africa arrival

i'm writing from zambia! yay!!!!

it feels so crazy being here again. in some ways it's almost like i never left. i literally stepped off the plane with such joy in my heart. i started yelling, "i feel like i'm home!" this guy in front of me was chuckling but i was serious. in many ways i feel like zambia is a 2nd home to me with a 2nd family.

my reunion with some of my friends was exciting! we couldn't stop hugging each other and pinching ourselves to make sure it was real. haha. they were all so excited to meet my mom. they all call her "mama" which is precious. it's been really fun watching the team interact with them and we haven't even gotten to the village yet!

anyways, back to our arrival. we got here with no problems and only 1 bag is missing so far. hopefully that shows up today! our sleeping situation is a little more crowded than we intended but it's working out ok. the girls are sleeping in 1 room that has a double bed in it and then we had them put 5 mattresses on the floor. it's crowded, but cozy! it's helping us bond much quicker though which is awesome.

we all slept almost 12 hours last night which is good cause most of us were running off of 48 hours with no sleep! this morning i took the team to a great little cafe where we had a yummy breakfast and fruit smoothies! now the team is browsing around a huge craft market picking up some fun souvenirs. in a few minutes we'll be heading off to visit some friends of ours who started an NGO here in Lusaka. it's called Joy Human Development Centre. they are artisans who make crafts and use the funds to help children. they run soccer and educational programs. really awesome guys. i'm excited for the team to meet them and see their operation. we have a bag full of soccer balls and cleats for them which i know they'll be grateful to receive!

we need to get to bed early tonight because tomorrow at 6am we head up north to the village. it will be an 8 hour drive and then there will be many more exciting reunions with our friends there! from that point on we'll be sleeping in tents with no running water and no electricity. let the good times roll! haha! it should prove interesting! seriously though, this team is strong so they can handle it.

i can't explain how happy i feel to be back here and to be with this group of people. they are amazing individuals, each with incredible God-given gifts for this time and place. i can't wait to see the ways God will use that to bring glory to His name.

i love and miss you all!

in His love and service,
susan