Skip to main content

Transformers!


Today was a day for learning, fun and getting to know the youth of Mtendere better.


At usual, we started our day at 7:30 for our breakfast, which was particularly entertaining this morning because Michael was in possession of Mark’s razor, much to the annoyance of Mark, who’s beard is growing as we speak. Just to rub salt into the wounds, both Ashley and Michael decided they should wear the exact same clothes as Mark- they must’ve been jealous of his fashion sense! 


We then boarded the bus to Mtendere where we opened with a devotion which really showed us some of the differences between the Irish and Zambian cultures and ways of thinking.  Moses who gave the devotion really was on a roll and had to be reigned in by the youth director of CCAP.

Once Moses had resumed his seat, we started to look at the idea of Moral Transformation in Young People. The Mtendere group had loads of energisers to warm us up and they also taught us some Zambian songs.

After some group discussions, we were treated to a typical Zambian lunch. This included chicken, rice, potatoes, vegetables and the staple Zambian food called Nsema. Apparently Michael is a natural chef! 


After lunch, Michael and Victoria did a very funny improvised sketch about relationships in Northern Ireland, which everyone seemed to enjoy! This was then followed by the extremely in-depth debate about relationships and it was interesting to see the differences between Zambian and Northern Irish culture. 


On returning back to the hostel, we had a takeaway for dinner and Holly T did a photo challenge with us all which involved Kenny up a tree and Ashley jumping into the pool for 100 points. After this, Holly did her devotional, in which she opened it to the floor and we all got the opportunity to speak about those who have inspired us in our faith.



Later that evening and after Ashley destroyed a few chairs we shared some more fun facts with each other. Unfortunately I’ve been sworn to secrecy because what happens in Zambia stays in Zambia, but turns out we have some group! 


Looking forward to tomorrow and spending more time with our Mtendere friends. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers so far, keep them coming please!

(Archie)




















Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Elephantastic

Today was our day of rest and relaxation but don't let that fool you - it was filled with action! We had a well welcomed lie in this morning till 8:30am this morning followed by our usual breakfast antics! The nosebleed saga continues with another victim known as Archie falling to the clutches of a nosebleed right before he chowed down on his Malerone and Nutella toast. Once the crisis was averted we headed off on our adventure to the elephant orphanage whilst passing some Zambian landmarks on the way past such as the Zambian Supreme Court.  We arrived at the orphanage and got to see the elephants feed, drinking 2 litres of milk in under 10 seconds! Almost as fast as the team finishing their amazing 5 star dinner (see more later)! The park ranger spent some time telling the stories of how each of the 4 baby elephants arrived at the orphanage; everybody enjoyed learning about the elephants and how vital they are to not just the local ecosystem but to the world through t...

Reptiles & Eagles

We woke up again to another sunny day with a refreshing wind. We gathered ready to go at 8am but unfortunately the bus broke down and didn’t arrive until after 9.30.  Then after almost an hour of travelling, Diane rang us and told us that the youth conference we were taking part in had been cancelled. This sometimes happens in zambia. After returning to base, we had coffee and digestives with Diane and then decided to go to Kalimba Reptile Park. We had a guide who told us all about the snakes. Some of the group had their picture taken with a python round their neck. The brave ones were Michael, Victoria, Lyndsey, Rachel, holly T, Ashley, Alice and Phil. Then we were shown baby crocodiles which had been reared from eggs at the park. We were also shown large tortoises. Again the group were allowed to hold one. Christine, Jenny, Holly T, Holly B and Alice got some cute pictures. Lastly we went to see the adult crocodiles who get fed twice a week on live chickens. They live...

Mulibwanji Matero

Hello! 👋🏻   (M ulibwanji! 👋) Today began with a successful bus journey to Matero CCAP for another three hour long service. We listened to many beautiful songs from choirs of all ages which was followed by our very own ‘choir’ presenting a very fresh sounding version of ‘Every Giant will Fall’. Our very own Ashley gave the sermon which ran with the theme of “that’s not fair” (in reference to God’s free gift of Grace) which we all enjoyed. Following the service, the children from the Sunday school began to sing the familiar song 10,000 reasons and so we all ran in to join them. We were especially amazed by how all of the children sat through the service. After lunch, a few of us decided to teach duck duck goose to about three or four children which multiplied within a few minutes to the biggest duck duck goose game I’d ever played! The team gave an introduction day to Champions challenge: the programme we will be running for the next couple of days, during which we taught ...