Wow. What a month. Our third month of ministry. Zambia. A beautiful country. Filled with such sweet memories.
While the boys on our squad were off in the bush doing their thing, the rest of us girls did life with each other. A month full of all the girl things!!
As I mentioned a bit in my previous blog, this past month I lived with 16 other women (including our two alumni squad leaders who were our team leaders this month) in our host families’ home. Coming into this month I was stoked to be living in tight-knit community with such a large group of women. I just had the best sense that the Lord was going to provide a beautiful month.
And boy was I right.
As we head to our next debrief in Lilongwe, Malawi, one word comes to mind as I reflect on the past month: community.
Let me paint a picture for you:
Every morning at 5am, the same three girls and I would wake up and workout on the front porch. Body-weight circuits. Christian rap. A pesky puppy biting us as we laid down to do crunches. African sunrises. Sweat pouring down our backs.
At 6:30am, 4-5 of us would sit at the picnic table in the backyard as we enjoyed our morning quiet time with the Lord. Coffee. Oatmeal. Bibles. Journals. Sometimes we’d break out in challenging Biblical conversation, seeking deeper intimacy with the Father. Sweet moments.
By 9am, all 17 of us would be piled into two vehicles smooshed on top of each other to drive to ministry.
- Tuesday’s, we drove an hour and a half to a village in the bush to lead a Bible study for the women there.
- Wednesday’s, we visited a school for orphans where we engaged them with song & dance, skits, games, short Bible lessons, and small group discussions.
- Thursday’s, we visited another school and did the same thing.
- Friday’s, we went to an orphanage and some of us played with the kiddos while others helped out with manual labor & cleaning tasks.
- Saturday’s, we lead Bible camp for 5-15 year olds. VBS style. Lots of skits. Lots of teachings. Lots of dancing. Lots of games. Lots of hair braiding.
- Sunday’s we had church. Some of our girls lead worship, then our host, Pastor Sanderson, would give a message (in English!!!), and then we would fellowship afterward. The rest of the day we would relax.
- Monday’s were our off days. Because it was usually so stinking hot, we went to several resorts that had pools where we would cool off and chill out. We felt spoiled. We also went to the thrift stores and to the movies. Five times. We only went for the popcorn and ice-cold slushies. Such a treat!!
After ministry, which usually only lasted about four hours each day, we’d come home and gather together as a big team to plan for the next day. This was the coolest part of the month, where I noticed God the most. With 17 of us girls, each of us had a gift to bring. When we were given our task for the next day, such as organizing a VBS program, it only took us roughly an hour to plan almost a four-hour program, because each of us had something to bring to the table. Some of us were better with the little kids. Some were better with the older ones. Some liked to lead in worship. Some liked to lead kids in dance. Some had the gift of preaching. Some liked to lead the program overall and direct us from one part to the next. All of us had a role. It was truly the body of Christ moving in its different parts. No part was more important than the next. All were imperative for the body to work properly. It was beautiful!!
After ministry every day, we would come home and have free time which I would use to have 1 on 1s with all the girls on my team.
Coming into month 3, I only really knew my Tribe of Judah girls and a couple other girls pretty well. So, my goal this month was to listen to everyone’s testimonies and to get to know each girls’ heart on a deeper level. I had the desire to break through the surface and dive into what the Lord has been doing in each of their lives. Truly a blessing & my favorite part of this month!
Then, we would rotate through who would prepare dinner every night, and a few of us would cook for all of us. Lots of rice bowls & chapati bread. Heaven on earth!! A lot of fun bonding in the kitchen.
We ended every night sweating our butts off in the living room where we had feedback and team time. Hard conversations were had here. Boatloads of encouragement was poured out here. Worship was sung out here. Intimacy with our Father was experienced here. Belly laughs were multiplied here. I will treasure those moments for the rest of my life.
Here are some things I’ll never forget from Zambia:
- The African heat. I had always heard about it, but I never understood it until this month. Awful. I lived in pools of sweat. I took bucket showers in the middle of the night most nights to cool myself down enough to fall asleep. It was 107 degrees outside, and that was nice and refreshing compared to the oven of a house we lived in. I will laugh about it one day. One day.
- Dante. Our host family’s demon. I mean dog. He terrorized us 24/7. A 6-month-old puppy who has no manners. Biting, peeing, and eating poopy diapers were all he did while we were there. Elaina made a 10-minute video depicting our suffering. Ask me about it some time.
- Aloe water. Our saving grace this month. The water we drank was warm, and again, it was SO HOT. So we went to the grocery store every few days to get ice cold drinks to cool off. Aloe water was a nice treat!!!
- Land Rover truck rides. We would sit in the bed of our host’s safari vehicle and enjoy the nice breeze while we drove all over Livingstone and to the village on Tuesdays. There was even one point at the bottom of a hill that was a 10 degree temperature difference, and it’s what we all lived for. Can you tell that the heat was a struggle?!
- Our hosts daughters, Cheyenne & Shannon. They were the cutest girls, 11 and 9, and we had the sweetest conversations. Their fierce, sassy, intentional, and generous spirits were enjoyed by my entire team this month, and we will miss them so darn much!!
Month 3 flew by. Truly. I cannot believe we’re heading into month 4.
As I reflect back on this first 1/4 of the Race, I can see the Lord’s goodness every step of the way. I am grateful for every single day I’ve been given on this journey. This is the sweetest season of life, and I’m enjoying it all. The good, the bad, and the ugly. They’re all blessings. Praise Jesus for giving me the opportunity to love His people around the world. I love this life.
Much love,
Allison
