After a long hiatus... I'm BACK!

I keep thinking maybe one day I'll get over the beauty of this place. But I truly hope I never do. I hope I never look out over Lake Kariba without being in absolute awe of the beauty of creation here in Siavonga, Zambia. Let me just give you a little sneak peak to the view from my back porch. I think you'll understand what I'm saying, though it's hard to truly capture the beauty in a picture.

See what I mean? "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork" (Psalm 19:1). And to think, the beauty of the creation doesn't even begin to compare to the beauty of the Creator! All of creation screams out for the glory of God. And I stand in awe of the Creator.

I thought pictures would be the best way to update, because as they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words." Enjoy:

Children at Namumu Primary School waiting for class to start
Namumu Primary School is connected to the Namumu Orphanage in Siavonga.
The orphanage is for older children. The youngest child there now is an 8 year old girl.
Praying for God to show me the ways He would have for me to get involved at Namumu!

Scripture Union at Siavonga High School
Every Wednesday at 4pm, right after school ends, students gather in one of the classroom for a time of worship and Bible study.
Praying for relationships to be built with the girls in this group that will lead to small group Bible studies and discipleship.

The Langston kiddos and their friends singing "Open the Eyes of my Heart"
I am so blessed to spend my days teaching the Langston children.
My students become teachers in the afternoons after we finish as they play school with their friends.
Pray for God to give me wisdom and creativity in my teaching.

My sweet ride :)
You have to love the studded BMZ on the side.
Thanks for your prayers for my adjustment to driving in Zambia. The Lord has answered and I'm a gear-shifting, opposite side of the car and road driving girl now!

Thank you for your prayers for me. I just recently moved to a house with better Internet service than I had before, so I will do my best to update more regularly now so you can stay updated on how to pray for me and the work God is doing here in Siavonga!

It Takes a Village: A Photo Blog

I went into Kawilizhi, a village near my supervisor's house, today to learn how to cook a traditional Zambian meal and learn more about the Tonga culture. Here's some photos from the day:

My kitchen for the day

Making cishu, the side dish to the staple food, nshima

smoke rising

nshima

cooking

washing dishes

time to eat!

the leftovers

bucket and bowl for washing hands

and the truck got stuck in the mud...

More people showed up to help

And then more...

It takes a village....

that face, haha!

success, back in the car!

the mud we were stuck in

and our tools that got us out

Under the African Rain Clouds

How did everything arrive here on earth?

Why are we here? What is the reason we live?

Why is there evil in the world?

What happens when a person dies?

Who buries them? Where are they buried?

What happens to the person's spirit? Where does it go? Does it die with the body?

How does a man choose a wife?

How is the bride price determined? 

If a man wants a second (or third or fourth) wife, how does that work? 

These are just a few of the questions I have been able to spend my afternoons asking the Tonga people. After a morning full of studying the ciTonga language, I go out in the afternoon, either with my supervisor's wife or an interpreter and visit with different women and ask these questions and so many more. It's been another reminder to me of how welcoming this culture is. We can walk up to a person's yard, greet them, and then ask if they have time to help me learn about the baTonga people. And they almost always say yes. I can only think of one lady who was on her way to sell things in the market and didn't have the time. Every other home has welcomed us. And so we sit outside under the African sun (or these days, the African rain clouds that come with the rainy season) and chat. They always bring a wooden bench for me to sit on. They usually sit on the ground or on the concrete porch area outside their house. I sometimes feel silly sitting on the bench when I would be just as happy to sit with them on the ground, but I dare not offend their gesture of hospitality and respect by saying so. And I ask question after question. Some people are more open to talk with me than others. Sometimes things are lost in translation. But still I learn from every single conversation. 

And with each conversation, I fall more in love with the people I will be living with for the next two years. I hope my time here is spent as a learner just as much as it is spent as a teacher. I look forward to getting back to Siavonga in a couple of weeks and getting to build relationships with women and girls that will be my friends and cultural teachers while I am here. 

I do ask that you be praying for my health. I have spent the past several days not feeling well, which has kept me from doing many of the things I was so looking forward to doing during my time of orientation here with my supervisor. I am feeling better today, though trying not to do so much that I backslide tomorrow. Pray I will have really good health these last few days I have here at orientation so I will be able to learn and share more with the Tonga people. 

And because I know you're all dying for some pictures:

Micah, Emily, me, and Taylor at my airport arrival

coming in from the fields

outdoor cooking

These children waited by our car for almost an hour while we talked with people just so they could wave and say "Hello!"

sunset over Lake Kariba from the Langstons' kitchen window

the kids playing church with friends in the yard

Mwa buka buti?

Mwa buka buti? (That would be the morning greeting in Tonga. More literally asking, “How have you risen?”)

I am in love with these people and this place. Truly, I am. I feel so at home here in Siavonga. It’s been hard for me to think of what to write, because it’s hard to put everything into words. And the Internet connection has kept me from posting a blog too J Siavonga is absolutely beautiful though. Here’s the view from the Langstons’ veranda overlooking Lake Kariba:

Everyone I have met has been so wonderful and welcoming. I’ve been to the market a couple of times and I love meeting different women who work in the shops. I even got to practice my Tonga speaking to buy bread from the bakery. (Ndi yanda kuula cinkwa.) The woman laughed and helped me say it a little more accurately. But the smile on her face from my effort made the language learning all worth it.

On Sunday we went to a local church service in Siavonga. I really loved it, though I was a little sore after 3 and a half hours of sitting on a wooden bench. They LOVE their music. And even though I didn’t understand one word of what they were singing most of the time, their love and passion for God was so beautiful and exuberant. It was so wonderful to be a part of worshipping God in their culture. I was just soaking it all in and truly humbled to be a part of it.

I am also filled with anticipation to see what God is going to do here in the next two years. The local elementary school is overflowing with so many students that the children go to school in shifts for just a few hours a day. The high school hosts a Scripture Union where we’ll be able to go in and share the gospel with the next generation. There are some different villages around Siavonga that we’re praying God opens doors for us to enter into.

I’m also excited to see what God has in store for me personally over the next two years. I know there are so many things He has planned to teach me, humble me, stretch me, and grow me over these years as I spend time in Zambia. I’m excited about the friendships He’ll form and use to give me a new perspective on life. I’m anticipating seeing Him work in ways my own life and in the lives of those around me that are different than I’ve experienced before.

Continue praying for me. The Lord has been so faithful through the beginning of this transition to my new life in Africa and I’m praying He continues to sustain me and encourage me through each day. He’s filled me with His joy each morning and I’m so grateful for that.

Twalumba. (Thank you.)

The Airport

The airport is an interesting place. I'm waiting for the first of my two flights for Zambia. There are so many different people. As I type there's a man running sprinting down the terminal with his rolling suitcase nearly in flight behind him.  Another middle aged man just did a dance move for his wife and two daughters. I'll save you from having to picture it in your head. There's an elderly couple to my right who look very confused. There's a woman crying, what I think are tears of joy because she's smiling from ear to ear. There's a girl on the other side of the terminal doing yoga... or something. There's another family of four directly beside me. The mom is giving the two girls medicine and they do not like it at all. I must say, despite a few tears, they handled it like champs. And there's the precious British toddler named Ella entertaining all of us. (She has the cutest British accent.)

Airports are interesting because everyone is on their way somewhere. And everyone is so different.  Some are traveling with a large family. Some with a spouse. And then there are many people like me, traveling alone today. For some it's their first flight. For others, it's their hundredth. Everyone is doing different things while we wait to board. Some are reading, most are consumed with their phones, others are watching TV, some are on their computers like me, and some are just sitting. And I wonder why they just choose to sit.

And I think about my story that got me here, to sitting in the Atlanta airport en route to Zambia, and I wonder what everyone else's stories are. Are they returning home to London? Going to London for a holiday vacation? Just passing through on the way to the next place like me? Where is their next place and why are they going there? I'm sure I don't have even close to the most exciting or interesting story of the people waiting at this gate. And so I wonder the wheres, whats, and whys of everyone's trip.

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Just a few minutes to go before boarding! I can't thank you all enough for your texts, phone calls, face times, e-mails, tweets, comments, and messages today. Many of you have brought smiles to my face throughout the day and I'm thankful for your prayers and encouragement to me and also to my family.

Zambia, here I come! :)

Come, Jesus, Come!

Merry Christmas!

For Nothing Is Impossible with God

Luke 1:37-38: "[And the angel answered her] 'For nothing is impossible with God.' And Mary said, "Behold, I am a servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.'"

Nothing is impossible with God. There is nothing that is too tricky or too complicated for Him to do. A virgin bore a child. 33 years later, that child died on a cross and 3 days later, God raised Him up from the grave. God shut the mouth of lions in the den. He kept 3 guys from being harmed when they were thrown into a flaming furnace. He enabled a young shepherd boy to kill a mighty Philistine giant. He made the sun stand still and gave victory to the Israelites over the Amorites. There is absolutely nothing God cannot do.

Oh, may I live a life that shows I have faith in the Most High God who can do anything. One thing we know about each of these people is they walked with God. They had faith in Him. They walked with God in their normal daily lives and that enabled them to walk with Him through some seemingly impossible situations. I want to walk just as closely with God when things are routine and good as when they seem impossible, because that's how I know I'll cling to God in the impossible. It won't be impossible because I'll be walking with the God who calms the winds and seas with a single command, the God who brings life to the dead, the God who saves, rescues, and redeems, the God who makes all things work together for good. That's the God I serve.

My prayer is that I'll remember this as I meet people in Zambia, well really that I'll remember it always. May I remember that there is no one I will meet in the next two years (or ever) that God cannot save from their sins. There is no one too far gone. Be it a witch doctor, a tourist, a middle-class American, or a beggar on the street. None of them are beyond His reach.

I don't know all the things my eyes will see over the next two years. I have no clue of the beauty and the tragedy I will encounter (we never do). But God knows every bit of it--every person I'll cross paths with, every child I'll share a hug with, every sunset my eyes will witness, every death my heart will mourn over, every tear I'll cry over orphaned children, every HIV positive woman, man, and child I can tell of the true and only Hope, every frustrating day I'll have, every joyous day I'll have, every woman and girl who will sit in my house to study God's Word. God knows all of it.

And that's why I can trust Him. Because even when it will seem impossible or hopeless, I can remember Luke 1:37: "For nothing is impossible with God," and pray my heart responds like Mary's: "I am a servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word."

11 days until departure!