Monday

On Monday morning we visited Lifespring School.  Lifespring also provides Home Based Care for people in the school's community who are HIV +.  They provide education, counseling, and help meet physical needs when they can.  The gentleman in the picture below, Bishop Dixon, oversees the Home Based Care program.  They had an impressive system and Pastor Dixon seemed to be an incredible man.  

We visited every classroom in the school and were very impressed by the teachers and children we met!

We helped walk this preschool classroom to the school yard for a demonstration.

Their teacher was teaching them about Noah's Ark.  Imagine teaching that story to children who've never seen a boat or water deep enough to swim in.  He took them outside and filled up a bucket that had a spout with water.  He placed a cup in the bottom of the bucket.  Then he put that green plastic plate on top of the water to show them how the ark floated.  And then he opened the spout to release the water.  When he did, the plate rested on the cup, showing the children how the ark rested on a mountain after the water receded.  How's that for brilliantly resourceful?

Lifespring School

Bishop Dixon and Pastor Dixon :).  They had an immediate bond.  Holding hands is a sign of friendship between men in Africa.  They had a long talk about ministry, his work and about the possibility of us moving there.  At one point Bishop Dixon looked at Duane and said, "You are not on the wrong soil."

As we were leaving the school we saw this.  This is just normal there.  

I still don't know what to do with this.

Monday night we had dinner with Wiphan's teachers.  Wow!  They are some amazing people.  They all seem to love what they do.  He's not in this photo, but there was one particular teacher named Joseph who came and sat down beside Duane.  Within 5 minutes they were leaned in toward each other having a very serious conversation about Jesus and marriage and pretty much anything he could get Duane to teach him about.  If we end up in Zambia, the moment that I looked over and saw Duane so deep in that conversation will be a defining moment in my decision that it's where God wants us to be. Duane truly has a gift for teaching, mentoring, and discipling people and these people are STARVING for someone like him to invest in them and help them grow.