Hands Family Recap

Belated Merry Christmas!!!

Now that I've been sidelined with a cold and pink eye managed to sit still for more than five minutes, it is probably about time that I recap my last few months here in America.

Working full time, it can be so easy to become focused on the task at hand and not on the bigger picture. In October the Hands USA Family had our first Advocates Family reunion. I had only met a handful of the people in attendance, and those people for only a very short time. It was amazing to be able to take time to get to know them, foster relationships with each other and hear updates from George about what is going on in the field - with our kids, and our amazing volunteers and staff. There were 24 people, or so, in attendance and it was amazing and re-energizing to spend time in fellowship with each other. There are pockets in the country where multiple Advocates live and can support each other, but there are also regions with only one family or one lone advocate. I am one of those loners. We all keep in contact via email, facebook, texting - and in November we had our first Advocates Skype session! Still, it is lonely work - being a world away from the people we are fighting for and hours away from the people standing by our side fighting the same fight.

It was a blessed weekend. Things kicked off on Friday. As it happened, Lauren, Sara, and I all landed within an hour of each other and we were followed shortly by Brooke and George. So I met Lauren and Sara at the airport first and got a chance to chat with them while we waited for Brooke and George's flight to land. We had lunch and discussed some Hands business. As the newbie of the group I was just there because my flight happened to line up, so I just took it all in. It's amazing to see the hearts of everyone and how their lives have really been transformed by the work we do. Not to much later Craig, whom I had met briefly is South Africa, picked us up from O'Hare and drove us to Kenosha. Once we were dropped off at Ruth and Andy's house, where we would be for the weekend, Ruth had already set up everything for the weekend. Her family was going to the high school football game, so Brooke, Sara and I hung out at the house prepping for the sessions the next day and eating food brought to us by people we had never met! Chloe, another Advocate, was unable to attend the weekend because she was sick but she is the person to  know! She had so many people bringing us food to eat the next day, it was unbelievable - what a blessing!

That Saturday was amazing. Jed and his parents had arrived to Ruth and Andy's late the night before, so they were there for breakfast. After that, people just kept coming. Some I knew via Facebook and email, while others were completely new to me. After grabbing a quick breakfast with everyone, our morning began as they do in Africa - praying together. Right away we got to the heart of our weekend and prayed about the injustice that faces our children. Right away the tears began as God broke our hearts for these children all over again. Once the prayer was finished and the criers (myself included!) had dried our eyes, we got into our first session. It was an easy one: introducing ourselves to the group! Lauren had made this really cool prezi presentation to highlight where we are from across the United States. We had been asked to submit photos prior to the weekend and when your photo popped up on the map it was your turn to tell your story. Once we knew each other a little better, we turned it over to George. Anytime George speaks its truly amazing how he speaks the heart of God. The Advocates all have different levels of familiarity with Hands; some of our Advocates were in the first group of volunteers SEVEN years ago and a lot has changed in those seven years! George gave an overview of the current country profiles for the eight countries we serve in, and highlighted our key staff members from each country. This was, for lack of a better world, brutal.

When you tell someone that you have been to Africa with a non-profit organization in orphan care they almost always respond with a comment about what an amazing experience it must have been and what kindof sacrifices you must have made. Once you meet the people working with us on the ground, our reaction couldn't be more different. It is an amazing, blessing experience, but the sacrifices we make are so trivial in comparison to the locals. As George updated us about what is going on in the field in each of our countries, he highlighted the personal battles our staff are faced with. Hands at Work wants to form relationships first, and inspire change second. We must know in our hearts our workers, our volunteers and our children - by name. We must know their stories, their heartbreak, and their dreams. We give them a voice. When you go to the field with our workers, they are such strong pillars on the outside. It is easy to forget that they too were once broken children. They try so hard to be strong for their communities that they don't always show their vulnerable side. George has the distinct privilege of knowing them, and knowing them so well that he knows their darkest secrets. He told us stories of men being mocked in the communities they grew up in, who had to fight to be taken seriously. He told us stories of workers who were repeatedly interrogated and beaten by the police because they do not trust our work. He told us stories of workers who had their cars confiscated. He told the story of my dear friend, whom I met in my last week in South Africa, who was teaching 200 children by himself when Hands found him and offered to help. His school children would walk for up to two hours just for the chance to sit in a crowded room where by the grace of God he managed to teach 13 different classes. Just unimaginable, heartbreaking sacrifices.  Sacrifices made by amazing, amazing workers who willingly take these sacrifices because anyone of them would put their lives on the line before allowing any of the international volunteers to be put into a compromising position. To say that we make sacrifices is a joke. It is a cruel disservice to the heart of these dedicated workers. Needless to say, as George spoke there were lots of tears. And we prayed again, and there were more tears. I cannot even find words to do justice to describing the way my heart breaks when I think about it.

This was our first Hands US Advocate event, so after a quick break, we broke into groups to discuss the role of Advocates and how to be a better Advocate. Then Brooke highlighted some of the materials we have at our disposal to spread the vision of Hands to our churches and our communities. We wrapped up with Sara, from Queens, NY,  sharing her story and how Hands has impacted her life. [I had not met Sara prior to the Hands Advocate weekend, but she went to South Africa in 2011 and also served in Kitwe, Zambia where I spent four weeks so that was a cool connection!] There were a few things that had been planned that didn't happen, but as in Africa, we build the plane while we fly... We certainly made the most of our time together, but we did take a quick time out to take some group photos!

Hands strives to continually "build the wall" referencing Nehemiah 2, where Nehemiah inspects the wall around Jerusalem. We want to build walls of protection around each other and around our children, so at this event we each got our own bricks to symbolize the bricks we want and need to keep our walls strong.

After our mini photo session, those of us who could stay around went out to dinner with each other to spend more time just bettering our relationships with each other. That night Sara and I caught up with Ruth and Andy and relaxed while watching some classic TV shows before bed.

Sunday morning we were up and on our way to Racine to worship at Grace, Craig and Brenda's church, where George was speaking. Their church is much larger than my home church, and going to a different church and seeing how they worship is always a great experience! After spending some time at their Hands table, where they were offering information and also raising support for our kids, we were off. We grabbed lunch at a sub shop and then loaded up for the airport. Well, we were driving to the Brat Stop to catch the shuttle to the airport but even though we were early the shuttle was still too early for us! So we raced off to Chicago and got to the airport in time. My flight was first, so after saying our goodbyes and thanks to Ruth and Wanda, Sara and Michelle saw me off. Security wasn't too bad, although I couldn't fit my brick into my bag so I got a few strange looks walking in O'Hare on my way to the gate.

It was an unforgettably, immensely wonderful and blessed weekend! I am so thankful for all of the Hands Family I have had the chance to meet from all over the globe: We are willing, God is faithful and I am so excited to see where He leads us next!

True Love, pt 2

 Years after our small town community was shocked by his accident, by the loss of the Ian everyone knew, and heartbreak for Larissa, now there is more press on Ian and Larissa than ever. Here is a feature on their story from people.com


http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20750899,00.html

True Love

In my sleepy, little hometown there is an amazing couple with an even more amazing story. A story of God's faithfulness and mercy. Of God's blessings, big and small, in our lives - our everyday lives. And of love. A patient, true love like you have never seen. I know these people and I still cry everytime I watch their story, so go get some tissues (just in case) and meet Ian and Larissa:


 


 another link to the same video:
http://www.faithit.com/a-powerful-story-of-love-and-commitment-you-wont-forget/


For more on how God is moving in their lives and changing their hearts: http://prayforian.com/

remember

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27


“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40

tattered clothes. no shoes. too ashamed to go to school. two faces among hundreds of thousands that easily get lost in the crowd. our future will not get better if we do not consistently and conscientiously choose to remember, and care for, those that others have forgotten.

this weekend I am traveling to Kenosha, WI to spend time with the Hands at Work USA family. we are gathering from all over the country to share our stories, commemorate and celebrate the work in Africa, and to focus ourselves on the work that still needs to be done. to share our memories and encourage each other to never forget those the world has forgotten.

How Far We've Come...

I have been home for four months. It is mind-boggling to consider.

I think about all of the changes I have dealt with, and am still dealing with. The acceptance of grace juxtaposed with the feeling of consistent unease. A nagging question. "Where am I called next?" "Why can't I discern where I am being called?"

I have remained on the slow but steady course of letting go of my material possessions. Because I don't need them. Because others do. My sacrifice could be another person's blessing. I must confess that I worry about this. That I talk about Africa and letting go of my possessions too much, like the last line that will play on a broken record. Then it hits me. The words of George:

“My prayer is that God will wreck you this year, that He’ll change you;              

               so you will not to be able to settle for the things of this world.”

Mission. Accomplished. Or, at least, in process.

Yesterday at work my manager was telling our new employee about decorating our lockers. We had storage lockers for our purses or snacks, etc. My female co-workers are all moms and their lockers are covered in pictures of their kids and families. I've never decorated mine. It had popped into my mind last weekend to take in pictures of "my kids." Kids from our care points in South Africa and Zambia, but then it came back. The voice in my head that says "you talk about Africa too much, and no one here wants to hear it." I confessed this to my manager when it came up, and she assured me that she knows my trip was life changing and that she would love to see pictures of "my kids." (She is  not on facebook so she has not seen many at all.)

Last night I took a few moments to pull out my Africa photos. Most are easily accessible, hanging in frames around my room, but I have a few duplicates stored away. I picked four pictures, two from South Africa and two from Zambia, to take in to my locker. And I went on to dig out magnets I had lying around. I will not continue to spend money buying things that I already own. At one point I could have rationalized buying more magnets for my work locker, since I "could" have used those magnets at home. Afterall, I have magnetic boards and frames. I could have, but I haven't and likely won't. It's a very small symptom of an even bigger change of heart. It also reminds me that the people in my life who do not want to hear so much about Africa are dealing with their own struggle. The struggle to not hear because they do not want to care. They want to live out their comfortable American lives, with their only cares centering around their stable careers and what pinterest project to attempt next. It is not easy to live a life that is vulnerable to the will of God. I have experienced the blessings of Africa, but some people only seek the blessings that fit into their status quo life. And it doesn't matter because God loves each of us in this moment, exactly where we are at. That's the wideness of His Grace.

And so I will continue to be open to change, to embrace growth and heartbreak. I will strive to be a bolder advocate for Africa. For those blessings and those lives.

Mwaiseni

Here is a link to a story about Mwaiseni, a community I stayed in while I was in Zambia, and Esther - a truly amazing woman, whom I was not able to meet yet was willing to open her house for me to stay. During my visit she arranged woman in the Village to care for the house, for me, and called me on the phone 5 times just to double check and make sure that I was comfortable in her home. She is a truly amazing, selfless woman, and just one of the amazing people we have the privilege to support. Thank you, Brooke, for these words!

http://www.handsatwork.org/us-newsroom/2013/7/23/walking-the-dusty-roads-of-mwaiseni-with-esther.html

This picture was taken in Esther's backyard, with just a handful of her students.

It is a memory that continues to have a very, very special place in my heart.

It Is Time

My friend Dara posted something amazing on facebook.

The fact that I refer to Dara as my friend in itself is probably amazing when you consider that we've only met once! But that is just what happens in Africa. You meet people and their story becomes forever part of your journey. We experience things outside, far outside, our comfort zone and see the world through new eyes. In a world of people do not, can not, or will not understand, she is one of the people who does. And that is a precious, precious thing. She is from Minnesota, but now lives in Mozambique with her adopted daughter. You can read their story here: http://www.thereforego.blogspot.com/

Anyway, she posted a link to another blog and it conveys what I feel in my heart yet couldn't put into words.
http://www.aholyexperience.com/2013/06/a-letter-to-the-north-american-church-because-it-is-time/

There is absolutely nothing so remarkable about me. I didn't "deserve" to be born in North America. I didn't "earn" it. Because that is the only difference. I was born in America, and these beautiful people were born in Africa. Just as I didn't choose to be born in one of the world's most powerful countries, they certainly did not choose to born in countries torn apart by war, corruption, and poverty. It is the simplest and the hardest thing to understand and accept, but it can make all the difference.

Change of Season

It is hard to fathom that I have been home over two months. I have been home for 10 weeks, which is longer than the time I spent in Africa! Yet, Africa remains such a powerful force. It permeates my life.

Right away, less than 48 hours after landing on American soil, I was back at my old job. Full time. Talk about hitting the ground running! Going back to work so soon was a mixed blessing. It helped me get back on a set schedule immediately, which allowed me to avoid jet-lag. It provided me some financial security, after using a lot of my own money to fund my time in Africa. It also forced me to transition back into my old life. To "normal" life. This gave me a new target goal. surviving work and getting back in the swing of things. This focus dulled, or at least postponed, my longing for Africa. I think that everything that happened in Africa combined with the quick transition back into my life here, combined with my body switching time zones, caused my body to go into autopilot for awhile. I would drive to work but I wouldn't remember the drive to work. It was a blessing, but I was worrying that I was becoming too complacent in my life here. That I was just delaying the inevitable.

Once I survived my first week of work, I started to look at my life with fresh eyes. My material life and every item I have accumulated over the years. Things look a lot different after you've spent two months living out of a single suitcase and two carry-ons. Why do I have this item? Would I take it back to Africa? Would it be worth storing here if I went back to Africa? I have begun to view anything and everything as a resource. If I am not using it, it is not enriching my life. If it is not enriching my life, it is a distraction from my life. If I am not using it, I might be depriving someone else who could really take advantage of that item. The mere fact that I like something is not always a valid reason to own something.

Once I survived my initial purge, life here really fell into a rhythm. My physical life was organized, in order, and manageable. Right on cue, my heart snapped out of its autopilot state. I missed Africa. Getting ready for work in the morning would make me think of how in Africa I would be getting ready for small group. Heating up my lunch at work would make me think of eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the back of The Venture on our way to/from community. The children singing at Church would make my heart ache at the thought of our children playing and singing at Siyathuthuka. Singing hymns at Church here just isn't the same as praising God with the Africans, whether the song is in English or SiSwati.

My heart aches. It just does. It sneaks up on me, sometimes in the moments I'm least expecting it. I have had a scrapbook delegated for Africa as long as I have had the desire to go to Africa. Years ago I painted the continent of Africa in the middle of the cover. As much as I loved that, it looked awkward surrounded by empty space. I really had no idea what I wanted to do with it, but about a month ago I was struck with the inspiration to finish the painting on the cover. I used oil paint, which has to dry for six months before you can seal it, so while that was curing I turned my attentions to what was going on on the inside. I completed my 35 double sided page scrapbook in just two days. It was with a manic determination that overpowered anything else I had planned on doing. Then I went through it and painstakingly labeled every page. Of course I have countless stories to go along with all the pictures and mementos, and when I take my scrapbook somewhere I'll always be nearby, but I wanted the scrapbook to be able to stand alone if needed.

Now I am trying to be content in this season. To embrace where God has brought me in this moment. To analyze my life here knowing that God could call me away at any moment. That life is more than things. That most of my things actually have no impact on my life. How happy I was in Africa in spite of having so little. How God is calling me to grow and be challenged next. I've been trying to make it out to the trail again! I would love to get back into running on a regular basis, as that is something I can do just as easily in Africa. Slowly but surely I am growing, being challenged, and changing. It's not always easy, but I know God is sovereign. I have been re-evaluating my comfort zone and trying new things. I have been trying to see myself how others see me, not falling back into the pattern of my own near-sighted view of myself.

I missed Africa enough to actually get a smartphone. I got a CrackBerry BlackBerry. Which had the appeal of BBM, for the other BlackBerry users (and there are a lot of them in Africa), and WhatsApp for everyone else. I am still in shock. I thought I'd never see the day. Or at least not for a very, very, very long time! What has a short stint in Africa done to me?!

I miss Africa, but I am called to be home for now, and so I embrace it. I couldn't be more blessed.

One Week

It's hard to believe I have been home a week.
It's hard to believe I have been home just one week.

I did all of my laundry, and finally put nearly everything away.
I got a bunch of pictures developed. I even bought a few frames to display my favorites.
I've eaten so much American food. I have sang to so many American songs.
 I got out my guitar. Hopefully I will eventually slowly learn to play...

I have already put in a full work week, picking up exactly where I left off.
Maybe I got back into the groove of things too swiftly...
...because I am sick! But don't worry, mom, it's not malaria - I took a test!

See? That, my friends, is a negative Malaria test.

 I am reminded of the luxuries I have. Access to a Malaria kit for one. Access to medical care in the event that it was positive. Access to basic OTC medications since it is not. Clean water to drink cool on its own, or hot with tea or cocoa. A soft pillow and blankets. A bed in a quiet, private room. Curtains to block out the sunlight so I can sleep in. Tissues to blow my nose. The list goes on... Even in my illness, my blessings are abundant compared to the families I met in Africa.

So the test is negative: of course that means I have something else. Something probably common and boring, like a cold or the flu. Perhaps the respiratory infection is back for round two... So it is time for hot cocoa and lots of sleep. Luckily, I have the day off of work tomorrow. Yet another luxury...

Consider it pure joy...

James 1[NIV]

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:

Greetings.

Trials and Temptations

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
⁹ Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. ¹⁰ But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. ¹¹ For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.
¹² Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
¹³ When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
¹⁶ Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ¹⁸ He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Listening and Doing

¹⁹ My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. ²¹ Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
²⁶ Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. ²⁷ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.



Just another example of being drawn to the right scripture at the right time. It helps put the last two months, and everything that has happened, into perspective.

By the way, never ever ever laugh at a Nigerian when they are speaking about your future. You never know where life will take you next!

Home

I am back home in PA!

The twists and turns keep coming, but it is good to be home.
It seems like God has even more planned for me in the near future.
I'll provide more updates as soon as it's appropriate.

The Village

 For my time in South Africa, The Village has been my home.

When I came back from Zambia and returned to room 8,

this is what I came home to:

(don't mind our mess, life gets busy here in Africa!)

Now nearly everyone is gone.

The only people left in The Village are Peter, from Nigeria, and I.

 I am packing up my room. The Village is being closed this afternoon.

I'll spend my last days at the Ladies House.

Peter will be at Lynn and Jayme's house.

These last nine weeks went fast. Too fast.

I'm definitely going to miss this view:

Church in Zambia

I was in Zambia for just under a month, so I had the opportunity to attend three different churches while I was there.

The first weekend I was in Kitwe and Byron, Diane and I attended Ma Towela's Church. It was a traditional African church called 'Breakthrough Believers.' The service was much different from the churches I had attended in South Africa. The choir was all wearing matching black and purple outfits. The dancing was much more energetic. The service lasted about three and a half hours in total. It was a different experience, but I was very glad I went.

The second weekend, Palm Sunday, I was in Kachele with Adam, Dave, and Russell. We went into Ndola with Liz and Westen for church at the Ndola Christian Fellowship, a more traditional English service. It was about an hour and a half, but it was a nice mix of worship and preaching. The scripture readings were Mark 11 and 1 Corinthians 13; the sermon focused on the theme "love always perseveres." After everything I've experienced here, it was definitely the right message at the right time. This service was probably the most 'home'-like for me, which was really nice as well.

The third weekend, Easter Sunday, I was back in Kitwe. Mirriam and Mercy invited me to go to church with them. Byron and Diane were watching their home churches podcast online, so I decided to take the girls up on their offer. I woke up and was dressed and ready to go by 7:45. Mirriam said we would by leaving by 8AM. I waited and nothing happened so I wondered if they had left without me and I went back to my room. At 9:30AM there was a knock on my door; the girls had overslept! So we quickly got ready to go and got a taxi. Church had begun at 9:00AM; we got to church at 10:30. Despite going so late, we were still there until 1:30PM: the service lasted 4.5 hours! It was amazing though! This was a Pentecostal Assembly of God Church and it was HUGE!!! I tried to do a quick count of the number of rows and how many chairs were in each row. I would guess there were over 500 people in attendance, but it easily could have been 700+. It was the largest church sanctuary I have been in, with the exception of possibly The National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

I was the only white person in the entire congregation. Mirriam had introduced me to one of the greeters on the way in, so the pastor knew I was American. The first two hours of service were worship, so the announcements didn't occur until we got there. They asked all the visitors to stand, which is normal in any African church. Then the visitors all sat down, but they asked me to remain standing and the pastor spoke in Bemba. I know it was about me, probably something along the lines of how I chose to spend my Easter celebrating with them. Even if the white population still has underlying racist views, the black population is so welcoming and considers it a great honor when white people choose to spend time with them.

The service flew by! It honestly did not feel like three hours! Some songs were sung in Bemba while others were sung in English. The sermon was spoken in English but translated into Bemba, so for most of the service I was able to know what was going on. After the service was over, everyone wanted to meet me and greet me. I met with the Pastor and his wife and they prayed for me. It was definitely a memorable Easter in Africa!

Kitwe: Week 3

I spent Easter Sunday in Church with Mirriam and Mercy, but I will discuss that in a different post. I had Easter lunch with Mirriam and Mafinga, one of the guys living in the guest house, and then we relaxed - because nshima has that effect on people, in general but on muzungus especially. Later that evening I had dinner with Byron and Diane and we watched 'The Fighter.'

The long weekend continued into Monday. I was able to sleep in, do some last minute laundry, and work on packing some of my clothes. In Zambia I was washing my clothes in my tub and hanging them out to dry, so that took some time. Monday afternoon we had gone into Pick n Pay to do some grocery shopping. I took my change from the cashier and was fiddling around in my wallet as I said 'I thank you' in Bemba. The woman who had bagged my groceries stopped what she was doing and asked where I was from. She was shocked because I was "an American who knows how to say 'thank you' in Bemba!" I was a little confused, because they are ex-pats all over Kitwe. When I brought it up to Byron, he said that most of the ex-pats just don't care. They don't bother to learn even basic Bemba, so the locals get that much more excited when they meet people who are making an effort! That afternoon we were invited to a braai with some ex-pats. There were several people there. One was a white Zambian who had lived in Australia and the UK and had just moved back to Zambia four days prior. There was an American from New Mexico, a few guys from England and that is all the specifics I remember. They were pretty nice people, and very welcoming to us, but they didn't understand how we could be living in Zambia and willingly volunteer without pay. The American ex-pat was trying to get me to apply to work with his company in the DRC! There was also an underlying separatism. The host wouldn't let us help clean up after the braai. He said he has people to do that: 'people' being black Zambians that he pays to clean his house. It's frustrating to see first hand how racism still persists in society.

That Tuesday is was back to work as usual at the SC. It was the beginning of the week and the month, so our bookkeeper had to prepare our bank withdrawal form for the week and the CBO coordinators were coming to collect their Three Essential Services money for the month. There were a few other administration tasks that we had to take care of and then it was time for MY COMMUNITY STAY!!!

For my community stay, I spent an evening in Mwaiseni. On the car ride there, I was struck by how different my community stays were. For our community stay in orientation we were in pairs and debriefed on exactly what to expect and were told information about our families and given time to ask questions, etc etc etc. In the car I realized that I hadn't asked any questions about the house or family I would be staying with. I realized I would be staying by myself, which I knew but I hadn't really considered. I wasn't sure if anyone would speak English or how fluent they would be. I didn't know where I would be sleeping, or what the set up would be like. I would be the only muzungu in the village, which I have to admit was kind of cool. It was an awesome experience! I stayed at Emily's house, but she was out of town so one of the teachers, named Renee, came to stay with me. The toilet we used was at the Emily's parent's house and it was literally a hole in the ground. While we were at the parent's house, I met her parents and the choir that practices at their house. They had amazing voices! Since I greeted them in Bemba, they said I could sing with them... but not a chance, my Bemba leaves a lot to be desired! I did clap and dance while they sang and it was just awesome. We went back to the house and talked about our cultures while the care workers prepared dinner: Emily made sure I didn't do any work! She called multiple times to check up on me and make sure I was okay. She was so sweet!

That night I took a chance and slept without a mosquito net, but no worries - so far, so good! And I have my malaria test kit and a round of doxycycline just in case! Mosquitoes I was expecting; I was not exactly expecting the rats! I saw my first rats in Africa, but they weren't as bad as I thought, at least compared to stories I've heard. Even without a net, I really didn't get bitten. [I had a lot more mosquito bites in South Africa, but the risk of malaria is also less so we are also a lot less vigilant in South Africa...] In the morning we woke up early and got straight to work, dusting, cleaning and sweeping the house. After breakfast, I was playing with two of the boys who lived in the house and one of their friends. I had brought along some pencils, colored paper, and three multi-colored tennis balls. The balls were red and blue, green and purple, and yellow and orange, so between them all we had the main colors in the rainbow. I was teaching them how to say and spell the colors in English. Before I knew it Renee said that she was teaching a lesson to the older students and leaving the younger ones with me! I taught a dozen students for about an hour and a half before the SC staff arrived in Mwaiseni. It was difficult because I have such limited Bemba and the students barely knew any English, but it was an amazing experience!

While we were in Mwaiseni we also got to go on a home visit to see these sweet boys and their gogo:

I had been elected to lead small group that morning, and since I was going to be in community, the SC decided to bring small group to me. I wasn't sure how it would turn out. It always makes me feel apprehensive knowing I'll be leading a discussion regardless, not to mention when you add extra people - and an extra language. I think it turned out pretty well though. Hopefully everyone else enjoyed it as much as I did. Here is everyone crammed into Emily's house after small group:

 

After that we went back to the SC. Alisha and Michael were both around for business and we needed to have a meeting to address the 'wall' in each of our CBOs. And that's all she wrote. After that I said my good byes to Michael and Alisha, and went back to my room to pack up all my stuff. Naturally, not being very big on sleep, I stayed up organizing all of my favorite pictures from my last two months into a slideshow! 

If you missed my blog post on my last day in Zambia and my adventures on the way back to South Africa, you can find it here. 

Kitwe: Week 2

Monday the 25th I was in Luanshya. We began our day with morning prayer. Dave and Russell then spent the morning with Matteo and Adam respectively, while I hung out was Tawonga. I think I got the better end of the deal, if I do say so myself:

After our little play session, eventually, after Diane finished her work in the office, it was time to head back to Kitwe. While I had been at Kachele for the weekend they sprayed for mosquitos and I developed a cough, but I wasn't sure if it was from the spray or if I was sick. Tuesday morning I admitted defeat that I was in fact sick. Luckily, I had brought antibiotics with me just in case and started taking them as soon as I woke up Tuesday morning.

That day I felt quite listless, but still went to the Service Center for business as usual. That morning we prepared bank withdrawal and petty cash requisition forms. We also discussed the possibility of upcoming exchange visits, coordinator meetings, and care worker training. Once that was taken care of, we went to Mulenga for another budget meeting. By that afternoon my energy level, thankfully, was much improved.

Wednesday was a low-key day at the Service Center for me. We began with small group, and continued talking about spiritual gifts. After that, Byron and Diane, and Blessings and Towela went off on various errands. When Diane returned, she helped Mary prep the Three Essential Service envelopes for Michael's arrival.

Thursday, the 28th, was one of the days where you cannot avoid the reality of life here. We were spending the day in Kamakonde. The community is absolutely beautiful! The physical beauty in the environment cannot prevent the harsh truths. As soon as we parked our car and unloaded, one of the care workers informed us that one of our children had died. In this case, she was a young woman. She was 17 years old, and she was HIV+. After receiving that news, we went on to the care point. Kamakonde is unique because the CBO owns their land and they have a borehole on site to provide safe drinking water to the children they feed and the surrounding community. All of the water we know to be safe for drinking in South Africa or Zambia, I can't speak to any other countries personally, comes from boreholes. The school in Kamakonde also has new desks and chalkboards for their classrooms. It is really amazing to see a community that is able to provide an environment for children to grow and thrive in! Unfortunately there are still challenges. That morning I met a young man who hasn't been attending school regularly since 2009. Instead he tries to find peace work that will provide him money for food so he can feed his ailing gogo. His younger brother is thankfully attending school, but life is still very difficult. That afternoon I had the opportunity to go to his home and meet his gogo. I was struck by his gogo. I just had the indescribable realization that she could have easily been my grandmother. A small older woman with a spit-fire personality, and just that innate quality that all grandmothers have. It is moments like these that remind you how much we are alike despite the vast differences in our circumstances.

That evening Bryon, Diane, and I returned to Kachele to have Passover Dinner with everyone. We all sang and worshiped together before dinner, which was an absolute feast. We had time for fellowship after dinner. It was great to see everyone, but we remembered why we were there: to remember the price Jesus paid for our sins. We sang together again, and took communion together. We went up to the table in twos or threes as we felt comfortable. I went for communion with my Zambian brothers Gideon and Michael. Gideon put me on the spot and asked me to pray for the three of us. It was humbling and encouraging and the perfect way to spend Maundy Thursday in Africa! That evening Adam, Byron, Diane, Liz, Russell, and myself played cards. Adam and Byron also showed us some magic tricks! It was a blast and there was so much laughter. It is the little things that help us feel 'normal' and re-energize us after all the hardships we witness here. It was really a fantastic evening.

The next morning we all had a relaxing morning at Kachele, and after lunch Adam, Byron, Diane, Dave, Russell and myself came back to Kitwe. We went to the local markets. Our main goal was getting fabric, to be used for sewing or worn as a chitenge, but the guys bought a few other things as well. I loved the experience. You senses are overloaded by so much stimulation: colors, sound, smells... it is a remarkable experience! After we were done shopping we went out for an amazing Chinese dinner, and of course we had to stop at Gigibonta's to see Marco, the Italian. And so the guys could get their daily dose of Italian gelato. Adam was so kind as to buy me 'American Peanuts' peanut butter gelato and some sort of vanilla gelato that was pink. He chose those flavors on purpose so that it looked like I was eating peanut butter and jelly - which I ate multiple times a day on a daily basis while I was in Zambia. When I landed and went grocery shopping with Lynn, he thought I was joking when I said I would eat it every day. I wasn't, and Byron can attest to that! After dinner we said our good-byes, as that was the last time I would see Adam, Dave, and Russell.

The rest of Easter weekend I spent in Kitwe. I spent a lot of time with my housemates. We ate and talked about our lives and cooked together. The only difference was if I was with my girlfriends in America we'd be cooking chicken or baking some sort of dessert and in Zambia Mirriam taught me how to cook pumpkin leaves and nshima. This was also the first time I was out and about in Kitwe without Byron and Diane. Saturday night Mirriam and I went on a walk to a local store to get ice cream, and then we sat in the front yard talking until we couldn't stand the mosquitoes anymore.

Back at the HUB!!!

Well yesterday morning I said goodbye to the Service Center staff in Kitwe and set off for the airport. It was not without drama. We had to stop at the market to change some fabric for Busi. After changing the fabric, the Surf broke down in less than 15 minutes leaving us stranded on the side of the highway just outside of Mulenga!

 Kitwe Service Center staff

outside of our office (minus Pastor Blessings)

broken down on the highway in Mulenga...

Thankfully, we were able to get a taxi and he got me to the Ndola airport in plenty of time! I landed in the Ndola airport, but it is tiny. I couldn't picture what it would be like checking in and boarding, but it was completely fine. It really is a tiny airport though. You go through the initial security check, they scan your bags, and then check in at the counter. Then you walk through the second security check and they scan your bags again, and you go through immigration - they scan your eyes and your finger prints, stamp your passport all that jazz. And then you go to the departure lounge: there is just one. Everyone waits together and they call flights and load everyone on the corresponding bus that will take you to the plane. The flight was okay, some turbulence at the end. I have decided that I don't mind flying, but I always feel great joy when I am standing on firm ground again! We landed in Joburg (Johannesburg) and from that point everything was as expected. I went through immigration and eventually found my luggage - SAA always is sent to the most remote baggage carousel for some reason. From there it was a breeze. I exited the airport and said 'no' to about 20 different people who tried to help with my luggage or thought I needed a taxi. I made my way to the shuttle area and waited for two hours to board the Citybug. One 3.5 hour bus ride and Daytona and Ashley were waiting to pick me up in Nelspruit. :-) They may or may not have volunteered so they could also stop at McDonalds after picking me up, but either way I was ecstatic to see them. (And eat fast food!)

So I am back in South Africa settled into the Village for my last week. My roommate is still here! :-) But we are the only ones from our intake who are around :-( While I was sent to Kitwe, Zambia, Dave and Russell were sent to Luanshya, Zambia (they arrived the week after I did), Leyton was sent to Zimbabwe, Melissa and Mariah were sent to Malawi, and my roommate Alicia has been in South Africa working with the Clau Clau Service Center. Everyone else is getting ready to head off to Celebrations in the next few days: it will be bare bones here at the Village. I think I will actually be the only person living in the Village the last few days I'm here, but there will be people 'up stairs.'

As always, I sleep dramatically less in South Africa. It is freezing here compared to Kitwe! I slept in long pants and a sweatshirt, not to keep covered in case of mosquitoes, but because it is that cold at the moment! I think my mind was just spinning from everything that had happened and the long day of traveling, but I only got 2.5 hours of sleep. I'm going to hopefully sleep better tonight, and I will hopefully write a post about my last two weeks in Kitwe tomorrow!

Small Group in Luanshya

Every Wednesday morning, regardless of what country you are in, the Hands at Work family meets for small group. This picture was taken after our small group met at Kachele Farm in Luanshya on March 13th. These are just a few of the people who spend their time here at the farm in Zambia. They have all become such good friends and have a special place in my heart!

back to Kitwe

This afternoon I am going back to Kitwe, and plan on staying there until I fly back to South Africa on April 4th. This means I will probably be MIA for the next two weeks: not checking emails or facebook and not writing anymore blog posts. I'll just spend the rest of the time digging into the work here. Next weekend we are planning on going to the Kitwe markets, which should be an experience. So far now, I am well and just embracing Africa. Happy Easter, and I will be back in a few weeks!

Kitwe: Week 1

I am settled in and loving Kitwe!

I live in a guest house, which has four other tenants, and I am on the same property as Byron and Diane (CAN) The room is pretty nice, and very spacious. Not a bad place to spend three weeks!

 

 

While I am here, I am supporting the Kitwe Service Center and learning all I can about their CBOs. Kitwe supports nine communities. Seven of them have established CBOs and six have been matched with international donors. My week began with the Monday morning prayer meeting: Hands operates on essentially the same schedule no matter what country you are serving in. After that, it was time to travel to our CBO in Chibote for a budget meeting. I met all of the care workers briefly before the meeting began. The main purpose of the meeting was to analyze their previous budget and project what their spending will look like in the future. Many of our CBOs in Kitwe are doubling the amount of children at the feeding point as of July. We consider start up cost for additional supplies that will be needed to feed the additional children, and make sure we can provide our children a nutritious meal while staying within our budget. The budget meeting takes place at that CBO. That means the building is a basic African structure, typically brick walls and a metal roof. It is crammed full of Service Center staff and the care workers for that CBO. The meeting is primarily conducted in the local language: in this case, Bemba. And it is hot! The barriers in language, context, and comprehension definitely give me a new appreciation for the work the long term volunteers have to do! The budget meetings are so important because we do our best to encourage the CBOs to keep all receipts and records of what they have purchased, so we can show the donors how their donations are being used effectively. The concept of keeping receipts is foreign to most Africans, so this is definitely a challenge, but it is worth it when we can provide our donors with statistics on the impact their donations have in our communities!

When the meeting was finished in Chibote, Byron went with Lynn to meet the lawyer in Kitwe and we picked up Diane before heading to another budget meeting with the Mulenga CBO that afternoon. We got to Mulenga while the children were still eating, and while we were waiting for the care workers to be ready it started to rain! Most Africans do not like rain, so once the sky began to look suspicious, most of the care workers went home as fast as they could! Our group from the Service Center waited out the storm with a few of our precious girls. It was great to spend time with them, but the budget meeting never happened!

 

On Tuesday, Byron and Diane dropped me off at the Service Center(SC) before they had to take care of a few things in town. I spent the morning with the SC staff learning about our nine communities, where they are all in the Hands process, and what that means in practical terms. When Byron came back, we discussed a few budget things with the staff (evaluating what we really need and pending expenses.) We filled out our weekly bank withdrawal form, to ensure that the Service Center has sufficient money to meet it's needs that week. Then we drove to Zimba... We drove to the new care point, only to find out that the care workers were at the former feeding point. When we all got into the Surf to drive to the other care point, we found out we were stuck!

 

We eventually got unstuck and made it to the new care point for the budget meeting there. It had originally been scheduled for 10am and we arrived at 1pm: TIA! These budget meetings are interesting. They help you learn a lot about that CBO and you see how differently the individual CBOs handle things. Again, language, context, and comprehension are huge barriers. This meeting lasted over three hours and we didn't balance the budget, so the SC staff has to go back again! Once we got back home, I walked into the guest house and was invited to dinner by one of my housemates. She had prepared nshima, sweet potato leaves, and meatballs. It was nice to have an Zambian meal - and it was delicious! We watched the news, and Grey's Anatomy. Africa really is not so different from back home!

Wednesday began with small group, and then Diane was working with our bookkeeper, Mary, on petty cash requisitions and bank withdrawal form procedures. This day we stayed at the SC, so I had time to learn more about the SC and CBOs from Byron. We worked on collecting information on the nine communites we work in to relay back to the Regional Support Team (RST) in Luanshya. This was nice to see because it involved getting information we don't necessarily have in mind each time we are out with our children, and it provided me the chance to get a well-rounded picture of our communities. The staff caught up on some emails, and then it was time to work on quarterly reports to submit to the RST. We also worked on the SC budget for Celebrations and community profiles.

 

Thursday morning we spent devoting a few minutes to the 40 days of prayer, before continuing to work on quarterly reports. We also had to work on project proposals to submit to the RST. These in particular were larger projects to occur in communities that have already received funds from an international donor. In order to keep everything transparent and accountable, The SC must fill out project proposals with anticipated costs and it must be submitted and approved before the project funds can be dispersed and the work can begin. That afternoon we went to Amlew to meet with the CBO there. Anywhere we go, people get excited but when we walked into the care point the children just started screaming with excitement! We were able to walk the community and go to home visits with two of our precious children there. It was an amazing experience! We went back to the care point and I helped the cooks pass out the meals. We had a chance to talk with the care workers before we left.

 

 

When we went back to the SC we worked on finishing the community profiles for our quarterly reports. I had a chance to type of two of the stories we had collected from our communities. It is a long process though, because often when we sit down to write these stories, we realize we don't have enough information. I jokingly told Clement that I had no problem typing, but that I would need a lot of help with the details. I wasn't kidding! I kept asking Clement to call the care workers to get more details for our stories. Eventually we finished the profiles though, but the SC still had to update the work plans. Diane was delayed, so Byron and I spent some extra time at the SC. Finally it was time to leave and we were off to Towela's house for dinner! She was going to help us on our technique for stirring nshima...

 

I'm not a pro just yet, but dinner was delicious!

Friday morning we all traveled to Mulenga for Village Prayer. On the way, we picked up Clement and Mary. That morning was some of the craziest traffic I have seen since being in Zambia. Once we arrived in Mulenga, we went to Village Prayer. Once every three or four weeks, the RST travels to different communities to meet with all the Hands staff/volunteers and care workers, along with anyone else they can get from the community (preachers, teachers, etc), to pray and worship together, in addition to hear stories from the care workers. The care workers are often not that much better off than the families they care for, but because of their optimism and willingness to care for others, we sometimes forget they struggle as well. Hearing there stories helps us keep things in perspective. The care workers are there to support the children and their families, but Hands is ultimately there to support the care workers. At the Village Prayer, Tawonga decided she should style my hair. I didn't mind, and it kept her (mostly) quiet and out of trouble during the end of the prayer meeting. After the prayer meeting was over, the Kitwe SC traveled back and prepared for more budget meetings. I, on the other hand, jumped into the boot of Adam's buckey. (That is what we would call the bed of a truck.) We were bound for the Kachele farm in Luanshya. Dave and Russell had landed in Ndola the day before and were getting settled in at Kachele. That afternoon the three of us went with Adam, along with Gideon and Kennedy, to Ndola to take care of some business. After we dropped off Gideon and Kennedy, we ran a few errands before heading over to the complex that has Pick n Pay. We got Subway and stopped for gelato - which is probably the real reason Adam planned the trip into the city in the first place. We did some shopping, and Russell got more gelato.

We eventually made it back to Kachele. I spent the afternoon playing with Tawonga. She is only two years old, but has the run of the Kachele farm and has everyone wrapped around her little finger. We spent most of the afternoon watching the cows. She still isn't quite sure what to think about Uncle Russell or Uncle Dave, but Uncle Dave came with us on one of our jaunts to see the cows who live on the neighboring farm. She gradually started to warm up to them, and eventually started throwing money at Russell. She thought that was a swell game! Eventually, we took her home and the three of us went on a walk with Adam to see where the large cobra lives on the edge of the farm. When we got back, Tawonga was ready to play again and we sat in the yard keeping her entertained until she couldn't avoid bath time any longer. The rest of the evening we spent inside, having grown tired of dealing with the mosquitoes. We all made dinner and sat around the dinner table. Russell was playing his ukelele, Dave was playing his guitar, and Adam blew our minds with a magic trick until it was eventually we all caved and accepted that it was time to go to bed.

In Kitwe!

I saw my first spitting cobra at the farm yesterday. The guys killed it and proceeded to carry it's dead body around on a stick. Boys are exactly the same regardless of where you are and what country they are from! Last night Adam, Alicia, Byron, Diane and I went out to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. For dessert, we got legit Italian gelato from a guy named Marco. I know most people would prefer to go to Italy, but I find it quite amusing that I had my first real Italian gelato in Kitwe, Zambia!

I am settled into my room in Kitwe! It's amazing, I can't wait to show you guys pictures. Though that might have to wait because the internet access here is limited. I do have access at Byron and Diane's: that's the nice part about being neighbors with long-term volunteers! I think I'll take advantage of the excuse to not spend so much free time on the internet though, so no worries! I am safe, happy, and healthy. If I don't respond to any messages for the next week, don't be alarmed. I'm not dead, I'm just in Kitwe!

An Evening Out

Byron and Diane arrived in Luanshya this evening. All of us (Adam(UK),Lynn, Byron, Diane(all CAN), and myself) went out for dinner in Luanshya. We were hoping to go out for Indian food, but no dice. We went out to this other restaurant instead. The guys all got t-bone steaks, while Diane and I got wings. We all got salads and french fries as well, along with Coke or Sprite. (With the exception of Lynn who got a grapetizer.) They might have been the best wings I ever ate. It's strange how Africa can be so drastically different, and yet so similar to life back home.



Random fact of the day: One thing that is not similar to life back home is how sweet the jelly is here! Naturally after landing we went to Pick n Pay to get some groceries. I'm only in Luanshya a few days, so I bought the basics: bread, peanut butter, jelly, and carrots. I had toast with jelly for breakfast and I thought it was really sweet. I hadn't had any jelly for a few days though, so I thought maybe I was just oversensitive to the concentration of sugar. Well, I was making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich while Adam was making his lunch and I commented on it. Without any hesitation he agreed, not just that it was sweet, but almost disgustingly so. I thought South Africans loved their foods sweet, but even they don't compare to the Zambians...

TIA

The afternoon and evening here was pretty low key. It is much smaller, and quieter, than the Village in White River, SA. Once I got to the farm, I met Liz, Adam, Levy, as well as Abe and Suzette (USA) and Shelly (CAN). Liz cooked an amazing dinner for us all and we all got to relax while Lynn and George were meeting before and after dinner. Obviously I was able to get on the internet to blog and update my facebook, that is until the power went out. Let's review:

First night in South Africa: no power
First night in Luanshya, Zambia: loss of power
Candlelight is becoming a theme of my African life...

Adam (UK) brought me a candle, only to discover (as we were attempting to light it) that it's wick had been lost. It was one of those amusing moments "I wanted to make sure you had a candle." (I'm trying to light candle) "I don't think that's the right end" (I turn the candle over) "Well surprise it's a trick candle. Here, just take another box of matches" No worries, I eventually did fish out the wick and get my candle melted into place. (We aren't picky, we use plan pillar candles in whatever holder we can find. Sometimes we use actual candle holders, but normally we just find empty bottles or small tin cans, from tuna, etc.

So here I am, first day in Zambia. It should be fairly low key while I am here. I want to take a look at my budget since I knew leaving South Africa was a possibility, but wasn't entirely sure where I would be placed after orientation. Everything happened so fast I didn't sit down to look at numbers before jumping on a plane. I did a quick analysis yesterday and I should be fine, but I'd like to look at things in more detail. Hopefully I'll also have time to explain more about how Hands works, and how (and why) I ended up here in Zambia.

Thanks for sticking with me, and thanks for praying!

Zambia

I'm here!!!

After a very long night... after the braai, we played a few last rounds of Dutch Blitz, sang and danced to a few songs from the mix-tape playlists... Mariah and I went up for one last bounce on the trampoline, and to look at the stars, but it was too overcast. I stayed up way too late, cleaning out my refrigerator and my cupboards, bagging up the food I left behind, setting out other food to be eaten by the other volunteers in the Village, did laundry, unpacked and repacked my suitcase, had so many prayers and hugs... I went to bed just before 1:00am, and barely slept. I basically took a nap. I woke up (and gave up trying to go back to sleep) at 3:40ish and got a shower, did some dishes, finished packing. Alicia, Mel, and Daytona all woke up at 4:45 to come see me off! Cat and Lynn pulled in front of the Village at 5am on the dot and we were on the road.

I managed to take a few cat naps on the CityBug. "A few" means two: one that was about 20 minutes and one that was about 10 minutes. (I'm the queen of sleep, I know! You don't have to tell me twice!) Lynn and I had a pretty easy time through the airport and we even had some downtime to shop. Not that either of us bought anything, but we at least perused the merchandise. We finally boarded the plane, and I had another cat nap, maybe 20-30 minutes this time. So I'm still awake, going on about 4 hours of sleep...

Landing in Zambia was beautiful! It looks like the stereotypical image of Africa you have in your head when you think of Africa. Getting my visa was interesting. It was fine, not dramatic, though they did initially write that I was Canadian... So now my visa lists my nationality as "Canada America." All the Canadians will love this I'm sure. First, I started saying 'oh hey' and now the Zambian government says I'm Canadian... Well that is just absolutely delightful! My experience was breezy, no problems. Lynn was tied up though, so I found Weston and we took my luggage to the car and I went to the ATM to take out some Kwacha. My collection of international currency is growing quite nicely if I do say so myself. Weston took us to Pick n Pay to pick up some basic things. Yes, I bought all the necessities: bread, peanut butter, jelly, and carrots. (I'm only here until Friday people! I promise I will buy real groceries in Kitwe) I also got a SIM card (for Zambia) for my phone and some data to keep in touch with everyone else in the intake, and people back at the South Africa HUB. Once we got to the farm, I couldn't believe it. It is much more green here. There is just a more dense population of trees around the property. In South Africa, there are roughly 40 people living in the Village property. This land is smaller scale, and it's much quieter. It's nice. It's been raining off and on all afternoon. The most relaxing kind of rain you can have, not too hard or too noisy, just persistent. It's quite lovely. Also, it was quite humid when we were landed at the airport, but the rain has cooled things off quite a bit.

I'm still in shock that just over a month ago I was leaving the United States for the first time to go to South Africa. Now I'm sitting in a bedroom in the main house of the Kachele Farm in Luanshya, Zambia, and on Friday I will be traveling to Kitwe, Zambia and moving into a guest house by myself for the next three weeks. It's a moment I've had to pinch myself, and ask: how I got here? how am I so lucky, so blessed? and is this really happening? is this really my life? It is just CRAZY... crazy in the best way of course but it just blows my mind! I am so excited to find out what the next month holds, and what I will learn here in Zambia. About myself, my faith, and the lives of the people I will be meeting here. I have a journal full of observations from the last month, I'm almost ready to start my second one!, and I'm sure I'll continue to reflect back on those situations and learn new things after the fact. I hope to really dive into the communities here in Zambia, even though I'm only here for a brief stay. I want to get everything I can out of these next four weeks prior to going home. It is definitely going to be bittersweet.

Prior to coming to Zambia, I've been reading Psalms, specifically Psalm 27. Here it is:

Psalm 27 [NIV]

Of David.

¹ The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?

² When the wicked advance against me
    to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.
³ Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.

⁴ One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
⁵ For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.

⁶ Then my head will be exalted
    above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
    I will sing and make music to the Lord.

⁷ Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.
⁸ My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
⁹ Do not hide your face from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger;
    you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
    God my Savior.
¹⁰ Though my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will receive me.
¹¹ Teach me your way, Lord;
    lead me in a straight path
    because of my oppressors.
¹² Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.

¹³ I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

Just read it a few times. See what it speaks to you, because I know it's been a moving scripture for me this past week.

Zambia Bound

I am officially going to Zambia!!!

I found out Saturday evening that they wanted to send me to Kitwe for the next three weeks.
Booked my flights through Mary in the office at 2:00pm this afternoon.
I'm leaving with Lynn at 5:00am to catch the 6:00am CityBug, and the 11:15am flight to Ndola!!!

I'll spend a few days at the Kachele farm in Luanshya, and then Friday I will travel to Kitwe!!! I'll stay in Kitwe with Diana and Byron until April 4th. I'm ready for the next phase of my adventure and to find out what Zambia has to offer. So many people have told me it is going to be amazing, and I had a great send-off from Jen and Dan before dinner. And for dinner, David Bentley showed off his skills by throwing me a good-bye braai. It may have been planned as this weeks Foodapalooza and merely rescheduled in order to happen while I was still here... but it was awesome nonetheless.

Here is a picture of our intake. We won't all be together at the same time, so we had to get one today!

Our Crew!!! (From Left to Right) Back row: Alicia, Dave, and Melissa, Next row: Leyton, me, Mariah, lying down: Joe and Russell.

I'll hopefully be able to write again soon once I'm settled in at the Kachele farm. It's going to be a very busy morning, but it's going to be a fantastic experience and I'm really excited about it!!!