A Weekend in Livingstone

We interns had a fantastic opportunity to go away for the weekend to Livingstone. We've been able to bond more, relax a bit, and prepare mentally and spiritually for the upcoming madness of preparing for Teen Mania's arrival and Camp Hope. I am not going to say physically because of some of the activities we participated in. More on that later. :)

We arrived in Livingstone on Friday and are leaving early tomorrow morning. It takes about 6 hours to get back to Lusaka (depending on how fast the bus driver goes), so we'll arrive early enough to get back to work at the EOH office.

Anyway, we met Sanderson, a great friend of the EOH staff, who lives in Livingstone. He basically coordinated our hotel stay, our activities, and even our pickup from different places. He has a HUGE heart for ministry and it is very obvious in his actions. THANKS, SANDERSON!! :)

Friday evening we went on a sunset dinner cruise and saw hippos, a crocodile, a giraffe and a beautiful sunset! God is a MASTER artist!! We also met a few "interesting" characters on the cruise, and were able to share our reason for being in Zambia.





On Saturday, we went on a safari in Mosio-Tunya National Park. We got really close to some beautiful animals like giraffes, zebras, impalas, and baboons. We didn't see any elephants, but we did see the path of destruction they left behind. Our guide was telling us how impalas and baboons help each other to survive in the wild - for example, the baboons will often toss leaves and things down from trees so the impalas can eat them, and the impalas will dig up berries for the baboons to eat. God really knew what he was doing when he created each and every animal. Amazing. :) We were also able to see a white rhino (not really white in color, but called that for some reason), but we had to trek further into the grasslands to see it.

Saturday afternoon, we got up close and personal with a few female lions. We got to pet them and walk with them. It was a little nerve-wracking at first, but God allowed us to enjoy these beutiful creatures. After an hour or so with the lions, we visited a few cheetahs, who were a lot less active than the lions.

Today (Sunday), Megan, Kate, and Brian found it in them to do some crazy outdoor activities - gorge swinging and bungi jumping. Megan and Kate did a tandem gorge swing, and Brian did a bungi jump off of a bridge at Victoria Falls. Ben and I had a nice time watching them and taking pictures. :)

We did a bit of souvenier shopping back in town, and Brian and I taught the younguns how to get the best deal. (I LOVE bargaining!!)

Although I had a great time in Livingstone, I am eager to get back to Lusaka and get back to serving with EOH. I really want to meet the kids in Chongwe and spend more time with the beautiful kids in Lusaka. When we left the EOH office last, all of us were feeling a bit sad. As many of the other interns already wrote, one of the orphans came into the office to hang out a bit. This orphan has AIDS and it was obvious that he wasn't doing well. We tried to cheer him up with a few games, which he did enjoy, but he seemed very weak and tired. It hurt all of our hearts to see him like this, and it made me want to do something more for him.

Please keep praying for all the orphans and for Zambia as a nation.

Thanks for reading.

In Jesus' Love,
Andrea