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.