Staff Blog

Our team arrived after hearing about the San people’s village deep in the bush of Zambia, near Shangombo. We hacked through trees to make a road that no truck had ever traveled. It took us 6 hours to get our truck through but finally we arrived in the small village of the San tribe who had traveled from Namibia years ago.

What we found was one of the poorest villages I had ever seen. The homes were made of sticks and mud, and there was no source of clean water. The water was taken from holes dug in the swampy ground. It seemed that the simple knowledge of boiling water to kill parasites had never been taught here. Well drilling companies do not even know this village exists, much less could get to them due to the thick bush and marshy terrain.

The San people, also known as Bushmen, are traditionally nomadic hunters and gatherers. They travel from place to place, following the migration of the animals that they hunt. In this particular village there were no animals to hunt or food to gather. Food was grown by farming, of which these people had tried to adapt to. 

Our first morning, we sat with the headman and village leaders to find out more about their life. They shared with us about the war and their hopes and dreams of living a peaceful life in Zambia. They had found peace in Namatanda village but struggled with adapting to the new living conditions. Living in a country that doesn’t speak your language prevents fellowship, and even travel to other areas of the country. When the team asked about what their religious beliefs are, the headman responded (through a translator) “we want nothing but Jesus Christ!” Smiles broke out on everyone’s faces as we heard the joy in his voice. Despite being a different culture and separated by language barriers, we shared our love for Christ.

He proceeded to tell us about the church they had in their village, which was started by a local pastor from a town that’s a 4-hour walk away. The church was new and growing, but experienced tragedy when the pastor unexpectedly died in September. The believers were young and hungry for more of the Word.

Each morning our team would spend time with the families, getting to know their day-to-day lives and struggles. We shared with them about our faith in Christ and encouraged them from the Word. Our evening meetings were filled with teachings on salvation and redemption. We saw many come to receive Jesus, delivered from demons, healed from illnesses, and strengthened in their faith. One old lady had problems with her arm. She wasn’t able to lift it or grip anything with her hand. After the team prayed for her, she was waving her arm around, praising God for her healing.

The fellowship was amazing as we danced and sang together, teaching each other new songs and praising God together. We left that village fully encouraged by how much God had done in our short time with them. It’s just the beginning of the relationship that we’ll have with these beautiful people. It’s just the beginning of what God has planned in this area of Zambia.