Monday, August 18, 2008

The Women of Zambia...or should I say My Sista's

I almost don't feel worthy to write this next post. How will I ever come close to describing how wonderful the women of Zambia are?

When I talk about the people of Africa I speak often of the depth of their souls. These women have been blessed with spirits that can soothe, uplift, love, and bless the lives of many, mine especially. The stories of their lives deserve more than a few sentences in this blog but it certainly is a start.

MABLE and MIRIAM

I can't describe the feelings that I have for these beautiful women. They truly are my sista's. This summer was the first time I met them. They were sitting on the blocks sorting through beans for dinner. I walked up to them, sat down, and starting sorting with them. Their english is very poor so we mostly just laughed. We sat there for about fifteen minutes and I immediately felt an unexplainable bond. How can I have so much love for these women who I just met and I can't even speak with? I told them I loved them and then I had to go.

A few weeks later we went back to the New Land and I was so excited to see my sister's again. Unfortunately, they had gone to town and wouldn't be back until later that afternoon. A few hours later I saw them come walking up the road. When they saw me they immediately started chanting "Nikokonda, Nikokonda". We embraced and then proceeded to have an afternoon that was a tender mercy from the Lord. We laughed, loved, sang, danced, and laughed some more. My heart has never been so full. It's moments like these that remind me of why I will always return to Zambia.

KATHERINE and HELGA



These are the women that I lived with over the summer. They are so good to me. They took such good care of me while I stayed at the CRC. They let me use their super clean bathroom which was a great blessing because the other bathrooms are SCARY!!!

The picture above shows a typical day at the farm. Just chillin' outside watching the kids, making baskets out of corn husks, laughing, and chatting about who knows what. They taught me over and over about the importance of finding joy in the simple things. They also taught how important it is to take time to just be.

The other day I talked to Katherine who said to me, "You are my sunshine!" Heid and I decided that we're going to start telling people that they are our sunshine. Why not? It certainly made me happy.




FAITH and FAGNESS




Faith taught me the importance of gratitude. We threw a baby shower for her the second summer I was there. After we opened gifts and played games she stood in the middle of the circle and proceeded to thank us all for everything we had done for her. Faith is beautiful, soft spoken, and kind.
Fagness never stops working. She was my laundry salvation. I would start my wash in hopes that Fagness would take over and she eventually would. She never complains about anything. She taught me about the importance of turning to the Lord for everything. She told us about a time in her life where there wasn't enough food for her and her family. They would ration and only end up eating every three days. During the times when she wasn't eating she would turn to the Lord and lean on him for help and support. A remarkable woman with incredible wisdom and strength.
SAMPA, IRENE, and MAVIS



If it weren't for Sampa I would be skinny. She fixes the best meals for us every night. Mavis is the seamstress and Irene does all the house work.
CHARITY and JOSEPHINE


1 comment:

Brenna said...

Once again... thank you for sharing your stories. I really, really need those special reminders Hed.
Man I love you. You are MY sunshine!