First Day at Northrise University and Dormitory Life Saturday May 15, 2010

We landed in Johannesburg, South Africa in the morning, home of the 2010 FIFA World Cup of Soccer starting on June 9. The airport was decorated everywhere for soccer with many shops offering jerseys and other paraphernalia to incoming travellers. It was cool to walk through although I did not feel like buying any of the overpriced merchandise. We flew to Ndola, Zambia from Johannesburg and were picked up a fleet of vehicles and taken to Northrise University. This is where we would be working and living for the next week as Professor Vos taught his agriculture class. Our team experienced some right sided driving for the first time, something I had a difficult time getting used to while there. It was a good thing none of us had to drive. (We had professional drivers from the University drive us around which was appreciated!)

We ate lunch with Dr. Zimba, the president and founder of Northrise University. It was neat to see his vision come together and transform the lives of students as well as the country of Zambia. He spoke of the need for reliable post-secondary education. This is something that Northrise is striving for and succeeding in doing as graduates are performing well in their fields. There are not many post-secondary institutions in Zambia (only 3 I believe) and the ones that are in place are run by the government and full of fraud. Dr. Zimba was very excited to see us and vocalized his appreciation of the partnership that Dordt College shares with Northrise University and looks forward to the work that we will be doing together.

The students were then dropped off at the dormitories. The guys and girls were brought to different sides of the same building where mixing was taboo. The guys were not to go over to the girls side and the girls knew likewise. This was strictly enforced. It was much different than what we are used to at Dordt but it helps keep the students focused on studies. The separation also allowed us North American guys to get to know the male Northrise students very well. Living with the guys in the dormitory was a wonderful experience and easily one of the best parts of the trip. With Zambia’s national language being English it was very easy to converse with the Northrise students on a personal level. We talked late into the night on many occasions covering topics such as religion beliefs, marriage rituals, dating, and of course women in general. (I mean...we’re all guys, you knew it was bound to happen.)

One thing I personally enjoyed in the dorms was cooking. I co-cooked several meals which turned out to be a fantastic time of fellowship and community. I now know how to make nshima, the national dish and staple food of Zambia, along with all of the fixings. You have to “listen to the smell” as one of the guys put it. (Nshima is made from a corn flour and has the same texture/viscosity as mashed potatoes.) You have to eat it with your fingers and it can be very messy. It is definitely an experience and not for the faint of heart because you WILL be laughed at the first time you eat it. We all became quite experienced at eating it as we had it 5-6 times in the week that we were there. A day without nshima is rare in Zambian culture.

We all went to bed early as the overnight flying had tired us out. Each of the guys was in a different wing of the dorms which in the end really helped us to mix with the guys and encouraged us to interact more with them. We were appreciative of this arrangement looking back because it forced each of us to get out of our comfort zone and meet new people.

We were thankful for safe travel as we arrived at our destination. Additionally, we were pleased with the warm welcome that received from our brothers and sisters in Christ. Knowing that there is family all around the world and we all share faith in one Lord and Saviour is such a blessing!!

Soli Deo Gloria

To God alone be the Glory

London Friday, May 14, 2010

We landed mid-day in London tired from the overnight flight but determined to make the most of a 7 hour layover. We checked a few bags and then found tickets on the Underground (metro/subway) and headed into downtown London. We saw Trafalger Square, the Canadian Embassy (woot woot), Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. We had not planned our excursion beforehand so the team did not see as much as we wanted to. I guess that is just a good excuse to come back...

I’m pretty sure the group was embarrassed with me when we walked into a small convenience store and I located the small TIM HORTONS outlet. I was very excited to be eating Timmy’s in London after missing it for a semester in the States. It was not the freshest Boston Creme I’d ever had but it did ease the hunger for a while. (Confession: I may or may not have kept the bag and made sure it was in a few pictures of London.) It was definitely cool to walk around London for a while knowing that my country originated from there. A few Englishmen commented on my Canadian flags that I had on my bag and welcomed me to the home of the commonwealth. It was a very friendly atmosphere and at that point I was proud to be Canadian.

Other than that, we ended up catching another overnight flight to Johannesburg. This ended the day. We were glad that London went smoothly and that nobody got separated from the group in the large crowds. Additionally, the British Airways strike had not gone into effect yet which we were also thankful for.

Lessons in Wisdom and Grace from an Old Friend Thursday, May 13, 2010

Our flights went very well all the way to Ndola. We had to wait for a while to get tickets out of Sioux Falls because British Airways thought we were getting on their plane that afternoon and had not figured out we were still in the United States yet. After that was sorted out we were able to travel uninterrupted. The flight to Chicago went well, but the one to London went even better. The next excerpt is from my journal and tells of a friendship that I still cannot explain.

Well, I am just delighted to be on my way to London right now. It’s currently 12:05 am and I have spent the last 3 hours talking to Father Abbot Marcel Rooney. What a joy! He has been sharing stories about his life which includes becoming an abbot and teaching at the Vatican and later becoming the president of the Abbots. This job included adjudicating various monasteries and abbeys including the Westminster Abbey in Mission BC. (Which can be seen from my back porch for those of you who don’t know where that is.) He also worked very closely with Pope John Paul II. They both travelled frequently and the pope was always interested in what was going on around the world whenever Father Abbot Rooney returned to the Vatican. In addition to being good friends, the Father Abbot aided the Pope in his private chapel every day mass was held there.

It was very interesting to talk to him throughout the flight. I did not sleep very much. I learned a lot about the Roman Catholic traditions and even more about Benedictine monks and the history that follows them. Father Abbot was on his way to the Vatican to give a tour to university students. He was showing them all of the cathedrals around Rome and giving a lot of history behind them. He had so much knowledge to offer that it would have been cool to go with him to Rome and learn more about the history of the Catholic Church. He was very excited to hear of our trip to Zambia and wants to hear about it when I get back. Father Abbot was very interested in the work that we were doing and the work of the gospel around the world which I found encouraging as a fellow brother in Christ.

I mentioned earlier that I still cannot explain the friendship that the Abbot and I have. As soon as we sat down and shook hands there was some sort of bond between us. We started talking and it seemed as though we had been friends for years. There was an inner peace somewhere inside and both of us felt it. Halfway through the flight the two of us got a bit giddy because we realised that the meeting between us was of no coincidence and that it was indeed the Lord at work. He mentioned that he had seen me waiting by the gate and had picked me out specifically as having a serenity about me. So, I do not know how to take that comment but know that it was not by accident that we ended up sitting next to each other. He and I were not supposed to be on the same flight as I was supposed to go a day before and him a day later.

From this interaction I have to admit that the Holy Spirit is at work wherever we go. Friendships are wonderful things, and knowing that you do not have to say goodbye but instead say “see you on the flip side” is a comfort. It was easy leaving Father Abbot and knowing that someday we will meet again where there will be stories to share about the work being done in the kingdom of God.

Patience and Hospitality Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Today was a lesson in patience. We left Dordt College at 2:30pm heading for Sioux Falls Airport. We got through security and baggage check without problem. Then the waiting began. The flight that we were to take to Chicago was delayed from 5:30 until 8:15 because of the weather in Chicago. Unfortunately, our flight for London was still leaving on time so we would have missed it had we taken the flight from Sioux Falls. This would have resulted in an evening in the Chicago airport. Instead the Vos’s were able to book flights with our travel agent for the next day. (This still blows my mind because we were able to get 8 tickets for all of the same flights the following day...unreal...thank you Lord).

The Stadems graciously opened their homes to the six students for the evening and satisfied our appetites as well. The entire team was very thankful for this display of hospitality. I am continually amazed by the Dordt connection as this is not the first time that members of the Dordt community have opened up their homes to student travellers who are in a tight spot and our entire team would like to publicly thank the Stadems again for their generosity as they eased the otherwise bleak beginning of our trip.

Through all of this the team was learning to trust in the Lord as we again admit that we are not in control and must place our faith in our Maker and Creator. The team was given some wise words that evening which were to take three steps: Pray, Trust, and then find Joy. These three steps were put into practice that day and referred to throughout the trip when things did not go exactly as planned. At this point in the trip we were praying for flights the next day and that things would go smoothly.

Additionally, questions started forming in a few of our minds as to whether or not we were supposed to be taking this trip. Surely, if the Lord wanted us there we would be able to get there...but why the delay? Again, the trusting and praying was something we did a lot that evening but the team was still concerned about the delay. We went to sleep giving our troubles to the Lord and hoping for a better day tomorrow.

Home Safely

Hello Everyone,

I know this is way out of order...but we arrived safely back home. Unfortunately I have not been able to access any internet while in Zambia but I journaled throughout the trip. So, I will be recounting the trip from here. Thank you all for your prayers and support. They were much appreciated by the entire team!! Thanks again!

Nathanael Couperus

Introduction Necessary

Dear Family, Friends, Supporters and Followers,

My name is Nathan Couperus and I am writing this blog as a journal for a trip to Zambia. I will be travelling along with 5 of my fellow students of Dordt College and Professor Vos and his wife as the travelling part of our Gen 273 cross cultural class. We will be staying in Ndola, Zambia at our sister school Northrise University. The purpose of this trip is to strengthen the bond between the two schools. We are the first students to visit the Northrise and therefore are the first student representatives of Dordt College. (No pressure or anything.) Professor Vos and Wolthuis have both been to Northrise to teach agriculture and theology classes respectively. While we are at Northrise University the students will also be helping Professor Vos teach an agriculture class. We will be setting up a drip irrigation line as a demonstration to one of his lectures. Other than helping with his class I'm not quite sure what we will be doing while we are there. We trust the Northrise administrators as they will be planning any outings we take. Through this our team is trying to adopt the polychronic view of time that is dominant in African culture rather than the monochronic view of time that North Americans share.

[Side note] These views of time were presented in a book that we were studying as part of our Gen 273 class. The book is called When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor...and Yourself by Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett. It has definitely altered our group's perspective on short term missions projects as well as given us a greater understanding of the larger picture of poverty. I will probably be referring to the book throughout various posts. (If you're still wondering about monochronic/polychronic views of time, monochronic is the belief that time is a finite resource and we must pack as much into our day as possible and be as efficient with our time as possible because there are only so many hours in a day. Polychronic on the other hand, is the view that time is an infinite resource because there is always more of it. Relationships and quality time is of much more value than productivity. As one can see, North Americans are very susceptible to a monochronic view of time where as Africans are on the opposite end of the spectrum with a polychronic view of time.) [End side note]

So, other activities that may be undertaken include a tour of Seeds of Hope and CRWRC and the work that these two organizations have done in the area. Another possibility is that the university will give us activities aligned with our majors. There is talk of a day spent with the civil engineer of Ndola for myself because I am a civil engineering major. Additionally, one of the students may spend time with several orphanages and local area schools because she is an education major. In conclusion...we may be doing so many different things but we really won't know until we get there. I guess you could say that could be a hook to keep following the blog. :)

The trip will be two and a half weeks. We will leave Dordt College on May 12th and hopefully return to America (in our respective states/provinces) on May 28th. We are all very excited for this opportunity to use our gifts to learn and serve the Lord our Maker. I do not know how much internet access we will have when in Africa, so if I’m not posting very much…that is why. I will be journaling on paper, so when I do get home I will put it up for those of you who will not see me for the rest of the summer.

A few items to pray for:

Safe travels to Africa on so many different flights spanning two days.

The families of the team as they worry about us.

The people of Zambia and our interactions with them.

Thank you so much for all of your support. It is appreciated!!