Week 2/Victoria Falls

                On Friday when we returned to the base after the expedition, we were exhausted and filthy. Once arriving on the base we began to wash the truck and clean all of our expedition gear. On the base we are split into four teams with different chores and we rotate chores every Monday. So  on Friday I was on the dinner prep team and I helped cook dinner for everyone on base. After dinner I finally had the opportunity to take a shower. The water was actually cold because all the hot water ran out. I didn’t care though because it had been 5 days since my last real shower. It was amazing! It’s funny how you start to appreciate things that you take for granted in the U.S. such as toilets, showers, and mattresses. I slept so good Friday night!

                On Saturday we got to sleep in a little. After breakfast we did laundry. When we arrived in Zambia, we discovered that the laundry detergent that we had brought spilt in Tim’s bag and got all over his clothes so our first night on the base we were washing his clothes out. This was the first time that we really did laundry though. We each had about a week and a half of clothes. We hand washed all of our clothes at the laundry station. (The base has a laundry station with large stone sinks to wash clothes in.) After washing, rinsing, and wringing our clothes out we hung them out on the clothesline. It took about two hours to do laundry. Luckily the clothes dry quickly here because of the dry climate.

                After doing laundry we had the opportunity to visit Victoria Falls. It was incredible. Words and pictures cannot describe the beauty of this wonder of the world! There were rainbows over the water. It was definitely a highlight. While Tim and I were admiring the falls we talked about how God spoke that into existence. Our God is so creative and so loving that he created that just for our enjoyment. All creation points to Him and declares his glory!

Psalms 19:1-4 “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth and their words to all the world.”

                Sunday we had our first church service with Overland. Every Sunday the Overland staff gathers for worship here at the base. Pastor Jeff then brings the Word. It is very neat because the missionaries here are able to minster in the bush during the week, but they have a community of believers here that they eat, fellowship, and worship with.

                We have met so many wonderful people here: Overland staff and our team. Their heart for God and people is incredible. We have several families here as well. I think there are 11 children here under 8 years old. It makes things interesting for sure. It is so beautiful to see families ministering together though. 

                This week we have been in a missionary medicine/wilderness responder class. It has been very interesting learning about what you would do for a medical crisis out in the bush. I know that this will benefit us in the future. Next week the class will continue and we will learn about tropical diseases and other topics. At the end of the week we will be going to a nearby village and teach them the information that we have learned. Please continue to pray for us as we seek after God with our whole hearts and strive to hear his voice.