Seasons Change

thought I would take some time to let you know what it looks like on this side of the world during this time.  While some of you are experiencing lots of snow and frigid weather we are in the middle of the summer/rainy season.  This year it has been exceptionally dry and we have not had as much rain as they have had in the past few years.  When it doesn’t rain it is HOT!!!  Sometimes the thermometer will read 90 when I crawl into bed.  Now, for me, the odd thing is when it does rain.  Back home when it would rain it wouldn’t really cool things off as much as it would just make things hot and humid.  However, here it isn’t the same, thankfully.  When it rains it brings in a cool breeze.  The clouds alone help drop the temp by 20 degrees it seems.  With the rain comes the planting season.  Everywhere you look people have planted corn, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins.  Some have planted tomatoes, okra, gourds or peanuts.  No one has a yard, either front or back.  In fact there is rarely ever a tiny piece of ground that doesn’t have something planted on it.  One of our neighbors has about 2 feet from his fence to the “road” where it looks like nothing would grow and there are about 6 stalks of corn about 5 feet high.  It is so out of place it looks funny.  Right now, most everyone around us has corn chest high or higher, depending on when they planted. 

                The rain brings excitement as they depend so much on the rain.  I think I have told you that I am trying a small experiment with some sugar cane in the front yard.  Well that little experiment is coming along rather well.  It is growing much slower than the corn but we are still seeing progress.  We won’t be solving the national debt with this crop but it is more for education and fun.  In fact, we probably couldn’t even pay the water bill for one month, and it’s only $7.00 a month.  I have been getting some really good education in agriculture over the last few months.  It should pay off as Lesley and I will be planting some items when we get to Luangwa.  Those will be for real and not just fun.  The rains have usually been sporadic and heavy.  You can see them coming but they don’t always come your direction.  They call those showers and not rain.  It doesn’t matter what they call it our roof still leaks.  This past week we have experienced what they call rain.  That is to say that it is a slow and steady rain all day long for as far as you can see.  The roads do get messy.  Since all the roads, but the main one, are dirt they become a real challenge to drive on.  But we have a 4 wheel drive so it does make it fun.  

                I think we are safe in saying that we will never see snow here, especially living in Luangwa.  While it did get cold in July when we first arrived, it doesn’t get as cold as it does back home.  Not to mention that the winter season here isn’t near as long.  When we first arrived I remember everyone here saying we were crazy for not bundling up as much.  I think it was like in the mid 60’s and we had on a long sleeve or something, but nothing quite like they did.  I even scoffed at some of the missionaries who were complaining about how “freezing” it was.  I am not saying that I am there, but I will say that there is something to be said about acclimatizing to a location.  I was in Luangwa last weekend and was privy to a room that had an a/c unit.  So, when I checked in I closed the windows and turned on the a/c.  I set it for 75 then went and ate dinner.  When I got back and opened the door I thought I had set it to 35 it was so cold.  It will be interesting to see what I think about this next July.  While I am becoming more and more acclimatized to the heat here, 90 degrees at night is still HOT!!!

On the River

Wednesday, Kevin and I headed out to the Luangwa River with the boat to do some river work.  This is one of the things I have been waiting for.  Since we have been here all we have done is language work.  I was ready for a little on-the-job training.  How am I supposed to do church planting?  How do you even start?  Where do you go and what do you do?  While they answer all of these questions at FPO theoretically, they are answered here on the river practically.  The alarm went off at 0600.  I got up, got dressed and fixed some breakfast and waited for Kevin to arrive at 0700.  It takes 2 hours to get to the river.  He has a small zodiac style inflatable boat with a 15 horse outboard motor.  It takes about 30 mins to get it put together, inflated and in the water.  The boat will hold 4 people.  The river is up and moving.  We went up river about 15 Km and I can’t remember how long it took, maybe an hour or so.  Coming back was much faster as we were coming back down stream.  Today’s expedition was merely a howdy-do visit to let them know we will be coming every Wednesday for a while. 

                It has been raining every day now for a while and today was no exception.  It was one of those slow but steady, never let up all day rains.  Really a perfect day to be trapped inside all day.  It continued to rain on us for about an hour that morning but slowly let up as the day progressed.  The scenery was gorgeous!  There are “mountains” along the river.  The Luangwa is situated in the rift valley.  It is nothing like the grand canyon or anything and the mountains are no more than 1,000 feet at best but the clouds were low and slipping over the tops of these hills was incredible.  Everything is very green.  The river is wide and shallow with many hidden rocks and sand bars.  There was lots of debris in the river which the motor doesn’t like, so from time to time we would have to stop and extricate the unwanted passengers we would pick up along the way. 

                As you head up the river you head away from any marks of the last 500 years of development.  There are several huts and villages along the river.  The only mode of transportation is a dugout canoe.  It is obvious that people don’t head up the river much from the looks and reactions we received.  About 10 Km up the river we take a left and head up the Lusemfwe.  (I am sure I have butchered the name)  We would be making 3 stops on our trip this day.  The first was at the end of the road, that way if anything went wrong with the boat we could float back down the river.  When we made the turn, it really seemed as if we were Columbus or Louis and Clark headed out into the open unknown.  When the river is slow and low, there are crocs and hippos but today they were no where to be found. 

                All of our stops were the same in that we were just saying hello.  It is still interesting to me to see the reactions from all the people when you get there.  At times it is pandemonium.  You should see the reactions of the little children.  Some are horrified at the site of a white person.  At a distance you can tell the ones who are scared by the look in their eyes and the firm grip they have on momma.  Everyone there wants to come and touch you, except for the scared little ones.  But then their mothers bring them over to us.  They act like a cat the closer you get to a large pool of water or a monkey who has his fist caught in the side of a cliff as you approach.  There is a lot of screaming, clawing, crying and flailing going on.  The mothers will grab the hand of their child and your hand and force a touch.  They will make you touch their hands, their face and their hair.  By the time you leave, which is usually about an hour or 2, some of them have warmed up enough to stare at you like a calf at a new gate.  

                I didn’t do hardly any speaking but was able to get in hours of much needed exposure and listening to the language.  I think the listening part is something that we cannot get here in Chongwe.  It was really good and refreshing to hear the language in use and add another dimension to my learning.  In one village everyone met us at the church and we had church.  I am still trying to wrap my mind around the idea of work and what all that entails and means.  Since everyone here lives a survival mentality then there is no 9-5 job.  You work to grow food.  You live from meal to meal.  So when we roll into town it is easy to stop what you are doing for an hour to come and say hello.  I am anxious and excited for next week so that I can go and learn some more.  By the time we got back to the truck the rain had stopped and the clouds had lifted so that the sun was peaking through.  As many clouds as there were it was still quite hot and humid.  It takes about another 30 min to break the boat down and get it loaded up but we were all done and on the road by 1530 and home by 1730 in time for dinner.  It was fast and furious but a great day of learning.  I can’t wait until next Wednesday.  The idea of taking the gospel so far out is both exciting and daunting.  It is daunting because I am taking God’s holy word to a people who may have never heard, so I have to make sure I have studied to show myself approved a workman who rightly divides this word of truth.  May I challenge you to do the same?  Don’t assume the people you talk to at work, who may even claim to be a Christian, understand the truth of God’s word.  Make sure you know it better than you know your job and better than you know yourself.  Our days are numbered so use them wisely.

Crates are on the move

I am terribly sorry for such a long delay on the update.  So, instead of giving you a litany of excuses I will jump right into telling you what all has been going on.  Since we last wrote we have been entrenched in a grammar book and going to the village trying desperately to get back into the language groove.  I have to admit it was a small struggle to get the gears moving again but I am happy to report that we were able to get back in that groove and are currently picking up speed.   We still have a long way to go but you must learn to crawl before you can walk.  On that note I will say that Tyler has FINALLY transitioned from the crawling to the walking phase.  Crawling is now but a novelty.  On occasion he will revert back to the crawl but I must say that just as of last week he has found his feet and is on the move.  We are very excited. 

While we are supposed to be in the “rainy” season, it has been rather dry around here.  That is bad cause that means it is HOT!  We came home from church today and after a fine meal by Lesley we decided to take a short siesta.  The fan was kickin’ and the temp read 89 in the room.  We have had a few spurts of rain here and there but it sure would be nice to have more, and often.  I will say that with every little drop the front yard grows a half a foot.  I still find it comical every time I walk outside to see rows and rows of corn standing in there.  My sugarcane is coming along slowly but surely.  I am not sure if I will have a bumper crop before we move but I think I will have at least a small sample to take with me. 

This weekend was the big move that every new missionary waits on.  We moved our crates out to Luangwa.  Remember, that is virtually everything we own in 2 ½ boxes now just sitting out there waiting patiently on us to arrive.  We purchased a 20 foot metal shipping container to use as a garage/storage place for when we get there.  I drove out to our house in Luangwa to make sure everything went ok.  Lesley and Tyler stayed home because I was highly optimistic about making this a one shot.  While I do realize where we live and understand this ain’t America, I was still hopeful.  Keep hope alive, right?  So, everything started well over a month ago and each week I did the proper follow up to make sure everything was still in order.  2 days prior to the day I was in Lusaka making sure everyone was paid and all the paper work was filled out.  Then Friday morning I was ready for takeoff starting at about 0930-1000.  At 1145 the truck rolled thru Chongwe.  Still hopeful we pulled out heading in the right direction but at the wrong speed.  The speed limit is 120 kph and we couldn’t even maintain 60kph.  By 1200, I motioned the truck over and asked him if he knew how to get to Luangwa.  With an affirmation I felt comfortable with I split and told them I would meet them there as I had some things to do at the house.

I reached Luangwa at 1500 and received a phone call saying they were at the bridge.  WoW!  What a pleasant surprise.  It took me 1 ½ hours to make the journey from the bridge doing 60kph, so I was thinking they could surely make it in 2.  I would need to leave the house in Luangwa by 1730 to make it back to the bridge by dark.  I was able to accomplish a lot of small but needed tasks at the house.  I ran into some South Africans I had met on some previous trips down there who said that they had just passed a truck a few k’s back.  So I jumped into the cruiser and headed their direction.  Just outside of town I ran into them.  It was now 1830.  I was still hopeful and even blinded by hope as I was prepared to leave even in the dark.  We reached the house at 1840 and by 1841, upon turning into our sandy driveway, they got stuck.  2 hours later in the pitch dark of the night, lit only by the lights from my vehicle, and after many failed attempts we decided to call it a night.  One of the guys from the local church there found me a place to stay in one of the local motels. (A term that should be defined from an African context and used loosely)  I treated the drivers to dinner, which took 1 ½ hours and by 2300 I was ready for bed.  We decided that we would all start the next morning at 0700.  I was up at 0300 from the sweet sound of rain.  Remember at the beginning of this entry how I was saying we needed the rain badly?  That was we as in Chongwe we, not Luangwa we.  Well we got it anyway.  And it rained until about 0700.  So the truck was not just stuck but nicely stuck by now. 

To spare you all the details I will give you some cold hard facts.  We got the crates off loaded but in the wrong spot.  The truck was finally freed around 1330 but had to drive thru the whole front yard.  We used somewhere in the neighborhood of about 30 of the onlookers at varying times during the trucks tenure in the yard.  30 onlookers translates into about 60-90 different “expert” opinions.  Side note here, African and logic don’t generally need to be in the same sentence.  Rocks, boards, limbs, blocks and just about anything else was used in the rescue attempt.  The beauty of the bad weather was that the sun was not out.  It was hot enough without the sun.  Knowing all of these facts I sat back, for the most part, and watched as the show went on.  I had to give a little advice on 2 occasions just because it was too much for me to sit back and watch.  For the most part it was a comedy of errors with an end result of a community pulling together using their resources to accomplish a task.  I am not saying that I would ever use some of their resources or ideas to accomplish some of my tasks but what I am saying is that you can’t do it alone and the ideas of the collective whole are and always will be better than anything you can come up with on your own.  This would be a great place to talk about the church and how it is the body of believers; all of whom have been gifted by the Holy Spirit to accomplish a task, but I won’t.  I would like to say that God has gifted you and ask you how you are using your gifting for His purpose, but I will hold off.  It is also tempting to talk about wishing you had a different gift and maybe how you might be envious or jealous that God didn’t gift you like some other people you know.  God really blessed me on Saturday to watch a piece of scripture come to life before my very eyes in the actions of a community.  I watched one guy use a shovel for a few hours.  He had a small part and only that part but he did that one small part with everything he had.  You may think that your part is small and insignificant but if God has gifted you with that talent and called you to that “small” task, then you need to do it as unto the Lord.  Allow God to do the orchestrating and you stick to the doing.  Allow God to use you where you are for His glory.

I have some pix and they will be coming hopefully Tuesday when we go to town.  Uploading pix is too much for our internet capability so they will have to wait just a little longer.  Lesley and I have been growing as a husband and wife, mother and father and as children called by God.  We thank you for your prayers, your letters and all of your encouragement.  God has used each of you to play a part in our ministry and time here in Africa.  We hope that soon some of you will be able to come over to visit us and take part in our ministry.  Until then, may God bless you.

Happy New Year!!!

     Happy New Year! For most of you reading this we were waking up to a new year before you were even finished with the old one. We invited our neighbors over for dinner last night to celebrate both Christmas and New Years since we were gone for the last few days. We have really gotten to know them pretty good and are now comfortable being in each others’ house. They have 3 kids; 4, 2 and 3 months. Peggy and Gibson are the names of our neighbors. It is a real joy to watch Tyler play with them. When they come over they go hog wild with all the toys. Gibby is the 2 year old and last night he and Tyler were pushing and pulling this little fire truck around the house like a team. Tyler gets a lot of practice walking with them around. We mixed Americana and Africana for dinner. We had Chicken and Dumplings with nshima, green beans, biscuits and their version of biscuits, which they call crackers. It was a great night of fellowship mixed with a lot of language learning.

     After dinner they had a deal at church that was lasting all night long. We have been to that church several times and so decided to go for a while. We got there about 2030. The moon was full and bright and the church has no electricity or lights, just candles. I think they had about 5 candles if I remember correctly. There was a lot of singing and praying and preaching. It took a while to get adjusted to the no lights thing but that wasn’t near as hard as it was to open your eyes back up after a long prayer. Tyler fought sleep for a while but gave into the inevitable around 2145. He fell asleep in my arms with his head on my chest. What a picture! I didn’t want to move for anything. After a sermon the singing cranked back up, but this time it was from the choir. I love their choirs. They have these drums that are awesome. After about 2-3 songs we decided to hit the road. By this time it was almost 2300. We got maybe 5 steps from our seat and were met by the “Hold up! Where are you going” police. Before I could tell them we were headed home, one of them said, “You can’t leave now, you’re next on the program!” I said WHAT! He said you’re supposed to give a testimony. Then someone else said, no he’s reading some scripture. Then another person said, no he’s singing a song. 2 out of 3 would have been ok but it was the last one that took me by surprise. Mind you, with the exception of the drums, everything here is acapella. While I was flattered I told ‘em they would have to re-write the program because we were leaving. However, I did promise that I would sing a song sometime. I am not averse to singing; I would just like a little practice. Not to mention I am recruiting my lovely bride to stand by my side as we sing a duet. =) So, if you have any suggestions as to the musical number to which we will sing, send them our way. Keep in mind that all of your suggestions should come from a Baptist Hymnal dated prior to 2000, at least. I’m old school.

     So, while I managed to get a stay of execution last night, today was a different story. We woke to a wonderful day. It was sunny and warm. There were many things on our list for the day but all well spread out. Our day consisted of studying Chinyanja grammar, going to Unis’s (one of our conversation classes in the village), seeing my language helper, visiting the party our neighbor was putting on and going to dinner at the Rodgers’ house. Let’s jump straight to the party at our neighbor’s house. He has a son about 4 maybe 5 years old and cute as a button. He always runs out into the street with all the other kids to say hello but will never get close. He will never shake my hand and even go so far as to run full sprint the other way if I get too close. The other day he and his sisters came by to ask for a mango from our tree. I told them they could have some if he would come shake my hand. After much resistance and prodding from his sisters he did. I finally broke thru. Smiles all around and mangos for everyone. So, at the party there is music and dancing and skits and poems and all sorts of stuff. It was very well planned out with a DJ and all. Charles is the name of our neighbor. He had invited his family over for a New Year’s Day party. He has like 12 brothers and sisters plus all that come along with it. People ranged from new born to almost gone. It was a really good window into culture. While we were sitting there his son jumped up into my lap. This was a huge change from the last 6 months of running away. I told Charles about how his son was afraid of me and that just the other day I finally shook his hand. He said, “Yes, he told me. He said daddy, I’m no longer afraid of the white man anymore.” I don’t have any pix yet of me and this little boy but after this most recent break thru they will be forth coming.

     Let me set the stage for this next event from the same party. There is a driveway of sorts where the activities are taking place. All of them are being MC’d. There are chairs lining the wall of the house looking across the driveway to the fence. Along the fence are another row of chairs but these are about 5 rows deep. I get there and they drag a chair up next to the house with all of Charles’s family. So, I am facing everyone and I could see all of their eyes. I can carry a pretty mean tan but I will never blend. Now, it comes time for the poems and about 5 little kids, ranging from 3-7, get up there and recite some poems. All of the poems were in English. Most were feel good poems about love and respect. The best one was done by a little 4 year old who said, “ I would like to recite a poem called perfect. No one is perfect. Only God is perfect. Thank you.” From the mouths of babes. I wish it had ended there, but it didn’t. I am sitting directly behind the participants whilst they recite their poems so that I can look just past them and see everyone else. I would say about 100 people were there. The last young lady grabs the mic and says, “I would like to recite a poem called independence. One day we were working in the field and a white man came and tried to kill my father. I screamed for help, but no one came. I screamed for help, but no one came, I screamed for help, but no one came. Thank you.” WoW!!! Can you saw awkward? There was no smooth segue there. After an hour it was time for me to hit the road but, when I tried some song came on and all of his family jumped up and started dancing. I was whisked right onto the middle of the floor surrounded by people. Charles tells me this is his favorite song. So, everyone is dancing some traditional Tonga dance and I am simply the white guy on the dance floor. Cameras were flashing; people had their cell phones out taking videos. Check YouTube out tomorrow and I bet you will find it. A lot of people were laughing, so I am sure it was funny. I took one for the team today. All in all it was a great event. I learned a lot culturally. I would say the hardest part about our learning process is that you have to be able to do things like this and take it. If you are shy, squeamish, introverted, or don’t like being laughed at, then it will take you a lot longer to learn some cultural lessons. Personally, I love to laugh, even if it is at my own expense. Plus, when it is all said and done, you will have won over the hearts and respect of the people you are trying to reach. God blessed me with a wonderful opportunity today to make some leaps and bounds in the relationship with my neighbors. Please pray for Charles and his family as I do not know where they stand in their relationship with Christ. Pray that I will have opportunities in the coming future to find out where he stands. And lastly, pray that when those opportunities arise that I will not falter but that I will share the gospel with him with great boldness.

     From our family to yours, we wish you a happy new year. Live this year as if it were your last and tell someone about Christ today!

Merry Christmas

I didn’t know what to expect for our first Christmas in Africa, but I was pleasantly surprised to find Christmas decorations in the shopping centers and Christmas carols in the grocery stores.  It is not even close to the extreme that it is in the states.  It was just a nice reminder that it is Christmas time, since nothing else makes it feel like the holidays.  The temperature is nice and hot, no one is wearing Christmas sweaters and there aren’t people frantically buying Christmas gifts all at the same time.  In fact most Zambians don’t do Christmas gifts or decorations.  They simply go to church and gather with family for a meal.  It’s not a special meal, they just eat what they normally eat everyday.  It really helps us Americans put the correct emphasis on this season. Christian Zambians truly know why we celebrate Christmas.

We traveled 3 hours to Nyimba and spent  Christmas with another missionary family, Kendall and Joy Helgren and their 3 kids.  It was a wonderful time spent with great friends.  I am used to a large family gathering, so spending it with the Helgrens and their kids made it feel more like home.  The kids had a great time opening their presents.  It’s so fun to just watch them as they tear into each package, get so excited and immediately start playing with their latest toy.  Tyler had a great time.  He actually was able to tear the wrapping paper (sort of) with mom and dad’s help.  He definitely enjoyed his new toys and will continue to do so.

Joy and I spent the 2 days before Christmas cooking, cooking and cooking.  That made Christmas more enjoyable and gave us the ability to actually eat at lunch time. We had turkey, ham, corn casserole, green beans, mashed potato casserole, home made rolls, cranberry sauce and chocolate pie and pecan bars for dessert.   A few other missionaries came over and we ate and then we ate and then we ate some more.  Everybody was stuffed, a few napped and those who could stay awake enjoyed time hanging out with each other.  We had left overs for dinner, for those who wanted to eat and had a terrific day celebrating Christ’s birth.

We thank everybody for their Christmas  greetings,

Plowing 101

                Wednesday and Friday I went into the field to help a friend do some plowing and planting.  His name is Barnabas and he is one of the people who help me with my language.  So I thought it was only fair that I help him out.  I still feel like I am getting the better end of the bargain.  Let me explain.  Language and culture are so closely linked that you cannot have one w/o the other.  You can study a book all day long and at the end of the day you will know some words but you won’t know the language.  You see there is more to language than just words.  Not to mention that these words are also wrapped up in culture.  So, let me tell you a little about my last few days and what all I have learned. 

                We would plow from 0600 – 1000.  He has a few oxen and they are all good.  The plows we used were well used.  The handles were way too low for me and I found myself hunched over most of the morning.  The handles are metal with no nice soft rubbery grip on them.  The fields are rough and loaded with rocks, roots and stumps.  You have to contend with centipedes, snakes and flies.  These guys are out there in those $1.50 Wal-Mart special shower shoes or barefoot.  No one brought water or anything to eat.  There are no breaks unless something breaks.  Sometimes it may take 30 mins or more just to get to the field.  Most of them don’t eat until they get back from the field.  Personally I think that one is a personal problem.  And don’t think I didn’t eat before I left.  You better believe I did, and when I got back too. =)  You also have these really primitive hoes that you use to dig up or cut down any unnecessary “stuff” in the way.  That includes grass clumps, limbs and trees.  Every 3^rd row they would drop seed.  We planted corn and pumpkin together.  We had 5 guys, counting me, 1 woman and 2 kids out there with us. 

                Let me explain the art of plowing to you for a moment.  Usually, this is how it goes.  There is a team of 3 people.  You have the guide who is out front, walking the last row’s line and either guiding the oxen or holding the reigns to help them along.  Personally, I think he has the easiest job of all.  Next you have the person doing the plowing.  This is the hardest job physically.  Then you have a driver.  I would have to say that this is the most difficult job and if you don’t have a good driver then you will have a really hard time plowing.  The driver keeps the team in a straight line.  They carry the whip and shout out a vocabulary of words that, I don’t think are even in the dictionary.  They’re not vulgar words, just plowing language that is mostly made up in an attempt to yell at a creature that doesn’t speak any language in an effort to get him to do what you want.  So really I like it.  That way when I am yelling at them and saying my version of what I think they said, you really can’t correct me because it’s not really a word anyway. =) 

                Let’s move to the art part.  You see plowing is like dancing.  You can’t muscle your way thru or you will be dead by the 3^rd pass.  And if you had breakfast that morning you might make it to the 4^th pass.  That was me.  The whole thing is a balancing act.  You can plow the whole field with 1 hand.  Well, I can’t, but they can.  It’s like working one of those buffers.  Just a little pressure to either side and it will sing for you.  But if you try and push it around you will end up with a hole in the base board.  If the team goes off too far to one direction you simply lay the plow down on its side for a bit to try and keep the edge on track.  The tough part is when you hit those rocks and roots I was talking about, and the plow gets ripped out of your hand.  Not to mention at the turn around when the plow stops.  You’re trying to catch your breath when you notice the slack in the line beginning to disappear, when all of the sudden – BAM!!!  Those oxen don’t come out of 1^st gear like butter.  It’s more like a beginner who slips on the gas and pops the clutch.  I endured lots of laughs and I am sure jokes for the Christmas season but I gained soooooo much.

                What I learned in brief.  There is a certain root that has a lot of liquid and somewhat sweet that the bushmen of old would eat.  It is like eating a water chestnut.  I can better understand why a lot of the men sit around in the afternoon.  Nothing for breakfast and a bowl of cold grits for lunch and I wouldn’t be all that ready for much either.  They throw the peanut shells in the walking path so that the crops will be good the following year.  It’s an old superstition.  Some of the seed’s are dyed pink or green and if you have pink or green hands when it’s time to greet the guest on Sunday I know you went to the field before coming to church.  I am also one step closer to eating grub worms and caterpillars if I go again next week with so much as a bowl of cereal before I go.  Don’t eat wild mangos w/o an entire pack of dental floss.  Always have plenty of mountain money on hand.  Bring your own water.  That should get you on the right path for a good day in the field behind the plow.  Until next time, to God be the glory.

40/40 debrief

We have been gone for over 6 weeks and there is so much to tell. To try and do it all justice I will partition this blog into sub-headings. To give you a brief overview, we took part in a program called 40/40, which will be divided up into 3 sub-sections, went to our prayer retreat and took part in a Thanksgiving get together. The weather has definitely begun to change. The rains are officially here. Sometimes it can get into the 100’s by noon and then the rains will come and it will drop into the high 70’s – low 80’s. Besides making a mess of everything, it sure is nice to have the cooler temps that come with the rains. Let me get started.

40/40 Lusaka Phase

40/40 is designed to be the practical part of your missionary education. We study what is means to be a missionary in an African context. Our mornings are filled with DFA’s (Daily Field Assignments). We break up into teams of 2’s with a local helper per group. Each group would head out into some part of the city, usually by mini bus, to accomplish the daily task. DFA’s include things like observation, how to approach people, greetings, asking the question, “What is a missionary?”. After lunch we would debrief with veteran missionaries and some local authorities on each topic. We discussed topics like death, funerals, witchcraft, demon possession etc.. We studied how to share the gospel from an African context and what that looks like. They are a shame/honor society and while the message of the gospel is the same, the presentation is slightly different. We lived on the seminary campus and used it as our conference center as well. We spent about 10 days there getting a smattering of urban life in Africa. The dress, culture, language, customs and just about everything in the city is different than the village. Some notable occurrences from the Lusaka phase; we at caterpillars, rode the city mini busses that are built for 8 but usually carry 20 and Tyler took his first steps. The night he first started walking was just after dinner and everyone was there and cheering him on. The place was electric on about his 5th step. He was all smiles and giggles, breathing hard and laughing. I’m sure someone has some video, I’ll have to get back to you on that one.

40/40 Petauke Phase

Petauke is about 5 or so hours East of Lusaka. This started the rural phase of our experience. Here is where we all lived on some land the mission used to own in tents. I would not really consider this camping but it was. It was just a whole lot nicer than I have ever done. Here, the DFA’s were centered around rural life with topics like going to see a real life witch doctor, doing a community needs assessment, and sharing your personal testimony. We would visit local villages as we did in Lusaka, 2 by 2. The contrast from urban to rural is night and day. This is the true Africa. People here live, often times, hand to mouth. Almost everyone is a farmer. I saw the harsh reality of life as a farmer when we went and visited a small village and the older brother of the family we met was in the grain bin pushing out the last of the corn for the year. He was about 65 years old. I asked him what they would do when this corn ran out and he said they would try and find work in the fields from some folks who had extra food and a need in the field. Life at the camp was just what our mother’s don’t want to hear about. When the lights go down in the country, strange things come out to play. The rains began while we were at the camp and let me tell you how many bugs come out. They have these big flying termites that are almost Biblical at times. With them comes every other creature that is either looking to eat them or got washed out of their home by the rains. We encountered BIG black centipedes, several kinds of scorpions, tons of bats and a couple of snub nosed night adders. Thankfully no one was bitten. At the camp we had outhouses and showers under the stars. If you wanted water you had to go draw it from the pump. If you wanted a warm shower you had to get a fire going and heat up your water. We were able to go and visit churches of different denominations on Sunday. Our debriefings were really good as we were able to glean knowledge from the collective whole of the group.

Home Stay

At the end of our time in Petauke we were each assigned a home stay for 4 days and 3 nights. This was an opportunity to walk a mile in their shoes. By far, this was the best part of 40/40 from a learning perspective. The sun began to peak above the horizon around 0445 and by 0530 the oxen were hitched and ready to roll. We hit the fields and I was privy to a plowing experience soon not to be forgotten. They had some older, more mature oxen that didn’t come home the night prior. So, the day we went to the field they substituted the mature ones for some new juvenile recruits they had. These were 2 that had not been broken and they thought is would be a good day to break them. I have to say, I thought I did rather well. Now if you are going to be picky about a straight line and all then you might have a differing opinion than mine. I would like to see those few rows when the corn comes up. One of the biggest parts of African culture that I picked up was that of place. While we have a small idea of place in our culture, they live out that idea of place. Usually we know, understand and like place when it comes to others but rarely do any of us embrace our place. Unfortunately, women do the majority of the manual labor. Cooking, cleaning, kids, the house and the list goes on and on. That is woman’s place and oddly enough, if you try and step into that place you will be reprimanded. Men are to cut wood, build the house, burn bricks, work in the field and talk business. When we were at the house, after coming in from the field, I would sit under the eve of the hut and talk with whomever would come by. This took some effort on my part as I want to be up doing something. But for them, the sitting and chatting was the something. We tend to be about work and they are about people. Lesley worked with the ladies helping with the cooking and cleaning. Nights were hard. I bet it was 100 in our bed room and the windows were bricked up, all but 2 missing bricks. No breeze all night long. Meals were meager at best and the work was hard. The family with whom we stayed was so very generous and kind. It was a tough few days but I learned soooo much.

Ibis Gardens

At the end of it all we drove back to Lusaka for a few days at a place called Ibis Gardens. The water came from a tap, the rooms had A/C and the meals were all you could eat. I’m not sure how much it cost us to stay at Ibis but I am sure I made it all back through the meals. We had plenty of debriefing and spent a few sessions on learning a language. This is money so well spent. I am not sure what the other places around the world are doing as far as training but I am here to tell you that if you gave money to the IMB this past year, it was well spent in the education of its missionaries in Sub-Saharan Africa. For the last 40 or so days we have had a nanny and lots of other kids in and around Tyler’s age. We loved seeing him get to interact with other kids. Prayer Retreat We got back on Friday afternoon from 40/40 to a water problem of another kind. We found that we have a few holes in our roof and the office was now a Jacuzzi. A few things got wet but nothing of the expensive nature. We loaded up the washer, got a few things in order and then turned around and left again for our prayer retreat. This was such a wonderful blessing. I wasn’t sure just how they were going to teach a bunch of missionaries about prayer, but then I went into it with the wrong idea. It wasn’t for us to learn about prayer as much as it was for us to simply pray. What a thought. Sky Scott ran the show and let me tell you. For 3 days we sang and prayed. All of the missionaries from Zambia were there. It was such a great time of bonding, fellowship and worship. The weather was perfect and the location was quiet and made just for this occasion. We stayed at the Protea Safari lodge. There was no one else there while we were there. We were able to go on a game drive. The coolest part was the game that roamed around the grounds. One day for lunch we had some kudu and tsessebee (sp) come right up and let us pet them. Right after prayer retreat we had our Thanksgiving dinner with the whole mission family. Someone taped the Texas vs. A&M game. When you are away from your language and culture, every little bit is a treasure. God has been good to us and we thank Him for the opportunity to serve Him here in Zambia. For those of you who have been praying for us, please lift us up as we embark on our language studies again. 1 month off is like starting over. For those of you who sent packages, I have no words. It is like Christmas when they come. I can’t even begin to tell you what they mean. The thoughts that went into them and every little item are special. We have several pix and are also working on a video to send to ya’ll so that you can vicariously live thru us. Until then, go and tell someone about Jesus.

40/40

First things first.  We now officially have water!!! Yeah!!!  Only 3 months but better than 4, right?  In short it went like this.  As usual, I went to the water office on Monday but this time I tried a new tactic.  The whole thing is really an exercise in patience and an opportunity to learn more about the culture.  I admit it had been painful but then again most higher education tends to be that way.  After our short exchange of pleasantries I said that I was new to Zambia and was not quite sure how to express my displeasure properly.  I said, “Back in the states, which I understand that Zambia and the states are very different, if I went 3 days w/o water that would be unacceptable.  Maybe 3 months w/o water was acceptable here in Zambia and if so could you please let me know.”  At that he said that 3 months was not acceptable.  He made a few calls and I was out the door with some workers to do some investigating American style.  That was at 0900 and by 1330 we had and still have water whenever we want it.  I can’t tell you what a joy it is to turn the water on whenever we want.  Thank you for your prayers concerning our water.  Prayer answered.

                Last week was my birthday and what a great week it was.  I am now 40 but sure don’t feel like it.  On Thursday night we had some of our mission family over and celebrated with dinner and presents.  Then Friday night we had some neighbors over and had dinner and played some games.  Then Saturday I woke up and found our truck and been tampered with during the night and was missing a piece on the hub.  It was operable enough to drive to Lusaka and get it fixed.  While I was there I picked up a package from South Side Baptist church, so that evening I opened up lots of birthday cards and partook of many of the goodies they packed.  Then, later that night Rusty and Amanda called me.  So I felt like I had a birthday party with my friends from South Side.  Then Sunday night my parents called.  I tell you, it was a great b-day. 

                Wednesday Lesley and I awoke at 0450, got dressed and headed to Lusaka.  We picked up some of the mission staff and caught a plane to Luangwa.  Our reason for going was to secure a possible house for us to live in while we are in Luangwa.  I will have to say, that was much better than driving the 5 or so hour journey.  We made it in an hour.  The house is not where we had hoped and until Wednesday, all we had were some photos taken via a cheap cell phone.  With very few expectations we arrived in Luangwa around 0845.  We spent about 3 ½ hours there taking measurements and looking over the place.  I am here to tell you that we so like the place.  There are no tress (not technically true, but what are there would not pass as a tree and never would with 20 more years of growth) and no grass.  The yard is a big sand box.  Tyler should love it.  It does have a big yard and that was important to us so that Tyler would have a place to play.  By the time we left, Lesley and I really liked the place.  It will be a while before we get there but it sure is nice to know that there is a place there for us.  It takes a little stress off the top. 

                Starting tomorrow, Thursday, we will be partaking in a program for all Sub Saharan African missionaries called 40/40.  It is designed to teach us about this part of the world culturally.  We will have an opportunity to do some witnessing in the city as well as in the bush.  We will have an opportunity to do a 3 day home stay with some folks from the village.  We will work with them and do what they do for 3 days.  Sounds pretty kool.  So this will be our last blog until we return on the 20^th of November.  We thank you for your prayers and covet them dearly.  Please pray for our health during this period as we will have Tyler with us the entire time as well.  We look forward to getting back so we can catch back up with everyone.  Until then, go tell someone about Jesus.

Rain! What’s that?

The week started off with a bang.  Lesley and I dropped Tyler off at the Rodgers’ and headed South to the Zambezi River.  What a great time.  It was so good that when we got back my mind couldn’t function in Nyanja for a few days.  The first few days of language was rough.  The good thing was that we had already made the relationships and trudged thru the first week.  Now it was like going to visit friends to chat.  By the weekend I was back on track.  Things are moving along at a pretty good clip.  I had a few rough days last week when it came to talking.  I could hear it all pretty good but my mouth just wouldn’t work right.  Oddly enough, Spanish comes out more than anything.  I only have so much room up top and it looks like the hard drive is getting full. 

 

            Saturday night the Wint’s came in.  They are our newest addition to the mission family.  We drove in and had a nice dinner reception for them.  It was good to see what we looked like 3 months ago when we arrived.  The whole day was a blur, so to experience it again from the other side this time, was nice.  We got in early and stayed til late talking about everything.  There were some other mission family’s there as well.  Then Sunday, the oddest thing took place.  After we got home from church and finished lunch we put Tyler down.  Then I put Lesley down while I got on the computer to work on some videos.  It was approaching miserably hot as I had on shorts with the fan on me at full blast and still sweating.  Then all of the sudden I felt it at the same time I heard it.  But this can’t be.  It’s not supposed to rain for another month.  Apparently it rains before November.  It came a gulley washer.  The winds were a blowin’ and down it came.  We had to shut the windows as it was blowin’ sideways.  It rained good for about 20 mins and let me tell you, when it was thru I had to go put some clothes on.  It felt so nice and cool.  I am sure it dropped down into the mid 80’s but from where it was, that felt cool. 

 

            The cable to our lap top busted so we are not able to post any pix this week but I am hoping to pick up some items at the store to try and fix it.  That way next week we can put some more pix up.  I am working on pix and videos for anyone who would like them.  All you need to do is send us a thumb drive and I will send you all that I can fit on there.  I am working on 2 thumb drives for my parents right now at a total of 12gig of space and am having to cut some things out.  So we have plenty things to share.  There are so many and all so big that it would take for every to post any of them.  So I thought this might be the best way to do it.  I am also working on a 1, 5 and 10 min video for anyone, more especially churches, who would like to share them with friends or the congregation on Sunday or Wednesday.  They give a good description of what all we are doing here in Chongwe for our first year. 

 

            I will finish with this note.  I went to buy another battery, as I do each month, and heard the lady who runs the place was in the hospital last week.  I have only spoken to her once and that was the first time I ever went.  I have been now on about 6 occasions.  I said my hello’s and then asked if I might say hello to the boss.  I went in and told her that I was glad that she was ok and not ailing from something life threatening.  With every intention of saying hello and leaving, she asked me how I was doing and how life was.  So I took a seat.  Usually it is I who opens up the can of worms, so to speak, but today she did the opening.  She asked me about church, the Bible and the work I would be doing in Luangwa.  Well, with an invitation like that, it was all I could do to contain myself.  I have been dying to share the gospel with someone who speaks and understands English very well.  She is Dutch by the way.  For 30 mins we discussed with great passion the validity of God and His word and why the need for it.  Please pray for her that God will work in her life.  Pray that He will soften her heart her eyes and her ears that she might hear see and understand who God is.  She is not a believer and is uncertain of God and not all that sure of Him speaking to hear.  I informed her that for 3 months I had only come in to say hello once and that I come by all the time.  Why was today different.  I told her that God was not only speaking to her in all of creation but that He was speaking to her right this very moment as sure as I was sitting in front of her.  I told her that TODAY is the day of your salvation.  I am excited to have been able to share but also sad to think that she might go to bed tonight in the same Spiritual condition in which she awoke this morning.  No one knows the hour of our Lord’s return so don’t waste anymore time, but go and share the Good News of Christ with someone today.  To God be the glory.

Sun rise on the Zambezi

0430 and a group of campers were wrapping up their gear and getting ready to move off to another spot.  0515, the birds began waking up for the day.  0530, I roused to bid farewell to the campers and get the fire going.  0615, the sun was peaking through the tress into our camp site and 0630 I found myself nestled right comfortably into a cushiony couch overlooking a huge bend in the Zambezi river.  The birds are chirping, the water is gently flowing as the sun creeps up from behind us to light God’s beautiful landscape when all of the sudden the motor from the fridge in the restaurant cranks up.  Besides the last bit, it’s still a great morning.  Let me digress for a moment.

                This past week has been a week of much progress.  We had a friend of ours take us to a few villages to introduce us to some folks who don’t speak English.  Lesley and I need to step up our program a bit and would like some conversation in the local language.  With so many speaking English to us it was imperative for us to open the lid and step out of the box a little more.  So, beginning last Monday, I got from 0800-1000 (sometimes 1100) to visit some folks and practice my language.  Then, in the afternoon for another 2 hours, Lesley and I along with Tyler head off to yet another village where we meet with a small family and practice under a tree in their yard.  The first place I visit is a little livelier as it is mostly guys and guy talk.  It’s usually a lot of boasting about this that and the other.  Kind of like fishermen do at the end of a weekend of fishing.  Our afternoon session is a lot more tranquil while we sit under a mango tree with chickens pecking the ground, some goats calling their kids to feed and a few pigeons buzz past us a few times.  Our only real disruption is little Tyler as he tries to catch the biddies and pokes the 2 dogs that are trying to sleep.  By the end of the week things were beginning to take shape in my mind as people spoke, whereas; at the beginning of the week I just smiled and laughed when they laughed.  As is always, the initial two days was a bit awkward.  Sitting with people we don’t know listening to a language we don’t yet know.  But God was gracious enough to give us the strength to endure and now we have made both progress and some good friends. 

                We have 2 weeks left until we go to 40/40 for a month and then at the end of that is prayer retreat and Thanksgiving.  That means we will be away from language study for almost a month and a half, so getting this much good conversation language in before is rather imperative.  We supplement the conversation we get with an intensive grammar book along with a mountain of flash cards.  We aren’t dreaming in Nyanja yet but we are making some good progress.  Now, when we get back from everything that is going on this next month we will be able to continue where we left off with our newly found friends.  Please pray for the guys I meet with in the mornings as I am pretty sure most all of them are lost.  This is a great place for me to be as I hope to have an opportunity to witness to them as time wears on. 

                Our crates finally arrived!  Not that we can open them up or anything, but just seeing them here and being able to touch them is rather comforting. =)  It just means that they aren’t on the bottom of the ocean or something.  We had packed a few items in the front of our small crate.  It was like Christmas.  I can’t tell you how excited we were to get out a computer, pair of shoes, a broken mirror (It’s not too bad), an ice chest, my bike and some clothes and toys for Tyler.  We won’t be getting the rest of our things out until we move to Luangwa next year.  Wait until you see that Christmas.  At present, our crates are parked in the mission’s garage.  Theirs is a little bit bigger than yours.  They will be safe and secure until we move and if we just have to get into one for whatever, they are so that we can.  What a blessing.

                Kevin came over this week and we went for a walk around the neighborhood to walk, talk and meet some folks.  We walked down to the river and found a man who was on his way to Lusaka so we walked with him for a way.  Kevin began sharing the gospel to him and he explained he was already a Christian.  In Zambia, that statement is as good as it is back home.  When someone says that you need to do a little exploring to find out what they mean by Christian.  It was a great opportunity to see the approach and presentation, not to mention getting to hear it in the language I am learning.  Turns out, he was a believer.  Amen.  Lesley had the opportunity to go to the Thursday women’s meeting at Chisomo Baptist Church this week.  (I am now acting scribe and Lesley is dictating)  It is a great opportunity for her to meet other ladies and interact in the language.  She took both her English Bible and Nyanja Bible and hymnal.  She probably would have been okay had she only taken her English Bible and Hymnal but the presence of her Nyanja Bible raised the teachers’ attention.  Somewhere in the middle of the Bible study when Lesley was caught between trying desperately to pay attention and the heavy fog that was rolling in on her mind the teacher said, “sdljh eiot vnifuvbe.  Amai Vines, plgnmnf quetwyug aytw qm?”  Eyes wide as saucers, perched at the edge of the seat, heart racing, and everyone looking my way, I said, “Excuse me?”  The lady next to her said, “She is asking you to read.”  So with grace and poise she rose to the occasion and read all 5 verses in Nyanja.  It felt more like 5 chapters.  She did so well that they asked her to read yet another time later on.  They were ever so gracious with their comments even though Lesley felt like she read like a second grader. 

                Here are some quick “one liner” facts.  Tyler is still not yet walking.  For me, he unofficially said daddy and knew what he was saying.  I have the tape so you can make the call.  The Kwacha is down.  Our driver’s licenses are in.  Everyone is healthy.  Still, no snakes.  It has cooled off a bit.  My birth day is next week.  We have no idea who is in the World Series or who’s doing what in college football.  Lesley looks better than ever.  We thank all of you who have responded to us via blog, e-mail, letter, phone calls etc.. You have been a great source of encouragement to us in ways and times in which you may never know.  We went fishing on the Zambezi and caught nothing.  Not even so much as a bite.  But what we did catch was a glimpse of peace and quiet.  We let Tyler stay with Kevin and Suzie for the night so we could get a way for a little while and though we caught nothing it was a peaceful time on the river.  We saw lots of birds, geese, hippo’s and some elephants.  I would have to say the koolest part of the trip on the water was listening to the hippo’s.  They are so loud and deep.  You could hear them from a long ways off.  As the sun was setting we began to make our way home and ran into about 6 elephants along the bank eating dinner.  We slowed down to a crawl to take some pix and then mosey (moe-zee) on home.  We ate dinner on the veranda overlooking the bend in the river.  All in all a wonderful day to get away for a short break before we head back after lunch to reality.  I hope you enjoy the pix and can feel the tranquility we felt thru our pix.  God bless.

I wish you could hear ‘em.

Kenny’s morning language helper

Our new friends who are helping us with language

Crossing the a smaller river to get to the Zambezi River

Nationals bathing and washing clothes on the river bank