Road Trip & Naming a Baby

Destination: Cropping, South Luangwa, Zambia

The plan was to drive to Chipata where we would spend the night with the Helgren's before heading to the Wilderness Camp on Wednesday. On the way, we had to make a stop in Petauke. This is where we camped for 2 weeks during our 40/40 orientation training. We wanted to make a visit to our friend, Iwell Phiri, and his family. In particular, we were there to name their new baby born on March 19th. Iwell's wife, Ida, was pregnant during our time in Petauke back in November, and we prayed for this baby every day that he or she would be healthy. Iwell and Ida have 4 daughters, so Iwell really wanted a son. And so a son was born, and we (Ricky and I) were given the privilege of naming the son. Now, we have never been asked to name someone else's baby, but we have heard this is normal in this culture. We had known for a couple of weeks before our trip that we would have to come up with a name for this baby. We researched the internet on Biblical names and meanings, African names and meaning, etc. We had made a list... unfortunately, we left the list on the desk as we headed out the door. I began looking in the Bible as Ricky was driving, and as I turned to the book of Amos, I began reading about this "man of God" whose life was devoted to serving the Lord. He was a layperson, a humble shepherd, and trusted God in obedience by taking the message to Israel. This reminded both of us of Iwell and his willingness to serve the Lord as a humble farmer.

And so we arrived in Petauke to finally meet this baby whose name shall be "Amos Ricky Phiri". We had a sweet visit with the family. Iwell had been requesting a camera for his ministry work. He would like to take pictures in order to fund his radio ministry in Petauke. It turned out that we had been given a camera from our pastor friend before we came on the field, and we felt Iwell would benefit from having this camera to use for ministry. (Thanks, Andy!) And so after naming the baby and giving the gift of the camera, we were also given a couple of gifts - a big sack of ground nuts (peanuts) and a LIVE rooster! WOW! What are we going to do with a rooster in the car from Petauke to Chipata? Luckily, he made it to Chipata and we left it with the Helgren's as thanks for letting us stay with them.











We had a wonderful time with the Helgren's and appreciated their hospitality for the night. The kids enjoyed playing with Lily, Easton, and Lauren, and the dogs!
After breakfast the next morning, it was time to drive again. Stay tuned for more!