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