PICTURES ON THE WEB

There are pictures up from the trip. A link is provided on the side bar. The password is zambiamissiontrip2008@gmail.com. The password is zambia2008. Enjoy.

THOSE SERVED

Click to enlarge

One person served would have been an
accomplishment, but it is encouraging to see all the people that were served.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

This picture shows the group on the bus leaving Zambia. Thousands of people have been served and many have given their life to Christ.

The blog may go on for a little while giving some recollections of the trip, so don't give up on us yet. It was an amazing experience. Personally, I wish I was still there. I will share more later.

WE ARE HERE

Hello faithful followers of the blog. Each member has now arrived in Zambia. We are all gathered at the French's house getting organized. The group that just arrived is trying to catch their breath before we hit the mission field. The status of the blog is undetermined. We are not sure what the internet connection is going to be like, but if we are able to blog, we will. We know that each of you are anxiously awaiting updates of our trip, so we will try to provide them.

FISHY LESSON

I just witnessed a cross cultural lesson. Shema Man (Mark Taylor) has gained a good amount of rapport with the construction guys at Mapepe. They respect him and enjoy his company. Today he was able to use that influence to teach a lesson.

Some of the guys complained about their portion of the gifts they were given when "the container" came over the other day. The container is a large box shipped from the States. It contains things the French's cannot fly over, things people donate to the French's and to the medical mission. The French's joyfully give packages of clothes, towels, etc. to people they know from the school and this includes the construction workers. One of the things furiously complained about was the length of a towel. It was a verbal attack so strong against someone who they felt got more than them the woman was sick from crying. When Mark and I learned that this was some of the guys we have grown to be fond of we were quite disappointed.

It should be noted that jealousy is a strong part of the Zambian culture. These people are born and raised in survival mode. They do not find it fair if someone gets even the smallest amount more than them.

Today Mark was able to use his influence and teaching ability to encourage them to act better. He bought them fish for the third time. This helps not only the workers by feeding them, but also helping the woman who is selling the fish. After dividing out the fish he gathered them all around. He explained to them, "This is a gift. I am sharing this gift with you. Some people around you are not getting this gift at all. They could be jealous because they are not getting the fish." He explained, "When you receive a gift you are to accept it for what it is. You are not to become jealous when someone gives you a gift, because they could choose not to give it to you."

Mark used a teaching tool to cross cultures in teaching about jealousy. Although we may not fully understand the roots of jealousy in their culture, it is important to teach against the principle, which Mark did well.

READY TO GO

I have been here a week and a half. I have been able to get my body clock aligned with Zam time. I have learned a bit about what Zambia is like. Met some new people. I have had my worldview enhanced, been able to explore some of my natural assumptions, some of which I have posted here. Developed some solid friendships with the guys and gal who have come early from the states. That in itself has been a wonderful experience.
Now, we are two days away from starting the actual mission and I am ready. I am very anxious in doing what I came to do. Serve. I am ready to go out into the communities and help the Zambians with their physical ailments and showing them Jesus in the process. Although I am not a medical expert, I will be glad to assist in whatever way to help out the mission. Please continue to pray for our effort.

THEM ZAM NIGHTS

Friends and family back home may be interested in knowing how we pass time during the Zambia nights. Last night we were entertained in a good ol' sing a long led by Shema Man and Mapepe Joe.

Shema Man jammin' out with the old time classic-"Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash.

Mapepe Joe thrilled the crowd with old rock and roll classics. The highlight was the Monkees, "I'm a Believer".

airport

I rode with Syndey today to pick up three of our team at the Lusaka airport.The others are scheduled to arrive in Lusaka tomorrow.Stephanie's aunt Margaret arrived with Dr.David Moore and Judy Floyd.David has been before and is one our team's eye doctors.Judy is a nurse at Vanderbilt hospital in Nashville.Maragret is a retired nurse from Ohio.We enjoyed a time of fellowship and had another good meal.We are making plans for the rest of the team's arrival with bedding and other logistical issues.Again I will say the memories made are tied in with the challenges,fatigue and dealing with the issues that come up with any project.I am looking forward to sharing what we can from the villages once we arrive.

Bus Severely Damaged

Two nights ago Moonga and Wisdom (two of our Zambian friends) barely escaped with their lives in a terrible bus accident. They had just finished delivering students to our mission villages, when they encountered a Tanzanian Trucker driving on the wrong side of the highway. Moonga maintained incredible control by avoiding flipping the bus that was towing a trailer during the accident. The bus ran through a ditch a hit a group of roadside markets before coming to a stop.

Moonga received lacerations to his left hand and Wisdom has a deep gash on his left hand and a major contusion on his face. Neither are feeling well at the moment. It was a close call. I have included a picture on the blog of the front of the bus.

We have now made new arrangements to borrow a bus from a brother in Kabu and we continue to pray for the arrival of our new bus. The new bus should arrive tomorrow. Two buses and our other vehicles should provide satisfactory transport to and from our village clinics.

Our main group should be on the way to JoBerg, South Africa as I write. They will arrive in Lusaka in two groups tomorrow. The first group around 1 pm and the second group at 5 pm.

Please be praying for the safe arrival of our team.