(12-22-08) Finally, the day I get to go to Serenje! We ended up having to stay in Lusaka Sunday night for many reasons, but I’m more than ready to see Serenje. It already feels like I’ve been here a long time, but I know when I’m leaving in March it will seem like it went fast, so I want to do as much as I can and not waste any time.
We drove about 5 hours to get here. All along the roads there are always people walking around. When driving through towns, the sides of the streets are pretty thick with people, and even in between towns there are often people on the sides of the road. Usually they are carrying something heavy and they're always going regardless if it’s raining or not. It also isn’t unusual to see children on the shoulder, just inches from the traffic. That’s just how it is here.
As we pulled in to Serenje I felt like a kid on Christmas, I couldn’t wait to see my new home for the next few months. There is one main paved road (picture on right) that goes through town, and people walking all around all the time. We drove across the whole town in a few minutes and to the construction site. It was almost the end of the work day when we arrived, but I got to meet many of the workers. They were all very nice and they show a lot of respect…they automatically assume that I’m their boss because I’m white and I’m with Zack. I tried as hard as I could to start learning their names right away (but I have enough trouble remembering American names).
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I also got to meet Novice, a local pastor who is our main contact in Zambia and is behind the Hope Center project. I’ve been told he’s like a modern day Paul (for more info on him, read the Book of Acts), so I was very excited to meet him. He was just as excited to meet me, he was extremely welcoming. We only got to talk for a few minutes though, but I plan to be spending plenty of time with him.
Next, I got to see our home. It used to be a small office in a strip mall, but now it’s been made into a small home…it’s similar to a college dorm room. Zack and Randy (the other guy from Cornerstone who will be returning January 9th) installed plumbing and electricity, so we often have lights and running water. It’s really not a bad little place, we are better off than many people here. I finally got to unpack and organize a little too, so that felt great. I still feel like I’m in orientation mode, but I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me to do here.
We drove about 5 hours to get here. All along the roads there are always people walking around. When driving through towns, the sides of the streets are pretty thick with people, and even in between towns there are often people on the sides of the road. Usually they are carrying something heavy and they're always going regardless if it’s raining or not. It also isn’t unusual to see children on the shoulder, just inches from the traffic. That’s just how it is here.
As we pulled in to Serenje I felt like a kid on Christmas, I couldn’t wait to see my new home for the next few months. There is one main paved road (picture on right) that goes through town, and people walking all around all the time. We drove across the whole town in a few minutes and to the construction site. It was almost the end of the work day when we arrived, but I got to meet many of the workers. They were all very nice and they show a lot of respect…they automatically assume that I’m their boss because I’m white and I’m with Zack. I tried as hard as I could to start learning their names right away (but I have enough trouble remembering American names).
I also got to meet Novice, a local pastor who is our main contact in Zambia and is behind the Hope Center project. I’ve been told he’s like a modern day Paul (for more info on him, read the Book of Acts), so I was very excited to meet him. He was just as excited to meet me, he was extremely welcoming. We only got to talk for a few minutes though, but I plan to be spending plenty of time with him.
Next, I got to see our home. It used to be a small office in a strip mall, but now it’s been made into a small home…it’s similar to a college dorm room. Zack and Randy (the other guy from Cornerstone who will be returning January 9th) installed plumbing and electricity, so we often have lights and running water. It’s really not a bad little place, we are better off than many people here. I finally got to unpack and organize a little too, so that felt great. I still feel like I’m in orientation mode, but I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me to do here.
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