A Blog About Why I Haven’t Blogged Yet

                Oh, hey everybody! In case you were wondering, I am, in fact, still here. Looking back, I realized that I promised many people the optimistic phrase, “Oh yeah, I’ll blog a lot to keep you updated on what’s going on!” Well… oops.

                The reason I haven’t blogged at all yet is certainly not because there isn’t anything to blog about; it’s actually quite the opposite. I probably couldn’t even fit in a novel all that I’ve experienced in my past month in Zambia. (Don’t worry, I have kept a quasi-daily journal [I really like the word “quasi”]). Allow me to sum up the basics of what’s gone on: the experiences…

·       Training/preparation at HUT. Basically a front-loading of classes plus a high-intensity church camp packed within a few days. It was wonderful preparation for the months to come.

·       Meeting tons of new people at Namwianga Mission: college students, staff, babies, young men, smiley strangers, and more. And trust me, most of the names are harder to remember than what I had for lunch on September 21, 2004. One thing I’ve learned that I must share- Zambians love to smile. Whether you’re strangers or best friends, a big warm smile clears any tension and surpasses all cultural boundaries. They also give a thumbs-up a lot, which is just really cool.

·       A weekend in Livingstone! Some pictures have been posted, but more will come with wifi. A rundown of what we did is as follows:

o   A full day of white water rafting the Zambezi. I came in scared to death and left ready to do it again the next day!

o   Dinner at one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve ever been to.

o   2 nights camping in tents surrounded by crazy little monkeys that like to steal apples.

o   A morning driving safari full of elephants, impala, giraffes, and more. BEAUTIFUL

o   An afternoon safari with the above plus monkeys and hippos and crocs!

o   Dinner at one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve ever been to.

o   Early morning lion walk. That’s right. Lion walk! Several of us got to pet young lions and then go on a walk with them for about an hour! What an awesome experience it was.

o   Jumping off a cliff… backwards… with Kaylen Martin… That’s right. The GORGE SWING. I paid $58 to hurl myself off the side of a cliff and experience a 53-meter free fall followed by a minute and a half swinging back and forth over a gorge. Literally the most terrifying thing I’ve done it my life. And I’d do it again! (Glad you weren’t there, mom!)

o   Lunch at one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve ever been to.

o   A quick trip to Victoria Falls, one of the most beautiful locations my eyes have ever seen.

·       A couple cultural experiences including a gospel meeting, worship services at different places, and a traditional village wedding. It’d take forever to explain the cultural richness of those, but just know that they were one-of-a-kind events that I’d love to talk about in person when I’m back in the States! (That goes for everything here)

·       In addition to spending time and building friendships with young people at the Havens and Eric’s House, I’ve had to opportunity to shadow/volunteer some in the Namwianga Health Centre (a free clinic run on donations, Christian love, and hard work) and at Kalomo Hospital. Although sickness is prevalent, don’t get the misconception that it’s way different or worse than anywhere else. There are different diseases, different methods and availabilities of treatment, and different resources available, but sickness and poor health is worldwide. And I’m here to tell you that the hardy Zambians I’ve encountered do a FANTASTIC job of holding on to their faith, hope, and love in sickness and in health. It’s so uplifting to see the omnipresent nature of God everywhere we go!

·        SINGING! Oh my goodness. There are a select few places in this world where I have taken part in singing that gives me chills. This is certainly one of those places. From village churches to chapel to choirs and more, it is almost ridiculous how good the singing sounds. I feel like 80% of Zambian singing is within the alto-tenor range, because many women sing low and many men sing high. With soprano and bass as icing and foundation, it’s like getting lost in a beautiful whirlwind of notes. And they belt it! As opposed to some singing groups I’ve previously been in, there is no reservation when it comes to dynamics (except when everyone does one verse quietly). Oh yeah, and here’s another thing. I have yet to see actual written notes; it’s all sung by ear! And printed words are only used maybe half the time. It’s amazing to see how this really comes from their hearts. I could go on for days. Just to know that God transcends any human language and hears ALL praises to Him is a beautifully comforting thought. I look forward to singing with Zambians and my fellow HIZzers every day; we’ve already learned a lot of Tonga songs! I also look forward to leading Wabota in HIZ Chapel :)

Okay, enough of the boring summarizing. Time to (try to) get real! Though I feel like I should have a multitude of profound things to say, I’m somewhat speechless (technologically, that is). So I will write some on the new title of my blog and leave it at that until those profound topics do come to me.

I had originally titled this blog “My Adventures in Zambia” or some self-centered thing like that. But after time at HUT and inspiring words from Ba Shawn and Meagan Hawley, I realized that’s exactly what I didn’t want this to be about. Who cares about what I do? I mean, I know my family wants to know, and that’s great. I’ll keep you updated. But that’s not exactly what this trip is about. I couldn’t have justified spending thousands and thousands of dollars and receiving so many donations on simple self-centered adventures. The mission, the purpose of this trip is much larger than that. It’s much larger than even I know.

It just hit me today that God knew I would spend a semester in Zambia since before I was born. As a small child, I never could have envisioned paying so much money to spend a semester in a hot, dusty country thousands of miles from home surrounded by people I’ve known for no more than a year, encountering different cultural customs and trying to learn a totally new foreign language. But God knew.

“So what exactly are you doing there? Spreading the Gospel to hundreds of natives? Building houses and orphanages and church buildings? Saving lives every day at the clinic?”

No. I’m sorry, but I’m not. Not only am I not qualified to do all those things, but I am not even prepared to do so. At least not yet. THAT’S what this trip is about. To prepare myself and the 27 other wonderful students with me… To prepare us for a lifetime of mission. And it’s going great. The combination of classes and field work is on point: exactly what education should be.

“Mission” does not mean selling all your belongings, moving to a village 100 kilometers past Timbuktu, and preaching fire and brimstone every day. Bruce McLarty defined “mission” better than I’ve ever heard before in his inaugural speech. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to that right now, but I encourage you to look it sometime. Mission is living for God, like Christ, through the help of the Holy Spirit in all you do. Mission is working toward being worthy to share the Gospel, and then doing so through your actions (and words when necessary). Mission is doing all you do with 110% effort as though you were doing it for God. Whether it’s 7 steps or 7,000 miles, everywhere we go is a mission. Let us never forget that.

Yeah, I realize some of that may be cliché. But I have the philosophy that “clichés” are cliché for a reason. They work. They’ve stood the test of time in their applicability. They’ve been said by the wise and the foolish, by the educated and the uneducated, by the old and the young, by the poor and the rich. I believe in the power of mission and the power of clichés.

I believe one of our most important missions is to be molded by God. This is a two-way mission, meaning we have to take the necessary steps to be molded, as well as let go and let God when necessary. It means putting ourselves in uncomfortable situations, for I believe life is truly experienced when we push ourselves out of our comfort zone. I’m not much of a risk taker, but this is one of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken. However, I hardly consider Harding in Zambia “risky.” That is because I have a blessed assurance that as long as I let God work in my life and mold me day by day, the results will be priceless. Realizing that I am broken and marred by sin, and unworthy of any blessings I’ve been given, I delight in the fact that I am seen as holy and blameless in His sight. The sacrifice of all sacrifices has paid my ransom. The least I can do is put my life in God’s hands and let Him work through me. Therefore, while I am here at HIZ, I will strive daily to let go and let God. Through building relationships, health work, outreaches, displaying joy, and more, I commit to answering God’s call & following where He leads me. I apologize if you’re sick of this sappy, deep blog post, but it’s what I’m feeling right now!

In summary, I am LOVING my experience in Zambia so far. To be surrounded by such a pure-hearted group of people who are on fire for God and His mission is so powerful. I thank everyone here and at home for the support and encouragement provided. If you get anything out of this blog post, get this: My semester here in Zambia is not about me. It’s about God-- seeing Him in whole new ways and being a vessel for however He wants to work through me. In humility, I submit to Him as a joyful servant, seeking to bring Him glory in my life and helping others worldwide to do the same.

We are just getting started. I’m so excited for this continuing adventure!

Things you can pray for:

·         Me to be humble, selfless, always joyful, moldable, a shining light, compassionate, intentionally encouraging, and wise.

·         Our group to grow in new, amazing ways. To grow closer to each other and closer to God every day.

·         Zambians… gratitude for their wonderful welcoming hearts and seemingly unshakeable faith for the many here who are Christians. For us to be lights to everyone here, showing not ourselves, but Jesus, to others. And for those that have yet to give their lives to Christ, to find the courage and desire to do so. But that doesn’t apply just to Zambians; that applies to everyone worldwide.

·         For our teachers and elders to continue in their great work. To remain encouraged and motivated, blessing them to be vessels for whatever God wants us to learn.

·         For my mom, to keep doing great back home :) ILY!

That’s all I’ve got for now. Sorry if it was long or a lot to take in, but I just wanted to post before we head to Tanzania for almost 2 weeks! From now on, I’ll take notes of potential blogging topics.

Leave a dent, bless and be blessed, & Leza amuleleke,

Drew