Zambia 2013

I'm going to share my journal from the trip here on my blog, hope you "travel" with me. 

Day one: We landed and had dinner, just Tandoori chicken and chips at the mall. I am in Africa, right?With a large agricultural event in Lusaka from August 1-5 everything is crowded. Parking, roads and people are full! Tomorrow is also a full day, starting early.

Day two: I am attending an African funeral of a woman 5 years my junior. Her 5 children are now without their mother, and her family without their daughter and sister. The deaconesses from the church prepared her body, attended to the service with their singing and weeping and will bury her at the cemetery. A white pine box, simply made,  and her life is now complete. Her oldest daughters wept so hard as they passed the body, they couldn't continue to stand and were helped out by the women. I had held my tears until then but they flowed freely at this sight. She is in heaven and although I mourned her having never met her, I will meet her one day.

After the funeral, I met 82 orphans, their guardians and overseers. It is unimaginable the joy which comes from seeing your work in person. I do not have the ability to see my daily work and the impact it has on a regular basis. Papers do not hug you, thank you, kiss you, or make you smile! It has been so good to be here.

We then went to see 12 orphans and welcome them into our program. They live in a village called Soweto with a population of around 400,000. probably the size of Warr Acres in OK. little huts and houses everywhere, and children as far as the eye could see. Muzungu (white people) draw quite a crowd. They were shy and in shock. When I announced they did not have to wait until January, there were smiles and whispers and tears. With profound thanks, they came forward and received their first month of support. Many couldn't even look at me, many had tears. I encouraged them, prayed over them and she'd my own tears for the hundreds I walked by on the way out whom I could not yet offer help.

We shared dinner with Fraywell and his family. Loveness was a sweet hostess and so excited to see a woman from Reaching Souls. Fraywell, when asked what was his favorite thing about her, said her frankness for it made him a better man. She loved most his persistence and love for her and her children. They shared their love story, Fraywell took us by the place he had first seen her on our way home to Lima Garden and it was such a special time.

Tomorrow, church and rest. 

Peace