It's getting longer and longer between posts, mostly because I'm finding myself with less and less time to sit on the internet these days. Now that I am well and truly settled in here, the magnitude of the need in the mission is very obvious. If it isn't crowds of sick patients needing care then it's a number for projects needing to be started or continued for the people or just basic day to day service.
For the last 2 weeks we have had another group from the states and it was a really great change of pace. When the visiting missionaries are around it allows us to step away from all the administrative things that we get caught up in and instead get stuck into real service on the ground. We spend the time working with the orphans, visiting people in the surrounding villages, building things and also sharing in the spiritual revival that so often comes when you're placed here in Africa. It was particularly good to have this group because they've just finished high school and to see the enthusiasm for service so present in such a young group was incredibly encouraging.
The other great thing about being here with a group is that we get to get off the mission compound that we spend so much of our time on. Since it is where the hospital, school, church, housing and all of the services are based, we usually rarely have to leave, but with a group here we spend much more time in the surrounding neighbourhoods and villages, and it is another world completely. Sharing with people going about their daily lives in such simple conditions, buying food from baskets or little stands by the narrow dirt roads and joining in with the powerful local music all helps to bring you down to earth. I'm slowly learning more of the local songs and it's so wonderful to join the people here in singing because they have the most amazing voices and spirits. The most fun is seeing the bemused faces of passers-by as a muzungo (foreigner) breaks into song in Nyanja or Bemba (two of the local languages). While the group were here we had a gathering of all the youth from the church for an overnight service. It is the most amazing thing to experience and it really shows the fire and joy in the hearts of the people here. Basically we stay awake from sunset (6pm) to sunrise (6am) singing praise songs, sharing from the Bible, learning from each other and about each other, watching an inspirational movie and spending time in prayer. It was brilliant, and I tell you what, we raised the roof with some of the songs.
Anyway, I'm going to have to cut this one short because now that the group have left, Fr. Abraham, Dalia and myself are frantically preparing to leave the day after tomorrow to Kenya for an international mission conference. It promises to be pretty crazy, so I'll have to tell you all about it when I get back. I decided to give up on the overland idea because there simply wasn't time so I'm flying up but I'll stay there a couple of days extra with some friends from London and we'll go on Safari :-)
Ok, gotta get back to work, God bless you all,
Mark
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