A Blur of Trainings: May in Lusaka

Molly leading a training session

After one week at home at the end of April, we traveled with Rev. Banda, the TEEZ Training Officer, to Lusaka for 3 weeks of Tutors trainings. The first week we were at a very large UCZ church near Lusaka city center, St. Paul UCZ. We had 21 participants that first week from six different UCZ congregations in their consistory.

St. Paul UCZ, Lusaka:
the (new) main building in a large campus including: old main building--now used as a Voluntary Counseling & Testing center, Sunday school building, women's fellowship hall, men's fellowship hall (under construction), another large hall, Presbytery offices, manse, staff housing, and dormitory/guestrooms for visitors (under construction)

participants take turn practicing leading a study group on the church grounds

we all ate together in the "women's fellowship hall" this week

lots of good food

participants taking the Tutors test at the end of the week. This was in the Sunday school hall.

The second week we were in the compound of Garden, hosted by RCZ, with 22 participants from the local RCZ and UCZ congregations.

Garden RCZ, Lusaka

Rev. Morris Mwale, of Garden RCZ shows us around the compound including the mill (for maize meal)

Huge pots of "relish" and nshima

"Can you eat all that nshima?" I asked

Garden compound (not much garden to speak of)

children playing

Ryan teaching a lesson on Ecumenism (with a Nyanja translator)

Ry's Ecumenism lesson includes a brief summary of Church History

A new toilet facility is being built to replace the pit latrines--Garden is so named bc it used to be a swampy area fully of sugar cane and other vegetation. There is still a lot of groundwater, so the workers had to scoop a lot of water as they were building.

The participants from Garden RCZ

Garden Compound, Lusaka.

The third week we were again in a poor compound, Bauleni, primarily with members from the host congregation, RCZ Bauleni, a new-coming congregation to TEEZ. The group was very lively, posing interesting theological & practical questions. Though the compound was very poor, it was very beautiful, filled with trees and flowers, and the simple homes were all nicely kept. There were children everywhere, and many came by the church to peer in at us. Few of the properties (homes, churches, etc.) had the walls and gates typical of Lusaka and other cities, which Rev. Banda explained was indicative of just how poor this compound was. However, I really enjoyed being able to see plants and flowers and people going about their business. All the gates and walls feel quite foreign to me (and inhospitable).

The busy street just outside Bauleni compound, Lusaka.

participants practicing leadng a study group outside the church

Kids from all around play in the church's yard

Bauleni RCZ, Lusaka.

one of the participants' notebook--Can you see the picture of the evolution of Man--from ape to upright? An interesting picture on a notebook for studying.

The participants

More kids at the church. Many of them would peek in the church windows at us as we were teaching.

I don't think many of these kids have seen a "muzungu" white person--at least not in their compound

You could see the neighbor's yard through the church's hedge. A young girl does chores in the yard.

A home in Bauleni Compound, Lusaka