Grace in Zambia

October 24th is Zambian independence day and its a big celebration for the people here! In the town's there are parades and shows in the stadium, and streets are decorated with bunting and flags. I was at Bethesda so we had a little party of our own with the children, there was singing and dancing and cake for celebration. In the photo is us teachers all dressed up wearing our special Zambian chitenge skirts!

This weekend I was invited to the wedding of a Zambian couple, I don't know them well but I think in this culture it's not a problem! The celebration involved a lot of cheering and dancing. In the photo I'm wearing an African dress which I had made, it's something which is easy to do here. I bought fabric on the market for equivalent to about £5, then went to a tailor who made it to be ready in the next 2 days! There was so much choice for colours and patterns, and the end result was so special. As of last week I have a room mate staying with me (shes in the photo with me). We get on really well and it's so nice to be meeting people and making new friends all the time I'm here. It will be hard to say goodbyes when my time here is up!

Since 2015 the 18th October has been the official day of prayer and fasting for the nation of Zambia. I went along to the service which took place in the sports stadium in Kabwe, the same as in every town in the country. There were prayers for different aspects of the country and its government, with every person there joining in each one. There were praise songs performed by gospel choirs from different churches around the town. Very African and energetic! It was an honour to be there with the Zambian people and join them praying for their country, amazing to see members of parliament and ministries committing everything to God.

For the last few weeks the teachers at Bethesda have been planning an Olympics day with the children, which happened yesterday- so much excitement! For those who can run and jump there were races outside and a little long jump competition. Then there were wheelchair races around the hall (pretty speedy as you can see!) and a performance of the Zambian national anthem sang by the kids. It was such a special day, parents and friends came to watch and cheer everyone on. Was great to all gather and spend time together as families and teachers of the children.

Teachers day is a national school closure day in Zambia, with a parade for all the teachers in each town. To celebrate, all the staff from the little school I'm helping with had a BBQ together, in the garden in this photo. Really nice to spend time relaxing and enjoying the extended weekend. Today the children experienced candyfloss as a lady visited the ministry and made it for them. It was so funny to see their reaction to it! They weren't quite sure about eating it at first but soon became a happy sticky mess. It's ever so very hot here at the moment, around 35°C in the day. I'm thankful that the school day finishes at lunchtime because the heat makes everyone (especially me) quite sleepy! But now that I've been here one month I'm getting used to the culture and things, I'm sure the next few weeks will go by so quickly

The OM Zambia base where I'm staying is like a small community of missionary families, students in training and workers from the offices. It's been so nice to connect with different people and neighbours while I've been here. Yesterday I went to dinner at one of the houses (in the background of the photo), I made apple crumble and custard for the Zambian family! Nice to share some English baking with them, they all thought it was magical. The photo is of the preschool on the grounds for children who live here. I've been helping out some days and enjoying playing with them outside in the sun and singing African songs!