When we arrived on campus we went to chapel. This week chapel consisted of singing a few songs and then our group all sharing a bit about ourselves. I opened my three minute speech by saying Mwa lee shawni. It means "how are you" or "how are you doing". I had the entire room laughing, although they said it was correct, I just do not think they were expecting Bimbe out of a North American quite yet. I talked about my major, my family, and why I was in Africa. I also told the students how much Northrise reminded me of Dordt with its great community and warm atmosphere. It was neat to see the connection between the two schools and how similar the atmosphere is despite being very different cultures. Dr. Zimba gave the North Americans some advice as well which I do not remember exactly but will try to paraphrase here. He said while you are here, learn and absorb a lot of the culture. Do not be afraid to converse with us as we are willing to share our culture but in return share your stories with us so that we may learn too. Also, he said not to fear going past the shallow meet and greet. Get past the friendly hellos and introduction. Be willing to go deep. That is when you will learn. You will give but also receive. That is what this service and learning trip is all about.
After chapel we visited SEEDS OF HOPE ministry in Ndola. They drilled bore holes in surrounding towns and villages as well as showed people how to fix existing wells and pumps. In addition to this they also created biosand filters that filtered rancid river water into clean drinking water. It was an interesting development agency and they said they were backlogged with orders for the filters. They are making a difference in villages around Ndola and continue to do the work of the Lord.
After seeing their ministry centre we visited a nearby village called Chipulieusu (which means cursed) who were changing their name officially to Mapalo (which means blessed). We went down to the village because Seeds of Hope is helping a farmer there in the dambo. (A swamp like region that is good for planting in the dry season because it is so wet.) The agriculture majors in our group were talking to the farmer that Seeds of Hope was sponsoring and asking questions about the types of plants he was growing as well as what worked in which seasons. (Just listening to them I have learned a lot about agriculture including information about legumes (nitrogen fixing plants), the three sisters, and sustainable agriculture in general. There needs to be a different way of farming rather than just throwing as much fertilizer as you can on plants so that they grow the fastest. Sustainable agriculture uses a balance of plants to put nutrients into the soil so that they support each other in a self-supporting ecosystem where they feed off of the nutrients that another is putting into the soil. Sustainable agriculture is something that they will be teaching at Northrise and a better attitude towards farming in terms of being stewards of God's wonderful creation.
Now going back to my comment earlier about Chipulieusu changing it's name. The reason for the change is that the village has been hit devastatingly with HIV aids. 55% of the population is children between the ages 0-15. There were children everywhere and they came running out of houses and followed the bus as soon as we came near the village. They were all very excited to see us and wanted sought individual attention. Something that struck me about the children of this village were all of the weapons that the children had. I have posted a picture that another member of the group (Nathan Rider) took of the children. Notice the child in the back ground with a bow around his neck. Also notice all of the sling shots too. We passed a house wall with a drawing of large machine gun on the side and big USA letters on it with a reference to a Hollywood movie on it. I never took a picture but the entire group felt a pang of guilt for the message that Hollywood instills in these kids thousands of kilometers away.
When we were mingling with the children I sat down next to a kid that was sitting alone quietly. I cannot pronounce what his name was but he could not have been over 8 years old. He liked to play football (soccer) and was excited about the world cup coming to South Africa in June. He did not go to school. We suddenly had to go at that point so I told him I needed to leave. At that point he looked at me and his eyes said it all. "You are leaving, but I am staying here. You have no idea what it's like. You come, take pictures, and leave." In those two seconds my heart really went out to this child. I felt so responsible. Responsible for being a part of the Body of Christ and not doing something for this brother. It was hard leaving Chipulieusu and not committing to some sort of development project that could help this town. The children of this village are going to need a lot of help to stop this downward spiral of poverty. I would like to offer my services instead of just being a visitor snapping pictures. I want to be part of the solution to these children's future. A future where there is a better life for them and their families. A future filled with hope.
We then went back to Northrise University and took the bus back to the dormitories with the students. I sat next to a girl and we started sharing about our lives. Where we were from, how large our families are, what we were doing and where we were planning to go with our major. This was all regular routine conversation except for two questions that sort of surprised me. What passions led you to declare you major? This question has a far deeper reaching and gives you a much greater perspective of the individual as far as what their passions and motivations are. I was impressed at how the girl wanted to get to know me more as a person and what motivated me to come to Africa as a civil engineering major. The other question was asked of me about two minutes from our destination and caught me completely off guard as I thought our conversation had ended. She asked, "How has God been a testament in your life?" I was surprised that she would ask such a personal question because in North America you just do not ask those questions to someone you met twenty minutes earlier. I shared with her on how I was raised in a Christian home and blessed with a Christian upbringing and Christian education throughout. Also, I could see looking back how God has been walking alongside me throughout my life, although sometimes you cannot recognize it at the time. She shared God's faithfulness in her life as well until the bus stopped at the dorm and we parted ways. I was surprised by her openness and willingness to share and only wished that North Americans could do the same.
While I was journaling all of this along with Nathan and Dalton we were joined by three of the Northrise guys until about 2 o'clock in the morning. We had an excellent conversation about various topics of discussion. One subject that had been pestering us North Americans was whether we were really helping Northrise at all by coming. In the book we read for this class (When Helping Hurts... by Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett) it spoke of being able to send the money instead of a team and how that can be much more beneficial for the people there. We had thought seriously about this because it could be very true in this situation as well. The book did say that if it encouraged a longer relationship it may be well worth it. We posed this question to our Zambian friends and received some positive feedback. The guys said that the conversations that we have had and the camaraderie that we had built was not to be forgotten any time soon. I have a few quotes from them and a bit of description as well. The following was taken directly from my journal:
"You don't know what impact you have on people here and you won't know. Only the Lord knows. But know that you have made an impact." -Kaongolo
"You may have come to learn but you have also come to teach. And teach you did. I need to confess that you have taught me a lot about American culture because you yourselves said it."
-Moses
"I feel like you believe a lot of the same beliefs I do." - Kaongolo
(This was after a discussion about how America does not believe the same as all of the movies and there are different Christian views not discussed. This is one of the reasons FIREPROOF was such a good movie to watch for Kaongolo and the boys. I was really glad that Kaongolo had found this movie and had all of the boys in the dorm sit down and watch it.
"One soul is cause for a lot of celebration in heaven."
-Kaongolo
(After speaking about missions in Africa and if this is a worthy task if you only convert one person to Christianity.)
"First you must give the knowledge on how to use the money and use it to make it viable or else they will just use the money until it goes to waste." -Kaongolo
(While discussing the distribution of development aid versus someone coming down to teach locals how to farm.)
These were all from the conversation we had with them while journaling that evening. I was reminded again of Dr. Zimba's words earlier that day after talking to the student on the bus as well as the guys that evening. "Go deep...it is only then that you will learn." Looking back I learned a lot about culture, missions and myself from all that transpired that day. Soli Deo Gloria. To God alone be the Glory.
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