Missing it all

Greetings from West Lafayette Indiana,

It has been over a month since I have gotten back from Zambia (yes we finally made it back).  Things are back in my normal pattern and my schedule has gotten hectic.  My day goes on and nothing is the same as my time in Zambia.  It is even completely different from last year here at Purdue University.  Or maybe it is just me that is different.

During the orientation program here at Purdue, I was approached by one of my friends and fellow team leaders.  She told me that she had been talking to another couple people in our group and they were discussing how individuals in our group changed over the summer and they all seemed to agree that I was not the same person that I had been before.  When I asked them to explain what was different, it seemed that they could not place it; I just carried myself differently is what they ended up falling on.  What I think they were picking up on was something that really cannot be seen.  I think they were seeing the fact that my heart has changed and added a giant new section for Zambia and its people.

Still with Zambia on my mind every day, I am able to apply the lessons taught to me by great men like Gershom, Abel, Sam (aka the Zambian Black), Nelson, and even Bishop Wiseman.  Whether that be relaying the lessons of discipleship from Gershom or trying to model the servanthood of Bishop.  In the words of Gershom, "what you learn for yourself dies with you but what you learn and teach others lives on."  That is the approach that I am now taking and the role that I am now taking on here.  The lessons that I learned from these people and from God himself are now being passed on through me whether in conversation or through this blog.

God works in ways that we can never imagine and this last summer was a perfect example of that.  Going in I knew that we would be asked to do things like lead Bible studies and workshops and things like that.  Meeting with students and other members of the staff were also part of our plans.  What I did not expect is my blog being potentially my biggest influence but certainly my biggest international influence.  Totaling it up now, there were a total of over 1000 views in the last three months from 19 countries and 6 continents.  I never could have dreamed this up and I hope that this was able to impact those from countries that I have never been!  If anyone has read this from another country and it has impacted you, I would love to talk to you or hear how it all happened.  You can email me at aspesar@purdue.edu anytime.

In all likelihood, this will be my last post.  My experiences are in no way over but the avenue of my ministry will not be on the global scale (at least for now).  Now there is always the possibility that God sends me back to Zambia in the coming years and in that case I may revive the blog but we will see.  I want to thank all of you that have read this and all of those that will read this sometime in the future and I hope that you have been able to learn at least a fraction of the things that God was teaching me this summer from this but I would first recommend that you get out there and do something similar.  Go experience reliance on God in a way that you never have before.  Get out of your comfort zone and try new things (not necessarily eating caterpillars).  God can use this to show you a new facet to his character that you would never have experienced otherwise.

To God be all glory, honor, and praise,

Aaron Spesard

False Alarm; We are still here

Greetings,

      Unfortunately I am not at home right now.  I am still in Zambia.  We missed our flight by ten minutes yesterday and we are currently trying to find other options.  When trying to book another flight through Emirates, there were no economy seats available for the next week and the cost to upgrade would be $3000 which none from our team has the cash for.  We understand that God is in control of the situation and we pray that he makes a way for us to get home.

       We were hoping to get to the airport early but our ride unfortunately got held up.  We got to the airport still almost fifty minutes before the flight yet the gate was closed and we were not allowed access.  We were slightly hostile and frustrated at this point and our attitude probably did not help things.  We got to the Emirates office this morning bright and early but we were unable to work things out there.  As of now there seems to be no way that we can get back in a timely and economic way.  Fortunately, we are able to spend some more time here with friends and God does not only work when we see a way.  He makes a way when there seems to be no way.  That is exactly what we are praying for right now and I ask that you all pray for us as well.

Philippians 4:6-7
        Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Hopefully we make it home soon,

Aaron

Final Address

Greetings,

            It is two days until I leave this country that I have come to know and love.  As I have said before, the lessons and friendships that I have here will not only change the way I look at people but the way that I live.  I am continually taught by the people here in ways that I would not necessarily have guessed or even sought out.  One lesson came from two of the only guys that are younger than me that I have met here in Lusaka.

            Moses and Cosmas (aka Origaba) are two players on the basketball team that are still in secondary school.  They are not the main players partly due to their young age.  Moses is eighteen and Origaba even lied to the coach by telling him that he is nineteen so he would accept him on the team.  He is only seventeen and he looks it.  When he stands next to me he is comes up short of my shoulder and he has to weigh around 100 lbs.  Nonetheless, both of these guys put in the work to make the team and work behind the scenes when needed by mopping the floor and getting maybe a little playing time when the team has a large lead.  This dedication to basketball carries over in their lives to other aspects in a way that I can learn from.  The first week for Bible study, the two of them ran to campus and again for the first forum (large group meeting) of the year.  I just learned yesterday how far they actually ran.  Driving, it would take around five minutes driving to get to campus and then another twenty minute walk to where we stay.  These guys ran around six miles to come to the study and then forum and they seem like they are even willing to in the future.  Would I be willing to run six miles to learn about the Word of God?  Tough stuff to chew on as Dan would say.

            Another guy that I have been learning from like crazy is Gershom.  He has been working here on GAP for the last six years and has served as the campus director for the last few.  In that time, God has shaped his life in a way that I hope he shapes mine.  He is a wealth of knowledge about life in general and I have had the privilege of having several hour to two hour long conversations with him.  He truly has a desire to learn about both God and what he can do for God.  One of the major topics recently is mentorship.  He looks at what he wants to learn more about or improve upon and then he considers the best way to gain that knowledge.  His method is mentorship.  He looks at servanthood and he sees that as an area of his life that he wants to improve.  Instead of reading about servanthood, he looks for someone in his life that lives in a way that displays servanthood.  For him, he found a professor that he had while still in school and now he meets with him on a weekly basis to learn from his example.  He also has sought out mentors in the fields of faith and business.  The approach is not one that is common but I feel like he knows what he is doing and one more point that he made really made sense and I feel like everyone could benefit from hearing it.  He said “Whatever we learn for ourselves is gone when we die.  What lives on is what we pass on to others.”  Sometimes I feel like our whole life up until we are almost to retirement is spent trying to learn from others and learn as much as possible.  That is great for sure but what truly matters over the generational view is how much we teach others.

            Jon and Bryce have made it all the way back from Kitwe and having them back has been a blessing.  Hearing their experiences and how God is working through them in the lives that they were able to speak into was eye-opening and again shows how small I see Him and how He works.  God is not merely at work shaping my life, not merely at work shaping Dan and Nathan, not merely in our entire time but in the lives of students here, in the hearts of everyone around the world.  His impact on a global scale is amazing and He deserves our praise for this.  In John 14:12 it says “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.  He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”  I had always viewed this as the many miracles that the disciples were able to do in the book of Acts.  Jesus was able to perform miracles that we have heard about such as feeding five thousand with a little bread and fish, turning water to wine, and even raising people from the dead.  So what could be considered “greater things than these?”  Looking at this and using a quote from a book that I really enjoyed called Blessed Child by Ted Dekker, I got a different thought.  It said something to the effect of “Who says a healed hand is more amazing than a healed heart?”  Looking at the impact that the “healed heart” has had on me and my life, I think that it is greater than even raising a dead person to life.  Something about giving life to the spirit of a person, to the soul of a person, is as powerful and amazing as it gets.  Christ died and through that, the gospel was able to be spread.  The message which was spread about by the disciples and is still spread today, changes the hearts of people and makes the unholy, holy; the unrighteous righteous; the imperfect perfect.  Seeing God doing this through the work of my comrades here has been beautiful.

            Dan has been here with me the whole time and seeing him and how he walks in his faith has been inspiring.  He truly is a servant of God who I learn from as well.  He has been very busy meeting with several guys from main campus that he was able to meet at the welcome party and their relationship is very encouraging.  These first year students are willing to spend their days with him and learn from him and they even came to visit us here at our place due to a power outage in their hostel.  Their servant-like nature came through when they even served us nshima and vegetables and Dan made the gravy.  The food here is something that will stick with me forever.

            Another aspect of my stay here that I have discussed some with Gershom and Dan is the way we have been integrated into the culture.  The way some other organizations such as Campus Crusade approach housing their short-term missionaries is they book a lodge and the only time that they spend with the people in the culture is when they go for ministry.  We have been lucky enough to live here with three guys and live in the culture.  We not only eat nshima and caterpillars, but we are learning how to make them.  We have used the bus system and even taking a taxi around town.  Living in the village we even shattered expectations by drinking the water straight from the well.  The people here have been so much more willing to open up when they hear that we are actually trying to enjoy the culture instead of bring our culture and live the same way as home.

            The bus system had a new twist yesterday for Dan and me.  We were on our way to the Ridgeway campus and in town when we found out the bus to the hospital that we take was no longer running.  We had to get there by bus so Dan talked to one of the guys at the station who told us to get on this new bus on a different route and then get off at the bus stop called SDA and it would be right next to the hospital.  The bus driver that we had taking us on this new route proved to be both impatient and very fond of shortcuts.  First, when faced with a long line of traffic ahead of us, he moved to the left shoulder (cars drive on the left here) and passed all the cars on the dirt shoulder.  Next he was driving on a side road and ramped the curb and drove across a large dirt section to a new road, ramped down the curb on the new road and took off.  This guy was doing things that I have always wanted to do in the US and it will take much self-control to restrain myself from using him and his driving as a model…  His next tactic was perhaps the most insane though.  Again with a long line of cars in front of us, he decided to use the right lane instead of the left.  He continued in the wrong lane for a good stretch until he had no choice but to move off to the right shoulder to avoid a headlong collision.  When the coast was clear again, he would go back into the right lane and do the same.  Risking our lives was worth it I guess for the fifty or so cars that he passed in the process.  When we finally got to our stop and to safety (or so we thought), we found ourselves in an area of town we had never seen.  We asked the bus driver where the hospital was and he pointed and told us to cross Bama road and it would be right there.  After five minutes of walking in the direction he pointed, we asked another person and they simply pointed in the same direction.  This happened two more times and took twenty to thirty minutes before we finally saw the sign for the Ridgeway campus.  Not what we had planned but it sure was exciting.

             Some odd jobs have kept Dan and I occupied here at the Nav office as well.  Last week, the two of us as well as Sam performed surgery on a couch that was "eating" things way too often.  One of the cushions would sink almost all the way to the floor when you sat in it and there was a gap in between it and the one next to it that important things would continue to get lost in (such as Bryce's phone and my ipod).  When we flipped the couch over, it showed what a real mess the whole thing was.  Of the four supports, three were completely disconnected, four springs had come loose, and stuffing was spread everywhere.  After a little hammering and attaching the springs, we flipped the couch over and it is good as new and has not consumed anything of late.  Dan and I also were given the task of re-tiling the bathroom by the office.  So far the demolition has been done and we await further guidance before we proceed.  It has been great to be able to give back here to the people that have given us a home and fed us.

             Tomorrow we have a briefing in the morning and then most likely a farewell party for the four of us that are still here.  We are not really privy to the details because they are trying to keep most of it a secret but we have some guesses.  The GAP staff here has been planning for the last couple weeks and at our apartment here we recently had half of a pig dropped off and stuffed in our freezer.  Who knows what that might be for???

            In three days I will be back in the US at the Chicago airport getting picked up by my family or some of my family I should say.  I am leaving some brothers and sisters behind here in Zambia.  That is what they are to me now and that is who they will be to me forever.  I do not see this as being the last time I will see them.  Who knows, I could even be rambling about Zambia again in a few years!

Farewell from Lusaka, Zambia,

Aaron

           

Rambling on

Greetings,

            As always, things are great in this fine country of Zambia.  More than six weeks have gone by since I set foot on African soil for the first time.  I am convinced now that this trip will not be my only time that I come to this amazing place.  It has surpassed all my expectations and even hopes and I owe thanks to God and to the people here for that.

            The people that I have met here are the type of people that I love being around.  Most days end up with me and the rest of the people here laughing until our stomachs hurt.  While I have mentioned some of them from time to time I have not really talked in depth about any of them.  The three guys that I live with are Abel, Gershom, and Sam (aka Mr. Black).  Abel and Gershom have been doing campus ministry for several years now and are both preparing to leave this place to go out into the workforce and hopefully become insiders for Christ in their fields.  Sam is in his first year on GAP which is a form of full time ministry for graduated students.  He will stay in this apartment and his job is to meet with students and have discussions about what the students are learning, struggling with, and looking forward to.  Ngambo is also doing GAP training and lives in another small home that is located on the same property.  Both are located right next the Nav office here.  The newest member of our team here cannot be left out either.  Paul the Levite was welcomed onto our property this last week and he is growing up every day.  (He is a puppy that was born at Nelson’s home and since they were moving out they needed to find another home for him and his two siblings.)

            Other members of the staff team here are Siku, Mutinta, and Nelson.  Nelson is the leader of the Navigators here and Zambia and he is the father of four young daughters.  Mutinta is the campus director at the medical campus over at Ridgeway and also the national prayer leader here.  Siku is another very involved staff member that spends a lot of time discipling girls from main campus and she also does much of the planning for the year.  She has two children as well, one of which is Mwape who is absolutely adorable.  She is a little older than two years old and is learning all kinds of words on a daily basis.  We have become good friends during the time that she stayed at the same apartment as Ngambo and she has been a ton of fun to have around. 

The basketball team has been great as well.  Several of the guys remind me of players from my own high school team in the way that they play.  There is Richard who is the leader of the team who plays point guard or shooting guard who with his speed and quickness rival Noah Allen.  Nelson is a sharpshooter that also can take the ball to the hole similar to Timmy Ruby.  Chudu is a young forward who is incredibly athletic and reminds me of Seth Johnson in the way he plays.  Finally there is Walter who plays in a similar way and with a similar body type to Matt Heber.  The parallels are quite hilarious for me as I continue to go through practice with them.  I know that many of you that will read this have no clue who anyone I just mentioned is so you can ignore the whole section if you want.

Some things about Zambia and particularly the section of Lusaka that we have been staying are worthy of mentioning as well.  Unlike in the US, where internet, texting, electricity, and everything are purchased so that you can use them as much as you want, those things here are bought in amounts and you run out after you use the amount you paid for.  The cell phones have been the most obvious of the differences as there are booths set up everywhere selling “talk-time”.  Each message that is sent and each minute of talking on the phone cost a certain amount of talk-time and when you spend the amount that you have paid for, you are out and unable to make calls or send texts until you go to the nearest booth and top-up.  Internet is another huge example as you do the same thing.  You pay for a certain number of Gigabytes and once you use up all of that, you cannot access the internet.  Electricity is still done the same way and several days we have “run out” of electricity until one of our hosts can go and buy more.

Water is not done in exactly the same way but we have had problems with it almost constantly.  For some reason, every night the water from the tap is shut off and we are unable to use it at all.  The issue has now invaded the daytime and we have not had any water in the house today.  Apparently the company is working on the whole system right now and they advise that when we do have water we store as much as we can.  The main issue with not having water has been all of our dishes from dinner cannot be washed until the next morning and now even longer.  Still we are able to manage by storing water in the hot water heater or geyser (pronounced geezer) and in old milk jugs and mazoe bottles.

Laundry here is also an adventure.  We do not have a washing machine here or a dryer (the sun and dry air work well with that) so all laundry is washed by hand.  The process involves allowing the clothes to soak for close to an hour in a tub of water and detergent before vigorously scrubbing the clothes against each other.  Once this is finally done, they are thrown into another tub of clean water for rinsing.  The whole process takes several hours and is much more physically demanding than simply throwing all of them into the washer.  I brought two weeks worth of clothes and so hopefully I have done my last load of laundry here and I can show up at home with a huge heap of dirty clothes to wash. 

Food has continued to be delicious as each guy that stays here has their own specialty that we do most every meal.  I have been doing the gravy, Dan and I have been trying to learn the nshima, Gershom does the vegetable, and Sam is the expert at the meat.  That includes all types of meat from goat ribs to chicken and even sausage.  Recently I had the “opportunity” to try a delicacy among the people in Zambia.  Caterpillars.  I was originally thinking that these would be this slimy and gooey food that was tough to swallow.  I was wrong for sure.  They also were much larger than I was anticipating but the thing that I noticed about them first was the smell.  They would be up there as one of the two worst smells I have encountered (right behind Kapenta).  Their stench permeates the entire house when they are being fried and it does not leave for some time.  Despite the awful odor, I was able to eat all of the caterpillars that I put on my plate by mixing them with the other foods on my plate to mask the taste.  The texture was actually very crunchy, especially for the small ones.  They certainly are not a food that I would like to eat on a daily basis but I am glad to say that I have tried them at least.

Our dear teammates Jon and Bryce will be joining us within the next week and I greatly look forward to their presence.  Their experience will be completely different from the one that we have had here in Lusaka and it will be great to hear how God was working at CBU in Kitwe.  Reading their blogs has been great but it does not tell everything that is going on any more than this one paints a full picture of what we have experienced.  If you are interested in reading their blogs, the links are located on the right hand side of the page.

This very well could be one of the last posts that I have on this blog during our time here in Zambia so I want to be sure to again thank my parents for allowing me to come all the way here.  I cannot imagine what they have been going through in the time that I have stayed here and even spent in the village.  That is not easy to do and I have only been able to Skype with them once which is unfortunate.  Mom and Dad this is specifically for you.  There are only eight days until I leave here and come home.  I know that may seem like a long time but with how fast the days go by here I feel like it will fly by.  To my brothers, it has been great to hear the things that you have been doing while I have been gone and even see the great job you did with the woodworking projects.  I look forward to seeing them in person and finding out where the sandpaper is hidden (inside joke for those who are confused).  Carson and Kaitlin I look forward to seeing the ring in person and being able to congratulate you.  One last special shout-out/apology goes to Kylie.  I am sorry that I was unable to bring you along with me and show you all of the animals.  I will try to make up for my grievous mistake.

Farewell my comrades,

Aaron Spesard

The Home Stretch

Greetings,

It is only eleven days until I make the long return journey home.  The previous six weeks have been a blessing from above and not just a life-changing or life-altering experience but a life-GIVING experience.  Experiencing a new culture has only been part of it.  Culture can only do so much.  It can only make so much of an impact.  People however can change everything.  Looking at the ways that they view life.  Their lens through which they look at the world.  My lens had been far to near-sighted and narrow.  Seeing the people here and the way they live has opened my eyes in a way that before I could not even understand let alone experience.  I expect nothing less from the rest of the time that I have here.

The welcome party that I mentioned in my last post was nothing like what I expected.  The number of people that we prepared for was around 100 and so we made almost that many bologna sandwiches, two huge buckets of popcorn,  bowls of groundnuts (peanuts) mixed with raisins, and even some of the real mazoe.  Based on the number that told us they would be going, this seemed like we might not even have enough to feed everyone.  In the end they were begging me to eat more sandwiches.  Only 30-40 students were there and many of them were either staff or returning members of the Navs.  I was originally disappointed in the lack of numbers but as the party went on my perspective changed.  The great thing about having not as many students (besides more food for me) was we were able to be very personal with the students that were able to attend.  If 100 had showed up there would have been people that would have been missed in the shuffle.  This way each returning student and staff member was able to spend the meal discussing things with one student.  The personal touch was a great addition to the atmosphere and the fellowship that we were able to attain.

Another highlight of the party was the gospel presentation by Dan.  The gospel is called the good news for a reason but sometimes the true depth of it is lost on me.  It is a personal and life-giving gift from God that we can never get enough of.  Grace and who it comes from is the reason that we are here and it is the reason that we have hope.  Dan was able to get that message across in the short span of ten minutes to these incoming students in a personal way that moved me and those around me.  Talking with a student afterwards, he told me that he had heard the same thing before, even some of the same passages but there was something about that message that left him asking questions about his own faith.  Whether or not he really understood the concept of grace.  When Dan shared, it was not him up preaching from the front.  He was not talking at people.  He spoke directly to the hearts of those in attendance from his heart.  Everyone has different talents but Dan has a great ability to share the gospel.


This last week, our team as well as Gershom, Ngambo, and Kayi went to go see the new Spiderman in theaters.  The area of town is literally known as Arcades and the theater was top notch.  The tickets were similar prices to the US but the popcorn was around three dollars for what would cost seven.  It was really an experience to go to a theater in Africa.  My preconceived notions about the whole of Africa were blown out of the water long ago on the trip but this sealed the deal.  In another area of town just a little farther away known as Manda Hill even has a 3D theater.  Never would have guessed that before I got here.

This Sunday was another great experience in Zambia.  Since Nathan was leaving us that night, we needed to spend the day going around and taking pictures of the different areas that we spent time.  Manda Hill was a major photo stop and then we headed over to Arcades for the Sunday market.  The crafts that are put on display every Sunday are really a testament to the people here.  Everything that you can imagine or desire that would remind you of your stay in Africa (besides an actual animal)  is available from not just one but multiple vendors.  Clothes, jewelry, paintings, and carvings line both sides of the street and the atmosphere is amazing.  Each and every vendor will participate in a bartering battle (pardon the alliteration) in which the price starts at a ridiculously high price and slowly can be worked down.  Some vendors are more honest than others but in general they all try to do anything they can to get the best sale they can.  I had a vendor tell me the price for an item was 450,000 kwacha or $90 and within thirty seconds it was down to 200,000.  I ended up getting that exact same item from another vendor for 100,000 ($20).  In the end I felt like I won but Nathan made a great point.  That item might have very well been worth 60,000 and we would have no idea.  I did love the whole experience and I was thrilled when Gershom said he heard two store owners say that I bartered like a true African.  At least I am African in one regard!

Our team here has been trying to learn how to cook the dishes here especially nshima.  That is definitely the most physically demanding food that I have ever made.  The stirring that is required leaves us holding our forearms afterwards and even then we have help from our housemates.  The mixture is so thick and trying to use a wooden spoon to stir it up is tough and even the motion takes a skill that I have no hopes of mastering.  Gershom says that he is only that good because he has been making it for close to fifteen years.  I unfortunately have only eleven more days.  The rest of the food is very simple to make and I have been making the gravy for every meal for some time.  I started making it with little to no idea what I was doing but now I understand the actual process and what to look for.  My last batch was good and I am even trying different things with it in order to find the kind that I like best.  To me, the gravy here is one food that I do not plan on giving up when I head back to the states.  It is even delicious when added onto spaghetti or other pasta or even rice.  In short, it makes everything else taste good.

I really look forward to the opportunity that I have to follow up with many of the students that I was able to meet through either the orientation or the welcome party.  Some guys from the basketball team have also showed an interest and already a base knowledge from which to build.  The prospect of Bryce and Jon coming back on the 23rd is great and having several days with them here before we leave will be the best possible way to end a great trip.

Keep us all in your prayers as we continue to follow up with students and travel.

Over and out,

Aaron

Getting Oriented to UNZA

Greetings,

            The snake started to constrict slightly around my neck as the cameras continued to take pictures.  We spent the day today planning and finally going to a reptile farm known as Kalimba farms.  They have reptiles from all over the nation of Zambia including snakes, crocodiles, and even some tortoises.  The first stop on our tour was at the snake section that contained black mambas (considered the most dangerous snake in the world), green mambas, puff adders and even some pythons.  The last of those was the one that I had the privilege (?) of holding across my shoulders.  The guide went down into a pit of 8 pythons and brought a ten foot one out by his bare hands.  He then held the head and allowed all of our team to hold the snake across their shoulders.  Some were slightly less comfortable with it (cough, cough, Abel, cough, Kayi).  It was great to have some more team time with the prospect of Nathan leaving this Sunday.

            This week has been one of the busiest of the whole trip.  Orientation on the UNZA campus began on Monday and took up all of our time from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. From start to finish we were meeting students at the booth that we had set up and going out and talking to others that were in various locations.  After three days we estimated that between the summer team, staff, and students we were able to talk to more than 300 students.  How big of an impact we were able to make is not known but at least we had some contact with them.  Some even just came for the biscuits and juice that we were serving but that is fine too.

            Starting out on the first day of orientation I was not very comfortable just going up to random people and talking to them.  I am a very talkative person and sometimes to a fault but when it involves someone that I do not know and do not have anything in common with then I am a very quiet individual.  I was even more nervous because approaching someone with the intention of finding out about the person’s spiritual background or even sharing the gospel is intimidating to say the least.  That being said, this is what I am here for.  Sure it is out of my comfort zone and it could fail miserably but I had to at least try.  By day three the conversations were actually casual and I feel that I was far more casual in my approach.  Instead of forcing things, sometimes the conversation can just flow.

            Talking with some of the students that I was privileged enough to meet during orientation is one of the highlights of the entire trip.  I was able to meet a variety of people from a variety of different backgrounds and see how each person viewed their current stance and how they viewed Christianity as a whole.  The students that I met with were all over the scale as some were nowhere near interested in what I was saying while others wanted to exchange contact information so that we could continue discussions on certain topics.  At first the negative results of people folding up the fliers that I was passing out or even dropping them right after I left was disheartening but the seed growing is not my responsibility.  I can plant the seed and even water it but the growth comes from God.  On the other side of that were the students that were genuinely interested in learning more; whether that be more about the gospel or learning how to disciple others. 

            This Saturday is the welcome party for first year students and even those that are already on campus.  We have been meeting to plan that and even lay out some objectives for the year with other members of staff.  The meetings are productive sometimes and other times they just end up with everyone too tired to continue after a long morning in the sun.  We are hoping that around 150 students will be able to make it out to the party and maybe even a little more.  We plan on having fun most of the time playing sports like football and even some board games.  Sandwiches are being made for each person and we will have juice and tea as well.  We are also going to be sharing a brief gospel message that will hopefully be long enough to not leave a ton out but short enough to not let people get too bored.  We want to have some outreach but we want this to be a fun event that welcomes people in a loving atmosphere.

            My knee has been slightly bothering me so I have missed the last several days in practice but I hope to be back tomorrow.  The study with the team dropped down to only two other players and me this week mainly because of the chaos on campus.  The conversation did not suffer though as again really deep topics such as Christ’s fulfillment of the Law came up.  I hope that next week we will be able to have a slightly bigger showing as far as numbers and the conversation remain open and interested.

             A huge deal for students here at UNZA is trying to find accommodation.  For some reason, the university does not have enough housing for even half of the students to live on campus.  Even more, unlike the US and universities like Purdue, there is not a lot of housing that is off-campus in the form of apartments.  The students arrive to orientation and do not know if they will even have a place to stay.  The situation is not easy for anyone and I pray that the university looks for more ways to accommodate these young students or at least lets them know in advance if they will have a room or even a bed to sleep on when they arrive.

            With only two weeks remaining, the focus will again shift from meeting new students to following up with the students that we met during orientation.  This is where the watering of the seeds comes into play.  A short conversation that can vary from five minutes to thirty minutes can only make so much of an impact.  Meeting with that person again and spending an hour or so over a meal can make that impact stick.  I want to be able to make an impact in the lives of these people that will stay with them through life in a way that I have been impacted.  Christ is teaching me so much about myself and himself that I just want to relay some of that to others.  As Nelson said today, if we are only able to impact one person of all of the 300 some that we talked to, everything will have been worth it. 

Until next time,

Aaron

National Conference... and maybe a little basketball

Greetings,

Things have definitely not slowed down at all.  I now see that they probably won't until I get on the plane and have 20 some hours to sit still.  The Zambia National Conference began on Saturday the 30th with a somewhat early morning again.  It was a decently long trip out of Lusaka into what seemed the middle of nowhere.  The road was rough for our bus on the way and the holes that were in the floor did not help at all with the ridiculous amount of dust that was filling our lungs.  When the bus finally pulled into the long driveway of Chresso University, I saw that the trip was worth it.  The campus was about as secluded as it gets but that made the setting that much better.  We were there as a group of Navigators and more importantly as a group of Christians there to learn more about our Lord and savior and we were not going anywhere.

The last two days before going to the conference were spent mainly preparing for it.  Every conference has a banner that is made specifically for it with the theme for the conference as well as other information such as the year or the speaker.  Somehow, the group of five guys that are staying here in the Nav office got the job of decorating and making the entire banner.  After purchasing the material for the banner, the quest for paint began.  Dan and Sam went to get some red, black, and orange paint to go along with the green background to match the colors of the Zambian flag.  Apparently paint is not overly easy to find in downtown Lusaka and they spent around 3 hours searching for paint that was not overly expensive.  They finally came back with some red and orange tint and black spray paint.  The tint did not work great and spraying the letters on the banner required putting masking tape around every letter individually which took upwards of an hour.  When the final work was completed, we were relieved and also proud of the work we had done.  The banner should be able to be reused for years to come.

The theme for this years conference was "Renewing Our Commitment to the Lordship of Christ and to Community."  After we finished registering and eating, we moved into the meat of the conference.  Nelson (leader of the Zambia Navs) opened with a message based on the theme verse that went along with the overall theme.  Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Looking at how these people lived their lives, we can learn how we are called to live.  They were devoted to prayer and the breaking of bread.  It does not say that they were devoted to having fun.  It does not say they were devoted to their job.  Their devotion was first to prayer and their relationship with Christ.  That is a convicting passage that should be read in its full context.

Eddie gave the second message about what the aspect of Lordship means and what it means that Jesus is Lord.  Looking through scriptures that reveal how exactly Christ is Lord over all and also in our lives such as 1 Timothy 6:15 and Ephesians 1:19-23.  I challenge you to read through these for yourself and contemplate on how exactly he is Lord over you.  When the Bible says love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, do we find ourselves doing that?  I know that personally I find it challenging to love the Lord with all my life (soul).  I find it difficult to love the Lord with all my thoughts (mind) yet that is what we are called to do.  I challenge you to look though your life and see it through the lens of the scriptures.

Continuing with the main theme, Eddie went on to talk about things such as renewing our commitment to the Lord and His Kingdom, for every king must have a kingdom.  The concept of a maturing Christian community was also discussed as we looked at three ways to determine if your community is growing.  A Christ community should be growing relationally, transformationaly, and missionally.  A major topic that came up during this talk was the idea of spiritual generations and it made me think about the amazing spiritual generations that have sprung out of the faith that my grandparents have.  Without their dedication to the Lord of Lords, I would most likely not be all the way over here in Zambia.

Besides the messages that were presented at the conference, there was a report on the progress of what has been come to be known as Navland.  A plot of land was bought by the Navigators here in Zambia that is just North of Lusaka.  The exact size of the land I do not know but it is quite sizable.  The idea for the land is that it could be a retreat facility that would be owned by the Navigators that would be self-sufficient by producing goods such as crops and animals to sell at local markets.  The land is currently undeveloped but the master plan was recently done by a team of engineers from EMI (engineering ministries international).  A facility with everything from dorms to a restaurant to a giant gathering building that will serve as a place for anything from weddings to spiritual retreats.  The goal right now is to get one of the dorms started by laying the foundation and getting some bathrooms with running water starting in October.  The place is sure to be an amazing facility that God will use for years to come.

We returned from the conference in the afternoon on Monday and our team of five that are still here was able to have conversations late into the night about what we learned and eventually some really hilarious jokes that are only funny when you are tired.  Tuesday brought even more excitement as I prepared for my first game here with the UNZA Pacers here.  I had only been to one official practice with the team and I was not sure what to expect at all.  When we got to the gym that we would be playing in, I was getting pretty nervous.  Warming up with the team was still pretty nerve-racking but fun at the same time.  Jogging and stretching while doing some chants in languages that I do not understand, I finally felt somewhat ready...until I set foot on the floor.  Not only was I the only Caucasian on the floor, I was one of the biggest guys out there.  Certainly not weight-wise but for sure in height.  My first layup during warmups was even a miss.

When the game finally started and I was able to sit and see kinda what was going on before going in.  I did not know how much I would play because I had only been to one practice and met the coach just briefly (he wasn't at practice) but our team only had three total forwards.  I was the first guy off the bench and was really confused by the offense because the coach explained it in either Nianja or Bimba (both are native languages I do not speak at all).  Nevertheless I was out there running around and trying to look like I knew what I was doing.  It was not long before I started getting worn out.  They play at a pace here that I am not physically prepared for after spending a year doing nothing but intramurals and some ultimate Frisbee from time to time.  During the first half, I got the ball and took a little runner in the lane which was more of me bumping into a guy and falling to the ground but somehow it went in.  The entire crowd went crazy.  It must have been fans from both teams that were shouting because it was really loud at that point.  That was my only shot of the game but I must admit that basket made the whole game worth it.  Just to hear the whole crowd go crazy was great and even some rebounds brought a big response.  I do not know how many games I will be able to play in but I look forward to every one of them.

While playing for the team is great, our purpose here is first and foremost to reach out to the students here in Zambia especially on the two campuses.  My place on the team is a way for me to get to know the players and spend some quality time interacting with them.  In that way I can try to help them become better basketball players but also earn their trust.  Through this and time that I have had just to talk with them and a ton of help from the leader of the team (Richard), I had plans to start a Bible study with any members of the team that were interested.  Jon Chen had done something similar last year and so I thought some of them might be interested again.  When I did not want to leave anyone out, Richard took charge and introduced me to the whole team and the girls team telling them who I was, what I am here for, and saying that I was thinking about having a Bible study.  Even then, I was unsure how many would show up and how interested those that did show up would be.

This Wednesday was the first study that we had and also the first study that I have ever led.  I would like to say that I knew what I was doing but that is not true at all.  With a couple hours of time to prep after getting our visas renewed (we were illegal here for a day), I was still not sure what was going to happen or how many people would show up.  All my expectations were shattered as 6 guys show up and several of them had Bibles of their own.  The discussion went well and the deep topics righteousness and holiness came up and were discussed.  It has been great to see their interest and I hope that will continue.

Last night for the 4th of July, our summer team got together and made an American meal for some of our friends here.  We made hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, lays chips, baked beans, and some homemade lemonade.  Things went well overall and it was pretty American for sure.  We were unable to have fireworks but we still got to celebrate in our own way.

Our next basketball game is on Sunday and I hope the result will be slightly better.  More good news came today about the opening of UNZAs campus.  It will open on Sunday and so we will be able to get involved with orientation.  That will be much easier to get to and will decrease travel times significantly.  Continue to keep us in your prayers that we might be able to be fruitful and make a difference.  God Bless.

Until next time,

Aaron

A deep breath

Greetings,

            As I had anticipated, things have really calmed down here from the past few weeks.  Although after jumping off bridges, pretty much everything is “calmed down.”  The second half of the trip has begun as Dan has been saying and our purpose here is finally coming about.  We are here to share Christ and his gospel with those that we meet.  So that is exactly what we plan to do.

            The main campus of the University of Zambia is still not open due to the professors being on strike.  That really is unfortunate for us and our ministry because that limits what we are able to do here to going to the medical campus which takes at least an hour to get there by bus.  The good news is that the basketball team is still there and practicing two or three times per week and I have been able to spend some time with them.  Several of them seem interested in the prospect of having a Bible study so when we find a night or afternoon that works for them we will begin one on the book of Colossians. 

           

            The last practice that I attended consisted mainly of some of the team playing the game 21 or one-on-one which was good to be able to judge where I am compared to some of the other members of the team.  The answer so far is: far less athletic but far taller.  I will be missing our first game this weekend due to the National Conference here but that should give me time to get back used to playing on a consistent basis.  Our next practice is this afternoon at 17:00 (they seem to run on military time here) and I hopefully will get to finally meet the coach.

            The National Conference that I have mentioned several times up to now is actually on this Saturday unlike my last post said.  The speaker for the conference is the Associate director of the Navigators in the United States, Eddie Broussard.  He has been here for a week now and we have had the privilege to hear him speak several times on “trusting God” and the “journey of knowing God.”  He is a passionate speaker that clearly has a close relationship with Christ and he is very open to new cultures.  It has been great to have him here even when the wildfires in Colorado Springs are threatening his home.  If you all could pray not only for their home but the homes of those that are still in danger of the fires.  The National Nav headquarters are there and could use some heavy prayer.

            Please continue to keep me in your prayers as I move into the portion of the trip that I am probably more uncomfortable about than even spending the week in the village.  I do not have much experience at all with campus ministry so I will be pretty much relying and trusting in God with all that I have.  Pray that I will have the confidence to go out and make disciples of the students here in the mighty name of Jesus.  If any of you have any prayer concerns that I can be praying for you, message me on Facebook or email me at aspesar@purdue.edu. 

From halfway around the world,

Aaron Spesard

Jumping off bridges

Greetings,

     Jumping off a bridge is something that sounds both crazy and fun at the same time. After doing just that twice in a span of thirty minutes, I would say that it was the stupidest and most amazing thing I have ever done. The bungee jumping platform at the bridge by Victoria Falls is the highest commercial jump in the world and it was a tempting prospect since I heard about it. The one condition for going was met as I left the Chicago airport when my Dad gave me permission. I know that was not an easy decision but I am very glad he made it.

     Pretty much immediately after making the trip to Mumbwa, we set off for the city of Livingstone which is about a 6 hour trip south of Lusaka where we are staying. We left at four in the morning and the trip went very smoothly. Upon arrival, we got some breakfast and headed to the safari. We started off into the National park with seeing several monkeys running around and climbing and got off to a good start with seeing an elephant very early on. As we continued on for a few hours, we saw giraffes, monkeys, impalas, elephants, baboons, zebras, crocodiles, warthogs, several different birds, hippos, and a monitor lizard. Unfortunately and fortunately both at once, there were no lions, hyenas, and cheetahs in the park.
We left the safari, hit up lunch, and headed to Mosi-o-tunya; the native word for the falls that translates to "the smoke that thunders." I could not think of a better word for it. The falls were absolutely massive. They continued on as far as I could see and the bottom could not be seen at any time due to the giant amount of mist that was created when the water reached the endpoint. The sound was extremely loud the whole time and the mist did resemble smoke slightly. Besides the Grand Canyon, this was the most awe inspiring thing I have ever seen. The sheer size was unbelievable and I could do little but sit there in silence and take it in as much as I could. God’s power and beauty were on display simultaneously in a brilliant and magnificent manner.

      The mist that is created was also incredible. Not only was there mist at the bottom where the water thundered down against rocks but it rose all the way above the level of the falls themselves which is no small feat. You could feel the effects of the mist even over 100 yards away as water droplets landed all over. Getting closer only increased the effect and the entire team quickly became soaked to the core. Our walk around the outside of the falls showed there was no escaping from the wall of water that was enveloping the surroundings. As Silas described it, "[T]his is the hardest I have ever seen it rain upwards." While that sounds ridiculous that is actually a pretty accurate description of the phenomenon that we were experiencing.

      We left the falls after walking on the path that is set aside for pictures and just viewing the spectacular sight and went back to the safari for awhile. While we had seen all the animals mentioned above there was still one elusive creature that we really wanted to see. Talking with Sam who drove our car from Lusaka, rhinos are not only rare but very expensive as Zambia had to pay South Africa to bring some of the rhinos over and try to jumpstart their population. On our way there we actually were lucky enough to see tons more animals than our earlier trip such as entire herds of elephants and even baby elephants, giraffes, impalas, and four baby warthogs. The only way we could come up with to find the rhinos was to pay a fee to the rangers to walk us out to find them on foot. This was no easy task or a short trip by any means. It took a five to ten minute drive followed by a twenty minute walk through the bush to reach one. Not only did we reach one, we were so close I was caught off guard. The rhino was evidently somewhat used to having people around but he still marked his territory several times due to our proximity. We were within 10-15 yards at the nearest point to a creature that weighs more than three tons and has two giant horns on its head. Nevertheless we were with three rangers that all had assault rifles so we felt somewhat safe.

         We spent the night in a lodge that had several small cabins each named after animals that could be found on safari and for some reason I was put into the one named giraffe. After a night of great rest, we got up, had a great breakfast of cornflakes, eggs, bacon, toast, and juice, and headed back to the falls for the moment that I had been waiting for since I decided to go on the trip. We were going to the bridge that connects Zambia and Zimbabwe that crosses the massive gorge carved by the river. Halfway across the bridge is the platform from which you jump. The same platform that someone jumped from and did not come back up. The same platform that boasts the highest commercial bungee jumping in the world. The same platform that I was getting ready to jump from.

        When we got to the spot that we signed up, I saw that they offered some other features beside bungee jumping that were called the slide and the swing. The jumping and swing cost the same amount at $120 each and the slide (or zip line) was $35 but they had a great deal. It is called the "Big Air Experience" and everything about it seemed like a perfect idea to me. It allowed you to do all three (jump, slide, and swing) for a total of $155. How could I pass that up? It sounded like the best thing ever but I did not want to be the only one to do it and make everyone wait for me so when Silas showed the same interest I knew that I had to do it. Borrowing five one dollar bills so I didn’t break a fifty, I purchased the whole shebang.
The slide came first which was a great way to view the whole gorge at an elevated view while not falling straight towards the water. It was also a much slower pace that made things look amazing. For those that do not like heights at all, this would have been a nightmare. It is around 200 meters to the bottom and you are sliding along one metal line. For me, it was a great experience that I would gladly do again.

       Next I was over at the bridge and I got to see most of the rest of the team doing their bungee jumps. First went Todd our leader, then Bryce, then Dan, and then Sam. They all made the leap off the bridge having faith that they would return which they did. For me the swing came next. This one I did not know about before but was somewhat similar to the jump. Instead of jumping off headfirst with a bungee cord, you pretty much step off the platform with a harness. Technically you are told to jump about a meter away from the platform and stay in pencil dive form the entire time. While in this streamlined position, speed increases at a ridiculous rate and your nerves go crazy. Towards the end of my free fall, I was getting really nervous because I had been falling for what seemed like way too long and my speed at that point was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Yet I continued falling until I felt the harness begin to catch and swing me out down the canyon. Being before the bungee jump, this "suicide fall" as Silas and I called it, was the more intense of the two. If I were to do one of the three again it would most likely be the swing.

       The bungee jump came third but was just as intense as anything. Stepping up to the edge of the platform with the cord wrapped very tightly around my ankles was even crazier because I could feel the weight of the cord pulling at my ankles that were strapped together. In the same way as the other two, the guy that is telling you what to do right before you go and getting you started, he did not waste any time allowing you to stop and think about what you are doing. He pretty much says "okay so jump three meters out and keep your arms out and head up. 5.4.3.2.1.Bungee (the no spaces is meant to show how fast he went). It makes sense that they do not give you time to think because I think most people would back out when they look down. The 111 meter drop that you experience is the longest drop of any commercial bungee jump in the world and goes straight down at the river flowing below you. When you add in the fact that last year there was a girl that had her bungee cord snap and she plummeted down into the water, this is one nerve-racking experience.

        Despite the seeming to be danger, our entire team survived and lived to tell the tale to their children and their children’s children of how they jumped off a bridge with nothing but some rubber attached to their ankles. As for me, I do not want to say that I will never do it again. Something about the freefall is amazing and I have not stopped smiling since I did it. I want to thank my parents for giving me permission to do this. I know that it was not easy and I really appreciate what you did.
For the rest of our stay here in Zambia things will be settling down. Todd and Silas are leaving tonight for Dubai where they will stay a few nights before returning home and Bryce and Jon are currently on their way to the Copper Belt where they will be staying in Kitwe and helping to renew the ministry at CBU (Copper Belt University). Dan, Nathan, and I will be staying here with Abel, Sam, and Gershom and when UNZA finally opens (the professors are on strike currently), we will get to work with our college ministry there. Until then we will be mainly working at the medical campus over at Ridgeway and helping with the National Navigator Conference that begins Thursday.


Over and out from Lusaka,

Aaron Spesard

T. I. A.

Greetings,

      T. I. A. This Is Africa. That thought was running through my mind multiple times during this last week. Whether it was the riding on the back of a truck going down a path that was meant for walking or beheading several chickens, this was what I had in mind when I was thinking about going to an African village.

      Between my last post and our trip to the village our summer team was allowed to go and play basketball with the team at UNZA. Jon Chen had befriended a few of the team members last year when he was here and so he contacted him and asked him if we would be able to play with them one night for fun. We ended up playing for a couple hours in their gym that was nothing by our standards but they were thrilled and loved the game. Afterwards we were talking with Richard who is our main contact on the team and he was interested in several of us playing for their team in the tournament that they play in. This week we will be unable to make it to practice and so we will be missing the game but Dan, Nathan and I are on the team’s official roster for the tournament. They have plenty of small and quick guards but they said they could use some forwards. So I am officially on a college basketball team. Who cares where that team is? Not me.

      Our trip to Mumbwa began on a Tuesday around 10:30 in the morning. The city bus that we had chartered had arrived and we were loading all of our food, clothes, and kitchen equipment. Once we set off we only had to make a few stops for some fresh food and gas but it was only three hours of American music later that we reached the village. The village of Mumbwa is located a ten minute drive on a rough dirt road away from the town of Mumbwa.
     
     While at the village, we stayed at a church that was located in the middle of nowhere. There were some huts around but only two other homes were within eye sight. We set up our four tents in the side yard of the church next to several small huts known as insakas. The insakas were used for fires, group gatherings, and cooking. The church was made in a similar fashion to many buildings in the area which is brick with a coating of concrete on the outside with a metal roof.

       For the first time in my life I was truly outside of my comfort zone. This was not camping. This was not vacation. This was not home. This was not with anyone that I knew very well. I had known Dan from the one day orientation that we had before the trip and the 8-10 days that we had been on the trip. Jon Chen was on our team and despite going to Purdue with him and being with him a lot I knew very little about him. I somewhat knew Ngambo and Gershom from the week before we left but the other four members of our team I did not know at all. I did not even find out Chiti’s name until halfway through the week. The person that I know the best here is Bryce and he went to Chibombo (another village).

      People say that you find things out about yourself when you get out of your comfort zone. That is completely true. During the time that we spent in Mumbwa, I found out much about myself as God revealed to me the arrogance and sense of self worth that I had. It is amazing that it took me this long to see that I looked down on these people for no reason. Day after day I was shown that in no way am I better than the people that strive every day in the village for their food and carry tons of water just to have something to drink. The rest of the lessons that I learned I will keep to myself but I feel that it was an experience that would benefit virtually every person around my age and make them into a better and more well-balanced individual.

       Speaking of getting water. Before leaving the states I was given so many warnings about the water and told all the ways that I should be keeping my water clean and how to survive without getting extremely sick. I took these things into account and drank bottled water that we were able to bring with us for the first two days. All the water that we cooked with for the trip came from a borehole or well that was about two to three hundred yards away. That distance is nothing when only walking there carrying the empty water jugs. The way back is a different story. Carrying forty liters (or litres as it is spelled here) of water is no simple task for that distance. The containers were manageable only when you took a couple breaks to allow your hands to rest on the way. The containers that the women fill and balance on their heads are smaller but there is no doubt that is brutal work. My respect for them as they do that and cook nshima (which is a task that wears my arms out) is extensive. There are even small kids that tote around large amounts of water with the help of bicycles. After the first two days I was able to drink water directly from the pumps which made things much easier.

        It would make sense to talk about food immediately after water so here goes. It ranged from delicious to atrocious. That is the best way that I can put it. Breakfasts usually consisted of cornflakes mixed with peanut butter and/or hard boiled eggs with a cup of hot cacao (not hot chocolate for sure; far more bitter). The first lunch consisted of bread and sandwiches that contained all combinations of mayonnaise, cheese, and jam (not the most usual combinations but alright nonetheless). Most of the other lunches would be either nshima, rice, or pasta served with the gravy and cooked cabbage. Those were not bad at all and nshima actually became something that I enjoyed by the end. Some of the highlights of the food were fritters (fried balls of dough about the size of a baseball), some mutton stew from our friend Thaddeus the sheep, fried chicken, a couple new fruits that I had never tasted, roasted maize, and the gravy. Lydia who was in charge of the gravy during the trip made some heavenly tasting stuff that I would have seconds and thirds of. Now on the opposite side of the scale stands Capenta. Without a doubt it was the worst tasting thing that I have eaten and I have eaten grubs, entire crawfish in one bite, and I believe once as a kid I ate a leaf off of our sweat gum tree in our backyard because the name made it sound tasty somehow. When they were thrown into the pot of grease I knew it was not going to go over well. To put it simply, they exuded the odor of death and as it works with most foods, they tasted like they smelled. In my time here I will not again touch those fish. Never.

         One thing that we had not planned out overly well was allotting time to cook and prepare the food. Similar but far more exaggerated to camping, everything began from scratch and literally from scratch. We had to cut every tomato that we ate (and that was no small amount), every onion, every carrot, all of the rape (terrible name for a food but oh well), and all the cabbage. That was not the major time consumer though. The meat took far longer to get ready with the exception of the capenta and other fish that we just fried. After the first two or three days I walked into the church to where our supplies were stored and saw a box with seven chickens inside. We also had to start from scratch on the one sheep that we had which as I mentioned before was named Thaddeus by Kayi (another member of our team from Zambia but studying in Canada). I was given the "privilege" of beheading one of the first three chickens as was Dan and Iden. The second time around I was stuck with two more. While I did not enjoy it necessarily it did not bother me and I did not have to dress (or undress would make more sense?) them afterwards. None of our team was awake for the killing of poor Thaddeus as it was the day after an all-night "prayer" meeting that will be discussed later on.

         The language barrier in the village was far worse than it has been in Lusaka. While there were still many that spoke English, it was usually those that were in the age range of 20-30. Much older than that and they might not be able to communicate more than a few sentences. The children were also too young to know any English at all which made things very frustrating. Many of the people did not speak English there but the number of languages in which some were fluent was amazing. One man who was called Bishop Wiseman, had a mental condition that hindered his motor skills and his speech but he could speak fluently in six languages. He truly was an amazing man that had his entire life straightened out. He was the one person that I talked to the most and he was able to change my impressions of village people and even help me to change my own life. Never will I forget Bishop Wiseman.

         Since we were staying by the church and were there on church business, many of the members really wanted to hear what we had to say. They even called two special services so that we would have more time to share with them. From our summer team, Dan and Jon both gave lessons/sermons. Jon spoke twice; one about how having met God changes your life, and one about discipleship. Dan spoke at the all night prayer service about renewing our strength through suffering. Their messages were so much more powerful than some of the "motivational speeches" that were given by the members of the church.

          The all night prayer meeting that I have been talking about was one of the memories that will stick with me even though I was cringing and plugging my ears for much of it. It was similar to other services that we experienced in Mumbwa but was far longer. I think that preach has a different interpretation here because I am not used to the yelling that was going on. The church was able to rent a generator, keyboard, and microphones and I do not think they knew how to use them correctly. The speakers were turned up the entire way the entire time to the point that many of our team was either plugging our ears or putting toilet paper in them to muffle the sound. It did not help when the person using the microphone would yell into it as if it was not loud enough. The prayers would even be like that from time to time and they focused mainly on defending the church and the people in it from demons. At one point when we were all asked to kneel in prayer, most of our team of Navs fell asleep and did not get back up when he said amen and his response was do not let the devil make you sleep. Normally I would have no trouble staying awake especially with the sound so loud but when the service lasts eight hours I could not resist nodding off a little bit.

         One of the main highlights of the meeting was the trip there and back as well as Dan’s message and the portion of the service that most of our team left the church and sat and talked around the fire. The mode of transportation that we used to get from our church to the church that was hosting was a big flatbed truck that had a railing around the outside. The coolest thing about it was we would be driving down the road and stop and keep picking up other people until we had around fifty people loaded up. The trip consisted of trying to talk over the sound of the wind in your ears and singing praise songs. The fire outside was where our team was so tired that we lost all inhibitions about what we were saying and we just talked about all the different parts of the service that we found crazy or annoying even though there were some church members out there with us. At that point we had heard enough.

         The churches were not the only organizations that wanted to have us go and speak to them. We were asked to speak at a boarding school in Mumbwa and a youth training facility that allowed members of the younger generation that were unable to find jobs to be trained in certain fields such as agriculture, catering, computers, and brick laying. At the boarding school I was asked to speak about bullying while other members of our team covered topics such as furthering your education, balancing your life with Christ, and the hand illustration (an illustration used by Navigators to teach how to study the Bible). Afterwards we split up the boys and girls and allowed them to ask any questions that they had. They were very open with their questions and I believe we were able to make an impact on their lives. The youth center gave us less time so we had talks about the bridge (another illustration that allows you to share the Gospel using only one verse) and how to manage your time.

        The children were an absolute blast to play with. We brought a Frisbee disc to give away but we did not expect the response from them. Soccer dominates their sport life but these kids would play with the Frisbee from dawn until dusk without slowing down at all. It took them some time to learn how to throw it but with time they were picking it up. One day I was able to give away all of the toys that I brought which included hot wheel cars, squirt guns, stickers, and bubbles. I ran out almost immediately once they figured out that the big white man was handing out the good stuff. One child in particular was my favorite though. During the church service on Sunday, she was with her mom and she was not scared of me at all. We played peek-a-boo for much of the service and then afterwards I gave her my first gift of bubbles. From that point on she would yell "mazungu" which means white person at me and then we would both point at each other. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen.

        Since this post is already ridiculously long, I will draw it to a close with how our trip ended in magnificent and crazy fashion. We were going back using the same bus that took us there but it showed up more than two hours late. When we finally set off, it was only fifteen minutes before the engine began to smoke. It had leaked oil from a pipe so they worked on that for a little bit then poured some water on it that we got from a club on the side of the road called FM Clubhouse where we met a guy who "loovvvesssshhh mussshic" (obviously drunk) who danced away. The fix evidently was not sufficient because another ten minutes led to the same smoke coming from the engine. The second stop was at another club where we stopped and got even more water. The fix finally worked and we were off again. We were able to make decent time for a little bit then but we were stopped outside of Lusaka at a police checkpoint for "having luggage on the back seats" and that we could go on if we paid a fine of 270,000 kwacha which is around $60. The true reason for the stop was that they saw Dan and I in the bus and thought we would get frustrated and just pay it. They even told our driver and Gershom (team leader) that they should just have the "mazungus" on the bus get off and pay it and they could get going. We were not going to pay the price so we just waited them out. Once we finally made it to town we were out of gas and the first two places that we stopped were not pumping so we had to wait while the driver and his partners went and bought fuel at the next place which took another 20 minutes at least. In total the trip which would normally take 3 hours took 6. But we made it eventually.
　
Until next time,
Aaron Spesard

Mumbwa

Greetings,

            I am officially Zambian.  I bought my Zambian footbol jersey and I am now watching my first game although I am somewhat distracted by writing.  The last few days we have been doing a large amount of training for our trip to the village known as Door of Hope.  The meetings have started at 9 in the morning and the meetings on Wednesday and Thursday lasted until late in the afternoon around 5:30. 

Yesterday we took some much needed team time and discussed how we all had been adjusting to the new culture and how we were doing in our personal walks.  This all happened at Nelson’s house (The leader of the Navs in Zambia) and he brought us some pizza back for lunch.  Immediately after lunch we went over to UNZA for some personal quiet time and some more team time in smaller groups of two or three as we discussed different things that we have struggled with and what we had been learning.  We continued to stay as a group late last night as we went from store to store at the mall at Manda Hill.  While there we visited a total of 6 stores; one of which was the store that I purchased my nice jersey and another was the Milky Lane where Silas shoved his ice cream cone in Nathan’s face and Nathan graced us with several magic tricks.

A couple nights ago Bryce and I sat down and had a very long conversation with our friends Gershom and Ngambo and the topic of family came up.  We found out that we were not cousins in Zambia.  We are actually brothers.  Here in Zambia, the only way people can be considered cousins is if they are the children of your father’s sister or your mother’s brother.  If they are the children of your mother’s sister such as Bryce and I, they are considered brothers.  We also talked about how great it would be to have the Navigators from here come and visit us in the US and then all the challenges that would come with that.

I meant to mention this in my last post but I am pretty sure that I have the greatest family in the world.  Ever since I have started getting into my bags and getting stuff out I have been finding little surprises in the most random locations.  I have found pictures of everything from me at the talent show to the mouse that I caught and hung up at the cabin that has been hanging for over a year now.  I have also been finding Bible verses hidden all over such as inside my socks or in my giant bag of mints that I brought.  I got a brief phone call last night to Jenny and it was good to get to talk to someone on the phone before our trip to the village.

Speaking of the village, we will be leaving for the village on this upcoming Tuesday.  The original plan was for the Zambitious 7 (our name we came up with last night), the staff members here in Zambia, and then the students that have agreed to come would be split up into groups of about ten each and we would go to three villages.  That plan has since changed due to a lack of numbers and now it appears that we will only be going to two villages, Mumbwa and Chibombo.  We will be at these villages from this Tuesday until next Sunday.  During that time I will not have access to internet obviously and we will be sleeping in tents around the village.  We will be bringing a lot of food but I believe that we will also be eating some with the villagers who grow maize and make their own nshima. 

While we were being trained about what to expect in the village some interesting things came up.  We at times will be asked to share about different life skills that would be good for those that live there such as ambition/vision for their lives and hygiene.  We even might be asked to share at the church service that we will be attending on the last day of our stay.  Some customs that we will have to abide by while living there are to not deny their food.  When they offer their food to us they see it as offering themselves to us and us rejecting that food is us rejecting them.  Another thing is that being given a chicken is a great honor among them.  So if one of them were to offer me a live chicken I should accept it with a smile on my face and then be ready to kill it.

We have now treated our hosts as well as many others to some American food.  Last night for dinner we served twelve people French toast using a whopping three loaves of bread and 25 eggs.  The syrup was very similar and the whole process went very well.

As of now, I will be going to the village Mumbwa with Dan and Jon.  We will be going with several of the staff members here and some students from UNZA as well.  The planning has been very hectic but we seem to now be pretty much ready to go and experience the villages of Africa for ourselves.  Over and out!

Aaron Spesard