Looking back -- June 13, 2010

We loaded the coaster bust at 7:00 to travel 55 km down the Kabanga road to Chawila Church of Christ. Dave and Mary Beth contributed generously toward the construction of this church building, so it was important for the members to meet Mary Beth. As I have said many times before, there is no road to Kabanga, and this was certainly true on Sunday morning. Fortunately, a singing group from Namwianga Secondary accompanied us, so we sang most of the way and that minimized the distance. When we arrived, we parked near the government school and walked across a stream to reach the church building. The members were already inside and we could hear the singing. Unfortunately, we were late, and this particular congregation operates on schedule instead of Zam-time, so we didn't get to do as much singing as I would have enjoyed. Kadonsi preached a convicting sermon about how the devil works. Several asked for prayers and one person asked to be baptized.

The thrill of seeing someone born again is hard to describe no matter what setting I'm in, but witnessing this in Zambia where the water could contain crocodiles or snakes defies words. Maybe the pictures will help.

After the baptism, we returned to the building for the greetings and distribution of clothing. The women prepared nshima and relish and village chicken for us. We were humbled by yet another feast.

We loaded the coaster bus and returned via the same route, and we were back to Namwianga in time to enjoy another candle light dinner. A man who is studying to be a chef asked if he could prepare a meal for us so we could give him a recommendation. Sue accepted for us, and we enjoyed fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and mixed vegetables. Are we in Oklahoma? The meal was delicious, but the conversation was even more satisfying. We each shared our experiences of the day, and we heard a touching story of thanks from Brevery. Ask Sherry to tell you about Brevery's story.

Sunday evening, we finalized the packing and tried to get to bed early. Our departure from the mission was scheduled at 6:00 a.m. on Monday. Where did the time go?