My highlight from Zambia likely looks different from my team members. When I travel abroad and experience new cultures and peoples I tend to look at their lives and see how different it is compared to mine. But beyond that, I see the differences and then I evaluate my life and ask myself how I can take all the good things about that culture or person(s) and apply those aspects to my own heart and life. So here’s an example...
Meet Posha... Over the last two weeks he spent his days serving and working at the guest house we stayed at. He was responsible for providing my team and I hot water every night for our bucket baths. He also cleaned our dirty dishes, so that we could eat three warm meals a day. I noticed he wore the same clothes more often than not and he also wore holes into the heels of his flip-flops. Every time I saw him around the house he was smiling. Day after day, when returning from the clinic for lunch, I would greet him with a “Hellooo.” and he would say, “Hellooo.” back. I’d say “Thank you.” and he would reply, “Thank you.” back. I looked forward to that every single day.
Posha is uneducated and could barely speak English, but that didn’t stop us from forming a delightful friendship. Although we didn’t have any long conversations, I felt connected to him through his gentle smile and greetings. You see, although he is poor and uneducated, he lives out every day with a purpose and a smile to go along. He is where he is because he exemplifies humility, service, and love.
I’m finding it difficult to truly articulate my feelings towards how our simple interactions impacted my heart, but I am beyond grateful to have met him. I don’t share this to boast, but I gave him the shoes off my feet and some flip-flops (so he wouldn’t walk around with holes in his heels). This was the least I could do. I wish I could have done more... but I know his feet are protected and he can continue to serve and walk the walk we should all be striving to walk - smiling, serving, and loving.
- Ethan
We are coming to the end of the trip and boarding one flight after another and as we do I can’t help but reflect on the entire trip. It was honestly such a blessing to be able to spend my break in Zambia, meeting people and serving Zambians. As you could guess, physical therapy is very different in Zambia than in the states but despite the differences in practice it was a beyond great learning experience and not exclusively in the realm of physical therapy. I am Nigerian American and have been blessed to live life close to my family culture. Having been to Africa before I expected a similar experience but I was so both right and wrong at the same time.
Zambia as a whole was beautiful in so many ways but what really stood out to me what that the love that resides in The bride of Christ is just as strong in Zambia as it is anywhere else. It may look different but the Zambian church we attended welcomed us to their church as if we were regular goers. This was apparent when I watched 2 of our team members, Jacob and Devon, be grabbed by the hand during one of the Zambian praise songs. The song was about taking someone with you as you walk to the gates of heaven, that along with the weekly post service greeting where everyone lines up to greet one another, were beautiful examples of the sense of family that was apparent in the church.
The types of conditions we would see in the clinic were so different from what we were used to as students but we tackled the challenge anyway. Though my time in Zambia was filled with joy and fun it was also quite sobering to see all the injuries PTs learn to treat and the level of care people get to receive. I learned a lot and the experience only added to my knowledge that we may live in drastically different environments but God is still God. Despite experiencing different afflictions, we all want to be healed.
- Dami
It's hard to put my experience in Zambia into words. When I first felt called to go on this trip, I had no idea what to expect. We saw so many things and embraced a completely new culture. From trying to speak Tonga... to eating Nshima and crocodile bites... from assisting with fracture reductions in the operating theatre... to helping a young woman be able to walk again.... from casting an 8-year old boy... to bungee jumping at Victoria Falls... I loved my time in Africa. God showed me what it looks like for people to use the spiritual gifts He has given them. I saw the gifts of everyone on my team used in one way or another while we worked in the clinic. God also taught me even more about loving and caring for all people and how physical therapy can be used in that way. Overall, I feel immensely blessed that I was a part of the Zambia team. My experience there has made a life-long impact on me, both as a part of my spiritual journey and my career as a physical therapist.
- Jacob
Posha is uneducated and could barely speak English, but that didn’t stop us from forming a delightful friendship. Although we didn’t have any long conversations, I felt connected to him through his gentle smile and greetings. You see, although he is poor and uneducated, he lives out every day with a purpose and a smile to go along. He is where he is because he exemplifies humility, service, and love.
I’m finding it difficult to truly articulate my feelings towards how our simple interactions impacted my heart, but I am beyond grateful to have met him. I don’t share this to boast, but I gave him the shoes off my feet and some flip-flops (so he wouldn’t walk around with holes in his heels). This was the least I could do. I wish I could have done more... but I know his feet are protected and he can continue to serve and walk the walk we should all be striving to walk - smiling, serving, and loving.
- Ethan
We are coming to the end of the trip and boarding one flight after another and as we do I can’t help but reflect on the entire trip. It was honestly such a blessing to be able to spend my break in Zambia, meeting people and serving Zambians. As you could guess, physical therapy is very different in Zambia than in the states but despite the differences in practice it was a beyond great learning experience and not exclusively in the realm of physical therapy. I am Nigerian American and have been blessed to live life close to my family culture. Having been to Africa before I expected a similar experience but I was so both right and wrong at the same time.
Zambia as a whole was beautiful in so many ways but what really stood out to me what that the love that resides in The bride of Christ is just as strong in Zambia as it is anywhere else. It may look different but the Zambian church we attended welcomed us to their church as if we were regular goers. This was apparent when I watched 2 of our team members, Jacob and Devon, be grabbed by the hand during one of the Zambian praise songs. The song was about taking someone with you as you walk to the gates of heaven, that along with the weekly post service greeting where everyone lines up to greet one another, were beautiful examples of the sense of family that was apparent in the church.
The types of conditions we would see in the clinic were so different from what we were used to as students but we tackled the challenge anyway. Though my time in Zambia was filled with joy and fun it was also quite sobering to see all the injuries PTs learn to treat and the level of care people get to receive. I learned a lot and the experience only added to my knowledge that we may live in drastically different environments but God is still God. Despite experiencing different afflictions, we all want to be healed.
- Dami
It's hard to put my experience in Zambia into words. When I first felt called to go on this trip, I had no idea what to expect. We saw so many things and embraced a completely new culture. From trying to speak Tonga... to eating Nshima and crocodile bites... from assisting with fracture reductions in the operating theatre... to helping a young woman be able to walk again.... from casting an 8-year old boy... to bungee jumping at Victoria Falls... I loved my time in Africa. God showed me what it looks like for people to use the spiritual gifts He has given them. I saw the gifts of everyone on my team used in one way or another while we worked in the clinic. God also taught me even more about loving and caring for all people and how physical therapy can be used in that way. Overall, I feel immensely blessed that I was a part of the Zambia team. My experience there has made a life-long impact on me, both as a part of my spiritual journey and my career as a physical therapist.
- Jacob
Physical therapy in Zambia is a whole new world, a world full of fractures and pain. I have never been so emotionally drained as the first day I witnessed several fracture reductions, where the patients were just numbed to the pain. Except maybe for the second day, where I saw 4 kids get fracture reductions with little pain medicine during, and none immediately after. The Physiotherapists work so hard to make sure these patients are able to heal well, and they see so much pain because their resources are so limited. I think it takes a strong heart to do what they do on a daily basis, and I am so blessed to be able to learn from these amazing people. I was given so much strength on this trip, to keep my composure in order to help soothe patients in pain. I know I could not have done that on my own, and it was so amazing to feel God at work through my team and myself. I loved the people of Zambia, the clinic experience and the beautiful sights, but what I loved most about this trip is what it did to my heart. This trip showed me one of my God given spiritual gifts, empathy. Thanks to Zambia, I will never forget what that feels like.
- Devon
This trip has been on my heart for over a year and a half, so one of my greatest highlights the past couple weeks was seeing it all come to fruition. From the planning process to early on in our travel journey (and the rest of the trip), it was apparent that this was the Lord’s trip and things happened according to His purposes. This was my third time to Zambia, but I’m amazed at how new experiences in a familiar area can still be used to mold my heart. I loved our experiences and being back in the country that is so close to my heart. Yet I think even more than that, I loved getting to watch the rest of the team. Witnessing them experience this culture for the first time was a blessing in itself. Witnessing the Lord at work in their lives in my favorite place took the cake. I’m so thankful for each of them that God hand-picked to join me on this journey. He knit our team together so perfectly, just as He orchestrated so many other aspects of our trip. I’m still processing through a lot of what we saw and experienced, but those things are some of the top highlights for me. And I guess bunjee jumping is pretty high on the list, too!
- Kailyn
- Devon
This trip has been on my heart for over a year and a half, so one of my greatest highlights the past couple weeks was seeing it all come to fruition. From the planning process to early on in our travel journey (and the rest of the trip), it was apparent that this was the Lord’s trip and things happened according to His purposes. This was my third time to Zambia, but I’m amazed at how new experiences in a familiar area can still be used to mold my heart. I loved our experiences and being back in the country that is so close to my heart. Yet I think even more than that, I loved getting to watch the rest of the team. Witnessing them experience this culture for the first time was a blessing in itself. Witnessing the Lord at work in their lives in my favorite place took the cake. I’m so thankful for each of them that God hand-picked to join me on this journey. He knit our team together so perfectly, just as He orchestrated so many other aspects of our trip. I’m still processing through a lot of what we saw and experienced, but those things are some of the top highlights for me. And I guess bunjee jumping is pretty high on the list, too!
- Kailyn
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