Rugged Terrain

Happy Women's Day! Zambia celebrates Women's Day on March 8 and Youth Day on the 12th, which is why Kelsi and I are sneaking away this Thursday for our Vic Falls adventure (yay!).

Do you remember a couple weeks ago when I talked about the "long" 2-hour church service we attended? Well, forget that. We left at 7:30 for church this morning, and we got back after 6:00! As long and tiring as our day was, I am so thankful that we had the experience.

John offered to drive us to Mwembezhi today. Mwembezhi is only 60 kilometers southwest of Lusaka, but it took us over two hours to get there. The rugged terrain in Zambia is both a positive and a negative. On the one hand, it is relatively untouched and untainted territory; but on the other hand, getting from place to place can be a challenge! John is a fantastic tour guide, and he told us stories about Zambia and our surroundings as we bopped along the bumpy road.

How bumpy was the road you ask? Kelsi got a bloody nose, for starters. During some especially rough stretches, we just had to laugh; we were being tossed around like rag dolls! If I ever had the desire to go off-roading, it's gone now. Thankfully, the sights as we left the city and entered the bush made the rough roads worth it.

When we arrived at the church, we were introduced to a few friendly members before being ushered into the church for Bible study. The building itself would have been a shed in most parts of America. The pews were wooden boards balanced on cinder blocks. I am still unsure of how the tin roof was not caved in; termites had eaten all but a few of the wooden beams holding it up. Four small windows allowed a pleasant breeze through the small space, but the room was still stuffy and warm. John informed us that the building was nicer than some of the others in the area, which have dirt floors and grass roofs.

The vicar was kind enough to translate during Bible study for us, but the service was in Tonga (one of the many dialects in Zambia). As usual, the music did not disappoint. Nearly the entire congregation (there were about 40 members today) was in some kind of choir - either the main choir, the all-women choir, or the Sunday School choir. None of these choirs had more than a dozen people in them, but you would not believe how loud and rich their voices were when they joined together. The children sang two songs, and one of them was actually in English! It was adorable to hear them raise their voices and sing, "Jesus is numba one!"

One of the women in the church fed us our first traditional African meal after the service was complete. The vicar helped us wash our hands with a pitcher and bowl of water, and then he demonstrated how to dig into the n'shima. N'shima is essentially a ball of corn meal. We watched as Pastor John and the vicar showed us how to tear off a piece, ball it up, and dip it into the sauce, chicken, or goat.

Maize is a staple in Zambia. Most Zambians (at least in the bush), begin their day with porridge (a thinned out version of n'shima) and eat n'shima for lunch and/or dinner. We also sampled chibwantu, a drink made out of - yep, you guessed it - maize! Although I was apprehensive, it was actually quite good (once I got used to the chunkiness). I equated it to watered down tapioca pudding. John told us that the workers in the fields often drink chibwantu to give them energy during the long, hot days.

During the service, there were three benches in front of us packed with children. Each time I looked up during church, at least ten children were staring at us, unblinking. Our smiles bounced off of their stone faces as their big dark eyes studied our pale skin intently. Thankfully, the kids loosened up a bit after the service. They gradually overcame their fear as we offered our hands to shake and said "hello." By the time we parted ways, they were waving, smiling, and yelling after our car. 

It was hard for me to get my thoughts organized today because there were so many things that I could have written in this post. I could have talked about the herds of cows that overtook the road, makeshift tandem bicycles, or the hilarious old woman who danced and sang for us. But to prevent this from becoming a novel, I will try to wrap up my thoughts from the day with some kind of organized conclusion.

It will take a while to process everything that we saw today. Kelsi and I agreed that we felt like we finally saw the real Africa today. We saw the caved-in mud huts, thatched roofs, and garbage strewn across yards. We saw dusty faces and sleeping children covered in flies. But I did not feel the pity that I was expecting to feel when I saw the desolation. Instead, a part of me felt almost envious as I saw the joy light up their faces. They might not have TVs, Internet, or even electricity, but they are happy. What a wonderful reminder of what truly is (and isn't) important in life! Things like running water, paved roads, and homes with a roof are wonderful gifts from God, but I too often become dependent on them rather than finding my contentment in my Creator. My prayer is to become more like Paul:

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4: 12-13).

When I used to hear the word "Africa," my thoughts immediately conjured up images of deep poverty and desolate children. My previous misconceptions are being shattered every day as I learn more about these joyful people and their culture that differs so much from our own. I mentioned it in my first blog post, but it's worth saying again: We are already learning more from the people here than we could ever hope to teach them.

God's blessings from me and Kelsi!

P.S. I apologize for the lack of pictures. I will attempt to upload some soon so that you can see some of the sights from our day!