Our Induction

On Sunday, CCAP Zambia held an induction service for Joel and me. Worship began at 9am and it ended around 2pm, with a meal afterwards. Now, one might think that sitting through a five hour worship service would be an exhausting ordeal. But this was simply not the case for us; it was energizing, exciting, full of life, but most of all, a precious gift.

I am not sure how many choirs sang: the Mandevu women’s choir, the Matero men’s choir, the Matero women’s choir, the children’s choir, the Bethel choir, the Chawama choir, the Section of John choir, and a few others. The music went on an on, complete with dancing and laughter, and a few high pitched cheers of joy.

There were speeches; the president of the Council of Churches for Zambia was the honored guest, and he offered an ecumenical address, encouraging Joel and me in our ministry. The sermon was delivered by a colleague at the Chawama CCAP congregation. Our Regional Liaison, from Presbyterian Church USA, gave a beautiful speech about the power of partnership.  

At the end of the service, gifts were presented. The gift presentations alone took over an hour. Group after group processed forward, dancing and singing, their arms laden with wrapped presents. We received over 60 gifts, and they were held high, as people streamed down the aisle of the church, dancing their way towards us. Present after present piled up, person after person hugged us, smile after smile offered us beaming congratulations. We shook hundreds of hands and there were a few times that I simply could not contain the tears. How is it possible to be so welcomed? How is it possible to be so loved? How can I even begin to thank our Zambian partners for their generosity, their kindness, their infectious, inspiring joy?

One of my colleagues traveled by bus from Northern Zambia to attend the induction, arriving in Lusaka at one in the morning. I was overjoyed to see her, and humbled that she had traveled through the night just to attend our induction. Others rode buses for an entire day just to be present. As an incredible blessing, my mother and Joel’s parents were able to travel from the United States to be present at this unique and beautiful ceremony. American friends in Lusaka made their way to the event, as well. It was remarkable to look out and see our Zambian friends, American friends, neighbors, colleagues, and even parents, gathered in this church, in a compound in Lusaka, to sing and dance and praise and celebrate together. Wow.

When we returned home, we opened the gifts. There is no way to name all of the things we received: beautiful Zambian clothing, exquisite cloth, copper clocks in the shape of Zambia, pots and pans, glasses and mugs, wall hangings, a coffee maker, a toaster, a dvd player, a sound system, a Chichewa Bible, and on and on and on. We even received a satellite dish, a large flat screen television, and a cable subscription. Now, Joel and I have never, ever had cable, and in fact, we went for years without a television. But, the people in the Synod, our CCAP friends, wanted to be give us above and beyond what we would ever, ever think to expect. 

As a privileged American, it was hard for me, at first, to accept all these gifts, to not give in to guilt. I don’t deserve all these things! Especially from people who sometimes struggle to feed their families, who have to make choices I would never dream of having to make. But I do know, without a doubt, that I must receive these gifts not with guilt, but with gratitude. For they are a sign of love, of trust, of hope, of solidarity, of pride. My Zambian sisters and brothers are not recipients of charity, they are not people to be pitied. They are men and women of strength, power, resilience, generosity, and courage. And they will give, they will dance, they will sing, they will celebrate, because they live in community, they live in love, they live in faith in a way that we often do not.

My house is now decorated with signs of this love. When we drink water from our new glasses, when we sip from our new mugs, when we see the time on that lovely copper clock, we witness the love and community that surrounds us here. These gifts stand as a testimony to the powerful, fierce, courageous love that our Zambian brothers and sisters display for us, for their church, for their community, and most of all, for God.

I hope to one day be as generous, as courageous, as faithful as my friends here. In the meantime, I will choose to simply say, “Thank you.”