Mulishani from Zambia!

We woke to our first Zambian sunrise this morning. After a deep breath of African air we laid our eyes

upon the vibrant red dirt that featured prominently on our inaugural day in Ndola and at Northrise University.

The students were eager sponges today despite their tremendous jetlag.  Our day was filled with touring the community and the school; meeting those with whom we will work; and preparing for that work.  We soaked up the sights, sounds, smells, customs, and language of this place and began trying to create some order of it all.  I loved hearing the constant questions and observations from our students as they aimed to understand this new world.The students were drawn to children like magnets at each stop in the community and are anticipating our return to serve them.  Lori and I found such great joy in watching our students engage with the children.  

We visited three schools for orphans and vulnerable children in the community.  Graduates of Northrise University founded two of the schools.  It is such encouragement to our partnership with the university to also see the ways in which they are impacting their country for the good.  Northrise’s motto is “Being Excellent at What is Good” and we loved seeing them fulfill that calling.

The schools we have the opportunity to serve are striving to grow and expand with some success to that end. If they are to continue providing for their community and succeed in bringing children out of generational poverty, they must acquire the necessary resources.  These schools are Arising Light, Mapalo, and McKenzie.  We will share more about them as we return to work more closely with the teachers and children.

An important aspect of both the work of Northrise as well as these other programs is sustainability.  While financial, physical, and spiritual support from friends around the globe is vital to their success, it is even more crucial that they find the paths to sustaining their own work.  We were able to see evidence of this both at the schools and the university.  Agricultural efforts seem to be the area in which they have achieved the most success.  We toured a piggery at one of the schools and were able to visit the Northrise Farm that helps provide for the university through chicken and banana farming among other ventures.  Please be in prayer for Northrise, Arising Light, Mapalo, and McKenzie as we work with them and as they strive to provide the best education and care for their students.

We were able to engage with both the nurse who runs the Northrise Clinic (Mary) and the dentist who is providing a free clinic this week.  The students were given some preliminary instructions regarding the health care we will provide along with additional opportunities to minister.  We will be excited to share our stories with you throughout the week.

Pray for our sleep and health along with the plans for the days to come.