DAY 1 - ISC IMMERSION RETREAT

Sunday liturgy at a Catholic church in the Matero area of Lusaka.

The Immersion Retreat began on Saturday October 25th with an introductory session at the retreat center and a tour of Lusaka. The tour ended at one of the Christian Brother communities where we received an official welcome to Zambia by Brother Nsamu Moonga, a young Zambian brother who shared about life in his country.

Sunday morning began with a very lively Sunday liturgy at a church in Matero. There was much singing and dancing throughout the Mass. The procession of gifts went on for a very long time with many people carrying various gifts of food, clothing, etc. The most surprising gift offered was a goat carried up the center aisle tied upside down by its feet to a long stick.

In the afternoon we visited the homes of two families in Kamanga compound (compounds are neighborhoods where the very poor live). We visited the homes of Darious and Raphael -- two young men who began taking care of their families at a very young age. They lost their fathers young, which meant they had to stop going to school in order to help put food on the table. Darious shared with us his excitement at having the opportunity to return to school now as an adult. The homes were very small with lots of people living under one roof...and speaking of roofs...most roofs in the compounds are held down by placing big rocks and other heavy objects on top of them. Darious recalled a humiliating moment when someone commented to him that his house is where goats and other animals live.

Darious invited several of us to sit with him on a mat outside his home. He shared very personally about his life and courageously allowed us to ask him all sorts of questions. As he spoke about his home and living situation you could see a saddness come into his eyes and he would tend to look to the ground instead of at our faces. And than he became very animated and excited as he shared his passion as an artist. He is part of a dance troup that keeps alive some of the native tribal dances. We were able to watch the dance group perform at a Lusaka hotel later in the week.

The evening closed with time for group reflection and sharing on the experiences and emotions of the day.