livin'

living in the tension

hello again.

well...it has been very hot the past 3 days. it was nice of the rain to let up for a few. we're expecting another downpour this afternoon. we'll see. it is the rainy season here so rain is to be expected. it's also made us start battling the common cold. no fun. that is something you could be praying for: the general health of our team. it's that time when we're getting tired and run down. we're on the homestretch now. we have 2 weeks left here in Luanshya and on the 25th we'll be heading to Livingstone to see Victoria Falls and go on the typical, African Safari. You could also pray for safe travels there and back. We will drive back to the capital, Lusaka, on the 1st of March and debrief in London for a few days and head back to Seattle on March 5th.

i was talking to one of the students this week and she was saying that home based care was difficult because she was getting used to seeing people suffering. she expressed that she didn't want to simply get used to it and she wanted it to move her the way it did the first time we all encountered it. she was also feeling angry at the suffering and trying to reconcile God's compassion at the same time. in thinking about how to respond the thought came to me that perhaps it is God's grace on us when we aren't reduced to complete wrecks everytime we see people suffering. i wonder what would ever be accomplished specifically in the area of dealing with the AIDS pandemic if we were all sobbing on the floor and furious with God. perhaps it's His grace allows us to be moved to action, forced to deal with our conflicting thoughts, and have our faith deepened through it all. it's this tension that we must have the grace to live within. hard - most definitley. good - for sure.

the weeks have been flying by. we have built some long lasting relationships. i am hoping that YWAM seattle will be sending more teams in the future to Zambia. we've had the priviledge of sharing the farm with 2 other teams at different times. One, a team from YWAM Atlanta and another, a team from Calgary, Canada. There is no shortage of people who care about this country and how badly it is being destroyed by AIDS and the lack of knowledge they need to deal with it; at least in the area of prevention. There is still the common belief held here that if you have sex with a virgin it will cure you of AIDS. This is a sad, sad lie that we need truth to reverse. simple education could change the face of this nation.

the team is doing well, aside from the colds some of us have. they are constantly striving to stay unified and engaged here as our time is winding down. of course, we alway welcome your prayers for us in that way. and thank you for the ones you've been praying already.

the next 2 weeks our schedule will look a bit different as we have the opportunity to share in a high school (we've been at orphan schools mostly). we are bringing them some books and pens and sharing about social issues and of course we'll probably be talking a bit about AIDS prevention as well. the students are being stretched and it's really cool to see them rise to the challenge. they're doing awesome and are so creative and full of new ideas.

i miss you all and can't wait till i can be in better contact with all of you. thank you for your patience with my lack of commnication.

much love to you all from zambia,
amanda

posted by Amanda @ 3:04 AM