After explaining my life story from its humble beginnings in Mufulira, I remember saying in conclusion something like this, "... here I am now sitting down with you fine people eating a nice meal in one of America's fine restaurants with all you."

Growing Up
I grew up without a father figure in my life. My mother raised four kids, worked two jobs, as a housekeeper (kaboyi) for the European expatriates and as vegetable marketeer. She just made enough to buy us uniforms and put food on our table. My two half brothers and sister, went to their fathers during the holidays, I stayed with mom occationally visiting with my uncles.

I was told early in my life that education is the getway from poverty. As I was good in Sciences and Math. I was the Editor-in-Chief of the School Magazine, in High School. Most of the time I was on top of the class.

I ready daily newspapers, and frequently wrote letters to the Editor of the Times or the Daily Mail. Once the editorial was based on one of my letters. Most people thought I will be a journalist, but I hated liberal arts. My passion was in sciences and business.

I did my General Certificate of Education exam with Cambridge University before graduating High School. I did Chemistry, Physics, Calculus (Advanced Math) and Technical Drawing.

I started announcing to everyone that I will travel around after high school. I had no idea where or how I was going to go but I knew that as soon as I graduate High School I will be on my way. I had never met or talked to anyone who had gone overseas.

I liked listening to stories about big cities. The best teller was my good friend and classmate, Davies Mwimba. He had been to Lusaka once. He told me about tall buildings such as Findeco House, Cairo Road, etc. I was mesmerized and very interested in hearing more about big city stories. The biggest cities I had been to was Ndola and Kitwe.

Earlier, in 1972, my uncle had a book about New York's skyscrapers, showing the Empire State Building, World Trade Center's Twin Towers, and other buildings. I was so young and could not imagine how people could build such tall structures with 110 floor. The tallest building in Mufulira was about 5 floors owned by the Zambia State Insurance Corporation.

I did not know that one day I will climb the observation decks of those buildings and that I will be in New York City on 9/11 witnessing the fateful desctruction of those towers.

Another guy, Chiselwa Kapumpa, a baby brother of a respected Lusaka lawyer, Mumba Kapumpa. Chiselwa was my buddy who walked with me from Butondo Secondary School to Kamuchanga, almost every day. His stories were limited to my faith. He constantly challenged me and other christians at school. He was a self proclaimed Maxist who also espoused the Kaunda theory of humanism, a man centered philosophy.

Nathan NKhama, was great leader of the Scripture Union at school, and a classmate whom I admired because he was a "priviledge kid" who had it all. I considered him to be a rich kid but a down to earth guy and a seroius born again christian. (Update: Through this story, Nathan has found me, May 29, 2007, after more than 20 years without communication. Click on his name to learn what he is up to.)

My mother had a small house, since I had a study buddy, Augustine Kabamba, I moved in with his family up until my mother moved to, of all places, Lusaka! I moved to my cousin in Kankoyo, Mufulira a few minutes from school. I had to stay there until the final Grade 12 exam then followed mom to Lusaka. Wow, I was kind of nervous! Me, in the biggest city?

In the Big City
When I finally arrived in Lusaka, my mother was waiting for me at the train station. It was a relieve for me to see her, because I was dead scared of the big city. I remember her saying, "hold my hand." I held her hand to cross Cairo Road.

Who knew that I will be crossing and criss-crossing the streets of major cities in the World, such as Beijing, Berlin, Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, New York City, Washington, D.C., Toronto, etc.

It turned out that Lusaka wasn't as dangerous as I was made to believe. I met a lot of friends from the Copperbelt. William Mwape from my church was studying Marketing at Evelyn Hone College. Probably best legacy in Lusaka was meeting Victor Chilekwa. Victor, a strong born again Christian from Chingola, was staying at his sister's house in Rhodes Park. She asked me if I can tutor him in Math for his GCE. I accepted. In between the lessons, we ministered around Lusaka together. Victor passed the exams and has since finished his PhD. He now lives in London, UK with his family. He is the Chair for Zambia Overseas Christian Fellowship.

Europe
Since my high school days, I was fascinated by "God's Smuggler", Brother Andrew's autobiography chronicling those early years, detailed dangerous border crossings, KGB pursuits, and his courageous journey toward living radically for Jesus Christ.

Stories such as these made me want to do my part in spreading God's Word of love, hope and salvation to the people who were deprived of the freedom of religion.

Communism and Socialism to me was and has been in the same group of axis of evil as terrorism.

One day I stopped by the Bursaries Committee at the Ministry of Education to check on the application. As soon as I mentioned my name to the the receptionist, she asked, "Where have you been?"

"We have sent you several mails informing you that your application has been approved, now you only have a couple of days before traveling!"

Anyone who has lived in Lusaka knows how messed up the mail delivery system is. Unlike the other parts of the country, the Postal Service do not deliver mails to homes in Lusaka. Why? I leave that up to the Post Master to answer. The care of P. O. Box slows down the already snail-paced-mail.

I had about 48 hours in which to get my passport and complete all formalities and travel to Communist Poland. I had been telling many people about this trip since my days in Mufulira. Incidentally on my way to the passport office, I ran into my former classmate Galan Siwale.

"Hey mudala, are you still going to Europe," he asked. "As a matter of fact, yes," I replied. Galan, a small shy, reserved and quiet kid who did his school work and mastered the material without competing with anyone. He also came from Kamuchanga township and now in Lusaka to start his freshman year at the University of Zambia.

Years later when I met Gallan, he had graduated with a bachelor of science degree in Chemistry.

A lot of my Christian friends were against this move since it was perceived that I will lose my faith and be indoctrinated to follow the Marxist teachings instead that of Jesus Christ.

Why Poland? After reading Corrie Ten Boon's book "The Hiding Place" which talks about concentration camps under Nazi Germany, I wanted to visit these places to understand the holocaust first hand.

Auschwitz (German) or Oświęcim (Polish), is a town about 60 kilometers (37 miles) west of Kraków in southern Poland was a death camp. Months later, after visiting this place where the Nazi slaughtered over 1 million people, mostly Jews between 1940 and 1945, I undertood how evil people, can be.

This trip to Poland, was just the beginning of my world wide travel that has seen me to such countries as Italy, (East and West) Germany, Sweden, Denmark, England, Zambia, China, Hong Kong, India, Tanzania, Botswana, Russia, Malta, Ireland, U.S.A. Canada

With highly educated childhood friends such Victor Chilekwa, PhD, John Sangwa, Esq., Kelvin Bwalya,Esq, Lastone Chitembo, M.D., Knort Mwantembe, M.D., Richard Mbewe, PhD, MBA, Dixie Pwele M.Sc., etc, I decided to go back to school and earn myself a college degree.

I have since gotten two masters degrees (MBA and M.S Ed) and working on my PhD with a great job. Above all my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ continues to grow. My wife, Ruth, has also earned her Masters degree in Public Administration.

Now you know parts of my story, watch for my up-coming book to see how a "fatherless" child from the valleys of Luapula Province via the mean, dusty streets of Mufulira grew up to become an international success story. In this book, I reveal my next frontier.