Countdown

I find it difficult to convey the feelings we have as we run our last errands and pack 300 pounds of luggage. In a turn of irony its like storm before calm. With great anticipation we look forward to seeing God work in mighty ways, but we have no frame of reference to know what that means. We anticipate broken hearts, reconciliation, and growth in both those we are serving and ourselves.

While preparing for our departure, it has been a struggle not to think of Africa as a project. It’s very easy to believe that we can save these people, and thus a superiority complex is almost inevitable.

I was humbled this morning by a conversation about the African people. Less technology, less money, less health, less hope, less potential logically equals inferiority from a Western perspective. If not careful we can fall into a mind frame that we need to make them more like us. But Christ blows that concept up.

"but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”                                                                          

Matthew 20:26-28

If you look at the perceived relationship of importance by world standards between Africans and Americans, and apply the same relationship to mankind and Christ, how can we have any reaction other than humility?

These next two weeks we ask that you remember us in your prayers. We ask for prayers for the lives we will encounter, for the gospel to spread like wildfire, and for our own sanctification as we learn more and more what laying down our lives looks like. Check back for prayer requests and move statuses throughout the week. We can’t wait to share with you how our great God is making His name known!

Health and Safety

Immunizations

There are a slew of diseases that we don’t face here in America that we could encounter while in Zambia. Hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella and polio are all still present in Africa, and some immunizations will be required for our travels.

The most common immunizations are:

• Hepatitis A
• Meningococcal meningitis
• Rabies
• Typhoid

Malaria

Since we will be spending some time away from the city in the bush, malaria is also a potential problem.  There is no vaccine for malaria, however common sense and minimal medication is very effective. Of 2 common anti-malarial medications, it is recommended to us to take Malarone, not Lariam. Malarone is a daily pill, thus is in lower doses. Lariam is a once a week pill, and has side effects including nightmares and hallucinations. We will be avoiding the latter!

Besides medication, long sleeves and pants are a great deterrent considering that Malaria is transmitted via the Anopheles mosquito. Our trip will be in the Zambian winter, so mosquito nets will be sufficient during the dry season.

Water

According to the CDC, the water is safe to drink in Zambia, but bottled water will always be available for us.

FLMI in Zambia

Family Legacy has communicated with us that they have had very few situations regarding health and safety over the last 9 years.  With the exception of sinus infections and allergies, the precautions that have been advised to us will be sufficient for our safety.

For all intents and purposes though, our health and safety ultimately lie in God's hands, so we have nothing to fear!

Zambian Phrases

Here is a sampling of some of the basic interactions we will be having in the native language of Nyanja:

Muli bwanji – How are you?

Bwino – I am fine.

Bwino, bwanji? – I am fine. How are you?

Mwaoka bwanji? – How is your morning?

Mwachoma bwanji? – How is your afternoon?

Goni bwino? – How is your evening?

Zi komo – Thank you.

Zi komo kwam bili – Thank you very much.

Tiza oana mayilo – See you tomorrow.

Tibwella – We’re coming.

Teinda pa… - Let’s go to…

Bwella – Come (one person)

Bwellani – Come (everyone)

Abusa – Pastor

Muzungu – White person

Lelo – Today

Mayilo – Tomorrow

Ufuna ma sweet? – Do you want sweets?

Nikukonda – I love you.

Mumvela – Listen

Wanvela? – Do you understand? (one person)

Mwamvela? – Do you understand? (everyone)

Iwe – You (one person)

Imwe – You (everyone)

Vina – Dance

Jumpa – Jump

Ncali pansi – Sit down

Zina yako ndiwe ndani? – What is your name?

Mulungu – God

Ambuye – Lord

Yesu akukonda – Jesus loves you.

Yesu akukondani – Jesus loves you all.

Tulemi totela – We praise you.

Wildlife

Most of the traditional wildlife one would expect in Africa is present in Zambia. In South Luangwa you will find huge hippopotamus and crocodile populations, as well as Cape Buffalo.

Away from the rivers, the grasslands support a variety of grazers: zebras, impalas, pukus, waterbucks, bushbucks, duikers and klipspringers.

Where there are grazers, there are predators. Lions, leopards, hyenas and cheetahs are common.

The really exciting ones are all there too. Elephants, giraffes and rhinos are common. They are protected from most animal predators by their size, and human predators by the establishment of national parks.

Victoria Falls

I know what you're thinking, and no this is not a scene from Avatar!

This is Victoria Falls, know by the locals as Mosi-oa-Tunya (the Smoke that Thunders). This waterfall is the worlds largest sheet of falling water with a width of 5,604 ft. For those counting its over a mile wide!

The first recorded European to view the falls was David Livingstone, a Scottish missionary who named it in honor of Queen Victoria. He wrote, "No one can imagine the beauty of the view from anything witnessed in England. It had never been seen before by European eyes; but scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight."

Touche' Dr. Livingstone.

Victoria falls is almost the southernmost point in Zambia, about a 7 hour bus ride from Lusaka. Located on the Zambezi River, it is the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

This will be our first stop on our trip as we "de-westernize" and prepare our hearts for the much need work in Lusaka.

Back on the Radar

So, one might wonder "what happened to the Smiths?" As we get closer to departure, I find that my head has stopped spinning momentarily and I have a renewed desire to share about Zambia and what the Lord has been doing in our lives.

First and foremost, huge thank yous are in order. To all who have contributed to the Lord's work in Zambia, thank you so much for blessing us with the opportunity to represent you in Africa. Your selfless giving is so encouraging, and we are thankful for the relationships we have with each of you.

Last night I had the opportunity to hang out with a good friend who told me he wanted to contribute to our trip. Needless to say I was thrilled. The conversation then turned to "so, what is Zambia like?" Realizing that not everyone rocks the Discovery channel as much as me, my next few posts will be purely about Zambia. God created Zambia with extreme beauty and finesse, but like all of creation, sin has fractured that balance. The aftermath of this fracture is what we are going to combat, all the while drinking in the magnitude of the Lord's creation.

My blogging bug is back, so be looking for upcoming posts in the next few days!

First Camp Life Meeting

Its been a while since we posted last, so we have a lot to share!

We had our first Camp Life prep meeting with Family Legacy last Sunday and we are even more excited than before!! Amanda stated it well when she said that it appears every aspect of Camp Life was and is thoroughly prayed through to have a real impact on the Kingdom. The theme word for Camp Life this summer is JOY:

“the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

JOY will be an acronym taught each day.

J esus

O thers

Y ou

The beginning of the week will focus on who Jesus is and what he teaches.

The Thursday of camp will be a very special time, as Amanda and I will each take our 15 children and pass out blessings to the community in pairs. These children who have nothing will have the opportunity to give packages of sugar, cooking oil, and meilie-meal (a coarse corn flour) to people who place little value on orphan lives. Though only around $10 in cost, the gift itself is of great value to those who will receive it, and the joy of serving others will greatly excite the children!!

The last day of camp the children will be reminded that their reward for serving others will come in heaven, but Family Legacy wants to give them a small preview of what that will be like. Each child will be surprised by a Camp Life bag that is full of their own bag of sugar, their own cooking oil, and their own bag of meilie-meal! This is epic because a majority of these children are living in homes that were poor even before the orphan came to live with them. Due to the anger and frustration of their new caretakers, many of these children have become domestic slaves or worse to “earn” their food and shelter. This will be an opportunity for them to add value to these families.

For their own use they will also receive a small box with a number of exciting trinkets that are a pure luxury; soap, pencils, stickers, toothbrushes, etc. We will post a list of the items for the boxes in the near future so that we can be praying over them specifically.