We made it! On Monday morning (Zambia time) at 7:40 we landed in Zambia. There was a lovely welcoming committee of traditional Zambian dancers and drummers out on the tarmac…only, they were welcoming former President Chiluba who had arrived minutes earlier on another flight. Ah well, we can’t win them all!
We ended up waiting in line at border patrol for about 40 minutes. It was a good initiation to Zambia, as it involved a crowded room, rising temperatures, increasingly pungent smells, and waiting…lots of waiting. As we stood there, we could catch a glimpse if we stood just the right way of the baggage area, so we tried to assess how many of our bags made it. After getting our passports stamped, we dashed over to the baggage area and were delighted to find ALL 15 bags there! Praise God – and Thank You for your prayers.
Some of our team was waiting for us. It was (and has been) very surreal to arrive in Zambia and be welcomed by the team we will be working alongside for many years, God willing.
We all came back to the Hilty’s (Tim Hilty is ACTION Zambia’s team leader), where we are staying until our house is set up, for a team brunch. John and Eta (our C.R.O.S.S. Project partners) were also able to come, which was a great surprise.
Since our arrival, we have been reorganizing all our stuff and running around town pricing furniture, appliances, and food. It has been very productive, evidenced by Derek usually falling asleep in the car or on the couch at some point during the day (well, and jet lag contributes to that as well). We have both been waking up at 3 or 4am, so tonight we will start the Melatonin to help get us back on track.
We’ll keep updating as we are able and will post pictures as soon as we start taking some! 🙂 Thank you for your prayers for a safe trip and arrival of us and our bags. Please keep praying as we adjust to this first permanent move we have made in about 10 years.
Derek and Kristin Dearth 
D&K, thanks for the update. Praise the Lord that all your bags arrived! Josiah, for our dinner prayer, thanked God that you were at our house prior to leaving! (at least he said something of that nature.) He asked again where you are and we said “Zambia!” His response? “Zamba!!” We look forward to seeing some photos when you get the chance!
With God’s Love,
Justin and Sarah and Josiah!
We are so glad all your bags made it! Hope your bodies adjust to Zambian time soon. We already miss you.
Oh my gosh! So excited for you to be there, to start getting settled and to continue on this wild and beautiful adventure that inspires so many {myself on the top of that list!}.
Love to you both!
P.S. How’d the Aveda fare in the travels?