Wednesday, June 30, 2010

We were up before sunrise for morning devotion and prayer. This was the best way to start the day! God always provided a word of encouragement or a challenge that stayed in my mind the whole day. After devotional time and exercise we had breakfast and got ready for the day. Erin, Daniel, and I were going to the clinic with Dr. Tim to assist the nurses. There is one doctor for the entire island of Chilubi and he was taking a few days off because he was sick. Two nurses were responsible for keeping the clinic in Muchinshi open and they saw about 50 patients on an average day.

We arrived at the clinic at 9:00am; there were already about thirty patients waiting to be seen. Erin and I triaged and took vital signs on the patients in the waiting area until noon. We saw about fifty people. During the morning a critically ill child was brought to the clinic. She had severe anemia, dehydration, hypothermia, and possibly sepsis. Dr. Tim took over her care since the Island physician was unavailable. He ended up transferring with the child to Santa Maria, the main hospital on Chilubi, in the afternoon. Erin, Daniel, and I stayed at the clinic doing what we could to help the nurses there.

Around 4:00pm we returned to the house for lunch. The group members were making preparation for the health fair to continue and asked me to stand in for Dr. Tim. Nurses in rural Zambia routinely diagnose patients and prescribe medication so the IMPACT team thought that I was prepared to do that as well. I explained my scope of practice and that I was not comfortable acting as a physician so we ended up canceling the health fair scheduled for that afternoon. I wish I had been more prepared to meet the medical needs of the community.

The children were waiting for us, so we hurried to the crusade site to sing, teach Bible verses, and tell stories. I told the children the stories from Daniel chapters 1-2 and Chama translated for me. There were more children than the previous night, I did not count but I would estimate about 50 were there. Chama, Erin, and I were asked to sing a “special song” for the crusade so we sang “What a Friend we have in Jesus.” Erin and I sat with the children on the ground and just before the sermon the children started to scatter and scream. I turned to see what was causing the commotion; a plump toad was hopping towards me. I grabbed it and handed it to Chama before it could cause further disturbance. The children and I enjoyed a hearty laugh and then turned our attention to the sermon about the signs of Christ’s return. After the sermon more children asked me to pray for them. I was exhausted when I crawled into my sleeping bag that night.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

The morning began early with the group gathering for devotions and prayer. We spent personal time in prayer and Bible study and exercised before breakfast. In Zambia, nshima is a staple food. It is a kind or porridge made from corn meal or corn flour. Traditionally, it is eaten with the right hand and dipped into different “relishes” or side dishes. Nshima was rather fun to eat and tasted great with the imana.

We gathered again after breakfast for a short training session. We reviewed how to give a Bible study on the second coming of Christ and how to address the questions that are commonly asked about Christ’s return. Muchinka and I went door-to-door together. He insisted that I give the Bible studies in English and he translated into Bemba. We went to two houses and shared the Bible with two families. The second woman we studied with thanked us repeatedly for coming to visit. She talked about how happy she was to see young people doing something worthwhile in the community. We invited her to the health fair we would be having that afternoon.

Muchinka and I returned to the houses where the IMPACT team stayed a little after noon. When we arrived Michael asked Erin and I to stay in Muchinshi until Thursday so that we could work with Dr. Tim Riesenberger. We headed to the crusade site to set up for the health fair. Chama ran the registration table, Erin and I took blood pressure, someone else calculated BMI. Daniel checked people for cataracts, Dr. Tim addressed their medical concerns, and Edwin prayed with each person. About 30 people went through each station and more people came but we did not have time to see them all.

Children were gathering at the crusade site and Chama, Erin, and I sang, taught them a Bible verse, and told Bible stories. We took breaks in shifts going back to the house to eat a late lunch then returning to the health fair and children’s program. The health fair ended when the sun set but we continued the children’s program until it was time for the song service before the crusade. I have never seen children so attentive as the children on Chilubi. They loved every song we sang, they remembered the Bible verses, and they listened in rapt attention to the Bible stories and could answer every question we asked afterward.

The topic addressed in the sermon was spiritualism and witchcraft. There are witchdoctors in most villages and there are a number of people who practice witchcraft and Satanism even while they profess Christianity. Erin and I sat with the children during the crusade. When the crusade ended the children stood around us asking us questions. “What’s your name?” “Where are you from?” One young boy put my hand on his forehead asked me to pray for him, of course I did and then ALL the children wanted me to pray for them! They crowded around holding my hands and saying “please pray for me!” Arms outstretched I prayed for each child, asking the Lord to bless them and their families, and to save them in His kingdom. I have never seen anything like that and it had a profound impression on me. I thought of Christ’s words “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 18:3)

~Special thanks to Erin for the pictures of the health fair and children's program!~

Monday, June 28, 2010

After numerous stops to pick up and drop off passengers we arrived at our destination in Samfya, Zambia around 2:00am. Some enterprising young men with a car took us load by load to a lodge on the banks of Lake Bangweulu. The accommodations were somewhat sketchy but Erin, Lilly, and I were happy for a bed to share. We crawled into our sleeping bags and tucked the mosquito net in under the mattress before drifting off to sleep.

We rose with the sun and had a hot “bath” before making our way down to Lake Bangweulu. All of the IMPACT missionaries gathered by the lake for morning devotions and prayer. We loaded our luggage onto boat that would take us to the islands and ate a quick breakfast before casting off. On the boat, we talked and watched the coastline disappear. The IMPACT group had teams on three islands, one team on Mbabala, one team on Chishi, and four teams on Chilubi. Each team was responsible for running an evangelistic crusade, doing Bible studies in the surrounding community, providing health and community services, etc. The boat stopped at Mbabala and we left several missionaries there. Then we traveled to Chishi and left more missionaries there. Late in the afternoon we arrived on Chilubi to join team Matthew in Muchinshi.

The first thing that caught my attention was the children; lots of children. They crowded around Erin and I and we took countless pictures of them. They escorted us back to the place where we would be staying and we took more pictures. Chama expertly prepared dinner for us over hot coals. The sun set as we ate and a million stars came into view; we could actually see the Milky Way. The words of the Psalmist came to mind. “When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou visitest him? For Thou hast made him a little lower than the angles, and hast crowned him with glory and honor… O Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:3-5, 9)

We walked to the crusade site and Chama asked Erin and I to sit with the children to help keep them quiet during the meeting. I think we were more of a distraction to the children than anything else! They all wanted to sit close to us and the ones that spoke English asked us questions. After a song service and health talk, the Elder stood and presented a sermon on the state of the dead. Following the crusade, we walked back to the house and had evening devotion together. They guys went into their house and the girls went to another house to sleep for the night.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Sunday was my last day to sleep in and I took advantage of it. Nasilele had given us IMPACT handbooks when we arrived on Friday and we read them Sunday. The handbook outlined a daily schedule for the mission trip that began at 4:50am. After a final breakfast in the Muungo home we repacked our suitcases and prepared meals for the long journey to Chilubi Island. We said goodbye to Chimuka and Lungwani and rode to the bus station.

At the bus station, Erin, Lilly, and I attracted a lot of attention from venders. As our things were loaded onto the bus several men tried to sell us watches, food, “talk time” for cell phones, and DVDs. We climbed onto the bus around 3:00pm and found our seats for the long ride. Most of the IMPACT missionaries (about 60 people) were already working in the mission field, Erin and I traveled to the islands with about 10 other young people who were also joining the group late.

As we started to leave the city, a man stood in the front of the bus and preached a short sermon then he collected an offering and climbed off the bus. Talk about freedom of speech! I have never seen that in the USA. It was amazing to watch the scenery change as we drove. The urban construction of Lusaka melted into the soft plains and wetlands of northern Zambia. On the bus, we talked and studied the Bible together until the sun set and then we ate some of the food we brought. When it was dark outside, the bus started playing a movie; it was so loud we had a difficult time sleeping.

Sabbath, June 26, 2010

My first Sabbath in Zambia was good. We woke up around 6:30am and spent time reading our Bibles and praying before we dressed for church. After a delicious breakfast—which included the best banana I had ever tasted—we were picked up for the ride to church. Sabbath School was already in progress at the Lusaka Central SDA Church when we arrived. People were sitting in small groups outside studying the lesson for that week. We joined a group and participated in the discussion about love. During the church service we participated in communion and I was reminded of Christ’s amazing sacrifice for us.

When the service ended we said our goodbyes and drove to Amaka Lodge for potluck dinner with the youth from the Brentwood SDA Church. During dinner, Erin and I sat with Nasilele and Chama and asked them questions about Chilubi Island. They graciously answered our questions and started teaching us how to greet people in Bemba. “Muli shani” is “hello/how are you” but after you say something you add “mukwai” to be respectful. “Muli shani mukwai.” I learned that I have not been blessed with linguistic skills; it was hard to remember the words because they were so different from English words.

After the meal, we joined the Brentwood youth for a special afternoon program. We left the lodge just before sunset and went back to our host family. We had supper with Chimuka, Lungwani, and Nasilele. It was great hearing about what Zambia is like from people who live there. We talked about the wildlife, food, culture, etc. Finally, it was time for bed.

Friday, June 25, 2010

The plane left Rome, Italy after an hour and we ate, talked, read, and slept again on the flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The plane landed late and we rushed through the airport to catch our connecting flight to Zambia by way of Harare, Zimbabwe. It was about 4:00pm local time when we finally landed in Lusaka, Zambia.

Erin, Lilly, Daniel, and I went through customs and met several members of IMPACT. IMPACT is an acronym: Inspired Missionaries Proclaiming the Advent of Christ Today. It is an energetic group of Seventh-day Adventist students and young professionals with passion for souls and a vision to spread the gospel to the world. Michael Likuluta, the president of IMPACT, met us at the airport with Jones Simamba, and Dr. Tim Riesenberger (who had arrived from the USA a few hours before). We climbed into a van and drove through the city of Lusaka. One of the things I had to adjust to was driving on the left side of the street, it was surprisingly disorienting for the first few minutes. We stopped at a grocery store to buy some bottled water and I had to smile at how similar everything was to the USA.

We made our way to the Muungo home and opened the Sabbath together as the sun set on Friday night. Chimuka and Lungwani Muungo graciously housed Erin, Lilly, and I for the weekend. As I stretched my jet-lagged body on a bed for the first time since Thursday morning I was reminded of Christ’s words that the Sabbath was made for man (Mark 2:27) and I was overwhelmed with thankfulness to God for the Sabbath and rest.

This blog is the chronicle of my experience in Zambia from June 24-July 12, 2010.

The events that set this trip in motion began over 6 months ago. Angie Cho told me about a mission trip she was helping to organize and how they needed nurses for the medical team. She told me that they would be going Zambia for three weeks during the summer. To say I was intrigued would be an understatement. After prayerful consideration and conversation with family I decided there was nothing I would like more than to be a part of the team. Things fell into place rapidly, the money for a plane ticket, the vacation time from work, even a friend to travel with. Erin Gordon, a nursing student from Eastern Michigan University, would be making the trip with me.

Thursday, June 24, 2010 was the day my life changed forever. It began at 3:45am with a drive to the Detroit Metro Airport. Erin and I would be on airplanes and in airports for the next 24 hours. Our first flight was a short one from Detroit to Washington DC. In the DC airport, we found our gate and met Lilly Kim and Daniel Cho, they recognized us from Facebook! The four of us would be on the same flights the rest of the way to Zambia. We boarded the plane and watched with excitement as the North American mainland disappeared from sight. We read our Bibles and the Storacle Bible study guides from Amazing Facts, we ate, and slept. Finally, we landed in Rome, Italy around 1:00am to refuel.

As we flew towards our destination, I could not help thinking about how unworthy I was to be making this trip. The life of a missionary is not to be taken lightly, and everyone who claims the name of Christ becomes a missionary to the world around them. I read Paul’s prayer for the Christians in Philippi and claimed it for myself. “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and in all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, and that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11)