My last week in Africa, my aunt came to visit me as well as volunteer to teach a group of children at the last camp in Chongwe. A whole group of people from all over the US came to help spread the word of God to these children, and I must say that it was a privilege to watch these volunteers love on and mentor to these children. God was really moving through the camp that week, and me and the other interns got to watch it firsthand while working on the sponsorship photos and just helping out around camp.
The last day before I got on a plane to London, the whole volunteer group as well as the interns got to go on a safari at Chaminuka in Lusaka. It was a lot of fun to see elephants, lions, giraffes, and impalas up close! But I was very sick with some sort of flu the entire time we were at the safari, and the sickness continued the next day on the plane, making my plane flight out of Zambia one of the most miserable flights I've ever experienced.
The day that I flew out to London with Sophie, the 21st of July, was also my birthday. There wasn't much time to celebrate though, cuz me and Sophie were pretty preoccupied with saying our goodbyes, and then trying to adjust to the fact that we were actually leaving Zambia, it was a lot to take in.
When I arrived in London, I was able to reunite with my parents in the Heathrow Airport, still sick as a dog! I had a terrible fever while on the plane, and it started to go away once we landed. My parents had bought me a birthday cake, and I didn't even feel well enough to eat it! But the waiters at our hotel sang happy birthday to me anyways :-). I got much better after that first night in London, but I must say that being sick definitely hindered my ability to accept that I was out of Zambia, and back in a place where I could drink water straight from the faucet, the shower water is warm and comes from above my head, and there was carpet everywhere! My little sister laughed at me the first night that I kept getting so shocked at little things like cable on the tv, or the free shampoos in the bathroom. (I mean how great is free shampoo??)
My family and I then went for a week touring Scotland. We saw so many castles and beautiful spots in Scotland. We went to Edinburgh, Loch Ness, Luss, Loch Lomond, the Highlands, and many other places! It was another shock to see so much green everywhere! In Zambia, since it was the dry season and we lived in the city, there was nothing but concrete and dirt everywhere, but in Scotland, there was nothing but green grass, mountains, and LOTS of sheep! It was great though to spend some time with my family after 7 weeks of being away.
So all in all, it was an amazing blessing to be able to experience the people, the culture, the food, and the spirits of Zambia, and I am so thankful to all of you who made it possible for me to get there. I would also like you to know that at the end of the trip, I had a lot of leftover money that I hadn't used, so I donated the money to pay for all the orphans who live in My Father's House in Chongwe AND in Kalingalinga to go on a field trip/vacation for a day to Chaminuka. So you helped to bless so many little kids with a great day at a safari resort, something that they don't get to experience very often!
So thank you so much for your continued support, prayer, and dedicated faith in God's ability to do wonders in Zambia and in these children's lives. Whatever change that me or any of the other interns made during our time in Zambia wasn't done by us, but by God alone. Please continue to pray for Zambia, Every Orphan's Hope, and especially Gary Schnieder, the founder of this organization, who was a huge job delegating and helping to solve the differences between the Zambian EOH partners and the American partners. I know that I could never do his job, and he does it amazingly! Every Orphan's Hope will also be going through a staff change this fall, so please pray that the transition will be smooth, and that EOH finds the right people to fill the holes left by the staff members who will be moving on for the time being.
Thanks again and God Bless!
~Jessie S
Romans 15:13
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
No comments:
Post a Comment