On to Kalomo

We spent the entire day packing, shopping, and traveling to Namwianga. Richard Krogsgaard and our new friend, Breanna, arrived right on Zam-time, one hour later than the appointed time. We didn’t mind; it meant we saw the baboons. If Richard had been on time, we would have missed them. We loaded 15 bags, (one bag is still missing), through the window of the Coaster bus, and added our recent purchases to protected places on the seats. Fortunately, adequate seating remained for the 7 passengers. We stopped at Shoppe Rite in town to buy groceries and to pick up Sue Calder who was shopping for the Harding Medical Team, who also have a program at the mission. While we waited for all the shoppers, I noticed a familiar face coming toward the bus. I was thrilled to see Christiana Mueller coming my way. I stepped out of the bus to greet her, and tears of joy flowed for both of us. I am so thankful to be reunited with friends, and the reunions are just beginning!

The road from Livingstone to Kalomo is 120 kilometers long; 50 of those kilometers are still under construction, so a detour is required on a dusty, bumpy road. 50 kph is the fastest speed, so the trip took almost 3 hours. It was a good time to visit with Sue Calder, and for the newcomers to see the sights along the way -- road markets, small villages, bicycle travelers, women carrying water on their heads, children carrying smaller children on their backs. Finally, we reached Namwianga, and Sue Krogsgaard greet us warmly -- another sweet reunion for me.

First order of business was unpacking. We sorted through the contents of all the bags and organized them into types so we could pack for each day’s outing. Next, we organized our own belongings; it was wonderful to have drawers to hold our clothes and other essential items. Sue called us for supper, and we feasted on rice, mutton stew, corn and cucumber salad. The fellowship was marvelous, especially because we were joined by Shepherd and Rhutt later in the meal. Our discussion turned to the plan for Sunday, and whether or not David would be preaching. He was relieved to hear that Shepherd would be giving the sermon, and that he would not have any duties the first Sunday.

After dishes and evening devotional, we were happy to lay our heads down. Thus ends our first day at Namwianga. ---- Martha