Off to South Africa

David and I are leaving on Sunday afternoon to attend a missionary retreat in George, South Africa. The Oldenburgs are going with us, and all of us are looking forward to a week of relaxation, renewal, and fellowship with other missionaries from all over this part of Africa. We do not anticipate having internet access during that time, so I'll be taking a Blog Break until April 6.

Containers!

On Monday FOUR trucks rolled onto the mission bringing four box-car size containers full of supplies. The rest of the day was spent unloading, sorting, moving, and storing everything from bicycles to baby formula to books.

I had a good laugh when I caught sight of this bench being unloaded. It seems we imported several years worth of Juicy Fruit, Doublemint, and Double Bubble along with the auditorium seat.

Sunday at Magrimonde

Last Sunday David was invited to speak at the Magrimonde congregation in Kalomo. Richard Musolo, shown here with his family, was instrumental in planting this congregation several years ago and is one of its leaders now. Richard graduated from Manzini Bible College (now African Christian College) in Swaziland. His training there has prepared him well to serve here in Zambia. We found the congregation to be organized, welcoming, and very evangelistic. They are growing numerically and spiritually and are having an impact on the community.

A pleasant surprise during our visit was finding Miller Muwelya. Miller graduated from Namwianga Christian High School last year under the sponsorship program. On Sunday he directed the Magrimonde singing group as they shared some songs with us after the assembly.

CBH and Haven Toddlers

Last Friday the CBH group made one last visit to the Haven to say goodbye to the little ones they had grown to love during the week. Meagan Hawley coordinated their work at the Haven and is shown on the far right.

CBH at Kasibi

I just found these photos on my camera. A week ago on March 15 we took the Camp Blue Haven group to Kasibi for Sunday worship. Leland Rose preached the sermon that day, with Mr. Simoongwe as his translator. Then after the service our CBH group sang for the congregation (below). They did such a good job on their first two songs that the congregation begged for another. We encountered several people from Kasibi during the past week, and every one of them commented on Leland's sermon and how much they enjoyed the CBH group.

Update - 23 March

We said goodbye to the Camp Blue Haven Counselors on Saturday. We had spent a fun 24 hours with them in Livingstone as we tried to squeeze some sightseeing in before they left. They were able to experience a ride on the Zambezi, a visit to Victoria Falls, and a game drive at Mosi-O-Tunya before heading to the airport.

On Friday night we had a de-briefing session and told them that our goal for their week with us was to create an Africa-shaped hole in their hearts so that they would always have a desire to help in the mission efforts here. I think that was accomplished, and we look forward to seeing how God works in their lives. Certainly their servant hearts and great attitudes were a blessing to us this past week!

While we were in Livingstone on Friday, we got word that John and Beth Reese had arrived at Namwianga a day earlier than planned. They had tried to call us but had our old number, and they couldn't get their e-mail account to work to send us an e-mail message. Well, our house was locked up, and the keys to the guest house were in our house. Louisa and Meagan saved the day and welcomed the Reeses to stay with them on Friday night. We were glad to see them and enjoyed getting caught up with their news of World Bible School as they stayed with us Saturday night.

On Saturday evening we got a call from Bart Bruington saying that he and Douglas Siampango were on their way from Mumena to arrange for a container to be transported and would be arriving some time during the night. We changed the sheets on a couple of beds and left a key for them with the night watchman.

As we often say, the welcome mat is always out!

Update - CBH Counselors

We've had a wonderful week with our six Camp Blue Haven counselors. They have tackled every task with enthusiasm and have endeared themselves to all who meet them.

On Tuesday they spent the day at the orphanages, dividing their time between the infants in Haven One and the toddlers in Haven Two. Tuesday evening the Heavenly Echoes choir came over to give us a personal concert on the verandah. I'm guessing one or two of the songs they shared will be added to the Camp Blue Haven repertoire this summer.

Wednesday morning was again spent at the orphanages. Wednesday afternoon they visited Namwianga Christian Basic School and taught lessons in the first and third grade classes. The children loved it, and some even followed the counselors home to our veranda. The photo shows Micah, Kathryn, and Britni learning some unique hand claps from their new little friends.


Laura Oldenburg enlisted their help at the clinic Thursday morning where their task was to sort and organize supplies. Thursday afternoon they joined Rodgers Namuswa at the Kalomo Hospital. They visited the patients in the wards and then conducted a devotional for the residents of the Family Shelter. Also on Thursday we had a visit from Deb and Karen, two of our favorite Peace Corps Volunteers who are heading back to the United States. The CBH group enjoyed hearing about Deb and Karen's adventures.

It's been our pleasure to watch these young adults as they go through these experiences. We can see a love of Africa and its people growing in their hearts.

Camp Blue Haven Counselors

This week we are enjoying a visit from six Camp Blue Haven counselors. Last summer we spent a wonderful week at CBH. We took the opportunity to do a presentation for the counselors, encouraging them to consider ministry in Africa. These six accepted the challenge and are spending their spring break with us.

They arrived on Saturday. Sunday we took them to Kasibi for worship with the congregation in the village. Leonard Sichimwa's family prepared a traditional meal of chicken and nshima for us, and then the Kasibi village band gave us a fantastic concert with their homemade instruments. The CBH group agreed with me that this was a "National Geographic Moment."

The above photo was taken this morning as they headed out for Simpweze village. There they met Supper (pronounced Soo-pah), a disabled man who became a Christian during last year's medical mission. They did some work in Supper's mango orchard and spent some fellowship time with him.

Tomorrow they will be spending the day helping Meagan at the Haven I and II orphanages.

We are having a great experience with these young adults. We've had great times reminiscing about Camp Blue Haven, we've had some deep talks about mission experiences, and we've had lots of laughter and fun together.

Pictured from left to right are Nathan Goodnight, Chad Baker, Leland Rose, Kathryn Warder, Britni Johnson, and Micah Bayles.

Cobra in the Kitchen

"That's not good," David calmly announced last night. "A snake just went under the stove."

He had left the kitchen door open when he went out to check on the chickens. As he came back in, he caught sight of the snake slithering under the stove.

I left him to keep watch on our unwelcome visitor while I drove over to college to recruit some expert help. Several college guys were standing around in front of their dorm, and five of them jumped in the vehicle when they heard about the excitement.

Japhet held up his six-feet long stick ready for the kill as two of the guys warily pulled the stove away from the wall. No snake. Perhaps it had crawled up inside the stove? We turned on the oven and the burners to try to force it out. The guys banged on the sides of the range. We cautiously opened the oven door and the stove's lower storage drawer. No snake.

No snake should be good news. But David knew the snake had gone under the stove, and he knew the snake hadn't come out. There was a snake in the house somewhere.

The guys were convinced the snake had crawled behind the kitchen cabinet next to the stove. The cabinet is nailed to the wall and has a wooden backing, so I wasn't so sure.

Then one of the guys found that he could slide a long, thin, piece of wood into the narrow space between the base of the cabinet and the wall. If the piece of wood could get in there, so could a snake. Besides, the wooden backing stopped about three inches from the floor. There was open space under the bottom shelf behind the front cabinet facing.

"We need fresh milk," Japhet declared. "Milk will drive out the snake." When pressed for his reasoning, Japhet just repeated, "Snakes and milk don't go together. If you'll pour milk around, the snake will come out."

How do you argue with logic like that when there's a snake in the kitchen? The guys poured milk on the floor and tried to splash some behind the cabinet. We waited. No snake.

Next step: Pull the cabinet out away from the wall. David and the guys carefully pried the cabinet loose and pulled it back. Japhet took the flashlight and and peered underneath. "It is there!" he announced. He jammed a stick against the back of the facing board a few times and then pulled out the mangled reptile.

Our snake experts identified it as a cobra and cheerfully posed for a photo on the back veranda--but they wanted David to hold up the snake!

We rewarded our brave rescuers with a bag of candy and sent them back to their dorm. I mopped up the milk and the cobra blood, grateful that David had seen the snake go under the stove and wondering where it might have turned up if he hadn't seen it . . .

Jack and Steve

Jack Bayles (right) and Steven Anderson were our house guests for the past three weeks. Jack is a regular visitor to Namwianga, but this was Steven's first time in Africa.

Both Jack and Steven are mechanical engineers, and their skills were put to good use in many areas. They supervised the construction of a new water system at Sinde Mission--a project that has been in the planning stage for years. As in the past, Jack checked on water projects at Namwianga and other locations in our area and did tests on many drinking water sources on the Mission. Steven assisted Jack as needed and also patiently helped me learn how to do some new things on the computer, repaired broken appliances, and did any other task around the house that we asked him to.

Jack has been hooked on the work here in Africa for many years. Steven now shares that passion. We were blessed by their visit and hope they will come back again.

Graduate Gives Back

Humphrey Syamate, a 2008 graduate of George Benson Christian College, exemplifies the best aspects of our training and sponsorship programs. An orphan with no one to support him, Humphrey came to GBCC under sponsorship and quickly distinguished himself in academics and leadership. Namwianga Secondary School recognized Humphrey’s potential and hired him to begin teaching math and science as soon as he finished his college courses.

In addition to his teaching duties, Humphrey now coordinates a math tutoring program for sponsored high school students. Humphrey trained George Benson college students to do the tutoring and then organized all the logistics of location and scheduling for the sessions at the secondary school. The college students are getting valuable teaching experience, and the high school pupils are thrilled to get some extra help in what for most is a difficult subject. Humphrey manages it all beautifully.

The training that Humphrey received at GBCC is now blessing the next generation of sponsored students at Namwianga.

Humphrey (far right) with the GBCC math tutors he trained

BIG news!

The big news in our area is ELEPHANTS! Small herds of elephants have been sighted on farms adjoining the mission. Last Sunday we visited the village of Kasibi where David preached for the morning service. Mr. Simoongwe, one of the elders, served as his translator. He told us that he had been late arriving for church that morning because he had been out inspecting the damage that elephants had done to his maize fields. This morning in chapel it was announced that elephants had been seen in Namwianga's back paddock. Schools are warning children to be careful when walking to school, and everyone is advised to be watchful.

The elephants in the photo above were seen in South Luangua's game park. I'll be quite happy if I don't have any opportunities to take photos anywhere else!

Singing at Kasikili

As I mentioned in our weekend update, I had an enjoyable session with the women at Kasikili on Saturday. One of the women was particularly enthusiastic leading the singing, as you will see in this video clip. The song’s meaning is something like this: “You are living in the darkness of sin. Jesus is the light. Go to the light to be saved.”

Weekend Update

Saturday David and I traveled with Rodgers Namuswa and Fortune Masiya to the village of Kasikili for an area-wide training seminar. Fortune and I taught the women how to teach children's classes using the Beginner's Bible, and David and Rodgers led sessions on the qualities of a Christian leader. We had over fifty women and nineteen men in attendance. It is always refreshing to get out into the villages to teach because the people are hungry to learn and so thankful for our lessons!

The women were quite animated and enthusiastic in the classes. We acted out the storm at sea, played a few games, and had a great time learning together. As we left they lined up in front of the building and sang a farewell song for us.

On Sunday David and I (with Jason along for the day) took the Amazing Brothers singing group on an outreach to the Twin Fountain congregation. These nine high school guys love to sing and love to share the word. They sang from the time they got in the Land Cruiser until we arrived at the church building. The congregation served us lunch after services, and then we loaded up to head home. They sang all the way home and were still singing as they got out of the vehicle at their dorms!

Seven of the guys are under the US sponsorship program, one is sponsored by Zambia Mission Fund Canada, and one is sponsored by another missionary. Without sponsorships, none of them would be able to go to school. What an encouragement to see such fine young men getting an education and learning how to lead.

Feeding the Hungry

It used to be easy to feed the hungry. In America, hungry people were nameless and faceless. They were somewhere else—certainly not in my neighborhood. I could feed them by dropping a can or two into a wooden box in the front hallway of the church. I could even feed the nameless, faceless hungry people in other countries with just the flourish of my signature at the bottom of a check.

Now it’s not easy. Now the hungry people are the faces that I see when I answer the knocks at my door. Now they are the names on my lists of who has come for help and who has been fed. Now they are hollow eyes and apologetic smiles. Now they are babies on the backs of their mothers, or toddlers hanging onto their mother’s skirts. And it’s not easy to feed them.

I confess that sometimes I want to close the door and cover my ears so I don’t hear the knocks, and I want to pretend that there are no hungry people at my door. And sometimes a voice in my head wants to scream, “Go away! I can’t feed every hungry person in Africa!” And when I hear those thoughts, I hear another voice, the voice of Jesus in Matthew 25 as he says, “I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat.”

So I open the door, and I try to see Jesus on each face. I feed the hungry. But it’s not easy any more.

One of the women who comes for food. She is in her seventies and is raising a houseful of orphaned grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Bicycle Outreach

Abishine (left) and Justin are college students. They came by this morning to pick up bicycles so they could ride to the Mawaya congregation to teach and preach. They brought the bikes back this afternoon, along with a report on their time with the congregation. We hope these new Zambikes will get a lot of use by students like Abishine and Justin.

The People at My Door - Benito

This has been a tough week for me. The Zambian educational system requires every student in ninth grade to take an exit exam. Only those who pass the exam can go on to high school in grade ten. There are not many high schools, and students who pass the exam are assigned to a school. High school is not free, and students must come up with the money for tuition and boarding in order to be accepted at their assigned schools.

The results of the grade nine exams came out a week ago. Since then there has been a steady stream of hopeful students at my door asking for sponsorship. I have turned away all but a handful—the fortunate ones who turned in applications last fall and were already selected by the sponsorship committee. The rest will have to seek for help elsewhere. Every one I turn down tugs at my heart, for I know that it may mean the end of the student’s schooling. A friend recently watched me say no to a prospective student. She later told me, “You have the worst job in the world.”

But Benito reminded me to focus on the ones I can help. He arrived on Thursday from Simalundu, a village 60 miles away, deep in a remote part of the Zambian bush. Kelly Hamby once told me, “You can’t get any farther out in the bush than Simalundu.” Benito had been accepted for sponsorship, had his acceptance letter with him, and was now cleared to start classes.

I knew that Benito was an orphan being raised by an elderly grandmother, and I suspected that he didn’t have many possessions. I asked him if he was ready to move into the dormitory. He hesitated a minute and said, “I think I need to go home and get another blanket. I only brought one.”

“How will you get there?” I asked.

“The same way I came. I will walk.”

(Gulp! Sixty miles? In the bush?) “How long did it take you?”

“Two days. I stopped and slept in the bush on the way.”

“Benito, how about if I give you a blanket? Then you won’t have to go all the way home and back, and you can go ahead and start classes.”

“Okay, madam,” he said, obviously relieved.

I went in the house and got him a crocheted afghan my mother had made years ago. I couldn’t help but think how pleased she would be to know her handiwork was keeping Benito warm! I handed him the blanket and continued the questioning. “Benito, what else did you bring with you?”

He looked down and shyly said, “Well, I brought one other pair of trousers. I have this shirt I’m wearing, and I borrowed this sweater from my nephew.”

It took a minute for me to let this sink in. “Okay, Benito. Let me see what I can find.”

I dug through my drawers and boxes of donated items and managed to come up with two brand-new T-shirts, a school uniform, a new pair of socks, and some personal care items: toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, lotion, and laundry detergent. I also found him some notebooks and pens.

Benito’s smile made it all worthwhile. He took his two sacks of new possessions and set off for the dorm.

And I went in the house and thanked God that I have the privilege of helping a few of the Benitos in the world.

The People at My Door - Mary

Mary and her baby knocked at my door one Monday in January. With her were a teenage daughter and the daughter’s friend. They told me they had come from a village some distance away and were looking for piecework in exchange for food. We gave them about two hours’ worth of work in the yard and promised them three small bags of mealie meal.

Two hours later the three ladies had transformed the front yard and accomplished as much as we usually expect from a full day of work. We fed them lunch, gave them their bags of mealie meal, and thanked them for doing a great job.

The next morning they were back. They had found an abandoned house to stay in for a few days. Mary asked to continue working for food, and the girls asked to work to earn money for school fees. We assigned Mary jobs close by in the back yard while the girls took slashers (blades with handles) and began cutting the four-feet tall grass in the empty lot behind our house. By day’s end the two girls had cut more grass than the three college guys who had worked the previous day!

They continued with us for the rest of the week. Mary and the baby stayed in the yard, where Mary weeded and edged every flower bed. Her baby played happily on the driveway or stayed tucked into the chitenge on Mary’s back. I never heard him cry or fuss. The girls slashed grass and did other chores, always working hard and often singing as they labored.

On Friday Mary and the girls were ready to go. School had already started back in their village, and they needed to go home. We paid them generously with bags of mealie meal and cash for school fees. They were delighted as they set off on foot.

Our yard looks better than it ever has, thanks to Mary’s work. As I walk through the grass and enjoy the flowers I often wonder about Mary. I hope she has enough to eat and that the girls are doing well in school. I expect them to be back when the school term ends--and there will be another knock at my door.

Our house after Mary's work

Hanging with the Chickens

Jason spent Sunday afternoon with us. Part of our usual routine when he's here is to go visit the chickens. He tucked his little hand in mine and we strolled through the back yard to the pen. We checked their food and water supply and watched them for a minute or two.

Then I caught sight of chicken feet--in the air! One of the hens was swinging from the nesting boxes by her foot! The plastic grain sack that the chickens use for nesting material had frayed into long strings. One of the strings had looped around the hen's leg and caught her when she jumped down from her perch. There she hung, swinging gently back and forth two feet from the ground, eyes wide with terror.

Jason and I bolted for the house yelling for David. I grabbed a pair of scissors and ran back to the pen. David arrived in time to hold Jason while I climbed inside to help the frightened fowl. She didn't fight me too much as I gently lifted her up and snipped the offending string off her leg.

The now freed hen limped around on her weakened leg. I guess she hadn't been hanging too long, because she was walking normally in just a few minutes.

The rest of the chickens in the pen were gathered on the opposite side of the pen, far away from their hung-up friend. These usually busy-body biddies had totally ignored her plight. She would have been dead in a few hours, but they seemed not to notice or care.

Hmm. Made me think about how we ignore our fellow Christians who get hung up in sin. I for one would prefer to move to the other side of the pen and pretend nothing is wrong when I see the danger signals that something is not quite right about a given situation. It's easier to look the other way than to confront the problem and risk the anger of the one we need to help. And the consequences of staying away just might be worse than those that were about to befall my feathered friend.

I've learned another lesson from my chickens. I think I'll remember that swinging hen the next time I'm tempted to ignore someone who's heading into trouble. I hope I'll have the courage to step in and help.

Back on her feet after a close call

Daily Routines

Brian Davis from Mumena Mission in northwestern Zambia shared this story with us and I thought you would enjoy it as well. Just another day in Africa . . .

A couple of weeks ago, a fellow missionary asked me, “So do you have a daily routine?” As I have pondered that question, yesterday seemed to stick out as a good example of my routine:
After sitting down at my desk in the morning to prepare some Bible lessons to be taught in April, my gardener burst into my office all out of breath. He said his mother was giving birth at the local clinic but had run into difficulties. Now they urgently needed transport to the hospital in Solwezi town, 60 kilometers away. I grabbed the keys to my truck and off we sped. After loading his mother into the back of the pick-up, we departed for Solwezi at full speed. Half way to Solwezi, we ran into a torrential downpour; I slipped the Three Tenors into the CD player to steel my nerves. Upon arrival at the hospital, I backed the truck up to the front door of the main building only to find out as we opened the tailgate that the baby was tired of waiting and on its way. The doctor and nurses just jumped into the back of my truck, and moments later, a little baby was born to the moving tones of Pavarotti singing Nessun Dorma.

"…I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing;
with pain you will give birth to children.”
Genesis 3:16 NIV

Being in labor for 45 minutes at 120 kilometers per hour in the back of a Toyota 4x4 brings new meaning to this verse for me. I asked my gardener what they were going to name the child. He replied, “Toyota Rain”.

A daily routine? I don’t think so.
Brian, Sondra, Noah, and Bryson



Pictured: One of the many precious babies born here under difficult circumstances.