Amazing

Amazing - The first word that popped into my head (and hence out of my mouth) each time someone asked, “How was Zambia?”

Then the next question would follow.

“Why?”

Erm…

I would say.

I could never give a comprehensive answer as to why my time in Zambia was amazing, to say the least. And it wasn’t that I didn’t mean it, I just didn’t know what made my time in Zambia so unforgettable, and very easily the best month of my life.

And so, the journey to find out why I found it amazing began! :)

Boy, was it a long journey. It took me a full week and a half to consolidate all the lessons I learnt.

(Of course, I wasn’t that consistent in my reflections. But you don’t know that, you see.)

Anyway, to sum it up, I learnt a total of 76 lessons.

26 lessons changed my perception or attitude towards something/people/life.

20 lessons were lessons I learnt about myself.

19 lessons were spiritual ones – either I learnt something about God or about Christianity.

And the last 11 were lessons on doing things that I’d never done before. Ever.

I will not attempt to share with you all 76 lessons. You would die reading them, and I would die typing them all out for you. (No, I won’t really. I wrote all 76 out so I wouldn’t forget them.)

But what I will do is share the lessons most significant to me, which hopefully will not be all 76.

Let me first start with…

Discoveries I made about myself:

1. I have a serious problem when it comes to judging people.
So much so that I would condemn a baby affected by HIV for being “attention-seeking” and “selfish”.

2. I’m very intimidated by people who don’t smile on our first introduction.

3. I will die working for or with a perfectionist. Either that, or he/she will die.

4. I’m, by God’s grace, quite adaptable to environments, cultures, food, etc.

5. I treat God with very little reverence.

Perceptions/Attitudes that have changed:

1. I now believe in child-like faith. And the power of a child’s prayer.

2. Few things are more important than starting the day right with God.

3. I should have 3 main priorities in life, all to do with things that will last for eternity.
a) my relationship with God
b) growing in His Word and in prayer
c) People, because souls last for eternity

4. People are impacted by how you do what you do, not just what you do.

5. As a Christian, it is my responsibility to speak out for those who have no voice.

6. While it will be difficult living according to God’s will for me all the time, especially when my will opposes His, there’s really no other way I would rather live.

7. One day, I will die. And while the thought still scares me, it would be my greatest honour to die for Christ.

Pharen, my Zambian missionary-roommate, said this to me one night:

It is my desire to die for Christ, because Christ died for me.

She was the one who got me thinking.

8. A baby conceived because of rape does not deserve to suffer the death penalty for the crime of the rapist.

Interesting things I did for the first time in my life:

1. Hand-wash my clothes!

2. Sew a bag

3. Bake scones

4. Eat nshima with my hands, Zambian style!

5. Cut up about 10 whole chickens into 120 pieces

6. Discuss “masturbation” with Zambian discipleship/missions students. Over breakfast.

7. Get my HIV status tested (along with the other students who went through the HIV/AIDS training course too)

8. Get my hair braided by an African girl

Spiritual Lessons… (This does sound very spiritual, doesn’t it?):

1. God goes before me and has my path planned out.

Coming to Zambia, I was anxious and afraid, because everything was uncertain. From pick-ups to culture to communication to outreach, I was clueless. But in the end, everything didn’t just turn out fine, it turned out awesome!

And I can apply this to the rest of my life too. In many instances, I’m going to be unsure of the next step. I’m going to be afraid, going to be unsure. But I can trust that my Lord goes before me, and that His plan is nothing short of perfect.

Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.

2. God doesn’t need us to “fulfill His purpose”.

He can accomplish all that He wants to without us complicating things, and yet He still chooses to use us to fulfill His plan! How generous and trusting God is! A God who gives chances and loves us enough to let us serve Him and make a tonne of mistakes in the process, and grow in Him and learn to trust Him :)

2 Timothy 1:8-9 – Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner (Paul), but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of His own purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.

3. It’s so easy to lose focus on Jesus, and start focusing on what we’re doing for Jesus.

If we’re not careful, even ministry can become an idol that distracts us from God. But nothing I do is more important than my walk and relationship with God. That should be right so that Jesus can work in and through me.

Colossians 1:9-10 – And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

4. Spending time with God should be a priority.

Relationship is the focus! Obedience comes naturally when we love God. The attitude and condition of our hearts determines the extent of our love relationship with God. Pride is a barrier.

5. Live either in dependence on God, or in self-effort.

1. 6. As a Christian, it is my responsibility to speak out for those who have no voice; the disabled, the abused, the unloved, the forsaken, the neglected, the widowed, the orphaned, the sick…

Proverbs 31:8-9 – Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.

2. 7. Light is meant to be shone in the darkness.

2 Corinthians 4:6 – For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

(sometimes I wonder why Paul couldn’t just write in shorter sentences…)

8. 2 Corinthians 4:7 – But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

I am that jar of clay. I am an earthly vessel. The treasure in me is Jesus Christ, and unless I am broken for Him, His glory and power cannot shine through me, the jar of clay.

And so, we come to the end of reflections on Zambia! I hope that what I’ve learnt, and shared with you, has encouraged or challenged you in at least a small way! I’ve really tried to write it out as best as I can, and these are the lessons that have been the most significant to me.

It’s taken quite a while to reflect on everything and finally publish this… Reverting back to my normal life is soooooo easy. Getting distracted by the computer and… more of the computer. Sheesh, I really spend a significant amount of my life on the computer.

No wonder I miss Zambia so much, because it was in Zambia that I really lived my life for all that it was, undistracted by the computer or the television or movies or things that pretty much take away time that can be better spent doing things of more… value.

I also really miss how everybody would greet everybody on the road. Everybody.

I miss smiling at the locals, and being smiled at as I walked along the dirt roads or through the slums.

I miss late-night conversations with the Zambians over a cup of Zambian coffee (0.5 teaspoon (fake) coffee, 4 teaspoons sugar, 4 teaspoons creamer).

I miss Zambia!

And I miss Singapore. More of the people than the country and its environment…

Till next time, which won’t be too far from now because I’ll update you about what’s happening next!

Love,

Marianne