off to zambia...finally!

hi, all! :)

i can't believe that graduation is only in a few days...that came up a ten thousand times quicker than i imagined. congratulations to all the soon-to-be grads who will walk across that stage this weekend - let's just hope that alumni lawn won't be covered in cicadas on friday the 13th (wouldn't that be appropriate!).

at the break of dawn on thursday, may 19th, i'll fly with my boyfriend bryan and three other guys from virginia tech - lucas, andrew, and brian - from roanoke, virginia to johannesburg, south africa. we'll meet ron bernard, the pastor of dwelling place christian fellowship, and the rest of the team when we land in johannesburg on the 20th. on the 21st, the team will fly to lusaka, zambia and then pile into a 25-passenger bus to road-trip it about 300 miles to the mission base in mongu, western province. there, we'll get a short debrief with paul, one of the south african missionaries with the zambia project, about what the team will be up to over the next few days. the general plan for our team of 18-ish is to help plant a church in the bush, serve at villiage of hope orphanage (VOH) and the school in mongu, and potentially help out at the base's new malnouishment clinic. we'll be sleeping in tents and sleeping bags while we're out in the bush and as we're traveling, so i'm sure the team will get real tight real quick!

around the 31st, we'll travel to capetown, south africa, where we'll work with two churches in kommetjie and with "safe and sound," a ministry that focuses on urban villiage orphans in masiphumelele. on june 7th, we'll fly to johannesburg and hopefully get to see a national wildlife preserve in pilanesburg on the 8th. except for seven of us who will be staying for a bit longer in zambia and south africa, the rest of the team will fly back to the states on the 9th. i'll travel back to virginia on september 13th.

as for the rest of the summer, i'll probably be living and working with missionaries back at the mission base in mongu, hanging out with kids (ages 3-10) at the VOH orphanage, helping with kids' church, and basically doing whatever is needed!

the zambia project itself is an amazing organization (check them out! zam.co.za), focused on empowering the people of zambia spiritually and physically through church planting, self-sustaining community development, community schools, entrepreneurship and agricultural training, medical outreach and primary health care, water well drilling, feeding programs, the villiage of hope orphanage, and "hope art." the zambia also partners with other organizations and churches to translate the bible into five different languages spoken in the region, an extensive undertaking that is clearly essential in spreading the good news of Jesus throughout the region. yall, please pray for God's hand in the zambia project, its short-term volunteers, its long-term staff, and the people of zambia.

for those of yall who are interested, here are a few fun facts about zambia...
* winter is through august (37 - 85 degrees F), and we'll be leaving just as it warms up (56 - 105 degrees F...whew!).
* malaria, tb, hiv/aids, dysentery, and other diseases are incredibly prevalent and combine to make the average life expectancy 29 years old. actually let that sink in...i'd look death in the eyes in 6 and a half years.
* zambia is incredibly impoverished and in dire need of consistent sources for clean drinking water, but it is relatively politically stable.
* the western province of zambia is about the size of england, with about a million inhabitants. the Lozi group comprise most of the population.

so what does one pack for a four-month stay in africa? fantastic question! bascially, i'll take one hiking backpack (those things are so cool...), a medium-weight sleeping bag, a kindle (lifesaver!! thanks, mom and dad!!), & my bible. as for clothing, i'll be wearing ankle-length skirts when we're in the bush, loose and light cargo capris when we're at the base in mongu (from a woman's waist to her knees is considered sexual), a few t-shirts (most of them sporting some form of "axo" pride), walking shoes (who knew that my vandy sperry's would ever come in handy post-college?), a baseball hat to partially shield me from the lovely african sun, and a sweatshirt.

thank you again for your thoughts, prayers, and support for me this summer - and i hope you'll check out the zambia project in your spare time and pray for its mission and the wonderful work they're doing with the Lozi people as well! all my love and in his peace,

stephanie :)

"the great commission is not an option to be considered, it is a command to be obeyed." hudson taylor