Home sweet home & Special thanks

It’s taken me a few weeks to come down to earth and back to reality after such an adventure. It was hard to say good-bye to such a special family. I can definitely relate to missionaries working in Africa and the world after visiting Zambia. It’s difficult to leave home to pursue an unfamiliar culture dedicated to witnessing about Jesus. I’ve been able to get perspective on how comfortable and blessed we are at home as well. Being home again with my family, friends and also home church is so good. 

Everyone should go on a mission trip some time to experience life on the spiritual frontline, living an uncluttered life of simple daily commitment and obedience to the Lord. But I suppose that’s how we all should be living everywhere anyway.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33

I’m thankful that this mission was successful and I could help the Schaefer's and build friendships. I especially enjoyed the special conversations with them and people I met.

Helga and Lynwen back at CCFM with special Zambian Chitenge fabric cushions (thanks to mum for making them)

 

So that’s the end of my awesome Zambian Mission trip with very special thank to God for his unfailing love and provision, King of Kings Church and everyone who supported me there, my family and friends back home who encouraged me and to the whole, very special Schaefer Family (Grant, Lynne, Joel, Hope, Charlie, Olivia and Luke) including Stevie, Friday and everyone else there who I was privileged to meet and get to know. Thank you for your warmth and hospitality and making me feel part of the family.

An unforgettable experience which I hope to repeat one day and really encourage others to do too.

THANK YOU ALL FOR SHARING THIS JOURNEY WITH ME

GOD BLESS

JACK

 

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always even to the end of the ate. Amen. Matthew 28:19-20

Little mini adventure at Lusaka airport – Journey Home

Another demonstration of God’s goodness. I was due to fly home on Tuesday 4th at 12:00 on Zambezi Airlines. I checked in and waited in the departures lounge nice and early. My fellow passengers and I knew something was up because on the flights board we saw no check-in or boarding notices all morning. All the news we got was that our flight was ’experiencing technical problems and was delayed’.

Eventually at 13:45 we were all called to the Zambezi office where we were told the flight was cancelled. By that time It was too late to book us on another flight with a different airline and all they could do was arrange another flight the next morning first thing. Well one lady and her husband were super furious and really put up a fight. I tried to call Grant but couldn’t get through to his cell. I really had no clue what to do or where I was going to sleep that night!!

I turned back to the office to find that the manager had agreed, after some persuasion from the angry lady, to put us all up in a hotel that night and arrange all taxi trips and connecting flight for the next day, free of charge!

The amazing thing was that in the end nobody, not even the lady who’d pushed for it, ended up taking the offer. They all arranged their own accommodation. When the manager asked who’d take the deal I was the only one to raise my hand! I didn’t open my mouth once and ended up being well looked after, better than I could have arranged myself. Now if that wasn’t God’s goodness, I don’t know what is!

I spent Tuesday at Kwethu Lodge where many of the Zambezi pilots and air hostesses are housed. I pretty much got my own mini house with flat screen TV, air-con and all meals paid for.  It wasn't perfect (no hot water for a shower) but what a great deal anyway. After the heat in Mbala, the first thing I did after I arrived was put the air-con on to 16 degrees Celsius on full!!

Finally on Wednesday morning I boarded my flight to Joberg and at 13:00 caught the connecting flight on British Airways to CT. I’ve missed family and friends loads. It feels great to be home.

Day 61 – Journey to Lusaka and Victoria Falls

What a ride! I can look back on it now and laugh but at the time laughing maybe wasn’t my first thought – ok it wasn’t too bad. The bus wasn’t perhaps what you’d think; passengers holding down noisy chickens and goats, bags of onions swinging from the ceiling and a tower of luggage on the roof with a racing driver at the wheel. Instead Zambian busses are pretty modern coaches (apart from the mini-buses and taxis), only our seats were unnaturally narrow.

Two hours out of Mbala in Kasama, we stopped to drop off and collect new passengers. As we waited, a smartly dressed man hopped on-board and started preaching up and down the isle, reading his bible and getting quite amped. I was just congratulating him in mind when Grant quietly leaned over to me and explained a little about what he was actually saying (it was all in Bemba).  Turns out he said nothing about our sin or repentance or grace but only what many people want to hear; that God will protect and prosper us all, believer or not. Grant said unfortunately this sort of prosperity doctrine, where God is more a wish-granting genie/spirit than a forgiving loving father seeking a relationship with us, is not uncommon among Zambian churches. I could hardly believe it when, after his sermon, he slowly walked from top to tail down the bus while people gave him money. Maybe they think if they pay the pastor, God will be kind to them.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is a gift from God, not of works lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2: 8,9

Yes God is good and caring and we receive His salvation by believing in Him (alone and fully), and not by buying it with money or by going to church or reading the bible a certain amount. It is a free gift. Now that’s good news!!

We made good time. The 1000 Km journey took 18 hours through Thursday night and another 6 hours to travel the 490 Km to Livingstone. Some of the highlights/interesting events of the bus trips where when Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ‘Commando’ movie was played three times in a row into the early hours of Friday morning,  reading allot of my The Lord of the Rings, seeing different msungu tourists from around the world, and eating the delicious chicken-mayo rolls Lynne baked and made for us.

Very early on Friday morning, somewhere between Mbala and Lusaka.

This is where we stayed in Livingstone for Friday and Saturday night, Jollyboys Backpackers and Campsite. It was a super cool place, and cheap too. It was close enough to town for Grant and I could walk to Shoprite and the bus stop.

Saturday morning Grant and I hopped on the free 11:00 AM mini-bus from Jollyboys to the falls. We dodged the baboons at the main entrance, hungry for tourists’ fruit, and followed all along the walk ways and over a narrow bridge to the end of the falls.

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe on the horizon. Not as much water or mist as in the wet season, but  with exposed rocky floor.

What a great way to end my stay in Zambia. By this time tomorrow I’ll be in the air flying back home to CT. In about a week I’ll put up my last post with final thoughts about the trip.

Day 58 – Last morning with the Schaefer's

Well this is it, It’s time to start my journey back to SA. Grant and I’ll be leaving soon at 12:30 today.

Stevie and Friday (you remember them from Mwenda Conference) came by yesterday for a bit to say good-by. That was sad, they're both such special guys and brothers in Christ. Steve another missionary pastor from America also popped in this morning. He’s also a great guy with Godly wisdom and who’s truly compassionate about seeing Zambia transformed by the Gospel.

I’ve got mixed feelings about going home. Of course I’m very excited to see my family and friends after so long. I’m also sad to leave especially after the incredible way I’ve been made part of the Schaefer family and that this Zambian adventure is over. I’m allot more in-sync with the farm lifestyle and with living in a missionary family now. It’s been great to live as a missionary for this time and I’ll miss the Schaefer's very much.

Day 54 – It’s my last week in Zambia!!

It’s been quite a while since my last blog post and it’s high time for an update!

So last week the boys took me fishing on Mbala Lake. Joel and Grant used to go almost weekly and caught decent sized fish every time. Some Mbala locals actually make their living fishing but unfortunately they use nets and the lake has now been over-fished. Catching a decent edible sized fish is rare. We trawled in their little boat, dragging a couple of rods behind us at low speed. I was the only one to make a catch. I was STOKED because It was my first chance to catch, gut and cook my own fish! Later that evening another missionary family the Swartz’s came over for their speciality rib braai so I cooked my fish in foil over the coals with garlic and onions sliced inside – SO DELICIOUS!!

A real farm kitchen. There’s literally always something cooking on the stove or in the oven – scones for breakfast, bread, home made dog food (rice and stinky little fish called capenta), something for the days main meal at lunch (fish curry, pressure cooked chicken, macaroni cheese…), jars being boiled for jam or pickled beetroot, spiced chai tea… Everything is home-grown and reared with no pesticides or hormones. 

It rained for the first time in my two months here, a wild wind and rain storm lasting about 10 minutes. The rainy season isn’t until late Oct-Nov and this was just a short shower before the seriously hot weeks to come just before the rains. The children and I all rushed outside to experience it! Little Luke was so thrilled be used a cub to catch and poor rain water onto himself!

It was Lynne’s idea for children to make and paint a wooded cross for the road leading to the farm. I helped put up it up just off the dust track. It was a fun project and will hopefully be a great symbol of Christ for visitors.

Hope and I also painted Grand and Lynne’s bathroom with the same earthy red paint as the guest bathroom.

I went to my last church service yesterday morning, another two and a half hour service (even though we arrived late and left early). Even though It was difficult to stay awake and keep following what the pastor said, it was my favourite message of all the services I attended.

He spoke on Joshua 14:1-15, how Caleb inherited the land of Hebron.Caleb faithfully waited a total of forty-five years until he could inherit the land he was promised. Pastor Amos pointed out God never lies or goes back on His oath; when He makes a promise He keeps it.

God is not a man, that He should lie. Number 23:19

Caleb waited faithfully and with peace in his heart, totally relying on the promise from the Lord. Because he trusted God with faith, God could accomplish His promise perfectly in Caleb's life. Pastor Amos encouraged us to think about what promises we’ve been given by God and to hold on to them!

On Thursday this week Grant and I will catch a bus to Lusaka and on to Livingstone where I’ll be able to visit Victoria Falls for a day. According to all reports a bus trip in Zambia, especially a long one, is quite an experience!

Day 43 – Africa’s #2 highest waterfalls and a Huge Isanga Surprise!

Last Friday, Grant took me to see Mbala’s Moto Moto Museum of Zambian History. I know what you’re thinking – but ‘Moto Moto’ has nothing to do with cars, It actually means fire! It was great to learn more about traditional village life and about Zambia’s colonial history.

Traditional Zambian hunting gear.

Water storage container made from a single hollowed fruit and an iron smelter.

Pretty out-of-tune wooded xylophone.

Joel, his friend Tibias and I spent Friday night camping in the forest on the farm. It was super fun, and great for the guys, who love outdooring and survival, to test their skills.

Lynne was sick Friday night and unfortunately by Saturday night both Charley one of the Schaefer daughters and I also became ill. They both recovered by Tuesday but it’s taken me up until today to start feeling properly better. Thankfully it wasn’t anything bad but only a viral infection. Thank you to all for you prayers for health!

Yesterday a young guy called Tristan, the boyfriend of a friend of the Schaefer's, came to stay the night. He’s been road-tripping through Africa in his Nissan X-Trail for the last two months. Both him and I were super eager to see Kalambo Falls - Africa’s second highest single drop waterfall at 235m - so Grant and Lynne suggested the two of us visit it together with Joel as guide, and stay at Isanga Bay for a night!

 

Truly Beautiful! We even hopped across the river into Tanzania for a bit. Sssssh!

Later at Isanga Bay, over our chicken and rice braai, Tristan and I got to know each other better and I asked him about his spiritual/religious beliefs. It turns out he studied psychology and philosophy for three years at uni in Australia and knows a fare bit about popular religious and eastern philosophies.

He believes in Pantheism – where there’s a little bit a ‘god’ or a higher spiritual force in everybody and everything and each person can find their own equally legitimate way to spiritual enlightenment or ‘god’. It was great to discuss and listen to his views and to tell him about what I believe and why. I also put some questions to him about Jesus and His claims about Himself. Even though he dodged and explained away a lot of what I said, I’m so stocked how God gave me supernatural courage and compassion to speak the truth to him. God rewards our boldness, His spirit does the rest. I’m confident that what God sewed into his heart last night will will not be wasted!

As Nicoline walked us out of the campsite we saw a curious flash of dark fur on the beach. We all stared in amazement – it was the wild cat that lives on the point. Dirk and Nicoline have known about it for years but no one has ever seen one at the Lodge before. It looked like a large house cat/jennet with fluffy stripped black and white tail and blotchy brown black fur. What a great privilege!

Day 37 – Digging the Well, Herb Salad

This week Joel, Joseph (one of the farm workers) and I have been digging one of the farm wells deeper. The drinking water well is ok, but the veggie garden one was too low and it’s pump was sucking mud. Well, it was quite a mission I must say!

Joseph stood in the freezing water at the bottom, hand-scooping the mud away while Joel and I pulled up and dumped the buckets and operated the pump. We pumped up the water and then dug until the well filled up again. Eventually we had to suspend the pump down inside the well from a tree above because the pressure became to much for it. Today Joseph used a brush and pitchfork to scrape away the old mud layer on the walls to improve the flow. Of course I had to climb down once for the experience!

The well’s a real optical illusion. Looking down you’d think it’s shallow, but the whole 5 meter ladder disappears down it!

I made my first Zambian Herb Salad yesterday for diner with fresh basil, coriander and parsley. If you don’t know already, at home I’m usually the salad man. There’s something's really special about walking to your own garden and picking fresh grown herbs and veggies every day! The Schaefer’s grow all their own greens apart from red onions and potatoes, which they buy at the Manada market in town twice a month.