It’s hard to believe we are halfway through month 5!! Africa has been treating me very well!
For years I have dreamed of this moment. I don’t know why but God put a burden on my heart for this continent. I’ve had the desire to come here for so long and I’m not even sure why yet. I’ve had friends come and have vicariously lived through them and their pictures. But now here I am, living in Livingstone, Zambia. For 3 months I get to be here in Africa spending time in Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique. God is so faithful!
Our ministry this month is spent working at a preschool in the mornings. We are greeted every morning by 60 little ones yelling “Mzungas! Mzungas!”, followed by hugs, high fives, and fist bumps. No day looks the same. Sometimes the teachers have the whole morning planned out and sometimes they look to us for ideas and time fillers. We do a lot of singing and dancing! We have all brushed up on songs that we grew up singing like “Father Abraham” and “This Little Light of Mine”, we’ve taught them songs that we learned in previous countries, and they have taught us new songs. It’s been a blast!
Our preschool kiddos! They are wild and crazy but I love ’em! (Photo cred: Kelsey Kirkpatrick)
We walk back to the compound at noon and eat lunch then have a two hour break which has been so nice. I am a big fan of having some Jesus time followed by siestas in my hammock during this time. Those preschoolers can wear a person out!
Our afternoons are spent doing sports ministry. At 3:00pm we walk to a field nearby our house and play soccer. As we walk out of our gate every single day we are greeted by kids in the neighborhood with wide open arms as they jump into our arms. Y’all, it’s the best thing in the world. But when it’s 3:00pm they know that it’s soccer time so they are always waiting at the gate for us
While the rest of the team plays soccer with kids from the village, Rachel and I sit on the side and play with the kids who are too young for soccer or don’t have interest in playing. The girls play with our hair, we play clapping games, or we just sit and talk, all while our laps are invaded by multiple kids at a time. I love every second of it.
(Photo cred: Andy White)
We are living on a compound this month and we cook our own meals which has been nice. We have showers, even hot ones, but it’s so hot here that nothing is better than a nice cold shower. We don’t always have water, usually in the afternoons and early evening it is turned off and every now and again the electricity will shut off.
The catch to our living situation has definitely been the bugs and spiders. They are everywhere. And they really are bigger in Africa! Thankfully we have guys around who are willing to kill them for us – perks to being on a coed team! They take very good care of us, but don’t tell them I said that! 🙂
Here is a funny story though it’s also probably one where you had to be there to really understand but one night we were trying to do feedback but it was interrupted by the bugs – literally. It had rained the night before which brought all the bugs out the next night. While we were sitting there trying to have feedback these bugs kept landing on us and flying all around us. It was disgusting, there were so many of them. The lights were attracting them so we ended up moving into a different room where it was dark and there were no bugs. We tried again doing feedback and about 2 minutes in, we spot a fat daddy rat. The biggest rat I’ve ever seen. So our whole team, guys included, scream and run back into the bug infested room. I don’t know that we ever finished feedback that night!
This is the story of our lives this month…bugs and spiders everywhere.
In other news, MY MOM IS COMING TO THE PHILIPPINES!!!! They have what is called Parent Vision Trip on the race where we can invite our parents to come see what the World Race is like firsthand. My mom said YES so she will be joining me in month 8, February 17-22, in the Philippines. So stinkin’ amazing!! Best birthday present ever! I’m so proud of her for taking this leap of faith and stepping out of her comfort zone. It will be her first time to travel overseas. Her first missions trip. Her first time to get a passport. Ahhh! I am beyond stoked (if you can’t tell) to get to do ministry with her and experience Asia with her!
Much love from Zambia,
Kaci
