So, I’m back in Manchester and right now I’m sat in bed, tucked under my duvet wondering if I’ll ever feel my toes again...It is lovely to be home and it’s great catching up with you all bit by bit, but the change in climate is a bit of a shock to the system!! Oh well, I’m in the process of unpacking my winter clothes and found my lovely snuggley winter boots yesterday, so hopefully I’ll be warm again in no time!
Sitting here, the last few months seem like a lifetime ago already and it feels a bit strange to sit down and write about them. On the other hand though, I think I must be driving my house mates mad with my constant, “oh yeah, in Africa...” comments. So I thought that before I stop writing my blog for the time being I’d just finish it off by telling you about my last couple of weeks or so in Zambia.
Of all the jobs I’ve ever done, I have to say that this one has had the best perks! Having packed everything up in Chingola and visited the Falconer Home, I decided it was time to have a little rest. So, I got up at stupid o’clock to get the 6am bus to Livingstone (if you don’t get the first one, you can wait hours for the next bus to fill up before it sets off...) Just outside Livingstone we had to sit and wait for about half an hour because there was an elephant in the road! Never before have I been in a traffic jam because of an elephant!! Great!
Anyway, I was in Livingstone for about 5 days and had a wonderful and relaxing time. I spent two days in Chobe game park (actually in Botswana) and saw loads of amazing animals - my favourite were definitely the elephants although a little part of me did worry when they were walking right by us in an open car, literally about 1m away! They are MASSIVE!!!!! We saw loads and loads of animals, amongst which were hippos, crocs, antelope of many varieties, warthogs, mongoose, hyena, giraffe, vultures, buffalo, 2 lions and a leopard! We stayed over night in the game park in tents...a part of me did wonder about the wisdom of camping in the middle of park full of lots of big and wild animals, but we were with a guide and they regularly camp out, so I guess they know what they’re doing!
Whilst in Livingstone, I also revisited Victoria Falls. I had a lovely day with Jeremy and Lindsay, a couple who I met at the hostel I was staying at. They are currently working in Swakopmund (in Namibia) and were on route to visit Jeremy’s parents who have been working as missionaries in Congo for many years. We walked down to Boiling Pot at the bottom of the falls where the water is squeezed out from the bottom of the falls into the river. The walk involves about 650m of steep steps and a bit of a scramble across some rocks and through some water, but it was definitely worth it! It was a lovely place with many less tourists as not everyone tackles the walk! It was great to spend the day exploring and having some fellowship with some lovely folks.
Other to that, I spent a day being the laziest I’ve been in a long time. I sat by the pool and read my book...all day! Perfect!
That was soon a distant memory though...on my return to Lusaka I was staying with Mia and Sian again. Alongside Barefeet Theatre they have been creating all the props for “Edward Scissorhands - The Story of Snow”, the show Barefeet are putting on for christmas. There was loads to make, including a 10ft “ice sculpture” of an angel (not actually ice though...), crazy haircut wigs, costumes, items for the set and most of all, loads and loads and loads and loads of snow! It’s ages since I’ve had a good excuse to do papier mache, make paper snow flakes, generally cut, stick and paint stuff and just make things! I loved it...but it was of course a bit hectic as opening night got closer and closer! I ended creating some sort of drop box that was fastened up in the lighting rigs that would sprinkle the snow over the stage. So, having actually somehow managed to make it snow it Africa, I sadly had to go home the same day the show opened. This meant I never got to see the finished show, but having seen the rehearsals I now have all the songs going round and round in my head!
The journey home was long and fairly boring, but it was safe and uneventful so I can’t complain. It was also good to be able to sit still after the crazy busy week I’d just had...My super ace house mate Sarah picked me up at Heathrow and drove me home to Manchester (via her parents for a cup of tea and a hot shower!) And now here I am, still tucked up under my duvet, feeling like all these things and the warm sun are a million miles away!
I'd like to say a huge thanks to all you fab people who have sent me messages (it's always great to hear from home), prayed for me, helped me out financially, spent probably hours reading my blog to keep up with what I'm up to, stored all my stuff while I've been out of the country, fetched me from Heathrow and generally been great friends from afar! You know who you are and without you all I would have felt very far from home and a bit lonely, but with you all behind me, I have felt very loved!
Looking back over the last few months, it feels like they’ve been pretty intense and non-stop! As work goes, this type definitely takes over you’re life. The people you are working with become your friends, you care about them and love them. You share their struggles and their joys. There’s no desire to stop caring for them at 5.30 when you work day might normally finish...you go on caring! It is a joy and privilege to do so, and “work” hasn’t felt at all like work, but it is constant and becomes every part of your life so it is difficult to turn your brain off and relax. Even now, my thoughts and prayers are still in Zambia and I find myself wondering how all the guys are doing with the cabbages they are growing, how each small group is going and what everyone is up to!
I am amazed by what has happened in the time we’ve been out in Zambia. I remember spending the day with the team before we left setting out our plans for the time we had. We set out targets for each month and discussed how we thought we would reach them. I came away from that day, excited but more than a little daunted. I knew for sure that this was something way more than I could do and more than our team could achieve on their own. I knew we had to have faith in God and follow him where he was sending us and leave the rest to him. I sort of knew God could do it, but in my human way I still felt somehow that it was a mountain to climb and worried about how we would do it. Now, with the benefit of hind’s site, I can say that God has moved and shaken things and I can see his fingerprints over all that has been happening in the villages along Solwezi Road. He has brought people together, watched over each circumstance and meeting of people, he has faithfully met each need and through it all still found time to teach me and help me grow. It has been a privilege, a great experience, a huge lesson and an absolute joy to serve him! God is truly great and it is with excitement and delight that I look forward to the next steps he is already laying before me...
..watch this space!
