Thank You for your Prayers- I arrived Safe and Sound.

These past 3 days have been the longest days of my life... my time is all mixed up- But it is all worth it. One of the orphans who I am sharing a room with, my new friend Merriam, just asked if I wanted a friend to sleep with, so I looked over to see her handing me her teddy bear. That pretty much sums up how precious all of these people are.

Flying into Zambia we sat the most beautiful bright orange sunrise and we landed about 6:10 a.m. We got to walk off the plane like in the movies. It is just how I pictured it- the crooked trees, the orange bright sun, people walking down the streets with baskets on their heads. Right when we arrived Duane had someone meet us so he could get us through customs fast- with no problems, which was a good idea. I have always loved being the oddball in a group- well I am definitely the oddball in Zambia! Many people just stare, kind of awkward at first...but now I am used to it. As we went into the parking lot many people helped us with our bags...but what i did not know is that they would all fight for a tip and not leave until Duane gave them one- I really began to feel out of place and slightly scared at that point. The culture here is just so different and most people expect us to give them money. Once we started driving I was just fascinated with looking out the window and trying not to be freaked out since we were on the wrong side of the road about to hit all of the thousands of people walking.

We arrived at Duane's house- the house we are staying- around 8:00 a.m. and we all felt like it was 3:00 in the afternoon because we all went and ate hamburgers at this nice place. Right as we drive up to the house, we wait at the security gate and the cutest boy ever opens the gate smiling and waving, Joseph. The whole family comes out to greet us, kissing us on each cheek. Right away I felt at home. Duane and Laurie have 6 orphan kids living with them-Merriam, Taypai, Pearsyon, Layton, Collins, and Joseph. They also have a cook named Julia- who is so beautiful and sweet. All of these kids made me feel more at ease. We sang together, ate dinner together...and guess who got made fun of- day one- yep, me. I thought they said that they bathe their chickens everyday- and they thought that was the funniest thing.

They absolutely LOVED the children's books! They were the most fascinated by the children's bibles. They took turns reading to me. They also loved the soccer balls and jersey's that a student of mine donated. They were playing "futbol" all day long. They house is very nice, but I must say it is very cold (it is their winter), and the security dogs WILL NOT STOP BARKING. I have my mosquito net around me like a princess.

We went to the grocery store today which was interesting. Pretty much the same as in America, but way less selection, and the meats look weird- I will not be eating much this trip. Little things are very different about Lusaka: everyone walks, people run into you, people stare, many people have little booths on the side of the roads to sell vegetables, or a barber shop, nail shop, or bar, people drive on opposite sides of the road and cars, the money system is CRAZY- I spent about 30,000 dollars on a burger (every US dollar is 5,000 Zambian dollars), the sun is very bright- I got sunburned from being out there for 10 minutes this morning, but the people are amazing and helpful and kind.

When I woke up from a nap Collins came up to me and hugged me saying, "How was your nap? Did you sleep well?" He randomly comes up to me and holds my hand. The girls are so cute at how they watch my mannerisms and help me with everything- they take good care of each other.

I could say so many other things, but I will not...that was most of the day. Sorry if it is scattered and random- but that is me. Night! Excited about church in the morning!