Mulibwanji!

Greetings from Africa everyone!

Iḿ at an internet cafe in Kitwe, Zambia with like 30 minutes left so itś going to be a pretty quick entry and a bit crazy so my apologies already! Weŕe here at Copperbelt University sharing the Gospel and building relationships with other college students here. The university is very different from those back home so itś already been quite the culture shock but in the best way ever! Students here are incredibly receptive to just a random chat and are quick to be vulnerable and open about their lives. Itś the most beautiful thing and exactly the way God designed fellowship to be. No rushing people out of rooms, saying theyŕe too busy, but instead apologizing for not having food prepared for us to enjoy as their guests... in their own hostel (dorm) rooms! Sweetest people in the world.
Itś amazing to see that despite the conditions around here, people are fuller with the joy of Christ than I ever imagined, and give God all the credit for the few possessions they do have, praising Him for getting them through the hardest of times.
Okay so I don´t even know how to transition but I guess Iĺl say a bit about home life and my new African experiences. First off, a little bit goes a long way here. These 30 minutes cost me 5,000 kwacha which is $1. We have all already been through so much with over 2 days of traveling, delayed flights but I couldn´t ask for a better team. We have the best combination of personalities and everyone is extremely encouraging to each other no matter what comes along. We operate on ¨Zambian time" which results in everything being delayed by a good 2 hours even though ẗheyŕe on the way¨ but itś all part of the experience. I´m adapting to everything surprisingly well, eating all the local food- the BEST bananas ever, sheema (their staple food eaten with one hand to pick up other food on the plate), not using water like ever, but also just learning to give up a busy schedule, relax, and seek God in all things. Weŕe so incredibly blessed to be staying in a gorgeous Guest House which is like a big vacation home. Itś SO much nicer than anything I ever pictured. There are 4 other girls staying in my room and they´re already such a blessing in my life.
The other night when we were still in Lusaka, we took our bus (28 people in a 20 person van=quick bonding time) out to the slums to visit Deborah (pronounced deb-OR-uh) Orphanage from the link I posted before. Driving up we were all in shock. Upon arrival, over 10 ladies from the orphanage lined outside our bus to greet us with a Zambian hug, kind words and huge smiles. We all walked up to the sound of childrenś voices singing songs about how they have never seen God disappointing them, and that troubles come and troubles go but Godś love never changes. They even use the phrase ¨God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.¨ Needless to say, I immediately had to put my sunglasses on as tears overwhelmed me. Tears of joy in appreciation for Godś precious children, tears of confusion and guilt, but all mostly tears of amazement in that these kids were praying for OUR safety and for US to enjoy our time, thanking God for bringing US to them. I cannot even describe the emotions I felt that night as I shook the tiny hands of over 50 children, received and gave over 50 hugs, and cuddled with precious children that were wearing their ¨finest¨ outfits for us but remained shoeless and showerless. For once, everything I cared about just drifted away. I knew this trip would change me but I had no idea how much. Tears come rushing back just remembering all that I experienced that night. As the African sun was setting over the slum and the children were ecstatic over the sight of a balloon, life couldn´t have been more precious. One girl just couldn´t stop playing with my hair, telling me over and over again how beautiful (guapino) it was and then she curled up with me to watch some other boys perform another song for us. I was able to get my hands on nail polish and pained well over 500 little nails. The joy across their faces was contagious and I just couldn´t help but smile in amazement the entire time (after a few cry fests of course). I wish I could put into words what God did in my heart that night and Iĺl try to soon. It was something I will not forget for the rest of my life. And while these children thought we were a blessing for bring balloons, silly bandz, nail polish and footballs, they touched us and changed us more than we could ever affect them.
Now weŕe in Kitwe (7 hours from Lusaka) to connect with students our own age. In just a couple hours weŕe hosting a movie night for the students here just to get to know them better and be able to understand more of their lives and culture. The way they respect culture and modesty is a beautiful thing. I can´t wait for the upcoming conversations God will give us with these students since itś already been such a great time meeting our new friends Molly, Theresa and Leah. Weŕe staying in a hotelish thing here which is nice but not quite as nice as the Guest House. To say that there are bugs would be an understatement. But what better to stretch me than to get locked in my room with 5 3¨ flying grasshoppers and no shower? Haha thatś a whole other story but life here is actually great. Beyond great. And itś just amazing to look back over these 4 days or so and see God so apparent in everything we´re feeling and doing and look forward with wonder and amazement to see what Heś got planned for us for the next 5 weeks.
Please continue to pray for the health of our team, for our continued vulnerability with each other, but mostly for the people of Zambia. They are a beautiful people with huge hearts but suffer from what most Americans do actually. They´re content with the label of ¨Christian" and don´t want to feel Christ alive in their hearts. Pray for eyes and hearts to be opened to the true joy and grace of Jesus and that Heĺl continue to use us as tools for His great work.

Sorry this is so long and jumbled but I promise to add more later and I hope it all makes sense!

I thank God for each and every one of you! :)

In Him,
Amy