When I returned from Africa in 2013, I had been home six months before I had the chance to meet anyone from Hands US. I remember when I first met Lauren she encouraged me to write a story about my experience. Our time together got busy and the holidays came. I never did write a story.
Of course, I've written so many stories here. But you're probably here because we know each other somehow. We have connections. Lauren encouraged me to write a story for the Hands website, that would be seen by people I may not have personal connections to. Which is great! but kind of overwhelming, too.
I think it was after I returned home from South Africa in May, I was approached by other members of the Comms team to write about my time at Celebrations. I agreed, but oh how I struggled! Writers block of the worst kind! Finally, I just decided to pretend that I was blogging for all of you like any other day. It worked! In July it was published on the Hands US newsroom. Incidentally, I've never been much of a 'behind the scenes' person - but when it comes to Comms, now I am: I wrote the story, put it into the website and formatted it for our newsletter. If you want, you can read the story here.
I remember my first story for the website being a very dramatic. Dealing with my aforementioned writers block, not knowing how to express what I wanted to express, wanting to represent Hands well... so many things! I wrote another story in Zambia and the experience could not have been more different! It was a God moment - there is no other explanation. It was so sad, yet such an amazing day. George often says when he's been out in rural communities, where he tends to see hard circumstances and experience incredibly basic things, that is where he meets Jesus. For the first time, I really think I know what he means.
I scribbled everything I wanted to share on paper at the care point. I didn't want to miss a thing and risk forgetting it. Looking back, I didn't need to worry because that day is as etched into my mind as clear as if I was there right now - but I wanted to be sure to do it justice. I had my small netbook tucked away in my backpack. When we were back in the van, driving back to Lusaka, I pulled it out and typed feverishly away. My back-seat friend (I loved when we hit bumps! he did not!) looked at me, puzzled (though his puzzled expression in regards to me was not uncommon) wondering what on earth I could have to say so much about. He did insist on holding my notes for me so I could just focus on typing though. From there all I had to do was check the word count to make sure it was within target and finesse a few things. Almost as soon as I returned to the US, I sat down and edited it three times to make sure it was just right: honest, yet confidential.
I don't know when it will be published. I didn't tell anyone I had written it. I merely added it to the folder of stories. At the moment, it is not officially on the docket - which is fine. I'm sure it will be posted, and I will be sure to let you know what that happens. Really, it is a simple story about a day I spent with a four year old boy. It is such an ordinary story, yet God opened my heart to allow something extraordinary happen. It's so special to me and if no one ever reads it, that's fine by me - but if you get the chance to read it, I truly hope it touches you in some way.
I think I experienced a hint of mother's love that day, and I know that the little boy stole a piece of my heart!
Showing posts with label Zambia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zambia. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Countdown...
Well, we just had our final team meeting over Skype. We fly on Saturday!!!
God has been SO KIND. As this trip drew near, I felt very uncertain about getting all of my work done, for my job and for Hands US, before I left. As of today, I've done the majority of what I needed to do - and the more time consuming jobs at that! So I just have to tidy a few things up during the next two days of work and I'll be good to go!
And finishing packing. That too.
Saturday morning I'll fly to Chicago. I'm the first one of the group to arrive. Mikhayla should arrive an hour after I do. We've never met in person, but we'll have plenty of time to chat. It will probably be a few more hours before five more of our group arrive. I don't mind. I've spent my fair share of hours lounging in ORD the last two years. I'll be the first to admit that when I went to Africa in 2013 I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I didn't know anyone, I didn't really know what Hands did. There is still so much I still have to learn, but I'm so thankful for all God has done. I've taken more flights in the last 2.5 years than I did in the previous 10. Last July I lost my dad, but this trip to Zambia will be my fourth Hands trip in 11 months. Two trips within the United States and two trips to Africa. I fully believe that this is an example of God's perfect timing. I feel like I'm fulfilling something I was made for.
I have specific memories that I hadn't thought about in quite some time. When I was really little, I remember being in Sunday School hearing a story about the disciples and wondering if I would let go of all of my toys to follow Jesus. (Wrestling with God...as much as a 7 year old can wrestle with God...) Incidentally, this got me in trouble in Sunday School because I was thinking what it would be like to empty my toy chest in order to travel the world with the disciples when the preacher was trying to tell us about his decision to leave the church. (ah, childhood memories...) When I was 14, I asked my parents if I could go on a mission trip to Washington DC. My older brother either couldn't go or wasn't interested and they weren't sure about letting me go. They ultimately decided to let me go but, according to my mom, 'only because its not Africa' I'm not kidding. Famous last words. (Mothers, be VERY careful about what you say to your children. You never know what might come back to haunt you.) Those I thought about when I went to Africa in 2013. Recently, I've been tweaking html code for some emails that the COMMs team has been working on. I remembered a summer, I think I was 13, when my dad encouraged me to take a computer class at the local technology center. A major project was creating our own websites. (The classy kind...it was the 90s! I'm pretty sure Windows still had that old school desktop and the brick maze screen savers.) That was the first time I ever used html! 15 years later and I've let go of loads of material possessions because I want to be willing to go anywhere at any time God calls, I have no problem living out of a suitcase, I've been to Africa twice, and I'm on the COMMs team for Hands US. I'd be lying if I said I saw the real significance of any of those memories at the time, but looking back it's so obvious isn't it?! And while I still have major areas of uncertainty in my life, that could easily seem overwhelming, in my work with Hands I am content.
God made us all uniquely. Maybe you don't want to go to Africa, maybe you like your creature comforts. There's nothing wrong with that! But are you living for what God created you for? Have you even stopped to look at the seemingly inconsequential moments in your life? Sometimes those are the times when God was directly guiding you, but because they are so small, we don't even notice!
"This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” -Jeremiah 29:10-14 [NIV]
God has been SO KIND. As this trip drew near, I felt very uncertain about getting all of my work done, for my job and for Hands US, before I left. As of today, I've done the majority of what I needed to do - and the more time consuming jobs at that! So I just have to tidy a few things up during the next two days of work and I'll be good to go!
And finishing packing. That too.
Saturday morning I'll fly to Chicago. I'm the first one of the group to arrive. Mikhayla should arrive an hour after I do. We've never met in person, but we'll have plenty of time to chat. It will probably be a few more hours before five more of our group arrive. I don't mind. I've spent my fair share of hours lounging in ORD the last two years. I'll be the first to admit that when I went to Africa in 2013 I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I didn't know anyone, I didn't really know what Hands did. There is still so much I still have to learn, but I'm so thankful for all God has done. I've taken more flights in the last 2.5 years than I did in the previous 10. Last July I lost my dad, but this trip to Zambia will be my fourth Hands trip in 11 months. Two trips within the United States and two trips to Africa. I fully believe that this is an example of God's perfect timing. I feel like I'm fulfilling something I was made for.
I have specific memories that I hadn't thought about in quite some time. When I was really little, I remember being in Sunday School hearing a story about the disciples and wondering if I would let go of all of my toys to follow Jesus. (Wrestling with God...as much as a 7 year old can wrestle with God...) Incidentally, this got me in trouble in Sunday School because I was thinking what it would be like to empty my toy chest in order to travel the world with the disciples when the preacher was trying to tell us about his decision to leave the church. (ah, childhood memories...) When I was 14, I asked my parents if I could go on a mission trip to Washington DC. My older brother either couldn't go or wasn't interested and they weren't sure about letting me go. They ultimately decided to let me go but, according to my mom, 'only because its not Africa' I'm not kidding. Famous last words. (Mothers, be VERY careful about what you say to your children. You never know what might come back to haunt you.) Those I thought about when I went to Africa in 2013. Recently, I've been tweaking html code for some emails that the COMMs team has been working on. I remembered a summer, I think I was 13, when my dad encouraged me to take a computer class at the local technology center. A major project was creating our own websites. (The classy kind...it was the 90s! I'm pretty sure Windows still had that old school desktop and the brick maze screen savers.) That was the first time I ever used html! 15 years later and I've let go of loads of material possessions because I want to be willing to go anywhere at any time God calls, I have no problem living out of a suitcase, I've been to Africa twice, and I'm on the COMMs team for Hands US. I'd be lying if I said I saw the real significance of any of those memories at the time, but looking back it's so obvious isn't it?! And while I still have major areas of uncertainty in my life, that could easily seem overwhelming, in my work with Hands I am content.
God made us all uniquely. Maybe you don't want to go to Africa, maybe you like your creature comforts. There's nothing wrong with that! But are you living for what God created you for? Have you even stopped to look at the seemingly inconsequential moments in your life? Sometimes those are the times when God was directly guiding you, but because they are so small, we don't even notice!
"This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” -Jeremiah 29:10-14 [NIV]
I know where God is guiding me the next two weeks! Zambia will surely be an unforgettable experience. They are having a power crisis, which you can read about here. Ashley and Mel say power has been out nearly every day for 6-8 hours at Kachele. When we are not at Kachele, which is in Luanshya, we will be staying in Lusaka (the capitol.) Who knows what the power situation will be there. From Lusaka, it is about an hour and twenty minutes to Kabwe. I'll try to update everyone on our time in Zambia but, depending on the power, that could be very difficult. Thank you for your prayers throughout the next two weeks!
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Zambia
Flights booked!!!
It's official, I'm going back to Zambia for the first two weeks of August! We have an eight member team with an exciting mix of old faces, new faces, youth and experience. It's going to be a busy two weeks. (And it's going to be here before we know it!)
Stay tuned for more details soon!
It's official, I'm going back to Zambia for the first two weeks of August! We have an eight member team with an exciting mix of old faces, new faces, youth and experience. It's going to be a busy two weeks. (And it's going to be here before we know it!)
Stay tuned for more details soon!
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Mwaiseni
Earlier this week Hands at Work posted a story featuring Mwaiseni in the newsroom.
You can read it here, and please do.
It's just one story, but it can help you understand why we fight for these children.
It might remind you just how blessed you are.
You can read it here, and please do.
It's just one story, but it can help you understand why we fight for these children.
It might remind you just how blessed you are.
Friday, November 28, 2014
Minnesota and Mwaiseni
Some of my avid readers might remember my well after the fact blog about the Hands USA Family Reunion last year. It was only 11 weeks after the fact... This year is slightly better at seven weeks!
George's US tour schedule is always jam packed, but this year was especially exciting! Last year we focused on getting all the advocates together: from people who had been to Africa as long as 6 years ago to me (at the time) only six months ago! This year there were multiple events,some big and some small. People I met in Wisconsin last year went to various events, and other people that missed last year were able to make it to events this year. (Maybe this is always the case, but this is the first year I was really aware of everything that was going on and who was going to be where) There was a big event in San Francisco that I didn't attend, but I heard was a blast! There were other events that were smaller, but still filled the hearts of those in attendance.
This year I opted to go to Minnesota. When I considered my options, and events I'll discuss later, it made the most sense. I flew from Pittsburgh...
Finally we landed in Hibbing and Brooke met us at the airport. George was in the country for about three weeks, but my time with him was just a short weekend. George and I stayed at Jed's grandmother's house. What a sweet lady! Our weekend was busy! We arrived late Friday evening and after catching up with Brooke, Jed, Wally, Pam and Pat, we were able to get a good nights rest. Saturday morning we had breakfast with local pastors. It's always interesting to meet new people! After breakfast, Wally took us on a quick tour of Hibbing and to the pit (from iron mining.)
The next morning we prepared for church, where George would be speaking again. One thing that Hands has made me appreciate is all of the different ways people worship God. From churches I've personally chosen to attend, churches we get rides to during orientation, churches I've attended in a rural African community...big, small, modern, traditional: I just can't get over churches! (in a good way) Last year the tour took me to Grace Church in Racine, WI, which I remember being a large church; this year the tour brought me to Abundant Life Church in Hibbing, MN, which was a very intimate church. When I saw the outside of the church I was not expecting what would greet me on the inside of the church. Churches always keep me guessing, and that's good! (Side note: I think what gets me is seeing so many different manifestations of the church, and I can say honestly that they were all good, welcoming experiences, I'm amazed (yet not surprised) that the church still has the negative connotation in society that it does.) Abundant Life had been in the midst of their mission week, and we were greeted by a congregation that was eager to be challenged and to accept the challenge. NCU's One Accord was there leading worship. There was so much energy and so much joy in that service! After that we all ate a quick lunch before hitting the road to drive to Minneapolis. We listened to the Vikings lose. (The Steelers also lost that weekend.) We eventually made it to Jed and Brooke's apartment. Minneapolis was so different that what I expected! Everything in Pittsburgh is so close together, but Minneapolis is comparatively spread out! I'd love to go back and really explore the city, but at the time I was only there for a few hours. I was leaving my brief time with George and the tour, and Lisa and Bryan from Calgary just landed to join in on the next events. I think this really speaks to who Hands is. We don't have to do it all. We do what we are called, when we are called. If and when we are called to a new season, there is someone else who will be willing and ready to step in. As I become more involved with the US office and 'see' people transition in and out from the HUB, it continues to impress me.
George's US tour schedule is always jam packed, but this year was especially exciting! Last year we focused on getting all the advocates together: from people who had been to Africa as long as 6 years ago to me (at the time) only six months ago! This year there were multiple events,some big and some small. People I met in Wisconsin last year went to various events, and other people that missed last year were able to make it to events this year. (Maybe this is always the case, but this is the first year I was really aware of everything that was going on and who was going to be where) There was a big event in San Francisco that I didn't attend, but I heard was a blast! There were other events that were smaller, but still filled the hearts of those in attendance.
This year I opted to go to Minnesota. When I considered my options, and events I'll discuss later, it made the most sense. I flew from Pittsburgh...
Franco Harris and George Washington hanging out at the Pittsburgh airport, obviously.
A cloudy day flying out of Pittsburgh...
And I landed in Chicago...
Flew from Chicago to Minneapolis....
Once I landed in Minneapolis it was time to find George!
Once I landed in Minneapolis it was time to find George!
We had a few hours before our final flight to Hibbing....
It looked something like this:
Pam, me, Jed, George and Wally at the pit!
After our brief tour of Hibbing, Jed and George went to an evening church service where George was speaking. Brooke and I stopped to get a few things for our dinner that night and then went to her parent's house for the afternoon. It was beautiful! The leaves were turning, but the weather was perfect and the sky was so blue! There was a bald eagle flying overhead. Brooke's mom, Gina, suggested we have a fire in the backyard. I also got to meet Brooke's sister Kim, her boys, and, of course, the family dogs! Then we helped get everything packed for our dinner that would raise support for Chisamba and Mwaiseni.
We weren't sure how many people would actually be at the dinner, which always makes things interesting. We set up a few tables, got everything situated in the kitchen, and Brooke's parents worked on making Nshima. We also had Chakalaka and Ifisashi.
Brooke and I took over the Nshima, until Jed came and we happily passed the baton.
Chakalaka(the red stuff), Ifisashi(the green stuff) and Nshima(the white stuff): yum!
It was a great night of food and fellowship. George spoke to us and really challenged everyone. I'm not sure you can ever become immune to the realities of life in Africa. Jed and Brooke also spoke. It was really encouraging just to experience that: to see people that were meeting George for the first time. People that were immediately responsive to the call to help the needy and had so many questions about Hands. After cleaning up, Wally took us on a late night tour of Hibbing - because we had to drive past Bob Dylan's house!
The next morning we prepared for church, where George would be speaking again. One thing that Hands has made me appreciate is all of the different ways people worship God. From churches I've personally chosen to attend, churches we get rides to during orientation, churches I've attended in a rural African community...big, small, modern, traditional: I just can't get over churches! (in a good way) Last year the tour took me to Grace Church in Racine, WI, which I remember being a large church; this year the tour brought me to Abundant Life Church in Hibbing, MN, which was a very intimate church. When I saw the outside of the church I was not expecting what would greet me on the inside of the church. Churches always keep me guessing, and that's good! (Side note: I think what gets me is seeing so many different manifestations of the church, and I can say honestly that they were all good, welcoming experiences, I'm amazed (yet not surprised) that the church still has the negative connotation in society that it does.) Abundant Life had been in the midst of their mission week, and we were greeted by a congregation that was eager to be challenged and to accept the challenge. NCU's One Accord was there leading worship. There was so much energy and so much joy in that service! After that we all ate a quick lunch before hitting the road to drive to Minneapolis. We listened to the Vikings lose. (The Steelers also lost that weekend.) We eventually made it to Jed and Brooke's apartment. Minneapolis was so different that what I expected! Everything in Pittsburgh is so close together, but Minneapolis is comparatively spread out! I'd love to go back and really explore the city, but at the time I was only there for a few hours. I was leaving my brief time with George and the tour, and Lisa and Bryan from Calgary just landed to join in on the next events. I think this really speaks to who Hands is. We don't have to do it all. We do what we are called, when we are called. If and when we are called to a new season, there is someone else who will be willing and ready to step in. As I become more involved with the US office and 'see' people transition in and out from the HUB, it continues to impress me.
My time in Minnesota was such a joy. Of course it was great to just be there. In Africa, our ministry centers around Holy Home Visits and community stays. You visit someone in their home, know their names and know their story. There is power in being known. It changes us. This was a community stay of sorts, although it was different than being in Africa. I met Jed and Brooke's family members, saw where they grew up and saw why they are the people they are. Their families are amazing! For instance, Jed's grandmother has a family tree with all of her offspring and there are around 100 people! It's just truly amazing! I saw a bit clearer how their families were doing amazing things before Jed and Brooke went to Africa, in many ways laying the foundation for them to do what they are doing now.
Maybe stories are easier to discern in someone else's life. Last night I got to chat with Suzette in California. We met in Zambia over a year and a half ago and haven't seen each other in person since! She's gotten involved in Teams, while I'm working with the Communications team. We've been on various skype calls with each other, but it was so nice just to talk, without considering projects or deadlines. Suzette and her husband Abe have really been amazing additions to the Hands US family. I so enjoyed my time in Minnesota, but I am SO excited to see what the next year holds for the Hands US advocates and the Hands international family as a whole.
It's Thanksgiving (well, American Thanksgiving) and I am so thankful for so many things: family, friends, Hands family, supportive listeners, kind hugs, for my father being in heaven and my Father in heaven, lessons learned, 'Africa sprinkles', reminders, kingdom culture, and...
...that I'm going back to Zambia,
to Mwaiseni!, to see all of these faces again!!!
I briefly referenced my work with the communications team. Living in Africa certainly comes with its own set of challenges, but living in America after living in Africa with the Hands community can be rough. Lonely. Isolating. Hard. Especially here on the east coast. In terms of Hands family its me, myself and I. Anytime I get an invite for a Hands skype call I am ready and waiting! Last spring the Hands US office began working to re-form a US Communications team. It was put on hold for a few months this summer, and then revisited in the months prior to George's US tour. It was really exciting and challenging. Working on projects with people you never actually see in person is interesting. One of the things about ministry is sometimes there are people with gifts and talents that can be utilized for the good of the ministry, but other times God qualifies the called. Like me: I do have a basic background in managing facebook pages from work, but those responsibilities were officially transferred to our marketing person a couple years ago. I don't know how to create videos, or how to manipulate websites. But I have been able to maintain friendships with people serving on the Communications team at the HUB. We'll see how things unfold in the coming months. I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm anxious to find out!
What I do know is that I'm heading back to South Africa AND Zambia in May!!! I am so blessed and so grateful to be going back! Sometimes I worry that I'll forget the things I've learned and seen. I was in church two weeks ago and had this immense need to immediately name all of the communities I visited while in Africa. Remembering Zambia and the Kitwe SC communities was easy, thinking back to orientation and the Bushbuckridge and Clau Clau SC communities...not quite as easy. I don't want to forget their names or their stories! Being able to go back will keep things fresh. People who have bought in to Hands have the same heart, but their hearts can break for different communities for different reasons. Just like I can name all of the Kitwe SC CBOs, others can name to Malawi CBOs or Zimbabwe CBOs or the Nigeria CBOs. We are really so much stronger together! I can't save all the orphans, but I can save one. If everyone saves one, we can save them all!
It was a pretty uneventful year here on my blog, I've gotten out of the habit of writing. I'm hoping to make a more consistent effort in the upcoming year. Especially to keep you all updated on my return to Mwaiseni and the amazing work that is going on in all of our communities in Africa!
Friday, July 26, 2013
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
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.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
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!
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:
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.
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.
Friday, April 5, 2013
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!
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!
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!
Monday, March 25, 2013
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!
Saturday, March 23, 2013
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.
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.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
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!
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!
Thursday, March 14, 2013
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...
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...
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
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!
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!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
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:
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 "
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Monday, March 11, 2013
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!!!
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!
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!!!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Community Stays: TIA
Disclaimer: I'm not sure this blog post is exactly what I hoped it would
be, but I've already put it off too long, and today I learned I am
going to Zambia. I could leave as soon as Tuesday, so here it is for
better or worse...
On Friday March 1st, after much anticipation, we left the Village just after 12pm to head out for our community stays. After a leisurely 2.5 hour car ride, at roughly 2:30, we arrived in Welverdiend at the care center/feeding point. When we initially arrived, the children were still finishing up a lesson so we waited outside. After that we went into a room to meet the care workers and, most importantly, the children we would be staying with for the weekend. I was paired with Melissa (AUS) for the weekend, and we were told we would be staying with a 14 year old girl named Bethany. Busji went around the room pointing out the pairs from our intake, and then the children they'd be staying with. Melissa and I were told Bethany was not there because she was at home cleaning in anticipation of our arrival. It was decided that the boys would walk to their houses, because they were relatively close, and the girls would follow behind in the vehicles. We stopped at each house the boys would be staying at to drop off their groceries before being dropped off at the houses we would be staying at. Initially, they were going to walk carrying everything, but there was concern over them looking too touristy.
The first house we went to was were Dave and Russell would be staying. Honestly, the main thing I remember is how excited the gogo (grandmother) was. Then we dropped off Leyton and Joe, and then Mariah and Alicia. Then it was just Mel and I in the car with Busji and Stephen. (Simon was in the Venture with the care workers.) We drove to Bethany's house, and she was not home. After some discussion, it was decided that Mel and I would wait it out at Thelma's house. Initially, all our stuff was left in the car; I just took my notebook, pen, and water bottle. We met Thelma's sister and her one month old baby. I had actually been taken to the house before, with Alicia and Dave, by one of the care workers, after getting caught in a rainstorm on our first visit to Welverdiend. Mel and I got settled in the kitchen/dining room, since we weren't sure how long we were going to be there. Thelma offered us guava from the tree in their backyard, so we could have a snack while we watched 'The Young And The Restless' This was a surprise because I hadn't considered television in general, let alone that I would fly 8,000 miles to watch American soap operas. There was some African programming, but there was a lot of American programming. There were teasers for 'The Real Housewives', specifically, The Real Housewives of New Jersey, though that distinction wasn't actually made. They are several seasons behind, but for a moment it struck me that, of all the American programming they could get, they get 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey' which just presents an awful picture of our society.
While we were watching television, we asked Thelma lots of questions. Thelma is 29; I'm 27 and Mel is 32, so we were all of similar age. One of the first things we talked about, of course, was how one goes about finding a good man in Africa! Of course we were thrilled when we found out Thelma has a man in her life she believes will be her future husband. Right now he is off working so he can save his money, in order to be able to marry her. We didn't get much detail beyond that; discussing relationships is interesting because they are handled so differently. Africans don't really date the way we do in westernized society. To say you have a girlfriend or a boyfriend is to announce publically that you are having sex with that person, which obviously no one would do. There are not many men in the communities, as most of left to find work elsewhere. It is unusual to find couples that are actually married. Often the extent of discussion consists of saying a woman will have a male visitor, but that she doesn't have a boyfriend, etc. It is an ironic and unbeneficial lifestyle given what we know about HIV/AIDS. It is difficult to grasp coming from western culture. At home we are empowered to make decisions to better ourselves. Women are encouraged to get out of abusive relationships, and outside people are encouraged to intervene if a relationship looks suspect. Here there are not that many men present within the community, and most of the ones that are are the ones you wouldn't want to meet. It isn't ingrained in their culture to change the patterns that our present; it is very much an uphill battle. Many women know the men they are sleeping with is not faithful to them, but to ask your boyfriend to use a condom implies that you don't trust him. It's something they would never do, because more often than not, it would probably end badly, and so the cycle persists. But that is another topic...
Busie dropped off the girl she was staying with to sit with us while she and Thelma went to take care of something at one of the other houses. It was around 5pm at this point. We watched more television, I think this was about the time that 'Rhythm city' came on. Around 6pm Busji and Thelma came back to tell us that we'd just stay at Thelma's house. Bethany was not comfortable with the idea of us staying for the weekend. This was completely understandable considering she is 14, she lives alone, and is very shy. Then just try
to consider the mindset of living alone at 14, with your parents burial mounds in the backyard, doing all of the cooking and cleaning while going to school and having no income. It was of course a bit of a disappointment that we couldn't stay with her, but completely understandable at the same time. Bethany must have been so stressed over the whole situation; she had even arranged to have us stay with a neighbor the next day because she intended to go to her sister's house in a different community. This is the part of the weekend where we all said 'TIA' and go with it. TIA stands for 'this is Africa' and it is what everyone says when plans change, which it seems like they do 95% of the time here.
After we found out we'd be staying at Thelma's, we went outside to fetch water from the tap for tea. Obviously I have known about the community stay since the first week of orientation, but it didn't really sink in until we were in Thelma's backyard. I just had this moment that I thought about my life at the time, and if I ever could have predicted it would play out this way. Of course I wanted to come to South Africa and serve with Hands at Work. At this time last year, I certainly hoped it would happen. The idea of staying in a local community never really sunk in. Of course I thought it was an amazing opportunity, but it was not something that I ever thought I would be doing! Standing outside, I was struck again by how different Africa is and yet how it is still the same as home. Here we are just constantly pushed outside of our comfort zones, and constantly encouraged to be the beautiful feet:
"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!'" - Isaiah 52:7 [NIV]
Thelma's house is really her families home. She lives there with her mother, seven of her eight siblings, her son, and her sister's two children. Her father works in a different town, and usually comes home just once a month. The house is fairly large by African standards. African houses can look a different number of ways, from being an individual one room structure, to a collection of multiple one room structures, or one structure with multiple rooms. In Thelma's case, the main house consisted of a hallway, main room, and four bedrooms. The main room is the sitting area, indoor kitchen/dining room. Thelma's family had a television, refrigerator, toaster oven, electric stove top, so it looked like a fairly typical kitchen minus the sink. There was a tap in the backyard to get water for cooking and washing, along with an outdoor kitchen where we cooked over the fire. This house also had two outdoor toilets, one of which has a chicken nesting in the corner! It was definitely a more modern experience than we would have had at Bethany's house, as she does not have toilets or water on site. That evening we stewed tomatoes and chicken necks to eat with our pup for dinner, and watched television until it was time to take our bucket baths before bed. Bucket baths are self-explanatory as they are exactly what they sound like. Water is boiled, and combined with some cooler water if needed, and poured into a bucket. In this case, we had a large basin - we barely even made a mess (luckily!) It's not what most of us would consider ideal: it's an adjustment, but it is definitely doable.
Thelma, Mel, and I all slept in the same bed. I know I'm in Africa, but that first night I took the outside of the bed, and I froze! I was up by 5:30 at the latest, and only got about three hours of quality sleep because I was so cold! African women do not get tired though, they are amazing! We were all up, dressed, and doing chores by 7am! We started by sweeping the yard. Welverdiend is very arid, so there is very little grass. The neighbors got a kick of watching the white people sweeping the yard; I just don't have the African technique down quite yet... Sweeping the yard collects leaves and other debris, so the remaining sand just looks nicer. We swept the debris into multiple piles and then collected them all in our wheelbarrow, to take to the road. People dump their debris in the road in an attempt to fill in ditches. Then it was breakfast time: oatmeal, it was so good! Then it was time to feed the chickens their breakfast. After that we really got going: we swept the whole house, mopped the floors, made polish and then polished the floors. Then we got water and proceeded to wash three bins full of laundry. And we finished everything by 11am!
Life is much more social in Africa. Alicia and Mariah came over to pay us a visit and see what our house was like. Other people from the community came over just because we were white. A few came inside the yard to meet us, but others just peeked at us through the hedges. Anywhere you walk, almost everyone will say "Hi. how are you?" and "I'm fine" because that is the first English phrases they learn. We had a quick break for tea, peanut butter sandwiches and moonballs (white grapes.) When we went back outside, we started playing some games and we ended up attracting over 20 kids. We played catch with tennis balls and then kicked around a soccer ball. Then we got into 'Stella Ella Ola" (a hand clapping game), 'Vasolina', 'Bananas of the World', the limbo, and we taught them 'the Hokey Pokey."
It was really fun, but Pinky came over to meet Thelma to go visit the boys, and by this time it was already 1:30 in the afternoon. We went inside for another bucket bath, and got ready.
First we went to visit the boys and their families, which involved watching Dave lose at some sort of card game. (Not that I would have had anymore luck, mind you!) We also stopped over to see Alicia and Mariah. Finally, we went to go meet Bethany. For the first ten minutes, Bethany didn't even come outside. We met two of her sisters and two friends, but Bethany is quite shy. Bethany's sister shared with the care workers that she was supposed to receive a grant from the government to help her take care of her sister. She went on to share that when she had traveled to retrieve it the day before, she was told they had nothing for her. Bethany's sister works in a different community as well, so she predominantly lives alone. It was heartbreaking to meet Bethany because you can see how damaged she is, while at the same time knowing we are only seeing a glimpse of how much pain she has experienced. She was desperately shy and struggled to even make eye contact. She has had to bear far more than the average 14 year old; it is truly heartbreaking.
We returned to the house and had to prepare dinner. That evening, our dinner was shredded cabbage and carrots, served with tomatoes and pilchards, and of course pup! While we were preparing food in the outdoor kitchen, we saw a woman from the community dressed in a traditional grass skirt and was going dancing. We ate dinner while watching 'MacGyver', of all things. Then it was time for our third bucket bath of the day, before climbing into bed. This time I took the middle, and it was much more comfortable!
The next morning I woke up at 5:30 again, but feeling more well-rested. Again, we got ready, washed and swept the house. We went to Thelma's Church: The Welverdiend Creche which was started by Swiss Mission for Refugees. It is a Presbyterian Church, but make no mistake: they are not part of the frozen chosen! There were about 50 people in attendance, and, including the pastor, only three of them were men. Everyone else was women and children. The scripture passages for the day were in Acts 16: 25-(?) and Luke 1: 26-38. We sang a lot of songs! There are only a handful of songs that I know well enough to sing the majority of the words to. One of my favorites is a song with hand motions; I have to get a copy of the lyrics from someone before I come back home. Being the only white people in attendance, it was obvious that we were visitors. We had to dance our way to the front of the room to introduce ourselves to everyone; later we were used to illustrate the sermon! (The theme being that God sends us to do His work and nothing is impossible with God.) All together, the Church service lasted three hours - but it was very cool, and very high energy! They even sang 'Come Though Almighty King' and 'What A Friend We Have In Jesus' in Tsongan! After that, there is an upcoming youth conference, so we stayed for a meeting (that lasted about 30 minutes) after the service concluded because Thelma was involved.
Then it was time to walk back to Thelma's house and eat lunch. We had prepared the rice before going to Church, and we ate that with the most amazing chicken! After that, we were so full that we insisted on taking a nap! Of course, once we were resting, Stephen and Busji came over to check on us... After they woke us up, we were fine. We cooked more chicken and pup for dinner. I like pup, and I like most African dishes; but I do not like cooking over an open wood fire. The smoke is so thick that it burns your eyes and you can barely see.
The next morning was our last chunk of time with Thelma. We got up, swept the yard and the house, went to the store, ate our breakfast and drank tea. Then it was time to walk to the care center. We were late, ironically we were the only ones who stayed with a care worker and we were the only ones who were late; according to Busji, this means we are officially on African time. The care workers were not prepared to do home visits, so we spent some time helping them break soil and do some landscaping details. We also swept, mopped, and polished the rooms in the care center themselves. After that, we had a quick debrief and said our goodbyes and climbed back into the vehicles for the care ride home.
Here are pictures of me with the whole family, and with Mel and Thelma:
On Friday March 1st, after much anticipation, we left the Village just after 12pm to head out for our community stays. After a leisurely 2.5 hour car ride, at roughly 2:30, we arrived in Welverdiend at the care center/feeding point. When we initially arrived, the children were still finishing up a lesson so we waited outside. After that we went into a room to meet the care workers and, most importantly, the children we would be staying with for the weekend. I was paired with Melissa (AUS) for the weekend, and we were told we would be staying with a 14 year old girl named Bethany. Busji went around the room pointing out the pairs from our intake, and then the children they'd be staying with. Melissa and I were told Bethany was not there because she was at home cleaning in anticipation of our arrival. It was decided that the boys would walk to their houses, because they were relatively close, and the girls would follow behind in the vehicles. We stopped at each house the boys would be staying at to drop off their groceries before being dropped off at the houses we would be staying at. Initially, they were going to walk carrying everything, but there was concern over them looking too touristy.
The first house we went to was were Dave and Russell would be staying. Honestly, the main thing I remember is how excited the gogo (grandmother) was. Then we dropped off Leyton and Joe, and then Mariah and Alicia. Then it was just Mel and I in the car with Busji and Stephen. (Simon was in the Venture with the care workers.) We drove to Bethany's house, and she was not home. After some discussion, it was decided that Mel and I would wait it out at Thelma's house. Initially, all our stuff was left in the car; I just took my notebook, pen, and water bottle. We met Thelma's sister and her one month old baby. I had actually been taken to the house before, with Alicia and Dave, by one of the care workers, after getting caught in a rainstorm on our first visit to Welverdiend. Mel and I got settled in the kitchen/dining room, since we weren't sure how long we were going to be there. Thelma offered us guava from the tree in their backyard, so we could have a snack while we watched 'The Young And The Restless' This was a surprise because I hadn't considered television in general, let alone that I would fly 8,000 miles to watch American soap operas. There was some African programming, but there was a lot of American programming. There were teasers for 'The Real Housewives', specifically, The Real Housewives of New Jersey, though that distinction wasn't actually made. They are several seasons behind, but for a moment it struck me that, of all the American programming they could get, they get 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey' which just presents an awful picture of our society.
While we were watching television, we asked Thelma lots of questions. Thelma is 29; I'm 27 and Mel is 32, so we were all of similar age. One of the first things we talked about, of course, was how one goes about finding a good man in Africa! Of course we were thrilled when we found out Thelma has a man in her life she believes will be her future husband. Right now he is off working so he can save his money, in order to be able to marry her. We didn't get much detail beyond that; discussing relationships is interesting because they are handled so differently. Africans don't really date the way we do in westernized society. To say you have a girlfriend or a boyfriend is to announce publically that you are having sex with that person, which obviously no one would do. There are not many men in the communities, as most of left to find work elsewhere. It is unusual to find couples that are actually married. Often the extent of discussion consists of saying a woman will have a male visitor, but that she doesn't have a boyfriend, etc. It is an ironic and unbeneficial lifestyle given what we know about HIV/AIDS. It is difficult to grasp coming from western culture. At home we are empowered to make decisions to better ourselves. Women are encouraged to get out of abusive relationships, and outside people are encouraged to intervene if a relationship looks suspect. Here there are not that many men present within the community, and most of the ones that are are the ones you wouldn't want to meet. It isn't ingrained in their culture to change the patterns that our present; it is very much an uphill battle. Many women know the men they are sleeping with is not faithful to them, but to ask your boyfriend to use a condom implies that you don't trust him. It's something they would never do, because more often than not, it would probably end badly, and so the cycle persists. But that is another topic...
Busie dropped off the girl she was staying with to sit with us while she and Thelma went to take care of something at one of the other houses. It was around 5pm at this point. We watched more television, I think this was about the time that 'Rhythm city' came on. Around 6pm Busji and Thelma came back to tell us that we'd just stay at Thelma's house. Bethany was not comfortable with the idea of us staying for the weekend. This was completely understandable considering she is 14, she lives alone, and is very shy. Then just try
to consider the mindset of living alone at 14, with your parents burial mounds in the backyard, doing all of the cooking and cleaning while going to school and having no income. It was of course a bit of a disappointment that we couldn't stay with her, but completely understandable at the same time. Bethany must have been so stressed over the whole situation; she had even arranged to have us stay with a neighbor the next day because she intended to go to her sister's house in a different community. This is the part of the weekend where we all said 'TIA' and go with it. TIA stands for 'this is Africa' and it is what everyone says when plans change, which it seems like they do 95% of the time here.
After we found out we'd be staying at Thelma's, we went outside to fetch water from the tap for tea. Obviously I have known about the community stay since the first week of orientation, but it didn't really sink in until we were in Thelma's backyard. I just had this moment that I thought about my life at the time, and if I ever could have predicted it would play out this way. Of course I wanted to come to South Africa and serve with Hands at Work. At this time last year, I certainly hoped it would happen. The idea of staying in a local community never really sunk in. Of course I thought it was an amazing opportunity, but it was not something that I ever thought I would be doing! Standing outside, I was struck again by how different Africa is and yet how it is still the same as home. Here we are just constantly pushed outside of our comfort zones, and constantly encouraged to be the beautiful feet:
"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!'" - Isaiah 52:7 [NIV]
Thelma's house is really her families home. She lives there with her mother, seven of her eight siblings, her son, and her sister's two children. Her father works in a different town, and usually comes home just once a month. The house is fairly large by African standards. African houses can look a different number of ways, from being an individual one room structure, to a collection of multiple one room structures, or one structure with multiple rooms. In Thelma's case, the main house consisted of a hallway, main room, and four bedrooms. The main room is the sitting area, indoor kitchen/dining room. Thelma's family had a television, refrigerator, toaster oven, electric stove top, so it looked like a fairly typical kitchen minus the sink. There was a tap in the backyard to get water for cooking and washing, along with an outdoor kitchen where we cooked over the fire. This house also had two outdoor toilets, one of which has a chicken nesting in the corner! It was definitely a more modern experience than we would have had at Bethany's house, as she does not have toilets or water on site. That evening we stewed tomatoes and chicken necks to eat with our pup for dinner, and watched television until it was time to take our bucket baths before bed. Bucket baths are self-explanatory as they are exactly what they sound like. Water is boiled, and combined with some cooler water if needed, and poured into a bucket. In this case, we had a large basin - we barely even made a mess (luckily!) It's not what most of us would consider ideal: it's an adjustment, but it is definitely doable.
Thelma, Mel, and I all slept in the same bed. I know I'm in Africa, but that first night I took the outside of the bed, and I froze! I was up by 5:30 at the latest, and only got about three hours of quality sleep because I was so cold! African women do not get tired though, they are amazing! We were all up, dressed, and doing chores by 7am! We started by sweeping the yard. Welverdiend is very arid, so there is very little grass. The neighbors got a kick of watching the white people sweeping the yard; I just don't have the African technique down quite yet... Sweeping the yard collects leaves and other debris, so the remaining sand just looks nicer. We swept the debris into multiple piles and then collected them all in our wheelbarrow, to take to the road. People dump their debris in the road in an attempt to fill in ditches. Then it was breakfast time: oatmeal, it was so good! Then it was time to feed the chickens their breakfast. After that we really got going: we swept the whole house, mopped the floors, made polish and then polished the floors. Then we got water and proceeded to wash three bins full of laundry. And we finished everything by 11am!
Life is much more social in Africa. Alicia and Mariah came over to pay us a visit and see what our house was like. Other people from the community came over just because we were white. A few came inside the yard to meet us, but others just peeked at us through the hedges. Anywhere you walk, almost everyone will say "Hi. how are you?" and "I'm fine" because that is the first English phrases they learn. We had a quick break for tea, peanut butter sandwiches and moonballs (white grapes.) When we went back outside, we started playing some games and we ended up attracting over 20 kids. We played catch with tennis balls and then kicked around a soccer ball. Then we got into 'Stella Ella Ola" (a hand clapping game), 'Vasolina', 'Bananas of the World', the limbo, and we taught them 'the Hokey Pokey."
\It was really fun, but Pinky came over to meet Thelma to go visit the boys, and by this time it was already 1:30 in the afternoon. We went inside for another bucket bath, and got ready.
First we went to visit the boys and their families, which involved watching Dave lose at some sort of card game. (Not that I would have had anymore luck, mind you!) We also stopped over to see Alicia and Mariah. Finally, we went to go meet Bethany. For the first ten minutes, Bethany didn't even come outside. We met two of her sisters and two friends, but Bethany is quite shy. Bethany's sister shared with the care workers that she was supposed to receive a grant from the government to help her take care of her sister. She went on to share that when she had traveled to retrieve it the day before, she was told they had nothing for her. Bethany's sister works in a different community as well, so she predominantly lives alone. It was heartbreaking to meet Bethany because you can see how damaged she is, while at the same time knowing we are only seeing a glimpse of how much pain she has experienced. She was desperately shy and struggled to even make eye contact. She has had to bear far more than the average 14 year old; it is truly heartbreaking.
We returned to the house and had to prepare dinner. That evening, our dinner was shredded cabbage and carrots, served with tomatoes and pilchards, and of course pup! While we were preparing food in the outdoor kitchen, we saw a woman from the community dressed in a traditional grass skirt and was going dancing. We ate dinner while watching 'MacGyver', of all things. Then it was time for our third bucket bath of the day, before climbing into bed. This time I took the middle, and it was much more comfortable!
The next morning I woke up at 5:30 again, but feeling more well-rested. Again, we got ready, washed and swept the house. We went to Thelma's Church: The Welverdiend Creche which was started by Swiss Mission for Refugees. It is a Presbyterian Church, but make no mistake: they are not part of the frozen chosen! There were about 50 people in attendance, and, including the pastor, only three of them were men. Everyone else was women and children. The scripture passages for the day were in Acts 16: 25-(?) and Luke 1: 26-38. We sang a lot of songs! There are only a handful of songs that I know well enough to sing the majority of the words to. One of my favorites is a song with hand motions; I have to get a copy of the lyrics from someone before I come back home. Being the only white people in attendance, it was obvious that we were visitors. We had to dance our way to the front of the room to introduce ourselves to everyone; later we were used to illustrate the sermon! (The theme being that God sends us to do His work and nothing is impossible with God.) All together, the Church service lasted three hours - but it was very cool, and very high energy! They even sang 'Come Though Almighty King' and 'What A Friend We Have In Jesus' in Tsongan! After that, there is an upcoming youth conference, so we stayed for a meeting (that lasted about 30 minutes) after the service concluded because Thelma was involved.
Then it was time to walk back to Thelma's house and eat lunch. We had prepared the rice before going to Church, and we ate that with the most amazing chicken! After that, we were so full that we insisted on taking a nap! Of course, once we were resting, Stephen and Busji came over to check on us... After they woke us up, we were fine. We cooked more chicken and pup for dinner. I like pup, and I like most African dishes; but I do not like cooking over an open wood fire. The smoke is so thick that it burns your eyes and you can barely see.
The next morning was our last chunk of time with Thelma. We got up, swept the yard and the house, went to the store, ate our breakfast and drank tea. Then it was time to walk to the care center. We were late, ironically we were the only ones who stayed with a care worker and we were the only ones who were late; according to Busji, this means we are officially on African time. The care workers were not prepared to do home visits, so we spent some time helping them break soil and do some landscaping details. We also swept, mopped, and polished the rooms in the care center themselves. After that, we had a quick debrief and said our goodbyes and climbed back into the vehicles for the care ride home.
Here are pictures of me with the whole family, and with Mel and Thelma:
So that is at least the highlights from my community stay. Again, I'm not sure how well communicated it was but I'm still a little in shock after the amazing day we had today! I woke up at 4am ready to go: I worked on this blog, and I watched the sun rise, before taking care of a few things. David Bentley took some of us into Nelspruit. I originally wanted to get my tragus pierced, but they couldn't do it at Mopani so we just got our cartilage pierced instead, but Bentley was able to take me somewhere to get my tragus pierced, which I've wanted to get for years. Then back at the Village, we had a Hands at Work Amazing Race put on by Kristi and it was amazing! We were put into four person teams (8 teams total and I believe 10 challenges) and were running all over campus! It was so, so much fun but I am exhausted!
Everyone showing our team spirit! You can see me with the blue team on the right. This is before we started, you can tell mostly because we are all dry and still covered in face paint. [We would later be covered in soap suds from the slip and slide challenge.] We all ate dinner together: we had pizza, which was another challenge, and we watched photos and videos from the event. After dinner was when we all found out about our placements. I honestly had no expectations about my placement after orientation. I am here for the shortest duration in our intake, so I saw it going 50/50 either way in terms of whether to send me out or keep me in South Africa. Jen discussed what they were thinking, and that I could look into flights, but also that I could leave as soon as Tuesday. That would mean: a. I am leaving before orientation is even finished, b. I am the first to leave out of our intake group and c. I only have two days to get my stuff together. Jen wasn't exactly sure how I would take the news, but honestly I'm not be overly stressed out by the idea of leaving on Tuesday. I don't even have a full load of laundry to do. I have six items I would have to buy, here or in Zambia, but otherwise I'm set. Once I buy a plane ticket of course... I've just been here in South Africa a month, as of yesterday, so the idea of leaving to spend a month in another country still boggles my mind! It's crazy, and I'm not sure I've entirely wrapped my head around it yet, but I'm so excited! I'll be going to Kitwe, to work with Byron and Diane. That's exciting because, aside from Marj and George, Byron was the first person I met at the Village! I'm discussing details tomorrow with Lynn to see if I would be able to get on the same flight to Zambia. We'll see what happens. I will probably be staying in Kitwe by myself, but I'm told it's very safe. Everyone has also told me how beautiful it is there; I'm very excited to see it! I'm also told that it is a much different image of the poor. That the poor there have even less than the poor here, which is a hard idea to wrap my head around having not experienced it yet.
I don't want to ruin the excitement for anyone else so I won't tell you who is being sent where just yet. I will tell you that I'll be one of the four in our intake who are being sent to Zambia; the other three are staying at the farm which is about an hour from Kitwe. There are also two people being sent to Malawi, one person is being sent to Zimbabwe, and one person is staying in South Africa. It's amazing how much one conversation can change everything! For the most part, we didn't really discuss where we would want to go but it all worked out. I think everyone is thrilled with their placements. The person placed in South Africa was actually hoping to stay here, rather than going somewhere new and starting all over. I know I'm ecstatic to be going to Zambia! Now I just have to sort out details, and I will blog again when I know more concrete details!
Thanks for praying! If you could, keep all eight of us in your prayers as we all sort out what the next phase looks like. Especially for the seven of us who will be purchasing flights, packing up our rooms and settling into our new homes within the next few weeks!
I don't want to ruin the excitement for anyone else so I won't tell you who is being sent where just yet. I will tell you that I'll be one of the four in our intake who are being sent to Zambia; the other three are staying at the farm which is about an hour from Kitwe. There are also two people being sent to Malawi, one person is being sent to Zimbabwe, and one person is staying in South Africa. It's amazing how much one conversation can change everything! For the most part, we didn't really discuss where we would want to go but it all worked out. I think everyone is thrilled with their placements. The person placed in South Africa was actually hoping to stay here, rather than going somewhere new and starting all over. I know I'm ecstatic to be going to Zambia! Now I just have to sort out details, and I will blog again when I know more concrete details!
Thanks for praying! If you could, keep all eight of us in your prayers as we all sort out what the next phase looks like. Especially for the seven of us who will be purchasing flights, packing up our rooms and settling into our new homes within the next few weeks!
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