Colourful, fresh, makes me smile!

Buying flowers in Zambia is very cheap, even though most times the only flower you do get at the local flower shop is roses, 1 long stemmed rose costs 15cents.  I always say that dating in Zambia could be cheap if the lady liked flowers.

I love fresh flowers so every few weeks, I buy a few and put them in a place where I can look at them as often as I can, it makes me smile, gives me a comforting feeling, it does good for my soul!

Homemade Tortilla's

Tonight I made some homemade tortilla's.  My friend Amanda sent me some Fajita seasonings from Canada, so I cooked some ground beef and TACO'S I made, lol, I was pretty impressed!

It is a pretty special treat to have this meal in Zambia!

Christmas Time

No turkey or lamb to be found, so chicken it was!

Christmas crackers from South Africa

This year was a very different Christmas, if did not know any better it would have just passed me by! No shops to shop at which means no crazy amounts of people all shopping at the same time.  No decorations on every house and every street, no snow!!  I could even find any Christmas napkins in the local grocery store.  

I baked lots of goodies though and handed them out to fellow missionaries in town and the local shop owners that I have become friends with.

I spent the day at the base and cooked some good food, it was pleasant and quaint!

Malaria

This last week I had my first experience with Malaria.  For about 3 days I had high temperatures, cold sweats, headaches and stomach cramping like I have never had before.  At first I thought I just had the common flu and did not pay much attention to it,  being the slow season I just stayed home and rested.  A few days later I started to feel worse, friends were visiting and they said all my symptoms were that of malaria, so I went to the chemist and got the medication, a few hours after the first dose I already started to feel better.

Recycling Nazi

Recycling plays a huge part in the LIFE Project yet it is not a big deal in Africa!  In Canada I have a few friends I call the RECYCLING NAZI’S ( Abby and Angie) however after watching them for awhile, it rubbed off and I became one during the last few years I lived in Canada.

Tom helping me put garbage into the huge garbage can (old water tank)

As part of teaching sustainability the LIFE Project trains the teachers of our pre-schools to make toys out if recycled items.  There are many lodges in the Livingstone area and we pick up huge mealie meal sacks of garbage, sort them, store them and then encourage the schools to use them.

This last week I had some time so I sorted out some bottles that needed sorting, we used to store them outside and then rats did get to them but now we are using the containers that stored the vitamins as storage and all will be covered, protected from the rains and rat free!

Here are some pics of the kids playing with some of the toys/educational games that are made out of recycables.

An egg tray and painted stones make a good sorting game

2L coke bottles used as bowling pins

The kids are playing with off cut pieces of wood donated by Kubu Crafts, and a hut that was made of grass and a tin can

Cans and bottle tops used as a game

Once again bottle tops used to make mobiles

Cairo playing with a scoop ball, a 2L milk jug that was cut apart and a ball made out of plastic bags covered by a nylon stocking which stretches.

A shoe box, with different compartments and bottle tops to teach colour

Fairwell ladies until next year~

The year has come to an end, it is officially the rainy season and many of our staff have left this week and the rest leave by the end of this week!  For three months they will visit family, try to rest and refresh and fund raise for the next year and then return to Zambia in March 2011.

Us ladies that were still around decided to dress up and look normal and go out on the town for the night before we all left! It was fun to hang out and reflect on the year and the many memories we made and to also look forward to next year with excitement!

While waiting for our food to arrive, we had some entertainment, a mazungu (white) man about 6 ft tall walked right into the glass door that was facing us, to bad we could not get a picture but the moment was priceless, he was so embarrassed and we all tried not to laugh out loud right away, some of us succeeded but not all, lol

Baby Elijah

 Just over a week ago a fellow missionary friend opened her front door walked outside to open the main gate to allow her husband entrance onto their property, while she was outside she heard a baby cry.  She walked closer to the boundary wall and the sound came louder as she looked closer she found a bundle under a tree and it was a little baby boy all wrapped in a chitange.  

After looking around to see if anyone was around she brought him into the house.  In Zambia when you need to report something you cannot call the police and give your report,  you need to go to the police station and pick them up, so Tammy and her husband went and reported the abandoned baby and they were told to take him to the hospital.  

At the hospital the baby was checked and assumed to be about 6 weeks old and in good health.   

Considering it was the weekend, Tammy asked permission to take the baby home and keep him until social services was open on Monday morning.  She named him Elijah.  After visiting the social services they were told that the office would call around and look to see if there was space in any of the orphanages around town.  Abandonment of a child is a criminal offense in Zambia so if the mom had come back she would have been arrested and put in jail.

On the right it Tammy and Joe the couple that found Elijah and on the left is Justine and Preetika the couple who will adopt him

Justine and Preetika with Elijah close to the tree where he was found

Once again Tammy asked if she could keep Elijah at her home until further decisions were made.  Surprisingly the authorities said yes and she was able to keep the baby and care for him while waiting to hear the next step.

A few days later a couple that serves as missionaries in Livingstone during the last 4 years called Tammy and asked about the baby.  They were home in the US on furlough but had been praying for an open door to adopt a baby.  Well to make a long story short, the couple is now back in Livingstone and have chosen to adopt baby Elijah.

God is amazing and it has been such joy to watch this story unfold.  Tammy and her husband Joe have loved and cared for Elijah weeks now and as soon as paper work happens Justine and Preetika will welcome baby Elijah into their home as their son.  For now they are spending as much time as possible with him.

In Zambia abandoned babies are not common especially in the Southern Province where we live and adoption is very difficult as well, but doors have been open and God's favour has definitely been shown all around!  

What an absolute blessing~~

The things you do for growth!

So this is one of the toilets at the base, I had not been there for a few days and then today I walked in and thought what? Does someone have UTI?? If so that is alot of urine to save!!


I went into the office and asked around and then saw a huge smile on Sherrill's face :0)))))))))


Sherrill Aucker is an ECHO intern that is working with the SAM Project and she says that urine is a good fertilizer, so the boys were brave enough to save theirs for the gardens.

In Memory of Betty Ncumbe

Betty, the other kitchen staff and myself

This past week I had the opportunity to go to a Zambian funeral.  One of our kitchen workers Betty Ngumbe passed away.  Betty was 8 months pregnant with her 7 child and was a diabetic.  Sadly she lost the baby and while she was left to deliver her stillborn child she passed away.  Not too much information was given to us about what happened as this is the Zambian Culture.

Betty is on the right dancing away at a festival we went to

In Zambian culture family from far and wide come to the funeral house and stay there all week, the entire village and people from the villages close by also show up on the day of the funeral.

Betty’s husband Mr. Teddy also works for us as our human resources manager. As staff of Overland we helped out in whatever way possible, from providing food for all the people that came to transporting the people from the church to the burial ground.

These are all the people going from the church to the burial site

Betty worked with Overland for the past 6 years and always had a smile on her face.  She was known for giving the Americans their Zambian names and she loved to dance.

Groceries Trip to Katima

Every few months we go to Katima, Namibia for bulk grocery shopping.  Most of the basic supplies like flour, sugar and oil are cheaper.  Things like canned stuff is also cheaper and there is just more variety of supplies which always makes it easier for the cooks in the kitchen.

It is about a 3 hour drive and and once we get there it is crazy because you in this big warehouse trying to get as much as you can.  This time around I did a record shop with the help of Nathan and 2 workers that packed our carts.  In 1 1/2 hours I was done!!

Keeping cool

October is the hottest month in Livingstone.  You wake up sweating and you go to bed sweating, water never stays cold, well when you in the bush so we just sweeten it with gaterade/ propel so that we I drink sweet hot water instead of just hot water.


Every so often well about 2 a week I go into the grocery store and learn against the freezers to just cool down, I also walk slowly around and around the milk/yoghurt/cheese aile.

In the picture here Kelly, Christine, Renee and I were in Shoprite with our hands in the freezers, they were empty and oh so tempting to just jump right in.

Today I almost fell into a long drop

The children line up to wash their hands

Today I went to the Chilizya LIFE Pre-School.  The children were very excited to see visitors and all had huge smiles on their faces.  They were having snack time when I went in.

In Zambia during this time of the year in the remote areas where people live in poverty the typical snack that a child will take to school is a bottle of chibuntu (ground corn that sits overnight in water until it thickens, with abit of sugar mixed in)


Some of them had a piece of dried bread and other had some kind of wild fruit, some had a mangoes because they are in season right now.

Right after the ate they sang I got the joy, joy, joy down in my heart. I then looked at their crafts and their teacher Masuzyo started teaching the next part of the lesson which was on shapes and colours.

Here is the long drop

My footstep in...

After awhile I needed to pee so I went outside and walked to the long drop, I took one step in and the sand went in and I thought oh wow, the rain had softened the soil and then I took another step and my foot started to go in, I slowly backed away and knew I needed to wait to pee.  If I had taken another step I would have fallen it....gross!!

Multi tasking to the next level

Today was teacher training Thursday.  Jessi did the theory part of the training and all went well.  Two hours into the meeting we had to leave and go the the chief's palace for an emergency meeting to discuss some village politics with one of our schools.  Wezi took over in our absence, 90 minutes later we returned in time for lunch and later Jessi took over and reviewed a test that the teachers had taken the week before.


The school year is ending and we have just one more training in November. 

Here one of the teachers Crystabell, so often we watch how the african women take multi tasking to a new level, she is writing while her daughter is nursing!

A productive day in the Mukuni Sector

This morning I drove to the base and picked up Mariel our Health Co-ordinator and LIFE Volunteer and an AMT student and dropped them off that the Mukuni Rural Health Clinic to help out with in the under 5 activities.  At the Mukuni Market I picked up Joseph who is a zone manager and we drove 20 minutes NE to the Chilizya LIFE Pre-School to do a school evaluation.

Just an hour ahead, Christy Clarke was in the village of Ndele doing her weekly bible study with the women and Erin Hartzell, accompanied by Wezi Chembe were refreshing village surveys in the Chibalani and Siakunda Villages.

With rainy season coming up and only 4 more weeks of productive ministry there is never a moment to be wasted! 


Thank you Jesus for trucks and the energy, wisdom and grace to do all that we have too to bring closure to this year of ministry in Zambia!

The Skirts

After a year of living in Zambia, I found that there is a group of missionary women from all denominations who hold a weekly bible study in the town.  Some of them have been here for many years and are doing an amazing work with the people of Zambia.

It is once a week for about 3 hours were we get together to watch the video, discuss the study and then have a time of prayer.  We then have tea and a time of fellowship.  Most weeks I was able to make it, and then there were some that I could not because I had to be in the village.  Then I would just borrow the video and get caught up.

Most studies are done using the Beth Moore work books and videos and I am able to do a 6 week study with them by Jennifer Rothschild, called Fingerprints of God.

This time has really encouraged me and there is definitely such a spirit of unity and love among everyone.  

Recently we decided to do a quilting project together and it has been fun, I am abit behind and look forward to catching up in the rainy season when things slow down.  I have posted a picture of us and some of the quilts are in the making, there are also a few ladies that are not in the pic because they have already left to go to the USA on furlough.  

In my life I find that I cannot live with just the relationships of people that are my age or younger, I find that it is not enough to live a balanced christian life.  I NEED the wisdom, love and accountability of the mature, more seasoned generation and I thank God that he has brought just that to me in Zambia!!

A Canadian Thanksgiving in ZAMBIA!

Thanksgiving is one of the holidays that I miss the most since moving from Canada back to Africa.  It is a time to all come together friends and family, good food and great laughs.

This year I was blessed to have Canadian friends Mckinley and Juanito here to celebrate thanksgiving with.  Also there is a couple from Canada that are missionaries here as well.  Their names are Stan and Marion Hoffman and they have been on the mission field for more than 50 years and are a wealth of wisdom.

Turkeys are difficult to come by here in Zambia so instead of roasting a turkey we had roasted chicken.  It was a wonderful night!

Musukotwane Chiefdom

We just got back from a 3 day trip into the Musukotwane Chiefdom, where we distributed vitamins to many of the villagers.  We got to also minister to the children on the Chabalanda Primary school, the team taught them many bible stories and songs and were even able to act out the story of David and Goliath.  90 Children made a commitment to Christ!!

The team from Beyond Adventure was extremely helpful and showed a true servant heart in all that they did. They shared their personal testimonies with the people during the night meetings when we showed the Jesus Film.  300-350 villagers showed up at night for the meetings and many lives were challenged.

The villagers had hunted an impala, I was able to make a delicious marinade and we braaied the meat for dinner. 

On the way home we are asked by one of the pastors if we would transport his pig into town, he needed to sell it so he could pay for his sons school fees.  So we did as one of our staff reminded us that on our trucks we have written "Any Road, Any Load, Any Time"

It was a fun, productive expedition with never a dull moment!

 His kingdom continues to be established

South African Team from Beyond Adventure helping with Vitamin Distribution

During this past week we went into the Nyawa Chiefdom and distributed just over 6 tons of vitamins to approximately 30 villages.  A team from South Africa from the Beyond Adventure School accompanied us and was a great help in the distribution.   

It was the first time that I helped lead a South African team, it was fascinating to watch the differences.  South Africans are up early, well too early for my liking and have already exercised!  They all have a bath before breakfast and are well dressed for being in the bush.  They have an amazing sense of humor and joking around continues all through the day and nobody get offended or hurt.  Other teams will wake up right at breakfast time and never bath until the 3^rd day in the bush and will wear the same clothing for a few days.  Some have a sense of humor but there is always a time and a place to joke around.

I am not complaining or anything, just noticing the differences of culture.  We have such an assortment of people in our world and I think it makes it exciting and mysterious all at the same time to watch and learn about people!  

Teacher Training Thursday

As I walked out of the “Handyman’s Paradise” a local hardware store I was asked if I was going fishing or doing some gardening??

Every two weeks teachers from our 19 pre-schools come together to pick up curriculum, school supplies and teaching aids.  They also get to learn a pre-school learning outcome and then make some sort of educational toy or musical instrument. It is a time for us to collect their monthly registers and see how things are going in the everyday running of their schools.

This week we made lacing cards that are good for working the small muscles and train fine motor skills.  We collected pieces of cardboard and used fishing line.  We also made hoola hoops from plastic a pipe and conduit joiner that is normally used for drip irrigation.

During a typical teacher training day, this is what happens:-

·         A DAF truck leaves the Overland Mission Rapid 14 Base at 6am and drives to the half way point, a village called Chibalani.  Teachers walk there and wait for the truck to pick them up.  Some teachers leave their homes at midnight so they can reach Chibalani in time.

·         They get to Nsongwe Village at 8:30am where tea and bread is ready for breakfast.

·         At 9am we come together for a time of singing and sharing from the word of God, to encourage, challenge and motivate their hearts.

·         At 10am the theory part of the training starts

·         Lunch is served at 1pm and then we hand out curriculum, supplies and all that’s needed for the next 2 weeks

·         We also so a time of “make and take” where we use, mostly recyclables to make toys, musical instruments and other teaching aids for the children

·         By 3pm everyone gets one the truck and heads home!

There is a lot of work (driving, cooking, preparing, purchasing of supplies, printing, coloring and laminating) put into this training yet the fruit outweighs it all!

Knowing that lives are being changed, adults being given a hope for tomorrow, children are being given an education and an opportunity to enjoy learning.  God is being revealed for who He is in the hearts of the people and His kingdom is being established!