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.
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