A shipping container arrived from ACTION International last week full of books and resources for needy pastors here in Zambia. Books and Bibles commentaries run at a premium here in Zambia. For instance, if you want to buy Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology, which is hard to find, you can now find it (while supplies last) at the newly opened Levy Junction Mall for close to $100. Or if you want to buy an ESV Study Bible, which is also hard to find but can be done, you will also have to pay close to or over $100. But, unfortunately, most of what you will find in the “Christian” book shops around town are books about how God wants you to get rich and how you can get rich through faith. And even those resources are exorbitantly priced. So, the resources on our container will be very helpful to pastors here in Zambia.
A few things that amazed me about this container coming:
-It actually made it here! It had to ship from Florida to the Middle East, into the Indian Ocean, down to a port on the coast of Mozambique, get cleared by customs, and then travel by truck for 500 miles through Zimbabwe and (after more customs checks) to Zambia…with an overnight pit-stop at the truck driver’s home in Zimbabwe.
-It was also amazing that the truck driver was actually able to maneuver his truck into the Ciyanjano Campground fence and that the crane was able to do the same.
-The ground was really wet and saturated from the rains we’ve had, and the crane support bars sank into mud. The crane was a bit unstable and was barely able to lift the container off the truck. Actually, the crane barely lifted the container off the truck, just so the truck could drive forward quickly before setting it down. At one point, the front wheels of the crane were totally off the ground due to the weight of the container.
But it’s here, and nobody got hurt putting it in place at Ciyanjano, even though nobody had any safety equipment. 🙂
Derek and Kristin Dearth 
Have you ever heard of Christian Book Distributors out of Michigan? They collect books and ship them overseas. You write and ask for what you want–be specific. i.e. Commentaries, Bibles, etc. and they will try to honor your request.