Today we had the rare luxury of sleeping in until 9 o'clock.  No one missed out on the opportunity- Zambia is as tiring as it is amazing.  After breakfast we packed up and headed to Kalisowe, a neighboring village a few kilometers from Macha.  Although the villagers there were less familiar with white people (and even less so with the goofy ones we brought along in our group), they were as accepting and welcoming as anyone we've encountered.  First on the agenda was a vibrant church ceremony; filled with lively drumming and a choir of local singers, remarkable testimonies by Greg and Danny, and a unifying message from the local preacher.  A few of us even got up to dance and sing with the choir, a spectacle that had many of the villagers laughing and jeering.  After church we divided up the children to play games. The women cooked Nshima, Zambia's staple food, and goat- which, according to some group members, tastes like chicken (although I wasn't convinced). After a fabulous lunch and we headed to the local damn for the water filter demonstration.  Similar to Thursday, the people were amazed to see such dirty water become clean; and Ben did a great job connecting it to the way God sent Jesus to wash us of our own impurities.  Once the filters were passed out, we prepared for the soccer game.  We played a team of men from the village, and graciously won 8-2, earning cheers and laughs from spectating women and children throughout the entire ordeal.  It was amazing to see the guys laughing and competing, and both teams were beaming with smiles as the final whistle blew.  The ride back to Macha was short, and the group is half asleep in Eric's living room as I sit here and write this entry.  It was a good, good Zambian day, like every other one we've had here so far.

Oh, and Happy 22nd Birthday to Ben Wise, a huge part of this group.  A Zambian birthday is certainly one to remember.

Ryan Lago

Thursday, August 20th

Today was filled with pure joy. We got up and headed to breakfast. After enjoying some pumpkin bread, we headed to the clinic. Only, today we changed it up and taught the kids to play capture the flag. It was so cool to see them enjoy this new game and getting to play it with them. Some of us got to share our testimonies with the kids before and after the games. It was awesome to see how receptive the kids were of us and where we come from. We were able to speak truth into their lives through our own journey. How awesome is that? After lunch we had the opportunity to distribute Sawyer Water Filters in a village in Macha. This opportunity was not only a blessing to the families we provided them to but also to our team. We took time to teach the families how to assemble and clean the filters. In those moments showing them their newly cleaned water, we saw pure joy on their faces. There were tears and many, many thank yous. Walking door to door to distribute gave us a chance to get to know the families and to spend time talking, praying with them and sharing the gospel. It may seem like such a small concept but those filters ultimately represent Jesus. We, like the water, are dirty with sin but in our relationship with God, like the filter, we are made clean and pure. We were able to encourage these families to consider this idea each time they drink their clean water. How blessed are we to be able to provide such a gift to these people. But none of it truly compares to the gift of Jesus that we have received from God. Each day here, I realize h ow truly great it is to be a child of God and to be his hands and feet, not only here in Zambia but in all of the places that we go. God is at work here, especially in the heartss of the children. We are so excited to be a part of what Push The Rock is doing here in Zambia!

-Shannon

19th August 2015

A Wednesday

8:30 in the morning

The beginning of our day was the similar to the previous: breakfast followed by some hours of sports with the kids. The end of the session concluded with a soccer match between a few of the older kids and ourselves. Unfortunately, we were two players down and lost, but seeing their enthusiasm for the game made the defeat a little better. After lunch we walked through the Macha Research Trust's facilities and heard a bit about the studies being performed. Some of the projects include diagnosing young children for HIV/AIDS, developing a new test for antibody detection in children, and determining the strains of malaria infecting the Macha population. Due to their and the local hospital's hard work, the burden of malaria has dropped significantly in recent years: from 2003 to today, malaria prevalence has dropped 98% and mortality has fallen dramatically. In the afternoon we attended a local soccer game, and it was quite an experience seeing all the fans storm the field after a goal. The evening supper was spent with Dr. Phil Thuma (and his wife Elaine), a missionary doctor/scientist who has been in Macha for the majority of his life. 

Duncan

Wednesday

The day started off the same as yesterday. We had a delicious breakfast made by Corie followed by an all-sports clinic at the field. We got to teach the kids how to throw a frisbee for the first time in their lives today, which was quite an adventure. We also had soccer, lacrosse, and the wrestlers' games (who really knows what they do but it is always a great time). Danny and Emma killed it while sharing their testimonies in front of the kids.
In the afternoon, we toured the Macha Research Center. Our brains tripled in size as we learned all the science behind their research with malaria, mosquitoes and HIV/AIDS. In the evening, we watched a local, rivalry soccer match at a nearby village. Well, a few people watched but most of the group were playing with the children the whole time.
We concluded our day with hearing Doctor Thuma share about his life and God's work through him. In addition, we got to hear a powerful testimony from Larry. God is so good. We love it here and we are pumped for another day tomorrow.
-Lisa

This morning, we ate breakfast at around 8:30. Cory made baked oatmeal that was delicious. After breakfast, we headed over to a local field to play sports with some of the children from Macha. At first, there weren't many kids, but after about half an hour, there were over a hundred.  This was one of my personal highlights. I thoroughly enjoyed the enthusiastic attitude of the kids as we played sports. However, much more than simply playing games, I enjoyed the relational connections that the sports naturally brought about.  Next, we ate lunch. We ate with the push the rock personnel. It was a great pleasure learning how to eat nshima (a pasty white, rice-like, substance) in the traditional manner.  We spent the remaining part of the evening in the PTR pavilion playing board games and pickup sports.  I was astounded at the cognitive and intellectual ability of these children! (I was beaten at least five times by a twelve year old in checkers).  In the evening we explored the local area, which included watching the sunset from the top of an extremely safe water tower. That night, as we gathered together, Eric Thuma shared his testimony.  I was greatly encouraged by his commitment to this area, the people, and to our Lord. It was good to see such humility and reliability in someone in a vocation that I admire.  I learned a lot from listening to Eric.  God has been moving in amazing ways this trip.  One thing I learned occurred simply when I was walking back to the dorm.  It was night, and the stars were scattered across the sky like nothing I had ever seen before. The narcissistic question popped in my mind "why did Good create all these stars if I can't even see the majority of them?".  The answer, clear as day, immediately resound; "because they weren't made for you".  The beauty and creative ability of God is infinite. This world was created and is being sustained for Him. It exists for His perfect pleasure, His renown, His praise, and His glory. Not mine. I was made to rejoice and experience the ultimate pleasure, the worship of this awesome, perfect, good, and holy God.  May He become greater and I become less.
                                              For His glory alone,
                                                                 -Greg

Monday, Aug 17

After 38 hours of non-stop travel, we finally made it to Macha, Zambia. What a beautiful place! We are so excited to spend the week here. We immediately went to dinner at Eric and Corie Thuma's home, but we didn't make it past all the kids playing soccer and volleyball at the Push The Rock Zambia compound where their home is located. It was on! We didn't come here to eat a nice meal and get a good nights sleep (although Corie Thuma did make one of the best dinners I've eaten in Africa). We came here for the people. As our team talked, laughed, and played with these kids -we knew those 38 hours were worth it. Cross-cultural ministry is not simply traveling to a different country -that is not enough. Presence is not enough. Cross-cultural ministry is when you actually love and engage the people.

Danny Thompson

Monday, August 17th.

Monday was such a weird day for everyone I think because we kind of skipped Sunday altogether. This honestly felt like one of the longest days of my life though because 95% of it was spent on a plane or some other mode of transportation. Regardless, it was a day well spent making memories with our new Zambia family.
The morning started off by landing our 15 hour flight into Johannesburg. The flight actually went by faster than I had anticipated. The worst part for me was the random body aches that would happen from sitting in one position for so long. I oddly felt like I had accomplished so much though when the plane landed.  After we all stood up to exit the plane, a few of us made eye contact with each other like "WE DID IT!", which was just so relieving.
We hung out for a bit in the Johannesburg airport, which had a lot of really cool shops with African clothing and animal skins. The boys seemed to just be really excited about sunglasses though, because I swear they disappeared like 4 times to go look at sunglasses.
The flight into Livingstone was literally a piece of cake for us all. I think we were all just so exhausted that we all slept the whole flight. Courtney fell asleep so hard that it took 4 people to shake her, including the flight attendant, who thought she was dead. That was one of the funniest things for us all to witness.
We met up with Eric, Elem, and Duncan (yay!) at Livingstone and we exchanged our money for Kwacha at the airport. We had approximately 4 hours in a tight-squeezed van until we arrived in Macha.  It was pretty enjoyable getting to see Africa and just have fun together.
Arriving in Macha was such a breath of fresh air for  us and gave us all a feeling of relief.  We dropped our bags off and immediately headed over to play with some kids. We all enjoyed some soccer, volleyball, and pretty much whatever else we could make up with a ball. We enjoyed a fantastic dinner at the Thuma's and headed back to get some sleep early.  We're ready to get the ball rolling tomorrow!  Also, the stars in Africa are AMAZING, definitely a sight I will remember forever.  Thanks for keeping up with us and pray that God can speak to these children through us this week. God is so good!

Love always,
Skylar Cohick