Day 7: Walking through Zambia

Today we woke up at the beautiful Chikuni Mission in Monze, Zambia. After being warmly welcomed by our gracious hosts last night with music and dancing— along with our arachnid bunk mates— it was nice to have a leisurely morning to discover the beauty around us at the mission.

This morning we were invited to mass at the Cansius School of about 700 boys ranging from grade 8-12 here at the mission. Something I have loved thus far in Zambia is the powerful faith that lives here. Although somewhat unexpected, I have enjoyed becoming familiar with the deep spirituality that is present on this trip. Because Zambia is a Christian country and has a large Catholic presence, we have already been invited to and taken part in many masses and celebrations of faith. It is interesting to learn about the different traditions and ways of showing reverence. For instance, if you are familiar with the Catholic tradition, one usually stands while the Gospel is read; in Zambia one sits because it is a sign of respect to sit when the chief speaks.

After breakfast, the group was led on a spiritual walk led by Fr. Kalyepe who is is one of the parish priests of the mission and a professor of Mathematics and Chemistry at Cansius. The walk turned out to be one of the most special and grounding moments of the trip. Regardless of faith background, the walk presented a much needed opportunity for reflection on the past seven days.

The walk was a pilgrimage with eight stations reflecting on the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. Each station presented an opportunity to reflect on a different aspect of Ignatian Spirituality. I would like to share a few of my reflections at a few stations this morning:

We found the first station in front of a sapling tree which marked the founding place of the Chikuni Mission. The station was appropriately titled Loyola, which was the hometown and beginning of St. Ignatius. While at this station, Fr. Kalyepe asked us to reflect on beginnings and new birth; the start of a journey. I could not help but think of our own journey to Zambia that began only a few short days ago. While here we will have many new beginnings and journeys. We will meet many new friends and sing in unfamiliar places. As we continue through Zambia we should hold these first meetings close to our hearts and recognize the gift of the new and unfamiliar, for it is through new beginnings that we find opportunities for life giving experiences.

The second station was marked by a tree that had been made to symbolize a cannon entitled Pamplona. The cannon is reference to St. Ignatius’s conversion. When he was wounded in a war by a cannon ball and recovering in Pamplona, he asked to read literature while passing the time. Unable to find books that he wanted to read, he was made to settle for a book on the lives of the saints. Through his misfortune of being wounded, Ignatius began his journey of faith. Fr. Kalyepe pointed to how through this “cannon ball moment” Ignatius’s life was changed forever and changed for the better. Through his moment of adversity, he found hope and light. Fr. Kalyepe asked us to wrestle with the adversity we are facing in our lives; wrestle to find the hope and blessing in it. Through our journey in Zambia we will face different adversity. We will ask questions that range from: Why are there frogs in the toilet? to, Why do some boys where shoes to school and others do not? and, What is our place in Zambia? We are asked to wrestle with these questions and find the blessings in them.

The last station I would like to share was the fifth station, the Cardoner. As we continued our walk we came upon a river that flows from a vast and lush reservoir. The river Cardoner, which flows through Spain, was where Ignatius felt unprompted enlightenment that inspired his spiritual examine. The group was prompted to take quiet time in reflection of the nature around us and become aware of our present moment. When traveling abroad it is easy to become caught up in the experiences and just go along for the ride. It is sometimes challenging to stay present. This moment, while surrounded by the water and trees in Zambia, Africa, we reconnected with ourselves. It was a grounding moment that took us out of the itinerary of the trip and planted us in the moment. It is profound moments like these that allow us to appreciate all the fun and exciting things that we are doing here in Zambia.


Overall, I am looking forward to the exciting new beginnings, questions, and moments of reflection to come. Much love to family and friends! Stay tuned.

-Teresa Halsey, class of 2017

Comments

  1. TERESA HALSY. Hi. Wow I miss you so much. I am so sorry it has taken me so long to reply to your blog post. I loved it. I loved how you talked about new beginnings, and challenges, and asked the tough questions like why you're there and why it matters. I am so proud of you. I know that you are exploring and learning and growing in ways that most probably can't even fathom. I am so excited to hear that this trip has been strengthing and stretching your faith and your spiritual mindset more than you thought-- isn't God cool like that? He knew exactly what he was doing when He placed the opportunity to go to Zambia in front of you, and I am confident that He is going to continue to bless you in ways that will be perfectly revealed with time. T, I love you and miss you so much!!! Jenni and I call each other everyday and always say "we miss Teeds... can she come back yet?" And then we make dumb jokes that only the 3 of us would think are funny. But then I remind myself that you are exploring the world, singing that beautiful heart of yours out, and getting to be with some pretty incredible people. And that's pretty freaking cool. So I guess I can survive wthout the 3rd member of 326 for a little while longer.

    Okay now moving on to a few other people that I believe deserve some shoutouts.

    KATIE KENKEL. Oh hey there. I love you and miss you endlessly. I loved your blog post and I really hope that this trip to Zambia has been full of blessings and growth. You are wonderful and beautiful and strong. I can't wait to hear all about it. I pray you continue to be a lighthouse of love and joy to everyone you meet.

    NICK (JOSE).
    You're a Jose for life and no one can ever take that away from you. ;) hey friend, I'm thinking and praying for you. I am so proud of you, too. I feel so fortunate to call you one of my closest friends, I have seen God work in your heart over the past few months and I hope and pray that He is continuing to do that now. You are incredible and I just know that everyone you are meeting in Zambia is a better person because you are in their life.

    LOVE YOU ALL.
    Jordan Horner

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 15: And so the trip ended, the journey continuing in heart and mind

Day 2: Table Talk

Day 13: We Are All Contractors