The roads we traveled on in Zambia were definitely
unforgettable. For you country folks,
think of the worst field road you have been on.
Dirt, dust, giant holes, dips and places where if you get a tire stuck,
you have to get out and push. Our bus held
about 27 people legally, and some days we had over 30 stuffed in there. There were supposed to be 3 seats across, but
a seat folded down in the aisle for extra coziness. One day we squashed 5 people across as we
bumped and dipped down the dusty dirt roads.
It was not unusual to have someone’s shoulder practically up your
nose. Personal space: Ha! What is that?
On the way to one of the communities we tilted so far to one side, that
it felt as if we would tip over. We
leaned to the other side to try and balance out the weight as our driver navigated
the road (or path) to our destination.
When we got there, and entered the dirt floor church built out of boards
letting in the outside light, some women were cooking in the back. Three live chickens looked at us as they sat
in a box right next to a pot warming up on the hot coals.
As soon as we were seated in plastic lawn chairs (some which
only had three legs) the sound of joyful singing surrounded us. We didn’t sit for long. When you go to church in Africa, be ready to stand,
clap, stomp, sing and yes, even dance. The songs go on and on. They don’t worry about what song they will
sing next, or how long it will last or when they get to sit down. They just sing praises as long as they feel
like it. They are grateful for the
present. After our welcome, our mission
team filed outside to meet with the people.
As we walked by, I noticed those three chickens were gone and the pot
was boiling. How is that for fresh food?
After we were finished with our groups, we had plenty of
time to hang out. Some of our girls,
soon found themselves in the middle of a hair styling party. Holding kids on their lap, they were soon
surrounded by more Zambian children who styled and braided our “Azungu” or
“white people” hair. Their jovial voices
sang continuously in English and in their native tongue of Nyanja. Caleb, one of the teens on the trip, pulled
out a soccer ball and started a game on the rocky, uneven, dusty terrain. That was a treat, because their usual soccer
ball is made out of trash, held together by a plastic bag and bound together by
string. They make due with what they
have. The singing from the hair styling
party and the energetic voices playing soccer blended together brought tears to
my eyes as I thought of how content and grateful these people are.
When it was time to go, hugs, warm handshakes, kids holding
our hands and thank you’s were abundant as we tried to inch our way to our bus. Remember the chicken? That was for the church
community. Peanut butter sandwiches
awaited us on our bus.
Before leaving, we were directed to an open field in front
of the church. I could tell something
was up, but did not know what. Everyone
got quiet as Andrew, who is the director of African Vision of Hope operations
in Zambia, asked us if we knew where we were standing. Dried up grass crunched under our feet as we
looked down at some trash scattered here and there on some uneven mounds of dirt. We stood very close to where the kids played
soccer, where we had our hair styling party and close to where this village
came to worship. The chatting among us
stopped as we realized where we were surrounded by mounds of dirt with little makeshift
markers. A cemetery stretched out as far
behind us as we could see. I noticed
several smaller mounds of dirt. These
were the graves of children. Forty
percent do not make it to age 5 and for those who do, their parents may not
make it. This community is hard hit by
AIDS, other diseases and extreme poverty. Here, death is a part of life.
We had a sobering, eye-opening end to a joy-filled day. Their contagious laughter, singing, praise
and constant smiles ministered to us. As
we drove away I figured out that they are just thankful for every day they are
alive. They do not rely on material
possessions, or a fancy church to make them happy. They have God and they have Jesus and they
have each other. Each day is a reason to
celebrate and be grateful. By Laurie Frey
