Two months ago I was busy preparing to come back to Zambia, on Saturday I will be flying back to the UK. Its been eventful - lots of love, joy, hugs but some sad times as well.
Last week Chama Mwelwa who I talked to last Monday when we visited the boys who live on the street was brought into the Fountain, he was very ill, so Kenny and Vasco carried him to the local clinic. Unfortunately poor Chama died on the way, we believe it was Malaria. This became a time of real stress for Vasco as they had to arrange the funereal etc - no easy task when you have no money. They found a sister who lives in one of the poorest compounds, Misi she lives with granny. Thank God i didn't go to Livingstone as I was able to go with Vasco and Kenny on Friday, we found a coffin, got the paper work organised and burial plot purchased, transport was found for a crowd of street boys, family and friends. The boys dug the grave and took the service which was incredibly moving. We all had to walk around the coffin before it was lowered into the ground then once it had been covered flowers were placed on top. During the whole time, when we were travelling and at the graveside everyone was singing. Back at the funereal home granny (who was blind) was playing a drum and all the ladies started dancing with us. We couldn't stay long as Vasco and Kenny were on their knees as they had been at the funereal home overnight.
So from the sad to the happy, Vincent and Rosanna got married on Saturday and i was privileged to attend their wedding. Vincent is a Catholic so it was a beautiful mass, then in the evening there was a wonderful reception for all their family and friends. Vasco escorted me which was a blessing as I was the only white person there. We shared a table with Vincents friends and had a wonderful evening, lots of dancing and laughter a really joy filled occasion.
This afternoon I'm going out with Barbrah when she goes home care visiting, I'm not sure what I'm doing the rest of the week, we are going to Lliayi on Wednesday and I'm going with Emmanuel and Jemma down town for T-bone steak and chips on Thursday.
So this is my last blog, I thank you all for your prayers, I can only be here by the grace of God.
Love Carol
Monday, 9 August 2010
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
Zambia
We are nearly at the end of Team 2, they go off to Livingstone tomorrow but for me I'm staying behind. I'm going to Vincent and Rosanna's wedding on Saturday and there are some things a girl just has to do.... like hair... nails etc. I'm so looking forward to going - its been a long wait for them both and its still really hard as Vincents not been paid for about 3 months now. I will tell you more about it next week.
Can you believe I only have one more week here. Its now saying goodbye everywhere I go, which I'm finding really hard as it seems that I've only been here for a little while.
Yesterday I had my final visit to the market where the street children live, I had to be rescued several times - I kept getting into conversation and then loosing the team. Luckily Vasco and Kenny were there to keep an eye on me. Kenny in the end just kept hold of my hand until I got back onto the coach. There weren't so many street children this time, it was a bank holiday and Lusaka Agric show so most of them had gone there - Sharon and a few of the others were around.
I'm not here for very long as I have to shop for bottled water etc to take down to Livingstone but I wanted you all to know that I'm okay.
This morning I will be going over to the building site at Garden Hill then we go to Kumbayah to help serve lunch to the school children - we are expecting about 500 so it will be a busy time for the team.
So I need to say goodbye for now, I will try and blog again when I come back to shop - I'm doing this instead of having a coffee!!
Can you believe I only have one more week here. Its now saying goodbye everywhere I go, which I'm finding really hard as it seems that I've only been here for a little while.
Yesterday I had my final visit to the market where the street children live, I had to be rescued several times - I kept getting into conversation and then loosing the team. Luckily Vasco and Kenny were there to keep an eye on me. Kenny in the end just kept hold of my hand until I got back onto the coach. There weren't so many street children this time, it was a bank holiday and Lusaka Agric show so most of them had gone there - Sharon and a few of the others were around.
I'm not here for very long as I have to shop for bottled water etc to take down to Livingstone but I wanted you all to know that I'm okay.
This morning I will be going over to the building site at Garden Hill then we go to Kumbayah to help serve lunch to the school children - we are expecting about 500 so it will be a busy time for the team.
So I need to say goodbye for now, I will try and blog again when I come back to shop - I'm doing this instead of having a coffee!!
Saturday, 24 July 2010
Blog 5
I'm not able to access the Internet on my lap top so I'm feeling very hard done by, I've done everything I can think of to get it to work but with no success at all. At least at Chamba Valley I can send and receive emails so that is a blessing. And why am I so distressed? Its a really small thing in the grand scheme of things, I'm able to come down here to the Internet cafe and use the computers here so why do I feel hard done bye? I guess God is trying to tell me something about my reliance on using the Internet to keep in touch with folk back home when in reality he really wants me to concentrate on communicating with him. So I guess that is my lesson for today.
So this week, time off and getting ready for team 2, I spent last Sunday with Vasco, we had a wonderful afternoon, we went around to Malambo's house (his fiancee) she wasn't in so found her at the local hairdressers, Vasco tells me that Zambian ladies hair is their crown of glory, I think his is too as he now has dreadlocks, but that's another story. We then walked and talked and talked and talked till we came to downtown where we found somewhere to sit and eat before walking back to the Fountain, where we sat in the dusk just sitting and being companions. He is one of the most honest and upfront person I've ever met - its a challenge as all is laid bare and nothing is spared, my faith is challenged and grows because of all I learn from him. God talks about enlarging our tents, or is it his tent I do wish my theology was better, but his tent is certainly being enlarged by the Zambians who I work and play with out here.
I've managed to catch up with Vincent, he took me to meet his father which was really good, he is getting married on the 7th August, so I had to find out what happens so that I can be well prepared. I had to go around and see Barbrah Banda who is going to take me shopping as I don't have the right shoes and I need another outfit.
This week has also been a time of being entertained, on Wednesday we went to Dorothy's house for lunch and on Tuesday evening we had supper with the Banda's. I'm already getting emotional about leaving, just three weeks to go.
Its time to go and get some shopping so I must go now, thank you so much for your prayers and support. Please pray for the staff team as we do get really tired.
God bless
Carol
So this week, time off and getting ready for team 2, I spent last Sunday with Vasco, we had a wonderful afternoon, we went around to Malambo's house (his fiancee) she wasn't in so found her at the local hairdressers, Vasco tells me that Zambian ladies hair is their crown of glory, I think his is too as he now has dreadlocks, but that's another story. We then walked and talked and talked and talked till we came to downtown where we found somewhere to sit and eat before walking back to the Fountain, where we sat in the dusk just sitting and being companions. He is one of the most honest and upfront person I've ever met - its a challenge as all is laid bare and nothing is spared, my faith is challenged and grows because of all I learn from him. God talks about enlarging our tents, or is it his tent I do wish my theology was better, but his tent is certainly being enlarged by the Zambians who I work and play with out here.
I've managed to catch up with Vincent, he took me to meet his father which was really good, he is getting married on the 7th August, so I had to find out what happens so that I can be well prepared. I had to go around and see Barbrah Banda who is going to take me shopping as I don't have the right shoes and I need another outfit.
This week has also been a time of being entertained, on Wednesday we went to Dorothy's house for lunch and on Tuesday evening we had supper with the Banda's. I'm already getting emotional about leaving, just three weeks to go.
Its time to go and get some shopping so I must go now, thank you so much for your prayers and support. Please pray for the staff team as we do get really tired.
God bless
Carol
Saturday, 17 July 2010
Blog 4
Is it really a year ago that we took team 1 – Zambia 2009 down to Livingstone and now here I am again with team 1 – Zambia 2010. Our first team have proved themselves to be every bit as hard working as last year and an amazing amount of work has been achieved both at Garden Hill School but also in relationships with our partners which have been strengthened and encouraged.
I sometimes think that God has the most amazing sense of humour, he calls such unlikely people to come together for just a fortnight to work, live, worship and pray; not in one of our comfortable churches where we can feel safe, no he sends us to Africa, into that unknown world where everything is strange, new, covered in dust, vibrant clashing, noisy yet full of life and joy.
In just a few days we can see how this mix of people become blended into a prayerful whole, not being so blended as to disappear, but blended enough so that each becomes part of the team, where our strengthens and weaknesses all go together to make a whole. My weakness is not noticed because other willing hands willing pick up the extra heavy work, I will use my weakness to seek other ways of being part of the team, I will bring my own gifts into the mix, my unique gifts given to me by my father in anticipation of this days work.
James (3:13) Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. So Lord I applaud this team for their humility in following your path and I know Lord that once started on this path you will continue to lead them into all sorts of adventures.
So today goodbye to team 1, a week to relax and prepare for the next team.
I sometimes think that God has the most amazing sense of humour, he calls such unlikely people to come together for just a fortnight to work, live, worship and pray; not in one of our comfortable churches where we can feel safe, no he sends us to Africa, into that unknown world where everything is strange, new, covered in dust, vibrant clashing, noisy yet full of life and joy.
In just a few days we can see how this mix of people become blended into a prayerful whole, not being so blended as to disappear, but blended enough so that each becomes part of the team, where our strengthens and weaknesses all go together to make a whole. My weakness is not noticed because other willing hands willing pick up the extra heavy work, I will use my weakness to seek other ways of being part of the team, I will bring my own gifts into the mix, my unique gifts given to me by my father in anticipation of this days work.
James (3:13) Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. So Lord I applaud this team for their humility in following your path and I know Lord that once started on this path you will continue to lead them into all sorts of adventures.
So today goodbye to team 1, a week to relax and prepare for the next team.
Saturday, 10 July 2010
Its now over a week since I managed to write anything on my blog – the first team are well into their first week and the building project at Garden Hill is going really well.
To finish my adventure along the Great North Road, we eventually arrived at the turn off to the farm where Stan now lives with his parents – we found a car that could take us the rest of the way, it took us over 40mins to reach the village along dirt roads for most of the way. Its different country to the one I'd experienced last year on the way to Livingstone which is mainly bush except for an area of sugar plantations. This land was irrigated so producing wheat with a number of large herds of cows and beef animals – they all looked in really good condition. We were eventually dropped off at Stan's parents home, he had been waiting for us and we had the most wonderful greeting, he was so pleased to see us, Vasco had become like his father whilst he had stayed at the Fountain. Of Hope. We were warmly welcomed by his mother and all the family, his father was at work (Zim farmers own this land). Stan's mum has had 8 children, Stan being the eldest, Kennedy the youngest was 7 months old and absolutely adorable and quickly became very attached to Vasco, they had a curtain at the door of the house and there was a procession of children from all over the neighbourhood who came to peer in and see that strange white lady. Stan then took us for a tour where we visited the school he used to attend and we even got to see one of the teachers on her way home for lunch, then onto the local shops by this time quite a number of the children became really brave and started playing with us. We had to go into all the shops to say hello, Stan's aunt ran one of them so that was an important introduction. Back at the house we were royally entertained to lunch, we had to eat on our own inside – this is the custom so that visitors will eat as much food as they would like and not be put of by the family eating alongside them. We had Nshima, pasta, potatoes, fish and eggs in tomato sauce – as usual Vasco ate for Zambia - Emmanuel and I were much more restrained! So then back to Lusaka – we managed to get back to Chamba Valley just as it was getting really dark. Although Stan is 17 he is still in Grade 7, Vasco has entered him for his Grade 7 exams in October when he will have to come back to FOH to sit them. Hopefully he will then be able to go to a local senior school, even if he only gets to grade 9 he will be in a much better position to get a job. Its so important to encourage these boys, and especially to get them to go to school which is really hard as they will be much older than others in their class.
Yesterday we took the team over to FOH where they had the opportunity to meet the boys and see over the facility. Fred was still there and I was so glad I had my camera with me as I was able to show him the photo's of Stan who was his special friend, he then took some photo's which I will post with this. After the team introductions which took ages as everyone had to say their name, what grade they are in and how old they are – I wasn't sure which grade I ought to be in!! It was strange seeing the new boys and realising that we wouldn't be seeing all the lads that we met last year. Great to know that so many are now resettled with family (usually extended) we had a wonderful entertainment led my Lenny (Barefoot dancers – You tube) before Nshima, beef and cabbage for supper. By this time some of the big boys, Joseph, Jackson, Steve and a few others had come home from school so again plenty of hugs as we spied each other. Then my special friend from last year appeared so we spent the rest of the evening having a cuddle. Time to go home was really difficult – lots of hugs, kisses and cuddles which turned to tears as we had to leave. Gosh its just like coming home, I can't believe how much Vasco, Kenny and the lads have come to mean to me. How am I going to stay away for a whole year – I know that I've said I wont come back on the team next year but will I really be able to stay away until 2012? Just writing this has made me start to cry, what a cry baby I've become – I really know that God has put me in this place not to do anything great or wonderful, but to love these special people. Vasco said as I left , “I never knew my mum but I have you now...” what a privilege to be adopted. I really do thank God for this wonderful gift that he has given me, never would I have thought that I could be so wanted and loved.
Tomorrow is another special day, Vincent is coming over to see me – he works quite a long way out of town so hasn't been able to come over before. Last weekend he and Rosanna went to choose their wedding rings, yes the wedding is finally happening. Vasco is going to escort me, so my wedding outfit will have an airing again! I'm now praying that Vasco will soon be able to get the bride price so that he also can get married – he would like to get married in December but it all depends on how much he can save , this is extremely difficult at the moment as he's not been paid for 5 months, luckily he does have a room and his food but Kenny has to rely on his wife to keep him, Vincent is in a similar position as he also hasn't been paid for the last two months. This is such a common occurrence in Zambia. Please do pray for them.
I've just seen the time so I must close now, as soon as I can get down to the internet cafe I will post this.
To finish my adventure along the Great North Road, we eventually arrived at the turn off to the farm where Stan now lives with his parents – we found a car that could take us the rest of the way, it took us over 40mins to reach the village along dirt roads for most of the way. Its different country to the one I'd experienced last year on the way to Livingstone which is mainly bush except for an area of sugar plantations. This land was irrigated so producing wheat with a number of large herds of cows and beef animals – they all looked in really good condition. We were eventually dropped off at Stan's parents home, he had been waiting for us and we had the most wonderful greeting, he was so pleased to see us, Vasco had become like his father whilst he had stayed at the Fountain. Of Hope. We were warmly welcomed by his mother and all the family, his father was at work (Zim farmers own this land). Stan's mum has had 8 children, Stan being the eldest, Kennedy the youngest was 7 months old and absolutely adorable and quickly became very attached to Vasco, they had a curtain at the door of the house and there was a procession of children from all over the neighbourhood who came to peer in and see that strange white lady. Stan then took us for a tour where we visited the school he used to attend and we even got to see one of the teachers on her way home for lunch, then onto the local shops by this time quite a number of the children became really brave and started playing with us. We had to go into all the shops to say hello, Stan's aunt ran one of them so that was an important introduction. Back at the house we were royally entertained to lunch, we had to eat on our own inside – this is the custom so that visitors will eat as much food as they would like and not be put of by the family eating alongside them. We had Nshima, pasta, potatoes, fish and eggs in tomato sauce – as usual Vasco ate for Zambia - Emmanuel and I were much more restrained! So then back to Lusaka – we managed to get back to Chamba Valley just as it was getting really dark. Although Stan is 17 he is still in Grade 7, Vasco has entered him for his Grade 7 exams in October when he will have to come back to FOH to sit them. Hopefully he will then be able to go to a local senior school, even if he only gets to grade 9 he will be in a much better position to get a job. Its so important to encourage these boys, and especially to get them to go to school which is really hard as they will be much older than others in their class.
Yesterday we took the team over to FOH where they had the opportunity to meet the boys and see over the facility. Fred was still there and I was so glad I had my camera with me as I was able to show him the photo's of Stan who was his special friend, he then took some photo's which I will post with this. After the team introductions which took ages as everyone had to say their name, what grade they are in and how old they are – I wasn't sure which grade I ought to be in!! It was strange seeing the new boys and realising that we wouldn't be seeing all the lads that we met last year. Great to know that so many are now resettled with family (usually extended) we had a wonderful entertainment led my Lenny (Barefoot dancers – You tube) before Nshima, beef and cabbage for supper. By this time some of the big boys, Joseph, Jackson, Steve and a few others had come home from school so again plenty of hugs as we spied each other. Then my special friend from last year appeared so we spent the rest of the evening having a cuddle. Time to go home was really difficult – lots of hugs, kisses and cuddles which turned to tears as we had to leave. Gosh its just like coming home, I can't believe how much Vasco, Kenny and the lads have come to mean to me. How am I going to stay away for a whole year – I know that I've said I wont come back on the team next year but will I really be able to stay away until 2012? Just writing this has made me start to cry, what a cry baby I've become – I really know that God has put me in this place not to do anything great or wonderful, but to love these special people. Vasco said as I left , “I never knew my mum but I have you now...” what a privilege to be adopted. I really do thank God for this wonderful gift that he has given me, never would I have thought that I could be so wanted and loved.
Tomorrow is another special day, Vincent is coming over to see me – he works quite a long way out of town so hasn't been able to come over before. Last weekend he and Rosanna went to choose their wedding rings, yes the wedding is finally happening. Vasco is going to escort me, so my wedding outfit will have an airing again! I'm now praying that Vasco will soon be able to get the bride price so that he also can get married – he would like to get married in December but it all depends on how much he can save , this is extremely difficult at the moment as he's not been paid for 5 months, luckily he does have a room and his food but Kenny has to rely on his wife to keep him, Vincent is in a similar position as he also hasn't been paid for the last two months. This is such a common occurrence in Zambia. Please do pray for them.
I've just seen the time so I must close now, as soon as I can get down to the internet cafe I will post this.
Thursday, 1 July 2010
Blog 2
In my last blog I talked about Moses, what a lad and only 11 yrs old – we learnt today that he had run away from the Fountain of Hope. Yesterday, he went to Lusaka Baptist Church with everyone from Fountain, he slipped out and brought some stikker, got as high as a kite so Vasco told him to have a shower and go to bed and he would see him in the morning. So knowing that he would be in trouble he ran back to the market. So today we went on a fam trip with Ruth and Jemma to the market with Vasco and found Moses in the bus station. Elijah (an ex street boy) who was with us managed to catch him, he was given the option of going back to the Fountain but couldn't come with us, he had to decide that it was what he wanted to do and to make his own way back and face up to his punishment. He was at the Fountain of Hope last year when Mission Directs teams were here, so we saw a lot of him. FOH found his mother and he had been re-homed with her, but she had been hiring him out to thieves who needed a small boy to go through little spaces to hand out goods to them.
Its been really good getting to know the staff team this year – as well as Geoff who was country manager last year we have Ian and Ruth, they have served as missionary's in many different countries, last 4 years in Pakistan, Ian is in charge of our building projects whilst Ruth will be taking over from me on the volunteer hospitality side, Jemma is the other member of the team, she was on team 1 last year and agreed to come back to help on the staff team this year. The last members of the team are Sue and John who are coming out to run the parallel team 3 with Emily from last year, Please do hold us all in your prayers as we learn to work with each other, to acknowledge our strengths and weaknesses and spend time seeking God's guidance in all we do. I almost forgot to tell you about the last member of our team Chika, our driver, he was with us last year – it is so wonderful to see his lovely smiling face and to know that we have in him a safe pair of hands.
Emmanuel is not part of the team this year as he has his poultry enterprise and school work, he is re-taking some of his exams to help him to get into college.
On Wednesday, we have a day off so Vasco is going to take me to see Stan, he is a lad I got really fond of last year. Jemma is coming with me, we have to get a bus to city market where Vasco will met us then we will be taking another bus up towards the copper belt to met his family. It will be really wonderful spending time with Vasco and catching up on all he is doing.
Its been really good getting to know the staff team this year – as well as Geoff who was country manager last year we have Ian and Ruth, they have served as missionary's in many different countries, last 4 years in Pakistan, Ian is in charge of our building projects whilst Ruth will be taking over from me on the volunteer hospitality side, Jemma is the other member of the team, she was on team 1 last year and agreed to come back to help on the staff team this year. The last members of the team are Sue and John who are coming out to run the parallel team 3 with Emily from last year, Please do hold us all in your prayers as we learn to work with each other, to acknowledge our strengths and weaknesses and spend time seeking God's guidance in all we do. I almost forgot to tell you about the last member of our team Chika, our driver, he was with us last year – it is so wonderful to see his lovely smiling face and to know that we have in him a safe pair of hands.
Emmanuel is not part of the team this year as he has his poultry enterprise and school work, he is re-taking some of his exams to help him to get into college.
On Wednesday, we have a day off so Vasco is going to take me to see Stan, he is a lad I got really fond of last year. Jemma is coming with me, we have to get a bus to city market where Vasco will met us then we will be taking another bus up towards the copper belt to met his family. It will be really wonderful spending time with Vasco and catching up on all he is doing.
Thursday, 24 June 2010
Zambia 1
First of all a big thank you to Sue for driving me to terminal 5 where I met up with Ruth and Ian and Jemma who like me are all on the staff team. After a very uneventful journey we arrived safely at Lusaka Airport early on Monday morning. As usual I didn't manage to sleep very much on the plane, I was much too excited!
Geoff (MD country manager) and the Nigh's Canadian SIM missionary's met us at the airport - as we had so much luggage we needed two vehicles – BA were fantastic and gave us a baggage allowance of 63 kilos, mine only came to 46 kilo's so I could have had a bigger third case !
Once back at Chamba Valley it felt just like coming home, I'm in the same bungalow and in the same bed, just as I remember it, not too comfortable (the bed I mean) but I will get used to it. After breakfast we had a walk around the compound, calling in to see old friends – Bishop Paul was the first person we bumped into – my first big Zambian hug, as you can imagine I've been enjoying lots of hugs and even tears as I've been reunited with such dear friends. Cosmas and Benson are both away so I hope to see them later in the week.
The staff team has been out visiting partners: So far we have been to see:
Dorothy Nswma – Works of Faith Bible Church and the site for her new school, the caretakers house is started and some of her home based caregivers have started digging up some to the land at the bottom of the plot so that they can grow vegetables which will help to feed some of the poorer families. She has put in for some funding to help buy seeds, tools and a pump so that she can pump water up from the stream to irrigate the crops – hopefully it will be approved soon so that they can get planting.
Garden School, a CAZ project this school had to be knocked down as it was built without foundations so we are partnering with CAZ to provide 2 classrooms this year for grades 7 & 8 who will be coming from local feeder schools, eventually it will be extended to provide more classrooms. This is a very poor community which suffered greatly from the heavy rain that Lusaka experienced this year.
The House of Moses where we had a chance to cuddle the babies and toddlers. There were 2 very small twins which had been brought down from the copper belt, they think they were about 3 weeks old. So tiny but really wonderful to know that they were in a safe place where they are being so well looked after.
Bill and Bettie Bryant's the follow on home (2-4 yrs) from the House of Moses, here I met up again with several children that were there last year. They had just moved into there new home, in a much better neighbourhood then the previous home, they are in the process of building a school room in the garden – this does mean the garden will be out of bounds until its completed but once everything is cleared up it will be wonderful for the children to be able to run around and play out of doors. They still need lots of things, so I'm looking forward to giving them the money Horley Methodist Church Toddler group collected for them.
Kumbayah School was our visit at lunch time today, we arrived just on lunch time – every week day they give the children some soya porridge and what looked like beans and vegetables at lunch time, there was as usual a long queue and as lots of non Kumbayah School children had come there wasn't enough for them as well. These poor families live in what is called an unplanned community which means that houses are built all over the place, which shared pit latrines and water being brought from standpipes. What was wonderful was to see so many children who recognised Geoff and myself and many had on the red checked dresses that some folk brought out last year. One of the children who didn't get fed was Moses, a youngster who used to live at the Fountain of Hope, he had been sent to this community to live with his grandmother by his mother who he had been reunited with. It seemed that it had all gone wrong for him so we rang Vasco who said we could take him back to Fountain with us.
So lastly to Fountain of Hope, what joy and what hugs from Vasco and Kenny, most of the boys as well as Moses, Kennedy and a few others were there, I had never seen so few boys, the team had been working really hard at reuniting these children with extended families, we pray that they will be happy in their new homes. This leaves the outreach team able to build on relationships they have been building with boys still living on the streets so that they can be offered places at Fountain now that they have the beds.
I'm now down at Arcades in the internet cafe, my first time online.
We have just visited the vocational training centre at EFZ, they have now started a work shop making school uniforms, it was wonderful to see so many machines being used, although they do have more waiting to go into operation once the orders start rolling in. there are five ladies in the tailoring training facility about six in the woodwork training, all sponsored at least in part by folk who came out with MD last year.
Time is limited so I must close now, please pray for a good journey for the first team and that the staff team continue to bond and grow together.
Serve one another in love is our verse today
Geoff (MD country manager) and the Nigh's Canadian SIM missionary's met us at the airport - as we had so much luggage we needed two vehicles – BA were fantastic and gave us a baggage allowance of 63 kilos, mine only came to 46 kilo's so I could have had a bigger third case !
Once back at Chamba Valley it felt just like coming home, I'm in the same bungalow and in the same bed, just as I remember it, not too comfortable (the bed I mean) but I will get used to it. After breakfast we had a walk around the compound, calling in to see old friends – Bishop Paul was the first person we bumped into – my first big Zambian hug, as you can imagine I've been enjoying lots of hugs and even tears as I've been reunited with such dear friends. Cosmas and Benson are both away so I hope to see them later in the week.
The staff team has been out visiting partners: So far we have been to see:
Dorothy Nswma – Works of Faith Bible Church and the site for her new school, the caretakers house is started and some of her home based caregivers have started digging up some to the land at the bottom of the plot so that they can grow vegetables which will help to feed some of the poorer families. She has put in for some funding to help buy seeds, tools and a pump so that she can pump water up from the stream to irrigate the crops – hopefully it will be approved soon so that they can get planting.
Garden School, a CAZ project this school had to be knocked down as it was built without foundations so we are partnering with CAZ to provide 2 classrooms this year for grades 7 & 8 who will be coming from local feeder schools, eventually it will be extended to provide more classrooms. This is a very poor community which suffered greatly from the heavy rain that Lusaka experienced this year.
The House of Moses where we had a chance to cuddle the babies and toddlers. There were 2 very small twins which had been brought down from the copper belt, they think they were about 3 weeks old. So tiny but really wonderful to know that they were in a safe place where they are being so well looked after.
Bill and Bettie Bryant's the follow on home (2-4 yrs) from the House of Moses, here I met up again with several children that were there last year. They had just moved into there new home, in a much better neighbourhood then the previous home, they are in the process of building a school room in the garden – this does mean the garden will be out of bounds until its completed but once everything is cleared up it will be wonderful for the children to be able to run around and play out of doors. They still need lots of things, so I'm looking forward to giving them the money Horley Methodist Church Toddler group collected for them.
Kumbayah School was our visit at lunch time today, we arrived just on lunch time – every week day they give the children some soya porridge and what looked like beans and vegetables at lunch time, there was as usual a long queue and as lots of non Kumbayah School children had come there wasn't enough for them as well. These poor families live in what is called an unplanned community which means that houses are built all over the place, which shared pit latrines and water being brought from standpipes. What was wonderful was to see so many children who recognised Geoff and myself and many had on the red checked dresses that some folk brought out last year. One of the children who didn't get fed was Moses, a youngster who used to live at the Fountain of Hope, he had been sent to this community to live with his grandmother by his mother who he had been reunited with. It seemed that it had all gone wrong for him so we rang Vasco who said we could take him back to Fountain with us.
So lastly to Fountain of Hope, what joy and what hugs from Vasco and Kenny, most of the boys as well as Moses, Kennedy and a few others were there, I had never seen so few boys, the team had been working really hard at reuniting these children with extended families, we pray that they will be happy in their new homes. This leaves the outreach team able to build on relationships they have been building with boys still living on the streets so that they can be offered places at Fountain now that they have the beds.
I'm now down at Arcades in the internet cafe, my first time online.
We have just visited the vocational training centre at EFZ, they have now started a work shop making school uniforms, it was wonderful to see so many machines being used, although they do have more waiting to go into operation once the orders start rolling in. there are five ladies in the tailoring training facility about six in the woodwork training, all sponsored at least in part by folk who came out with MD last year.
Time is limited so I must close now, please pray for a good journey for the first team and that the staff team continue to bond and grow together.
Serve one another in love is our verse today
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