It’s been a long time since I last posted a blog, so I have a lot of stories. Five to be exact.
Story #1
One-day Church in Nanduba (January 18-19)
Nanduba is a village located about three miles from Riverside. The main church was starting to overflow, so the members requested a One-day Church.
On Monday, January 18, Alan and myself hooked up an enormous trailer (the usual one was being used) to the back of his Land Cruiser and loaded a One-day Church. Since Alan and I were the only experienced ones with drills, we decided it would be better to do the church in two days. The first day we put in the stakes, side-wall studs, trusses, and bracing. Biggie and Michael were gone, so we had to have locals helping us screw. It made things so much slower!
The following day, I went alone. Going alone meant driving on the tar road. I’ve driven Alan’s Land Cruiser many times around the Riverside campus, but never on main roads. The scary part is driving on the left side of the road, but since it was only a couple of miles and only a few vehicles, I survived with only a few casualties.
The only thing left to do was the roofing, ridge-cap, steeple, and sign. What should have taken one and a half hours with the regular crew took us four and a half hours. Despite how frustrated I may have got, I was still happy to be doing a One-day Church, and didn’t let any anger show. When finished, Bornface (a Riverside worker helping me) and myself headed back to Riverside for a lunch of cookies (we missed lunch). It felt so good to be building One-day Churches again after such a dry spell!
Story #2
Livingstone (January 20 – February 8)
One January 20, Michael and myself hopped on a bus and headed for Livingstone. For some reason known to no man, Nigerian movies are popular in Zambia. I’m surprised they are popular in Nigeria! They’re terrible! The bus line played The Journalist. It was the worst movie I have ever seen in my life. It was filmed on digital equipment and was about a mentally retarded man who was trying to be a freelance journalist. During his adventures he happens to film a shooting, and it’s up to him to get the bad guys using his footage.
After six hours of misery, we arrived at the bus station in Livingston. We took a taxi to Faulty Towers, a popular backpackers lodge in Livingston. We were pleased to find that a brand new Shoprite had just opened right across the road. It became our personal caterer for the next week.
During the following week, we reported to Garwin McNeilus. I think that I mentioned Garwin in one of my earlier blogs. I believe he is somewhere in his seventies. He once owned the largest cement truck company in the U.S. He is also in the wind energy business. He is the man that produced the One-day Church and is making it possible for so many to be put up in Zambia and Africa.
Remember how I said I was scared to drive on the left side of the road? I got used to it real fast. Garwin gave us a Toyota Corolla for us to drive around in. He only wanted me driving it. I guess because I’m the oldest. We drove around to all the different One-day Church sites in it. The muffler was dragging most of the way because of all of the weight. Every time the shocks bottomed out, the local workers would say, “Ma Shocks!”
The Americans arrived a week later; 170 of them. 90% of which being over the age of fifty. The One-day Church split into two groups. We would have had more, but there weren’t enough able bodied people to have more. During our stay, we finished twenty-eight One-day Churches. It was nice eating American food and hanging out with Americans. Garwin also hooked us up with a microlight flight over Victoria Falls, which was really nice.
Story #3
Visiting the Chief (February 3)
On Wednesday, February 3, the One-day Church crew leaders were sent to roof a large church near the Botswana border. When we were finished, the elder said that we needed to meet the chief, and that we needed a gift. We weren’t expecting the meet the chief that day and we had no gift. What we did have was a twelve-pack of specially printed Maranatha water bottles and a king sized Tootsie Roll.
As we arrived at the chiefs “palace”, the elder explained the routine. We walked up the the steps of the chiefs house. We then knelt down on one knee, and clapped our hands three times in unison, then three times again. We rose and were seated in 4 chairs facing the chief. The chief sat across from us in a chair behind a small table. He was wearing normal westernized clothing, and was balding. His son sat at his right on the floor.
Caleb (Alan’s son) spoke for all five of us. He has a perfect Zambian accent after growing up here, and every Zambian can understand him. Even the chief spoke English, the church elder translated. He found it funny that I was the first man because my name is Adam. He also was very pleased with his gifts of power-giving Maranatha water and the American energy food, Tootsie Roll. Whenever the chief or Caleb said something we would all clap our hands quietly a few times to show respect.
When it came time to leave, the chief entered his house. We then walked off of the porch and kneeled again, clapped the appropriate amount of claps, and left.
Story #4
Christmas Late (February 9)
Christmas came late this year. I arrived back at Riverside to find four packages awaiting me. Three of them were Christmas packages. One from Lemmy, Scott, and Nathan, another from Brandon, Jordan, and Mark, and the third from Chris Hudson. It literally felt like Christmas morning! Nathan even sent me a Christmas C.D.
Aside from the rotting cheese (see the picture of the inflated cheese package), everything was awesome. My most prized possessions include two packs of double-stuffed Oreos, some trail mix, Taco Bell mild sauce, and of course, prunes.
The fourth package was from Mom. It was great as well. I’ve never had Nutella, but it is pretty good stuff!
Ever since getting my packages, I have been fighting off the ant population, spreading poison across my food shelf. I’m especially protective of my Oreos. I’ve found the best defense is running. I put the Oreos in a box and I move the box a couple times a day to confuse the ants. So far I have evaded them.
Wednesday we went to Cimilonga to finish a One-day Church and to do a clinic. When we finished the church, we were waiting for the clinic people to finish. Alan found an ugly looking gecko, and the fun began.
After subduing the reptile, we soon found that Zambians are scared to death of them.
“Their is no medicine for it,” they say.
I was trying to convince some of the kids to touch it, when Michael told me to run after a young man standing nearby while holding it out at him. I told Alan to start filming and I turned and sprinted at the man. The man let out a scream of terror and went taking off as fast as his legs would carry him, leaping into the bush with nos sign of stopping. He finally realized that no one was chasing him, and returned. It’s all on video, and I can’t wait to show everyone! I think that day was the best I’ve had in Zambia!
There are many more stories from this last month I could tell, but I am tired of typing. Once I get home I can tell everyone all my stories and experiences. In the meantime, I want to thank everyone for their prayers and support. Keep praying for me and Riverside, because we really need it and it really helps! Only two and a half more months!
