Stories from Zambia Part 3: There's No One, There's No One Like Jesus

 "Takwaba, uwaba nga Yesu

Takwaba, uwaba nga Yesu

Takwaba, uwaba nga Yesu

Takwaba, takwaba kabe"

Sitting on a plastic chair after walking through a dimly lit classroom, I looked around and couldn't help but smile as the kids and teachers all around my team and I sang these words over and over. It was a song I heard often in Zambia, and one I have grown to love dearly. "There's no one, there's no one like Jesus" such beautiful words of joy! Not only were the words joyful, but every direction I looked people were smiling, laughing, and dancing.

It was such a disconnect from the world and attitude I knew from home. Around me were simple houses and dirty streets, yet the people were some of the most friendly and joyful I had ever seen. Back home we had all the material things we could ever need and more, and yet people were still so discontent. The people our world tells us should be the happiest seem to always find something to complain about, yet these children standing around n front of me had practically nothing by America’s standards and yet were so content with what they had.

As the week continued this was a pattern I saw over and over. Immense joy in the midst of what I would consider hardship. Much of this joy could be attributed to Jesus, but I also began to realize that a large portion of it was due to culture. We in America live in a task and time focused culture. We have things to get done and we want to get them done as fast as possible. We are go, go, go, and often relationships and people come second. In Zambia it is the total opposite. Relationships are the center of life there, and people are so important! Rather than having a list of things to do every day, we had a lot of people we would visit for the week.

This attitude so well reflects the attitude Jesus had towards people in his own life. He didn’t tell His disciples “we have to do this miracle today” or “we have to complete this thing” but instead He was always teaching them and guiding them in WHO they were to interact with and how. There truly is “no one like Jesus” and Zambian culture is an amazing example of how we as Christians can live a little more like Jesus in our everyday lives.

As I finish typing this, I am sitting in MSP waiting to board a flight to Charleston for a week of training, and then it’s on to Zambia. I cannot WAIT to be back in that people focused culture, where conversations can last hours and no one blinks an eye, and others welcome you into their homes and churches without thinking twice. I am excited to slow down and breathe, truly appreciating the gift of life and community with others. Thank you Jesus for this opportunity to live a little more like you!!