To Africa and Back

19 Amazing Days for Seven Ordinary People

By Julie Swaggert

The Zion to Zambia team came home on Friday, August 10, with smiling faces, warm hearts, many wonderful memories, experiences they will never forget, and new friendships with adults and children alike.

10 Highlights from the trip were:

• Waking to the Village of Hope children singing at 7:15am as they get ready to walk the half-mile to school every morning.
• Listening to the Zambian National anthem sung at the start of the school day, in four different languages, by all of the School of Hope students.
• Working with 120 teachers from ten schools of the Liteta Zone in the two day Teacher Institute and experiencing how thankful teachers were for the chance to learn and grow as educators.
• Tremendously inspiring church services with the singing and dancing of the Village of Hope children’s worship team.
• Reading stories in the evenings at the kids’ houses, sometimes by candlelight because the electricity was off.
• Sharing devotions each day, knowing that Zion members were reading those same words back home, and feeling loved and supported.
• Seeing the wonders of Africa on safari and at Victoria Falls before leaving for home.
• Bringing suitcases of supplies for the Village and Teacher Institute participants.
• Mealtimes around the table of fresh and healthy African food where we would plan, share, debrief, and get to know one another.
• Realizing the true joy of human relationships and the connection we have in our common faith in God.

Bonus highlight: Minda Squadroni getting to connect with her family, the founders and CEO’s of the Village of Hope (AKCLI), sister, Kathleen, brother-in-law, Benedict, and niece, Sena Schwartz.

Please watch for more information about the upcoming pictorial presentation of the trip by the team members.  We are eager to share with the Zion Family and sponsors who have supported and prayed for the members and the mission.

For more detailed information and photos from the trip, check out the daily blog, at ziontozambia2012.wordpress.com, and learn more about Zion’s partnership with the Village of Hope at ZionBuffalo.org/Zambia.