Inward Renewal

I got this picture off the internet but it’s the closest looking to the lizards that reside under our rocks and in our flower beds.  They enjoy climbing up our screen door and catching flies or mosquitos.  When we first moved into our house it was infested with lizards.  It wasn’t uncommon to sit in on one of our love seats and soon find a lizard peering over your shoulder.  My response was to scream, Tim’s was to kill the things.  He’s broken two of my brooms killing lizards in our house.  Well, we’ve finally gotten a handle on the lizards because Tim “lizard-proofed” our front door.

Last week I was out on our front patio (can’t remember what I was doing) but when I came back in, a lizard followed me.  When I saw it, I screamed – it’s just automatic.  The lizard was having difficulty with our newly polished stone floor.  It slipped and slid down the hallway, then back toward me.  My house helper, Grace, thought something terrible was happening and when she saw it was only a lizard she giggled a bit.  Then she and Tim escorted the lizard outside.

When all was well with the world again: the lizards were outside and I was safely inside. Grace told me that it is a Bemba belief that if a lizard follows you, you are pregnant.  Well, I am indeed pregnant, so perhaps there is some validity to this myth.

Lusaka is well into its rainy season now.  The heavy rains, which were supposed to come in late December have now arrived.  They are becoming more predictable now, with daily rains coming at around 14:00 hrs.  The ground has pretty much reached its saturation point and that means that driving gets a lot more interesting.

Most of our missionaries have 4WD because getting in and out of the townships means passing through deep water holes.  Seriously, some of the low spots in the road fill with water threaten to swallow up even the most equipped vehicles.

I took some pictures last week as I drove around.  Notice in the first picture how high the water is coming on the tailpipes of sedans.  This photo was taken on Great East Rd. which is one of Lusaka’s busiest rds.  It’s not unusual to see motorists submerge their exhaust systems completely.

I had to speak at a church in Kanyama, and boy was that journey interesting.  The road into Kanyama felt more like a roller coaster or mud rally than a main road.  Even at Ciyanjano, the creek is roaring.  The bridge is now impassible because the creek has cut out around one side of the bridge.

So far, Lusaka’s townships aren’t experiencing any cholera outbreaks but with the ground reaching saturation point, pit latrines will start filling up and boreholes might be threatened with surface water contamination.  Life here is a delicate balance.  Transportation for locals is fraught with delays, mud and getting drenched.  Most people can’t wait for this time of the year to be over.

But the rains also sustain life here.  The majority of Zambia drains into the mighty Zambezi and Kafue Rivers which course their way throughout the land bringing much need water and fertility.  They are now very full.  The life cycle of many plants and animals here depend on the extremes of knowing plenty and feeling want.

I pass by this sign every single day on my way to the office.  I’m amazed by the names given to churches in the compounds.  This church’s name is called Grace Achiever’s Church – which is of course a contradiction in terms according to Ephesians.  At the very least, each morning I’m reminded of Ephesians 2:8-9.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. “

Do I view divine grace and favor as God’s initiative?  Am I working towards my own righteousness?  Can I receive the grace and love of God for me as a free gift?  Hmm… I wonder if that sign is there for me?

Three times a month (on Saturdays) I have the privilege of hiring one of the hardest working gardners I’ve ever met.  Charles is one solid dude and can do the work of three men – no kidding.  I’ve never heard him tell me there’s a job he can’t accomplish.  With a hoe (“khasu” in the Cinyanja language) he can tear apart and put together any problem situation.  He weeds, slashes, plants, trims, digs, identifies native plants, traps animals, washes, paints, details autos, landscapes, negotiates deals and just about any other thing a person might need done.  I’ve never had need to keep him on task because he takes orders and disappears for the rest of the day – completely transforming whatever he touches.  If he worked for you, you’d be impressed.

With gardner help like his, Andrea and I enjoy are back yard all the more.  As a bonus for his hard work, I gave Charles a compressor from the engine of my old Toyota Hilux.  Two years ago, the engine blew up and so I saved any spare parts that were still good.  With a perfectly good spare like this one, Charles took it deep into the Lusaka markets to find a buyer.  It didn’t take long for him to get 300,000 ZMK (approx $66).  He was able to pay for his children’s education and then some… !  It just goes to show how ridiculous it is to throw things away here.  With a little time and working the right network of connections, everything has value.

A couple of days ago, a young man named Mark brought a gift to our front door.  He completely surprised us by wanting to gift his first banjo to a young boy – and that young boy happened to be Ian.  Mark is known in our community for spending his free time playing a guitar and writing his own songs.  Sixteen years ago, it was his dream to be a musician.  Not being able to afford a guitar, he set out to hand craft a simple banjo for himself.  All he needed were a few wires, a plank of wood, a few nails and an old oil can.  With the wire, he made bridges and strings.  With the nails, he made tuning pegs.  He carved out the plank to be the neck of the instrument.  He put a lot of effort into it this banjo so it had much meaning and value to him.

We asked if he would play a few songs; which he did. He even recorded a message to Ian for our video so that when Ian got older he’d know who gave him the banjo.  Zambians are very generous people and love to share their blessings with us.  At times, it’s hard to be recipients of such generosity.  Nevertheless, in Zambia it’s always important to honor the gift-giver by receiving the gift with open hands.  Gifts are a seal of relationship and solidarity, so we accepted it with much gratitude.

Owning a new guitar, Mark saw no reason to have two instruments; so he chose to share the excess with someone else. Us. Living in Zambia, we see this all the time – it’s just part of life here.  The community shares commodities for the betterment of others.  Rarely do Zambians store their excess.  To store excess is considered wasteful because the potential to benefit others in the now is “lost”.  Certainly there are examples whereby Zambians may have the need to store (like their maize crop yield) but even then they share generously with others and the general trend is not one of hoarding.

Living in such an environment we too have become active participants.  As westerners we find this prevailing attitude towards “things” to be a really constructive challenge to the way that we live our lives.  I can’t help but think of the words Jesus used in Mark 12:48 when he was explaining the meaning of a parable to his disciples, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.”

Most missionaries get some sort of formal cultural training and orientation before they head to the mission field.  The better their pre-ministry cultural training the more they learn to value their new host culture.  Some training programs immerse missionaries from the outset into their new host culture.  To live in the village for a few months, without ammenities and modern conveniences, a person learns how difficult survival can be and how much others are needed.  It’s then that a person begins to learn to appreciate local wisdom, ingenuity and assets.

When I first came to Zambia, I had it drilled into my head that I wanted to embrace this ideal.  My goal was to become more and more dependent upon Zambia, because after all I came here to build relationships and learn.  But inevitably, I found myself falling back into my own world – to a zone of comfort.  Rather than putting myself forward I found myself withdrawing.  I’ve found that the more I withdraw the less I sense a need for other people.  And when life is lived too long like this, its a slippery slope towards thinking that Zambia primarily needs me and my help.

But self-dependence can also quickly disintegrate in Africa.  Life happens here in such a way that others have to be called upon.  Take for instance a trip our family made to Malawi and back.  The trip was a long one, driving long distances through seemingly uninhabited country.  Things were going great until we had car trouble… Pulled over on the side of the road in 100 degree heat, hours away from the next town, with little hope of help, gets your heart pumping fast.  To look around, there’s not much to speak of.  No convenience stores, cell coverage, water, repair shops, or towing services.  What can a family do in this situation?

Well, we started praying.  God seemed a lot closer when our machine of dependency was in need of repair.  Secondly, we started racking our brains together to isolate the problem – squeezing every last bit of auto wisdom out of each other – hoping collectively we might solve the problem.  Then, as a last resort, we consulted Zambians.  It was uncomfortable at first, but we finally asked around for help.

It’s amazing how willing Zambians are to help.  It’s part of their culture and values.  They are used to needing each other because unforeseen life situations happen and resources have to be collected to find a solution.  In our case we barely rolled into the Chipata AutoWorld where we talked to someone who called someone who called someone.  In no less than 30 minutes, two Zambian mechanics showed up out of the woodwork and diagnosed our problem.  I was soooooo relieved and endebted…

It was a good lesson that I needed to learn again.  Being in a tight spot where I needed others was really a wake up call about how we live our lives day to day.  The longer I’m in Zambia, the more I realize that I need Zambians way more than they need me.

While on holiday we took a short boat ride down the Kafue river to where in joins the mighty Zambezi River.  On our way we had to slow down for a pontoon that was ferrying a semi to the other side.  Cost is 40,000 ZMK for one vehicle.

The last time we took a ferry was crossing over from Botswana into Zambia.  It felt safe enough at the time.  But as we passed this particular pontoon with a fully loaded semi aboard, the ferry looked like it was leaning.  Capsizing at this spot wouldn’t be cool.  Our navigator was telling us stories about the many crocks and hippos that patrol these waters.

With the Advent season swirling about me, sometimes it’s hard to picture the circumstance and setting of my Savior’s birth.  For instance in Luke 2:4-7 we read:

“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

To be honest, it’s not often that I feel the weight of having no place to lie my head down or being the lowly one.  But there are so many people around me this Christmas season that can relate.  Just the other day, while stuck in traffic I saw this street kid sleeping precariously on the railing of the Church Rd flyover (bridge).

I was convicted… Who knows whether there will be “room in the inn” for him tonight?  Which is worse: sleeping in the streets or sleeping in a cattle stall?  When I first arrived here, these things distrubed me but over time the experience of the poor, homeless and orphaned begins to fade.  It’s good to contemplate these things again…for them, they often have no place to go, no place to lie their head down in peace and security.

When the rains come to Lusaka, one should expect everything in life to take a little bit longer.  On the one hand, rains are such a blessing to a parched land that hasn’t received one drop for the better part of six months.  But on the other hand many Zambians dread the rainy season – because of the mud, homes leaking and getting flooded, not to mention all the standing water in the streets that can easily swallow up your car.  It’s the time of year that delays are expected and commonplace.

So, when I left for work this morning I thought I was prepared for whatever inconveniences Zambia might bring.  I badly needed an oil change, so as I passed by Zambia’s premier auto store – AutoWorld.  I pulled in to the 6 bay mega-auto-parts dealership before 8:30 and talked to customer service.  They told me that an oil change would take 30 minutes.  AutoWorld has a nice lounge area for customers so I thought I would sit and read for a bit.

Well, I waited…..and waited……and waited. When I went to check on oil change progress after one hour had passed, I found my diesel Toyota Prado with the oil drained, the fuel filter off, and the oil filter off.  “We have a problem boss”, said the customer rep, “our oil filters are out of stock.”  I was then told to catch some “rest” up in the lounge and that they would come get me after they located one.  The plan was to have the parts guy bring the correct filter from another AutoWorld downtown.  It was supposed to take 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, as hour 2 passed, I started growing restless.  Finally, at 11:30 the oil filter was delivered.  It took them all of  15 minutes to finish the job.  But then came the bill….560,000 ZMK ($125).  The oil filter, fuel filter, air filter and oil came to $100 and the labor was $25.  Needless to say, I left AutoWorld at noon in a foul mood.  There’s nothing like African customer service… it’s something I’ll never get used to.

This morning I traveled out to Ciyanjano, Action Zambia’s campground, retreat center and income generation property.  It’s about a 30 minute drive for me, but I love getting outside of urban Lusaka.  I took a couple of pastors with me early to show them the leadership retreat center facilities.  As we were peering inside each chalet we opened up the door of one chalet, only to find a massive snake slithering across the concrete floor.  We quickly exited the chalet and slammed the door shut.  Jailos Sakala was with us and reopened the door carefully and stealthily crept around until venturing into the bathroom.  Looking up into the rafters he found the snake curled up.  He quickly called for backup and several more of our Zambian workers came running with hoes and slashers.  After a quick consultation, the workers decided that this snake was very dangerous and would have to be killed using a catapult (slingshot).  Within ten minutes, the snake had been hit in the head and dragged down from its perch.  A few slashes and it was dead.  The workers believed quite strongly that it was a green mamba.  At the time I believed them.  Any green snake surpassing a meter was surely a mamba I thought.  But after further investigation, I am certain this was a male Boomslang snake.  Boomslangs are found around these parts of Southern Africa.  They primarily live in trees and shrubs in savanna areas.  Green mambas have a more slender head than a Boomslang and have front fangs.  Boomslang are often mis-identified as green mambas.  Unlike mambas they have rear fangs, enormous eyes and short stubby heads.  What’s really interesting is that they can open their mouths 170 degrees.  Males like this one, are bright green, sometimes with black-edged scales.  We were extremely cautious handling the snake as it is “potently haemotoxic, causing severe bleeding internally and from the mucous surfaces.  May result in fatal haemorhage if untreated.”  Source: A Complete Guide to the Snakes of Southern Africa by Johan Marais    Check out the following pictures: