We are so excited to be partnering with Project Doxa to bring a team to serve alongside our incredible missionary partners in the country of Zambia. The team will spend a week doing kids ministry in Livingstone Zambia and the surrounding villages with Butch and Janet Berner, founders of Light of Africa. We have been working with Light of Africa for twenty years and we are so excited to be bringing another team to work with them.
This will be an absolutely incredible ministry adventure. In addition to the powerful ministry opportunities, the team will also experience the unparalleled natural beauty of one of the world’s truly special regions. The team will walk with lions (yes, you read that right), enjoy a safari on the Chobe River in Botswana, and spend a morning at the majestic Victoria Falls. The Chobe River is one of the single best places in the world to view wildlife. We will encounter hippos, crocs, giraffe, and perhaps as many as one hundred elephants at a time. As well, brave team members will have the chance to bungee jump at Victoria Falls.
***This trip is open to anyone, but we are offering a special 10% discount for ORU Missions alumni. If you have ever served on an ORU Missions trip, you will receive a $360 discount off of the final cost of your trip.***
Dates: June 15-24, 2025
Trip dates include round trip flights from a major USA airport (LA, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, New York, Washington DC) to Zambia. We can work with team members on their flights to accommodate different departure airports, but this will incur a fee to cover the difference in flight costs.
Cost: $3,600
- A non-refundable $450 deposit is required at the time of registration to secure your spot on the team.
- $1,800 is due before April 1st, 2025 (First 50% is due early to lock in plane tickets)
- $2,700 is due before May 1st, 2025
- $3,600 is due before June 1st, 2025
- We will set up a Project Doxa fundraising page for each team member. You can see a sample of the fundraising page we will set up for each team member here.
- ***We are offering a 10% discount to all ORU Missions alumni. If you have ever served on an ORU Missions trip, you will receive $360 off of your trip cost. Your due dates and payment schedule will all be the same as above, except your final amount due on June 1st is $3,240.***
What is included:
- Round trip flights from a major USA airport to Zambia.
- One checked bag for all flights
- All ground transportation and lodging in Zambia
- All food throughout the trip from the time of arrival in Africa until departure. Food during our transit from the States is not included.
- Entrance fee to visit Victoria Falls
- One day safari in Botswana
What is NOT included:
- Zambia and Zimbabwe visa ($50)
- You are responsible for all food during our travel to/from the States and Africa.
- You have an opportunity to bungee jump at Victoria Falls. This costs ~$125 and is not included in your trip cost.
- You have an opportunity to walk with lions. This costs ~$125 and is not included in your trip cost.
Difficulty: Minimal
The only real challenge on this adventure is the rigors of jet lag and the length of the travel to Africa, which will take nearly two days both ways.
ITINERARY:
Day 1 (June 15)
Teams will depart the States on the morning of June 14th.
Day 2 (June 16)
Team members will spend this day in transit to Johannesburg, South Africa. Some team members may arrive in the evening on this day. Most will arrive in Johannesburg the following morning.
Day 3 (June 17)
Team members will arrive in Johannesburg, South Africa where they will meet the rest of the team, rest up from their travels and spend one night in a hotel.
Day 4 (June 18)
The team will fly to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and travel overland to our missions base in Livingstone, Zambia. We will have a brief orientation before beginning our first day of kids ministry.
Day 5 & 6 (June 19 & 20)
The team will conduct a two day vacation Bible school for kids in Livingstone. We will have much more detail as the trip approaches, but you can expect full days of games, crafts, Bible lessons, and fun with a couple hundred Zambian children.
Day 7 (June 21)
The team will travel to Botswana for a full day safari on the Chobe River (included in the trip cost). This will be a very long, but incredibly rewarding day that you will never forget. The concentration of the wildlife on the Chobe is truly unparalleled. After the safari, we will return to Livingstone for a great dinner in town.
Day 8 (June 22)
We will travel to a nearby village and conduct a church service. This is always one of the highlights of our trip. After the worship service, we will drive back to Livingstone to change clothes and then make our way to the truly magnificent Victoria Falls. Be prepared to get wet…you will get fully soaked by the spray as you stand opposite the falls. Those who would like to bungee jump from the bridge will have an opportunity to do that (~$125, not included), and we will finish the day with some souvenir shopping and a nice dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 9 (June 23)
We will begin the day before sunrise with our optional Walk with Lions adventure (~$125, not included) where we will walk among and pet some adolescent lions. This sounds crazy (mostly because it is), but it is an incredible experience and you are certain to leave with a few photos all of your friends will say must be photoshopped. After our time with the lions, we will make our way across the border into Zimbabwe to prepare for our return flights. We will fly to Johannesburg around midday and fly back to the States that evening.
Day 10 (June 24)
Team members will arrive back in the States.