Gravelly Roads and Crazy Kids

A Beautiful Evening
We played volleyball again this evening with the ladies. The competition was much improved from last week! It was a beautiful night; shockingly, the dark clouds in the sky never rolled our way. Next to our grassy court, some of the boys played soccer barefoot on the dirt field while the younger children watched us and munched on guavas. In the middle of our game, I paused to soak in the scene. I feel so incredibly blessed in these moments, yet somewhat frustrated that I can't adequately share it with all of you!

It still amazes me how independent these children are. They play and wander all over campus throughout the day. The older children watch out for the younger as their parents work or go to class. It's common to see a seven-year-old with a baby on her hip. The idea of a village raising a child seems to hold, even in this urban area of Africa.

A New Friend
We met someone named Christine at volleyball today. She is from the Netherlands, but she and her husband have lived in Zambia for three years working in sports ministry. Kelsi and I had never heard of sports ministry, but it sounds like a unique opportunity to spread the gospel. Christine and her husband work with various sports teams by offering mentoring and spiritual guidance to the players. She was fun to chat with, and we are looking forward to seeing her again on Friday when we (attempt to) play netball with the women. (I'm hoping my years of basketball practice will help me out...we heard it is fast-paced and intense!)

A Random Anecdote
During our first few days in Lusaka, Kelsi and I had expressed our interest in biking around town. Between having no car and the cramped minibus system, it seemed like a good idea. One of the pastors kindly fixed up some extra bikes for us, and they were ready to go yesterday. Kelsi and I excitedly donned our new helmets and ventured out to bump along our gravelly road.

Less than a half mile down the road, our bike ride prematurely reached its end. Kelsi's wheel sounded like it was about to pop off; something was seriously out of alignment! We sadly turned our hefty yellow bikes around and headed for home.

I'll take a quick pause to give you some background info. No one wears helmets here - no one - despite the fact that the majority of the population drives petal to the metal with little regard to pedestrians or bicyclists.

So now picture two girls with shiny new helmets, rickety bikes, bopping down the road - occasionally letting a grunt slip out as they bounce through a deep and unavoidable pothole. Of course, the whole neighborhood seemed to be out walking or sitting by their front gates, watching and laughing at us. As Sharon says, "You can't be self-conscious here." Kelsi and I attract quite a bit of attention because we look and act differently. However, although we sometimes stand out for doing something foolish (see our first post about the ripped grocery bags), the Zambian people are friendly and good-natured, and we have discovered that they appreciate when we are willing to laugh along at ourselves.

Crazy Kids
The children in our first tutoring session were bouncing off the walls today. The more comfortable they get with us, the more talkative and goofy they become. Kelsi and I exchanged several glances and sly grins throughout the hour. Do you blame us?

Overall, it was another great day. Kelsi and I are commencing with plans to visit Victoria Falls a week from Thursday. We are so excited!! God is good!

God's blessings and good night!