Well hopefully you'll be reading a blog sometime next week from Zambia. Lord knows but that is plan A.

Nine bags sit in the living room, nearly all filled up, we know it is best to leave some room for last-minute additions. 

Thank you for those who made suggestions and added to the shopping list. 

Always helpful to hear from folks who have gone before!

A small pile sits waiting for the carry-ons to be packed but much less daunting than the big bags.

We've taken breaks for family time, some cleaning, getting a few things off our to-do list. 

We very much enjoyed a short lunch visit with Dr. Bob and Marcia at Corky's drive-in diner in Allegan.  

Sunday most of the Haiti team met by Zoom to catch up and pray for each other and Haiti.

The family good-byes have started with siblings, the harder ones to Eli, Anna, and our folks draws ever closer but still have a few days to enjoy each other in person. 

Shopping done. Packing 95% done. 

One more Bible study for me in person, then hoping the internet will allow me to join from across the ocean. 

Clean up, storage of stuff in Allegan, and organization continues as we prepare to leave Eli's apartment after a MUCH longer visit than we ever dreamed. So very thankful for the unexpected time with him and Anna. 

Anna's bags are also filling up as she prepares to head West to Malabu, to start law school.

Zambia:

    11% bigger than Texas.  Land locked. Named after Zambezi river..southern border with Zimbabwe.

    More than 30 'major' languages. 72 indigenous languages or so depending on who's counting. Some people count fewer, labeling some as dialects. In the south 79% speak Tonga, 21 different languages spoken in the southern area around Jembo. Language map.

Capital: Lusaka. Time zone Central Africa. Greenwich Mean time/Coordinated Universal time plus 2.

Gained independence peacefully in 1964 after 73 years of British rule, had been called Northern Rhodesia. 

The big five game animals can be seen in Zambia: lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, & water buffalo.