Back in the States... for now...

Ndola, Ndola: how much do I love you? Let me find the words...

My parents just left after a visit to me here at North Park University in cold, windy Chicago. They drove in today; I showed them my purchases from Zambia, my souvenirs; I gave them the gifts I had purchased for them; I showed them the video I had just finished to express my experiences; I went through my pictures from the trip and told them stories; and after a long day at Ikea, we settled in, bought a cooked chicken, and I cooked nshima and white beans, and relish, and we drank the closest thing to Mazoe I could find (it's a bit more syrupy, but it's got a similar flavor), and now they're headed back home and I'm back in the dorm room.

So what can I make of my experiences in Zambia? Looking back, what could I say to summarize my trip? Those two weeks went by so fast, and yet so much happened, and somehow it seems like I was there for a lifetime. Somehow it feels as though that was real life, and everything that happened before wasn't very real, and all that is happening now afterward is stemming from this point. Looking over the pictures, I notice, and others have told me that they notice, that I have not looked that happy in... years. The smile on my face in those photos is so genuine, so full of joy, and it makes me wonder where it was all this time? Where was it hiding? Why? And it's not just an outward joy - it's something I feel inside, too. It's something that, just to think of it, warms my heart and floods my soul. I have this new confidence, and I'm happier in general. Even the aspects of life that usually bring me down don't seem like they're all that bad when I hold them up under this new light. Even when I'm feeling yucky, or have a headache, or am expressly tired, I still feel joyful. I think I've finally gone crazy - and I hope I never go sane again!

The next step for this blog, I think, will be to post excerpts from my trip journal, and to reflect on them - maybe expound on our activities, maybe say how they affected me, or how I'm relating it to what I feel right now. I'll do that for a couple weeks - until I take my last malaria pill, and then I think this blog will be at a close - at least until the next time that I go to Zambia. And I don't doubt that I'll go back at some point. Hopefully sooner rather than later, but we'll see what God has in mind.

Today I went to Jesus House Chicago - an African church about a mile from campus. I thought about going before the end of the semester, but I wasn't quite sure, and I wasn't ready to go to a church alone yet, so I went with my friends to their church for the last few weeks of the semester, which was good. But today I decided that I wanted to check this place out. Especially in light of my positive experiences at the church services in Twapia, I was really curious to check out this church and see how it compared. Let me just say, that I think I found the church I can call my own here in Chicago. It's not the church of my sister, or my Kiko, or my friends, it's my church. From the moment I walked in the door, to my exit, this church just welcomed me in. The people were friendly and smiling, and they gave me an awesome welcome bag as a first-time visitor. We sang songs that I was somewhat familiar with, and even a song that we had sung at church in Zambia, which really made me feel like it was the right one. The theme for their 2010 was so similar to the theme for 2010 at Hope Fellowship in Twapia, and the message was good. But what really solidified it for me was when, with plenty of empty seats to pick from, a church member came in and sat in the seat next to me. Not down the row, not one over, but directly next to me. I knew in that moment that God had answered my prayer for a church here. I cannot wait for next Sunday to come around, and I'm considering attending the Wednesday night service if my schedule allows. We shall see.

But enough on all of this. I've gone on for a very long time, and I'm sure that this is somewhat tedious to read through. At least if you're like me you have issues reading lengthy things on computer screens. So I'll let this be the end of it. Expect excerpts and reflections over the next few weeks.

Until next time,

~Jaclynn