Endings and Goodbyes

It’s here: my final night in Africa. The past couple of weeks have been crazy busy, so leaving has crept up on me fast. I’m so excited to be heading home to see everyone, but I could so happily stay longer. I’ve met a new family out here; it’s hard saying goodbye.

At Oasis, we spent last week preparing for Mountainside’s Sports Day which was held on Tuesday. There were a lot of last minute things to be sorted out as ever in Zambia… we got covered in lime doing lines for the tracks (it’s harder than it looks: rusty machine/wheelbarrow + uneven ground = hard work), we got grubby constructing army tents as shelters (not the best day to wear a white t-shirt), and we still had flags and gazebos to put up on Tuesday morning (second time lucky on the gazebo front – camping chairs wouldn’t have provided much shade). Everything did come together eventually and it turned out to be an awesome event. By the end of the day we were filthy, sweaty and shattered, but it was really great fun! The kids got so into it: their chants/songs/dances to cheer on their houses were a-mazing.

It’s been great to spend my last days in Zambia with the Moyo family, and I even got to go along to the kid’s final awards assemblies. Schools are closing for holidays right now, so it’s been a time of winding down homework-wise, but busy activity-wise! Please keep praying for Nicki and Ziso – there are always things to be done at Oasis, but pray especially for the official opening of Oasis Village which will take place next Friday. Today was the final assembly at Mountainside Primary, and school is now closed for a month or so. Each class presented a song, a short play or a lesson and the kids received awards for 100% attendance. Many of the parents came to watch too so it was another busy morning!

Art display at assembly

This week I’ve met another amazing girl of God: Molly is also from Northern Ireland, and it has been a pleasure to get to know such a great sister in Christ. Whether it’s clinging on in the back of the truck, doing school drop-offs, babysitting, cooking nshima for lunch at Mountainside, or constructing tents and gazebos, I reckon we make a pretty awesome team.

Cooking nshima

In our Chitenges

This evening I am spending a last night at GLO. It’s been a time of fellowship, tea and cake – I’m going to miss these people and this country. FLAVOUR OF THE WEEK: Hazelnut = Nutella when it comes to ice-cream and mmm it’s good.

RIDE OF THE WEEK: Riding in the back of the pick-up truck was a tad tight along with a braii stand, two gazebos, a big crate of drinks and all our bags.

TRANSPORT TROUBLES: This week we’ve had to push a minibus up a small hill so we could jumpstart it, and just this morning the pick-up shuddered to a stop as we ran out of fuel. It took some pushing before we could roll into the fuelling station, but at least it wasn’t too hot for the guys at 0800 in the morning! There’s never a dull day in Zambia.

DISCOVERY OF THE WEEK: Turns out a 12-seater minibus can actually carry 41 children and 6 adults – and I thought 31 kids was a squeeze!

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK: ‘Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.’ Colossians 4v6. This verse, and James 3v1-12 both talk of how important our speech is. In James, the Bible says the tongue is like a tiny spark that can set a whole forest ablaze – that’s how powerful our words are. How can it be that we praise God and slander other people with the same mouth?

When the source of our life has changed, the words which emerge from the new source will be changed words. The need for our faith to be revealed in the words we use, means a constant committing of our thoughts and attitudes to God.

Thank you to everyone who has been supporting and praying for me during my time out here, I am so very grateful. I can’t believe that I’ll be leaving Zambia tomorrow; it has been one super crazy incredible venture. On getting home I’m aiming to write up an overall look-back/reflection, so look out for that soon (after I’ve caught up on some sleep!).

Welcome to Amano

Another week in Zambia has flown – the other day I referred to something back in May, and found myself saying ‘two months ago’. It’s now week 11, where did that time go?!

Week 10 was spent with a team from GLO at Amano Christian School, where we led their spiritual emphasis week. It was a pretty packed week, as each morning we led assembly, before meeting with each year group for longer sessions throughout the day. Our focus, or theme if you like, was worship and what that looks like in the life of a Christian. There was also lots of time for questions and discussions, which was great to get alongside the youth especially. 

Come, now is the time to worship.
Come, now is the time to give your heart.
Come, just as you are to worship.
Come, just as you are before your God.

A highlight I’d pick out would be singing and dancing with the Grade 1-3s. Those guys are so tiny but so full of energy, and it was super fun to praise God with them. They might be more difficult to have deep discussions with (‘What might some people worship instead of God?’ ‘Jesus!’), but they challenge me to not care how I look when I’m singing praise to God.

G2-3 English Class

Grade 2 English

Creativity with G1-3

As well as the spiritual emphasis sessions, I was able to help out with Grade 2-3 English lessons each morning. It was cool to see how the school worked; most of our day was spent in the hall, so I enjoyed being in the classroom for part of the day too. Amano is an international school with around 140 students, and there are around 20 different nationalities represented there. It was amazing to see so many different people living, learning and worshipping together. I spent the weekend staying with Ian and Marilyn Campbell in Chingola, before travelling back to Ndola on Monday morning. It was such a relaxing time, and lush to catch up with the Campbells; it’s been a while since we were in Livingstone together back in May. The weekend passed by with guitar lessons at Ipusukilo Orphanage, pancakes for brunch (massive treat), Youth Fellowship at Bethel Chapel (lots of volleyball followed by discussion on a book) and church services at Bethel on Sunday. It was also a pleasure to get to know Sarah – she’s a born and bred Scot who is staying at the Campbells while helping out at Amano. Over the past 10 weeks God has really blessed me with amazing people, and I’ve loved meeting more of His family out here.

Guitar Lessons

Youth Fellowship

FIRST ENCOUNTERS: This week I had my first real encounter with red ants. It wasn’t particularly drastic by any means, but I am so glad that I haven’t met them up close before now; those critters can bite eesh.

GAME OF THE WEEK: There’s been many this week; I learned ‘GEEZER’ with the youth at Amano, which takes a lot of concentration in a big group! We also introduced the Campbells to Dobble which got competitive – cheating at this game didn’t even cross my mind until playing with Ian…

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: ‘Miss Kirsty, why does your hair look like you’ve just got out of bed?’ Oh, the innocence of first graders.

DISCOVERY OF THE WEEK: You can still be freezing sleeping under four blankets in Zambia. Though four more blankets and a hot water bottle later, and I was out like a light.

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK: ‘Have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like his?’ Job 40v9. God made all the stars, the mountains, the oceans… there is no end to His mighty power, yet I still put limits on Him. My view of God is too small. When Job questioned God, God’s answer didn’t satisfy his mind but it satisfied his heart. When Job realised that his view of God was far too small, he was no nearer understanding God’s ways, but he could accept them with thanksgiving.
God is sovereign and though we may not understand His ways, or even see them as contrary to what we do understand, we can still trust Him. 

And Lord we want to lift your name on high, and Lord we want to thank you for the works you’ve done in our lives. And Lord we trust in your unfailing love, for you alone are God eternal, throughout earth and heaven above.

Coming up… This week I am back in Ndola for my last week-and-a-bit at Oasis. It’s a busy time with Sports Day and the end of term coming up, so there’s lots to be involved in.

Please pray…

• For the awesome students of Amano School – that they will be continually challenged by the gospel, instead of it becoming mundane as ‘the norm’
• For Ian and Marilyn Campbell – that the Lord will continue to provide for and protect them as they live for Him in Zambia
• For Oasis and Mountainside Primary – that all will go smoothly at the end of term, especially for sports day!
• For Sarah – that she will enjoy serving at Amano for the next three weeks
• For Emily in India – that she will keep enjoying herself and leaning on God
• That God will keep teaching me more about his greatness during my last few days in Zambia 

I can now count on my fingers the days ‘til I leave this beautiful country. Everyone says it, but time really does fly! I know there’s still much more to learn in these last ten days… Zambia never ceases to surprise after all.

Climbing a Mountain in Sandals

Camping in the bush for three days has been a whole new experience – but one that I have loved. God is so good and we’ve had the best time! The aim of this particular trip was to take the gospel to the people of Mankanda Village, Mkushi. GLO Zambia often runs camps this time of year for young adults, but this year it was our turn to be the mission.

Bathing outdoors is fun

View of the farm

The Village Road

Village life is an adventure: I have so much respect for these people and their amazing skills. It’s hard, but they make things work – cooking on firewood, bathing outside and boiling water to drink are all the norm in the village.
Saturday was our day to arrive, set up camp and get used to our surroundings, with the main programme beginning on Sunday. Sunday morning was church in the village, where we received a really warm welcome. Again, I was blown away by the beauty of African voices singing together.

In the afternoon, we played games using the grounds of the village school. There was a big game of football and a netball game, as well as games for youth and kids. It was challenging, especially with the language barriers, but fun to spend time playing with the people of the village. When it got dark, we set up a projector using a fuel-generator, and showed a film about Jesus’ life. It was amazing that some people chose to respond at the end of the evening, and came forward to be prayed for.

On Monday, we spent the morning at the farm harvesting sunflowers. Only the heads are needed: they are dried out for a week or so, before the seeds are used to make cooking oil, or ground and mixed with mealie meal to make nshima. The farm where we stayed belongs to Auntie Beatrice, who usually lives alone on her land. There is a lot of potential for the farm, but this means lots of work, so it was great to be able to help her out with the sunflowers. We also led a session on agriculture on Monday afternoon and were able to leave the village with a huge bag of seeds.

A highlight of the trip was climbing up a small mountain on Monday afternoon, even if it was a struggle in my sandals! Zambia is mostly flat, so it was a treat to climb up and get an amazing view. God’s creation is beautiful. The evenings we spent singing and sharing around the campfire were also pretty special – campfire smoke penetrates everything, but I love how the heat and the light gathers people together. 

Being in Mankanda was an eye-opener to village life in Zambia. There is lot of work to be done there and there are so many needs. This year Auntie Beatrice has started a project to build a clinic in the village, as the nearest one at the moment is some 12-15km away. With no transport, there is a need for better access to medical care in the village. It has been amazing to see the work that is happening, and how much help is needed too.

Foundations of the clinic

‘Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations.’

– PSALM 100

PRESENT OF THE WEEK: The head sock (ie hat) that Maria bought for me hardly left my head all weekend. Yes, I’m in Africa, but I’m not sure I would have survived the cold that well without it. Thank you Maria!

GAME OF THE WEEK: Playing netball with Zambians is…different. What I thought of as a non-contact sport can get pretty aggressive here I’m telling you.

DISCOVERY OF THE WEEK: Bathing open-air is surprisingly fun, but it can get a bit nippy with the odd gust of wind.

CULINARY DELICACIES: Sweet potatoes have been an almost-constant snack over the weekend. They’re slightly different to back home, but still tasty (I didn’t stretch to having them for breakfast though). I’ve learned a new way of cooking them too: bury under the hot ash of last night’s fire, then eat out the middle when it’s soft. It’s real camp food, but pretty good!

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK: God has been teaching me a lot about humility.
‘But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world’ -Galatians 6 v 14.
Many times I forget that faith is between a person and God, and find myself judging others for the way they live out their faith because I always think that my way is best. ‘We forget that all of us have but a partial revelation of divine truth, and if we have understood things which others have not, they too have insights which we lack.’
1 John 2 v 15 says: ‘Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.’ It is easy to condemn someone as ‘worldly’ because of certain habits or things they do, but I forget that I can be equally ‘worldly’ because of my inner desires and pride, which may not show themselves so obviously.Coming up… Tomorrow I’m going back to Kitwe for a couple of days to help Auntie Sheba with an article for MMN UK. On Sunday I head to Chingola with a team from GLO: we are going to Amano School to lead a spiritual enrichment week there.

Please pray…

• For the people of Mankanda village – that they will come to know Jesus as their living Saviour
• For Auntie Beatrice – that God will continue to sustain her and provide for her too
• That God will keep teaching me patience as I face more new challenges this week
• For my phone to last – thank you for praying so far; it’s still holding up at the moment, but by the skin of it’s (metaphorical) teeth
• For our time at Amano School – that we will work well as a team and that God will lead any work we do there

 

Thank you for your prayers this weekend – God blew away my expectations and provided so perfectly like He always does. He is so good!

Photos and Photocopies

It’s been a couple of weeks since my last update, so I’ll do my best to fill in the gaps.

My second week at REHOCH, Kitwe flew by. The main focus was compiling details and photos of the OVCs (Orphaned and Vulnerable Children) in the education programme, but there was still time to play with the kids at the orphanage. I also got to go along to a Women’s Empowerment Group in Kapoto community. At REHOCH, the chickens got more used to me, though some were a bit too cocky for their own good!
On my last evening there, our devotion was a send-off encouragement: ‘For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.’ Ephesians 2v10. It was a much needed reminder that God had this trip planned – He knew what I would be doing beforehand. Saying goodbye to the REHOCH family was really sad, but I have learned so much and I am super grateful to God for my time there.

Auntie Annie Sheba

My beaut friend Shelac

When I arrived back at GLO for the students’ graduation, I discovered I was the ‘official photographer’ – no pressure right? It was such a fun day though and the students really made the ceremony their own, with songs, dances and personal testimonies. There were more goodbyes too, as the guys all left GLO after the ceremony. It’s crazy how people come and impact your life for a short time and are gone again, but I’m sure that God has amazing things in mind for each of these guys. This week my new best bud is called The Photocopier. I’ve been back at Oasis, and there’s been a lot of work to do in the office at Mountainside Primary as we get ready for next term. It’s an exciting time, as the end of term means Sports Day and special assemblies, but it’s also super busy! I’ll be back at Oasis for a final week later in July. There are lots of things that are tough about being here, not least being away from my family, but through it all God is here. He’s a rock and a constant, and I’m always amazed that He would listen and answer my prayers.

‘I’m not going to worry; I know that you’ve got me right inside the palm of your hand…
Even when it hurts, even when it’s hard, even when it all just falls apart, I will run to you, because I know that you are lover of my soul, healer of my scars.

You steady my heart.’

– Kari Jobe

DID YOU KNOW: Zambians call a hat a head sock. Maybe I just find it funnier than it is.

DISCOVERY OF THE WEEK: Here you can buy Cashew and Coconut Cadburys Dairy Milk. Mmmm. Who knew that Africa did chocolate better eh?

UNWELCOME FRIENDS: After seeing cockroaches and a frog jump out of my room, I was even more grateful for my mosquito net to tuck me in at night.

CULINARY DELICACIES: As well as caterpillars, Zambians also eat grasshoppers, as I’ve discovered this week. Can’t say I’ve gone as far as to try them myself – they don’t exactly smell appetising, not going to lie.

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK: ‘And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.’ John 1v14. Jesus came from heaven to live with us. Say what?! One thing I’ve been struggling with a bit this week is the issue of relating with people at their level. There’s a part of me that says ‘I don’t know how to do this, we are too different’, but Jesus came to us from all the glory of heaven. How much more different can you get? To share Jesus with people, we need to go and live with them and relate on their level, even though it’s a big challenge. Jesus gave us everything, and gave up everything to do that – it’s an incredible love and He calls us to love people like that too.

Joe and Eric at REHOCH

Natasha and Emmanuel

Coming up… Tomorrow morning we – me and a team of 20 from GLO – are heading off to Mkushi for a mission trip/camp. It’s going to be three days of camping in the bush. Zambia is throwing countless new experiences my way, that’s for sure.

Please pray…

• That God will be protecting us this weekend, and for bonding really well as a team
• For communication – out in the village English isn’t widely spoken at all, and my Bemba stretches to ‘Hi how are you?’ so I’m a bit anxious about communicating with people
• That God will continue to teach me how to relate to people, no matter how different we are
• For Em in India – she is over a month in now, so pray she’ll keep leaning on God
• For my phone to last – it’s dying a bit on me and I don’t want to have to get another here

Thank you for reading and for your encouragements – I’ve got just four weeks left in Zambia now, so I’m trying to make the most of each moment and new experience. Your prayers are so hugely appreciated!