Rested and Ready!

It was a long trip! We left Charlotte, NC on Thursday last and arrived on Sunday via Washington, DC (overnight), Dubai (22 hour layover), Lusaka, and then to Livingstone, Zambia. Whew! We were picked up at the airport by our dear friends, Percy and Muyunda Muleba, and it was so great to be reunited with them! We then rested and readied in Livingstone for three nights and then yesterday drove nine hours to Mongu, Zambia. We will be in Mongu until the 27th.

The drive from Livingstone to Mongu was difficult, to say the least. It took us 5 1/2 hours to cover the first one hundred miles because of the horrible potholes in the road. For one stretch of about ten miles we dropped down to the oxcart path running parallel to the highway so we could drive at a reasonable speed. Percy Muleba, our dear friend, drove the entire way and it wasn’t easy for him. Thankfully, his Toyota Hilux made the bouncing tolerable. I can’t imagine what it would have been like if we had made the trip in a taxi which is typically a Toyota Corolla. Yikes!

Tonight we begin training ten leaders from New Vine Ministry, each of whom represents a local church. We are limited to ten by Zambia's Covid guidelines. We are in Phase 2 with these young leaders and will spend the next week on “Discovering My Ministry and Mission.” In addition, on Sunday, Abby will teach a larger group on Gender Based Violence (GBV) and I will preach, as well. During non-training hours, we expect several one-on-ones with local pastors and/or leaders which are always meaningful.

Please pray for us and our students for transformational training, good health, and team harmony. As always, where we go, you go!

The oxcart path made for easier driving than the paved highway above us to the left!

It’s been great to be reunited with our dear friend and colleague, Percy Muleba!