Christmas in Zambia

I’m (was) dreaming of a White Christmas….

Well, it wasn’t here in Zambia. It’s rainy season here and the only thing Christmassy about the weather is the cool evenings. If you close your eyes tight, go outside with a sleeveless top and shorts and imagine snow….. Nay!

God’s timing is perfect and I received the long awaited container 10 days before Christmas. This meant I could decorate with the few things I sent over… two small Christmas trees, a table runner, two throw pillows and a few candles. Since my furniture is red, green and gold that helped with the festive décor.

Christmas in Zambia is not celebrated from Thanksgiving to New Years like we do. It is focused on the actual reason for the holiday, Jesus and all the celebration takes place around the church and on the actual holiday, December 25. Now, if you go into the urban areas (Lusaka and Livingstone) you will see some decorations on the streets and seasonal items for sale in the stores but most Zambians don’t have the money to buy such “frivolous” things.

One day I was listening to Christmas music and one of the neighbor boys asked if I wasn’t a little early singing such songs. I explained that in the states we celebrate the entire month of December. Of course, most of what we do is secular and that was a little hard to explain. Oh, and one of my pillows has embroidered messages on each side… one is “HO HO HO” and the other is “Bah Humbug”. Try to explain that to someone who doesn’t know who Santa or Scrooge is!!

My first Christmas party was in Livingstone with the ladies from the Missionary Fellowship I attend each month. There are several missionaries in Livingstone and about 20 ladies got together the Friday afternoon before Christmas. We ate traditional party foods, swapped cookies and played “Dirty Santa.” You haven’t played “Dirty Santa” until you have played with good Christian missionary ladies. I must admit, I ended up with the “not so wanted prize” because I played so “dirty”.

On Saturday, Joan and I went to Jembo to have our American Christmas. Fred and Carol Cromer, along with their daughter Hannah, had invited us to spend a few days. Joan and I loaded up her vehicle with our bags, a few Christmas presents for everyone and headed out at 6am. We arrived at the Cromers around 10 and began preparing the traditional Christmas meal. We even waited while the “rest of the family” arrived. It was very much like being at home. We ate, played games and listened to Christmas music. Here’s a hint… don’t play Rook with missionaries either…they aim to win!

We went to church on Sunday morning. This was most disappointing as far as the holiday went because there was no Christmas music. It was a “bush church” though and the pastor did a great job and you could see his love for the people and for sharing the gospel. He had been the pastor for only a few months and was so pleased with the response he had received from the congregation. Sunday afternoon we watched movies, played games and ate leftovers.

Monday, Christmas Eve, Joan and I drove back to Zimba. We wanted to leave in time to participate in the hospital celebration with the patients. We stopped in Choma on the way back for some “last minute” shopping… it was almost like being in the states! The SPAR (the local grocery chain) was filled with people and if you wanted bread you might as well buy the ingredients and make it yourself. The queue was impossible. The checkout lines were long and some of the employees actually had Santa hats and Reindeer antlers! There was even a Santa ringing a bell collecting money for a local ministry.

We arrived in Zimba just in time for the hospital celebration. All of the local churches joined together to sing in a candlelight celebration. Each church was assigned a ward to celebrate with and then everyone gathered together to sing one final song. It was very nice. Still no recognizable Christmas songs but it was festive and everyone was happy. Joan had received some donations from the states at the Wesleyan guesthouse and distributed these to the patients.

On Christmas Day Nakowa Pilgrim Wesleyan Church had an all day event from 9 – 4. There was music and dancing, a Christmas message and lunch. Kosiya was the speaker and did a great job. Several people came forward and dedicated their life to Christ. It was awesome. I had not experienced such response at this church since being here.

Joan and I were recruited to help with serving the food and beverages. The dinner was rice, chicken and relish. Coke, Orange Fanta and Sprite were served for drinks. Cake, a special treat, was served at the end with the traditional “knife dance”. You have to be here to understand that one…

As soon as everyone was served I headed home to wait by the phone. I was determined not to miss any phone calls from home. I was not disappointed. I received phone calls from very dear friends, the Harding family (Stan, Stephanie, Will and Lily), from my parent’s home where I spoke to my parents, my sisters, nieces and nephews and from my brother’s house where we used the internet and video so that we could see each other! What a treat to actually see them!

I want to thank everyone who sent emails, Christmas cards and packages. You helped make this holiday special even though we were miles apart. Actually, my Christmas will be extended because a few of the packages sent still have not been received. I guess I’ll start a new tradition here and celebrate Christmas the entire month of January instead of December!

I am blessed by your love and encouragement.
I am blessed to be in Zambia.
I am blessed to know Jesus!

Green Mamba

And I thought the grasshopper was big….

I ran into this as I left my house this afternoon…

Luckily, when I screamed “Snake” everyone came running…

“Mambas, of the genus Dendroaspis, are fast-moving tree-dwelling snakes of Africa. ("Dendroaspis" is literally "tree snake".) They belong to the family of Elapidae which includes cobras, coral snakes, kraits and, debatably, sea snakes, all of which can be extremely deadly. The black mamba is the largest venomous snake in Africa, with an extremely potent neurotoxic venom that attacks the nervous system; the bite is often fatal to humans without access to proper first aid and subsequent antivenin treatment, because it shuts down the lungs and heart… Mambas will detect and get away from humans as fast as possible.” (That’s reassuring!)

“Green Mambas (pictured) possess venom that is roughly equal in potency to that of the Black mamba. However, they are not nearly as aggressive. They are slightly smaller, and are arboreal, whereas the latter is primarily terrestrial… Humans are actually their predators, rather than their prey. For that reason, mambas generally avoid contact with humans. However, if a mamba feels threatened by a human, it may defend itself fiercely… Unlike most other snakes, mambas will strike repeatedly if cornered, and have been reported to bring down a giraffe and a lion with their venom.” – from Wikipedia

Leviticus 11:21-23

"There are, however, some winged creatures that walk on all fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground. Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket or grasshopper."

King Cotton in Zambia

This is an article published in the Commercial Appeal in Memphis, TN. It's about Zambia, the HIV/AIDs epidemic and how a local Memphis Company, Dunavant Enterprises, is helping.

http://commercialappeal.com/news/2007/dec/09/zambia-memphis-the-world-king-cottons-new-empire/

My home is just feet away from the hospital morgue. It is not unusual to hear the wails from the mourners of the dead at all times of the day. The most eerie are those when I am laying in bed trying to sleep or awaking from my slumber. Many of the deaths are reported as caused by pneumonia, meningitis, etc. but the true culprit is HIV/AIDS.

Please read the article and gain a better understanding of the country I live in and the challenges it faces. The cotton industry is just one of the areas affected by this deadly disease. There are many other areas suffering as well.

Understand as well, that there are many organizations in Zambia dedicated to treating, educating and eradicating this disease but the greatest need here is spiritual growth and renewal. Although Zambia claims to be a Christian nation, it's cultural traditions are not always supportive of the values taught by the Bible. Well meaning people still practice polygamy even though they are taught what the Bible teaches about marriage and sexual conduct. Despite the good work being done by many non-governmental organizations, unless the people accept the truths taught by the Bible and live them daily, this deadly disease will not end.

For such a time as this,

Janet

Luckiest Girl in the World

This morning I drove from Choma to Zimba after a very long night. Most of the way my eyes were moist from tears of joy as I reflected on the last 24 hours. Just a few days ago I was questioning whether I was making a difference here in Zambia and whether I was accomplishing what God had sent me to do. I understand now that was my human side wanting to make a list of my accomplishments so that I can justify my very existence.

“One day our struggle with self and our stumbling into sin, our warfare with Satan and our weariness in service, will vanish in the light of his glorious face.” – The Daily Light Journal

Okay, so what about these past 24 hours….

Just to get a sense of my attitude at the beginning of the 24 hours…We had a wedding in Zimba this weekend. Now, I’ve eluded that weddings in Zambia are not like weddings in the USA. In some ways I think they do a better job. This particular wedding I was not excited about though. I didn’t know the bride or the groom. I knew the groom’s mother just casually. I really wanted nothing to do with it. I wanted to stay at home, catch up on some correspondence, work and just chill. NOT!

Now, to steal a phrase from Hillary Clinton, the best way to describe weddings here in Zambia is “it takes a village.” Since it takes a village and I am part of that village I had to participate and like it! I’ll describe the wedding event in more detail in another blog (I promise!). Let me just say that by the end of the wedding I had a wonderful time, felt satisfaction by my part in it and was coming out of that need to justify my existence. I was exhausted though in that the festivities started at 10 hours and I finally made it back to my home at 20 hours (8pm).

I settled into the house, watched Frosty the Snowman (thanks Andy) and eventually fell asleep.

At 2330 my phone rings, I answer it and it is Chris from Choma. Some of you will know Chris. He is the chaplain at Choma Secondary School. He was driving a bus of children from his church that had been to Livingstone for the day back home to Choma. The headlights on the bus went out and he could not continue home. He asked for my help.

I asked him how many children he had and he responded…. “six little ones.” Now I’m thinking okay, they can sleep on my floor, we’ll wake the Wesleyan missionaries for assistance, or I can drive them to Zimba. The bus was in town so I told Chris to hold on and I’d walk to him and we’d come up with a plan (on yeah, it was raining) . When I arrived at the bus not only were there six little ones but about 15 young adults and 4 adult chaperones.

Needless to say, there was no room on my floor for all these people and there were already people staying at the Wesleyan guest house. The most reasonable thing to do was for me to drive my vehicle in front of the bus to Choma (about 1 hour drive north) to provide headlights. I agreed to do this only if Chris could provide a place for me to sleep in Choma and a “talkative” driving companion. Remember I had just been awakened from sleep.

I grabbed my sleeping bag, pillow and blanket (I had no idea what accommodations would be provided), a few bottles of water and some Oreo cookies I had stashed for such an occasion. Chris provided me with three of the young adults. Matemba, 21, sat in the front seat and he definitely fit the “talkative” criteria.

This is where God starts revealing his presence to me and how I am being used by Him….

One of my struggles in my ministry is discipleship and evangelism. Am I witnessing to those who don’t believe in Christ and helping win souls to Christ? Am I pouring myself into young believers and helping them grow in their faith? It’s back to that list…..

The first question Matemba asked me was…”What is it like to be a Sister and commit my life to singledom?” After I finished laughing hysterically, I verified what he meant and yes, he indeed meant what I thought. Someone (Chris?) had told him I was a Sister. I explained that I was not a Sister in that sense and was not “committed to singledom” but was content to be single if that was what God intended. As a 21 year old male he was having a hard time understanding how anyone could commit to such a fate. Some things are the same no matter what country you live in!

The questions continued….Are you ready to die tonight? How did you become a Christian? How do you live a Christian life without losing all your nonbeliever friends? How do you know God is speaking to you? Why would you want to leave the USA, money and power and come to Zambia to live?

The question that touched me most and I hope I was able to speak into his life was…. Why did we have to suffer for Christ and why was it so hard? Paul came to mind…. “ but we also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character and character, hope” – Romans 5:3-4 … “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us”. – Romans 8:18 I went on to share with him that I didn’t feel that I was suffering, that I found joy in all that I was doing for Christ’s sake.

Matemba went on to share with me some struggles he has as a 21 year old. Lust, drunkenness, disobedience…. Knowing that these things were wrong but being pressured by friends and not wanting to distance himself from his friends. I encouraged him to read his Bible for strength and stand for truth and be a witness to his friends. The change in his life as a Christian would speak into his friend’s lives.

A 2 ½ hour conversation finally ends in Choma. (Remember it is typically only a one hour drive). I spent the night at Chris’s house and left Choma for Zimba at 9 hours on Sunday morning. As I drove home, I saw the beauty of God’s creation (even though it's the rainy season it is beautiful here) and reflected in the past 24 hours. I was humbled and realized I was one of the luckiest girls in the world.

“One day our struggle with self and our stumbling into sin, our warfare with Satan and our weariness in service, will vanish in the light of his glorious face.”

What a day of rejoicing that will be!