Complete RandoMneSs: Zambia – Day 1

After a brief meeting with Mike and Alex in Toronto, 2 hrs nap at Heathrow, 4 movies, and 20 hrs in a plane, my team leader, a couple of team members and I arrived in Lusaka at 6 am in the morning. We were greeted by Derek, the visionary, and his ministry friends. There are very kind, friendly, and accommodating, they can’t wait to help us carry our bags. Our first destination is the guest house where we are going to stay for the first 2 days. After a quick lunch, we decided to hit up the capital and check out the area. Zambia is more developed than I expected. Then again, I don’t know what to expect. There are lots of cars on the roads, the main roads are paved nicely, there are westernized shopping plazas, most people have a cell phone, and all the houses have pluming and electricity and there is even a Subway, the sandwich shop. Zambia is like any other Africa country when it comes to the separation between the rich and poor. The separation is very visible. We drove thought the ghetto and it is just devastating. It is impossible to explain what I saw and just what I was feeling. It was hard not to look at things and the situations with a western point of view but even in Derek’s pointer of view, the environment is very hash. The road is not paved, the houses are very small and very close together, no proper drainage for the sewage. Derek told us that all lot of these can be fixed with proper urban planning and simple engineering solutions. Derek himself grew up in the ghetto and the only tool that got him out of it and moves him up in society is education. That is good to know because I see lots of elementary school around and the university have a lively campus as we drove by. During the evening, the rest of the team members arrive and Derek shared about his life and his vision for Zambia. I was truly touched and moved by his faithfulness to God. Derek gave has already given 7 years of his life for this project. He recently lost his house because he lost his job and is getting by with picking up random teaching job here and there. Even under these circumstances, Derek push on with the vision and truly relaying on God to provide all that he needed, from day by day physical need to spiritual needs such as direction for the vision. He is an example of giving one’s life for God’s purpose and how he has been living his life has challenge me to be more faithful and to give my life to God but at the same time, it is so hard to let go. I still need to pray for strength and work on it with God’s directions.