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
Saturday, 24 July 2010
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.
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