Thankful

The past couple of days have brought a lot of reflection.  I has made me think of the things I am thankful for.  Here is a list...in no particular order...of those things:
1. For the time we have had in Zambia and the friendships we have made.
2. For the time we have had in the villages.  The villagers are amazing examples of what it means to have joy and generosity in the midst of difficulties and poverty.
3. For our supporters (both in prayer and finances) who got us here, got us home and got us back again and have been following our journey, learning with us and encouraging us.
4. For Chipo, Velina, Dorcas, Lushomo, Belinda, Miriam, Ruth, Masho, Masije, Elisha, Amos, Jonathan, Nick, Gift, Vivian, Sammie, Arthur, Charles, Doro and Twambo. Twenty of the most beautiful children that have loved me even when I didn't bring sweets!
5. For the staff at WHI Zambia and their patience as we learned how to do things in true Zambian fashion.
6. For my friend Angela, who shared her life with me.
7. For the cold season...I didn't know how great it was until the hot season arrived.
8. For rain, so the farmers can plant their crops.
9. For the smell of flowers along Mochipapa Road after the rain.
10. For the teams that came - the generosity and love they showed to the villages they partner with was overwhelming.
11. For the way Zambians sing!  So passionately.
12. For how God has changed our hearts in Zambia and given us a new understanding of His love and has been patient with us as we have wrestled with His goodness.
13. For the Zambian sunrise - so bright and orange and filling the sky
14. For our friends and family back home...we will see you soon!!!

Zambian sunrise
(photo by Jerilynn Spring)

Final Moments

Today, we had a lot of final moments, at least for a while.  Our final moments in church as we said goodbye to our Mochipapa church family.  Our final moments at Joshua and Angela's as they had big smiles with hopes that we will meet again soon.  Our final moments with Richman, thanking him for all the amazing work he is doing with the arts in Choma.  Our final moments with 20 beautiful children, writing them notes and spelling for them as they wrote notes for us.

As we were saying goodbye to the children, Chipo started singing a song, "Dear Auntie Ellen, please do not forget us, we will not forget you.  God is great."

He is great.  He has placed people in our lives here who will forever be a part of who we are.  They are why we fell in love with Zambia.  We will NOT forget them.  We will remember each of them by name.  We will think of and pray for them every day.  

We will trust too, that our great God will not forget them.  That whatever challenges they face, whatever joys they have, they will know He is their helper, their physician, their friend.

We will trust that our paths will again cross.  So, it is not "Goodbye," that is too final.  It is (as my mother would say), "Goodbye for now" because we know that this is not the end and our goodbye is not forever.

Dorcas, Velina and Lushomo
(photo by Jerilynn Spring)

Three Days

Three...the number of days we have left in Choma.  It is strange to think that we will be leaving our Zambian home too.  It's a strange mix of emotions as we pack, say goodbye to friends and wrap up our work at World Hope International Zambia.

Yesterday, we spent a lot of the afternoon at the orphanage.  We know our time with them is coming to a close for a little while.  The boys had freshly shaved heads and the girls were getting their hair "planted" in preparation for the World AIDS Day event they were singing at this morning. 

Jon spent some time taking video, photos and hanging out with some of the boys.  I sat by Auntie Betty for most of the time, holding children as they would come over to play and talk.  After I had taken Ruth inside for her bath, I heard Lushomo crying at the front of the house.  I went around, picked her up and we were buddies for the rest of the afternoon.  We sat on the swing for a while, she would climb up on the bars, hold on, lean back and say "Auntie Ellen, watch this!"  She would climb down, lay her head in my lap and stretch her tiny legs out across the seat and just relax.  She is smiling so much more the past few weeks as she adjusts to life in House 2.  She is the newest family member there and is starting to love her new family and you can tell her new family loves her.

So, three more days.  It just doesn't seem like it's enough when I think about the friends and children we will have to say goodbye to.

World AIDS Day

Tomorrow, December 1st, is World AIDS Day.  "It is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died." (www.worldaidsday.org).  

Tomorrow, we will remember our friends we have met who are living with HIV.  Four children we know well who live down the road at a small house, surrounded by Aunties.  

We love these children.  We love holding them, we love hearing them laugh, we love seeing them smile.  I have to be honest though, every once in a while, as they are playing with my face or trying to get their fingers in my mouth (ahh, the joy of making kids laugh with a fish face...), I get worried.  What if one of them has an open sore on their hand, what if I have a cut on my face or my mouth...what could happen?

After a short moment, this fear melts away.  I know they are positive, but their status is not what defines them, nor should it be.  My love for these children is not conditional.  I will never love them less because they have HIV.  They had no choice in their status.  It was inherited, passed on to them mostly likely from a lack of knowledge of HIV and how the disease is spread. 

So, tomorrow, as we observe World AIDS day, let's not think about orientations, place blame, pass judgements.  Let us, instead, consider how we can remember, how we can educate ourselves and others, and how we can be a part of the fight against HIV so that children like J, A, R, and D can grow and live full lives.

Paints and Smiles

On Friday, we spent the better part of our day at the orphanage.  It was one of the best days!  After watching them drum and dance for a while, we played outside.  The children were excited because they knew we had come to paint with them.  They saw all the supplies in our bags when we got to the house (they also saw the lollipops...).

After we played for a while, we got set up in one of the classrooms and brought the children in two at a time (so we could have a little one on one time with each of them) and painted.  The many little artists chose their own shapes and colors to paint with.  The little ones sat on our laps as we guided their tiny hands and taught them how to use the brushes.

It was an amazing day and brought lots of smiles to their faces and to ours.  Incredible what a little paint can do!

Playtime before painting
Masho (top) and Amos (bottom)

Jon & Charles 

Masho and his orange hand

Chipo...focused on her artwork!

Masije - incredibly excited to paint!

Lushomo and Erin

Dorcas and her creation

Even Auntie Betty helped out with the rest of Gifts' painting

Moments

A moment is something that comes out of nowhere and it’s only there for a very brief amount of time and then it’s gone.

There are some moments that you never forget. Moments that change you, inspire you, and give you a taste of the fullness of joy and life. The night my dad prayed with me when I was in the third grade as I asked Jesus to come into my life. The night I sat on a hillside in Jamaica with tears in my eyes and told God I’d follow His leading in my life and go into full time ministry. When Erin walked through the doors of the sanctuary with her father on our wedding day. These are moments that put you in a place of awe, they make your heart beat faster, and they reassure you that life is so much bigger and beautiful than you could ever imagine.

This morning I had one of those moments that completely steal your heart and you wish you could live there for just a moment longer. Erin and I went to the orphanage to work on a painting project with the kids and before we got to painting we watched the kids dance, listened to them sing, and then we went outside to play. My little buddy Jonathan ran up to me and I quickly scooped him up into my arms. Jonathan and I have hung out a lot over these last seven months. He is one of the most extraordinary people I have ever met. He doesn’t talk a lot, but through his eyes and his gentle spirit, he has preached to me the most powerful sermons I have ever heard. Today he just wanted to cuddle and laugh. So I started making funny noises and he was playing with my face and then I pretended to drop him and caught him on the way down. He exploded into laughter and I just kept doing it.

What made it such a special moment was that when I would catch him he would give one of those deep belly laughs that you know is coming from the very core of who he is. His laugh was so funny to me that it brought out one of those same belly laughs in me. It was a moment of pure, genuine joy that he and I got to share together.

When moments like these happen, enjoy them completely. When the moment is gone, remember it with a smile and thank God for it. Then keep loving and letting others love you because more of these moments are on the way.

Time Flies

We have been back in Choma for over 3 weeks now.  Time is flying by as we wrap up our time in Zambia.

Everyday, I would think to myself..."I need to share this..." but would get home, crawl into bed and sleep, get up the next morning, and head back to the village for another day.

It has been an amazing three weeks back...

On our return to Zambia, we headed (almost) straight to the village of Sinanjola, about 2 hours north east of Choma, with Sheridan Wesleyan Church.  Sheridan has been partnering with Sinanjola for three years and it was exciting to see the relationship they had with this village.

The people of Sinanjola were incredible!  The team worked with them on some church renovation projects and spent some time celebrating the villages' graduation from the program.  They are now self sustaining with cash in the bank to start a new project to support the orphaned and vulnerable in their village.

Darrell (pastor from Sheridan) praying for a man and his
cousin at a home visit.

Greeting EVERYONE after church in Sinanjola

Two days after Sheridan left, a team from College Wesleyan Church arrived from Indiana.  This team of four had a packed week, visiting 4 different villages.

In Siamanzila, we went to church, met sponsored children and shared a meal with the community.

In Sinamoono (where we spent two days), we were able to dedicate the school that College Wesleyan provided funding for and visit an orphaned child and a person with HIV.

Part of the School Dedication - everyone surrounded the
building and prayed.

New Football Uniforms for the school team!
(Thanks to Highpoint First Wesleyan Church)

We were also able to take a gorgeous three hour drive through the mountains to Sinafala - a remote village north east of Choma.  There, we talked with the Village Committee, visited 2 community homes and ate lunch with the committee.

Fishermen casting off into Lake Kariba by the village of
Sinafala.

Our last village visit was to Sialubala - a place I have grown to love.  We visited the Headman's house and talked about the village, the challenges they face and how they would like to see their village develop over the next three years.

It has been a busy three weeks. But, to finish it all off, we were able to spend 2 full days in Livingstone with College Wesleyan and 21 nursing students and their professors (that group has been in Zambia since September 9!).  We not only got to take our last walk through Victoria Falls with this group, but finished our weekend with an early morning game drive through Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park where we ran into a herd of 200+ elephants!  An amazing way to end our time with them and an experience that cannot be described.

A small portion of the herd...

From One World to Another

Victoria Falls, Livingstone, Zambia

Yes, it is on the same planet, but on Monday morning we will begin our journey back to another world...to Choma, Zambia.  We are looking forward to getting back to Zambia and our friends there, even if only for a short time.

Today, I got to spend time with two close friends.  We took a short road trip to this big farm (that sells painted pottery and enamel-ware, among many other things) with one of the coolest shops around.  The shop is immaculately decorated.  One of them asked, "Erin, is this weird for you, being here, with all this around you?" (referring to all the beautiful dishes, pictures, ornaments).  "It's not weird," I replied, "just different.  Zambia and the US are 2 different worlds."

Reflecting back on that statement, I feel like, in some respect that is true.  Zambia and the US are different. The cultures are different, the way you greet people is different, the opportunities and resources available are different.  But, in some respects, they are the same.  

They are filled with people finding their way in life, people who need to be loved and feel valued.  People who struggle, who lose jobs. People who want the best for their children, who work hard so that the next generation can grow up healthy.

We love both worlds and will now take pieces of both with us wherever we go.

Bloomfield, NY

Adjustments

We have been in New York for two weeks.  It has been exciting, strange and exhausting.  For the first three or four days, I would wake up at 4am, slightly disoriented.  The first day, I looked around for the mosquito net wondering if we put it down or if we got attacked all night!  Then, I remembered where we were.  No net needed.

We have been doing lots of waiting, on tests, on doctors appointments, on more tests.  In the meantime, I have been helping Debbie decorate for fall, spending time with family and friends and trying out a zillion new recipes.  I am actually becoming quite knowledgable in all things cooking. I have even learned how to make cheesecake.

All the cooking and baking means lots of running around to pick up groceries.  My first trip to Wegmans (cue the heavenly music), was fun and overwhelming.  It was 5am, so there really was not anyone else there...what crazy person is at the grocery at 5am?  I walked around in awe at the meat section, at all the different fruits and vegetables, at the massive amounts of cereal, kleenex boxes galore and the HUGE selection of coffee.  I spent a good 10 minutes just picking out what kind of coffee I wanted to take home...pretty sure the man stocking the shelves thought I was crazy as I picked up and put down just about every box of k-cup coffee in the aisle.

Of course, we have also been through the drive thru...just a couple of times, to pick up coffee or ice cream.  We have been ingrained in Zambia to pass ONLY with your right hand.  You pass with your right out of respect. That is pretty much impossible going through a drive through. Passing with my left hand seems awkward unnatural now.  

It's strange the adjustments we have had to make the past couple of weeks.  The little things we have had to get used to all over again.  New habits are much easier to form than one might think.

Home

If you have heard rumblings, yes, we are currently in New York.  It was time to come home and get Jon well again!  We have been here for a little over a week and are hoping to get some answers about what is going on soon.  Then, we will be on our way to Choma, back to our home there.  We miss our friends in Choma and the beautiful children down the road...and are loving being around our family here at the same time.  It is a strange mixture of feelings as we adjust to life in NY again for a short time.

Grace

A few nights ago, Grace came to our door.  She attends the same church as us and lives near us.

Her daughter had given birth to twin boys that day at 2:30pm.  At 3:00pm, Grace's daughter died, leaving 2 little boys who will never know their mother, never know the warmth of her touch or feel the love in her voice.

Grace was visibly shaken.  She had run all the way from the hospital to find us.  She needed help.  Thanks to all of our amazing supporters, we were able to help her with the hospital bill and help her buy milk for the baby boys.  She left to return to the hospital, promising to repay us the small amount we had given her.

We are just thankful we were home that day, thankful that we were able to help, thankful for the blessings we have so we can share with others when they have need.

Election Time

Presidential elections are on Tuesday.  

Will that mean that we won't hear trucks driving by the compound at 4am with their loud speakers?  Our fingers are crossed!

We are hoping that all will remain peaceful during and after the elections.  So far, there have been just a few small outbursts in the capital city - Lusaka (about a 4 hour drive from Choma).  So, as you are at work, at home, at school...pray that the elections will bring peace and not chaos.

Kitchen Parties, Weddings, Facetime

Today I got to go to a "Kitchen Party." It's kind of like a Bridal Shower, only it happens the day of the wedding, there are about 200 women there and there is LOTS of dancing.  Every once in a while, the "Matron Host" (the female MC) will choose someone randomly to present a gift to the bride...and yes, I was chosen.  Being the only "makua" (white person) in a see of 200 Zambian women, I was an easy spot. I had to present gifts to the bride (a serving platter and fry pan), tell her what they were for...and do my best version of a Zambian dance.  Thankfully, my friend Angela was there to help me.  It was an event I will remember for a very long time...

Ironically, my "little" brother got married today.  I call him little, but he's a good foot taller than I.  Thanks to a wonderful thing called facetime and my sister Melissa's great willingness to hold up her phone for 20 minutes, Jon and I saw and heard every bit of the ceremony.  So thankful we got to see it all!

Also thankful that my camera battery died before I had to dance at the Kitchen Party...sorry, no photos of that one!

Love at First Sight

This is Jonathan.  A little guy up the road from us at the orphanage.  He is about 4 years old (sometimes it's hard to tell - they are all so little).  Jon was the first to meet him about 2 months ago.  He was with a group of university students at the orphanage and kept hearing someone call "Jonathan."


Then, he met this serious little guy.  No smiles at first.  Then, you tickle him and it's all giggles and smiles.  Then, no smile.  Completely serious.  There are times when you sit with him and he simply stares into your eyes intensely, like he's penetrating deep into your soul.  There is an incredible depth to this small child.

We were both in love with him as soon as we met him.  Every time we go, we make sure to seek him out, hold him, talk to him.  Now, when he sees us, he smiles.  And we love every minute of it.

It's Times Like These

We often wonder why we are thousands of miles away from family.  Why God brought us half way around the world to serve.  We miss our family and friends everyday.  And then, something happens that reminds us...

It was August 22nd, the first day of Hope Fest in Livingstone. Jon and I were there helping at a teen outreach event with some friends that had come to visit from New York.  At about 1:30pm they fed us lunch from "Hungry Lion" - chicken and french fries, and bottles of soda.

At about 2:30pm, I stepped outside for some air.  There were trash bags piled with empty styrofoam lunch containers, chewed on chicken bones, empty fry pouches and soda bottles. However, that's not what got my attention.  It was the little boy digging through all the trash for the treasured bottles.

For a few moments, I watched.  This "makua" (white person), just staring in awe at this little boy digging through the trash.  Why did he dig for these bottles?  I was curious.  But, he was too quickly shooed away from the bags and ran around the corner.

It wasn't too long (maybe 30 seconds) before he was back, grabbing a white trash bag and hiding behind a small wall, continuing to dig.  So, I went around the corner, I stuck my hands in the bag with him and I started to pull out soda bottle after soda bottle.

Our conversation was slow at the start,

"You don't have to help me m'am."

"Yes, I know"

Quiet...

"My name is Erin, what's your name?"

"Matthews."

"Hi Matthews, it's nice to meet you."

Quiet...

"Can I ask, Matthews, do you sell these bottles?" (knowing that most people sell them for about 4 cents)

"Yes, I sell them over in the market so that I can buy food for my family."

"Oh, I see.  Do you have brothers and sisters?"

"Yes, I have 2 sisters and a brother.  My father is dead, my mother is away in the village."

"Do you go to church."

"Yes, we go to the Anglican church."

"Do you have a Bible?"

"No."

"Well, I want you to have this one," (I pulled out a small New Testament Bible made for teens) "Can you read"

"Yes, but not very well, but my sister, she can read."

"That's great, maybe she can help you read it."

We continued to talk while our hands were dirtied from digging through 5 or 6 garbage bags.  He collected enough bottles to make about $5 and was on his way.  I invited him back the next day.  He was back by 4pm that same day, with his sister, Mary.  At the end of day 1 of Hope Fest, they stayed behind to help clean up and collected more bottles as we stacked chairs.

The next day, I waited near the back, hoping they would return.  Hoping they would not be collecting bottles all day - I knew there would be enough for them at Hope Fest...if only they would come.

They came.  At about 10:30am, they walked in, sat down by me and stayed until the end.  They sang, they danced, they laughed like children should.  They had fun.

Near the end of the day, I found myself looking around...for bottles.  Trying to scope out where the bottles were and trying to figure out a way we could collect them for Matthews and Mary.  I don't think I can remember a time when I was so protective of a bottle, when a bottle meant so much to me.  But, I knew if we could collect 100 bottles, it might be enough for them to get some tomato and onion to go with their dinner.  Then, I spotted the big, empty, white bags that the lunches were brought to us in.  Since we were not allowed to eat in the hall that day, they were not full of trash.  I grabbed a couple and started to scour the grounds, searching for bottles.  Jess and I stood at the doorway as people left, collecting all the empties.  Then, we ran outside the gate to find Matthews and Mary so we could give them their bottles.

Before we said our goodbyes, we gave them a few extra groceries that Jon had picked up for them - some milk, juice, bread, mealie meal and cookies and the chicken from our lunches. We gave them hugs and promised we would try to see them again when we were in Livingstone and told them that we would never forget them.

Matthews in the red dancing!

Erin, Matthews and Mary

It's times like these when we are reminded of why we are here, that we need to make the most of every opportunity to serve, even if it means getting dirty from chicken bones and empty fry packages, even if it means treasuring a small, plastic bottle and even if it means giving a piece of our hearts to 2 little 12 year olds in downtown Livingstone.

One thing is for sure...

...the children at the orphanage love their Uncle Jonothan!

Cross Cultural Preaching

In 1996, as a senior in high school, I preached for the first time at my home church of Kings Valley Wesleyan. Since then I have preached hundreds of times between Canada and the US. Over the last 16 years how I approach preaching, how I think about it, and how I do it, is constantly changing and evolving. Since moving to Zambia I have preached twice, and preaching here has been quite a learning experience.

Even within North America there are numerous different cultures and demographics you need to be aware of when preparing and giving a sermon. Depending on who you’re talking to, you need to give attention to things like: cultural references, the jokes you use (or don’t use), illustrations, attire, slang, tone of voice… This isn’t to conform or to please, but rather you don’t want anything needlessly getting in the way of people hearing the truth from God’s word. Preaching should be about the message, not the preachers preferences or personality.

Some of the luxuries of preaching in North America is that there are certain things you can usually depend on. Things like: english being the common language, cultural references (people, places, movies, tv, brands, stores, shared history…), and being able to read people’s body language. But when you enter into a culture that is vastly different from the one you’ve always known, many things have to change.

Language: when I preach I usually get pretty pumped and the speed of my preaching increases. Here in Zambia the national language is english, but not everyone speaks it, and even if they do, we Westerners bring an accent that can be difficult to understand. So I need to choose words properly (common words), I need to slow down, I need to be very mindful of my interpreter (if I have one) and those who are listening. A lack of attention here and the message is gone.

Cultural references: no Buffalo Bills jokes in Zambia. My illustrations here have included things like: football (soccer), describing my successes and failures in learning tonga, and a story of two boys I met who killed a monkey with a sling shot because it was killing their chickens at night. An illustration that makes no sense, illustrates nothing.

Body language: I love so much about Zambian culture. Zambians young and old are very respectful and with the exception of singing in worship, they are much quieter than Americans. So how do you interpret things like silence while preaching? Respect? Language barrier? Boring sermon? This takes time to learn, and the longer we are here the better we are at understanding body language. Thankfully jokes transcend culture and you know if you said something funny.

Mochipapa Pilgrim Wesleyan Church (Choma Zambia)

This is the church I usually attend on weekends as it is just a two minute walk down the road from where I live and the people there are so warm and friendly. Pastor Sichikata asked if I would preach from Numbers 13:21-33 and the focus of my message was fully trusting in the promises of God. It was my first time having an interpreter (Jonathan) who translated the message in tonga. Pausing after every few sentences made it difficult to feel like you are “flowing”, but you get used to it and you really have to focus on staying in the moment.

Never the Same Camp (Kalomo Zambia)

My friend Richman who leads Fortress Ministries in Choma asked if I would speak at a youth camp he and Poetice Ministries (from Michigan) were hosting in Zambia. Here I preached from Proverbs 4:23 where it talks about guarding your heart above everything else. In having been a youth pastor for 11 years, this was such an interesting experience. Preaching to students, just like in America, is completely different from preaching to adults.

* photo’s by Shelagh Murphy.

Jon Preaches

Jon was able to preach for the first time since moving to Zambia a couple of weeks ago.  Just a short, five minute walk brought us to Mochipapa Pilgrim Wesleyan Church (we have been going there for the past few weekends).  Jon spoke on the theme and passage that Pastor Emmerson had given to him from Numbers 13 - Possessing and Repossessing God's Promises.  He did awesome (as usual) and I even knew that the interpreter was understanding every word he was saying and preaching the same sermon as Jon (sometimes, they don't understand our english accents and will have to preach their own sermons...pretty funny!).  It's great when you can make out some words and phrases in another language.

Jon, all suited up

We also saw all of the children from Children's Nest orphanage that we've been visiting when we can.   They were in the children's program and when I saw them were asking for "Uncle Jonathan." Love those kids!

Our First Dinner Guests

A few weeks ago, Joshua, Angela and their three children (Prisca, Innocent and Beth) came to visit.  We were just making supper, so we invited them to stay.  It's amazing how far a chicken and a pot of nshima can go!  While we cooked, the kids watched cartoons on our computer and ate lots of popcorn.  After dinner was done, Angela even taught us a little bit of Tonga and Prisca, now a second grade student, helped us spell the Tonga words. It was a fun night!

Orphanage Visit

Yesterday we got a chance to visit the orphanage just up the road from us.  21 lively children were out to play for the afternoon.  We got to kick the soccer ball around with them, swing on the porch swing with them, play "babooning" with them (their version of piggy back rides), help them spell and write, snuggle with them and race with them.  We got coughed on, snotted on, peed on, farted on, jumped on...but, we wouldn't change those 2 hours for anything!  They are wonderful children who have bright futures ahead of them.  We can't wait to visit them and see their bright, smiling faces again.

This Weekend

We visited the Mochipapa Trust last February and met the
Community Orphan Trust Committee at the church

Jon will get to speak at church for the first time this weekend at Mochipapa Pilgrim Wesleyan Church.  It is about a 3 minute walk from where we live.  Great church, lots of music and singing!

Waste Not, Want Not

Being in Zambia makes me realize how much food I waste on a daily basis.  We pay a young man to care for our lawn and take our trash to the magical land of trash (we really have no idea where it goes...just that it leaves the trash can...).  I always wonder what he would think if he saw food being thrown out consistently.  So, I am becoming more conscientious of cleaning up the leftovers in our fridge and feel a sense of accomplishment when I do.

My creations yesterday...

rice dish

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups leftover rice

1 green pepper on the verge of demise

1/2 an onion

olive oil

garlic salt

chicken stock (mixed in a little hot water)

Saute the green pepper and onion with a little olive oil and garlic salt.  Add the rice and chicken stock (and a little more oil if necessary).

 And, done!  It was pretty good, too.

banana bread
(yes, the photo is sideways, but you get the idea!)

Ingredients:

4 very ripe bananas

melted margarine, egg, sugar, "bicarbonate of soda," vanilla extract, flour, salt

Thankfully, our oven is connected to the generator so even when the power goes out, the banana bread can still bake!

This Weary Heart

Two single orphans we met in Maambo, Zambia
Their father passed away from AIDS 2 years ago
Their mother has HIV and is on Antiretrovirals

There is a song that has been going through my mind lately.  Maybe it's because with every village visit, we meet children who have been orphaned. Maybe it's because every time we go into town we pass an orphanage, or if we go down Macha Road when we are in town, we pass another.  We can't wait to spend time with them, to see the smiles on their faces as we talk with them, bring them gifts, give food to their families (whether in the orphanages or villages).  It takes a toll on the heart though, especially when you have to say goodbye and go home.  You wonder if they have a bed to sleep on, if they will be able to go to school the next day, if they will be treated for their ear infection that is causing hearing difficulty.  It can make you weary.  Maybe that is why this song has been on my heart.  

Who can hold the stars and my weary heart? Who can see everything?

I've fallen so hard sometimes I feel so far, but not beyond your reach

I could climb a mountain, swim the ocean or do anything

But it's when you hold me that I start unfolding

And all I can say is

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Whatever's in front of me

Help me to sing hallelujah

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Whatever's in front of me

I'll choose to sing hallelujah

The same sun that rises over castles and welcomes the day

Spills over buildings into the streets where orphans play

And only you can see the good in broken things

You took my heart of stone and you made it home

And set this prisoner free

Bethany Dillion

"Hallelujah"

Good Times

We've had a pretty busy few months in Choma (and the surrounding areas!). We have seen more of Zambia than we ever thought possible. Here are a few highlights from the past couple of teams that we haven't yet had time to mention:

Kazoo choir in Maambo

Daybreak Team (from Michigan) - This was a fun group!  Everywhere they went they emanated joy and laughter.  We spent a ton of time with their partner village - Maambo.  You can tell they loved the people there and were fully invested in the projects that had been started (a piggery, hammermill and teachers houses).  Plus, they brought us things from home...how can we not love them!

IWU on a home visit in Sinafala

IWU Public Health Team - a team of 8 girls, led by their male professor (a brave man, he was!).  They were some of the most kind and loving girls we have met. Many nights were spent in our living room with this group, hearing about their days and drinking hot chocolate and eating Jon's delicious muffins.  We had many interesting experiences with this group and we will miss them dearly because of those!

Digging for the foundation

Highpoint First Wesleyan (from North Carolina)- they were our go-getters!  This group not only wanted to get the job done (as they started 2 teacher houses in Katundulu and did teacher mentoring), but the village they were in will be greater because of the relationships they developed.  We have never seen 2 American men get a group of 16 construction workers to laugh that much! And, they brought us stuff from home :)

Now, it is time to rest.  Our hearts our full - it's time to try to sort them out and make room for even more that is to come.

New "Normal"

We were talking a while ago as we were making a trip back from Livingstone what “normal” is for us.  A few months ago, it would have been waking up in the morning, taking a hot shower, making a pot of coffee, driving to work, watching school buses pick up and drop of children, making dinner, watching our favorite shows on tv, going to a movie…the list could go on.

When we first arrived in Zambia, there were things that would make us ask, “How could that even possibly happen?”  Things that, after 3 months, have become “normal.” Things like…

Children walking up to 4 miles to go to school on a highway where

cars, trucks and buses zoom by at high speeds

Small children carrying even smaller children on their backs

Women and children carrying huge basins of water on their heads so their families can have a source of water for the day

Children selling goods on the street and in the market

We used to see these things and think, “How could that even possibly happen?”  Now we see it as life, as a normal part of living in Zambia.  We have learned to suspend judgment, to ask questions, to learn why things happen the way they do. Our heads don’t turn near as much as they used to, but our hearts still ache for the way things could be.

Our House!

We moved in to our house about 3 weeks ago and are loving it!  It even came with a washer and dryer, which we have been making good use of.


Here are some photos...

kitchen

kitchen

Living room - there are french doors that go out to a
large porch

spare room

spare room

our room

our room

one room for the sink,
shower and washer...

one room for the toilet

Jon cooking up a storm...

We've had a great time settling in, filling up the pantry (there's a HUGE one attached to the kitchen), and baking.  Jon has made an apple pie, a few batches of muffins and a few batches of cookies...which we both thoroughly enjoyed!  It's a great place to live and relax between teams.  We are very thankful.