Day 4 & 5 -- Choma

I'm writing from an awkward lobby computer with limited connection


speed. We are in Choma tonight. It is the closest "big" town to Moyo,

and it took us a good 2.5 hours on primitive dirt roads to make it to

Moyo today-- 2.5 hours each way. That gives you a sense of just how

rural Moyo is and the extent of challenges -- and opportunities -- we

shall face there over the course of the 15 years CPC expects to

partner with Moyo via World Vision. We made two primary stops in Moyo

today, and at both places, we were greeted with vibrant song and dance

performances. The residents formed a receiving line to shake our hands

and welcome us each personally. The World Vision staff told us that we

were the first white people many of these children had ever seen. A

few times they rubbed our skin, as if our color might rub off. At the

first stop, one of our group (Karen) met her sponsored son, Written,

who has a disability that renders his legs useless. Through this

partnership, Written has now received his first ever wheelchair;

previously he had to pull himself around on the ground using only his

arms. "The wheelchair now gives him so much more dignity," a World

Vision staff member whispered in my ear. Written's grandmother

presented gourds and a handwoven basket to Karen as a thank you for

her help; she grasped Karen's hands tightly and repeated her gratitude

over and over. The grandmother also said that Written is now able to

go to school because of the wheelchair.



Before we left Written, the residents asked to sing one last song they

had prepared especially for us. With a tattered hymnal in hand, they

began singing "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" in their Tonga

language. To hear a familiar hymn -- a hymn that has always meant a

great deal to me personally -- sung by these new friends, in their

native tongue, to our one and same God, was a profoundly moving

experience for me.



We then traveled to the center of Moyo, where a crowd of several

hundred awaited us. Chief Moyo greeted us warmly, along with his

Council of Headsmen. More singing and dancing ensued, this time with

our team joining the Moyo people in dance. Obviously, their dance

skills put ours to shame -- but they loved that we tried! They asked

each of us to introduce ourselves individually by name. As we said our

names, they repeated each back to us. When Pastor Paul Tshihamba made

remarks on our behalf of our team, he said our group had come to visit

from America; America was subsequently translated as "the land of

Obama," and all the Moyo people cheered at his name.



We spent time in one of the Moyo schools, spending more time getting

to know Chief Moyo and his hopes for his community. He had specific,

big dreams for this partnership, and is eager to be a full participant

in it. He asked us to tell our congregation at home "to keep Moyo in

[our] hearts, and pray for Moyo." We promised him we would. On the

walls of the schoolhouse was a hand-drawn diagram of the digestive

tract, with each organ name written out in English: intenstine,

stomach, etc. The nurse in our group noticed that the liver was

missing from the diagram. There were other hand-written posters with

English words written on the wall: of the days of the week, of the

rights of Zambian citizenship, of the names of a full dinner

place-setting. It was an eclectic mix of information, but great to see

evidence of education in action.



We spent more time meeting the residents, particularly five of the

children individually sponsored by members of our team. Each involved

the exchange of gifts from the Moyo family to the American sponsor,

and then the American sponsor extending gifts of mosquito nets, Bibles

(both in English and Tonga) and pictures of their own family to the

Moyo child. Each meeting marked the beginning of a friendship that

shall continue through prayer and letters for many years to come.



On the way out of town, we saw the Moyo high school that is newly

under construction. Pastor Paul told us to take pictures and remember

how it looked now; a year from now it will be finished and, for the

first time, education will be available in Moyo beyond Grade 7.



It was a day of new beginnings and eye-opening experiences. Mostly, we

remember the kind, bright-eyed faces that greeted us. And especially

the children -- for Moyo is made up mostly of children. The infant

mortality rate is 10%; the HIV infection rate is 16%; malaria is

rampant. There is much work to be done indeed, and it's exciting to

work with this able World Vision staff in Moyo. We look forward to

returning to Moyo tomorrow. And we look forward to the next 15 years

in friendship and growth with this community.

We have arrived!

Our hosts from Jubilee Centre and World Vision met us at the airport Saturday night, greeting us with warm hugs and joyful welcomes. “You are most welcome” is a phrase we’ve heard many times in the hours since we arrived.

This morning (Sunday), we split into three groups to worship at local churches in the George Compound, and the pastors and congregations alike greeted us with eager handshakes, hugs, broad smiles, and assurances that we were “most welcome.” During the services, we heard many prayers of thanksgiving for our presence. One leader said to the congregation: “Most of you never thought you’d sit in a room with brothers and sisters who traveled thousands of kilometers from the other side of the world just to worship the Lord alongside you.” The congregation stood and cheered, shouting “Amen” and smiling warmly at us. Another pastor prayed for our families. “Bless the families they left behind, Lord, and meet all of the needs of their families, accordingly to your great riches.”

The whole worship experience was one of unabashed joy. Songs, harmony, dancing, whooping, raised arms, syncopated moves. People danced as they came forward with their offerings, and danced in lines through the aisles afterwards. They also pulled us forward to the center of the building in order to dance with them, not content to let us be mere bystanders on the margins. They were there to share worship with us, to partner and engage with us, their “dear brothers and sisters,” they said.

Three of our own gave sermons: Paul Tshihamba, Tim Clark, and Dave Schwandt each spoke, aided by translators standing next to them. It was a powerful reminder of our unity in Christ as I watched people follow the sermon Scripture in their own Bibles, take notes in the margins, nod in the agreement to the same truths that touched my heart.

Several times, the pastor encouraged the congregation with this prayer: “May God meet you in your greatest need today.” He was always answered with shouts of “Hallelujah” and “Amen.” As we left, the final prayer I heard was one of thanksgiving: “We praise you, that you are the God that does not fail.”

Hallelujah and Amen!