Zambia is a gorgeous country. It is home to one of the greatest wonders of the world, Victoria Falls. It is one of the biggest tourist attractions, and there are plenty of luxurious resorts. In Zambia you can go ziplining across Victoria falls, you can hang off the edge of a water fall at devils pool, and you can go on safaris to see elephants and lions. It is easy to get caught up in the bliss of the adventure here. But behind those wonders, there is a lot of hopelessness.
Beyond the tourist attractions there are people without homes and there are children who beg for food on the streets. There are children who will run up to you craving attention because their parents don’t give them any. You may meet a 12 year old that will ask you to hold her because she’s never been held by a parent before. They shout “Mozungu! Mozungu!” (White person) to you, because they know white people are the ones who will say hello to them. There are families who live in makeshift shacks and there are other beggars and orphans. Here you will see that there are lots of churches, but yet still not a full understanding of Christianity. There are church buildings but still a lack of salvation.
Zambia is a wonderful country. I’ve definitely fallen in love with it’s people and it’s beauty. But Zambia needs lots of love. Zambia needs the Lord. The vacation resorts and the waterfalls are incredible, but there are people who are overlooked. I see how people’s faces light up when I just wave to someone or say hello. It means so much to them to just be noticed. Zambia is a popular tourist attraction, with many people from all over the world coming to explore its wonders. But it still has people that need to be seen. There is a lot of brokenness but there is no such thing as a place that is beyond repair. Love is healing this place, and the thing that saves does not come from a church building, but it’s what goes into the building. It’s the presence of a Savior, it’s a love that died to know us.
