Traveling is a way for me to acknowledge and prepare for what is to come. It takes me time to realize that I have opened a new chapter in my life. The time it takes to travel, especially overseas, helps me take the time necessary to begin focusing on the next chapter that God has for me. The next chapter is Zambia, Africa. But what exactly does that mean?
Finding out my purpose for this trip is something that God has been slowly giving me vision for. I felt called to "follow Him" here and now that all comfort, routine, and security is stripped away... I am left here relying fully on Him. It is a mixture of excitement and fear. I know God is in control and will bless our team in what we are doing and I am really excited to grow in him through this experience.
We left Biola at 5:30 for the LAX. We arrived with a high level of excitement seeing the airport in a calm state. Our team dynamic has been a very positive and uplifting one. We waited in line to get our packs through checkout and get our tickets. After a small time almost everyone had their tickets except for Atila. Here was our first obstacle as a team. Atila couldn’t fly out with us. His passport had not arrived for the time of our flight. So we as a team prayed for Atila and had to fly off without him. We are in constant prayer for his arrival to Zambia. Once his passport gets approved by Zambia he is on the first flight here. Please pray for Atila!
We then were on a nine and a half hour flight to Heathrow, London. Brice and I had a good idea to watch a movie together. With a great selection of movies to pick from Brice convinced me that I should watch “Bride Wars” with him… I must have been running low on energy to fight off such a stupid idea or something but I decided to watch this film. It was stupid and I regret wasting that amount of time on a movie and I won’t let him off the hook about it. Oh and Wayne Brady was on our flight to London with his wife and child. That was pretty cool to see.
After our arrival in London we jumped on another flight to Lusaka, Zambia. This flight presented me with quite an overwhelming surge of thoughts. My mind was drowning in awe of how big this world is and how God has given us the authority to take care of his people. It is so hard for me to even process how hard it is to live a selfless life where we can have a missionary heart. I look around at how so many people are content to live such routine selfish lives. It makes me sick to my stomach thinking that people think our time here on earth is just to be fat and happy. God has huge plans yet we sit at home callusing ourselves from the truth. I feel so overwhelmed with our earth and the vast scale of work ahead of us as Christians. I feel like I am called to help people wake up. The idea I get is of the movie the “Matrix.” I feel that we need to be awaked to live with missionary hearts that are selfless and serving.
We arrived in Africa with the compliments of a beautiful brazen red sunrise. We landed on two wheels and bounced on to three. Once we set foot on Zambian land it felt different. We were the minority and it felt great. It was so cool seeing what is was like on the other side of a majority.
We crashed at our guest house where we will be staying for about a week depending on Atila’s arrival. Our bodies were done in for leaving our words in rambles and our muscles shaky. It was time for food. So we had some local grub and completely crashed. The next morning after roughly around 12 hours of catch up sleep we got to visit an orphanage.
Well I guess you could call it one. It wasn’t much of a building at all more of a couple of sticks holding plastic bags for a fence to keep about a hundred children in. The teachers of this orphanage couldn’t really give the children food or shelter but could offer education. So they would teach the children who sought education a small version on of one. We will be visiting them again and teaching. It is amazing at how little people can have and yet have so much joy. I can’t wait to begin working here!
As for now I have to go because I am running out of time on this computer.
(A teacher in the orphanage.)
In His Grip,
Jeremy Pedron
2 comments:
Please list team members to pray specifically. Praying for Atila. Blessings all and Gods Speed.
While reading this post, I was reminded of my own thoughts and experiences during my time in Uganda. While your team's experiences are different than my own, it is exciting to have some level of understanding of what you are experiencing. I know that your life will be changed through your time in Zambia and that God will meet you in an entirely different way than ever before. I am inexplicably excited for you and your whole team. You guys are in my prayers.
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