A letter from Kari Nicewander serving in Zambia
August 2014 - Annual Ministry Update
It was breathtaking; in the midst of a work trip through the rural Eastern Province we took a detour to one of the most amazing national parks in the world. We watched baby puku nurse from their mothers, giant storks fish in green bays, young impala practice fighting, horns locked against each other. We saw herds of zebra rolling in the dirt, removing ticks from their bodies. We witnessed trios of giraffes walk toward us, as curious about our family as we were about theirs. We stood over a river, keeping a good distance from the crocodiles sunning on the shore, as hippos bathed nearby.
We were frequently interrupted by elephants, including the ones who stood outside our tent, chewing and chomping our shade tree. One early morning we watched a leopard up in the branches eating a baby impala. Below the tree two hyenas waited for the legs of the impala to fall to the ground. Behind us an owl was hunting and a herd of guinea fowl squawked in terror. We sat and watched the leopard eat her meal, as the hyena chomped on bones and the owl swooped toward his prey. In the distance the phenomenal colors of the sunrise created the atmosphere of a dream.
The beauty of the Body of Christ
After three days of such wonder we departed to continue our work, journeying toward the Malawian border. There we encountered different beauty, different awe...
“Where are your boys?” As we ducked under the thatched roof and emerged into the brilliant sunlight, we scanned the village for Frankie and Johnny. “Hmmm. I don’t know.” Joel and I laughed, as this was pretty much our normal pattern during these travels. Spending hours inside a rural church, with walls made of mud bricks, a roof of branches, on rough wooden pews. Speaking and teaching, listening and learning, singing and dancing, praising and praying. Discussing HIV and circumcision, home-based care and stigma, church growth and discipleship, grace, love and unity. Meanwhile our boys explore the village, and we entrust them into the care of the community.
And so, this particular afternoon, as we walked from the dark sanctuary into the sparkling blue sky, we had no concerns about their location. It was time for lunch, cooked over an open fire in a small thatched hut near the pastor’s home. These are the rural kitchens. In the distance we saw a large group of women, gathered around a fire. Their bright chitenges contrasted with the brown earth, and pretty soon I saw my two boys, covered in dirt and dust, emerge from among the women.
I hadn’t seen them for hours, so as we waited for the meal, I asked my kids about their morning adventures. They had met a boy named Sam; he showed them his house and led them around the village. When they came to the group of women in the distance they were offered tea and bread. The boys sat and drank; the tea was sweet and delicious, full of warm milk. And then the women introduced them to Daniel. Daniel was lying on a mealy meal bag, close to the fire, trying to get warm. He was around Frankie’s age, an 8-year-old boy, shivering with illness. “Hello, Daniel,” Johnny said in his squeaky, 7-year-old voice.
“Will you pray for him?” one of the women asked. Frankie, who can be painfully shy, nodded. With the women, and the children, and Johnny and Sam, Frankie lifted up a prayer for Daniel, praying for health for this boy, a child his own age, living in such a different world.
While all this was happening, Joel and I were in the church, oblivious to our children’s whereabouts and unaware that they were sipping tea with new friends and offering up their own prayers.
We went into the pastor’s home, a small structure with a pit latrine in the yard, one room for sitting, one room for sleeping, and an outdoor kitchen consisting of a fire and a pot. The food was served: goat and greens and nshima. We were offered a traditional Zambian drink: sweetened, boiled, watery corn meal, consumed cold. It is surprisingly good, despite its grittiness. We ate and drank and talked, until it was time for us to go.
As we stood up to leave our hosts motioned for us to sit again. “We must pray for your journey!” they insisted. We nodded and bowed our heads, and Rev. Mithi lifted up a prayer of remarkable kindness and love, thanking God for our visit and entrusting our travels into God’s care. We thanked them, numerous times, and set off.
It is a powerful thing to pray for one another, to pray for strangers in such a way that they become a part of your heart. It is a powerful thing to eat together, to share nshima or tea or bread, to share stories, to share lives. It is a powerful thing to remember that all of us have a role to play in the coming of God’s kingdom: children like Frankie and Johnny can sip tea and offer prayers, children like Sam can invite strangers into their homes, children like Daniel can remind us all of our responsibility to create a healthier, more just world. And adults like you and me and Rev. Mithi can live up to that responsibility.
I do not regret our investment in the national park vacation; it was an amazing experience of renewal, wonder, and joy. But I also hope that I will invest as much in children like Daniel and Sam. I also hope that I will invest as much in rural Zambian communities, who are working against HIV/AIDS, struggling with food insecurity, and still offering hope and joy. I hope that I will invest my time and money in creating God’s kingdom, not just in enjoying God’s creation.
We all have a role to play. And I think it is important that we do not rationalize our spending, or our lives, in such a way that we resist our responsibility while embracing our privilege. Certainly this is a temptation I face every single day. Appreciating God’s creation, experiencing God’s beauty, these are good, faithful things to do. But we also have a role to play in the building of God’s kingdom, in bringing peace and justice, in feeding one another. I am so grateful for the people in Eastern Province who fed me—and reminded me that the beauty I found in the Luwangwa Valley is only surpassed by the beauty of an outstretched hand, offering my children, perfect strangers, a cup of tea.
This trip was just one of many as I traveled to visit every single presbytery meeting in Zambia, 13 presbyteries throughout the country. During these visits we shared resources for HIV/AIDS, along with presentations on the Christian education curriculum that is being developed for the Synod. Over these many trips I have been blessed to travel to places that are remarkably remote and to worship with, and build relationships with, people all over the country.
We have held four curriculum trials, 13 presbytery previews, and numerous clergy meetings to work on the development of a holistic Christian education curriculum for children, youth, and adults in Zambia. This month the curriculum will be presented to the national Synod for final approval. We will then do translations, followed by teacher trainings and curriculum distribution. It is very exciting!
In addition to this, the HIV/AIDS resources are being shared and used all over the country as we build up the HIV/AIDS youth department, planning trainings that will occur all over Zambia. We are also preparing to receive three young adult volunteers next week. They will be here for one year, and the church is full of excitement about welcoming these young people into our midst!
God is at work in powerful ways through these vibrant congregations in small villages, all over the country. God is at work through my colleagues, traveling with us to teach about HIV/AIDS and to offer their wisdom on the curriculum. God is at work in the denomination, as we seek to grow in our faith and follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Next year we will continue to lay out the curriculum, empowering church leaders throughout Zambia with the resources they need to disciple congregations. We will offer training of trainers for teachers, and training of trainers for HIV/AIDS. These trainings will happen all over the country, and as people are trained they will go back into their communities to train others. Our Young Adult Volunteers will also be involved in these programs as they serve and learn from the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian, Synod of Zambia.
We ask that you pray for these things: the success of the curriculum and teacher trainings, excellent HIV/AIDS training programs, and a blessed year for the Young Adult Volunteers. We also ask that you pray for our family and our partners here. Finally, we pray with you, in thanksgiving to God, for all the beauty that is here.
It is a great blessing to do this work with our amazing, faithful, committed partners. Thank you for also being a part of this ministry. We deeply appreciate your faithfulness and commitment. Truly it is breathtaking: the beauty of the Body of Christ, working together across country and culture to build the Kingdom of God.
Kari
The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 141
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Blog: http://lovinglusaka.blogspot.com/
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