In true Alison style I’m writing my final First Serve blog over 7 weeks after I returned from Zambia. I do have an excuse as I managed to get involved in 6 summer camps (3 of which being linked to Christian Adventure Holidays), which started a couple days after my return to England. I’ve had loads of fun, not only enjoying being in the outdoors and doing sport that I love but I also gained so much from the worship, teaching and spending time with great friends. I am, however, very happy to be home for a bit before starting university on 28th September so that I can sort out all I need for moving away and spend some well needed time with friends and family at home.
So my final week at Chitokoloki was a fun one, quite a few new visitors arrived so we enjoyed a few nights playing Rook (a popular game of Chit station) and I was introduced to ‘Fire Ball’ which consisted a tennis ball, methylated spirit, fire and therefore screams and laughter. It was very sad to leave Chitokoloki and all the people there who I’d made friends with. It was especially sad leaving the amazing family of Tanis and her two girls, Mika and Hope. I am blown away by Tanis and her hospitality, generosity and kindness and how hard she works because of her love for people and Christ. It was also strange leaving the hospital which I had gotten used to helping out in and to know I wouldn’t be passing the familiar faces of the patients and all those who work there – who were so inspiring.
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| Games night at Tanis' |
Rebekah and I then made our way to Loloma Mission Station for my last 3 weeks in Zambia. I continued to share a guesthouse with Rebekah, which was great as we had a good laugh and we were able to explore the place together with another Rebekah – a Canadian newly qualified nurse who is working at Loloma for a year. I had some more experiences of Zambian culture – a lady we met at Loloma girls camp invited a few of us visiting girls for a morning of making a traditional meal of nshima chicken and mafo (fried cabbage made in a peanut sauce), we were amazed by how much work was needed to prepare it and how the Zambian ladies would do this most days. I also had my hair braided into corn rows by the very kind Thumba who we also met at Loloma girls camp and who we became friends with as we saw her at many functions such as Sunday school, and youth bible studies and days out – such a dedicated and mature young lady!
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| Rebekah and I in front of the hospital |
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| Ladies hard at work |
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| I admire the girls who get this done every month or so - Thumba did an amazing job! |
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| We enjoyed a day out at a beautiful farm by the river with some local youths - there was singing, food and discussions after some talks by visiting South Africans |
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| I also got to see the Loloma nursery and Sunday school in action - such important places for these cuties! |
Seeing a different mission hospital was also very interesting. I spent a lot of the time watching ultrasound and in the maternity ward. I learnt a lot about ultrasound and relating anatomy from Rebekah. It was great to see how the Lord was working with her time in Zambia – she decided to prolong her stay and it encouraged me how much she was helping the different hospitals and patients through her work. I’ve enjoyed continuing to see how she is doing by reading her blog. I loved learning lots in the maternity ward as well, as the local midwives were so eager to teach and let me get stuck in; I was even able to catch a few babies and cut a few chords, etc. The atmosphere created by the midwives and mothers and dancing families was contagious.
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| Theresa (a midwife) was such a laugh in the maternity ward - she insisted on having a photo in front of the breastfeeding poster |
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| Attempting to dance with a family celebrating a newborn baby |
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| The newborn baby after a caesarian section |
It was great to see another mission station and to get to know the missionaries there who were all so sweet and helpful! Hearing more stories of how they came to work at Loloma and seeing how hard they work to help people who really need it in the remote area was amazing.
I really enjoyed playing with the Bear missionary kids as they showed me their play spots around the station and we enjoyed a few games of cricket and baseball.
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| Great food with great company - some long term and short term missionaries having lunch at the Bears |
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| We enjoyed a bonfire by the Zambezi on one of my last nights in Zambia |
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| We loved our games of cricket |
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| Spelling out LOLOMA on our walk down the airstrip |
Finally I’d like to thank everyone who supported me during my First Serve experience. I am so appreciative of all the people who read my blog (well done and thank you if you managed to get through some of them!), it was so encouraging for me to have people interested in First Serve, in what I was doing and in the work of the places I was at. A massive thank you for all the prayers and I realise that I didn’t even know about some of the people praying for me so for them and everyone else I am truly thankful. Every time I talk or think about First Serve, the people I met, the things I learnt and the experiences I had I am just overwhelmed by how amazing the whole thing was – not to sound too clichéd, but it really was so much more than I expected!
