Thank you to all who took time to worship with us this Sunday!

I would like give you all an update of the last few days of our journey! On Thursday, we had an incredible safari! I feel like this was a time (along with Victoria Falls) to worship our God and observe the incredible things he has created! It was truly surreal to watch elephants and giraffes, hippos and birds, baboons and impalas in their natural habitat. I think this time was very refreshing for all of us and we were able to begin processing all of the intense things we had seen, felt, and done throughout the weeks before.

Though most of us were completely ready to be home, none of us wanted to begin the three days of travel it would take to get there. First we had to travel to Lusaka from Livingston on Friday (a 7 hour trip) by bus. We then stayed in a hotel in Lusaka that evening and got up bright and early to catch our 10 hour flight (by early I mean 5 am) to London. Once in London, we made it through customs, got yet another stamp in our passport, and headed to our hotel. We were able to get there early enough for dinner and some time to relax. We then went to bed and headed to the airport by 9 the next morning. We got on the plane to Philly by 1230 and arrived home by 330 in the afternoon (it was a 7.5 hour flight, but because of the time change we arrived in PA in the middle of the afternoon). Ray, Jake, Doug Shirk, Greg, and Steve were all waiting at the airport to surprise us! It was so good to be on PA soil and to see people from home! We then drove from Philly and arrived at the church by 7:45 (which would have felt like 12:45 to us). It was quite the journey, but was definitely worth it!

Please keep the team in your prayers as we are getting back into the routine of life once again and we are processing everything we experienced. If you’ve been on a trip like this before, you understand that this is not always easy. Please also keep the people we met in your prayers! Thank you for following us and supporting us in this journey!

I will be updating each day’s blog with more pictures (now that the connection is better) for the next few days, so please continue to check back!

We just want to praise God today for his incredible creation! We are excited to see more tomorrow as we go on Safari (We will get yet another stamp in our passport from traveling by boat to Botswana, where some of the Safari takes place). Please pray for safety for all of us.

I will do my best to upload pictures as soon as possible!

On Monday, our goal was to leave Ndola for Choma by 6:30am. Since we noticed the bus was having problems the day before, Rachel and Lazarus decided to have it looked at one more time before heading on the road, so we were not able to leave until 12:30. This definitely set us back quite a bit, but it was worth it as we arrived safely in Choma around 10:30 that evening (the ten hour drive in the bus was quite interesting). We found that the road to Choma is not exactly straight, and much of where we were traveling was actually the bush (here in Africa, the bush is about as common as country/farming fields are to us in PA). The hardest problem was for Lazarus, who fearlessly drove us around potholes and big trucks in the dark on a dirt road. Praise the Lord, we made it without any problems! We then ate a very late dinner provided by a missionary in Choma and then went to bed for about 5 hours sleep. We then awoke for an 1.5hour drive to Macha, where we were able to meet Dr. Phil Thuma, who is the head of the research institute at the hospital. We had the opportunity to learn the fascinating things that are being discovered at Macha. Since the work of the research institute began just 7 years ago, they have decreased the number of Malaria cases in the nearby villages from 1400 per year to 43. They are doing things at this hospital that no one in the world is doing!

Afterward, we went to tour the hospital. This portion of the visit was extremely interesting for those of us in the medical profession, but was also a bit shocking and challenging for everyone who was observing that day. Though the hospital seemed in poor condition compared to American hospitals, it was much better than traditional healers or government hospitals in Zambia. I think witnessing this was helpful and highly educational, but also gave us a deep appreciation for the medical care of America. We do praise God for the people who are so diligently working at Macha to give Zambians health and a future without untimely deaths due to preventable disease.

We were also able to go to a village to a church where one of the administrators pastors. There we were able to learn about ministry to village people, church growth, evangelism, sacrifice, and service. It was very interesting to see the work of this church and this pastor in the community. We also went to woman’s village, where she showed us how they live daily in such an interesting place. They grow corn, have cattle, do laundry, get water, build gardens, etc. It was fascinating and almost felt surreal to be there. After going to the church and the village, we had the opportunity to have a traditional Tonga meal (something commonly eaten in Choma/Macha area) with the pastor and his wife as well as Dr. Thuma and his wife. This was quite a pleasure.

Following this exciting day, we headed back to Choma where we visited Choma Secondary School, where Rachel taught for 10 years before she and Lazarus were married. She was delighted to find that one of the students she used to mentor is now the headteacher (or principle). It was wonderful to come back and see the very evident influence Rachel has had on the lives of the people and children of this school. All of the team was very struck with the legacy both Rachel and Lazarus have created in Zambia and throughout the world!

I am having trouble downloading more pictures, so I will do my best, but I will definitely update more pictures when I come home.

Hello all! As I am writing, I believe many of you have recently left church. Here, it is about 7:30 in the evening and we have already had quite the day. Our day began with an incredible service here in Ndola. Two churches (plus New Life) came together for a service of celebration. There were different groups who sang, we danced, new life gave special music, P Doug gave the message, and we had incredible fellowship. Many of us said it felt like a glimpse of what we would find in heaven. When we sang the song that said “raise your hands all you nations, shout to God all creation, how awesome is the Lord most high” it felt so real!

After a lovely lunch at the Phiri’s home, we headed to a market where they sell food, shoes, and fabric. Many of us bought different types of fabrics that are used to make traditional african clothing. We left the market and headed back to the Phiri’s home for a time of debriefing and discussion. And now it is time to watch the World Cup! Jeremiah and Emmanuel have invited friends and we all will watch the World Cup from a projector in the living room! What a nice time of fellowship and fun with the group and new friends!

For the rest of this week, we are not sure when and what type of internet connection we will be having. I anticipate not being able to post for a few days and when I am able to, it might only be able to be text until the end of the week. I will do my best to keep you all updated when possible, but we will be doing quite a bit of travel this week. Tomorrow, we will be heading to Choma (an 8 hour bus ride). We will leave at 6 or 6:30 am and hopefully arrive in Choma around 4, where we will visit the secondary school in which Rachel used to teach. On Tuesday, we will head to Macha hospital to take a tour and we will also be visiting a village nearby. Then on Wednesday we will be heading to Livingstone, where we will experience curio shops and Victoria falls on both the Zambia side and the Zimbabwe side. On Thursday, we visit a game park, where we will go on a Safari. Finally, on Friday we begin our journey back to Pennsylvania.

We would covet your prayers during this time of long travel. Pray for safety and relaxation. We had to say goodbye today to new and dear friends, so we would also ask that you would lift these people up in prayer: for their churches, for their families, and for their organizations.