The Dark Underbelly of African Life and Culture

This post is from the final days of our 40/40 training.  We had just finished our “home stay” time-a 3 day stay with a local Zambian family in their village.  We lived exactly like them-eating what they ate, bathing how they bathed, sleeping in the huts like they did, etc.  These are a few thoughts from our experience.

Written May 14, 2013

Zambia

40/40 Training

We are in our final days of 40/40!  Our debriefing time takes place at a retreat center in Zambia.  It is beautiful-with nice A/C rooms, warm showers, and a swimming pool! I had a pretty good night of sleep and a shower this morning-yay!  Lots of nice water pressure-a commodity in the land of Africa!  :)  This morning we have a time for a personal spiritual retreat. Abby is at “school” watching a movie (“The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”) and going swimming with the kids later.  She was so excited to go to school today!  

Bertha, me and Abigail

Bertha & Gersham, Selvin & Abigail, Melvin & Cynthia

I have giardia, ugh!  But just got started on meds so hopefully I won’t have it as bad as the first time I got it a few months back.  It’s a gorgeous day-it’s the fall season here in Zambia, so a little chill is in the air and it’s cold in the mornings and evenings. Lord, I thank You for such a beautiful day.  I praise You for our learning opportunity during our home stay this weekend at Gersham and Bertha’s house.  We learned so much about the daily life of Africans.  They were really hospitable and we really enjoyed getting to know their kids, Cynthia (6 years old) and Melvin (10 years old).  Cynthia was precious-she loved to sing and dance.  Her and Abby were really cute together-especially singing their own version of “Head and Shoulders”.  Bertha and Gersham have really struggled in their marriage and financially over the past couple of years.  But the past year they have really been seeking the Lord and plugged in with a local Baptist church.  They were so gracious to us-feeding us the best they had every meal and even offering us snacks in between (ground nuts boiled or roasted fresh from their fields and watermelon).  

God, help us to stay faithful in praying for them and even staying in touch the best we can.  Some of our most favorite times with them were eating together-sitting under the shade of a tree in their backyard on a bamboo mat.  My favorite was supper time as it grew darker and the stars began to come out.  Breathtaking!  The stars just seem more vibrant and beautiful here in Africa.  

Abby playing with the village kids

I think what stood out to me the most this weekend was getting more of a glimpse into the dark underbelly of African life and culture.  I am learning that it will take years to learn and even then there are so many taboos and secrets of Africa.  Even the pastors we spoke to in Zambia don’t always know who in their congregation still goes to see the witch doctor (unless someone else tells on them).  So they preach about it to their congregation often and trust in the Holy Spirit to move.  

From the outside looking into the Zambian villages it is really quite picturesque-cute little straw roofs placed on top of mud huts surrounded by animal pens (for goats, pigs, cattle, chickens, ducks, etc).  The dirt yards are always neatly swept and are set against the beautiful back drop of fields and trees that stretch on for miles and miles.  It’s easy to assume life is simpler here and in some minor ways it truly is because besides cell phones and radios there are no other technological innovations to distract. (We as a western culture can certainly learn from it in a number of ways.)  

But you live with the people for just a few days and you begin, just BEGIN to find out how hard life truly is here in Africa every day.  Cooking over a charcoal fire, toting water for everything from the bore hole, (used for cooking, bathing, drinking...) dealing with rats, snakes, ants and spiders in the small space on the dirt floor you sleep on.  It is hard, tedious work just to survive each day.  Besides this daily, consuming work you have the problems of sickness, disease, malnutrition, coming up with school fees for your children on your meager income, and the worry of a low crop yield because of little rain.  

Some of the village kids, Diliysio is in the very front (with the sucker in his mouth)

Bertha shared with me a few stories of kids I met during our home stay visit.  Diliysio is a little boy about 11 years old who was born with crippled feet-he walks on the sides of them.  His father is the head man of their village and a few years ago took a second wife.  She was jealous of his first wife and had her murdered.  Bertha wouldn’t share any of the details but when I asked her why that woman wasn’t in jail for her crime, she said it was because the murder was done by witchcraft.  God really drew this little boy close to my heart-he was over at our house all the time and went to church with us on Sunday.  (Bertha says he usually goes with them.)  It was evident he’s interested in spiritual things by his answers during the kids’ Sunday School class I sat in on.  We were able to give him a little card with a Bible verse on top and a sucker before we left their home.  Diliysio came back with the sweetest little note saying that he loved us.  Lord, please help us to be faithful in praying for him.  It was so hard to say goodbye to him.  

Abby, Cynthia, Regina (in tan shirt, green skirt) & other village kids giving baby dolls a bath! 

Then there was precious little Regina, about 4 1/2 years old whose mother had abandoned her and her 4 sisters when she was only a baby to become a prostitute.  Regina lives with her elderly grandmother.  She was such a precious little girl with big, beautiful eyes and a huge smile.  The Lord really drew my heart to hers this weekend.  She too was at Gersham and Bertha’s house all the time and she stuck close to my side during a memorial service we attended Saturday (for several hours).  Her and Abby became fast friends-tickling each other-so cute!  It was extremely difficult to say goodbye to her. I left a little card with a Bible verse with her as well with a note saying we’d be praying for her and Bertha read it to her.  

God, please help us to be faithful in praying for her!  You kept me awake last night really praying for her and orphans-Selvin and I both feel like for several years You’ve told us You want us to adopt.  We’ve always felt like we would come across certain orphans in our paths You would specifically put there for this purpose.  But we’ve never seriously considered the importance of being ready for this at all times because we don’t know when this will come.  Meeting Regina this weekend really showed me the urgency of this matter.  God, please give me and Selvin Your wisdom in this matter.  We want to be obedient-first by preparing, secondly by always keeping a watchful eye, and thirdly by being courageous and diligent in caring for orphans.  Give us Your wisdom from above!