My First Sunday in Zambia

          Praise the Lord for a full night's sleep!  I was afraid my internal clock would be all messed up.  However, I slept soundly from 10 p.m. until 7 a.m. and feel much better today.  Here's a picture of my bed with the mosquito netting around it.

          I went to church with the Ellingtons today.  They attend an international church which is housed in the school where Clayton and Christopher are students (an international school). 
          The worship service was quite informal and was led by members of the congregation.  There were perhaps 50 people attending.  The service consisted of lots of singing (I thought about folks back home at WPC as we sang "Shine, Jesus, Shine."), prayers, a testimony, the Lord's Supper, and a sermon.  After worship there was a fellowship time with home baked goodies and a variety of teas and coffees.  I tried a Zambian tea called rooibos tea (rooi - red; bos - bush), an herbal tea with no caffeine, good for the blood pressure.  It was very good.
           One thing I learned (or was reminded of):  an African is not necessarily a black person.  Many of the people I met this morning are white native Africans.  Some came to Zambia from Zimbabwe after losing everything they had (e.g., farms) in the uprising and trouble in that country.  Some came from South Africa because of the troubles there and the safety issues.  Today's preacher works in the agriculture business, selling fertilizer.  The primary worship leader was a man who is involved in constructing dams and lakes.  I met a woman from Minnesota who, with her husband, run a flight business in Lusaka that transports missionaries and hospital workers to outlying areas.  The company has its own landing strip outside of Lusaka.  I was very warmly received by everyone I met.  (One church member asked me if I was Dustin's father!  I think I embarrassed her when I told her I wasn't quite that old.  He and I figured out I would have been 13 when he was born.)
            Here are some pictures of the campus of the international school where Clayton and Christopher attend.

 

 

          After worship and fellowship time, the Ellingtons took me out to lunch at a place they called "Mint," a nice little restaurant with sandwiches, salads, etc.  After lunch, we drove a block or two to "The Arcade," which is an outdoor mall.  I changed some money at a local supermarket.  In a previous post, I said the exchange rate was about 5200 kwacha per dollar.  The currency has been revalued so the rate is now 5.2 kwacha per dollar.  I bought a few items at the supermarket, then walked next door to a pharmacy.  The very helpful pharmacist recommended some cough syrup and Claritin for this nagging cough I have.

 

          Here's a picture of the outside of the supermarket, called "Spar."

 

 

 

           Later this afternoon Dustin is coming by the house so we can talk about some specific teaching questions I have (e.g., testing, grading, making copies, etc.).  I have been invited to a gathering of faculty at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow at which two or three instructors will make brief presentations on topics they are researching for a publication the faculty has begun.  That should be very interesting. 

 

          Monday - Thursday I will teach 10:45 - 11:35 a.m. and 11:45 - 12:35 p.m.  On Friday I will teach from 2:00 - 2:50 p.m. and 3:00 - 3:50 p.m.