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.