Flat Stanley

Flat Stanley came to Lusaka yesterday. Our great nephew, Xander, asked us to help out his class by taking his friend to some places around town.

While I was familiar with FS I still needed to go online to find out more information about him. For instance, I learned how he became flat. And that there are numerous books about Flat Stanley~Invisible Stanley, Stanley and the Magic Lamp, and Stanley, Flat Again! 
 
Flat Stanley has had some amazing adventures, including being a passenger aboard US Airways Flight 1549 that landed safely in the Hudson River. According to Wikipedia he arrived without a scratch in his traveling companion's briefcase.

Stanley's adventures yesterday included going with us to Emmasdale Baptist Church. There he welcomed us at the gate~he had a hard time with that since the wind was blowing. Stanley climbed a guava tree and found the bark quite slippery. We arrived at the tail end of Sunday school but I think he learned a little about church membership. The only mischief he got into was when he snuck into the offering bag, which was empty at the time. His curiosity must've gotten the best of him.  

After Xander's Uncle Tracy finished preaching, FS saw how friendly Zambians are. As people file out the doors they shake hands with the pastor, then stand in line to welcome everyone else. This can take quite a while depending upon the size of the congregation.

On the way home we stopped at the Freedom Statue on Independence Avenue. Dedicated in 1974, ten years after Zambia won their fight for freedom, the statue depicts a Zambian breaking the chains of colonial rule and honors the freedom fighters.
 
We were happy to have Stanley with us for the day. He was the ideal guest and fit into this culture amazingly well. We wish him many more adventures in the coming year! Thank you, Xander, for giving us this opportunity.