In Zambia

We got here! It took us longer than we thought but by God's Grace, we made it to Zambia last Thursday, and what a few days it has been. A week of culture shock and many surprises that come with it, but it also has been a week of many wonderful experiences. When we got here we were surprised at the welcome we got. We were picked up by the church driver, Simon, a Zambian young man who drove us back to St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church in Lusaka. 

When we got there, we expected to be greeted by Zambian people, but on the contrary, most of the people that we first met were Egyptian. The group of servants we met, consists of doctors and their families who have given their life to live and work in Zambia for minimal wages (that's worldly of course). The warmth and instant love we felt cannot be described in words. With their help, we quickly settled in our room. Although it was hot, and I couldn't really get rid of all of the bugs in our room, I slept more peacefully than I ever had in my life. The next morning we joined the kids in the Coptic school for Orphans here in Zambia for their Christmas party and the last day of school. These kids really touched our hearts. The smiles were endless, and no sadness was anywhere among the over 200 children. Not because they had many Christmas gifts or there was a program planned for them but simply because they were together. We had a beautiful day listening to them sing in their native tongue of Nianja.

The very next morning, Fr. Abraham, the priest at St. Mark's church, invited us to join him and the rest of the servants on a youth retreat. Although we were a bit nervous at first, we accepted and packed our bags once more and headed to a village not too far from the church called Kenyama. It was a weekend of prayers and singing where we really felt the presence of God's Holy Spirit among us.

I can't believe it has only been four days...I wish I can grab time and slow it down.