July 23, 2011 {Zambia Mission}

Well, after 18 hours of flying, a total of three days worth of travel, I'm finally in Lusaka, Zambia. I'm staying with my cousin, Megan, in her villa- a surprise I found out just before getting on the plane to London.

Before I dive into my first day in Africa, let me tell you about my London trip. We had about 12 hours to spend in the UK, and the weather was perfect! It didn't rain one drop. A few funny things I learned while there: when ordering something "to go" at a restaurant is said as "take away," the train is called "the tube," and it's better to look right first before crossing the street. It's all lush and green in the city- as London is Britain's Seattle- and their parks were covered in beautiful flowers. So many colors ever where you turned, and it was hard not to keep snapping pictures, while also keeping up with my cousins, Kim and Billy, as they walked so fast throughout the city. We were on a mission to see everything we possibly could in the hours we were given.

We were able to see were Buckingham Palace- we were able to catch the changing of the guard, which was such a neat thing to see. It's really interesting to see a tradition so old carried out every single day. I had no idea how elaborate the procession was- guard everywhere directing traffic and pedestrians, a band marching in, mounted horses with guards parading around the circle, and once actually inside the gates of the palace, it was such a show to watch the changing of each individual guard.

I was also to see Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, and Cleopatra's Obelisk. We had to make sure we ate in a real London pub, though, and of course I got fish and chips. It was so much walking, I had officially lost my NYC legs, so I was pretty exhausted by the end of the day. I will say that after two hours of sleep on the plane to London, and 8 hours of walking, it didn't take much to fall asleep on the Zambia bound flight. Out of the ten hours on the plane, I got at least seven hours of sleep. However, leaving London at 3pm and getting into Zambia at 7am didn't really leave me feeling well rested. None of it mattered when we touched down, though, because I was finally here- in AFRICA!!

I had made it safe and sound, free of doubt, and sure about God's intentions for me here.

The first few hours were spent getting settled in Meg's villa, where two small girls, Emmy (3) and Ellie (5) quickly became attached, crawling all over us and wanting to play. Such a sweet welcome. Megan lived in a huge house with a family of four- two girls and two boys. It was not something I expected to be staying in, as my head pictured a small home with little electricity and warmth. This home, however, had lights, art on the walls, and toys everywhere- along with two adorable daschund puppies. After dropping our bags and taking quick showers, we headed to Arcades- the local shopping spot- to exchange our American money into Zambia kwatchas and to finally grab some lunch. I was still having a hard time adjusting to the fact that I was on the other side of the world, until we took a visit to Megan's friends' house. This couple had lived in Zambia for over 20 years and their house exploded with Africa- I was in awe! There were so many sculptures, paintings, and animals heads, as the husband was a hunter, all over the place.

A few hours later, after making it back to the villa for a much needed nap, we had our first Camp Life meeting- all next to a Zambian wedding. The soundtrack to Greer's talk was priceless. Haha. On a serious note, though, this man was preaching God's word- His truth. Some things I want to share:

"We tend to keep God in a box. We pull Him out when we want or need Him. But other than that, we do what we want to do. Well get ready, because you and God are about to switch places."

"Stop hoping - that's not faith. Believing is faith- just believe that His will will be fulfilled."

"You will be used by God- He will change you. He will create miracles for you and through you. You WILL see miracles here. Don't try to stop it from happening."

Many testimonies were shared from past weeks- things that gave me goosebumps and tears. I am so ready to be shaken. To be completely flipped inside out, upside down.