Embracing Fearless Pursuit

As previously mentioned, we got to do "treasure hunts" while in the village which meant that we spent time in praying, asking God to speak to us, and show us who He wanted us to talk to that day. During our treasure hunt prayer time, Macie got a vision from God. She saw a woman walking with a yellow (yes, had to be yellow) oil bin on her head. She told the group that this woman carrying the oil bin is also carrying the burdens of her family. That afternoon, after lunch, as we drove through the village, we saw her. We saw the woman with the yellow oil bin. Macie said, "That's her. Dave, we need to stop." And so we did and that's the beginning to a story that God was orchestrating all along. As we all got out, we began to walk towards where the woman was walking to. We found her and introduced ourselves to her. This woman's name is Jennifer. Our team sat down and we began to talk to her and get to know her. We quickly found out that this woman is marri...

6 days and 7 nights spent in a village. A place that now feels like home. Actually, it felt like home after only being there for a few hours. They told us it would and they were right. The name of this village is Ngangula (the "n" is silent, pronounced "gone-gu-la").  We were well taken care of by Uncle Hyrance and the village Aunties. Uncle Hyrance owns and lives on the property with his family where the mission station is built. He was our village dad, spending time with us as much as he could, doing ministry with us, making sure we had everything we needed. The village Aunties were Hyrances wife and a couple other women from the area who so graciously cooked for us, offered to wash some of our clothes, prepared our showers and insisted we use them, and did whatever they could to bless us.  In Ngangula, we lived in mud huts. Simplified homes that consist of brick walls, concrete floors, a steel roof, and 2 sets of bunk beds. We strung a little sol...

Luke and Elise walking with Avery, I'm on the right. While in Zambia, we met, lived with, and worked with the Whitfield family. Immediately, I knew they were something special. Luke and Elise are the parents and they moved to Zambia 10 years ago with 3 young kids, to simply follow God's call even though they had no idea what it would look like. Five years ago, they moved from Lusaka to Mazabuka, where they currently live. They have 6 kids now and their mission is called the Eleeo Project ( eleeoproject.org/#anewthing ). Luke and Elise live life in Zambia and their family showed me what missions and ministry really is. I had this misconception that missionaries always move to a country with a "mission" in mind. Such as to build a hospital, start an orphanage, plant a church, etc. And that missionaries put everything they have into that and their ministry and God's workings come out of that. While I'm sure that's how it is in some situations, oh did...

From the time we landed in Livingstone in the middle of May to the moment we got on a bus to head back to Livingstone at the beginning of June, our team was blessed to be led by what became known as the CORE four. The CORE team consists of Dave, Christine, and Ashlyn and our translator/driver/teammate Daddi. The idea behind CORE team leaders is that they stay in Zambia for the whole summer, leading the teams that come, doing more ministry in between teams, and continuing to form relationships with the people they meet and serve. They were just as much a part of our team as any of the original 7 were and their names will appear in future stories as well. So, let me start by telling you a little bit about them! Christine is the super sweet but also super crazy weird (in the best way possible) one. She went to Zambia in 2016 on Team One. She is comfortable around pretty much anyone and I don't think she ever gets embarrassed. Christine is just 20 days younger than me and is also ...

What do you get when you put 7 hooligans together in the bush of Zambia for 19 days? You get a group I am so proud to call my team and my newest friends, also known as the Zam Fam. Words can't fully express how much my team means to me and what a blessing they were for our time in Zambia, and for the days, months, and years to come as we stay connected. All 7 of us represent and come from 7 different hometowns in 5 different states (California, Minnesota/North Dakota, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Maryland)...yet we found ourselves boarding the same flights to New York, South Africa, and Zambia. (CORE team, I didn't leave you out or forget you, I promise. You'll be in another post) For the sake of stories and posts that are to come in the future, I think it is important for you all to get to know the wonderful people I spent the beginning of my summer with. So, it's time for introductions! Just an average day with the girls of the team. From L to R:...

There's a place where you can find mountains and waterfalls and grass fields and dirt roads and palm trees. Where chickens and goats roam the streets and seeing a cow isn't a big deal. A place where the roads consist of more potholes than actual road and driving over grass isn't weird. Where the clouds get dark but they will not rain for several months of the year. There's a place where agendas don't exist and time is based on when the sun rises and when it sets. Where those sunrises and sunsets are peaceful and bold and wild all at the same time. A place where everybody is family, and calling one another "brother" "sister" "uncle" or "auntie" is normal. A place where homes are open and hearts are expectant. A place where nightly bonfires occur and eating with your hands is more than acceptable. In this place, time slows down and life is simple. This is a place with a lack of materialism and an abundance of joy. This ...