ZAMBIA CHRONICLES DAY 10: My View from the Porch

I loved sitting on Atness’ porch. Atness is the village matriarch (she’s 67 years young but also the oldest resident on “this side” of the road). Her porch was the gathering place for many of the villagers who wanted to stop by just to offer greeting to the “new mizungu in town” and chat with Atnes about all that was happening in the village. The time I spent on the porch reminded me of growing up in Mississippi at my grandmother’s house. Atness adopted me as her daughter, and Doreen became a wonderful big sister to me. Our time on the porch and around the table provided me with such great memories. We talked, laughed, and prayed together every day.

The week I spent in the village was exhausting, but I can’t remember a time when I was more content and at peace. There is just something about the dynamic of the environment that drew me in completely. It didn’t matter that at the end of every day I was covered from head to toe in a fine film of rust colored dust. It didn’t matter that I spent all my time from sundown until sunrise feeling like a blind woman longing for the powers of infra-red, x-ray vision (which everyone living in the village possesses except me). It didn’t matter that using the bush potty after the sun goes down is a HORRIBLY disturbing experience because you have to take a flashlight with you to see everything, and the things you end up seeing you really wish you didn’t know existed. It didn’t matter that several nights, in the middle of the night, I was awakened by what I thought was an intoxicated man crying out for someone. I kept hearing “Heeeelp! Heeeelp!” In my groggy, foggy slumber, I said to myself, “Would somebody please help that man and put him out of his misery?” As it turns out, the sound I heard was a rogue goat that couldn’t sleep. The goatpen is about 50 feet in front of Atness’ house. Instead of counting sheep, the goat decided to bay at the moon. It sounded like “haaaalp – as in “baaaa.” Before the night as over, I was ready to shoot that thing! 

None of those inconveniences mattered. What mattered was the fellowship and camaraderie that I witnessed between Atness and Doreen and the closeness of the people in the village. This oneness and sisterhood/brotherhood is distinctly different from anything I’ve experienced as an adult in America. I was an outsider, but I was treated with such warmth and acceptance. I listened to women as they talked and laughed while the waited to pump their water at the bore hole. I observed the happiest children who play outside ALL DAY, and only return home for their meals. I laughed some more.

Don’t misunderstand. The village isn’t a utopia. Drunkenness is a problem for a couple of high profile residents. Families are broken from divorce and separation. Children suffer the ill effects of parental neglect. Sickness and lack of access to medicine and proper diagnoses is an ongoing problem that I dealt with first hand. All of those things reminded me of life in America, but something better continued to prevail among this enclave of humanity that lives off the grid. I witnessed the effects of the gospel message working its way into people's lives after being shared every week through the faithful preaching of Missionary Dan Jalowiec and Pastor Jere. I watched the Lord move in the hearts of a community, and I was humbled to be part of what he was doing in their lives.

I’ve attached several photos and written the story of each in the description. I hope you’ll click through to get a better glimpse into my time in the village. What an incredible, blessed experience! 

Atness – This woman gets up at 4:30 every morning to care for her great granddaughter, Jesse. Then she faithfully walks to the bore hole to draw the first of many 5 gallon buckest of water for the day. By 7am, the sun has been shining for two hours, and Atness has already washed her dishes, swept the yard, wiped her floors, and prepared breakfast. Such an incredible servant of God.

My view from the porch – Atnes’ brother, Johnson Lungu (our literacy teacher) lives to the left of the center tree. The infamous goatpen is to the right. The sounds and smells I’ll remember most are those of family life and busyness: wood fires burning, the sound of water being pumped from the bore hole, happy children singing, unhappy babies crying, goats and sheep neighing, and greetings from passersby at the start of a new day.


This happy-go-lucky little girl stole my heart. Her name is Jesse (all week I kept thinking everyone was saying Jaycee). She is 6 years old and is Atness’ great granddaughter. Atness takes care of her even though Jesse’s mom lives only a mile down the road in another village. Jesse wakes up every morning at 4:30. The sun would rise at 5:00am and she was out the door by 5:15. Her first stop was usually Hope’s house that was just next door. By 5:30 every morning, I would hear these little girl giggles right outside the house. Jesse played all day long, and would only come to the house for meals. Sometimes I would walk around the village and call her to come home. We’d race to see who could reach Atness' porch first. By 7pm she would drop into a dead man’s sleep wherever her body happened to fall – outside on the porch, in an obscure corner of the house, or right in front of the table where we’d eat. My favorite shirt that Jesse would wear says, “I make dirt look good.” She wore that thing well! Please pray for her and her mom, Susan.

These little girls brought so much joy to my heart. Pictured left to right: Naomi, Hope, and Jesse. Hope has a beautiful singing voice. Long after the sun had gone down the girls would still run around the village, without a care in the world, singing songs about how to put on shoes. Precious!

Train ‘em young – some of the older children talked the “littles” into gathering firewood with them. This picture is precious to me. Left to right – Jesse, Dallon (age 2), Gift (age 3), and Maggie (age 6). I was told Dallon got home and was a little disappointed in himself. He told his mom, “I didn’t get much wood.” I think he got as much as his little body could carry. Good job, kiddo!

This herd of goats loved to frequent Atness’ porch. In their company was also a herd of long eared sheep, an old hen and her chicks, and an annoying black cat that kept finding its way into the house.

Black Mamba – The men from the farming co-op who slept in the tent every night had some wild adventures to tell the next morning. There was the incident of a couple of hyena taking down one of the village sheep, and the most frightening of all: the black mamba scare. Zulu Kennedy, my co-op foreman, was walking in the area near the tent when he encountered this poisonous black mamba. He ALWAYS wears flip flops regardless of the work he’s doing. His shoes look like they’ve tread a thousand miles. Thankfully the mamba bit the side of his shoe instead of getting his foot. A few centimeters higher and Zulu Kennedy would be no more! He and Samkhulani saved the snake for my photo op. Doreen saw the snake and almost jumped out of her chitenge (wrap around skirt)! She was a nervous wreck the rest of the afternoon. Every time she saw something grayish black she would jump about 2 feet. I couldn’t stop laughing.

Bathtime – Atness was so gracious. She would say to me, “You want bath-ing with fire?” which meant did I want her to heat the water first. I always said yes (she didn’t know that I detest cold showers). We borrowed the small washtub from Pastor Jere’s wife, Anastasia. Once the water was heated to boiling then cooled down a bit with water straight from the bore hole, Doreen or I would carry the washtub to the outdoor bathhouse. This was my delightful treat every day.

Big Tree Bible Baptist Church - There was a full house at church my last Sunday in the village. For the first time in my life every person came that I invited to attend the services: Mable Phiri was able to get off work from the clinic and was attending for the first time. Zulu Kennedy is catholic and most likely heard the gospel for the first time. Zikake Banda is separated from his wife who is a faithful member at Big Tree. He had never attended the church before. God is at work. Please pray especially for these families as the Lord brings them to mind.