kristen: morning routine

this morning, i woke up a beautiful sunrise. i grabbed the bucket and basin and walked to the well to pump some water for my bucketshower. carrying the water the short distance from the well to the showers was more difficult than i expected. i had to stop every few paces to switch arms, spilling it as i went. the “showers” are actually canvas dividers on a concrete block, each equipped with a pulley system. you let down a bucket, pour in your water, and pull the bucket back to the top, making sure you tie the rope well. the water was cold, cold.

after my shower, i walked to where the "kitchen tent" where there is coffee waiting, and spent some time reading and praying. i love the mornings here.


bryce pumps water for himself and his family. he's a nice guy.

kristen: medicine and the spiritual world

today we are going to learn about health and medicine in a rural context. when we got out of the truck, falecy led us a long way from the torwn through what can only be described as an African subdivision. as we walked, a group of zambian children followed us, hiding behind trees and bushes when we stopped. we finally arrived at a house. the torn sign on the front gate announced dr. mikeluwai, traditional healer.

we waited until we were invited in. 2 men ushered us into the backyard and laid down reed mats for us to sit on. after we all sat down, we exchanged introductions and told him that we were here to learn about african and zambian culture. he explained that he was a traditional heanler, age 28, and had ben practicing for 12 years. he told us he used herbs and trees for treating various illnesses. he also told us that he had a spirit he inherited from his parents that told him what illness a person was suffering from and how to treat them. there are some diseases that he sends on to the hospital, and some that he can treat himself. he also said that some people will come to him who have been bewitched, or possessed by evil spirits. he told us that all healing, and all medicines of the earth, are from God, and we should pray as we receive them.

he told us that he was a christian. he said sometimes even witches come to him when they want to give up witchcraft, and he shows them how to do this. talking to him really challenged by opinions about medicine, healing and witchcraft. the people of africa are so much more in touch with spirituality then us in the west. i think, often, they see the spiritual world much more clearly than i can. the demonic warfare they face daily is more real than what i know. i find myself wanting black and white answers, wanting to categorize what i see, and clearly define it. but the lines between the spiritual and the physical, the sacred and the secular, the church and the world, are so blurred.

a christian witchdoctor?


the sign on the front gate of the traditional healer.


dr. mikeluwai. he was a kind and soft spoken man.

Jesse: Medicine and the spirit world

The room is dark. A small table with a white cloth laid over it is placed in the middle of the room. On the far wall and the wall on the left, the men sit on benches and chairs. The women are crowded on the floor next to the wall.

The witch doctor, seated alone in the center, looked like any other African man. Neatly dressed in trousers and an African-patterned business shirt. He smiled freely and conversed intelligently. He was not what one might think about a witch doctor. No wild hair, painted face, half-clothed and chanting to control the spirits. He was calm, polite and gracious.

But when he spoke and talked about his word that is when it became evident that he was a witch doctor. He spoke of controlling good and evil spirits, looking into a mirror to find murderer and praying to Jesus to heal.

The challenge to teach about Jesus and to lead someone to believe and have faith in Jesus is separating him or her from what has been handed down through many generations. Show them that all the other things that they fear, that they believe in, are powerless. Show them that they have to give it up to follow Jesus.


The traditional healer, or witch doctor, reads a list of his services, which include both physical and spiritual ailments.


Grant examines the witch doctor's baptism certificate. In this culture, being a traditional healer and a Christian is not uncommon.

Jesse: Meeting officials

We received the District Commissioner’s wife and the local head chief’s wife this morning out at the bush camp. They spoke to us about working in culturally appropriate ways to teach our African friends about Jesus.

The ladies asked us a few questions about our lives: whether we were married and had kids. We asked about how they had met their husbands. Some of the girls had baked cookies and some had decorated the room. We talked and laughed together. It was definitely a good girl time.

Later in the day we went through practical training like killing and cooking a chicken, driving lessons and car maintenance.


Melodie bakes cookies for our honored guest in our outdoor "kitchen."


The District Commissioner's wife explained to us about politics in Africa, and about her life.


The children wrote and illustrated a book to present to the guests.


We danced and sang together as we bid our guests goodbye.

kristen: first day in town

today is the first day we travel out to patauke town. after our morning devotional group, we all loaded into the back of a lorry (flatbed truck). we drove about 15 minutes into town. everyone we passed called out to us, or waved. when we arrived, we hurried to the director of health’s office. we waited with his secretary until he was ready to see us. we were ushered into his office. after introductions, he told us about the health system in zambia. he told us how missionaries have helped with health care, and how churches help now. we prayed with him, then we left.

as we waited for everyone to for everyone to finish their DFAs, we went to a local shop and got to know each other other over cold fantas and cokes.


we were all ready for a cold drink after a hot day in the town.

Jesse: First day at bush camp

I’m sitting in a safari tent about six hours east of Lusaka in the heart of the Zambian bush.
I like the camp. People really do pay ”thousands of dollars” as Kevin says, to have experiences like this.

All the families have two tents, each couple is in their own and the singles are two people per tent and they are big. Now that it’s night it’s nice and cool. My tent mate, Johanna and I are praying for a breeze tomorrow.


When we arrived at bush camp, our tents were already set up, and we were provided with a folding chair, bucket, and kerosene lamp.


The view is beautiful from inside my tent.

kristen: on the road, again

we got up early today. we loaded up our things and piled into two buses—prepared for a long day of heat and driving. i have a friend who tells me there's hot, then there's africa hot. today is africa hot. the first couple hours of the drive were pleasant, we had breakfast on the road, and i jammed to some elvis, wilco, and bob marley on my ipod, windows down, and beautiful countryside all around.

around noon, we stopped on the side of the road for a bathroom break. it was more than 110 degrees outside, and from that point, it only got hotter. soon, the dry air and dust blowing in through the windows was warmer than a hair driver, and the bus felt like an oven. as we traveled away from the city, we saw less and less people, and more and more afriacan landscape—mountains, grass huts, and cows.

around 3 pm, we arrived at the camp. it was much larger than i anticipated. our tents were already set up, complete with mattresses, towels, basins and a chair. we spent the rest of the day learning about camp life.


deb, michael, and trevor rock out in the back of the bus. all the cool kids always sit in the back of the bus, you know.


madi holds on tight to her dad, bruce, as she enjoys the breeze. this kid is the best traveler i've ever met. no complaints from her.


jesse. could she be any cooler?