Home at Last!

          I realize it has been four days since I got back to Wallace.  I've been trying to get my body clock in sync with Eastern Daylight Time.
           The plane finally touched down at ILM around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday night.  Nancy and Natalie were there to meet me.  Dr. Dan Robinson was also there, to meet his dad who was on the same flight.
            My trip to Zambia was truly an adventure and a wonderful blessing and experience.
            I enjoyed sharing Dr. Phil's Zambian Adventure with all of you!

Back in the U.S. of A. But Still Far From Home

          I'm back in the States, but it's going to take me two hours longer to get from D.C. to Wilmington than it took to get from London to D.C.  It all started when the flight from Heathrow left about 45 minutes late.  I was already on a tight schedule to make a 2:29 p.m. connection with Delta at Dulles.  By the time I cleared immigration, customs, claimed my bag, and got to the Delta desk, it was 2:00 p.m.  The agent said it was too late for me to make it to the gate.  She rebooked me on a later flight to LaGuardia in NYC, then on to Wilmington, due in a little after 11 p.m.
           As I was sitting at the gate for that flight, I overheard someone say that LaGuardia flights had been canceled.  Sure enough, when I checked the departure board, I saw that my flight had been canceled.  The agent rebooked me on US Air through Charlotte on to Wilmington, to arrive around 11:30 p.m. tonight.  So, I had to go through security AGAIN!  The x-ray person pulled my bag and had another TSA agent check it for liquids (I didn't have any).  She unpacked my carry-on and pulled all of my wrapped wooden souvenirs out to be scanned again.  She was very nice and, when she found out I had flown all the way from Zambia yesterday and that my flights had been missed and canceled today, was very sympathetic.  She told me about her trip to Africa.  I thought it was interesting that that happened, since my bags were scanned at Heathrow, again at Dulles when I went through customs, and again after I had checked in with Delta earlier this afternoon.
             Oh well!   Here's hoping I'll make it to Charlotte and then Wilmington.  I'm at the gate, and the flight to Charlotte that was supposed to leave a little while ago has been delayed.

Halfway Home

           I'm blogging from the Heathrow Hilton Hotel near the airport in London.  Dustin picked me up at 6:20 this morning and took me to the airport.  My flight left at about 8:15 (7:15  London time) and arrived at Heathrow around 5:45, so it was a very long flight.  I got to the hotel around 8 and I am so tired I've done nothing but lie on the bed.
              Tomorrow's flight leaves around 10 a.m. and gets to D.C. at 12:50 EDT.  I will have to hustle to get on a 2:30 flight to Wilmington via Atlanta.  I'm supposed to get to Wilmington at 8:15 tomorrow night.
               I am ready to be home!
                See you soon in Wallace!

Saying a Bittersweet Goodbye

          In an e-mail earlier this week, our daughter, Natalie, said she figured it would be a bittersweet goodbye for me today.  She was right.  I am looking forward to getting home, but I am sorry to leave the folks here at JMTUC.
          At the conclusion of chapel this morning, Dr. Zulu, the rector, called me and Marty to come forward.  He thanked us for teaching during this three week term and we got a round of applause.  He then asked each of us to say a few words.  After that, we were presented with coffee mugs with the Zambian colors and the name of the national futbol/soccer team.  We were asked to stand in the receiving line after chapel.  We shook a lot of hands and received lots of good wishes.
          Marty and I taught the same students (he had one more than I, a man who was taking Hebrew rather than Greek).  Earlier this week they invited us to have coffee with them at 11:30 this morning.  It was a very nice gathering:  coffee, tea, cake, cookies, cheese and crackers.

 

 

          Abraham Mwale, the class representative, opened our gathering with a nice prayer.  After we ate, he offered some comments on behalf of the class.  Again, Marty and I were asked to share our thoughts and feelings about our experience.  Different class members then expressed their appreciation for our teaching.  Each of us was given a card signed by all of the class members.  Shingi even wrote "We love you" in Greek in my card!

         Abraham presented each of us with a wrapped gift and told us the gifts were Zambian shirts for us to wear and to remember them.  I waited until I got back to the house to open the gift.  I expected to find a T-shirt.  Instead, this is what I got!

 

 

          There is a lot of excitement and apprehension on campus today.  First, second, and third year students found out where they will be doing their 5 week practical ministries in July and August.  Fourth year students will soon find out where they will be posted for their first ministry.  They will serve a one year probationary period before being ordained.  I asked Charles where he would be for his practical ministry and he told me the Copperbelt (which is an area quite a distance away from Lusaka to the northwest).  He said he was a little nervous because, as he put it, "That's a different place up there."  He told me he had been born in Lusaka and had spent his whole life in Lusaka.

            We took a class photo with me and Marty.  Everybody was there except for Dorah.  Here is our group.

 

 

          Several students wanted to have their pictures made with us.  They referred to us as their "fathers" for these past three weeks!

 

 

Abraham Mwale

 

 

Noah Siwo

 

 

Godwill Mwanza

 

 

Charles Ngoma

 

 

Leonard Mwanza

 

 

Mphatso Matemba

 

 

Gilbert Mbewe

 

 

 

          I have turned in my final grades and course paperwork to the Dean of Studies.  My suitcase is packed.  Marty and I will eat supper at Dr. Retief's house tonight at 6:00 p.m.  My flight to London leaves at 8:50 a.m. tomorrow.  Dustin wants to have me at the airport two hours before flight time.

 

          It's been quite a Zambian adventure!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 





 

Greek 3 Is Finished!

          Except for my grading the final exams and submitting the final grades to the Dean of Studies, Greek 3, BTh 2 is finished! 
          We met for an hour this morning to review Lessons 21-28.  A couple of students stayed after to ask me some particular questions.  The exam began at 2:00 p.m. (14:00) and everybody had finished  by 3:30 p.m. (15:30).  I will probably start grading them tonight after we get back from supper.  Marty and I are going with the Ellingtons to eat at Mahak, the Indian restaurant where we ate the first week.
           Eunice, the woman who has been coming twice a week to clean the house and wash/iron clothes, came for her last time today.  When I paid her for her work, I also gave her a couple of Carolina Strawberry Festival tote bags with some pads, pencils, and Tootsie Roll Pops in them.  She was glad to get them.
          Here are some pictures that Dustin took on Sunday's boat ride on the Zambezi River.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Zambian Cuisine

          Marty and I ate supper at Dr. Lameck Banda's house tonight.  He is the Dean of Studies at JMTUC and also teaches theology.  He is a delightful man.  I had communicated with him several times before I arrived, as I had to send my resume and a copy of my ordination certificate for their records.  He also requested a copy of my course syllabus.  I have enjoyed getting to know him.  We had a good time visiting at the Sports Festival Day. 

         Dr. Banda asked me to express his deep gratitude and appreciation to WPC for the purchase of bicycles for their graduates.  He echoed Dr. Zulu's comments from Monday night, about what a difference the bikes make for the pastors and the communities they serve.  He is also most appreciative of the people at WPC who have edited student papers.  He is interested in having more people edit papers, as the students appreciate the perspective and the help they receive.

         We had a traditional Zambian meal, a variation of which we have had at all of our Zambian hosts' homes.  Tonight we had nshema (the corn dish that is like firm grits), pasta, slaw, boiled potatoes, rice, and a kind of beef stew (the most delicious thing I've eaten in the time I've been in Zambia -- Marty agreed!).

         We had a good time talking about soccer (the Zambians are crazy about soccer, and Mrs. Banda is, as her husband put  it, a "staunch supporter of our national team.").  There is still a chance the Zambian national team can make it to the World Cup.  They have an important match with Ghana coming up.  They have to win that match to move along.

         We also talked about American football and other sports.  Dr. Banda loves to play volleyball and to run (he is quite fast, as he showed at Sports Festival Day). 

          The Bandas have three children:  an 18 year-old son and a 16 year-old daughter, both of whom attend boarding schools away from Lusaka, and a 10 year-old daughter who ate with us tonight.  She is delightful.  Unfortunately she has not been feeling well lately.  Here is a picture of the Bandas.  His wife's name is Catherine Shane Banda.  Their daughter's name is Chimwemwe, which means "joy."  That seems to be an apt name, for she was smiling and happy on Saturday.  She's not smiling in this picture, but she had just about gone to sleep when Dr. Banda roused her for this picture.

Minister of Word and Sacrament

               Thirty years ago today (June 26, 1983), Nancy and I were ordained as ministers of the Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA).  We were both candidates for ordination under the care of presbyteries (Nancy - Wilmington Presbytery; Phil - Atlanta Presbytery) in the former Presbyterian Church in the United States (the former "Southern" church).  However, we were ordained shortly after the reunion of the PCUS and the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (UPCUSA).  We graduated from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, VA.

               We were ordained by the former Presbytery of Albemarle, which was located in the northeast corner of North Carolina.  Albemarle Presbytery became part of what is now known as New Hope Presbytery.

               We were ordained at the First Presbyterian Church in Rocky Mount, NC, where Nancy and I both served as associate pastors from June 1983 - August 1986. Here is a picture of FPC.

 

          We returned to Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, VA in August 1986 and I began my Ph.D. studies in New Testament.  We lived in Richmond for two years while I fulfilled my residency requirements, took my required courses, and passed my doctoral exams.

 

           In September 1987, we were asked to supply preach at the Stanley White Presbyterian Church in Roanoke Rapids, NC.  We ended up preaching there quite regularly (about twice a month) for the next year (and also preached at the Littleton Presbyterian Church in Littleton, NC).  We were called to be co-pastors of the two churches in September 1988 and served until March 1998.

 

           In January 1998, I was called to be pastor of the Wallace Presbyterian Church in Wallace, NC, and began serving on April 1, 1998.  Here is a picture of WPC (the painting of the stained glass window was done by a church member, Sharon Moore).

 

 

          I have served half of my ordained ministry as the pastor of the Wallace Presbyterian Church.  I am most grateful to God for the opportunity to serve at WPC and for the many wonderful saints in our congregation.  God has blessed me with many interesting opportunities during the last thirty years.  This teaching experience at Justo Mwale Theological University College is one of the highlights.

 

         As I said in my sermon on June 2 at WPC, "I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.  I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.  It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me . . . For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus.  And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God."  (Philippians 1:3-11)

 

          The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

            

 



Bikes for Zambia: An Update

          Marty and I ate dinner on Monday night at the home of Dr. Zulu and his wife.  Dr. Zulu is the rector of JMTUC.  He is a delightful man.  He is also an instructor at the school (in Old Testament), but his administrative responsibilities occupy much of his time.  Here is his picture from the school website (if you look back at the pictures from Sports Festival Day, you will see him presenting the trophy).

 

          Dr. Zulu shared with us a lot of information about how the students at JMTUC serve in churches while they are students, how graduates are called/placed in churches, and the many challenges they face as pastors in the rural areas of Africa.

          Dr. Zulu then thanked me profusely and repeatedly for the money WPC has sent the last two years to purchase bicycles for the graduates to use as pastors in the churches.  He emphasized what a dramatic difference the bicycles make for the pastors.  He told us how a pastor might get on his bike at 7:00 a.m. and ride until 6:00 p.m. until he reaches his destination.  They often have to travel to places where they could not go in a car.  He will then rest, preach or do whatever other task he needs to do at the church or in the village, spend the night, then ride his bike back home.

          Dr. Zulu then told me something I didn't know, which I thought would be very meaningful to the WPC members.  He told me that the bicycles are making an important difference in the lives of people in the villages.  The pastor is a community leader and, if he has a bicycle, is able to help many people in the village (e.g., providing a ride to the health clinic, taking a child to school, etc.).  I can't tell you how many times he thanked me for the generous support WPC has given JMTUC to purchase bicycles.

 

         I had an interesting afternoon today.  Nancy Collins, the PC(USA) regional liaison for world missions in East Africa, had asked me if I would be willing to participate in a conversation about church polity (government) with some new mission co-workers and with Dr. Chilenje.  That conversation took place this afternoon at Nancy's house.  Here is a picture of Nancy, Dr. Chilenje, and Rev. Kari Nicewander, who is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ but serving in a PC(USA) mission role. 

 

 

L-R:  Nancy Collins, Dr. Chilenje, Rev. Kari Nicewander

 

          Kari is serving as a Church Growth Specialist in partnership with the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian - Zambia, under the auspices of the PC(USA).  Kari's husband, Joel DeJong, is serving as a media specialist with the CCAP.  (I attended their induction service at the Matero neighborhood church on June 16).

          



          The purpose of today's conversation was to share information about the forms of church government in the PCUSA, the UCC, and the CCAP.  Specifically, we were trying to help Kari and Joel and Dr. Chilenje come to an understanding about Joel's role in the church here in Zambia.  The Zambian church custom is to ordain the pastor's spouse (usually a woman) as an elder in the congregation when the pastor arrives at the church (for a number of reasons).  The UCC doesn't have elders.  Joel has been an active member of the UCC congregations Kari has served as pastor, but has not been ordained as an officer.

           What it boiled down to was this:  the Zambians were afraid that by not ordaining Joel as an elder, they might send him the message that they didn't welcome him or include him in the church's business.  Kari and Joel had agreed that Joel was open to being ordained as an elder in the local church, if that was the custom and what was expected, but he was fine not being ordained as an elder and would not feel excluded.  Both sides came to a good understanding of each other and I think a good decision will be made.  It was quite interesting to talk for two hours about church government (and to serve as something of a consultant) as mission partners worked hard to understand and support one another.

           Dustin came over to our house in the late afternoon and asked if Marty and I would like to go with him and Clayton to pick up the pizzas for tonight's supper.  He said it would take about 30 minutes, and it would give us the chance to see another part of Lusaka.  Well, once we accounted for the horrendous traffic, the fact that Pizza Inn had not even begun to cook the six pizzas that Sherri had called in earlier (and had been assured would be ready in 45 minutes), and the great number of people at the pizza restaurant, we got back to campus more than an hour after we left!  Kari and Joel and their two boys, Frankie and Johnny, also came over for supper.

          We drove through a part of Lusaka called Kalingalinga.  Dustin said it was a very popular place for people to live.  There were so many people on the streets -- a real hustling, bustling place!  Dustin also drove us by a part of Lusaka where some friends of theirs live, a couple who are both M.D.'s  The man also has a Masters of Divinity.  He works for the CDC through the State Department and manages a budget of approximately $180 million.  They are Presbyterians and very interested in and committed to world missions.  The Ellingtons have gotten to be friends with them.  Dustin said they had also met the U.S. ambassador to Zambia.  He said the embassy itself is like a fortress.

          An interesting note:  Christopher showed me a picture on their refrigerator of him and President George W. Bush.  W is very popular here and in other parts of Africa because of his initiative and programs to treat and combat HIV/AIDS.  Apparently, the former president visits somewhat frequently.  In fact, he and Laura Bush and Michelle Obama are in Livingstone, Zambia today (at least I think it was today -- some time this week).

          Here's something funny I forgot to write on Sunday and yesterday.  As we were coming home from our river trip, we passed a long row of shops by the side of the road.  The shop sign that caught my attention said "Try Us Funeral Services."  I thought that was really funny.  Here are some possible tag lines for that business:  "We've never had any complaints from our customers."  "If you're not satisfied, call us in 30 days."  "Once you've tried us, you'll never go anywhere else."

           We were laughing about that sign as we went to get pizzas tonight.  Clayton said he had seen a sign for the "God Only Knows" store (I don't know what the store sold, but God only knows!).  Dustin said he had seen a sign for "Covered in the Blood of Jesus the Savior Investment Services."  Many of the buses have religious sayings on their back windows.

          This is such an interesting place to visit.

          Tomorrow is my last day of introducing new material in Greek class.  Thursday morning will be for review before their exam on Thursday afternoon.  After class today, Abraham, the class representative, said the class would like to have coffee with me and Marty after their final exam in Marty's class on Friday.  That will be nice.  I will surely miss these students.

          Please pray for the Ellingtons.  The movers come tomorrow morning to pack up their house in preparation for their move to Louisville, KY for a year.  They have lots to take care of before they leave next Tuesday.  In the meantime, they have been incredible hosts to me and Marty.

        

 

 

 

 

The Wild Kingdom

            Did you ever watch Mutual of Omaha's "Wild Kingdom" on TV?
            Have you ever thumbed through a National Geographic magazine and looked at the pictures from Africa?

            That's what yesterday's boat ride on the Zambezi River felt like.
            We headed out from Lusaka at 5:30 a.m. for a three hour trip south.  Dustin said we would descend almost a mile in that time.  If we had been able to travel on a highway such as I-40, it would have taken us about 90 minutes.  At times, even though the road is the main highway from Lusaka to points south, we were riding on nothing but a dirt road with many bumps and ruts.  We were sharing the road with tractor trailer trucks and all sorts of vehicles.

            Eventually we got into some hill country that was beautiful.  It reminded me very much of the approach to Asheville around Old Fort (and maybe a little bit east of there).  The hills and mountains looked the same except for the foliage.  Whereas in NC, the trees form a pretty uniform canopy across the tops of the mountains, here the acacia trees are not as closely packed.  It makes for an interesting effect from a distance.  Also, the vegetation on the mountains here is more sparse (of course, it is the dry season.  Perhaps it is more lush during the rainy season.).

 

         We arrived at the Gwabi River Lodge around 8:30 a.m., registered, ate a little breakfast, and headed down to the river to meet our guide.  The Gwabi River Lodge is a beautifully landscaped facility that sits high on the edge of the Kafue River, which joins the Zambezi River about six kilometers from the lodge.  Here are some pictures of the grounds and cabins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some of the lodge's dogs.



 

This view of the Kafue River is from the lodge patio at the top of the hill (shown from the river in the second picture.)

 

 

 

          We were in a fairly small fishing boat with an outboard motor.  Our guide was a young Zambian man (maybe 21-25 years old) named Clesheer.

 

 

          We saw many pods of hippos, three elephants, several crocodiles sunning on the banks of the river, and many different kinds of birds.

 

          The crocs weren't nearly as large as the crocs we saw at the reptile farm.  I guess those in the wild don't get as much to eat.  The woman who registered us warned us not to trail our hands in the water (even if it felt good), because the crocs are so quick, one could come up and take your arm off.  She also cautioned against getting out on a pretty sand bar, because a quick croc could come out of the water and take you under.

 





 

 

           We saw many pods of hippos.  It seemed like they were family units -- there were plenty of baby hippos hanging out with larger hippos (mom and dad?).  We never got very close to them, but Clesheer would let the engine idle and we would sit and watch the hippos.  Typically, the largest hippo (we figured it was the daddy) would make some display of himself.  Our guide said the hippo was warning us off.  The big hippo would stand up and show his size or snort at us or simply keep his eyes on us the entire time.  The only times I really got nervous was when the hippos would go under the water.  I didn't know if they were going to swim up under the boat and flip us.  Clesheer said they were afraid of the sound of the engine (I wondered how he knew that!). 

            The hippos were fascinating to watch.  Occasionally they would make some noise -- sort of a loud grunting noise or a loud breathing that sounded like a horse snorting.  Hippopotamus does come from the Greek words for "river horse," and I can see why they were named that.  Their heads are sort of shaped like horses' heads and when they were swimming in the water, they looked kind of like horses running by.  They have funny little ears that they constantly wiggled.  It looked as if their ears were spinning around.

             We came across a family of hippos on land.  The adults were very large.  The daddy bolted very quickly and slid into the water, followed by the smaller ones.  Two larger hippos stood absolutely still on the bank the rest of the time we watched them.  It was as if they thought they were hiding from us.

             We asked Clesheer if people ate hippo meat.  He said yes, that he had, and that it tastes like pork.  There's a new industry for Duplin County!  You could get a lot of hippo chops out of one of these animals.  Here are some of the hippos.

 

 

          The elephants were the highlight of the trip for me.  They were simply majestic.  I was looking out over the river when Dustin called to me to look to my left at the elephants.  There they were!  We sat within ten yards of them and watched them eat for about twenty minutes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          After three hours, we were back at the river lodge.  Christopher and Jared swam in the pool while Dustin and I ate sandwiches.  We met a man from Tennessee who had been in Zambia for ten days (he was heading back to the States today).  He was engaged in some mission work in a village a little way down the Kafue River.  It was his fifteenth visit. The group stayed in the river lodge and took the boat to the village each day.  We also met a Zambian farmer who had come across the river to buy some supplies.  He farms and manages 2000 hectares.  He was interested to find out where we were from and to talk about farming in the U.S.  He grows wheat and soybeans.  His daughter was with him; she just graduated from high school and will be going to college in the United Kingdom.

 

          Since we missed going to church in Lusaka, the four of us had a little worship service under the shade of some trees on the grounds of the river lodge.  Dustin read from Psalm 148 ("Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!  Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!  Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!") and Psalm 150 ("Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord!").  I chose some verses from Psalm 104 and edited the words a little bit to fit our river experience (vv. 24-26:  "O Lord, how manifold are your works!  In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.  Yonder is the Zambezi River, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, crocodiles and birds, living things both small and great.  There go the boats, and the hippos that you formed to sport in it.").

 

          Here is a picture of me standing next to a baobab tree.  A few years ago, we had a Vacation Bible School with the baobab tree as the centerpiece.  We learned how important the tree is for life in Africa.

 

 

          The Zambezi River trip was a wonderful experience.  I kept reminding myself, "You're riding on a boat on a river in Africa, seeing animals in their natural habitat."

 

          Here is a picture of the landscape from the river.  When I commented to Dustin that this is what I think of when I picture Africa, he said, "That's probably because so many wildlife photographers come to the Zambezi River to take their pictures."

 

 

          All of a sudden, my Zambian adventure seems to be drawing to a close very quickly.  I now have only three more days of teaching (Tuesday - Thursday).  My students requested that they be allowed to take their Greek final exam on Thursday afternoon instead of Friday afternoon, since they have another final exam on Friday.  That suits me just fine, as it will give me Friday to grade the exams, figure out final grades, submit all of my course paperwork, and pack to leave for home on Saturday morning.  I have class from 10:45 a.m. - 12:35 p.m. Tuesday - Thursday and again from 14:00 - 16:00 p.m. (2:00 - 4:00 p.m.) on Thursday.

 

          The students were very tired in class this morning.  I guess they were pooped from playing so hard at Saturday's Sports Festival Day.

 

           Marty and I are scheduled to eat supper tonight at the rector's home, Dr. Zulu.  However, I'm not sure Marty is going to make it.  He was very sick over the weekend.  Today he is doing better and gone to hold one hour of class this afternoon.  I think he probably needs to stay at home tonight.

 

          I'm off to write out the final quiz to be given tomorrow and to work on a lesson plan for class.

 

          Here are some pictures of different plants and flowers I saw yesterday at the river lodge.