The CD Adventure

David and I often look at each other and say, “It’s another adventure!” We had plenty of opportunities for that remark this weekend as we took Namwianga singing groups to Lusaka to record CDs.

Our total entourage included three singing groups: the secondary choir composed of twenty eleventh and twelfth grade students; the Heavenly Echoes choir composed of nineteen college students and one faculty member; and the Timothy Brothers, a small group of four college students and two faculty members. The singing groups and their luggage traveled on the big yellow Namwianga Mission bus, while David and I followed in our vehicle with sleeping mats, food, water, and other supplies.

We left Namwianga on Friday at 2:00 and pulled into Lusaka just at dusk. We were met by Austin Siabeenzu, the man who coordinated most of our weekend events. Austin has many ties to Namwianga through serving on the medical mission and working with various faculty members in his role as a church leader. He is also a well-known radio personality in Lusaka where he is a cast member of a drama show.

After a quick stop for some extra diesel, Austin directed us off the main streets and we entered the huge Mutendere compound where we were to meet with the local congregation and spend the night. The streets were one-lane, unpaved, and full of huge potholes, so we had to move slowly. Vendors lined both sides, their makeshift booths lit with candles or small lanterns. Pedestrians streamed by within inches of the vehicle on both the right and left. The yellow bus drew lots of attention as people stared, pointed, and yelled. Soon some young boys decided to join our procession and walked along pounding on the truck and shouting. We navigated like this through the area for over 30 minutes before we finally reached the Mutendere building and were welcomed in the traditional Zambian way by a delegation of women singing and clapping.

Cooking fires glowed just outside the building where these same women had prepared a delicious nshima and chicken meal for us. At 9:00 the evening program began. The Mutendere group had invited the Lusaka Central congregation to join us for an evening assembly. After some spirited congregational singing and a talk by David, various singing groups presented their programs. In addition to our three choirs, the Mutendere and Lusaka congregations also had singing groups. I think the best term to describe this part of the evening might be “rocking.” I checked the rafters a few times to make sure the roof was still intact. These people love to sing and they sang with all their hearts.

Our students were exhausted after a long day, so at midnight our group was dismissed to get some sleep. The students went to a nearby school where they slept on the floor. David and I spent the night with Austin’s family. Austin dropped us off at his house and then went back to the church building. The Mutendere and Lusaka congregations stayed up ALL NIGHT LONG singing, preaching, and fellowshipping.

At 7:00 the next morning we headed for the recording studio. By daylight we could see even more of the potholes in the compound’s streets. One corner had a pothole that was over two feet deep. The bus had had a terrible time the night before at this corner, so this time the driver and Austin got out and studied the situation carefully before making the turn. The vendors on all sides of the corner had to move their wares off the street and slide their booths back to make enough room for the bus to pass. Even then the bus had to inch its way around and through the area. The entire process took over thirty nerve-wracking minutes. Since the street had only one lane, traffic was stopped from going in or out during this entire time. All of us began to have second thoughts about taking the bus back into the compound again on Saturday night.

The taping at the studio went pretty well. It was my first time to have anything to do with this type of project, so I learned a great deal, as did our students. For the most part, the groups were well rehearsed and we were able to tape one song after another. The sound engineer who worked with us was pleased and assured me that when he completed his work we would have a finished product that we could be proud of.

Since the taping went quickly and we hesitated to return to Mutendere compound because of the streets, we made the call to head back to Namwianga on Saturday rather than spend another night. We left Lusaka at 4:30 and pulled into Namwianga around 10:00 Saturday night.

David and I have taken many youth groups on trips in the US. This was a very different experience. This time we took 44 high school and college kids on a two-day outing. The students ate whatever was served them. They slept on mats on a concrete floor in a building with no electricity, no running water, and no indoor toilets. They waited for hours while other groups were taping. Number of complaints we heard: zero. Number of times we had to listen to whining: zero. Number of times any adult had to get on to any student for any reason: zero.

On Monday a group of the secondary students visited one of the administrators and asked him to convey to us their gratitude for the wonderful time they had in Lusaka. It’s no wonder we love these kids! And they can sing, too!

I’ll keep you posted on the progress of the CD. Thanks for your prayers this weekend.