Things You Don’t See Every Day… But We Do

 There are a lot of times we think we have nothing interesting to say – that you all would be bored with our stories, pictures, and anecdotes from every day life here.  But lately we have realized that some of what we now consider everyday life is incredibly odd/foreign/interesting to the western world.  Things that might seem “old hat” to us now, were fascinating when we arrived.  So in an effort to appreciate life around us and keep you all amused (not all our posts can be super deep and spiritual), here are a few standard glimpses of Zambian life (photo illustrated where possible).  And if you comment and share your thoughts and reactions, we may just post more like this in the future…

The only way to transport heavy goods

Unless you have a bicycle, in which case, you transport pigs (or goats) by bicycle.
 Or 300+ pounds of charcoal.  Or full size iron roofing sheets.

Locals supporting your favorite teams -
with no idea they're doing so.  Thank you
used clothing market...

Funny-shaped eggplant

Mosquito nets

Christmas candles - melting in the sun

Incredible teaching

People, shops, street vendors, cars... everywhere

Rainbows and Waterfalls!

Women working with a baby on their backs

Anthills. Huge anthills with trees on top.
Dug out to make bricks

Mango Trees!

Pineapple plants! Did you know they
 grew out of a "bush?"

Amazing sunsets

Preying Mantises

Fun signage

Crushing rocks by hand for foundations, etc.

Traveling in Style

Oxen and ox carts (puts "unequally yoked" into perspective)

Baby Zebra! (In protected areas)

Tetanus risks...

Groups of people from all over the world hanging out together.
Countries represented in this picture: Canada, Zimbabwe, Ghana,
Australia, South Africa, India and the US

Strange Abnormal Loads

Other things we see every day:

People sitting outside Shoprite selling the fruit, vegetables, bread and eggs they bought inside

Soccer balls made of scraps of material

Men peeing by the side of the road

Trash flying from car windows

Shelf-stable boxed milk and un-refrigerated eggs

Unsupervised children everywhere

Burning fields (slash and burn is the typical agricultural method, though groups are currently trying to teach against that)

And for now, I've probably used up my entire data bundle uploading pictures, so I have to stop here. More to come in future posts!

Giving Up Everything

Often when we hear people marvel about how we "gave up everything" to move to Zambia as missionaries, we kind of shrug it off, almost feeling bad that they think that. This isn't sacrifice! I mean, we love so much about life here. We love how on a given Sunday we may be worshiping with people from as many as 10 different nations. Getting to a recipe calling for lemon juice and we just grab the fruit from our tree. How the air drops from a hot, sunny 100+ degrees to 60 and stormy in seconds during the rains. How everyone in our growing town, from the post office to Shoprite to the marketplace, knows when we've been traveling (and asks what we brought them). Walking everywhere at all times of the year. The friendly, relaxed pace of life. How Luke and I have been forced into a stronger relationship because sometimes we're all we've got. Seeing genuine change from things we've taught. And how when you're where God wants you, there's just a peace about life.

But then there are times when we long for life stateside, feeling the "sacrifices" just aren't worth it. Being a target for lewd comments and demand for handouts wherever we go. Not being able to take a peaceful walk through the neighborhood holding my husband's hand. Power cuts, plumbing problems, and frightening roads. Lack of quality healthcare and screening, especially as we try to start a family. Pouring ourselves out spiritually without a fountain from which to drink. Injustices and inefficiencies in policies and policing. The inability to use reason to solve problems with processes, bills and the above inefficiencies. Times when there seems to be zero fruit from all the ministry efforts. And missing important milestones, family events, weddings, funerals, reunions, and all our friends and family back home.

Usually the good outweighs the not-so-good, but as we've noted in our last two prayer letters, sometimes the bad just mounds up in a giant pile of stink (like the trash in one of the compounds we walk through each week). Those are the times when we find ourselves thinking maybe it's not worth it. Life would be "so much easier" back home. We tried and that's enough, right?

But what if Jesus had said that? When he didn't feel like his disciples were "getting it." When his own mother made selfish demands of his time and ability. When the need around him was too much. When everyone wanted to take, take, take and his strength waned. When one of his best friends betrayed him. When the stones were thrown. What if Jesus had given up and gone back to life as a simple carpenter, because it would be easier?

I for one am glad he didn't. Think of the pile of stink we'd all be in if Jesus had given up on the road to Calvary - turned around, and gone home - because saving us from the debt of our sin wasn't "worth it?"

And so we remember why we're here. Not for some romantic, idealistic aid project. Not for the accolades of others (though the affirmation is certainly nice sometimes). Not because life is easier or inherently more enjoyable in this hemisphere. But for God's glory. Because of Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection for our forgiveness. Because many millions of people haven't heard this Good News of forgiveness. He said we were worth it. He also said to take up our crosses and follow him - not because it would be easy (in fact he says it may be downright difficult) or because we would receive earthly treasures - but because He's worth it.

So we may have given up a lot to serve Him here. You may be giving up a lot by supporting us in that work (thank you thank you thank you!). But, it's all so little compared to what he gave up for us, and all so worth it.

"What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:8 NIV)

Growing Pains

Solwezi is growing. By a couple of hundred people every day according to someestimates.  In some places in the world,the streets are apparently lined with gold. In Solwezi, they’re lined with people selling, people walking, peoplesitting, people driving, people biking, people peeing.  And by streets I mean street.  One. Singular.  The same street used bythe large copper mining trucks, buses coming through the country from Lusaka, mini buses, taxis, funeral caravans, and anyone in the entire province who needs to buy groceries at our Shoprite – the only grocery store within two hours drive any direction.  One street, on a sort of ridge between valleys, with every storefront, shack and market along the street, because anyone who visits can easily see that this booming mine city was never intended to be more than a small stop along the main road.

And it’s only going to get bigger.  The Kansanshi copper mine is already one ofthe largest and busiest in the world – and expected to double in size this year, adding the biggest copper smelter to facilitate outputs from several mines in the area.  Currently underway some kilometers out of Solwezi is Trident, a trifecta combining smaller mines into one huge one.  Where there are mines,there are jobs, and where there are jobs, there are people.  “If you build it, they will come” has never been more real. 

Westerns depicting the American Gold Rush would be very fitting for the situation here: promises to make it big and get rich quick are transplanting whole communities and families to the point that we can hardly call this “Kaonde country” anymore.  Traditional values and conservative dress are being replaced with cheap pornography and skinny jeans.  Bars and taverns (or tarvens, as the signs usually say) and swanky guest houses are popping up all over town.  Alcohol consumption and prostitution are increasing simultaneously, especially among transient truck drivers, leaving a devastating number of unwed mothers with STDs.

Where does this leave us? Living a block away from the one real street has its benefits.  For example, stocks run out fairly quickly at Shoprite when there are 50 million transactions a month, but we’ve learned which days the vegetable trucks are unloaded and know that if the eggs are gone today, we can stop by again tomorrow.  The increase in mine activity also means an increase in expatriates, many of whom have become dear friends through a small church fellowship we’ve helped to start.  They are also great contacts for the who, what, how questions in the way things work here.  Additionally, though we’ve spent a lot of time on our Kikaonde, the influx of people from all over the country (and world) means we are able to function almost entirely in English within town.

But there are a lot of downfalls as well.  Be it in a car, on a bike, or walking, the roads are frightening (we’ve found walking to be the safest, though not always the sanest).  When we first visited in 2009, things were so much quieter, and we just thought we’d bicycle everywhere when we moved here long term.  Not a chance.  Additionally, there are regular gas shortages and cars will line up waiting to refuel.  Whereas even 12 months ago we had extremely reliable power and water, the only consistency now is the inconsistency.  We’ve had some weeks in which we’ve lost power every night just around dinner time. The electrical infrastructure of the city can’t handle the load.  This was really the tipping point as we became overwhelmed by stress last month.

On a deeper level, the increase in transplanted families from other tribes is something local Kaonde churches for the most part aren't prepared to handle.  Add to that Jehovah’s witnesses, Muslims, and various “natural healers” and “Chinese medicine practitioners” handing out pamphlets and invitations and this little big town in a nominally Christian country is becoming confused. Especially confusing is the increase in access to Western television, music, Internet and culture.  For years many Zambians have assumed that what is American or European is Christian.  After all, the first “bazungu” (white people) to come to Zambia were missionaries.  We’ve had several conversations with Zambian friends here recently who were convinced that all Americans are Christian, and therefore every music video, fashion trend, televangelist, politician and even Peace Corp worker they are exposed to is also “Christian.”

A few months ago one of our older missionaries who has been here most of her life said, “things are a lot harder than they used to be.”  Yes, there is far more available when it comes to food choices, airlines in and out, technology, etc., but those are all things you can work around and or live without. The quiet life where everything was simple but simple made sense once you learned the system is a thing of the past. 

I’m not sure where I’m going with this, other than to ask that you pray.  Pray for Solwezi, that evil and corruption will have no power, and that the Lord will bring about a revival for His truth.  Pray for the churches here, that they may find innovative and inviting ways to reach out to the increasingly inter-tribal and international community around us.  Pray for the missionaries as we discern what and who to pour our lives into, as we react to the changes around us, and as we seek to maintain a moral standard and serve as an example to our brothers and sisters here.  And please pray for us as we respond to lewd comments and begging, intense foot and vehicle traffic, inconsistent utilities and other “growing pains.”

Lost in Translation

Sometimes it seems there are a hundred English words for every one Kikaonde word.  Seriously.  Take mambo for example… it can mean affair, fact, matter, or it can be used for reason, because, regarding.  It’s often used for sermon, speech, word, or TheWord.  But then, it can also mean sin, guilt, fault, offense, or trouble. So we use the same Kikaonde word to describe sin as we do for The Word.  Riiiight. Something was lost in translation.

Granted, the meaning of most words are fairly easy to figure out based on their context (though kesha, meaning either yesterday or tomorrow will forever confuse us), but it certainly makes translating Sports Friends materials into Kikaonde interesting.  And I’m realizing that English speakers like to say what is essentially the same thing multiple ways.

Whenever Regina, my friend and language partner, is free, I hike off to Kimasala to sit and pour over the stacks of pages Luke has asked me to translate.  Sometimes it is straightforward – but more often we find ourselves in lengthy discussions as I explain the context of a word’s use and try to think of every English synonym for it hoping we’ll find the right Kikaonde word to fit. 

Here’s one of Luke’s sentences we just kind of had to laugh at:

“To minister”literally means “to care for” or “to serve.”  

Imagine our difficulty when all three of those words are best translated into the same Kikaonde word. Luckily we found another way to say to serve and didn’t have to scrap the line completely.

It was an easy assumption to make that my Kikaonde and Regina’s English would greatly improve as we work through these materials.  What I did not expect was the spiritual growth that would result.  The first two sets of information we worked through were Bible studies Luke wrote based on the goal and training statement of Sports Friends.  As I was focused on plowing through the documents, I didn’t realize at first the way Regina was soaking in each scripture, question and reference.  One day I suggested we stop so I could start my walk home, and she wanted to go just a little bit further because she wanted to know what was next! 

“This is very interesting and I’m learning so much,” she said, expressing that the studies will definitely lead to spiritual growth for their intended audience.

And apparently for an unintended audience.  It’s amazing what the Lord will do beyond the scope of our plans and ideas.  What I thought would be a simple time of translation of materials for future Sports Friends coaches and church leaders has actually become an opportunity to cultivate growth in my translator.  God’s sovereign plan is never lost in translation.

The Devil is a Liar

Living halfway around the world, I often find myself incredibly grateful for technology.  Being able to keep up with the lives of my friends and family via facebook and email can be such a blessing.  And by posting about our daily adventures, it helps me to feel that we won’t be forgotten by everyone back home.

But it can also be such a stumbling block.  You know what I mean: one friend has pictures posted from an amazing vacation; another talks of a huge job promotion; another is competing in a super fun triathlon; and another is pregnant… again.  And I think…

“I wish my life was that glorious!” 

“Look at what they’re doing – I’m such a failure in comparison!”

 “Why didn’t anyone tell me about that?” 

“He loves her SOOooo much – what a romantic!”

“Such a cool adventure!  I could never be that brave!”

“I’m probably letting so many people down!”

The devil is a liar.  Constantly convincing us that we can’t possibly be happy in our present situations.  That we “deserve more” or that we “aren’t enough.”  Sometimes I really do start to believe that the grass is greener on the other side.  I find myself longing for someone else’s life.  The craziness of it all is that I absolutely love my life!  I am living the very “adventure” that others might be longing for.  My life is glorious (at least I think so!).  I live in Africa!  We may not be rich, but I could care less about riches.  What many of us long for is richness of life.  And Satan is out to make us believe that our lives are horribly devoid of the very riches by which we are surrounded!

I realize there is a balance – that we’re never supposed to be “too content” with where we are or how we are living, for fear that we lose dependence on God and hope in what is to come.  But that is a different kind of discontentment than that which comes from the devil.  May I even be so bold to describe such as envy, jealousy, or even greed?  Jealous of a friend’s spontaneous nature.  Envious of an experience had by a family member.  Even coveting the walk another person has with the Lord!

 I stand convicted.  Deceived by the great deceiver.  Robbed of the joy of the fullness of God because I’m swayed toward discontentment.  I so often listen to the father of lies (John 8:44) rather than hearing the glorious words of my Father in Heaven, who not only brings us great peace, but also the promise of an amazing eternity with Him in a place with the greenest of grasses.

So I ask two things of you.  First, please forgive me for sinning against you – for seeing your pictures, your posts, these snapshots of your life -- and responding with thoughts of jealousy rather than celebration or simply just being happy to stay in touch.  Second, please don’t be jealous of us.  We are living our dream – God’s dream for us.  He has a different plan for you completely.  Find it.  Follow it.  If you have done so, don’t be deceived or swayed by the one who comes to kill and destroy as I so often am.  May we all recognize the richness of our own lives in Christ – and stop wasting time sulking over a life we were never created nor intended to live!

“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.” – 2 Thessalonians 1:11