Lessons in Thankfulness

So I am still trying to catch everybody up to what's going on currently with us in Zambia. I've got a lot to try and recap for you all so this post is going to cover a few days (one in particular) while we were out in the field. Also, as you can see, the blog got a little makeover ;).

Our first day in the villages was spent going to see boreholes that were sponsored/drilled last year by CUMC and Water 282. We were introduced to a lady in Msambo village who had been harvesting maize (aka corn). Sidenote: I have never in my life seen so much maize. It was incredible, and you could see it was HARD labor! You couldn't help but notice the never-ending smile on this woman's face. She seriously may be the happiest person I have ever encountered in my life up to this point. We spent some time there with her discussing what life was like before & after having clean, safe drinking water. The story goes that the drillers came and couldn't find water. After hearing this, Rev. Mbewe, the DS for Eastern Province, had a dream that the drillers should drill in the middle of the field behind this ladies house. He called them the next day as they were about to move on to another location in hopes to find water and told them they should try in the middle of the field. After some deliberation, Rev. Mbewe was able to convince them to try one more time. And they struck water!!! It's stories like this one when you just know God's at work. HE WILL PROVIDE! But the "awesomeness" doesn't stop there. Do any of you remember seeing this picture posted by W282 on facebook a few months ago?

This is why we do what we do. This should not be happening in the world today. 

Well, guess what? This lady I've been telling you about...this lady with the smile I will never forget. She's the one in the above picture who had been drinking quite possibly the dirtiest water we have seen in Zambia. So thanks be to God for providing clean, safe drinking water and for allowing me to meet such an incredible woman. Oh, and she's the one who gave me a chicken as a gift since we couldn't stay for lunch. One of the most precious gifts I've ever received. She was an absolute joy to be around. I'm reminded daily here how much I have to be thankful for even though I fail miserably in actually being thankful on a daily basis. There's a lot I (we) can learn from this beautiful, generous woman.

So very happy to have clean, safe drinking water! 

Told ya it was A LOT of maize! And that's only about half of it...

The next few days were spent meeting with chiefs and visiting villages with new boreholes. We also attended a celebration in Samyele Village. Instead of recapping every day, here are some pictures from the rest of our time out in the field in Eastern Province.

Traditional tribal dancing at the celebration in Samyele Village. 

Some of the precious children in Samyele Village. They were pretty curious about the mzungus :).

The kids LOVE to chase the drone while it's flying!

One of the villages we visited that had a borehole drilled last year. 

Our time in Eastern Province was amazing. I hope you've enjoyed the pictures and stories from our trip there. And, I hope you have a better idea of what our lives are like here in Zambia. There's never a dull moment!

Love,
Libby

Also, get in the habit of commenting on my blog so that I know you are actually reading it. In fact, if you read this post, just go down to the bottom and leave me a little "I love you". And write a comment for the first five or so posts so it feels like everyone is engaged. After that, you only have to comment on the ones that speak more to you. Thanks!!