeing the elephants was the highlight for me!!
My time in Zambia has been my favorite month on the World Race, hands down. I’ve been stretched and I’ve experienced His goodness and faithfulness here in a way I haven’t anywhere else. He is a good, good Father and He’s walking me down a road now that is hard and uncomfortable, but He keeps reminding me that brokenness precedes dependence.
Thank you to all of you who have been keeping up with me through my blogs! Please take the time to comment and let me know your thoughts. I would love to hear from you. 🙂
All my love,
Alyx
