Pastor Hartmann was going to pick us up at 8am this morning so I got up a little before 7 to shower and pack and have a breakfast sundae, which is yoghurt layered with granola and honey. By the time we actually left it was after 9am. Pastor Hartmann had to do a little business in Livingstone first, and then he went to the wrong Jollyboys location but finally we connected! After a quick stop and walkthrough at a market where he dropped someone off, we were on our way. In the truck the AC was broken so it was a hot ride but I’d much rather be hot with space and driving with someone I know, than hot and driving in a cramped bus. About an hour into our drive we stopped at Pastor Hartmann’s house. They rent a house on a large farm that raises cows and tobacco. From the outside you wouldn’t expect anything grand, but inside their house it’s absolutely breathtaking! Pastor and his wife designed the layout themselves and Mrs. Hartmann is very artistic, so the house is decorated beautifully. There are pictures on the walls drawn by Caitlin and Reese and Mrs. Hartmann. The house would be my dream house to live in—beautiful, decorated with African things but not overdone, and the location is to die for. Everywhere you look is African landscape. Pastor Hartmann said a couple years back they even had 4 elephants walk through the trees right in their front yard. Incredible!
Back on the road we had a couple more stops because Pastor had some things to drop off for people along the way. I didn’t mind though…it was still better than the bus! We had some good conversation on the way and I also finished reading Grandpa’s book. I've decided that my dad should write a book about his ministry in Africa too. I would love for my kids (Lord-willing) to love and be as proud of their grandpa as I am of mine.
We finally neared Lusaka a little before 5pm. Unfortunately that was rush hour, so it took a good 40 minutes to get through town to campus. I was feeling a little bit rushed because I desperately wanted to take a cold shower, and church started at 6, and we were singing again.
The timing worked out perfectly though. I had time to dump my bags, take a quick shower and get dressed for church. Thankfully we had practiced our song for today last week already, so we knew it. We sang one verse and the chorus of “Lord We Lift Your Name on High”. To spice things up this week we also included some dance moves, so that was fun!
It was so good to be home!!! I really enjoyed our trip but I’m ready to be back. I missed the kids and the ladies. A lot. As soon as we drove on to campus I was looking for all the kids. I wanted to hug them all. Unfortunately, with our time crunch I wasn’t able to do that, but I did get to see a few after church. The smiles and excitement on their faces when they saw us said it all. I love them!
While in church I was once again overcome with such a feeling of contentment and happiness. I am so happy to be back it makes me so scared for what a basket case I will be when we have to leave in May. I don’t even want to think about that. As a welcome back, the power went out right at the end of the sermon. Right after the sermon it was our turn to sing, so we started out singing by candlelight. I was so excited that the power went out…I thought it was cool singing in the dark. Sadly, the power came back on right near the beginning of our song. Oh well.
The highlight of my day was going through the line after church and saying hello to everyone. I truly missed them all…you’d have thought we’d been gone for months or something. J
After unpacking, blogging and chatting on FB for a bit I looked over my teaching for tomorrow. Tomorrow is a busy day…great way to get back into the swing of things. I’m actually very much looking forward to tomorrow so I can get my fill of kids’ hugs again. Also on my to-do list for tomorrow is to post a zillion pictures of our trip, since I know a lot of you are asking to see them. So one more day of patience please. J
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