Preparing for our mission trip to Zambia to work at New Day Orphanage was an interesting experience for me. It had been 4 years since my last mission trip. This would be the first mission trip with Brandon since we've been married (we were dating when we went to Thailand in 2008). It was difficult to know what to expect and how to prepare, not only what to pack but mentally and spiritually as well. I was a little unsure of how God would use me on this trip. The majority of our team consisted of men, and they had a mission and a plan. They were going to build an awesome playground for the kids at the orphanage. They did, and it was incredible!
My experience in Zambia was quite different from theirs, as well as varied in itself, but amazing nonetheless. Darbi had asked Beth and me to help with some of the classes/tutorials throughout the week. That was great with me, because it meant that I got to spend time with these precious children. Not only that, but I got to be in a classroom again after years of being out of that environment. It was truly a joy to work with the children during these classes where we assisted with reading to them and helping them learn new skills. I spent most of my time with the little ones and they just melted my heart from day 1.
Another thing I was able to do on one of my days there was to attend two women's bible studies. One was at the orphanage and another was at a close-by village. At the second one I attended, I was asked to share with the women a little bit about myself. I told them about being a pastor's wife and how I had come to Zambia with our church. Then, I talked about my job in Lubbock and how we help women who are pregnant. They kept asking for more details about that and so I shared as truthfully as I could. There was one girl who was translating for me as I spoke. At one point, she stopped and asked "What does it mean 'to abort'?" I explained what it meant and she became quiet. As we drove back to the orphanage after the bible study, the missionary shared with me that the girl who was translating had an abortion last month. As heartbroken as I was for her, I know that my being there and sharing biblical truth with her on this subject was a divine appointment that I am grateful for, and I continue to pray for this young woman and the others in that area who have experienced the same thing.
Two afternoons, a group of us went to do survey work in nearby villages. The purpose of this work is to find out what belief systems are present there and if the people there would be open and ready to beginning a bible study and possibly even planting a church. We split into groups of 3, and I went with Wes (a missionary) and one of the Hilda (one of the Zambian women) on the first day. That day we only went to 2 villages, but we spend a lot of time there. We asked them questions about whether or not they attend church and who they believe Jesus is. I participated, but I also marveled in watching Wes and Hilda passionately share the Gospel with the eager Zambian people. The next day I went with Wes and Mulanga (one of the Zambian men). We walked a lot and had the opportunity to visit several different villages. Again, we were able to share the truth of God's Word and salvation with many. They were eager to hear and asked us to return so they could learn more. On these two afternoons, there were about 15 people who accepted Christ. God is good!
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| Abigail sharing about leading people to Christ that afternoon |
Once Darbi found out that I had studied Special Education in my undergrad experience, she asked me if I would be willing to speak to the teachers about some strategies for working with kids who are struggling. Although it had been quite some time since I had taught special education and I was a little bit intimidated, I agreed. On Saturday, I met with some of the American and Zambian teachers and we discussed some ideas and some problems they were encountering. It was really neat how God provided insight and answers and suggestions throughout this time we had together. It was such a privilege and honor to work with these teachers who had more experience than I did, yet they valued my opinions.
In addition to all of these wonderful aspects of the trip where I had opportunities to join God where He was working, He provided unique situations that related to my personal experience and areas where I could use the gifts and abilities He has given me to meet needs. He is so faithful! I also had some down time when I could get into His Word and pray and journal a lot and it was such a great time for me to just have time with the Lord.
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| Brandon preaching on Sunday |
I had the blessing to get to know Margaret, who is the house mom for the girls orphan home. She has such a sweet spirit and generous heart. Brandon and I prayed about it and decided to sponsor Margaret. I don't know who was more excited, us or her!
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| Brandon & Annie with Margaret |
Our last couple of days in Zambia were spent as tourists. We went on a safari in Botswana, where half of the day was spent on a boat and half on a game drive in a jeep. While on the boat, we saw hippos and crocodiles. On the game drive we watched female lions hunting (literally next to the jeep), giraffes, elephants, kudu, sabels and buffalo. It was incredible to see all of this wildlife God created--as He created them--in the wild. The last day, we went to Victoria Falls and I suddenly understood why it was one of the 7 Wonders of the World. The power of the waterfall we saw made the huge, powerful lion we had seen the day before look like a kitty cat. There wasn't a view we saw where we could see the whole thing, because it's 2 miles wide. The people I was with had seen in 2 times before, and they stood there with me in absolute awe, as if it was their first time to see it. It was a perfect ending to a great trip, as I was able to reflect on God's power, grace, goodness and faithfulness.
[Sorry there aren't more pictures of the animals or the Falls. By the time we got to Livingstone, my camera battery was almost dead from taking pictures at the orphanage all week. Some others got pictures, so when I get them, I will add them here.]
