Day 3: Victoria Falls

Today was a day, like much of our trip here in Zambia, all about water. There is so much water in the world, needed for everything to survive-- where there is water there is life. A primary reason we are here is that there are people currently living without access to clean water, making daily living a struggle. Today we were able to see water in absolute abundance, and it was powerful and breathtaking, and simultaneously perplexing why so many are unable to obtain it.

Our lodge is less than a 10 minute walk from Victoria Falls, and, as mentioned in a previous post, a natural wonder of the world. Today the twelve of us were so fortunate to get a guided tour of the falls from our guide Emmanuel, who took us to some scenic points, and explained helpful facts and history about the site.

Before we entered the gates to the falls, a menacing-looking baboon strolled a few feet from us, chewing a piece of fruit. We all scurried away as Emmanuel mentioned they will steal bags looking for food.

We were encouraged to come early, but we weren't sure why. We soon found that betweek 9-10AM, there is a gorgeous rainbow cast from the sun's angle on the mist. It was spectacular.

Bringing with us white hooded panchos for the dampness, we laughed at ourselves crinkling and swishing on the walkway, past soaking wet passerbys who didn't heed the advice of the locals. We may have looked like cape cruisaders but at least we were dry!

It was a gorgeous, moving experience for so many of us, so symbolic and powerful. Another example of Africa's endless natural beauty.

In the afternoon, several of the ladies went on a grand adventure: zip-lining across the gorge above the falls! Smiles and joy and tons of laughter were had as they free falled (or zipped) into the abyss with nothing but a harness and a cable to hold. 

The day was a day of leisure and fun exploration, which was so appreciated, as tomorrow begins the real work, the real reason we are here, and ultimately, the life-changing opportunity to meet new friends, rich in life, and to share what we have in as many ways as possible. 

We leave Livingstone tomorrow morning for Lusaka, Zambia's capital city, meeting the World Vision team and we could not be more excited!

Day 3 Reflection from Ashley on Zip-Lining

There’s something about jumping into the unknown - either metaphorically or physically – that does something to you. It makes you feel. Whether it’s a feeling of being alive or out of control or fearful or carefree; you can’t escape it and you have to talk about it. 

 

“What was it like for you when you jumped off the platform?” We all asked each other with a laugh. Did you feel scared? What did it feel like when your feet left the ground? Did you think about your harness failing or were you swept up in the moment? All I know was for me, the feeling was surprising. It was a feeling of change. It was acceptance. It was letting go. All at the same time. And I felt no fear at all.

 

I wanted to dive in not only with an open mind but a laugh, a smile and a full running, giving-it-my-all jump. And in some way it was symbolic of the next phase of my life that I have been reluctant to go into. I’ve been clinging to my past; my-oh-so-comfortable past. What if I’m not strong enough? What if the harness fails? What if I fail? What if, what if what if. But as I went gliding, after the initial jump, my eyes saw so much beauty. The river, the forest, the cliffs and - my favorite of all - my friends cheering me on; laughing and excited for my new experience. It’s a moment I will never forget and a reminder of all the joy, growth and beauty I would have missed if I would have been too fearful to take the jump. 

 

Looking back I felt like the Proverbs 31 woman. “She laughs without fear of the future.” That experience will be more than just an exciting jump on a beautiful Saturday in Zambia. It’s where I realized that if I don’t jump into the unknown I will never experience all the beauty God has for me to see. So I will jump without fear. The winds of change are coming. Will I be ready and willing to go? Yes. Yes, I will.

Day 1 Reflections from Kristen

South Africa is known for its beauty, rich natural resources, it's stable economy, but perhaps the greatest export this country has given the world is reconciliation. The world watched as less than two decades ago Nelson Mandela, who had negotiated his own release, walked for the first time in decades as a free man. 

What struck me as I walked through the Apartheid Museum with the other women on this journey, was that Mandela credited his time in prison with teaching him about forgiveness. Prior to his incarceration, Mandela had been a leader in the resistance movement as a lawyer, speaker and organizer. He had even trained with Haile Selasse's Ethiopian Army to prepare for armed protest - what he believed would have been the next phase of the resistance, had he not been arrested on his return. 

When Nelson Mandela was later elected as the first black president of South Africa he chose not to exact revenge on those who participated in Apartheid but instead created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a model that other countries coming out of conflict have followed. 

Reflecting on the power of his action, I'm struck by the parallel of 2 Corinthians 5, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come." Forgiveness breathed new life into impossible situations. Forgiveness allowed one man to leave behind centuries of racial oppression. Nelson Mandela was the symbol of the new to come for South Africa. And now in 2015 as I stand in the exhibit that is one of thousands of Mandela memorials around the world, I'm struck by how one man's forgiveness made new an entire country. 

-- Kristen