The beginning of our journey to Hands in Zambia

May 22-23 2026

Zambia 2026 has officially commenced!

Our team departed Melbourne very early this morning, arriving at the airport at 3am ahead of our 5:30am flight to Singapore. Despite the early start, the group was in great spirits and full of enthusiasm.

Before checking in, we redistributed some of our luggage to make room for care packs, towels, books, toys and other provisions being brought over for the communities we will visit. Once everything was sorted, we made our way through security where a few of us decided to grab one last good coffee before leaving Australia. Coincidentally, we ran into a friend from run club at the airport.

On the flight to Singapore, I (Sneha) ended up sitting next to that same friend, and with an empty seat between us, we spent much of the flight talking. We spoke about running, life, faith, relationships, purpose, religion and the meaning of life. It was an incredibly energising and encouraging conversation. Somewhere in between, I managed a short nap before we landed in Singapore for a 2 hour layover.

During the layover, Isobel, Scarlet and I (Sneha) found a lux coffee spot where we enjoyed a croissant and coffee together before making our way to the next flight; an 11-hour journey to Johannesburg.

Even during the travel itself, we saw evidence of God’s grace already at work. Ses and Candy spent time speaking with a woman on the flight who was deeply distressed for several reasons. They were able to sit with her, encourage her and pray for her. It was a reminder to all of us that the mission had already begun long before reaching Zambia.

We have now safely arrived in Johannesburg and are staying overnight at a hotel for some rest and recuperation before heading to Zambia tomorrow morning at 10:15am.

Praise God, all things have gone smoothly. Every piece of luggage arrived safely, everyone made it through immigration without issue (with the exception of Ses’s drone), and the team is doing well physically, emotionally and spiritually. Thank you for your prayers and support! Want to learn more about Hands at Work Africa and team trips looks like, feel free to check out out Kingdom Culture Documentary.