It rained all night. . . even hard. The Pringles told us that the rainfall was about two inches.  In the morning, Derrick and I went into Kitwe to see his attorney, Robert Mwanza.  There were matters of church registration and titling of properties that needed be concluded. I brought documents from the Council of Elders that were necessary missing pieces in this process of registration and titling. The attorney was happy to see them and we could now move straightforwardly to conclusion.  Robert Mwanza was a pleasant person and it was obvious that Derrick and he were well-acquainted. There was another matter that Derrick consulted with him about as well.

Then we commenced our drive to Solwezi which is about three hours. This is our third visit to Solwezi.  The road to Solwezi is via a large city of Chingola.  This is copper mining country and there are many big trucks on the road. We always stop at Chingola at a shopping center where there is a Shop Rite. Cherry bought 10 loaves of bread to take to the people. They are ever so thoughtful of all the details and do so much for these people. They are hauling so much in their SUV and pulling a covered trailer. Derrick is carrying about 10 bags of cement, a door frame for the Solwezi church.  The building was broken into and chairs were stolen along with the curtains.  This is our fourth break-in of recent times into our properties in Zambia and Malawi.  It is disheartening because it is so hard to get these things to the people and we are so sickened when they are stolen.  A fence will now be built around the Solwezi church building.

As we leave Chingola, we pass a long line of 18-wheeler trucks.  The line is more than 10 miles long!  They are heading off for the Congo. What happened was that a truck driver was murdered at the border in an altercation.  This caused the border to be closed between Zambia and the Congo, hence the traffic line.  It is unknown when it will open.  The Congo border is only a few miles away.  We passed this long line of trucks and took a turn to the left for Solwezi.  From here the road was very good and in short order (probably because I dozed off) we were in Solwezi.   The first time that we came with the Pringles to Solwezi was in 2014 and it took six hours on a horrible road to get to Solwezi from Kitwe. In Solwezi we stopped at a fast food chicken place called “The Rooster Cafe” and got chicken Tika pies.  Then we stopped at another place for ice cream cones.  Then petrol.  Gasoline in Zambia costs $5.00 a gallon.  A tough life.  But, they somehow make a go of it. 

We settled into the Mutunda Lodge.  The owner Lesley was there to greet us.  She is a loving, friendly woman who knows the Pringles well from their many stops here.  Derrick gets special “missionary rates” here.

As we walk through the grounds we meet an American family. The young woman, Kerri, from Phoenix tells me that she, her husband and four children are heading to a town even further west of where we will go in Manyinga to do missionary work for six months. 

The Pringles have various evening rituals that we like.  First, coffee, then drinks and time for talk.  We love it.  We had dinner delivered to the porch of the unit where we were staying.  So far all the meals we’ve eaten with the Pringles have been outside. . . at their home or here at the Lodge. It is the Sabbath and we look forward to our day with the church in Solwezi. 

One interesting fact came out about Zambian life and their work in mailing out Beyond Today magazines.  The Post Office no longer delivers to private addresses. You need to go to the post office to pick up your mail.  There are not enough PO boxes to go around and people arrange to share PO boxes.