Zambia Trip: part one

I want to share with you some of the highlights of our trip to Zambia. It will give you a bit of an insight into what we do on a trip, a glimpse into the culture and people, and especially how God works miracles!

We left on July first, Scott's birthday, with three days of travel ahead of us. So with the car packed with Jesus Film equipment, items for the medical campaign, clothes for the orphans, as well as our own luggage, we struck off across Africa. The medicines for the medical campaign were still stuck in customs, but we were going ahead in faith that God would work out the details.

BOARDER CROSSING

Unfortunately, I couldn't take a picture at the Zimbabwe boarder, but it's not a sight for the weak at heart. Imagine crowded busses, piles of luggage, long lines of people, cars, and policemen with machine guns. Typically it takes about an hour and a half to cross and that's on a good day. I noticed a couple interesting signs hanging on the wall inside.

1. PUBLIC NOTICE: NO LOITERING OR WAITING

Comical when you have to stand in line for an hour plus.

2. PLEASE DON'T OPEN THE WINDOWS AS IT INTERFERES WITH THE AIR CONDITIONING

Air conditioning? Even if there was air conditioning, there were no doors so why would it really matter if the windows were open?

LIVINGSTONE

Our first stop was Livingstone, Zambia where we spent the night and visited with a new church. It was exciting to see the passion in the eyes of the Christians as they sang praises to God in their language. Allen preached and used the time to encourage the men and women we met with as well as give them some good teaching. Afterward, we ate lunch with the leaders, a wonderful meal of their traditional cornmeal mush and sauce. Our kids had fun playing soccer outside with the neighborhood kids. With a six hour drive ahead of us, we managed to leave around two o'clock and headed for Lusaka.

Scott called the hotel we were booked into and told them we would be late. They assured us it was no problem. We arrived at the capital of Zambia around eight o'clock that night, ate dinner, then headed off for the hotel. When we arrived, though, we discovered that there had been a huge mix-up, we didn't have a reservation, and the hotel was full. So what do you do at nine o'clock at night with eight foreigners and no where to stay?

I'll let you know in my next post on Monday. . .

Blessings,

Lisa