December 25,2010

Well it’s been a great week so far; I have been able to have some of the ladies over from church and had some wonderful times of fellowship with them. Judi lives in the apartment complex where I will more than likely live and Changu is one of the pastor’s wives. I am very thankful to have them in my life. We spent our last time together sharing our testimonies and I think that has really knit us together more quickly. I have also been able to continue to reach out to Lydia, who I met when I was here over the summer. I have had her over a couple of times and have stopped in to see her and Mildred (another of the girls I met last summer) at Spree Guest House, where they work.

I left Friday morning to go visit some missionaries in a neighboring town. It was my first trip that far alone. I took a public bus for an hour and then had to take a cab for the next 20 minutes of the trip and was picked up at a small store by my new friend Stephanie. The bus trip was an experience for sure. We were crammed in there like sardines in a rusty can as the bus sped down the main road into the town of Kitwe. I noticed that if the driver went too fast a loud knocking noise would start. It was a little unnerving but I just said a prayer to myself that God would protect us all as we travelled. A few moments after praying a woman stood up and faced the rear of the bus and began praying in Bemba. My initial thought was that she must have been praying for the same reason I had just prayed for..the loud knocking noise. I soon found I was mistaken. For the second half of the trip she was preaching to the bus. Most of what she was saying I did not understand but from time to time she would say something in English, probably for my benefit, being that I was the only mizungu (white person) on the bus. Some people pretended to sleep; others talked on their phones or stared straight ahead. But I heard a good bit of “amen’s” and “hallelujahs” Just a totally different experience than what I would have in the states and from what I was told, this is a common occurrence on longer bus trips.

I was so blessed to be able to spend time with the missionaries in Kitwe. They are all from the states and they welcomed me so warmly into their home. The Walker family has been here for 5 years and the wife who is about 42 just had her 10^th child a week ago. Three of the missionaries arrived the same day I did and two of them where on the same small plane with me when I first arrived. We had some great food and spent time playing some games and as I held the little baby girl I was thinking of my niece Nora, who was born just 2 days before I left. God is so kind to let me have such a tangible gift of holding this newborn. I sat with tears in my eyes, which were a mixture of joy as I reflected on Gods goodness and faithfulness to me so far and as I thought of all the friends and family that I miss so much back in the states. Even the next morning when we were writing out Christmas cards to the new mothers at the maternity home I was given a reminder of how God is so intimately involved in all the details of my life. The last two cards we had to write were for Nora and Elisabeth. That is the first and middle name of my new niece. I just sat on the floor smiling and knowing God is near.