The Spirits

The students had rounds in the hospital this morning, and class this afternoon. After class (to wake ourselves up) Larry and I took a walk to the old water tower and climed to the top. The view from the top is great! And it was just after most people had finished working and school was out, so there were people walking all over, it was fun to watch them making their way along the roads with water on their heads or driving their cows along.

Larry on the water tower, you can see a nice home in the distance behind him.

Caleb, Steve, Phil, Dan, Evan and Keane on the water tower.

Dr. Thuma has been inviting guests to come and visit with us and to share their perspective on aspects of life in Zambia. I shared yesterday about visiting the traditional healer, and we had a couple in to talk about courtship and marriage practices, David and Edine Hamulumbu. They told us not only about their own story, but also the practices of their children. Tonight we had Pastor Keith Mwaanga- the chaplain at the hospital, Mulenga Mukanu – the pharmacists at the hospital, and Ester Spurrier - a long time missionary in Macha. They talked with us about the role of traditional healers in traditional and modern Zambian society and gave us a primer in village life (so that we know what to expect this weekend).

David and Edine Hamulumbu visiting us to talk about Marriage and Courtship practices.

Dr. Thuma and Pastor Keith talking about Spirits.

All three of our guests tonight emphasized how important the spirit world is to Zambians (and to most African) people. They told many different stories that highlighted the activity and presence of spirits in us and affecting our lives. Ester said something that caught my attention: she said that we in western societies have divorced ourselves from the spirit world all-together, and that by doing this we loose significant connection or lack any depth in our connection to the Holy Spirit. We are clearly here in Zambia to learn, and I think it would be a mistake to spend too little time contemplating this thought. Just because something cannot be quantified with scientific instruments does not mean that it isn’t real, and if it is real, should we not be aware of it?

This may be what our home stay house will be like- we don't know yet!

Now: WARNING PARENTS! This weekend we are all going out into the villages and staying with a family there. So- you will not be getting e-mails or calls from us, and I won’t be posting pictures from Friday night until Sunday afternoon (our time). So, don’t worry if you don’t hear from us, we’ll be having fun in the village with our host families!