Wednesday, July 13, 10:30 pm
We are catching up a bit on the news of our trip. We left Lusaka on Wednesday. The plan was to leave first thing in the morning between 9 and 10. Brother John got embroiled in complications around the vehicle and we ended up pulling out of Lusaka at 3 p.m. We are learning that this is a common experience in Africa. The locals call it Africa time. We’ve gotten used to this phenomenon, even learned to enjoy it. You just have to get it that you have no control over what’s happening and just relax. (This is not all that unlike the Monastery come to think of it.) We have even started to accommodate it in our schedule.
For example, this morning we planned our breakfast for the same time we were scheduled to be picked up and we ended up having time for a leisurely breakfast and some tea too.
When we finally managed to pull out of Lusaka, the trip to Ndola was very beautiful and we had some excellent conversation with Brother John about African culture along the way. We had a chance to see parts the rural landscape that we really appreciated. A highlight of the ride was when Caverly commented that it felt like it was going to rain and Brother John assured her that it NEVER rains this time of year. 15 minutes later we were blessed with a refreshing rain storm that lasted into the evening.
We finally arrived in Ndola after dark and went directly to the house where the children live. When we pulled up to the driveway Brother John honked to alert them to open the solid, black metal gate. While the children were waiting for Ignatius to come with the key, they opened a small peep hole in the gate and we could see their huge smiles, bright eyes and waving hands in the headlights of the van. At last the gates were opened, we drove in and were treated to a warm African greeting.
We could not believe how healthy and beautiful each child looked. Not only the children seemed well cared for, but the house as well. We admired in particular the flourishing gardens. It was great fun to spend a bit of time with the children and experience the powerful affect of the project.
Because of the lateness of the hour, we only stayed a short time and then went across town to the Ndola friary. After a happy reunion with many of our friends here we gratefully retired for the night.