To Lusaka and Back

Last week, Thursday and Friday, we made a trip to Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. We traveled with the TEEZ Director, Rev. Kangwa Mabuluki. Our business was 1) to pick up our work permits from the Immigration office, 2) to see about gaining permission to enter the prisons from the Permanent Secretary of Home Affairs, and 3) to apply for visa to Ghana in preparation for the All-Africa Theological Education by Extension Association conference in October.

Lusaka is about 226 miles from Kitwe. It takes 5 hours to make the drive. There was a lot to see along the road, and we had time to talk about many things from Zambian politics to the presence of dance in Zambian worship to theology and ecclesiology. We also took naps and tasted the convenience-store fare such as mango juice, cappuccinos, chicken pies, biltong (Southern African jerky), and sausages. We discovered the Director's secret to staying awake is Super Juice (10 different juices carbonated with added vitamins and minerals), Red Bull, and cappuccinos from the Fig Tree Cafe in Kabwe.

The main road goes through Ndola, which is out of the way, so we took a short cut, on which we passed by this market under my favoritblue jacaranda trees. The short cut road is not as well maintained as the main road, with huge potholes (see above) which are avoided by slowly and carefully weaving in and out of the flat places and often just driving on the dusty shoulder. The short cut sometimes may take as long going through Ndola, but if it doesn't save on time it saves on fuel and therefore money. There is only one divided highway in Zambia, which is on the short stretch of road between Ndola and Kitwe. The rest of the highways are 2 lanes. The main road to Luska was much better maintained, as far as potholes go, though we had to pass many big trucks and other slow traffic if we wanted to make good time.

As we drove along, we passed huge termite mounds, people selling bundles of charcoal, woven mats, calabashes (dried gourds), small settlements and many people walking along the side of the road.

termite mound- probably 10 ft tall at least
charcoal bundles for sale

calabashes drying on a tree-branch-display stand


goods being sold along the road also indicates a settlement nearby

While in Lusaka, we got to visit our friends, the Ellingtons: Dustin, Sherri, Clayton (12), Christopher (8), whom we met at the PC(USA) Mission Orientation this summer in Chicago/Louisville. They live on the campus of Justo Mwale Theological University College, where Dusty has recently begun his job as professor of New Testament. We enjoyed catching up with them, table fellowship, playing games (I won the 2nd game of "10 days in Africa"), and using their excellent shower.

The Ellington Family
in front of a banana grove in their front yard

Molly the victorious, planned her 10-day itinerary through Africa first!

Christopher decked out in fish-print pjs, rabbit skin loin cloth, snake around his neck and chameleon on his head

We were very grateful for their gracious hospitality. Sherri cooked us a lovely dinner on Thursday night, including Egyptian-style rice. (The Ellingtons previously lived and served in Cairo, Egypt). Dusty cooked us a lovely breakfast Friday morning. After our bacon and eggs and french-pressed locally-grown coffee, we attended the school's morning chapel, which we very much enjoyed. On campus, we were excited to meet Cosmas Pamaso and his wife Elizabeth. Cosmas is a student from Harare Synod in Zimbabwe, the recipient of a scholarship from MAPC. We had already seen photos of them on a bulletin board at the church, explaining the partnership with Harare Synod and the scholarship. Cosmas had been waiting since 1993 to attend seminary at Justo Mwale. 17 years!

Ryan & Molly with Cosmas & Elizabeth Pamaso

Entrance to Justo Mwale Theological University College

On the business front, we were able to pick up our work permits, no problem. We got in to Lusaka at around 4:30pm, just before the Immigration office closed. On Friday, we accompanied Rev. Mabuluki to the Permanent Secretary of Home Affairs office, where he was able to successfully deliver a letter requesting our permission to enter the prisons, to minister and teach there. Apparently, delivering it in person speeds the process quite a bit. Finally, we got passport-sized photos taken, filled out the forms for a visa to Ghana, and drove to the Ghanaian embassy, only to discover it was a holiday in Ghana and thus the embassy was closed! The guard greeted us with this news and the instruction to "come back on Monday." Argh. Well, 2 out of 3 isn't bad. We will return to Lusaka tomorrow (Tuesday) to try again with the Ghanaian embassy. This time we will take the Euro-Africa bus, which should be an adventure. Unfortunately, it probably won't stop at the Fig Tree Cafe for cappuccinos.

The beautiful entrance to Fig Tree Cafe- our new favorite "rest-stop"