Women's Conference Summary

from Taylor Welty
We joined our Zambian sisters in speaking to the women of Zambia who are currently in various leadership positions, whether in their churches or elsewhere (although the group was primarily comprised of Christian women) about their role in their community. The people of Africa are so hungry to learn and grow spiritually. Many of them have experienced the redemption that comes from taking hold of Christ’s love with both hands, and they are eager to grow in the knowledge of their faith. Topics at the conference included growing in a relationship with God, acting on faith, boldness to stand firm in truth, raising godly families and growing in godly marriages, human trafficking, changing communities through education, spiritual gifts, and practical topics such as AIDS prevention and germ control (taught by a nurse from our team and one of the Zambian nurses).

Through each message, the Zambian and US teams got to encourage the women to recognize their value and the ability they possess in impacting their communities, as well as to know how priceless and treasured they are by God. We challenged each other to seek change and step into it when it seems uncomfortable to do so… The neat thing about messages that called for change in their society in particular was that these messages were primarily addressed by the Zambian team, speaking to their own people. The people of Africa truly want to strengthen and build up their economy, to end poverty and to enforce the basic human rights of freedom and human dignity. They find themselves caught in a limbo where the possibility for enacting lasting change seems out of reach, but the only way to reverse old habits is to move forward and work against those practices that have been negatively impacting their society. It is not about changing their culture per say, but instead changing the way they treat each other. Because of their poverty, there is much corruption everywhere and the people resort to human degradation to earn a few dollars. One Zambian speaker at the conference whose name was Lizzy spoke powerfully to the women demanding that they stop relegating their children to human trafficking, depriving them of the chance to be properly educated and to therefore have the opportunity to impact their society and future generations. The women sat and soaked up every word... They were like sponges.

Culturally, these concepts are difficult to put into practice and understand. Much of African culture embraces the notion that there is no past or future, only the present—as in a revolving continuum. There is not an understanding of planning for one's future or the consequences that will result if there is no action taken (hence the giant potholes in the roads wherever you go), and so the concept of teaching their children to affect future generations and unhealthy habits is huge.

But God is not one to look at a seemingly impossible task and be daunted. He is a God of the impossible. He is a God of the unimaginable, and He is doing incredible things in Africa.

One of the most rewarding moments presented itself when one of the women approached one of our team members and said, “Wow. Now I get it! If we raise the next generation to know truth and to actively be involved in their society, we can change the future of our countries with each new generation.” It was at times like these that we couldn’t help but be amazed at the work God has been doing in Africa and continues to do. What a joy it was to be a part of it!

I was so inspired by the genuine love and joy pouring out of every fiber of our brothers and sisters there, too. They have incredible hearts of gold and hold nothing back when there is a need, though they live in poverty themselves. What Christ-like love is this, that a man would lay his life down for his friends. And that is what they do—every day.

Photo Slideshow

Join us at Twin Lakes Church on August 1st

Home Sweet Home

The Z team arrived home safe and healthy late Tuesday afternoon.
It was so luxurious to shower and eat in our owns homes and sleep in our own comfy beds.

Thank you all for your prayers and comments over the last 3 weeks. Stay tuned for more information on how you can view our photos.

Photo Highlights

Suzanne and our lunch at the Mansa market

The team at Victoria Falls - we are dry here - before the drenching walk

The conference grounds beside the church where all the attendees slept, ate, washed, etc...
Anne and Bonnie learning to dance the Zambia way.

The Zambian Leadership team that were co-teachers at the conference.

The teaching team and the conference attendees.

God's Protection and Majesty

We have had some amazing adventures on this trip. The most recent was our journey here to Livingstone yesterday. We had 10 people crammed like sardines into a van made to seat 8 comfortably. We have actually gotten quite used to this arrangement and have even figured out the most optimal seats (and least optimal!). However, we were tested on the last 60 km of our journey.

The road was so full of pot holes that it looked like it had expereinced a recent meteor shower - leaving deep gouges in the road. It kind of felt like some kind of video game where we had to dodge potholes and oncoming traffic by driving on either side of the road or even on the dirt on the side of the road. Then as an added bonus we had to avoid aggressive bus drivers as well as their belching smoke. After an exhausting two hours of this terrain we arrived tired and sweaty in Livingstone. John Thomsen did an outstanding job of driving us under these conditions and was sorry that we had experienced any discomfort. We probably distracted him terribly with all our of conversations as well as our startled outbursts of "Oh!" every time we hit a big pothole. He has been such a gracious man to travel with 9 women across the country.

Today was a wonderful day of visting Victoria Falls, shopping and having an evening cruise along the Zambezi River.

We could hear the roar of the water crashing right from the entrance of Victoria Falls National Park. As we walked down the path the inspiring and powerful falls unfolded before us - stretching as far as they eye could see. Thanks to Paulette we all had rain ponchos that kept us dry and we walked along the path across the narrow bridge along the waterfalls. Any part that was not covered by the poncho was drenched as the mist from the falls surrounded us. It was a breathtaking and powerful expression of God's creation that we all appreciated.

However I did find it interesting that we spent about 45 minutes bathing in the glory of these majestic waterfalls and about 2 hours shopping at the craft market right outside the Falls. It was quite a time consuming process as each purchase not only had to be decided on but haggled for. We all learned to bargain quite well - although we think Taylor got the best deals by saying "But I only have $10" and looking very sweet. I (Amy) gave a pen to one of the sellers and he wanted to give me a gift in return - somehow this "gift" ended up being the purchase of an additional trinket that cost $7. Not sure how that happened.

We spent the twilight and sunset hours on a dinner cruise that motored along the Zambezi River. We saw crocodiles and many hippos and a glorious sunset. There was a simple barbecue dinner and we watched the sun go down and the lights begin to twinkle on shore. It was a wonderful ending to the day.

Tomorrow we head to South Africa by plane (which we are VERY grateful for). However John and Tove will be driving to South Africa so please keep them in your prayers as it is a hard 2 day journey.

Arrived in Livingstone!

After two days of 10 + hours of travel the Z team has arrived in Livingstone, Zambia for a little R & R. Despite the long tiring travel days, we have been blessed with safe travels with no breakdowns, clean bathrooms (very important!) and the fact that everyone is healthy.

We enjoyed a nice meal in town this evening and will visit Victoria Falls tomorrow. Check back tomorrow for another report (our Guest House has Internet access!)