Saturday, May 24, 2008

in transit,

Airports.

Dreadful places that make you feel like your being scolded by your kindergarten teacher for something foolish. I found out that a Nalgene stuffed with electronics raises enough suspicion to call four security officers to the x-ray and have my bag partially unpacked.

Seven hours to England followed by an eight hour run-around London lay-over. London was a landscape of the medieval and modern stacked one atop another. Then ten hours of plane travel, and finally, Lusaka, Zambia.

The very kind Ron Herr picked us up in a Toyota “Super 16” van, a vehicle we will soon know well. Lusaka is a buzzing place. Vans, bicycles, and so many on foot. Men walk through traffic selling sunglasses, board games, and plungers. Cement walls are boldly painted with advertisements, of all colors and font varieties.

It is a place of extreme contrasts: strip malls, complete with a Shoprite and Subway, and new construction, as well as roadside peanut sellers, sprawling shanty towns, and brightly painted local stores. While buying fabric dyes, the man behind the counter is amused by our seriousness and the Indian tore owner convinces us of the fine quality of the product.

Our stomachs are full of Chinese food and the weather is beautifully clear and cool. Tomorrow we head to Cure International Hospital and continue to learn about Zambia.
We find ourselves quite worn out from all the travel but eager to experience what the Lord has in store for us. Thank you for your prayers.

-Lindsay

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