We’ve been in Zambia for one whole year! Time has slipped by and left us filled with new feelings and experiences. In some ways, it feels like we have been here much longer than one year and in others it seems like we just walked off the plane. We are so grateful for this first year in Zambia and especially the people who have helped us adapt to life here!
The last few months since our last update have been very full!
We were so blessed to have Papa and Mama Madsen come for a visit at the end of June! They were able to stay for three weeks, and we had such a lovely time with them showing them a taste of life in Zambia.
Our student night fell on the 4th of July, so we had an extra special time celebrating! (Zambia also celebrates independence from the British, so the students really got into the holiday spirit!) We ate ‘American’ food, heard a story about the Revolutionary war from our friend Dr. Kilian, and shot off fireworks!
All ready for the 4th of July celebrations!
In God’s providence, most of us became very sick at the end of the Madsens’ visit–Dietrich ended up going to the hospital for a couple of days because he was showing symptoms of Meningitis (thankfully it wasn’t that!). After enduring a lumbar puncture,which was pretty traumatic, Dietrich has very few good things to say about doctors. We’re still not sure what we had, but it was most likely a bad flu or COVID, both of which were circulating around Lusaka at that time. All of us were sick to varying degrees, and we’re thankful that we all recovered and that Isaac’s parents were able to make it home after having to extend their stay a few extra days due to Mama Madsen being hit pretty hard with the sickness as well. We missed them almost as soon as they left!
Also in July was ACU’s annual Christian Scholars Week conference. The theme this year was Christ's Sovereignty over all spheres of life. Isaac gave two talks: one on vocation and the other on stewardship. Faith teamed up with a couple other ladies for a talk on Kuyperian homemaking, Faith’s part of the talk was titled A Theology of Homemaking.
Isaac speaking at Christian Scholars week
I (Faith) haven’t done much public speaking since college, so I was super nervous about giving a talk in front of so many people, but after much prayer and help from Isaac, Mama Madsen, and some friends, everything came together very well and I had many people tell me what a blessing my talk was to them afterwards!
Abby Kilian, Simbi Kalifungwa, and I spoke on Biblical homemaking at CSW
If you would like to listen to any of the talks from Christian Scholars Week you can do so here.
July also marked the end of the second term of 2024 at ACU, and Isaac completed teaching courses on Philosophy and Chemistry. Between teaching 3 sections of philosophy and the chemistry lectures plus labs, Isaac was lecturing/leading discussions for 14 hours a week during term 2. In previous years, these courses had gone for three terms, but due to revisions in the ACU academic program both Chemistry (year 2 agriculture) and Philosophy (a freshman class) have been curtailed to two terms.
We started August with the Lusaka agriculture fair, which was a big hit with the kids! It was very similar to a lot of county fairs in the U.S.. There were lots of livestock, tractors, vendors, food, and even some carnival rides!
In August, we also went on our first camping (or glamping, as Isaac would call it) trip as a family since moving to Zambia. We went to a little campground just outside of Lusaka. The campground was very nice, complete with swimming pool, restaurant, and chalets! The kids had a blast, but we decided we’ll go for something a little more rugged next time.
On the 14th I (Faith) went home to the U.S. with Bea for my sister’s wedding. I got to spend a few days with Isaac’s parents and siblings in Vancouver, WA, which was such a treat! I then headed over to Moscow, ID for a week for the wedding. The first part of the week was spent catching up with friends before my family arrived and the wedding festivities began! It was such a blessing and encouragement to see so many friends and family and to get to go to our home church on Sunday! This was Beatrice’s first time in the U.S., so everyone got to meet her for the first time!
I left the U.S. with my cup absolutely overflowing from all of the love from everyone back home! It was so encouraging and humbling to hear how many people are praying for us!
The trip back to Lusaka was a bit crazy with 2 delayed and 1 missed flight. (If you’re ever in the Qatar airport and need suggestions on things to do there, hit me up! I now know just about every inch of that place!) I added it up and from the time we left Moscow to the time we landed in Lusaka was 78 ½ hours! Needless to say, I was very happy to be home. Isaac and the kids have banned me from ever traveling without them again, which I’m totally ok with.
Beatrice was the best little travel buddy!
A few days after Faith and Bea got back, our friend Josh Clemans came out for a visit! He was only here a few days, so we tried to give him as much of a Zambian experience as was possible.This included a one night camping trip to Lusaka National Park. It’s always so fun having visitors and we love showing people a little bit of life in Zambia!
The kids 'helping' Josh put up his tent
Now that things are settling down a bit, Faith and the kids have started back to school. We’ve started Sonlight curriculum for some subjects, which we’re really enjoying so far, as well as a couple other curriculums for math and reading (are you even a homeschooler if you haven’t sampled at least a few different curricula along the way?)
It’s been encouraging seeing how much progress the kids are making! Although, Korinne is constantly asking why she has to learn to read if she can just listen to audio books. 😛 Despite her reluctance, she is actually progressing quite well and can now read most short words without having to sound them out! Dietrich also is just starting to read, which is exciting!
Esther and Bea always want to be involved in everything, so we’re trying to find ways for them to join us without being too distracting for the older kids, somewhat unsuccessfully.
We still have our bi-weekly student nights at our house, which is always a highlight! The kids are always asking how many days till Thursday because it’s the favorite night of their week!
A few weeks ago several of the students came to our house and recorded one of the songs that we’ve been learning at student night. A friend of a friend wrote it and it’s so beautiful we just had to have a recording of it! You can listen to it here. It’s in Chinyanja, one of the local languages. We have some pretty talented friends!
The country of Zambia is going through a difficult time as food costs continue to rise and electricity becomes more scarce due to the drought. Typically we have between 0-3 hours of electricity a day. We have a generator, so we can keep the fridge from becoming completely useless, but there are many in Lusaka who do not have any form of backup power. The generator can be quite expensive in petrol and we are considering putting in solar, but that also has a large upfront cost.
Looking toward the future: We are now in term 3 at ACU and Isaac does not have a course for which he is the primary lecturer. Originally, Isaac had been slated to teach Foundations of Science, but a visiting PhD student from Cambridge will be the primary instructor and Isaac is getting to assist. Isaac is enjoying observing the classroom from a different angle. He is also renewing efforts in mentorship as he has built relationships with many of the freshman students while teaching the philosophy class. Many of the students are extremely curious and ask difficult questions about their faith and the purpose of their lives. Please pray for Isaac as he carries on these discussions with the students. There are also many upperclassmen who need to complete their thesis projects, and Isaac is guiding them through that process. Also, pray for ACU as an institution we are facing some difficult times financially. Please pray for the leadership as they navigate this time.
Prayer Items:
The future of ACU. ACU is in a challenging spot as an institution. Please especially pray for the leadership during this time.
Please pray that Isaac would know how to use his time wisely during term 3 now that his teaching load has dramatically decreased.
Pray for our family that we would continue in good health and that Faith and the kids would find good community. Living behind a wall fence and gate can feel quite isolating compared to the open neighborhoods we are used to in the US.
Pray for Zambia as the people suffer from expensive food and poor power supplies.
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