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Mwalibishi….
As I have been in the USA for the last week, my mind has been trying to sort through the past two months. I had such a wonderful time in Zambia!!

Let me walk through a VERY brief summary as to what happened….

A couple of weeks before I left for Zambia, I received a phone call from Gospelink asking if I would be interested in teaching English. I said sure, why not. I didn’t realize how difficult the English language is. Thankfully, there were a couple of books left in Zambia. I took money that had come in and started purchasing supplies like dry erase markers, dry erase strips, and dry erase books. (Dry erase is the easy route that doesn’t waste paper). I also had talked to a good friend of mine that teaches English as a New Language. She gave a few ideas of games and teaching strategies.

So armed with teaching supplies, crafts (for the kids) and my personal stuff, I headed off to Zambia. I ended up with two 70 pound suitcases and one 50 pounder along with very heavy carry-ons. Let’s just say….it was a lot of stuff!!!
I spent my first week in Zambia working with the Dover and West Palm Beach teams building and preparing for class. I was scheduled to start classes the second week I was there. Over the summer, I taught two English classes per day. One class consisted of the ladies that were at the college cooking. The other class consisted of those from local villages. I realized that I enjoyed getting out of the “bubble” of the college.

I discovered that they loved playing games. We played a game called STOPPER and BINGO. The students received points and then once a week had a chance to pick off of the prize table. They really did have a good time. I struggled at some points with the rules and the breakage of rules and just the English language. I’ve discovered it is very hard to teach.

During my off time when I wasn’t eating, sleeping, preparing, teaching, I spent time with the Kallevig family. They moved to Zambia in November 2008 with their 7 children. Brian is in charge of the agriculture and Kelly Jo is in charge of the accounting stuff in Zambia. It was such an encouraging time with them!! I hope I was able to encourage them while I was there.

I also spent time with the students, ladies, and numerous pastors. I had a chance to deepen the relationships that had developed in the past several trips. I learned of hopes and dreams for the surrounding areas. I learned a great deal about the culture, tribal rituals, and language.

At one point, I had to renew my visa. I learned that sometimes it’s not about following the rules, but it’s about who you know. If you really want the frustrating story about my visa...read my blog!! (www.shalon-in-zambia.blogspot.com)

I learned that I would rather be in the bush in Zambia than Lusaka. I learned contentment in the bush. I learned to wait on the Lord and that He has a plan for my life…even though I don’t know what it is. I learned that there is great need at the Bible College in the area of medical care. I learned that many think they have malaria when they have a cold. Many who just had a cold or the flu thought they had malaria. Unfortunately, they go to the clinic for antibiotics even when it’s not malaria. (just an FYI…when you take antibiotics when you don’t need them, your body may not respond next time).

I discovered I really like not working. I enjoyed setting my own schedule and doing what I wanted when I wanted. Unfortunately, it doesn’t pay too well. My goal in the next couple of weeks is to find a job. (not that I really want to, but I need to pay the bills….)

Please pray that I would be able to find a job that I like. Please pray that I will be where God wants me to be….whether in Zambia, or here in the states.
If you would like more info on my trip, let me know. I hope to post pictures to my blog and to facebook next week. (I need to sort through the 3700+ pictures and only post a sampling).

THANK YOU EVERYONE that has been praying for me while I was gone!!!

Ngati mulungu alola…