Wonderful

I’ve been back in Zambia for a week now. Zambia. The place where I lived for 4 months and loved. The place that stole my heart and changed my life. The place I never thought I would see again. But I’m back, and it’s everything I expected and nothing I expected and everywhere in between. We got here last Wednesday and jumped right into our work here. I’m interning for Meagan Hawley who works at the Havens every day, so that’s what we do. Every day. All day. And after a week, I can honestly say that I’m tired and exhausted and worn out. I’m maybe even frustrated and annoyed. And I’m sitting on the couch still wearing my Siggie sweatshirt that I’ve had on all week. And it’s always been perfect and clean and carried an “important label” in the ACU world. And it’s now covered in pee and diarrhea and vomit and nsima and soggy biscuit drool. And no one even cares what “Siggies” are. But I can also honestly say that I’m home, I’m reunited with people I love, and I’m getting to love sweet babies every day. I love the feeling of coming home tired, because I know it’s an exhaustion that only comes when you’ve fully given yourself to serving others.  I love the moments of laughter and joy that come from playing with a happy happy baby. I love the times where I’m sitting around a table of 20 Zambian babies, feeding them, and singing Tonga songs with the aunties. I love cuddling with a crying baby. I love visiting the village and being convicted of how much I take my life for granted. I love the hard days and the frustrations and annoyances because it makes me grateful for the aunties who choose this way of life daily. I love having 10 swings full of laughing babies on a cool, sunny, beautiful, Zambian afternoon. I love kissing every baby good night before I leave. I love laughing with an auntie and feeling a relationship forming. I love hearing “HANNA!” in sweet Tonga accents as I walk up to the Havens each morning. I love that I speak more Tonga words than English words everyday between the hours of 9:00 and 17:00. I just come home at the end of the day tired and ready to complain. And then I remember that I have nothing to complain about.  I come home to a big warm house with an abundance of food to cook for dinner and a relaxing evening with nothing to do. The aunties that I spent the day with go home to a hut smaller than my bathroom, go home to their own 10 kids, and eat nsima for another meal. The Lord has blessed me beyond anything I can imagine, and I don’t realize that until I see the lives of those around me. I stop in my tracks, speechless, and thank God for the day that convicts me and cuts me to the core.

So, yes it’s hard work, dirty work, nonstop work. But it’s wonderful work. I was reading Judges the other day and it talked about a name that is “beyond understanding,” and it had a footnote that simply said “wonderful.” That’s such a common word now, but it comes from such a holy meaning; beyond understanding. That’s what this whole experience is. It’s a way of life, a way of service, a way of sacrifice, a way of love and joy and faith that is so far beyond understanding. The goods, the bads, all of it, is beyond understanding, and that is a wonderful thing.  I’m just blessed enough to have the opportunity to learn from this wonderful way of life. 

So as I sit here, I want to tell you all about what I have done specifically in the week that I’ve been here. But my tired mind doesn’t even know where to start or how to put all my experiences into words. I’m trying. Here’s a bullet point list of just the first few days.

-Kelly and I left Houston on Monday, June 10.We met up with Kamri and Colette, the other interns, in London, and got to Zambia on Wednesday June 12. Meagan picked us up, took us to the store and the bank to get prepared for the summer, and then we drove to Namwianga.

-Wednesday evening we went to the Havens and I got to see my precious Cathy. She was 4 months old when I left Zambia, and now she is almost 2, beautiful, funny, sweet, charming, and perfect. She’s tiny and cuddly and she bats her eyelashes and tries not to smile. But that never works, and her smile is one of those that warms your heart. She’s perfect.

-Thursday and Friday were spent moving throughout the Havens getting  to know the aunties and the babies.

-Saturday we walked to town with the 4 ACU interns that are here. It was about 10 miles that we walked that day, and we were tired and sore. But it was so fun. We ate at restaurants and shopped in store and markets that brought back good good memories. It was fun to see that I still remember my way around Kalomo and the market.

-Sunday we went to church at the church here at Namwianga. It was perfect. So great being back. Like I’ve said a million times before, NOTHING compares to singing with the Zambian people. You don’t know what real, raw worship is until you’ve sat in a room with hundreds of Zambians singing “When We All Get To Heaven” at the top of their lungs. It’s just one of those “wonderful” moments.

So that was last week. Meagan split us up this week and assigned us different jobs (jobs that she does…our internship is learning what she does at the havens.) So this week I have been working on one job. This weekend I will blog about that, because it has been a full crazy week and will take way too long to explain in this blog post! So be looking for another one soon! Life here is great though! I’m safe and sound and with amazing people. I’m blessed and happy and healthy. Be praying for us as we continue to serve these babies and aunties. Pray for energy and strength. Pray for an open heart and mind. And pray for relationships to form and grow.