I left Zambia yesterday and I'm headed to Tokyo, Japan. I had layovers in Jo-berg and Hong Kong and I'm now in the final leg (Hong Kong, China --> Tokyo, Japan). Experiencing some turbulence at the moment, which isn't helping my handwriting that is only marginal to begin with.
I woke up yesterday with a heavy heart since it was immediately on my mind that I had to head to the airport and leave the beautiful, peaceful, lazy, trauma stricken, impoverished, happy, simple people of Zambia (sounds like a contradiction, but I'm not sure that it is). Some parts of Zambia I love and other parts drive me crazy, and the same goes to the people. I love Medryn, her music, and her heart. I love the orphans in Murundu who are so starved for love and attention that they follow me around like I'm the pied piper and shyly hold up their hands for me to take. I love the girls at Pamodzi and Chibote High Schools who have lost parents, aunts, siblings, etc to HIV and Malaria, who have suffered from severe physical, sexual and emotional abuse for most of their lives... yet they still find reason to smile, forgive, and to love G'd and "random" muzungus who find their way to these schools. I love dancing at church and not worrying about what anyone is thinking... I hate the men who molest their own family members, rape babies, and openly cheat on their wives. I hate the greed over money and the corruption that results from it. I hate watching funeral processions and driving by piles of fresh graves. I hate the witchcraft, demon possession, and of course the devil and his cronies... I love Dr Thinus for looking Africa and all its problems squarely in the eyes and continuing to have the courage and hope to do his part -- day after day and year after year -- to bring transformation. I'm proud of my fellow STSers for "being the change that they want to see in the world." I'm also both humbled and blessed to be able to do my part.
Africa has taught me a lot. It hurts to care, and the more I care the more I hurt. I think that lots of people don't want to see or hear about the harder things in life -- because if they know then they might have to care... and if they care the might have to do something about it. And doing something about it might disrupt our cushy, comfortable lives. I think that I prefer to have my life diverge away from "normal" as long as that is what G'd has in mind for me.
Dan was sitting in the van driving home from Kitwe last week and watching the African landscape go by out the window. While he was contemplating some of the heavy issues we have dealt with and the people we have been working with, it occurred him to give it up to G'd. Otherwise the burden is too much. So I think that we need to walk the line -- to care and do our part, but leave the end result to G'd.
I'm curious to see where the next few years will take us. I'm excited about the prospect of starting a small orphanage... I wish so much that Debbie was alive to see it happen because I know she would fall for those kids. I long to see her and to do life alongside her the way we used to. But I'm slowly learning to quit constantly asking "Why?", to seek God's face for the sake of finding HIM instead of to get something in return, and to conform my will to His instead of hoping that the reverse will happen. I have a loooonnnngg way to go.
To all of the prayer warriors: twa totella sana, sana. Lesa amupaule. (If you don't know what that means then you should come to Zambia sometime... or just send me an email and I'll give you the translation :-) ). Keep up the good work!!!!
Monday, June 11, 2007
Sunday, June 10, 2007
6/10 Final Blog from Kristen
"And then there were two," Jess says to me as we walk out of the Ndola airport. Two. Two muzungos, two days left, too many times to the airport having to say goodbye, too much on our minds. Too.
We climb back in the van and start in the general direction of Mufulira, bouncing along with the great enthusiasm that a 1982, eight-passenger Chevy without front shocks affords. Images of mud-brick huts painted yellows and reds, with their thatched roofs and dirt floors, bob along beside us, out behind us. Women walk with water on their heads and babies on their backs, half-naked children play in the dust that will become mud in four months time. Scrawny goats scatter the road in front of us. Dr. Thinus talks of African history. It's almost here.
I've already said farewell to most of us - we've been trickling out since last Wednesday - and I've felt it in pieces, building brick-by-brick like one of those thousands of mud huts. Goodbye. Yesterday was Jeremy and George and Dan and Abbie and Carol and Elizabeth. Old and new friendship, partnership, put on pause. Brick, brick, brick. Today, Tannen, my best friend in the entire world, (I can say that definitively) leaving for yet another continent. I already feel the emptiness left by her absence. I already miss her sensible advice, loyal companionship, and the witty comments that she whispers too quietly for most people to hear. Brick, brick. This is the process. Only a few more bricks to go, and then I'll be up and gone, weightless and away from this beloved, sprawling spread of yellow-dry grassland, scattered lakes, tangled jungle, and tortured wasteland.
Goodbyes are a strange thing. You leave something, or something leaves you, and we call this a goodbye. In these moments I always find myself wondering who will do the most missing... the one who leaves or the one who is left. At the many junctures in my life when I've had to change schools, or churches, states, or countries, I've always had the feeling that I was doing the majority of the missing. That the place I left behind, the people, would go on. I would be remembered perhaps, but remembered is entirely different from missed.
This time, though, the goodbye does not seem that way. Maybe it's that I'm doing the sending off before being sent off. Maybe it's because I've been here before and I know I'll return again. Or it could simply be that I'm too sentimental and indulging of my own silly feelings. But it seems to me, that life will not go on here as it always has - that our presence made enough of an impact that our absence will be mourned when we are gone. And likewise, we will not go on as we always have - something has been planted by this time in Zambia, something within us that will take root and become more than a memory.
We leave for Lusaka tomorrow morning: Dr. Thinus, Jess and I. Tuesday these Americans will leave the African soil, and the South African Zambian will return to life as usual, without us. But I feel assurance. Ties will not be broken, new truths will not be forgotten, partnerships will remain - despite economic, racial, and geographical distance.
And that feeling - the knowing that neither side will be the same, that there has been an equal exchange of learning and gratitude, and that until rejoined, both will regard the other - that is a good bye. It is the positive parting that assures us all: This hole created with your leaving will remain waiting for your return.
Kristen
We climb back in the van and start in the general direction of Mufulira, bouncing along with the great enthusiasm that a 1982, eight-passenger Chevy without front shocks affords. Images of mud-brick huts painted yellows and reds, with their thatched roofs and dirt floors, bob along beside us, out behind us. Women walk with water on their heads and babies on their backs, half-naked children play in the dust that will become mud in four months time. Scrawny goats scatter the road in front of us. Dr. Thinus talks of African history. It's almost here.
I've already said farewell to most of us - we've been trickling out since last Wednesday - and I've felt it in pieces, building brick-by-brick like one of those thousands of mud huts. Goodbye. Yesterday was Jeremy and George and Dan and Abbie and Carol and Elizabeth. Old and new friendship, partnership, put on pause. Brick, brick, brick. Today, Tannen, my best friend in the entire world, (I can say that definitively) leaving for yet another continent. I already feel the emptiness left by her absence. I already miss her sensible advice, loyal companionship, and the witty comments that she whispers too quietly for most people to hear. Brick, brick. This is the process. Only a few more bricks to go, and then I'll be up and gone, weightless and away from this beloved, sprawling spread of yellow-dry grassland, scattered lakes, tangled jungle, and tortured wasteland.
Goodbyes are a strange thing. You leave something, or something leaves you, and we call this a goodbye. In these moments I always find myself wondering who will do the most missing... the one who leaves or the one who is left. At the many junctures in my life when I've had to change schools, or churches, states, or countries, I've always had the feeling that I was doing the majority of the missing. That the place I left behind, the people, would go on. I would be remembered perhaps, but remembered is entirely different from missed.
This time, though, the goodbye does not seem that way. Maybe it's that I'm doing the sending off before being sent off. Maybe it's because I've been here before and I know I'll return again. Or it could simply be that I'm too sentimental and indulging of my own silly feelings. But it seems to me, that life will not go on here as it always has - that our presence made enough of an impact that our absence will be mourned when we are gone. And likewise, we will not go on as we always have - something has been planted by this time in Zambia, something within us that will take root and become more than a memory.
We leave for Lusaka tomorrow morning: Dr. Thinus, Jess and I. Tuesday these Americans will leave the African soil, and the South African Zambian will return to life as usual, without us. But I feel assurance. Ties will not be broken, new truths will not be forgotten, partnerships will remain - despite economic, racial, and geographical distance.
And that feeling - the knowing that neither side will be the same, that there has been an equal exchange of learning and gratitude, and that until rejoined, both will regard the other - that is a good bye. It is the positive parting that assures us all: This hole created with your leaving will remain waiting for your return.
Kristen
Friday, June 8, 2007
6/8 Update from Kristen - Trauma Program
Victory Over Trauma by Rebecca K.
Oh yes I am a child without a mother,
My mother died and my father got married to another woman.
Oh yes I am a child without a mother.
When I tell her mum, mum give me money for school
She says No! No! No!
Go to the grave and dig up your mother
And she will give you money.
Oh yes I am a child without a mother.
This was a poem submitted to us by a girl from Chibote Girl's High School.
Today. Thursday. Our last day of real work at Chibote. Carol spoke about forgiveness. Her testimony was truly amazing to witness - she connected in a very real way with everyone who as there. Our entire STS team has been watching God working in Carol's life for the last four weeks, and this was the culmination. First, let me tell you a few things about Carol. Carol is a sit-curled-up-on-the-couch-write-in-her-journal-for-hours kind of girl. She's beautiful, blunt, wildly creative, and fabulously funny. She has pink toenails and a very real handle on what it means to reach out to the unreachable. To love like Jesus. Her life and her character are a testament to the grace of God. Her journey has been long, and what an amazing gift to have been there to see her stand and speak today. Today she has broken her silence at last. And her voice is beautiful.
Kristen
Oh yes I am a child without a mother,
My mother died and my father got married to another woman.
Oh yes I am a child without a mother.
When I tell her mum, mum give me money for school
She says No! No! No!
Go to the grave and dig up your mother
And she will give you money.
Oh yes I am a child without a mother.
This was a poem submitted to us by a girl from Chibote Girl's High School.
Today. Thursday. Our last day of real work at Chibote. Carol spoke about forgiveness. Her testimony was truly amazing to witness - she connected in a very real way with everyone who as there. Our entire STS team has been watching God working in Carol's life for the last four weeks, and this was the culmination. First, let me tell you a few things about Carol. Carol is a sit-curled-up-on-the-couch-write-in-her-journal-for-hours kind of girl. She's beautiful, blunt, wildly creative, and fabulously funny. She has pink toenails and a very real handle on what it means to reach out to the unreachable. To love like Jesus. Her life and her character are a testament to the grace of God. Her journey has been long, and what an amazing gift to have been there to see her stand and speak today. Today she has broken her silence at last. And her voice is beautiful.
Kristen
Thursday, June 7, 2007
6/7 Update from Megan - HIV Education Program
Hey all, it's Megan. As one of the resident STS engineers, I haven't blogged much, since we are not generally known for our textual finesse. But since I'm departing tomorrow, I've been honored with this grand opportunity to communicate with you all. So here goes. I'm leaving a day earlier than everyone else and staying overnight in Johannesburg with a friend of a friend of Dr T's. Because this is Africa, I was informed this morning by Dr T that I will be speaking to a group of South African women on Saturday morning - never miss an opportunity to recruit for the cause (though sleeping in would have been nice!). After that announcement, Carol, Abbie, and I headed over to the recording studio where Medrin (sp?) has been singing her heart out to create a CD for us. I never thought I would visit my first recording studio in Zambia. Wacky. It's out in the refurbished servant quarters behind a very nice house about 10 minutes from Dr T's. Zambia is such a strange mix of the old (crumbling roads and dilapidated buildings) and new (cell phones everywhere - though they're sold from streetside shacks). So why not a recording studio too?
We had a delicious lunch at the church planting school again today. It's funny, but after less than two weeks, I have stopped paying attention to the peeling paint and cracked walls, and can just appreciate the fact that I'm in the shade and enjoying delightful company.
The HIV team was back in Kitwe this afternoon for Dan's talk about Getting Tested and George followed with a talk about Abstinence. George's ability to keep the attention of a bunch of wild kids never ceases to amaze me. I'm glad we were able to visit both Murundu and Kitwe these two weeks that I've been here, because they are such a contrast. In Murundu, we had to have a translator for everything, but you felt like you were bringing information that the kids had genuinely never heard before. You're in a little village out on the border of the Congo, and your presence really is an event. In Kitwe, there is so much more affluence (if you can call it that) and they have a much better grasp of English. There is much more of an urban feel and the kids seem more savvy. One girl was actually willing to share her story about getting tested for HIV in my small group on Tuesday. I can't imagine any of the girls in Murundu being brave enough to face the stigma and share her story even if any of them had been tested before. The girls in Kitwe seem much more empowered.
I'm so grateful for this experience, especially for Dr T (regardless of whatever those crazy Irish people have to say), and for Oscar and Henry (our fantastic Zambian church planting team members). Even though things often go awry, and never happen like we plan them, there are a lot of people here who really do want to change the course of Zambia for the better. I have loved working with everyone here and have great hopes for the future.
Peace,
Megan
We had a delicious lunch at the church planting school again today. It's funny, but after less than two weeks, I have stopped paying attention to the peeling paint and cracked walls, and can just appreciate the fact that I'm in the shade and enjoying delightful company.
The HIV team was back in Kitwe this afternoon for Dan's talk about Getting Tested and George followed with a talk about Abstinence. George's ability to keep the attention of a bunch of wild kids never ceases to amaze me. I'm glad we were able to visit both Murundu and Kitwe these two weeks that I've been here, because they are such a contrast. In Murundu, we had to have a translator for everything, but you felt like you were bringing information that the kids had genuinely never heard before. You're in a little village out on the border of the Congo, and your presence really is an event. In Kitwe, there is so much more affluence (if you can call it that) and they have a much better grasp of English. There is much more of an urban feel and the kids seem more savvy. One girl was actually willing to share her story about getting tested for HIV in my small group on Tuesday. I can't imagine any of the girls in Murundu being brave enough to face the stigma and share her story even if any of them had been tested before. The girls in Kitwe seem much more empowered.
I'm so grateful for this experience, especially for Dr T (regardless of whatever those crazy Irish people have to say), and for Oscar and Henry (our fantastic Zambian church planting team members). Even though things often go awry, and never happen like we plan them, there are a lot of people here who really do want to change the course of Zambia for the better. I have loved working with everyone here and have great hopes for the future.
Peace,
Megan
6/6 Update from Carol - Trauma Program
Hey y'all,
It's Carol checking in.
Been a while huh. Well, today the trauma team went to Chibote yet again. Kristen and I combined small groups because the kids in my group are pretty mean, so it's easier to put them together. Today PJ (Pastor Jeremy) preached on eyes... You know the blind leading the blind and all that jazz. And we did this crazy skit where I was the blind person leading the blind person. So the funny part that I was the crazy partier, and I tried convincing everyone to come with me and have sex with my friend Henry (who's one of the Church Planting School students). Now if you know me you know how goofy I am, and you also know how obviously opposite that is for my lifestyle. So it ended up being really funny. I just kept interrupting Tannen and Kristen while they were praying, acting like a drunk person, and stumbling around trying to get them to come party. It was so much fun... not even kidding man!
Disclaimer to parents, fellow Christians, and anyone else reading these stupid blogs: I do not in any way condone drinking, drugs, or premarital sex. Thank you very much! :) Our STS team doesn't either, in case you didn't get that memo by now! :)
Moving on... Meydren couldn't come sing today because she's working on the praise and worship cd for STS, so we took Henry. Gotta love that Henry. I hope he and Meydren get married, and make some beautiful Zambian babies! So, while Henry was leading worship he told the girls to dance, and whoa dang. It's a WORSHIP song to GOD! And they're all out there shakin' their butts faster than the girls in a Puff Daddy video... Excuse me, " P.Diddy" is his new name I guess. So I crip walked and they all laughed. It's like they never knew a white girl could do not so white things. Hahaha.
Then the whole Murundo Orphanage deal came to a close this fine evening in June. The Irish people are in town and we met them today. Apparently our beloved Dr. T is as corrupt as they come, and we were given the shaft, the boot, the cane, they practically said "Hey don't let the door kick you on the way out!" Needless to say the Irish-folk are going to continue to pour God's money into the hands of corrupt Zambians, and there's nothing we can do about it... except PRAY! A LOT! Because at the end of the day, no matter how corrupt it is, the orphans are still not getting fed. They're still burying a kid every week or two. SAD.
I've come to a place where I now hate and love Africa. I hate the corruption, poverty and body odor that surrounds you. But some of the people are genuine. I had a talk with Dr T about taking Aziza (Shotty's daughter, she's three guys, and the cutest little Zambian ever), and Meydren home to the USA with me. Dr T pretty much sat me down and asked me how taking Zambian's best and brightest to America isn't going to help Zambia as a nation, or their economy. After that I got pretty convicted about talking about it. Being here for me is a big deal, but I get to go home, this IS their home.
Take of this what you will, I feel I've written too much already.
P.S. Tomorrow I am giving the talk on Forgiveness for our team. And I'll be sharing my testimony for the first time in full. PLEASE KEEP ME, AND ALL OF STS IN YOUR PRAYERS. I'm excited but insanely nervous. God's definitely going to be talking through me tomorrow.
Alright that's all for now.
This is Carol signing off... back to the Future! :)
It's Carol checking in.
Been a while huh. Well, today the trauma team went to Chibote yet again. Kristen and I combined small groups because the kids in my group are pretty mean, so it's easier to put them together. Today PJ (Pastor Jeremy) preached on eyes... You know the blind leading the blind and all that jazz. And we did this crazy skit where I was the blind person leading the blind person. So the funny part that I was the crazy partier, and I tried convincing everyone to come with me and have sex with my friend Henry (who's one of the Church Planting School students). Now if you know me you know how goofy I am, and you also know how obviously opposite that is for my lifestyle. So it ended up being really funny. I just kept interrupting Tannen and Kristen while they were praying, acting like a drunk person, and stumbling around trying to get them to come party. It was so much fun... not even kidding man!
Disclaimer to parents, fellow Christians, and anyone else reading these stupid blogs: I do not in any way condone drinking, drugs, or premarital sex. Thank you very much! :) Our STS team doesn't either, in case you didn't get that memo by now! :)
Moving on... Meydren couldn't come sing today because she's working on the praise and worship cd for STS, so we took Henry. Gotta love that Henry. I hope he and Meydren get married, and make some beautiful Zambian babies! So, while Henry was leading worship he told the girls to dance, and whoa dang. It's a WORSHIP song to GOD! And they're all out there shakin' their butts faster than the girls in a Puff Daddy video... Excuse me, " P.Diddy" is his new name I guess. So I crip walked and they all laughed. It's like they never knew a white girl could do not so white things. Hahaha.
Then the whole Murundo Orphanage deal came to a close this fine evening in June. The Irish people are in town and we met them today. Apparently our beloved Dr. T is as corrupt as they come, and we were given the shaft, the boot, the cane, they practically said "Hey don't let the door kick you on the way out!" Needless to say the Irish-folk are going to continue to pour God's money into the hands of corrupt Zambians, and there's nothing we can do about it... except PRAY! A LOT! Because at the end of the day, no matter how corrupt it is, the orphans are still not getting fed. They're still burying a kid every week or two. SAD.
I've come to a place where I now hate and love Africa. I hate the corruption, poverty and body odor that surrounds you. But some of the people are genuine. I had a talk with Dr T about taking Aziza (Shotty's daughter, she's three guys, and the cutest little Zambian ever), and Meydren home to the USA with me. Dr T pretty much sat me down and asked me how taking Zambian's best and brightest to America isn't going to help Zambia as a nation, or their economy. After that I got pretty convicted about talking about it. Being here for me is a big deal, but I get to go home, this IS their home.
Take of this what you will, I feel I've written too much already.
P.S. Tomorrow I am giving the talk on Forgiveness for our team. And I'll be sharing my testimony for the first time in full. PLEASE KEEP ME, AND ALL OF STS IN YOUR PRAYERS. I'm excited but insanely nervous. God's definitely going to be talking through me tomorrow.
Alright that's all for now.
This is Carol signing off... back to the Future! :)
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
6/6 Update from Elizabeth - HIV Education Program
Hi, folks!
Please allow me to tell you a little bit about what our team did on Wednesday. Unfortunately, Georgina/George stayed home all day with the Sea Monster. I think that the rest did him well, though, because he is up and in full swing today! The rest of us (Dan, Megan and myself) did not need to go to our high school in Kitwe (Mindolo High) because it was a teacher planning day. So, instead, we prayed about it and decided to spend the afternoon in Murundu just hanging out with the students and orphans. It was definitely the right decision....
God started working as soon as we stepped foot on the rickety minibus that was our public transportation. A young man sat across from us (a.k.a. on top of us!) and started up a conversation with us. Dan had been reading his Bible, and the guy (named Mark) started asking questions about our t-shirt motto "Be the change". The Holy Spirit stepped in and the conversation quickly turned spiritual. Dan forged ahead (in Dr. T. style!) and eventually led Mark in a prayer of salvation/rededication!!!! It was awesome to witness. Mark asked if we happened to have a Bible (although it was neat - he didn't ask for Dan's), and Dan rummaged around in his bag and found a Gideon New Testament that he had haphazardly thrown in there. God is so COOL!!!!
Our afternoon in Murundu was really fun. Dan rounded up a rather large baseball game that lasted around 3 hours, while Megan and I sat conversing with the girls. Sports are a universal language and it was great to again see the children running and laughing and getting along! For Megan and me, it was really neat to be able to successfully leap the communication barrier and share quality time with the girls. We answered and asked questions about our different cultures and then began to sing. Some of the orphan children remembered "Deep and Wide" (which we had taught the VBS kids the previous week) and they started to sing it to us! We had three high school girls with phenomenal voices (Naomi, Jacquelyn, Cynthia) who led out in some beautiful Gospel tunes - it was absolutely gorgeous!!! I am so glad that we received the opportunity to just relax and continue building relationships with the students and orphans of Murundu!
I've got to run now to teach at the pastor's college (please pray!), but I am thankful I got the chance to share about our day. God is awesome and it is so much fun for us to see His hand at work every single day. Lives are being changed because of your prayers, so please keep lifting us up. We are now feeling the "homestretch"... just a few more days until we all leave Zambia. For me, there is so much to do and so little time left. Please pray for peace and that we accomplish only that which is God's will. He will take care of the rest!
Have a great day!
Elizabeth
Please allow me to tell you a little bit about what our team did on Wednesday. Unfortunately, Georgina/George stayed home all day with the Sea Monster. I think that the rest did him well, though, because he is up and in full swing today! The rest of us (Dan, Megan and myself) did not need to go to our high school in Kitwe (Mindolo High) because it was a teacher planning day. So, instead, we prayed about it and decided to spend the afternoon in Murundu just hanging out with the students and orphans. It was definitely the right decision....
God started working as soon as we stepped foot on the rickety minibus that was our public transportation. A young man sat across from us (a.k.a. on top of us!) and started up a conversation with us. Dan had been reading his Bible, and the guy (named Mark) started asking questions about our t-shirt motto "Be the change". The Holy Spirit stepped in and the conversation quickly turned spiritual. Dan forged ahead (in Dr. T. style!) and eventually led Mark in a prayer of salvation/rededication!!!! It was awesome to witness. Mark asked if we happened to have a Bible (although it was neat - he didn't ask for Dan's), and Dan rummaged around in his bag and found a Gideon New Testament that he had haphazardly thrown in there. God is so COOL!!!!
Our afternoon in Murundu was really fun. Dan rounded up a rather large baseball game that lasted around 3 hours, while Megan and I sat conversing with the girls. Sports are a universal language and it was great to again see the children running and laughing and getting along! For Megan and me, it was really neat to be able to successfully leap the communication barrier and share quality time with the girls. We answered and asked questions about our different cultures and then began to sing. Some of the orphan children remembered "Deep and Wide" (which we had taught the VBS kids the previous week) and they started to sing it to us! We had three high school girls with phenomenal voices (Naomi, Jacquelyn, Cynthia) who led out in some beautiful Gospel tunes - it was absolutely gorgeous!!! I am so glad that we received the opportunity to just relax and continue building relationships with the students and orphans of Murundu!
I've got to run now to teach at the pastor's college (please pray!), but I am thankful I got the chance to share about our day. God is awesome and it is so much fun for us to see His hand at work every single day. Lives are being changed because of your prayers, so please keep lifting us up. We are now feeling the "homestretch"... just a few more days until we all leave Zambia. For me, there is so much to do and so little time left. Please pray for peace and that we accomplish only that which is God's will. He will take care of the rest!
Have a great day!
Elizabeth
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
6/5 Update from Jami - HIV Education Program
Today is my last day in Zambia for this year's trip. The day started off with a few of us walking into town to get chitenge dresses made for ourselves and our family. We ate lunch at the Church Planting School where Annie made the best nshima with chicken I've eaten!! We arrived in Kitwe at the Mindolo High School around 13:00 and unloaded our equipment and started to set-up for our presentation. We have a nice big hall that holds close to 1000 students. The energy in the hall was amazing. We started out with a funny skit to let the students know that we're crazy muzungus (white people). The Doctors Office skit was a hit and Georgina made her debut at the school. Georgina is going to be famous all over Zambia! The dance competition was outrageous. The student who won the competition was an amazing dancer. George and Elizabeth joined in the dance competition, the students got a kick out of it! I presented the material on Biology/ Transmission and the students seemed to be very interested and attentive for the most part. The highlight of the day was the small groups. The students (8th-12th grade) were asking lots of questions and talking freely about a lot of topics. It is exciting to see the students really thinking about the information, thinking about things they have heard and questioning the logic of myths about HIV/AIDS. My message for this year's trip was to get the students to know more than just facts, they need to have a deep understanding of the things we're telling them. They need to think about things and decide for themselves what choice they want to make with their lives. I hope that this was a mission accomplished. The only bad news of the day was that the school is letting out all the students tomorrow (Wednesday) since there is a teaching meeting all day. I think we've all become accustomed to plans changing with the wind, so our program will start-up again on Thursday. I have no doubts that the rest of this weeks program is going to great!
As we drove home, all packed into the back of the van, I looked out the window and saw the most beautiful sunset. The colors in the African sky at sunset can't be matched anywhere else in the world. I feel privileged to have been a part of this HIV/AIDS team. I can't say enough about all the people on the team, they are amazing. It's always sad to say goodbye to this place and all the people I've met here. Mufuliria, Zambia is really home! I've seen children grow and friends change into these amazing people. I look forward to seeing what happens next year.
As we drove home, all packed into the back of the van, I looked out the window and saw the most beautiful sunset. The colors in the African sky at sunset can't be matched anywhere else in the world. I feel privileged to have been a part of this HIV/AIDS team. I can't say enough about all the people on the team, they are amazing. It's always sad to say goodbye to this place and all the people I've met here. Mufuliria, Zambia is really home! I've seen children grow and friends change into these amazing people. I look forward to seeing what happens next year.
Monday, June 4, 2007
6/4 Update from George - HIV Education Program
Dear Bloggers,
I, George, will be bringing your blog to you this evening or morning or whenever you're reading this. We just got through with our planning meeting for this week's program. We are moving to a new school (in Kitwe!) and we are very excited about how the program looks. We learned a lot from last week and really feel that we can improve. We have also been focusing a lot more time on prayer and I know that will help.
Now it's time for a story. "The Sea Monster"
We are not exactly sure of the origins of the Sea Monster, but we now know that this monster is not a mythical creature. It is real and it has attacked us. We believe that it may have come from the kettle (coffee maker). But the origin is not important. What is important is that it is here.
The Sea Monster is an ugly creature. It loves to live in the stomach and the digestive system of missionaries living in Zambia. The Monster first appeared before I even arrived in Zambia but it has wrought its vengeance this week. It has jumped from person to person.
It loves to create a tossing, turning ocean in your stomach that eventually turns into a hurricane. It pounds against your intestines.
It churns. It creates gale force winds. Then it breaks over the flood walls and... well, let's just say that it's not good.
We believe the Monster is green but no one has actually seen it. We do know that it speaks through bubbling churning noises from your stomach, but before you children get too afraid, I must let you know that Sea Monster does not win. He comes and attacks, but then prayer and medicine meets him and destroys him. Health wins the battle! :)
The End
Seriously - Some of us (George, Kristen, Carol [?], Dan, Jess) have had a run in with this Sea Monster (that is really just the a.k.a. someone came up with). But I want you to know that most of the people on that list feel much better. Please continue to pray that the Monster does not attack anyone else. Pray for continued healing. Pray for power as we step out into a new school this week. Pray for strength as our days are often very tiring. Pray for this country. Pray for their people and their churches. I have seen God moving in amazing ways since I have been here. I am so blessed to be a part of this group and this ministry.
One more thing, please pray for the church plant school. This school was started by Dr. Thinus Van Dyk. This week Jeremy Swanson and myself, George, will be conducting a pastoral training at the school. Please pray for wisdom as we will be training 10 future pastors of Zambia.
Thanks!
George
I, George, will be bringing your blog to you this evening or morning or whenever you're reading this. We just got through with our planning meeting for this week's program. We are moving to a new school (in Kitwe!) and we are very excited about how the program looks. We learned a lot from last week and really feel that we can improve. We have also been focusing a lot more time on prayer and I know that will help.
Now it's time for a story. "The Sea Monster"
We are not exactly sure of the origins of the Sea Monster, but we now know that this monster is not a mythical creature. It is real and it has attacked us. We believe that it may have come from the kettle (coffee maker). But the origin is not important. What is important is that it is here.
The Sea Monster is an ugly creature. It loves to live in the stomach and the digestive system of missionaries living in Zambia. The Monster first appeared before I even arrived in Zambia but it has wrought its vengeance this week. It has jumped from person to person.
It loves to create a tossing, turning ocean in your stomach that eventually turns into a hurricane. It pounds against your intestines.
It churns. It creates gale force winds. Then it breaks over the flood walls and... well, let's just say that it's not good.
We believe the Monster is green but no one has actually seen it. We do know that it speaks through bubbling churning noises from your stomach, but before you children get too afraid, I must let you know that Sea Monster does not win. He comes and attacks, but then prayer and medicine meets him and destroys him. Health wins the battle! :)
The End
Seriously - Some of us (George, Kristen, Carol [?], Dan, Jess) have had a run in with this Sea Monster (that is really just the a.k.a. someone came up with). But I want you to know that most of the people on that list feel much better. Please continue to pray that the Monster does not attack anyone else. Pray for continued healing. Pray for power as we step out into a new school this week. Pray for strength as our days are often very tiring. Pray for this country. Pray for their people and their churches. I have seen God moving in amazing ways since I have been here. I am so blessed to be a part of this group and this ministry.
One more thing, please pray for the church plant school. This school was started by Dr. Thinus Van Dyk. This week Jeremy Swanson and myself, George, will be conducting a pastoral training at the school. Please pray for wisdom as we will be training 10 future pastors of Zambia.
Thanks!
George
Saturday, June 2, 2007
6/2 Update from Dan - HIV Education Program
This week at Mirundu Basic has continued to go very well... with a few hiccups along the way. We have pretty much decided there is no point in planning out an agenda because as soon as we get there... everything changes. This morning as we were about to leave, we got a phone call from the headmaster telling us that they were having a school wide mathematics exam this morning and we would not have them until 11:00... Oh Africa! So we enjoyed the morning at our own leisure... a variety of sipping instant coffee, reading, journaling, going over talks, sleeping in, or just being quiet reflecting on the weeks past.
Our plan was to take kids to get tested today... and with the late start we were just going to divide up the girls and boys and give them a quick talk about the importance of getting tested and the fears that come along with it. We told this to the headmaster and he was fine with it. As they gave the Getting Tested briefing, Jami and I took all the little 1-5th graders and played an African game similar to Sharks and Minnows without the water and substituting in Lions and Sheeps (its called Sheep, Sheep come on). It has been a staple when entertaining the little kids who wander into our talks to the older kids and distract everyone. So we take them out into the field to play this classic game. Unfortunately, it gets a bit violent as one must not only tag the sheep, but they must grab them and contain them. Well lets just say that when Mazungus (white people) are playing, we are pretty much the sole target. Well I forget that I am not in the best shape of my life, and by the end I was about ready to throw up all over the kids as I dodged and sprinted. As I was able to get away from them at the expense of my body and lungs, Jami was mauled time and time again by thirty to forty little Zambian girls with sharp fingernails... lets just say her arms look like they have been pawed by a pack of angry wildcats.
Meanwhile, the others are talking with the kids. To our surprise, we had about 50 kids who wanted to get tested... which was great. Also to out surprise, the headmaster pulls aside George and Henry and tells them that the kids need to talk to their parents before they get tested... which is not so great. So we have 50 kids ready to go find out the truth about their status, and we have to tell them to go back to their parents (if they even have parents) and come back on Monday. Lets just say that the news and my intense nausea formed the perfect formula for frustration... but such is working with people... especially those in Africa. Anyways, it will be better in the long run because we will have the work at this school carried on by a few of the church planters and we don't want to muddy the reputation of STS in the eyes of the parents... God continues to work all things out for the good... just not on our rigid Western timeline. Please pray that the delay and having to tell their parents will not deter the brave 50 who were willing to step up and take responsibility for the mistakes they have made. Pray that the extra time will allow for those on the fence (about getting tested) to see that it is a scary, but vital procedure. Pray that we may comfort them and point them to Christ. Pray that we will have enough tests. The testing could be an absolute disaster if God is not in it. Cover it in prayer.
The rest of the day went well, I regained consciousness and Jami dressed her wounds at lunch. We worked with the 5th and 6th graders in the afternoon. It was the last day with them, seeing as we are going to the Teacher's College tomorrow after lunch. From the small groups it seemed they have not quite hit the period where they are starting to experience sex, but over the next 2-3 years they are going to come into a time when they will have to make some serious choices... choices that at 15 and 16 will shape how their life turns out. The nurse believes that nearly 70% of the Mirundu village is HIV+... there are nearly 16,000 people living in mudhuts with no personal toilets (merely a hole in the ground covered by thatch walls), electricity, or running water. For many of the villagers, it is too late. But for these kids there is still hope. Please pray for them, especially for the next 2 - 5 years.
Finally, I just want to tell you a story. Dr. Thinus was driving today in Kitwe (a neighboring city). The street was blocked by a huge crowd of people walking down the road. The only time that you really see a group of this size walking in the streets are for funeral processions. I hate to say it, but funerals are a commonplace thing to see here in Zambia due to HIV/AIDS. As you drive out of town there is nearly a mile stretch of graves that line the road... ones that did not exist fifteen years ago. The grave markers merely state the name of the person and the dates of their birth and death... they read 10/5/97 or 5/17/01 or 2/23/05... the further you get from the town, the fresher the mounds of dirt until you can see a line of those which the dirt is still damp... coffin sales are big business in Africa. So Dr. Thinus, who has been working here for over a decade, was not surprised to see the procession of wandering men and weeping woman. As he drove through the crowd they parted for his vehicle until he nearly reached the front. There was no hearse, no special vehicle... merely a lone bicycle. On the bicycle laid a coffin not much larger than a shoebox... Oh my God... he could not finish the story as tears overcame him. When I heard this I left the kitchen and went to my room... I just wept for this place. I wept for the tragedy... for the pain that this continent bears. I hate this place...I hate Africa... I hate the death... I hate the tragedy... I hate the way it breaks me... I hate the way it empties me... I hate how it strips me and leaves me feeling so naked...
but...
...I love Africa... I love Africa because I know that God's heart breaks for it... I know God's heart burns for it... He refuses to forsake this place when the rest of the world turns their head... to spare themselves the pain or guilt or whatever... God continues to dirty his hands and, when death is constantly in your face, salvation becomes real... as I lay on my bed and wept, I prayed, begged, pleaded that salvation was real... that the innocence that was buried today would not decompose in a field outside of town, but that he would be set free... he would be spared the suffering of life lived on this earth...
As I lay there, through the window floated the sound of the laughter of children outside... it perfectly represented the paradox of Africa ... even in the midst of the sorrow... there is so much joy... so much beauty... so much life... maybe they have figured out something that we with our comfortable lives have overlooked... that maybe this world is not about living long, wealthy, painless lives, but that what is contained in this life is merely a shred of the joy that we will one day know... thank you for your prayers... please continue...
From Africa,
Dan
Our plan was to take kids to get tested today... and with the late start we were just going to divide up the girls and boys and give them a quick talk about the importance of getting tested and the fears that come along with it. We told this to the headmaster and he was fine with it. As they gave the Getting Tested briefing, Jami and I took all the little 1-5th graders and played an African game similar to Sharks and Minnows without the water and substituting in Lions and Sheeps (its called Sheep, Sheep come on). It has been a staple when entertaining the little kids who wander into our talks to the older kids and distract everyone. So we take them out into the field to play this classic game. Unfortunately, it gets a bit violent as one must not only tag the sheep, but they must grab them and contain them. Well lets just say that when Mazungus (white people) are playing, we are pretty much the sole target. Well I forget that I am not in the best shape of my life, and by the end I was about ready to throw up all over the kids as I dodged and sprinted. As I was able to get away from them at the expense of my body and lungs, Jami was mauled time and time again by thirty to forty little Zambian girls with sharp fingernails... lets just say her arms look like they have been pawed by a pack of angry wildcats.
Meanwhile, the others are talking with the kids. To our surprise, we had about 50 kids who wanted to get tested... which was great. Also to out surprise, the headmaster pulls aside George and Henry and tells them that the kids need to talk to their parents before they get tested... which is not so great. So we have 50 kids ready to go find out the truth about their status, and we have to tell them to go back to their parents (if they even have parents) and come back on Monday. Lets just say that the news and my intense nausea formed the perfect formula for frustration... but such is working with people... especially those in Africa. Anyways, it will be better in the long run because we will have the work at this school carried on by a few of the church planters and we don't want to muddy the reputation of STS in the eyes of the parents... God continues to work all things out for the good... just not on our rigid Western timeline. Please pray that the delay and having to tell their parents will not deter the brave 50 who were willing to step up and take responsibility for the mistakes they have made. Pray that the extra time will allow for those on the fence (about getting tested) to see that it is a scary, but vital procedure. Pray that we may comfort them and point them to Christ. Pray that we will have enough tests. The testing could be an absolute disaster if God is not in it. Cover it in prayer.
The rest of the day went well, I regained consciousness and Jami dressed her wounds at lunch. We worked with the 5th and 6th graders in the afternoon. It was the last day with them, seeing as we are going to the Teacher's College tomorrow after lunch. From the small groups it seemed they have not quite hit the period where they are starting to experience sex, but over the next 2-3 years they are going to come into a time when they will have to make some serious choices... choices that at 15 and 16 will shape how their life turns out. The nurse believes that nearly 70% of the Mirundu village is HIV+... there are nearly 16,000 people living in mudhuts with no personal toilets (merely a hole in the ground covered by thatch walls), electricity, or running water. For many of the villagers, it is too late. But for these kids there is still hope. Please pray for them, especially for the next 2 - 5 years.
Finally, I just want to tell you a story. Dr. Thinus was driving today in Kitwe (a neighboring city). The street was blocked by a huge crowd of people walking down the road. The only time that you really see a group of this size walking in the streets are for funeral processions. I hate to say it, but funerals are a commonplace thing to see here in Zambia due to HIV/AIDS. As you drive out of town there is nearly a mile stretch of graves that line the road... ones that did not exist fifteen years ago. The grave markers merely state the name of the person and the dates of their birth and death... they read 10/5/97 or 5/17/01 or 2/23/05... the further you get from the town, the fresher the mounds of dirt until you can see a line of those which the dirt is still damp... coffin sales are big business in Africa. So Dr. Thinus, who has been working here for over a decade, was not surprised to see the procession of wandering men and weeping woman. As he drove through the crowd they parted for his vehicle until he nearly reached the front. There was no hearse, no special vehicle... merely a lone bicycle. On the bicycle laid a coffin not much larger than a shoebox... Oh my God... he could not finish the story as tears overcame him. When I heard this I left the kitchen and went to my room... I just wept for this place. I wept for the tragedy... for the pain that this continent bears. I hate this place...I hate Africa... I hate the death... I hate the tragedy... I hate the way it breaks me... I hate the way it empties me... I hate how it strips me and leaves me feeling so naked...
but...
...I love Africa... I love Africa because I know that God's heart breaks for it... I know God's heart burns for it... He refuses to forsake this place when the rest of the world turns their head... to spare themselves the pain or guilt or whatever... God continues to dirty his hands and, when death is constantly in your face, salvation becomes real... as I lay on my bed and wept, I prayed, begged, pleaded that salvation was real... that the innocence that was buried today would not decompose in a field outside of town, but that he would be set free... he would be spared the suffering of life lived on this earth...
As I lay there, through the window floated the sound of the laughter of children outside... it perfectly represented the paradox of Africa ... even in the midst of the sorrow... there is so much joy... so much beauty... so much life... maybe they have figured out something that we with our comfortable lives have overlooked... that maybe this world is not about living long, wealthy, painless lives, but that what is contained in this life is merely a shred of the joy that we will one day know... thank you for your prayers... please continue...
From Africa,
Dan
Friday, June 1, 2007
6/1 Update from Carol - Trauma Program
Hey y'all...
It's Carol again. It's been a long day so far, and it's only six thirty at night here.
This is Africa I am about to talk about. In case you don't know how things work here... I'll learn yah something real quick. Africa, Zambia especially, has no sense of time. We walk into Chibote girls school every day not knowing if we'll have PA, not knowing if we'll even have kids to talk to when we get there.
With that in mind, I'll fill you in on how today went. It was hard. Especially for me.
God has broken me on this trip. Everything that could have been taken away has been. Tennessee Williams once said that "Surrender is like being in a burning building, no fire station to call, no ambulance, just the upstairs window to look out of while the house crumbles around you." That's how I feel right now at the end of this day, this week especially. I've given up everything, but it seems like it's still not enough. God always wants more. And I don't have more. There's nothing left. I'm spent.
We got to Chibote today and I set up the illustration. Some of the effects of trauma are written on these balls, and I put them in abucket, and when Tannen was talking about giving things up to God she posed the question, "How can you give this stuff up to God if it's still in your bucket?" She brilliantly used the illustration of Jeremy with explosive diarrhea sprinting towards the nearest toilet. She related it to when our hearts are like explosive diarrhea, and instead of sprinting to God we think it will just go away.
We split up into small groups, and my group of girls were almost completely unresponsive to everything I said. Nothing I did was right. I tried to open up first about a time when I was scared, and one or two people followed my example, but not one of the older kids would talk. They kept interrupting, then they all just picked me apart. I don't pray enough, I don't read the Bible enough, I don't open up enough, I don't talk enough, I'm not nice enough... Then that turned into them telling me that "The Bible says to give in order to receive, so I think you should give me your bag so I can remember you." Then it went from my bag to my necklace, to my bracelet, my watch, the shirt off my back. Everytime I said no they said I wasn't a good Christian because I'm not willing to share. That was like a huge punch in the face. Then they were all playing with my hair and they kept trying to tell me that I should shave it off, and leave it with them so that they can remember me. That really upset me, even though it's just hair, nothing would be enough for these girls. They got mean after that.
I got home tonight and was looking for my drawing pencils and I realized that I had them in the outermost pocket in my backpack... and they were missing. Not missing, but stolen. It's not about the stupid pencils, it's the principle of the matter... They don't respect me at all! It's the first time I've ever lead a group that just walked all over me with no emotion. I've lead a bunch of groups before, and I've always been able to find the right balance of letting it flow, and when to be stern. DANG....God this kind of sucks. Today was so amazing though, because one of the younger girls asked me to pray for her, and she told me about her home life, which made the whole day worth it in the end!
I don't know what tomorrow holds. I'm banking on God for that information. When God really talks to me, I always end up drawing. I am kind of attached to those pencils... but apparently they need them more than I do. I drew a picture today that shows the paradoxical differences between home life and Zambian life. Whenever God is involved it's paradoxical. I miss the ocean, and praying while I'm surfing. I don't like surfing with other people, mainly because surfing is when I feel the closest to God. And, it's so nice to be uninterrupted when you go alone. Maybe it is time to include others though.
That's enough deepness for one night.
This is Carol... signing off!
It's Carol again. It's been a long day so far, and it's only six thirty at night here.
This is Africa I am about to talk about. In case you don't know how things work here... I'll learn yah something real quick. Africa, Zambia especially, has no sense of time. We walk into Chibote girls school every day not knowing if we'll have PA, not knowing if we'll even have kids to talk to when we get there.
With that in mind, I'll fill you in on how today went. It was hard. Especially for me.
God has broken me on this trip. Everything that could have been taken away has been. Tennessee Williams once said that "Surrender is like being in a burning building, no fire station to call, no ambulance, just the upstairs window to look out of while the house crumbles around you." That's how I feel right now at the end of this day, this week especially. I've given up everything, but it seems like it's still not enough. God always wants more. And I don't have more. There's nothing left. I'm spent.
We got to Chibote today and I set up the illustration. Some of the effects of trauma are written on these balls, and I put them in abucket, and when Tannen was talking about giving things up to God she posed the question, "How can you give this stuff up to God if it's still in your bucket?" She brilliantly used the illustration of Jeremy with explosive diarrhea sprinting towards the nearest toilet. She related it to when our hearts are like explosive diarrhea, and instead of sprinting to God we think it will just go away.
We split up into small groups, and my group of girls were almost completely unresponsive to everything I said. Nothing I did was right. I tried to open up first about a time when I was scared, and one or two people followed my example, but not one of the older kids would talk. They kept interrupting, then they all just picked me apart. I don't pray enough, I don't read the Bible enough, I don't open up enough, I don't talk enough, I'm not nice enough... Then that turned into them telling me that "The Bible says to give in order to receive, so I think you should give me your bag so I can remember you." Then it went from my bag to my necklace, to my bracelet, my watch, the shirt off my back. Everytime I said no they said I wasn't a good Christian because I'm not willing to share. That was like a huge punch in the face. Then they were all playing with my hair and they kept trying to tell me that I should shave it off, and leave it with them so that they can remember me. That really upset me, even though it's just hair, nothing would be enough for these girls. They got mean after that.
I got home tonight and was looking for my drawing pencils and I realized that I had them in the outermost pocket in my backpack... and they were missing. Not missing, but stolen. It's not about the stupid pencils, it's the principle of the matter... They don't respect me at all! It's the first time I've ever lead a group that just walked all over me with no emotion. I've lead a bunch of groups before, and I've always been able to find the right balance of letting it flow, and when to be stern. DANG....God this kind of sucks. Today was so amazing though, because one of the younger girls asked me to pray for her, and she told me about her home life, which made the whole day worth it in the end!
I don't know what tomorrow holds. I'm banking on God for that information. When God really talks to me, I always end up drawing. I am kind of attached to those pencils... but apparently they need them more than I do. I drew a picture today that shows the paradoxical differences between home life and Zambian life. Whenever God is involved it's paradoxical. I miss the ocean, and praying while I'm surfing. I don't like surfing with other people, mainly because surfing is when I feel the closest to God. And, it's so nice to be uninterrupted when you go alone. Maybe it is time to include others though.
That's enough deepness for one night.
This is Carol... signing off!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
5/31 Update from Tannen - Trauma Program
Yesterday was interesting. It started with the morning training session -- the women we were supposed to train never showed up. The men wanted us to purchase them an office and a minibus to "empower" them to do ministry. Needless to say, we weren't quite buying into this plan. Have you ever heard of a "sitting allowance"? Well, I hadn't until yesterday, but apparently in order to do Stop The Spread work we were told that it is necessary to provide the people who you are helping with free food, transport money and a SITTING ALLOWANCE (i.e., you pay each person attending the meeting to sit on their butts during the meeting). Not exactly the heart we were looking for... the focus was on getting the title associate with chairing an STS. Time for new leadership on the Zambian side.
We arrived at Chibote high school after our morning "training session". Our PA system didn't work (again). Then after Dr T left we were notified that the water was out in the school and they had released all the kids early. So our afternoon session was completely scrapped. We twiddled with the PA system to try to get it working and waited at the school for ~3.5 hours to for Dr T to finish his things and make it back to Kitwe to pick us up (he's doing the work that should probably be allotted to 3-4 qualified people)... we didn't want to take public transport because we had to take the PA system home with us to get it fixed. So from there we went to a meeting about the Murundu Orphanage Foundation (MOF), so of course it was only appropriate that the person we had scheduled to meet was in Kitwe.
So the day seemed to basically be a blowout, but I wasn't bothered by it... maybe since it was out of our control. And we gained a few things from the day: (1) A decision was made to put new leadership in place with the STS Zambia team in Kitwe (2) While we were waiting for Dr T to come some of the Chibote girls stayed to hang out with us... we had fun getting to know them, playing games, singing songs, and getting Medryn to teach us a dance she made up. Good stuff. (3) we left the MOF meeting with a green light as far as taking over the orphanage (4) The van didn't break down on the way home from Kitwe and we survived another day of Dr T's crazy driving. :)
About the Murundu Orphanage Foundation, we were shown a lot of paperwork regarding the history of the orphanage and some of the squabbles that we had been hearing about that cleared things up for us. Also, they are prepared to give us complete control over the orphanage and all of the property, buildings, etc for us to improve the situation for the orphans in that area. There are more than 300 orphans in the city and I have heard that the HIV infection rate is around 75%, although I don't know where that statistic comes from.
Jeremy spoke today (Thursday) on our condition after trauma and gave several stories to illustrate his point... I know that a lot of girls were touched by what he was saying, but one girl stood out to me and my eyes kept sticking on her during the message. So as I divided up the small groups I hoped and prayed that she was in mine and she got my number so I was stoked. There were about 12 or so girls in my small group and this girl sat directly to my right. Since this was our first small group (we were planning to have them every day, but various things prevented them from happening) and we were running short on time I just asked everyone to introduce themselves... their name, grade, and something about themselves. Well, that girl on my right started us off and just busted out with her story... parents dead of HIV, current living situation, etc, and then just started crying... I'm used to facing a brick wall on the first day and getting some of the kids to say ANYTHING can be like pulling teeth, then gradually moving towards a place where some of the girls can confide in my by the end of our 2 week sessions. So I couldn't believe that she was willing to trust me and the rest group with her story. With my arm around her, the rest of the girls in the circle began to introduce themselves by saying their names, grade, and then how old they were when their parents died and what their current living situation is. Afterwards I got some time to be one-on-one with the girls and I was again surprised by their honesty about the trauma in their own lives and pleased to have the opportunity to cut to the heart of the issues and start counseling them and praying with them.
Tannen
We arrived at Chibote high school after our morning "training session". Our PA system didn't work (again). Then after Dr T left we were notified that the water was out in the school and they had released all the kids early. So our afternoon session was completely scrapped. We twiddled with the PA system to try to get it working and waited at the school for ~3.5 hours to for Dr T to finish his things and make it back to Kitwe to pick us up (he's doing the work that should probably be allotted to 3-4 qualified people)... we didn't want to take public transport because we had to take the PA system home with us to get it fixed. So from there we went to a meeting about the Murundu Orphanage Foundation (MOF), so of course it was only appropriate that the person we had scheduled to meet was in Kitwe.
So the day seemed to basically be a blowout, but I wasn't bothered by it... maybe since it was out of our control. And we gained a few things from the day: (1) A decision was made to put new leadership in place with the STS Zambia team in Kitwe (2) While we were waiting for Dr T to come some of the Chibote girls stayed to hang out with us... we had fun getting to know them, playing games, singing songs, and getting Medryn to teach us a dance she made up. Good stuff. (3) we left the MOF meeting with a green light as far as taking over the orphanage (4) The van didn't break down on the way home from Kitwe and we survived another day of Dr T's crazy driving. :)
About the Murundu Orphanage Foundation, we were shown a lot of paperwork regarding the history of the orphanage and some of the squabbles that we had been hearing about that cleared things up for us. Also, they are prepared to give us complete control over the orphanage and all of the property, buildings, etc for us to improve the situation for the orphans in that area. There are more than 300 orphans in the city and I have heard that the HIV infection rate is around 75%, although I don't know where that statistic comes from.
Jeremy spoke today (Thursday) on our condition after trauma and gave several stories to illustrate his point... I know that a lot of girls were touched by what he was saying, but one girl stood out to me and my eyes kept sticking on her during the message. So as I divided up the small groups I hoped and prayed that she was in mine and she got my number so I was stoked. There were about 12 or so girls in my small group and this girl sat directly to my right. Since this was our first small group (we were planning to have them every day, but various things prevented them from happening) and we were running short on time I just asked everyone to introduce themselves... their name, grade, and something about themselves. Well, that girl on my right started us off and just busted out with her story... parents dead of HIV, current living situation, etc, and then just started crying... I'm used to facing a brick wall on the first day and getting some of the kids to say ANYTHING can be like pulling teeth, then gradually moving towards a place where some of the girls can confide in my by the end of our 2 week sessions. So I couldn't believe that she was willing to trust me and the rest group with her story. With my arm around her, the rest of the girls in the circle began to introduce themselves by saying their names, grade, and then how old they were when their parents died and what their current living situation is. Afterwards I got some time to be one-on-one with the girls and I was again surprised by their honesty about the trauma in their own lives and pleased to have the opportunity to cut to the heart of the issues and start counseling them and praying with them.
Tannen
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
5/30 Update from Elizabeth - VBS Team
Hi, everyone! I thought I would take a minute to write much more in depth about the VBS project that we are doing in Murundu village with the orphans there. The other blog I wrote was a bit rushed and written WAY too early in the morning for it to truly convey what I'm feeling about this project. Allow me to elaborate, please....
Jess, Abbie and I are really enjoying this new project. Today, I was struck by the feeling of going back to Bible times - smelling food cooked over open fires, seeing children running through the streets half-dressed, all the while walking with Pastor Joseph down a very dusty road - and realizing the heartbeat of God as a child unnoticeably walked quietly beside me and then slipped a tiny, dirty hand into mine. How much more does our Father in heaven love us and long for us to trust Him enough to slip our tiny, torn hearts and lives into His capable hands?
Every time I walk into that village, my heart is tugged and pulled. Pastor Joseph shared some things with me that made it all real. I mentioned earlier that we are singing, dancing, playing games, doing crafts and teaching Bible stories to the orphans this entire week in a make-shift VBS. While we were showing the children relay races and watching them tear down the one dusty road with HUGE grins on their faces, Pastor Joseph came up to me and thanked me for allowing the children to run. He said that for many that was probably the very first time in their lives that they were encouraged to run as fast as they could - for the simple reason of having fun. Shocking, huh? In a village where it is commonly thought that 75% of the population is probably HIV+, exercise is vital for maintaining good health for as long as possible. How simple to just teach these children to run, and yet I know it is critical that they play these types of games long after we leave the village.
We also have had a blast teaching them Bible stories. We are using some fun puppets to help tell the stories, as well as encouraging the children to get involved. Yesterday, I told the story of Noah and the ark. It's amazing how simple these familiar stories must become as they are being translated to children who cannot fathom that much water (Pastor Joseph has been a life-saver!). We had the children participate and they imitated various animals walking into the ark. They laughed and laughed and really got into their parts... monkeys, elephants, lions, etc. Try to envision 50-70 orphans crowded under the shade of a single smallish tree, hanging on every word that we shared, large brown eyes sparkling at the idea of all the animals of the world in one single boat. Can you see it? Pastor Joseph told us that most of these children had never heard that story, as churches do not have the resources to design children-specific programs. He does a tremendous job - feeding, clothing and ministering to these orphans as he is able! Daily, Pastor Joseph, Abbie, Jess and I simply cannot keep silly, sloppy smiles from covering our own faces when we see their little eyes light up with joy! :)
I've got to sign off for the night, but please continue to pray for the Murundu village orphans and the work that Pastor Joseph and his family have already begun. It has been an amazing opportunity for us to reach out and touch the "real Africa" with the compassionate love of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful to have had a chance to spend every day being the hands and feet of Christ in such a real and tangible way. Please continue to pray for all the different projects and teams! We are all a bit sun-burned and weary from long days in the quite-hot African "winter" sun! :)
Love in Jesus,
Elizabeth
Jess, Abbie and I are really enjoying this new project. Today, I was struck by the feeling of going back to Bible times - smelling food cooked over open fires, seeing children running through the streets half-dressed, all the while walking with Pastor Joseph down a very dusty road - and realizing the heartbeat of God as a child unnoticeably walked quietly beside me and then slipped a tiny, dirty hand into mine. How much more does our Father in heaven love us and long for us to trust Him enough to slip our tiny, torn hearts and lives into His capable hands?
Every time I walk into that village, my heart is tugged and pulled. Pastor Joseph shared some things with me that made it all real. I mentioned earlier that we are singing, dancing, playing games, doing crafts and teaching Bible stories to the orphans this entire week in a make-shift VBS. While we were showing the children relay races and watching them tear down the one dusty road with HUGE grins on their faces, Pastor Joseph came up to me and thanked me for allowing the children to run. He said that for many that was probably the very first time in their lives that they were encouraged to run as fast as they could - for the simple reason of having fun. Shocking, huh? In a village where it is commonly thought that 75% of the population is probably HIV+, exercise is vital for maintaining good health for as long as possible. How simple to just teach these children to run, and yet I know it is critical that they play these types of games long after we leave the village.
We also have had a blast teaching them Bible stories. We are using some fun puppets to help tell the stories, as well as encouraging the children to get involved. Yesterday, I told the story of Noah and the ark. It's amazing how simple these familiar stories must become as they are being translated to children who cannot fathom that much water (Pastor Joseph has been a life-saver!). We had the children participate and they imitated various animals walking into the ark. They laughed and laughed and really got into their parts... monkeys, elephants, lions, etc. Try to envision 50-70 orphans crowded under the shade of a single smallish tree, hanging on every word that we shared, large brown eyes sparkling at the idea of all the animals of the world in one single boat. Can you see it? Pastor Joseph told us that most of these children had never heard that story, as churches do not have the resources to design children-specific programs. He does a tremendous job - feeding, clothing and ministering to these orphans as he is able! Daily, Pastor Joseph, Abbie, Jess and I simply cannot keep silly, sloppy smiles from covering our own faces when we see their little eyes light up with joy! :)
I've got to sign off for the night, but please continue to pray for the Murundu village orphans and the work that Pastor Joseph and his family have already begun. It has been an amazing opportunity for us to reach out and touch the "real Africa" with the compassionate love of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful to have had a chance to spend every day being the hands and feet of Christ in such a real and tangible way. Please continue to pray for all the different projects and teams! We are all a bit sun-burned and weary from long days in the quite-hot African "winter" sun! :)
Love in Jesus,
Elizabeth
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
5/29 Update from George - HIV Education Program
Hello to all,
This is George, a.k.a. Georgina (long story about me, a guy, having to dress up as a girl in a skit and the kids loved it so much that Georgina had to make a return appearance!), and one of the new team members that flew in the past weekend. But you haven't come to this blog site to hear all about me, so here goes some news about the team.
WOW, we just had a really great worship and testimony session. As we returned this evening, we were greeted by two of the girls cooking grilled cheese sandwiches. They were a big hit. Then we followed that with a bit of worship music. It started a bit slow and then it just started happening. The Spirit enter the room and peace came at the same time. By the time we got to "Here I am to Worship", I had chills. Then we went around the room to share testimonies and it was nothing short of moving and amazing.
Today at Murundu Basic School: Well, we were at the Basic School in Murundu again today. Today was the last of Jami's talk on Transmission of AIDS which was followed by Dan bringing a great message about Truth and the reasons why the students should get tested (this was all for the morning session!). The afternoon session was started with Dan's talk and then followed up with a message about Abstinence and Sex, as it relates to biblical truth, by Henry (a Zambian church planting student) and myself. The most powerful moment for me was during Henry's testimony. I sat and watched the student's faces. They had the look that said, "I'm connecting with you." I just know that some of them were encouraged and inspired.
Of course we did have a few bumps along the road, but overall, today was really great. Our team is working very well together, praying for each other, and helping out wherever is needed.
Now let me share one personal story before I leave. I arrived on Saturday and was told, within my first hour of being in Zambia, that I would be preaching the next morning. Talk about on the spot! :) As I sat in the Kitwe church worship service, singing and dancing (they dance a lot), it hit me. I hate this overwhelming feeling of "these people really know how to worship. Who am I to bring God's message to them? They are such a beautiful people." I felt so unworthy. Of course, I brought the message and it was received really well. (God can work miracles even when you don't feel worthy.) The point I want to get across, however, is this. These people are truly a beautiful people. They are worthy of our prayers. They are worthy of the small help we can give to them and I am even worthy of them. A few of the Zambians have taught me so much about love, about caring and about so much more.
Peace,
George
This is George, a.k.a. Georgina (long story about me, a guy, having to dress up as a girl in a skit and the kids loved it so much that Georgina had to make a return appearance!), and one of the new team members that flew in the past weekend. But you haven't come to this blog site to hear all about me, so here goes some news about the team.
WOW, we just had a really great worship and testimony session. As we returned this evening, we were greeted by two of the girls cooking grilled cheese sandwiches. They were a big hit. Then we followed that with a bit of worship music. It started a bit slow and then it just started happening. The Spirit enter the room and peace came at the same time. By the time we got to "Here I am to Worship", I had chills. Then we went around the room to share testimonies and it was nothing short of moving and amazing.
Today at Murundu Basic School: Well, we were at the Basic School in Murundu again today. Today was the last of Jami's talk on Transmission of AIDS which was followed by Dan bringing a great message about Truth and the reasons why the students should get tested (this was all for the morning session!). The afternoon session was started with Dan's talk and then followed up with a message about Abstinence and Sex, as it relates to biblical truth, by Henry (a Zambian church planting student) and myself. The most powerful moment for me was during Henry's testimony. I sat and watched the student's faces. They had the look that said, "I'm connecting with you." I just know that some of them were encouraged and inspired.
Of course we did have a few bumps along the road, but overall, today was really great. Our team is working very well together, praying for each other, and helping out wherever is needed.
Now let me share one personal story before I leave. I arrived on Saturday and was told, within my first hour of being in Zambia, that I would be preaching the next morning. Talk about on the spot! :) As I sat in the Kitwe church worship service, singing and dancing (they dance a lot), it hit me. I hate this overwhelming feeling of "these people really know how to worship. Who am I to bring God's message to them? They are such a beautiful people." I felt so unworthy. Of course, I brought the message and it was received really well. (God can work miracles even when you don't feel worthy.) The point I want to get across, however, is this. These people are truly a beautiful people. They are worthy of our prayers. They are worthy of the small help we can give to them and I am even worthy of them. A few of the Zambians have taught me so much about love, about caring and about so much more.
Peace,
George
5/29 Update from Carol - Trauma Program
Hey y'all,
It's Carol reporting live from Zambia! Woot woot! Today the Trauma team went into Kitwe to the all girls Chibote High School. We had some technical difficulties at first with the black amps in the hot sun, then decided to just raise our voices... not yell because you know we're not bringing the heat just yet! We started out with some songs and WHOA DANG can this Zambian girl Meydren sing! God has definitely blessed her!!! After that we had the doctors skit, which just so you all know... PJ (Pastor Jeremy Swanson) did an impression of explosive diarrhea that would make his Swanson kids proud... ESPECIALLY Israel! HECK YES MAN! And how it went was... I went in for an annual physical checkup, and every time someone sat down next to me I caught whatever they had. First it was coughing, then fiercely itching, then EXPLOSIVE POO, then Tannen walked in acting like she was pregnato, and I realized what was going on and I flipped out and ran "off stage" exit stage left!
Then Kristen started giving a brief overview of Trauma, and I put on this sweater thing, and was the "Hairy scary monster" and I kept trying to get Kristen's attention. It went on for a while like this: OH EH AHA HA AH AH OH EH OH UH OHUH OHUH OHUH (various monkey calls), rolling around on the ground yelling randomly, making funny noises, just to try and get Kristen's attention. She never looked til Tannen came running up yelling at her for not acknowledging (I think that's the wrong spelling... whatever DUDE!) the hairy scary sweaty... haha monster. Finally she recognizes it, and the point is that Trauma is the hairy scary stuff that no one wants to talk about or deal with.
These kids... AMAZING! This place, God's land... I think Tannen and I decided today that someday we're going to go live in a mud hut in the bush for a month or two... YEP that's right folks I said it. On the way home we got onto the people transporter, aka the bus, and about 17.3 miles away from Mufulira (rough estimate of course) it broke down. And these crazy munto's (Zambian's) were pulling out "spare parts". So I sat on the ground ate some nerds (I don't like candy, but had nothing to eat, and if you know me you know I am ALWAYS hungry!) And I very quietly left my mark on Africa. No I didn't pee you sickos, I just wrote my name and took a picture. So there I am sitting on the ground finished with my nerds staring at our non-working people transporter and wondering how we're going to get home.
WE HITCH HIKED! Parents, significant others, friends, family, and anyone who randomly cares... Zambia is a friendly country. Zambia is safe. There were no sketchy situations involved and we returned home safely to a new GEIZER! Installed by an old geizer... but don't tell Dr. Yodis I said that! ;) ;)
One thing I would like to mention that will make someone proud... A Zambian guy came up to me today and asked "How much are you?" I said "I am not for sale buddy!" He says "How much, women don't choose." I say "You can't afford me! :)" Then I shook my fist with an incredibly stern expression.
Okay, blogging out.
Sendamenapo (Goodnight!)...Even though it's only 1:30 in the afternoon for y'all.
P.S, How is living in the past? Get it, since y'all are 6 hours behind us!!!:)
It's Carol reporting live from Zambia! Woot woot! Today the Trauma team went into Kitwe to the all girls Chibote High School. We had some technical difficulties at first with the black amps in the hot sun, then decided to just raise our voices... not yell because you know we're not bringing the heat just yet! We started out with some songs and WHOA DANG can this Zambian girl Meydren sing! God has definitely blessed her!!! After that we had the doctors skit, which just so you all know... PJ (Pastor Jeremy Swanson) did an impression of explosive diarrhea that would make his Swanson kids proud... ESPECIALLY Israel! HECK YES MAN! And how it went was... I went in for an annual physical checkup, and every time someone sat down next to me I caught whatever they had. First it was coughing, then fiercely itching, then EXPLOSIVE POO, then Tannen walked in acting like she was pregnato, and I realized what was going on and I flipped out and ran "off stage" exit stage left!
Then Kristen started giving a brief overview of Trauma, and I put on this sweater thing, and was the "Hairy scary monster" and I kept trying to get Kristen's attention. It went on for a while like this: OH EH AHA HA AH AH OH EH OH UH OHUH OHUH OHUH (various monkey calls), rolling around on the ground yelling randomly, making funny noises, just to try and get Kristen's attention. She never looked til Tannen came running up yelling at her for not acknowledging (I think that's the wrong spelling... whatever DUDE!) the hairy scary sweaty... haha monster. Finally she recognizes it, and the point is that Trauma is the hairy scary stuff that no one wants to talk about or deal with.
These kids... AMAZING! This place, God's land... I think Tannen and I decided today that someday we're going to go live in a mud hut in the bush for a month or two... YEP that's right folks I said it. On the way home we got onto the people transporter, aka the bus, and about 17.3 miles away from Mufulira (rough estimate of course) it broke down. And these crazy munto's (Zambian's) were pulling out "spare parts". So I sat on the ground ate some nerds (I don't like candy, but had nothing to eat, and if you know me you know I am ALWAYS hungry!) And I very quietly left my mark on Africa. No I didn't pee you sickos, I just wrote my name and took a picture. So there I am sitting on the ground finished with my nerds staring at our non-working people transporter and wondering how we're going to get home.
WE HITCH HIKED! Parents, significant others, friends, family, and anyone who randomly cares... Zambia is a friendly country. Zambia is safe. There were no sketchy situations involved and we returned home safely to a new GEIZER! Installed by an old geizer... but don't tell Dr. Yodis I said that! ;) ;)
One thing I would like to mention that will make someone proud... A Zambian guy came up to me today and asked "How much are you?" I said "I am not for sale buddy!" He says "How much, women don't choose." I say "You can't afford me! :)" Then I shook my fist with an incredibly stern expression.
Okay, blogging out.
Sendamenapo (Goodnight!)...Even though it's only 1:30 in the afternoon for y'all.
P.S, How is living in the past? Get it, since y'all are 6 hours behind us!!!:)
Monday/Tuesday Update from Kristen - Trauma Program
Yesterday we started the second two-week session of our Trauma Program. We're working in Kitwe, about a half-hour from Mufulira, in the heart of the copper belt. Kitwe, in the local language, literally means "head," and is named as such because it is nearly the largest city in Zambia, second only to Lusaka. It is a relatively wealthy area due to the copper-mining industry. About 40 km from Kitwe is a copper mine that claims to be the largest open-pit mine in the world - think Grand Canyon without the pretty sunrises. Every morning we'll be working with the Stop The Spread team that was formed last year. It consists of four women and three men. They have been working with Wiseman (a local pastor) and a teacher at Chabote High School to keep a STS club running throughout the school year. Tannen, Jeremy, Carol (she's joining us this session) and I will split up the women and men on the team and do training with each group separately. Because of gender issues, we thought it best to have Jeremy train the men and Tannen, Carol, and I train the women. Today will be day one of training for them in this format. In the afternoon, we'll all head over to Chabote High School and start our program there. We'll be there from 1300 hours to about 1430. This is, of course, all subject to change - at any moment. TIA.
The team as a whole seems to be doing well, we're excited to have some new faces in the house - Jami, Megan, Abbie, and George (pardon if I butchered the spellings). Dan is especially excited to have some additional testosterone around to combat the estrogen ocean. And I have a friend visiting, Annie, who has been serving in the peace corp for the last year in the southern province. She lives in a village - mud hut, no running water or electricity - so there has been a lot to learn from her time here as well.
Oh, and one last event of note: thanks to the skills of Dr. T, we now have a brand-new Geyzer! (Anyone not familiar with the situation - the Geyzer is a British term for water heater.) It is now possible to take a shower all by yourself...meaning no one has to stand by to turn the hot water on and off. The house will be much quieter. And we don't have to worry about the thing exploding, which is also a plus.
Well, we're off to start another day...
Kristen
The team as a whole seems to be doing well, we're excited to have some new faces in the house - Jami, Megan, Abbie, and George (pardon if I butchered the spellings). Dan is especially excited to have some additional testosterone around to combat the estrogen ocean. And I have a friend visiting, Annie, who has been serving in the peace corp for the last year in the southern province. She lives in a village - mud hut, no running water or electricity - so there has been a lot to learn from her time here as well.
Oh, and one last event of note: thanks to the skills of Dr. T, we now have a brand-new Geyzer! (Anyone not familiar with the situation - the Geyzer is a British term for water heater.) It is now possible to take a shower all by yourself...meaning no one has to stand by to turn the hot water on and off. The house will be much quieter. And we don't have to worry about the thing exploding, which is also a plus.
Well, we're off to start another day...
Kristen
Monday/Tuesday Update from Elizabeth - VBS/HIV Team
Hi, friends and family!
We are continuing to have a really great time here in Zambia. I believe that the "newbies" are acclimating well, and all projects are off to another roaring start. The trauma team consists of Tannen, Jeremy, Kristin and Carol, and they are working in Kitwe this week. The HIV/AIDS education team is Dan, George, Megan, Jami and sometimes me (Elizabeth). I am also working with Abbie and Jess leading a VBS at Murundu village in the mornings this week. In the afternoons, Abbie and Jess will continue to look after the various Moringa tree projects, while I return to the HIV/AIDS education team. The HIV/AIDS education team is also working in Murundu this week, at the local basic school (grades 1-12).
I will just take a minute or two to share about yesterday's adventures in Murundu. Dan's team did an excellent job teaching the upper grades through the HIV/AIDS education program. We have the help of two church planters and one of the singers from Agape church. It makes for a wonderful program! They ran two programs - one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The VBS team ended up doing an impromptu "program" for the lower grades, since our orphans were not yet ready for us (they will hopefully be gathered together today - Tuesday!). We had a really neat time working with the headmaster and the teachers. The students were great and very many... around 200-250! :) We played some of their games and ours; sang some of their songs and ours; and shared the story of David and Goliath through puppets. I really enjoyed working with the little ones and hearing their beautiful voices responding to our message.
I've got to run off to start another day at Murundu. Hope that everyone is enjoying life in the USA. Happy Memorial Day! :) Thank you sooo much for your continued prayers and support. We definitely need and appreciate the prayers and comments, emails and calls, from home. We could not do this without you!
Love in Christ,
Elizabeth
We are continuing to have a really great time here in Zambia. I believe that the "newbies" are acclimating well, and all projects are off to another roaring start. The trauma team consists of Tannen, Jeremy, Kristin and Carol, and they are working in Kitwe this week. The HIV/AIDS education team is Dan, George, Megan, Jami and sometimes me (Elizabeth). I am also working with Abbie and Jess leading a VBS at Murundu village in the mornings this week. In the afternoons, Abbie and Jess will continue to look after the various Moringa tree projects, while I return to the HIV/AIDS education team. The HIV/AIDS education team is also working in Murundu this week, at the local basic school (grades 1-12).
I will just take a minute or two to share about yesterday's adventures in Murundu. Dan's team did an excellent job teaching the upper grades through the HIV/AIDS education program. We have the help of two church planters and one of the singers from Agape church. It makes for a wonderful program! They ran two programs - one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The VBS team ended up doing an impromptu "program" for the lower grades, since our orphans were not yet ready for us (they will hopefully be gathered together today - Tuesday!). We had a really neat time working with the headmaster and the teachers. The students were great and very many... around 200-250! :) We played some of their games and ours; sang some of their songs and ours; and shared the story of David and Goliath through puppets. I really enjoyed working with the little ones and hearing their beautiful voices responding to our message.
I've got to run off to start another day at Murundu. Hope that everyone is enjoying life in the USA. Happy Memorial Day! :) Thank you sooo much for your continued prayers and support. We definitely need and appreciate the prayers and comments, emails and calls, from home. We could not do this without you!
Love in Christ,
Elizabeth
Friday, May 25, 2007
5/25 Update from Stef - HIV Education Program
Hello Everyone! As usual, today was another unique and interesting day in Zambia. As it is Zambia's Independence Day, there was no school today so all the teams had a break and it gave us a chance to explore the country a little bit. We began by waking up at 5am and piling all 12 people into the van (pillows and blankets in tow) and heading off to Chingola to visit a Chimp orphanage. Of course, the ever reliant "Say Yes to Jesus" van blew a shock and we had to turn around about 20 minutes into our trip to take the shock that was dragging on the road off. After the boys fixed the problem, we piled back in the van and settled in quite cozily. Dan, Jim, Carol, and myself sacrificed for the group by taking the back where we were able to again "sacrifice" by stretching out and falling asleep like a pile of kittens snuggled together in a heap of blankets and pillows. Almost 2 hours later we arrived on a very narrow dirt road surrounded on both sides by miles and miles of tall grass and rolling hills. 12 miles later, we arrived at the orphanage and proceeded to behave like children in awe of their first experience with animals at the Petco in the mall. As soon as we stepped outside of the van, we were faced with a female hippo named Billy laying in the pond only 5 feet away from us. This was only to be made even more surreal as we looked around and noticed all the little monkeys running around free jumping from roof to roof and hanging on branches just above our heads. Needless to say, we were all very excited about being so close to these animals that were not being held behind bars or cages. After being shown around a little bit and meeting the Chimps that were being held behind fences, we were called to the side of the house to watch Billy being fed her bottle. Seriously, this was hilarious. Billy is like 3 times the size of a cow and this little old English woman stood in front of her feeding her milk out of a bottle the size of a 2 liter coke. Apparently, "little" Billy who was 15 years old and obviously over weight, was kind of particular and refused to drink milk that was not heated up first. According to the little old woman, "Billy won't drink cold milk, she doesn't like it." Well, Billy...it looks as if you've figured our species out...
After watching Billy get fed and watching the Chimps (who were saved because people are poaching them for food) beat each other up "in play," we headed down the dirt path to Kitwe to enjoy some lunch and a day at the markets. Dr. Thinus treated us to Schwarma's (wow, I totally did not do justice to the spelling of that food!) and coke. While we sat in the van to enjoy our lunch, we were surrounded by young boys who were beggars and put their faces right up to the windows of the van and stared at us as we ate. While this was uncomfortable and frustrating, it shows you that there is always suffering in the world, whether it is your day off or not. Nevertheless, we finished eating and headed downtown to shop in the open markets and pick up souvenirs for our loved ones. I have to admit, I am not used to bargaining with people and I was a little overwhelmed by the experience of negotiating prices. You will be pleased to know that most of the group behaved like pro's and I would count the shopping trip as a success:)
While shopping was fun, we were cut a little short of time because we had to leave to drive to Ndola where we sadly dropped Holly and Jim off to head home for the states. After dropping them off after a round of hugs and goodbye's, we welcomed Jamie to the crew as she flew in on the plane that flew Holly and Jim out.
The evening ended with yet another night of the house favorite dinner, PB and J, and various journal writing, book reading, or listening to music. Jill and I fly out tomorrow and I think I speak for both of us when I say that we are going to deeply miss all that is Africa. This country is beautiful, hungry for Jesus, alive with culture, and painted with suffering...all the while, welcoming and loving the strange people that talk funny and don't know how to dance.
In any event, we miss our family and friends and talk about you often...thank you for your prayers and support.
Love,
Stef
After watching Billy get fed and watching the Chimps (who were saved because people are poaching them for food) beat each other up "in play," we headed down the dirt path to Kitwe to enjoy some lunch and a day at the markets. Dr. Thinus treated us to Schwarma's (wow, I totally did not do justice to the spelling of that food!) and coke. While we sat in the van to enjoy our lunch, we were surrounded by young boys who were beggars and put their faces right up to the windows of the van and stared at us as we ate. While this was uncomfortable and frustrating, it shows you that there is always suffering in the world, whether it is your day off or not. Nevertheless, we finished eating and headed downtown to shop in the open markets and pick up souvenirs for our loved ones. I have to admit, I am not used to bargaining with people and I was a little overwhelmed by the experience of negotiating prices. You will be pleased to know that most of the group behaved like pro's and I would count the shopping trip as a success:)
While shopping was fun, we were cut a little short of time because we had to leave to drive to Ndola where we sadly dropped Holly and Jim off to head home for the states. After dropping them off after a round of hugs and goodbye's, we welcomed Jamie to the crew as she flew in on the plane that flew Holly and Jim out.
The evening ended with yet another night of the house favorite dinner, PB and J, and various journal writing, book reading, or listening to music. Jill and I fly out tomorrow and I think I speak for both of us when I say that we are going to deeply miss all that is Africa. This country is beautiful, hungry for Jesus, alive with culture, and painted with suffering...all the while, welcoming and loving the strange people that talk funny and don't know how to dance.
In any event, we miss our family and friends and talk about you often...thank you for your prayers and support.
Love,
Stef
5/25 Update from Tannen - Trauma Program
Here goes for the trauma team again...Wednesday was our last day at Pamodzi High School. We had poetry and skit contests with the theme "Victory Over Trauma", and both contests went really great. Here is the winning poem:
*****
Anger, hate, jealousy occupied my thoughts day in and day out. I'd kill just for fun because of the love I never had.
I'd cause destruction, sickness and love to trespass in other people's dreams and I never cried not even a tear. Prostitution was my middle name, witchcraft was my first and murderer was my last.
I've never seen the sun cause it always rained on me, I slept in fear everyday and misery surrounded me.
When I lost my mother that's when I felt my heart break and the pieces were on my throat but never cried.
He talked to me and I knelt down and began to cry. I cried because of the joy I felt deep inside now I know.
If it is raining more than ever I can stand under his umbrella and we will stick together 'til the end.
*****
The skits were good...they were well thought out and we were happy to see a lot of what we had talked about integrated into them. Jeremy said a few parting words after the contests and we dismissed everyone for the last time. They broke into song for us before anyone had time to get up, and that was really touching. We took some time afterwards to hug and say goodbye to the girls that we've gotten close to over the past week and a half (some of whom we knew from last year). As always, each of the girls wanted pictures with us. Then we were off.
Friday a few of us had a meeting in Murundu regarding the orphanage. Kristen and I stayed afterwards and played soccer, sang songs, and hung out with some of the village kids -- lots of fun. We took public transport home, which is always an adventure.
In the evening, Dan, Elizabeth, Stef, Jill and I had a meeting with some of the church planting students who are serious about doing long-term STS work. I'm excited about our future plans, and about the awesome team of people that we have who are committed to doing the work that it will take to get us there.
Today my dad and Holly flew out, and Jami flew in on the plane that they flew out on. Tomorrow Stef and Jill leave, but we'll gain Abbie, Megan and George. So session 1 is winding down and Session 2 is winding up.
Tannen
*****
Anger, hate, jealousy occupied my thoughts day in and day out. I'd kill just for fun because of the love I never had.
I'd cause destruction, sickness and love to trespass in other people's dreams and I never cried not even a tear. Prostitution was my middle name, witchcraft was my first and murderer was my last.
I've never seen the sun cause it always rained on me, I slept in fear everyday and misery surrounded me.
When I lost my mother that's when I felt my heart break and the pieces were on my throat but never cried.
He talked to me and I knelt down and began to cry. I cried because of the joy I felt deep inside now I know.
If it is raining more than ever I can stand under his umbrella and we will stick together 'til the end.
*****
The skits were good...they were well thought out and we were happy to see a lot of what we had talked about integrated into them. Jeremy said a few parting words after the contests and we dismissed everyone for the last time. They broke into song for us before anyone had time to get up, and that was really touching. We took some time afterwards to hug and say goodbye to the girls that we've gotten close to over the past week and a half (some of whom we knew from last year). As always, each of the girls wanted pictures with us. Then we were off.
Friday a few of us had a meeting in Murundu regarding the orphanage. Kristen and I stayed afterwards and played soccer, sang songs, and hung out with some of the village kids -- lots of fun. We took public transport home, which is always an adventure.
In the evening, Dan, Elizabeth, Stef, Jill and I had a meeting with some of the church planting students who are serious about doing long-term STS work. I'm excited about our future plans, and about the awesome team of people that we have who are committed to doing the work that it will take to get us there.
Today my dad and Holly flew out, and Jami flew in on the plane that they flew out on. Tomorrow Stef and Jill leave, but we'll gain Abbie, Megan and George. So session 1 is winding down and Session 2 is winding up.
Tannen
Thursday, May 24, 2007
5/24 Update from Dan - HIV Education Program
Well, we finished our last day at Kalanga Basic School today... a good ending to a great week. Everything that went wrong last week came together for an amazing week at Kalanga. We have been spending our time from 12:00-1:15 playing soccer and forging relationships with the kids. They have been an absolute blessing to us. Whether it has been playing basketball with 30 girls and watching them scream and yell and be kids, or if it has been playing soccer with the boys and teaching them about the importance of teamwork and how "a house divided falls"... and how a nation divided falls if they do not join together to stop the spread. Or even playing lion tag where a hundred kids are charging across the field trying to escape the hungry lions (Jill and I) and grabbing them and sweeping them off their feet and hugging them so tight... and then grabbing all of our newly captured lions and roaring our lungs at the remaining runners. It has been evident since we walked through the gates of this humble school that these children were not the same as the ones we worked with last week. There was a certain yearning in every child's eyes... a certain pain behind every smile... a longing to be loved and to be known. This was never so evident than on the first day when there was a line twenty strong waiting their turn to be hugged by Stef. And seeing their faces as they were embraced was like watching one miracle after another unfold right before my eyes. It was beautiful.
Wednesday was probably the most powerful day of the time spent here. All week (and last week as well) we have had a really tough time with crowd control. As we gathered to sing songs together, our PA system cut out. But it must have been God telling us to change directions. So we broke into small groups by grades. The guys had a handful of 7th and 9th graders and a whole slew of 8th graders. I was figuring that I would just take the 8th since there was more of them, but God put it on my heart to take the 4 or 5 ninth graders. So I took them and sent the 7th and 8th with some church planters. As soon as we sat down about 12 more ninth graders walked over. And I started asking them, "why should we remain abstinent?" I pretended like I was Ruth, a girl that wanted to sleep with them and we started role playing. It was clear that they had no real reasons for why to remain abstinent. After getting through the obvious two: because I don't want to get HIV, and because the Bible says so... I pried to get any other reasons out (although those two reasons should be enough... it is clear that they are not sufficient as many, many Christian Zambians are having sex and taking the risk with HIV). We are trying to give them numerous reasons not to have sex, so that they can take ownership of the choice. I gave them a number of reasons and then went around the circle and asked them what they wanted to be when they grew up and one after another told me that they wanted to be doctors, engineers, teachers, electrician, pastors, etc. I was overwhelmed by their dreams... and told them the honest truth that choices that we make at 15 and 16 can affect the rest of their lives and that 5 minutes of pleasure is not worth sacrificing your dreams. I could see it in their faces... God showed up and they got it... they got it on a level that I haven't seen in the past two years of working here. I felt like I was talking with a group of high schoolers from America... it was like all the cultural lines and differing experiences were stripped away and we could just share about a struggle that is common to all men no matter where they come from or what they have been through. Jill and Elizabeth's small groups made similar connections about the future and just getting them to consider their hope and dreams and worth.
Stef on the other hand had a group that was very different... no one had much to say as they just sat and looked at her. So Stef decided to tell them that they could just ask her individual questions and she would pray with them. A line formed and each child proceeded to approach her and whispered heartbreaking stories of their lives: There were 8 and 9 year olds who had already lost their virginity; there were children orphaned and living on the streets, There were kids suffering unspeakable abuse from uncles and cousins. And just 5 minutes before there had been no discussion or life in the group. This perfectly characterizes an enemy of the fight against HIV/AIDS: silence... a silence which masks stories of the horrors and victims of this terrible virus and this deranged condition we call the sinful nature of man. Almost the exact same thing happened today in Elizabeth's small group. Silence in a group; tears once the silence is broken.
We are here to break the silence... we are here to give hugs to lines of desperate children... we are here to let a group of 5 and 6 year old boys hold onto our fingers as we walk through the schoolyard... we are here to teach these Zambian boys and girls to roar louder than they ever knew they could... we are here to blow kisses to them as we pile into the van... God is here... God is here... God is here... in every broken smile and tear filled eye, God is here... pray for us that the silence may be shattered by the only Love that can make old things new... a Love that covers over a multitude of sin and heartache and promises a place where tears are no more. Pray!
God Bless from Zambia... Dan
Wednesday was probably the most powerful day of the time spent here. All week (and last week as well) we have had a really tough time with crowd control. As we gathered to sing songs together, our PA system cut out. But it must have been God telling us to change directions. So we broke into small groups by grades. The guys had a handful of 7th and 9th graders and a whole slew of 8th graders. I was figuring that I would just take the 8th since there was more of them, but God put it on my heart to take the 4 or 5 ninth graders. So I took them and sent the 7th and 8th with some church planters. As soon as we sat down about 12 more ninth graders walked over. And I started asking them, "why should we remain abstinent?" I pretended like I was Ruth, a girl that wanted to sleep with them and we started role playing. It was clear that they had no real reasons for why to remain abstinent. After getting through the obvious two: because I don't want to get HIV, and because the Bible says so... I pried to get any other reasons out (although those two reasons should be enough... it is clear that they are not sufficient as many, many Christian Zambians are having sex and taking the risk with HIV). We are trying to give them numerous reasons not to have sex, so that they can take ownership of the choice. I gave them a number of reasons and then went around the circle and asked them what they wanted to be when they grew up and one after another told me that they wanted to be doctors, engineers, teachers, electrician, pastors, etc. I was overwhelmed by their dreams... and told them the honest truth that choices that we make at 15 and 16 can affect the rest of their lives and that 5 minutes of pleasure is not worth sacrificing your dreams. I could see it in their faces... God showed up and they got it... they got it on a level that I haven't seen in the past two years of working here. I felt like I was talking with a group of high schoolers from America... it was like all the cultural lines and differing experiences were stripped away and we could just share about a struggle that is common to all men no matter where they come from or what they have been through. Jill and Elizabeth's small groups made similar connections about the future and just getting them to consider their hope and dreams and worth.
Stef on the other hand had a group that was very different... no one had much to say as they just sat and looked at her. So Stef decided to tell them that they could just ask her individual questions and she would pray with them. A line formed and each child proceeded to approach her and whispered heartbreaking stories of their lives: There were 8 and 9 year olds who had already lost their virginity; there were children orphaned and living on the streets, There were kids suffering unspeakable abuse from uncles and cousins. And just 5 minutes before there had been no discussion or life in the group. This perfectly characterizes an enemy of the fight against HIV/AIDS: silence... a silence which masks stories of the horrors and victims of this terrible virus and this deranged condition we call the sinful nature of man. Almost the exact same thing happened today in Elizabeth's small group. Silence in a group; tears once the silence is broken.
We are here to break the silence... we are here to give hugs to lines of desperate children... we are here to let a group of 5 and 6 year old boys hold onto our fingers as we walk through the schoolyard... we are here to teach these Zambian boys and girls to roar louder than they ever knew they could... we are here to blow kisses to them as we pile into the van... God is here... God is here... God is here... in every broken smile and tear filled eye, God is here... pray for us that the silence may be shattered by the only Love that can make old things new... a Love that covers over a multitude of sin and heartache and promises a place where tears are no more. Pray!
God Bless from Zambia... Dan
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
5/23 Moringa Team Update
The moringa team had another good day. We traveled to Kitwe to give a presentation to a group of physicians at Kitwe Central Hospital. Before our presentation, a case study was presented on infant malnutrition that was closely related to what we were lecturing on. Jim and Holly then gave an abbreviated version of the presentation due to a lack of time, and then handed out moringa seeds and seedlings to those that were interested. We are hoping that the physicians will recommend using the tree to their patients and tell them how to grow and harvest it. The doctors seemed interested in our work, particularly some of the research that has been done on using the moringa to help prevent blindness; moringa has a very high Vitamin A content.
Tonight we had a meal of grilled-cheese and PB&Js; really whatever we could find. We found out that the power is going to be out from 8am-5pm tomorrow, so we're all trying to get our fill of electricity before then. There is a crowd gathered in the family room watching a soccer game as well as a line for the email.
Tomorrow we will hold one of our last workshops. A group of students from the church planting school as well as some other pastors will be coming to Dr. T's house. We're hoping to have them plant some of our trees for us, as "practice." We'll let you know how it goes.
Tonight we had a meal of grilled-cheese and PB&Js; really whatever we could find. We found out that the power is going to be out from 8am-5pm tomorrow, so we're all trying to get our fill of electricity before then. There is a crowd gathered in the family room watching a soccer game as well as a line for the email.
Tomorrow we will hold one of our last workshops. A group of students from the church planting school as well as some other pastors will be coming to Dr. T's house. We're hoping to have them plant some of our trees for us, as "practice." We'll let you know how it goes.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
5/22 Moringa Team Update
Sorry for not sending an update yesterday. The line was crazy and I went to bed. So here we go!
Monday:
The moringa team had a day of relative rest today. We woke up and planted about 8 more trees in the grove in front of Dr. Thinus' house. There are a few more that we'd like to plant, but we're going to wait until this Thursday during our workshop with the church planting students.
After planting the trees we went to Agape for another scrumptious meal (with moringa added to it!). Because we didn't have anything planned for the afternoon, Dr. T's secretary took us to the market downtown so that we could buy fabric for skirts. We then picked up some liner and went to the tailor to have them made. This Thursday afternoon we will get new skirts, custom made! While we were downtown we stopped at the butcher shop, which also sells soft-serve ice cream inside. Once we got over the smell of the store, we picked up our ice creams, ate them outside on the curb, and headed back to Dr. T's early. Holly and Jim worked on a presentation for the 2 workshops that will be holding this week.
Tuesday:
"The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit." -Nelson Henderson.
While we know that this is not THE meaning of life, it pretty much sums up the moringa team's experiences here.
This morning we got up early and headed to Ndola to meet Sue Beare from Isubilo, a British NGO. They do work with orphans, HIV patients, and underweight babies. They had asked us to hold a workshop for about 40-60 people and so we were very nervous. It went well though! We set up our impressive array of books and materials and then Jim gave an introduction of Agape, STS and what we are all about. Holly then gave the presentation on the moringa to the audience, which consisted of volunteers, those who are HIV positive, and a few grandparents that were the main caretakers of underweight babies. As always, it was heartbreaking. They really seemed to understand the message (despite the translator) and all wanted some moringa seeds. We showed them how to plant, dry, and use the tree and made it a little interactive. When it came to the part where we told them how to grind the tree with a mortar and pestle, Jim asked for a volunteer so that we didn't make fools of ourselves trying to figure it out. She was very good and managed to create a fine powder far quicker than we would have. After the presentation we gave all the participants a handful of seeds and the main agricultural guy at Isubilo, Tenga, 84 seedlings. Tenga seems responsible and knowledgeable, so hopefully this time next year they will have a healthy grove.
On the way home we stopped by a store called "The Hungry Lion" for some Zambian fast food. We ate fried chicken and fries and then snoozed on the long drive back home.
Tonight at 6:20 pm we will be featured on ZNBC in a 30-minute documentary. It's the highlight of our week! We'll be sure to make copies so that we can bring it back home.
Tomorrow we are going to Kitwe Central Hospital to give a presentation on the moringa to some doctors. This was arranged by our friend, Dr. Gil, who assures us that it won't be a tough crowd but we aren't totally believing him. Jim is busy preparing as we type.
We hope that everyone in the States is doing well and enjoying our blogs. We enjoy writing them! Take care and please keep praying for us.
p.s.- Those of you concerned about our hygiene will be pleased to know that we finally got some clothes washed so that we do not have to wear t-shirts covered in mud after 3 days of digging anymore. :-)
Monday:
The moringa team had a day of relative rest today. We woke up and planted about 8 more trees in the grove in front of Dr. Thinus' house. There are a few more that we'd like to plant, but we're going to wait until this Thursday during our workshop with the church planting students.
After planting the trees we went to Agape for another scrumptious meal (with moringa added to it!). Because we didn't have anything planned for the afternoon, Dr. T's secretary took us to the market downtown so that we could buy fabric for skirts. We then picked up some liner and went to the tailor to have them made. This Thursday afternoon we will get new skirts, custom made! While we were downtown we stopped at the butcher shop, which also sells soft-serve ice cream inside. Once we got over the smell of the store, we picked up our ice creams, ate them outside on the curb, and headed back to Dr. T's early. Holly and Jim worked on a presentation for the 2 workshops that will be holding this week.
Tuesday:
"The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit." -Nelson Henderson.
While we know that this is not THE meaning of life, it pretty much sums up the moringa team's experiences here.
This morning we got up early and headed to Ndola to meet Sue Beare from Isubilo, a British NGO. They do work with orphans, HIV patients, and underweight babies. They had asked us to hold a workshop for about 40-60 people and so we were very nervous. It went well though! We set up our impressive array of books and materials and then Jim gave an introduction of Agape, STS and what we are all about. Holly then gave the presentation on the moringa to the audience, which consisted of volunteers, those who are HIV positive, and a few grandparents that were the main caretakers of underweight babies. As always, it was heartbreaking. They really seemed to understand the message (despite the translator) and all wanted some moringa seeds. We showed them how to plant, dry, and use the tree and made it a little interactive. When it came to the part where we told them how to grind the tree with a mortar and pestle, Jim asked for a volunteer so that we didn't make fools of ourselves trying to figure it out. She was very good and managed to create a fine powder far quicker than we would have. After the presentation we gave all the participants a handful of seeds and the main agricultural guy at Isubilo, Tenga, 84 seedlings. Tenga seems responsible and knowledgeable, so hopefully this time next year they will have a healthy grove.
On the way home we stopped by a store called "The Hungry Lion" for some Zambian fast food. We ate fried chicken and fries and then snoozed on the long drive back home.
Tonight at 6:20 pm we will be featured on ZNBC in a 30-minute documentary. It's the highlight of our week! We'll be sure to make copies so that we can bring it back home.
Tomorrow we are going to Kitwe Central Hospital to give a presentation on the moringa to some doctors. This was arranged by our friend, Dr. Gil, who assures us that it won't be a tough crowd but we aren't totally believing him. Jim is busy preparing as we type.
We hope that everyone in the States is doing well and enjoying our blogs. We enjoy writing them! Take care and please keep praying for us.
p.s.- Those of you concerned about our hygiene will be pleased to know that we finally got some clothes washed so that we do not have to wear t-shirts covered in mud after 3 days of digging anymore. :-)
Monday, May 21, 2007
5/21 Update from Jill - HIV Education Program
Today was an interesting day for the HIV/AIDS team. We finished at Kantanshi last week and are spending this week at Kulungu Basic School. Basic schools are a bit like special education schools in the US; they're for the children who were not quite smart enough to get in to a secondary school.
The highlight of the trip to and from the school was that we managed to fit 25 people and all of the sound equipment into Dr. T's 8 passenger van- which lacks A/C and in which only half of the windows open. :) The headmaster of Kulungu was much more friendly and accomodating than the Kantanshi headmaster had been, which was very refreshing. He invited us into his office and showed a genuine interest in both our project and the team itself. We appreciated his kindness, but were a bit distracted by the "Beauty and the Beast" queen-sized dust ruffle that passed for his desk cover. :D
After we introduced ourselves to the teachers, the fun really began. We presented to students ranging from 1st grade to age 16 (which in a regular secondary school would mean an 11th grader but at Kulungu was an 8th grader). We started setting up in an empty classroom reserved for that purpose, but found that there were too many students and moved our program outside. After we began, we found that the sound system that we had worked so hard to bring with us and set up was out of commission; we resorted to speaking very loudly and enunciating slowly. :) The kids at Kulungu speak very little English compared to those at Kantanshi, but they did their best to pay attention; Henry (one of the church planters) kindly remedied the situation by voluntarily translating our talks into Bemba.
Our program went better than we expected, all things considered, and I speak for us all when I say we found Kulungu much better all around than Kantanshi. The students are markedly poorer, and there is the slight language barrier, but these kids seem to be genuinely interested and in dire need of someone to care about them. We're all looking forward to how God is going to work in the next few days as we adjust our program for the outdoor venue and the significant age gap. We truly appreciate your prayers, and can feel the blessings that y'all are praying over us as we work for the kingdom.
The highlight of the trip to and from the school was that we managed to fit 25 people and all of the sound equipment into Dr. T's 8 passenger van- which lacks A/C and in which only half of the windows open. :) The headmaster of Kulungu was much more friendly and accomodating than the Kantanshi headmaster had been, which was very refreshing. He invited us into his office and showed a genuine interest in both our project and the team itself. We appreciated his kindness, but were a bit distracted by the "Beauty and the Beast" queen-sized dust ruffle that passed for his desk cover. :D
After we introduced ourselves to the teachers, the fun really began. We presented to students ranging from 1st grade to age 16 (which in a regular secondary school would mean an 11th grader but at Kulungu was an 8th grader). We started setting up in an empty classroom reserved for that purpose, but found that there were too many students and moved our program outside. After we began, we found that the sound system that we had worked so hard to bring with us and set up was out of commission; we resorted to speaking very loudly and enunciating slowly. :) The kids at Kulungu speak very little English compared to those at Kantanshi, but they did their best to pay attention; Henry (one of the church planters) kindly remedied the situation by voluntarily translating our talks into Bemba.
Our program went better than we expected, all things considered, and I speak for us all when I say we found Kulungu much better all around than Kantanshi. The students are markedly poorer, and there is the slight language barrier, but these kids seem to be genuinely interested and in dire need of someone to care about them. We're all looking forward to how God is going to work in the next few days as we adjust our program for the outdoor venue and the significant age gap. We truly appreciate your prayers, and can feel the blessings that y'all are praying over us as we work for the kingdom.
5/21 Update from Jeremy - Trauma Program
Since arriving in Africa much has happened, as you well may imagine. Who can know who is learning more: us or the people who we are ministering to. As I talk to my brothers and sisters in Christ, who daily become closer to my heart, I sense a connection that indeed shall forever be with me. As humans we have our ups and downs, senses of inadequacies, but I am constantly reminded that the battle is the Lord's. I am convinced, in spite of what I see at times, that the Holy Spirit is doing eternal things -- and I mean eternal things -- in the hearts and minds of our Zambian brothers and sisters.
I have seen team members with little experience in ministry step up day after day and effectively minister into the lives of hurting people. The team that I am with is ministering on the subject of Trauma. I find it interesting that as we reach out to see others free the Lord is doing the same things in us. It makes for a pretty good day.
Kristen spoke today in regard to all the junk in our lives that we pack neatly away in little boxes and hide them for no one to see. What a blessing to see young ladies of Pamodzi High School present their boxes to the Lord. I believe it is a day they will never forget. The Lord was there. Can it get any better than that?
I have seen team members with little experience in ministry step up day after day and effectively minister into the lives of hurting people. The team that I am with is ministering on the subject of Trauma. I find it interesting that as we reach out to see others free the Lord is doing the same things in us. It makes for a pretty good day.
Kristen spoke today in regard to all the junk in our lives that we pack neatly away in little boxes and hide them for no one to see. What a blessing to see young ladies of Pamodzi High School present their boxes to the Lord. I believe it is a day they will never forget. The Lord was there. Can it get any better than that?
Sunday, May 20, 2007
5/20 Update from Holly - Moringa Project
It's been yet another beautiful day in Zambia. We woke up and went to church; a few of us went to a church to hear Jeremy preach, and the rest of us went to Agape with Dr. T. They were singing our favorite song as we came in, but it went on a while so that we were able to join in. The service lasted about 3 hours today as opposed to 4 last week. There was so much singing and dancing that it seemed to pass quickly though. The services here make ours in the U.S. look so boring! We definitely get much more exercise at church in Zambia from dancing.
After church we made a trip to the ShopRite where we stocked up on water, chocolate, and Fanta- all the important things. The crew from ZNBC came by to film the documentary on STS shortly after we returned home. They had intended to speak to us only about moringa, but we made sure that the other teams spoke with them. Carol demonstrated how to plant the moringa and Jim cut the top off of a mature tree to show how it is pruned. Next we went back to the Murundu village, where we planted the grove earlier this week. The TV crew wanted to see who our project would be directly benefiting. As we raced to get there before dark, we passed village children screaming "muzungu!", which always makes us laugh. When we pulled up to the grove area, about 50 orphans were waiting for us and screamed at the top of their lungs. Holly was first to get out of the car and they all quickly surrounded her to say "muli shani" and hang onto her. She almost got knocked over! Jim, Jess, Dr. T and the rest were also greeted with many smiling faces. We brought clothes for the children and Pastor Joseph, a local pastor and vice-mayor of Murundu, arranged all of the kids around us so that we could speak a little bit and then hand out clothes. The kids were very excited because they are only used to getting clothes once a year, so for them it was like Christmas. Many of the clothes they wear are very worn and torn, since they have only a few items year-round. The children ate their meal, which they receive once daily. We played and Jess took many pictures while the cameraman filmed the action. Dr. Gilbert Siame and his friend, Dr. Brian, accompanied us and provided medical recommendations for some of the orphans; specifically the young 6 year old girl that we mentioned the other day that is suffering from HIV and is very malnourished. We are incredibly grateful to Gilbert for all of his help, including arranging the ZNBC spots, providing Carol with medicine for her strep, and arranging the moringa workshop that will occur this week at Kitwe Central Hospital.
The sight of the orphans is so heartbreaking. There is nobody to care for them and they are severely malnourished, all very thin with distended bellies. The orphan problem in Zambia is absolutely appalling; in the Mufulira area alone, there are over 40,000 orphans. In addition to being malnourished, they can't afford to attend school although their education costs mere pennies. We are praying that we can be a part of the solution in Murundu by taking over the Murundu Village Orphanage Foundation. Please pray for God's direction as we contemplate this large undertaking.
After returning home we spent the night relaxing, playing card, painting our nails (the men opted out) and sharing stories. Jeremy and Dan assumed the manly role of BBQing sausages while Dr. T and the girls made a fresh salad. It was an amazing meal. We all realize how lucky we are to have nutritious, yummy food to eat and constantly make sure that we thank God for what we are given. We realize how blessed we all are and hope that through our work we will continue to bless others.
Until tomorrow...
After church we made a trip to the ShopRite where we stocked up on water, chocolate, and Fanta- all the important things. The crew from ZNBC came by to film the documentary on STS shortly after we returned home. They had intended to speak to us only about moringa, but we made sure that the other teams spoke with them. Carol demonstrated how to plant the moringa and Jim cut the top off of a mature tree to show how it is pruned. Next we went back to the Murundu village, where we planted the grove earlier this week. The TV crew wanted to see who our project would be directly benefiting. As we raced to get there before dark, we passed village children screaming "muzungu!", which always makes us laugh. When we pulled up to the grove area, about 50 orphans were waiting for us and screamed at the top of their lungs. Holly was first to get out of the car and they all quickly surrounded her to say "muli shani" and hang onto her. She almost got knocked over! Jim, Jess, Dr. T and the rest were also greeted with many smiling faces. We brought clothes for the children and Pastor Joseph, a local pastor and vice-mayor of Murundu, arranged all of the kids around us so that we could speak a little bit and then hand out clothes. The kids were very excited because they are only used to getting clothes once a year, so for them it was like Christmas. Many of the clothes they wear are very worn and torn, since they have only a few items year-round. The children ate their meal, which they receive once daily. We played and Jess took many pictures while the cameraman filmed the action. Dr. Gilbert Siame and his friend, Dr. Brian, accompanied us and provided medical recommendations for some of the orphans; specifically the young 6 year old girl that we mentioned the other day that is suffering from HIV and is very malnourished. We are incredibly grateful to Gilbert for all of his help, including arranging the ZNBC spots, providing Carol with medicine for her strep, and arranging the moringa workshop that will occur this week at Kitwe Central Hospital.
The sight of the orphans is so heartbreaking. There is nobody to care for them and they are severely malnourished, all very thin with distended bellies. The orphan problem in Zambia is absolutely appalling; in the Mufulira area alone, there are over 40,000 orphans. In addition to being malnourished, they can't afford to attend school although their education costs mere pennies. We are praying that we can be a part of the solution in Murundu by taking over the Murundu Village Orphanage Foundation. Please pray for God's direction as we contemplate this large undertaking.
After returning home we spent the night relaxing, playing card, painting our nails (the men opted out) and sharing stories. Jeremy and Dan assumed the manly role of BBQing sausages while Dr. T and the girls made a fresh salad. It was an amazing meal. We all realize how lucky we are to have nutritious, yummy food to eat and constantly make sure that we thank God for what we are given. We realize how blessed we all are and hope that through our work we will continue to bless others.
Until tomorrow...
Saturday, May 19, 2007
5/19 Update from Tannen - Trauma Program
Well, it's Saturday night now and we just finished our first week here in Mufulira. As usual, all of our teams are constantly adapting our programs and modifying things because the situations are different than what we expected ("TIA man -- This Is Africa").
Our time at Pamodzi has been good, but completely different than what we did there last year with the HIV Education program. The issues that we are dealing with are so personal that most of the kids shy away from them (and who can blame them since most adults do the same thing, myself included). I do think that it is a little sad, though, that there are so many people in this world dealing with things that are ripping them apart on the inside and filtering through so many areas of their lives, yet we continue to avoid them and try to live in this make-believe world where everything is happy. I think that this avoidance is a big reason why our group narrowed down from the couple hundred kids we had last year to the 40 or so kids who are taking part in our program this year. The ones that we have really seem to be listening and I'm happy to be working with a smaller, more personal group.
One of the most encouraging things that happened to me so far in regards to our program this year had to do with a local pastor who has been accompanying us to the school in the afternoons. Kristen and I had given a talk that day about how our condition changes after we go through trauma and how it wrecks our life and distorts our view of God... but also that His position never changes, and shared a few things that we had learned about God during our own journeys -- things that stay constant, despite where we are in our lives at any given moment. As usual, we followed the main talk with a small group time and on that day we handed out little slips of paper to the girls to stimulate discussion and get the wheels turning in everyone's brains. Well, afterwards the pastor went around and collected all of the little pieces of paper so that he could look at them more later and told us that "last year may have been for the girls, but this was for me." He told me later that he had woken up that morning and thought that all of the suffering that he was going through was "too much" (I'll skip the details on that) and that he couldn't do it anymore. But somehow that afternoon he was given hope. He told me the same thing the next day. So I was encouraged. I also had to take a step back and say thank you to God, because without him there is no hope.
We will only have our Trauma Program at Pamodzi High School until Wednesday of next week (school was cancelled on Thurs and Fri), so we have 3 more days there. We're in the middle of switching gears and moving from some of the softer issues (like the effect that trauma has on our life, God's love & acceptance, recognizing "safe" vs. "unsafe" people, developing a support system, etc) to the personal responsibility end of things.
On another note, Elizabeth did an AWESOME job with the dance workshop today - the girls loved it and we had a lot of fun. I am really, really enjoying working with everyone on our STS team this year. It is great to be around lots of compassionate, dedicated, honest, encouraging, fun people with different talents and backgrounds.
I keep thinking about the Murundu Orphan's Foundation and the option for us to take that and run with it. It seems like the epitome of an open door to me, but I know that we need to be careful to think it through and pray about it before committing to anything.
Chisuma mukwai!
Tannen
Our time at Pamodzi has been good, but completely different than what we did there last year with the HIV Education program. The issues that we are dealing with are so personal that most of the kids shy away from them (and who can blame them since most adults do the same thing, myself included). I do think that it is a little sad, though, that there are so many people in this world dealing with things that are ripping them apart on the inside and filtering through so many areas of their lives, yet we continue to avoid them and try to live in this make-believe world where everything is happy. I think that this avoidance is a big reason why our group narrowed down from the couple hundred kids we had last year to the 40 or so kids who are taking part in our program this year. The ones that we have really seem to be listening and I'm happy to be working with a smaller, more personal group.
One of the most encouraging things that happened to me so far in regards to our program this year had to do with a local pastor who has been accompanying us to the school in the afternoons. Kristen and I had given a talk that day about how our condition changes after we go through trauma and how it wrecks our life and distorts our view of God... but also that His position never changes, and shared a few things that we had learned about God during our own journeys -- things that stay constant, despite where we are in our lives at any given moment. As usual, we followed the main talk with a small group time and on that day we handed out little slips of paper to the girls to stimulate discussion and get the wheels turning in everyone's brains. Well, afterwards the pastor went around and collected all of the little pieces of paper so that he could look at them more later and told us that "last year may have been for the girls, but this was for me." He told me later that he had woken up that morning and thought that all of the suffering that he was going through was "too much" (I'll skip the details on that) and that he couldn't do it anymore. But somehow that afternoon he was given hope. He told me the same thing the next day. So I was encouraged. I also had to take a step back and say thank you to God, because without him there is no hope.
We will only have our Trauma Program at Pamodzi High School until Wednesday of next week (school was cancelled on Thurs and Fri), so we have 3 more days there. We're in the middle of switching gears and moving from some of the softer issues (like the effect that trauma has on our life, God's love & acceptance, recognizing "safe" vs. "unsafe" people, developing a support system, etc) to the personal responsibility end of things.
On another note, Elizabeth did an AWESOME job with the dance workshop today - the girls loved it and we had a lot of fun. I am really, really enjoying working with everyone on our STS team this year. It is great to be around lots of compassionate, dedicated, honest, encouraging, fun people with different talents and backgrounds.
I keep thinking about the Murundu Orphan's Foundation and the option for us to take that and run with it. It seems like the epitome of an open door to me, but I know that we need to be careful to think it through and pray about it before committing to anything.
Chisuma mukwai!
Tannen
5/19 Update from Elizabeth - HIV Education Program
Hi, family and friends!!!
Today was AMAZING!!! We went to Pamodzi Girls High School to run a "Fun Day" for all the students at the various high schools we have worked this week. It was wonderful to be able to invite the students from both Pamodzi and Kantashi to come and have fun with us today. A bunch of students showed up! We ran a dance workshop and outside games (soccer, team-building games, etc.). I was blessed to be able to work on the dance side with Jeremy (yeah!), Carol, Tannen, Kristin and Jessica. The dance workshop was really neat! Together we invented a really cool hip-hop piece which they loved. We then handed out 4 different colored streamers and explained the representation of each color (red = blood of Christ, blue = living water, white = holiness, gold = heaven). They then approached the Lord in worshipful dance, which was beautiful to watch unfold. After a time or two, they seemed to get the idea behind the dance and become a little more God-focused and less streamer-focused! :) We then worked on expression and dancing out our emotions. There was also Scriptural teaching in between each segment of the workshop, and I pray that the girls received it. I believe that God really showed up, and blessed the girls and let them have a few hours of uninterrupted fun! My heart about burst watching these girls dance with the streamers, which my team helped put together the week before we came to Africa (special thanks to Dave, Chris, Gary, and my whole family in Jax)!!! Stef, Dan and Jill facilitated all the outside games and did a great job. The guys and girls alike had a really fun time. Stef, Dan and Jill were also able to incorporate some lessons on teamwork through the various games. Only a few injuries occurred, and judging by the amount of sweaty, smiling students, it seemed like it was a huge success!!!
After lunch, several of us went back out to Murundu village. We were able to visit with Pastor Joseph and his wife, Hilda, and get an idea how much property the Murundu Orphan Foundation really has. It was incredible! They are already an officially recognized non-profit organization, and have in their possession quite a few hectares of land and lots of buildings (of which several are in very good condition!). It would not take much to renovate these buildings in order to expand the orphanage that Pastor Joseph already runs. It was really neat to tromp through the bush to look over the property, and brainstorm over what God could do in the future with some hard work, willing hands and passionate hearts! More on this in our prayer requests section down below!
We then toured the actual village, which literally is just that. I had not yet been there and so saw everything for the very first time! The huts were made of mud with thatched roofs. How I wish I could send you a photo! I took oodles. People were cooking over open fires, while chickens, goats, and ducks ran around everywhere. The tiny huts had only a thin cloth for a door. Children were running around in rags or were half naked, some with distended bellies. That's what makes the Moringa tree project so beautiful - that we can "be the change" towards the horrors of malnutrition. There are so many things we can do to help. Unfortunately, I want to do it all NOW - realizing, of course, that programs and projects take time to develop. :) I was reading my quiet time last night from Psalm 68. Little did I know, the Lord was preparing my heart for today! It says in verses 5-6, "A father to the fatherless and a judge and protector of the widows is God in His holy habitation. God places the solitary in families and gives the desolate a home in which to dwell..."
PRAYER REQUESTS...we cannot do anything without your support!
1. Please pray for Murundu Orphan Foundation project. We have a lot of great ideas, but of course want to see what God has in mind. Opportunities abound and we would love to find out what areas YOU can get involved too! :)
2. Along those same lines, please lift up the people of the Murundu village. They have so many needs, and are literally "neighbors" to Mufalira. How can we be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to these people?
3. Please lift up Carol's health. She thinks that she might have strep, and we would like you to pray for her total healing. We have made a connection with a very kind doctor here, so she has plenty of medication but doesn't feel any better yet!
4. Stef injured herself playing soccer with the students today. Her toe received a pretty deep gash, so please pray for her healing as well (no infection!).
5. In general, please pray for the entire team as we process the conclusion of our first full week in Zambia. God has already done some remarkable things in and through each one of us. Please pray for strength and spiritual encouragement as we continue to pour ourselves out in ministry day after day. It has been an incredible journey!
Thank you and good night!
Elizabeth
Today was AMAZING!!! We went to Pamodzi Girls High School to run a "Fun Day" for all the students at the various high schools we have worked this week. It was wonderful to be able to invite the students from both Pamodzi and Kantashi to come and have fun with us today. A bunch of students showed up! We ran a dance workshop and outside games (soccer, team-building games, etc.). I was blessed to be able to work on the dance side with Jeremy (yeah!), Carol, Tannen, Kristin and Jessica. The dance workshop was really neat! Together we invented a really cool hip-hop piece which they loved. We then handed out 4 different colored streamers and explained the representation of each color (red = blood of Christ, blue = living water, white = holiness, gold = heaven). They then approached the Lord in worshipful dance, which was beautiful to watch unfold. After a time or two, they seemed to get the idea behind the dance and become a little more God-focused and less streamer-focused! :) We then worked on expression and dancing out our emotions. There was also Scriptural teaching in between each segment of the workshop, and I pray that the girls received it. I believe that God really showed up, and blessed the girls and let them have a few hours of uninterrupted fun! My heart about burst watching these girls dance with the streamers, which my team helped put together the week before we came to Africa (special thanks to Dave, Chris, Gary, and my whole family in Jax)!!! Stef, Dan and Jill facilitated all the outside games and did a great job. The guys and girls alike had a really fun time. Stef, Dan and Jill were also able to incorporate some lessons on teamwork through the various games. Only a few injuries occurred, and judging by the amount of sweaty, smiling students, it seemed like it was a huge success!!!
After lunch, several of us went back out to Murundu village. We were able to visit with Pastor Joseph and his wife, Hilda, and get an idea how much property the Murundu Orphan Foundation really has. It was incredible! They are already an officially recognized non-profit organization, and have in their possession quite a few hectares of land and lots of buildings (of which several are in very good condition!). It would not take much to renovate these buildings in order to expand the orphanage that Pastor Joseph already runs. It was really neat to tromp through the bush to look over the property, and brainstorm over what God could do in the future with some hard work, willing hands and passionate hearts! More on this in our prayer requests section down below!
We then toured the actual village, which literally is just that. I had not yet been there and so saw everything for the very first time! The huts were made of mud with thatched roofs. How I wish I could send you a photo! I took oodles. People were cooking over open fires, while chickens, goats, and ducks ran around everywhere. The tiny huts had only a thin cloth for a door. Children were running around in rags or were half naked, some with distended bellies. That's what makes the Moringa tree project so beautiful - that we can "be the change" towards the horrors of malnutrition. There are so many things we can do to help. Unfortunately, I want to do it all NOW - realizing, of course, that programs and projects take time to develop. :) I was reading my quiet time last night from Psalm 68. Little did I know, the Lord was preparing my heart for today! It says in verses 5-6, "A father to the fatherless and a judge and protector of the widows is God in His holy habitation. God places the solitary in families and gives the desolate a home in which to dwell..."
PRAYER REQUESTS...we cannot do anything without your support!
1. Please pray for Murundu Orphan Foundation project. We have a lot of great ideas, but of course want to see what God has in mind. Opportunities abound and we would love to find out what areas YOU can get involved too! :)
2. Along those same lines, please lift up the people of the Murundu village. They have so many needs, and are literally "neighbors" to Mufalira. How can we be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to these people?
3. Please lift up Carol's health. She thinks that she might have strep, and we would like you to pray for her total healing. We have made a connection with a very kind doctor here, so she has plenty of medication but doesn't feel any better yet!
4. Stef injured herself playing soccer with the students today. Her toe received a pretty deep gash, so please pray for her healing as well (no infection!).
5. In general, please pray for the entire team as we process the conclusion of our first full week in Zambia. God has already done some remarkable things in and through each one of us. Please pray for strength and spiritual encouragement as we continue to pour ourselves out in ministry day after day. It has been an incredible journey!
Thank you and good night!
Elizabeth
5/19 Update from Holly - Moringa Project
The water is back on! The moringa team is very pleased about this, as our freshly planted trees need water, and we could all use a real shower. This morning Dr. Thinus, Jim and I (Holly) woke up at 5 a.m. to go to the ZNBC (Zambian National Broadcasting) station in Kitwe, about a 45 minute drive. Jim and I were interviewed live on TV and managed to get through without fumbling too much. While we were in Kitwe, we took advantage of being in the country's 2nd largest city to eat a real American breakfast. We had eggs, juice, coffee, beans, yogurt, toast, sausage, and bacon (which is not like American bacon- it's much better). It was absolutely delicious! Jim bought us all breakfast, as well as Gil, our new favorite Zambian. He is a friend of a friend in the U.S. and an absolute blessing! In less than a week he has secured our live TV spot which happened this morning, arranged for ZNBC to do a documentary on what we're doing tomorrow, organized a workshop at Kitwe Central Hospital for us with about 20 doctors and enthusiastically agreed to be on the board of the Murundu orphanage foundation if we take it over. Just a few hours ago he drove almost an hour from his home to bring penicillin, Vitamin C, and Tylenol to Carol, who has strep.
After our TV spot and breakfast, we came home and Dr. T worked on the house while Jim and I slept. We were exhausted from waking up so early. The rest of the team went to a local girl's high school to do a workshop for over 100 kids. It was more of a fun-time, with dancing and soccer. A great time was had by all. Once we the entire STS team reassembled, all but 4 of us (3 from the moringa group) traveled back to Murundu to visit the potential orphanage site and play with the children. The children there act as if they never get any attention from anyone, and they all huddle around to see the muzungus, or white people. We are a bit of an oddity. Throughout the afternoon, Carol, Jess, Jill and I relaxed at home by playing cards, reading, and typing emails. It's nice to have some down time!
Tonight Dr. T and I (Holly) make dinner for the group. We went to the Shop-Rite (think 3rd world grocery store) for some meat. Dr. T kept calling the meat that we were purchasing mince meat, which we thought was something gross and British. We did not want mince meat for dinner, until Dr. T dragged us to the meat section and showed us that it's high-quality beef that's been shredded. That made us feel much better. So tonight we are going to do something with that and spaghetti.
Tomorrow after church Gil will bring the folks from ZNBC here to do a documentary on STS. We are all very excited and mildly nervous. We'll be sure to let you know how it goes!
After our TV spot and breakfast, we came home and Dr. T worked on the house while Jim and I slept. We were exhausted from waking up so early. The rest of the team went to a local girl's high school to do a workshop for over 100 kids. It was more of a fun-time, with dancing and soccer. A great time was had by all. Once we the entire STS team reassembled, all but 4 of us (3 from the moringa group) traveled back to Murundu to visit the potential orphanage site and play with the children. The children there act as if they never get any attention from anyone, and they all huddle around to see the muzungus, or white people. We are a bit of an oddity. Throughout the afternoon, Carol, Jess, Jill and I relaxed at home by playing cards, reading, and typing emails. It's nice to have some down time!
Tonight Dr. T and I (Holly) make dinner for the group. We went to the Shop-Rite (think 3rd world grocery store) for some meat. Dr. T kept calling the meat that we were purchasing mince meat, which we thought was something gross and British. We did not want mince meat for dinner, until Dr. T dragged us to the meat section and showed us that it's high-quality beef that's been shredded. That made us feel much better. So tonight we are going to do something with that and spaghetti.
Tomorrow after church Gil will bring the folks from ZNBC here to do a documentary on STS. We are all very excited and mildly nervous. We'll be sure to let you know how it goes!
Friday, May 18, 2007
5/18 Update from Holly - Moringa Project
The moringa team had another productive day today. We all slept in except Jim- he woke up at 6am and got hard to work. After we all woke up, we worked on the grove in front of Dr. Thinus' yard. We'd already dug the holes the other day, so we just had to mix the compost and manure, add water, and plant the seed pods. Luckily it was much cooler today than yesterday and a slight breeze was blowing. Because it is the dry season, it is incredibly dusty. Around noon the water supply shut off, so we went to the church planting school with everyone to eat nshima and sausage. After we came back we were able to get some more water, so we finished planting most of the grove- 31 trees total! There are still a few left to plant on the perimeter, but we will finish those tomorrow. A few of the neighborhood kids helped us, and we drew a small crowd; nowhere close to yesterday though.
We are in a hurry to finish the grove because ZNBC (Zambian National Broadcasting Co.) is coming out to the house this Sunday after church to make a documentary about STS. We will take them to the Murundu village to show them what we did yesterday. Tomorrow (Saturday) morning, Holly and Jim will wake up around 5am to travel to Kitwe for an interview with ZNBC. ZNBC is the only TV station in Zambia, so we are hoping that this will give us lots of publicity.
Unfortunately one of our team members is sick; we are pretty sure that Carol has strep throat. Please pray for her speedy recovery! She's one of our hardest workers.
As of now (about 6pm), the water is still off. Holly is freaking out about possibly not being able to take a shower because she is covered in dirt and can't remember ever going to bed without a shower. Tannen thinks this is funny, but it's not.
We are in a hurry to finish the grove because ZNBC (Zambian National Broadcasting Co.) is coming out to the house this Sunday after church to make a documentary about STS. We will take them to the Murundu village to show them what we did yesterday. Tomorrow (Saturday) morning, Holly and Jim will wake up around 5am to travel to Kitwe for an interview with ZNBC. ZNBC is the only TV station in Zambia, so we are hoping that this will give us lots of publicity.
Unfortunately one of our team members is sick; we are pretty sure that Carol has strep throat. Please pray for her speedy recovery! She's one of our hardest workers.
As of now (about 6pm), the water is still off. Holly is freaking out about possibly not being able to take a shower because she is covered in dirt and can't remember ever going to bed without a shower. Tannen thinks this is funny, but it's not.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
5/17 Update from Stefanie - HIV Education Program
Today started out pretty relaxed for our team. Jeremy talked at the church planting school this morning so our team got to sleep in. For the most part we did exactly as we normally do, we sleepily walked out of our rooms to the kitchen, poured bowls of either weetibix or oatmeal, and drank coffee together around our tiny table sitting on our tiny square stools. From there we either listened to Patty Griffin on the radio while preparing our talks or stayed in the kitchen to just sit and talk before the day got going. At about 10:15 we left the house on foot and walked to the church planting school. I must say this was one of the highlights of the day. Dan, Jill, Elizabeth, and I set out side by side with our various backpacks, nalgene bottles, and of course, Jill's rock star sun glasses. The walk is about 20 minutes and along the way we passed beautiful trees that grow out instead of up and always are decorated with colorful flowers. There are also other Zambians out and about walking and we definitely stick out being a pack of four "muzungu" kids with matching shirts and a tendency to giggle and walk on the wrong side of the road. We also passed an orphanage and the marketplace-each reminding of us that we are a long way from home.
When we got to the church planting school 15 minutes late we wondered if Jeremy would be just awkwardly sitting around but then we remembered, its JEREMY, there would be no awkward sitting around-he would be preaching. We were right and he finished up about 10 minutes after we arrived. We gave the church planting students their tea break and then I gave a presentation about how to present the "getting tested" talk. The students were involved in the presentation and informed us that in Zambia, mothers often use their babies as a sign for whether they have HIV or not. If the baby lives and is healthy until it is 5, then they know they are safe. Needless to say, we were all aware of how much fear and stigma interferes with the simple act of getting tested.
After eating another fine meal of enchima and chicken (the chicken here is amazing, probably because it was just slaughtered that very same day!) we left for Kantanshi High School and were greeted like rock stars. Immediately the team was surrounded by kids shoving notebooks in our faces asking for our addresses. While becoming famous at Kantanshi High School is not our mission here, it was encouraging to see how quickly these kids were able to feel connected to us. After a quick team prayer session in the grass off to the side of the school, us four "muzungus" entered the auditorium and the program began. I have to say the dancing was awesome today! Most of the kids were standing and everyone was either swaying, shaking their hips, or waving their hands in the same direction. Then ensued the regular program including the dance contest where yet again, Dan and I totally embarrassed the American people for the sake of a laugh. I have to say the "flounder" move was probably the best... Dan, we have that on video ;) Meanwhile Jill was taking wonderful pictures and Elizabeth, while she tried hard not to, still managed to be one of the best dancers. Later on we broke into groups where Dan lead the boys in an intimate talk about Jesus Christ and the girls did the same. Jill ended our group with one of her favorite Bible verses and I think the girls all felt how personally connected the three of us are to our mission and to truly loving those students.
As the day came to a close at Kantanshi High, we packed into the van and headed home. However, our day was not over as Dan and I played soccer well into the night with the neighbor boys and Jill and Elizabeth played in the dirt with the neighbor girls. After dinner, the four of us re-grouped to talk about the plan for tomorrow and what should have been a 15 minute meeting turned into an hour and half meeting because at this point in our trip, the four of us can't be together without laughing hysterically and getting off topic. I have to say, I have come to love Zambia, the Zambian people, my housemates, and most definitely, my fellow teammates. At the end of our meeting Dan reminded us that we are covered in prayer right now and that made us all more comfortable about getting up and continuing on... thank you everyone who is praying for us, we love you and miss you.
~Stef
When we got to the church planting school 15 minutes late we wondered if Jeremy would be just awkwardly sitting around but then we remembered, its JEREMY, there would be no awkward sitting around-he would be preaching. We were right and he finished up about 10 minutes after we arrived. We gave the church planting students their tea break and then I gave a presentation about how to present the "getting tested" talk. The students were involved in the presentation and informed us that in Zambia, mothers often use their babies as a sign for whether they have HIV or not. If the baby lives and is healthy until it is 5, then they know they are safe. Needless to say, we were all aware of how much fear and stigma interferes with the simple act of getting tested.
After eating another fine meal of enchima and chicken (the chicken here is amazing, probably because it was just slaughtered that very same day!) we left for Kantanshi High School and were greeted like rock stars. Immediately the team was surrounded by kids shoving notebooks in our faces asking for our addresses. While becoming famous at Kantanshi High School is not our mission here, it was encouraging to see how quickly these kids were able to feel connected to us. After a quick team prayer session in the grass off to the side of the school, us four "muzungus" entered the auditorium and the program began. I have to say the dancing was awesome today! Most of the kids were standing and everyone was either swaying, shaking their hips, or waving their hands in the same direction. Then ensued the regular program including the dance contest where yet again, Dan and I totally embarrassed the American people for the sake of a laugh. I have to say the "flounder" move was probably the best... Dan, we have that on video ;) Meanwhile Jill was taking wonderful pictures and Elizabeth, while she tried hard not to, still managed to be one of the best dancers. Later on we broke into groups where Dan lead the boys in an intimate talk about Jesus Christ and the girls did the same. Jill ended our group with one of her favorite Bible verses and I think the girls all felt how personally connected the three of us are to our mission and to truly loving those students.
As the day came to a close at Kantanshi High, we packed into the van and headed home. However, our day was not over as Dan and I played soccer well into the night with the neighbor boys and Jill and Elizabeth played in the dirt with the neighbor girls. After dinner, the four of us re-grouped to talk about the plan for tomorrow and what should have been a 15 minute meeting turned into an hour and half meeting because at this point in our trip, the four of us can't be together without laughing hysterically and getting off topic. I have to say, I have come to love Zambia, the Zambian people, my housemates, and most definitely, my fellow teammates. At the end of our meeting Dan reminded us that we are covered in prayer right now and that made us all more comfortable about getting up and continuing on... thank you everyone who is praying for us, we love you and miss you.
~Stef
5/17 Update from Holly - Moringa Project
There are 4 words to describe today: hot, dirty, exhausting, and fulfilling. The moringa team woke up at 6am to travel to the Murundu village, which is located about 1.5 miles from the Congo border. There are about 17,000 residents and no running water; it's what you think of when you think of Africa. We started out by meeting Pastor Joseph at his house and then walking to/through town to a plot of land that he had selected. Pastor Joseph runs an orphanage in the town for about 30-40 children; many of them are malnourished and sick. He asked us to help him plant some moringa so that when it is full grown they may add it to the food of the orphans to enrich their diet. We plotted out the area and put stakes in every 3 meters, then dug holes that were 1' wide x 1' deep. The ground was hard and sandy, but not as bad as they clay that is found at Dr. Thinus' house. Digging the holes took all morning, even with a few extra helpers. We did not want to do all the work, but instead show them how to do the work so that they would have a sense of ownership; we ended up doing a lot of back-breaking labor, though. As we walked through the town and worked in the field, many of the local children gathered to watch. We then obtained some chicken manure and mixed it with compost/hay to fill in the holes. Water had to be brought a ways from a well in buckets. It took about 5 hours for us to dig the holes and add the soil mixture to a few holes. It was incredibly hot and some of us had dizzy spells from laboring in the heat. We tried to keep ourselves hydrated by drinking lots of water, but we could only drink the bottled water that we had brought with us, which was in short supply. I (Holly) had a real adventure when I had to use the toilet. After asking for a deserted area in the trees, I was instead led to their version of a restroom. It was a small, thatch-roof mud hut with a piece of fabric covering the makeshift door. The "toilet" consisted of a hole in the ground with a large dug-out hole underneath. There were flies everywhere and it stunk horribly, but I am proud to say I survived. I was thinking of making a shirt that says "I survived a Murundu long drop." Afterwards we went to lunch at Pastor Joseph's house. They made a wonderful meal of kasava, Zambian sweet potatoes (which are very different from the ones in the U.S.), rice, and fresh fried chicken. The girls actually saw the chicken being killed in the morning and were mildly disturbed by it. It sure tasted good though.
After lunch the team went back to the plot and finished adding the compost/manure mixture to all of the holes. After soaking the holes thoroughly, we added the moringa seedlings. A larger crowd gathered after lunch, and all of the orphans and other children sat around and stared at us. When we'd take a short break, they'd all automatically surround us. Carol played with them, picking them up and being silly. Jessica took many photos- they all posed and smiled. It was obvious that many of them were not used to having much attention. One girl in particular broke our hearts. She is 6 years old and is the size of a 2 year old. She is severely malnourished and is also HIV+ (she does not know this). She was as thin as a stick and had to be picked up because she couldn't walk. Both of her parents died of AIDS and she is being taken care of by her grandmother that is very elderly. She will be the first to take the moringa powder. We are consulting with US missionaries in the Congo that work with moringa to determine the proper dosage for her, as she is so weak. By the end of a LONG day, we had planted 57 moringa trees. By the time that we come back next year, we expect the orchard to be fully grown and producing many leaves.
After finishing at the plot of land, we hiked back to town to wait for the public transport. All the kids followed us and many more joined from the market. They wanted to be videotaped, but would only smile. Holly finally broke out in a round of "If you're Happy and You Know It" and the kids tried to follow. Carol joined in for the encore, the Chicken Dance. The ride back to Mufulira was another adventure. The minivan-type vehicle was falling apart with no shocks, and we had to cram 18 people in. Talk about uncomfortable! On the way home the van stopped at the Congo border, so we got to look across and take a picture with the Zambian guard, who was surprisingly nice.
Tomorrow we will have a much needed day of rest. Well, kind of. We are going to spend the day finishing the grove at Dr. Thinus' house. At least we don't have to wake up at 6am.
Dr. Thinus wanted us to add that Pastor Joseph's wife made us Zambian bologna (chikanda) to bring back to the house. It was quite smelly and it looked funny, but he forced us to try it.
Until then....
-Holly
After lunch the team went back to the plot and finished adding the compost/manure mixture to all of the holes. After soaking the holes thoroughly, we added the moringa seedlings. A larger crowd gathered after lunch, and all of the orphans and other children sat around and stared at us. When we'd take a short break, they'd all automatically surround us. Carol played with them, picking them up and being silly. Jessica took many photos- they all posed and smiled. It was obvious that many of them were not used to having much attention. One girl in particular broke our hearts. She is 6 years old and is the size of a 2 year old. She is severely malnourished and is also HIV+ (she does not know this). She was as thin as a stick and had to be picked up because she couldn't walk. Both of her parents died of AIDS and she is being taken care of by her grandmother that is very elderly. She will be the first to take the moringa powder. We are consulting with US missionaries in the Congo that work with moringa to determine the proper dosage for her, as she is so weak. By the end of a LONG day, we had planted 57 moringa trees. By the time that we come back next year, we expect the orchard to be fully grown and producing many leaves.
After finishing at the plot of land, we hiked back to town to wait for the public transport. All the kids followed us and many more joined from the market. They wanted to be videotaped, but would only smile. Holly finally broke out in a round of "If you're Happy and You Know It" and the kids tried to follow. Carol joined in for the encore, the Chicken Dance. The ride back to Mufulira was another adventure. The minivan-type vehicle was falling apart with no shocks, and we had to cram 18 people in. Talk about uncomfortable! On the way home the van stopped at the Congo border, so we got to look across and take a picture with the Zambian guard, who was surprisingly nice.
Tomorrow we will have a much needed day of rest. Well, kind of. We are going to spend the day finishing the grove at Dr. Thinus' house. At least we don't have to wake up at 6am.
Dr. Thinus wanted us to add that Pastor Joseph's wife made us Zambian bologna (chikanda) to bring back to the house. It was quite smelly and it looked funny, but he forced us to try it.
Until then....
-Holly
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