Today we had the opportunity to go to church here in Lusaka. The church we went to is called Kabwata Pilgrim Wesleyan Church. We left the compound after breakfast around 8:45. On the way to church we saw quite a different part of Africa than we had yesterday. All over Zambia along the streets there are walls/fences which divide each compound or living areas. They are there to prevent petty thief from happening. On these walls and billboards you see all of the political aids for presidential election which is taking place in about two weeks. These signs are all over the place. Most of them just show the two main candidates but there are ten running all together. As we journeyed to church I saw trash lying all over the place, in ditches, in trees. It was sad to see how poorly these people take care of the beautiful land they live on. Also we saw mothers carrying babies/kids as old as probably three on their backs with a small piece of fabric about two yards long.
When we arrived at the church which seats about 300 people we participated in Bible Study. There were probably fifteen people who participated as we studied Romans 2:17-28. It was cool to hear the different thoughts of people and how they interpret scripture. After the Bible study we sang Father We Adore You. Although it was slightly different than our version it was beautiful to hear all of the parts and harmony.
For the church service we started off singing a few songs. I did not know any of them but they were very catchy. Some went like “Jesus is higher (repeated)” followed by “Satan you are lower (repeated)” another one was “Jesus is the winner(repeated)” and the second verse was “Satan you are the loser (repeated)”. For the sermon we studied Acts 9:32-41. It was totally different from our church services. The pastor got so into the sermon that he was yelling into the microphone. As we dimiss from the sanctuary you shook everyone’s hands on the way out. As the rows are let out you form a line in the court yard so everyone can shake your hand. It was awesome to meet some of the people who attended the church. After this processional the pastor invited all twenty-one of us into his tiny office for a drink of Coke/Sprite/water.
We left the church and went to search for a market to buy souvenirs. The first market we went to all of the men flocked the bus trying to sell us things. Our leader Miss Miconge did not let us off the bus. The men were drunk and she felt that it was unsafe. So we went to the Arcade where we had lunch and was able to shop at the market there. I got a purse/bag for 20000 Kwatcha which rounds out to be about four dollars. For lunch we went to another restaurant. It would probably be more like an Applebee’s type place. It was more expensive and with only given 50000 kwacha we had very few options without having to spend our own money. I had a Spud with Chicken and Mushrooms. It was good. A giant baked potato with cream of mushroom soup covering it with grilled chicken.
After shopping we came back and had a guest speaker. He is a Doctor here in Lusaka and he talked about the different research he has done to help the community. It gave an interesting aspect to the medical culture here in Zambia. On example he shared was that there is Morphine expiring on the shelves because nurses and doctors are assuming that if the patient is quiet that they are not in pain even when their faces and body language show such pain. With giving palliative care in the US we talk to our patients about death and how to handle it. But here in Zambia if you talk to a patient about dying they assume you are a witch. The only way around it is to not talk about it and ignore it.
After that meeting we had supper. We have been eating late at night lately like around 8:00pm. Tonight for supper again we had potatoes, rice, N’shima, chicken, beef, and for dessert…. Ice Cream with something I would compare to as Vanilla Wafers. It was delicious!!
Tomorrow Judy and Bethany are going to try and get a nursing license here in Zambia so we can work in more hospital instead of just the mission hospitals. If you could be praying that they are able to obtain these tomorrow that would be great. Also tomorrow we will be going to the monuments and old presidents’ house here in Lusaka. We will not be able to take pictures because of them being government buildings. Tuesday afternoon we leave for Chikankata. There we will being our clinical time.
Other prayer requests: sickness is starting to set in. Just a few head colds but these are not fun yet and safe travel as we move to Chikankata. Thanks! Hope you all have a great day!!!
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