Zambia: Humbled and Inspired

This is our first trip to Zambia and we were greeted with, “Welcome to Zambia, you are home, you are family. We are inspired and humbled by the hospitality that our hosts have shown, the stories of the people, the compassion they show to others, and their deep faith in Christ. When we arrived and saw the landscape, the condition of the streets, the housing, and the poverty, it was a shock. The longer we are here the more we have discovered the beauty within. We spent the last couple of days visiting schools that are the size of five small rooms. Some of these schools educate up to 543 kids and do it with none of the tools we have at home. Ventilation, light, and room to sit and move are not luxuries afforded them, but they do have passion, hope and a sense of duty to the kids and their communities.

We have visited sick people who are supported by the church home-based caregivers who volunteer their time and support them with food, compassion and their time. The sick have allowed us to come to their homes and sit and talk with them. I can say I am not that gracious when I am sick. We have met with members of support groups who shared the challenges they face and the support they give each other. We also have met people who are HIV positive themselves who reach out to others in their communities to support and care for them.

We have met a ton of kids who are friendly, curious about “white people”, love to show off and have their picture taken. They soak up the attention and will be with you as long as you let them. They are fun to be with too. We asked one child how was doing and his response was a simple and amazing: “Happy.” We learned something today.

The week is barely half over and we are still processing all that we are taking in. The churches and their leaders are the soul of the support we are experiencing and seeing. I feel hopeful because of them.

Karen and Dave Parrin