The Faces of Kandiana

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I have had several folks tell me that they couldn't find how to post a comment.  I believe that you can click on the words "no comments" or "# comments" to open the window that will allow you to make a comment if you desire to do so.  Once the comment is posted, any of the team members can reply. 

Thanks again for your prayers and patience.

Love Always

The Unpacking Begins

Monday 08/27/12

Please continue to keep the team in prayer as we each begin to unpack, unpack both physically and emotionally from the journey.  I have spoken to a few team members this morning and it seems that we are each struggling a bit with jet lag.  For me personally there is also a "numb" feeling that I am attempting to work through.  Strangely within the numb it seems that there are entirely too many emotions trying to get my attention at one time . . . interesting !?!?!

Also, please remember Pastor Percy and his family as they all make the adjustment to his visit here.  I can only imagine what he is working through this morning as he is in a strange land without his family.  As our plane was about to land in Raleigh, Pastor Percy was looking out the airplane window and I asked "what do you think"?  His reply was "there is so much green".  There are so many differences to adjust to between here and Mwandi.  Our American culture is also much busier and noisier than Mwandi . . . not to mention we drive on the "right" side of the road.  I'm praying that his transition into American culture will be as smooth as possible and will be graciously guided by the Lord.  Peace to his family in Mwandi too!

Thank you !
Love and Blessings Always

A Hop, A Skip, and a Jump

Saturday

Well, we depart Fawlty Towers in about an hour for the Livingstone Airport and mixed emotions are overflowing.  Its a bit of a battle within . . . one of being ready to be home and the other of leaving this place and its wondrous people behind once again. 

Our flight leaves at about 1:30 Zambia time, that would be 7:00 am EST.  We will take a "Hop" to Johannesburg, South Africa, then a "Skip" back to London, England and finally a "Jump" across the pond to Raleigh, NC (USA).  We will arrive approximately 2:30 pm in Raleigh on Sunday afternoon and should arrive home some time before 7:00 pm.

Please continue to pray for the team and Pastor Percy as he will be staying in the States with us for about 3 months.  The team will be dealing with jet lag as we lose 6 hours time on the return journey as well as continuing to process the vast and bountiful experiences of the journey.  So if at some time in the next few weeks we become overwhelmed with emotion seeming out of nowhere please understand that is often part of the processing.  Please just ask us what we need, it may be a hug or it may honestly be just some time and space to continue to process the experiences. Thanks for your prayers and understanding.

Love and Blessings Always

A Day in Livingstone

Friday

Today has been rather quiet and greatly appreciated.  We slept late and then ventured into town for some shopping at the local market.  The local market is an adventure in itself as many of the vendors are very pushy.  Its like the bargaining at a yard sale on steroids.  Fortunately, many more vendors were polite and allowed us to look at their goods without the hard sell.  This was a nice change.  We found a lady vendor who was actually Losi and spent some time getting to know her.  She also blessed us with some great bargains and a gift. 

The afternoon we had lunch pool side.  No nothing fancy just pb & j purchased at the local grocery along with a few other goodies.  We each then attended to things such as repacking for the journey home tomorrow, emails, pictures, etc..

Tonight we will have a great meal at the Ocean Basket Restaurant across the street and spend some time in devotions when we return from supper.

Blessings

Hello Fawlty Towers !

We have safely arrived at Fawlty Towers this evening!  Showers and real beds here we come !!!!  Of course our other suitcases are missing !?!?!  Oh where oh where could they be ???? . . . Hoping they are not still at Simba House in Mwandi. 

Ok !  Your prayers work so very quickly !!!!  I am typing this in the common area I was just notified that the suitcases have arrived and are being delivered to our rooms . . . you guys & gals are awesome ;]

We will be heading home on Saturday.  Thanks again to all for your thoughts and prayers !! ! 

Blessings

Chobe National Park, Botswanna

In process, thanks for your patience !

A Day of Rest

Sunday 8/19/12

Wow!  I am thankful for this being Sunday . . . as Sunday is a day of rest and always a bit quiet.  It has given me a chance to think of the abundant blessing of the last few days as there have been so many.  As I am sitting here on the screened porch of Simba House with the soft breeze and the Zambezi River before me and I can’t help but be both joyful and sad.  Joyful for the opportunities that I have had for this trip, the events that we have participated in, and of course for the wondrous people that we have spent time with.  Why the sadness you ask?  Sadness because time has gone so quickly and tomorrow we must say our farewells to so many as we leave Mwandi at approximately 7:00am on Tuesday.  

Just so you don’t worry . . . we will be heading to Chobe National Park for a Safari early Tuesday and will have no internet connections from Tuesday morning until late Thursday evening when we return to Fawlty Towers.

As I am recalling some of the awesome events I will continue to post about them and let you know when they occurred.  Sorry for the late postings . . . thankfully the internet connections have been better in the last 24 hours.

Blessings

Saturday Evening Service at Elim

Saturday 08/18/12

WOW !  Was the word of the day and honestly words cannot express the experience with any justice. 

We arrived at Elim Pentecost Church at approximately 6:30 pm. (18:30 hours as the locals see it) for a night service.  Strangely this was another TIA (this is Africa) moment as there seemed to only be the Pastor's and our Team.  The sun was quickly setting.  I wasn't sure what this service would be like as the Church has no electricity and is generally dark even in the day light hours.  As we entered the church at almost 7:00 Pastor had someone place a LED light in the rafters and Doug and I chipped in our small LED lights as well.

Service began with us being seated in the front row (yes, I'm a back row kind of girl but I went with it) and people continuing to wander in.  Worship was unusual for us yet awesome as the men brought out the hand made drums.  Its amazing to hear the blend of awesome voices and the drums . . . I so often hear other instruments blended in as if a bit Heaven has joined in too.  I was more than encouraged to dance in Church . . . really !?!?!  Ok with much coaxing I danced . . . ok at least moved a bit and it was honestly a bit freeing.  Things got more than a bit out of my comfort zone when we were asked to sing.  Nothing like seeing your team mates with a "deer in the headlight look" and them looking right at you.  We never seem to have anyone who is musically inclined on our teams . . . like what is up with that?  Anyway, I took a deep breath, grabbed Whitney, and asked for the ladies from the Ladies Group to join us up front for a song.  We shared the song I had taught the ladies the day before and then asked the entire congregation to join in.  It seemed to go well and was well received.  Again, I so thank God for the courage to share this song and that He has improved my voice over time so that it is not so hurtful to others ears.

Before the end of service the Team was asked to come up front to receive a gift.  We asked Doug to represent the Team for this honor.  A few words were spoken of great appreciation and of friendship between Elim and the Team.  Doug received the gift for the Team and opened it to find a beautifully hand carved Lion.  Wow!  This was an honor and a very expensive gift for the Church to give.  It is so amazing how the people of Mwandi consistently show us honor and favor in such lavish ways . . . God always brings my heart back to the alabaster box story in these instances and it is so humbling. 

We had one more surprise . . . a ride home in a car as it was almost 9:30 pm.   It was an honor and a privilege to be driven home yet at the same time I will say that I will never complain about walking in the sand again.  Driving in loose and deep sand takes much skill and can be very challenging.  Thankfully to the thoughtfulness of the Church and the skill of the driver we arrived home to Simba House quickly and effortlessly filled with joy and amazement regarding the events of the evening.

God is good . . . all the time !   All the time . . . God is good !  Amen :)

Youth Group

Friday 08/17/12

On Friday night we were invited to the Youth Group led by Pastor Simasiku.  The meeting was held at the OVC (Orphans and Vulnerable Children’s Center) at approximately 6 pm (17 hours as the locals say).  There were about 15 young adults, Pastor Simasiku, and our complete team.   It was a great time of sharing and getting to know each other.  I remembered a few of the young adults from my prior visits (3-4 years ago) and it was a blessing to see them again.

One of the greatest WOW moments of the week came as the group finished discussing the chosen scripture.  Eric had managed to bring each member of the Youth Group their very own Holy Bible and it was so awesome to see their faces light up in delight.  These young people have access to Holy Bible’s at the OVC but they must remain on the property so a Holy Bible that is truly their own is a marvelous gift.  Some of the young men even hugged and kissed their Holy Bible and thanked the Lord for providing them.  The joy was amazing!

Saturday morning the Youth Group met at Simba House and came proudly carrying their new Holy Bible’s.  During their meeting Eric worked with them on the Skill Development information just as he had with the adults in the Mission School classes at Elim Pentecost Church. 

Prayers continue for these amazing young people!

Love and Blessings Always

Ladies Group

Friday 08/17/12

Whitney and I met for the last time with the Ladies Group at Elim Pentecost Church.  Of course, it is a bit bittersweet but we will see them again on Monday morning as Doug finishes up their lessons for the Mission School program. 

We had, as a group, decided to look at the character of Godly women in the Bible.  We began with the woman of Proverbs 31 and continued with Ester and Ruth.  We looked at each of the situations and how God provided for each woman many things including favor along the way.  The paths were not always easy and we couldn’t help but ask . . . if these women knew what situations they would walk through before hand, would they have still gone?  To me this speaks of faith and trust in God.  We had many great discussions.

As Friday was our last official meeting it was a time of fellowship that became so sweet.  No lesson plans, only being with each other and having fun.  The ladies taught us how to make “fritas” which is like what I know as Italian fried dough and it is marvelous.  (Somewhat like a mixture of fried doughnuts only no hole in the middle and looked a bit like a large hush puppy.)   We shared songs and laughter for hours.  Yes, I even stepped out of my comfort zone and shared a short song that I learned at fellowship group.  It was well received and I am thanking God that my singing has improved a bit as I was concerned of hurting their ears.

Whitney and I are so thankful for the opportunity to meet these wonderful ladies and they will definitely be missed.  We have exchanged addresses and look forward to hearing from them.

Love and Blessings Always . . .

A sweet & humbling moment in time . . .

Friday 08/17/12

WOW!  still in process

Who was that man ?

Thursday 08/16/12

Ok, so I had moment . . . yeah, actually another moment (lol).  I had returned to Simba House just after 6:00 pm and had taken my journal and settled into the rocking chair on the screened porch overlooking the Zambezi River.  I was enjoying the quiet when a man dressed in a military green uniform with a burgundy beret on his head walked closely along the side of the porch. The short sleeves didn't look just right and he carried something in his hand that looked much like that of a machete.  Then he stopped and said "so, you are here alone?".  I said :  "excuse me?".  He called Doug and Eric by name and knew that they were still in the village and that Irene and Calvin had left for the day.  I was not fearful and just said :  "It won't be long as dinner is ready and the guys don't miss dinner".  He asked several other questions then walked off.  I honestly did not recognise him and it felt really strange almost like an intrusion.

I mentioned the interaction to Doug and he asked me to share it with Irene so that she could let Frank, the night watchman know that someone was lurking around.  Irene said that she would talk with Frank as at one time there had been an impostor in the area.  Now the embarrassment really begins as it was Frank . . . yes, it was the night watchman!  I have only recognized him in plain clothes and have never seen him in uniform.  I will admit that I am accustomed to seeing the watchmen in long sleeve shirts and his were rolled up short and he had a hat on . . . yes, cut me some slack here.  Also, that handle I saw was to a night stick not a machete. 

It is amazing how what we think we see is not always the truth of the situation . . . and what a lesson is in that statement.  I'm praying that the Lord will always reveal the truth of the situations to us as well as to allow us the ability and grace to accept that truth.

Blessings Always !

Mission School Certification Ceremony

Thursday 08/16/12

In process

The water bottle incident . . .

Thursday 08/16/12

Well, all I can say is that it is comforting to know that other team members have moments too ! 

A water bottle doesn't seem all that important to us here at home in the United States but in Mwandi it is important for us to keep up with them for many reasons.  The water at Simba House is sand filtered and boiled which keeps it safe for drinking.  Even the water from the wells in Mwandi may often need to be boiled as some of the Missionaries refer to it as a bit "brackish".  It is also very easy for us to dehydrate in the Mwandi climate so we are told to keep water with us as at all times.

So the story goes . . .

Whitney and I arrived at the OVC (Orphan's & Vulnerable Children's Center) early this morning before the children began to straggle in.  Whitney placed her book bag and water bottle on the benches under the tree and we walked approximately 150 feet away to speak to a friend.  I just had this feeling that Whitney should at least retrieve her water bottle as one of our little friends made his way toward the tree.  Whitney began to move toward her water bottle and the race was on!  The young man darted for the bottle, grabbed it, and ran behind the tree with Whitney saying "No, that is mine!"  The young man peeked out from behind the tree with a huge grin, removed the cap and enjoyed a big drink of water then disappeared behind the tree again.  The young man then peeked out from behind the tree once more, still smiling, and set the bottle back on the bench and headed off for other adventures.  This young man has a terrible cold and cough at this time.  Well, this water bottle has definately met the end of its usefulness.

No worries . . . as we returned to Simba House Whitney was blessed by "Uncle Eric" with another water bottle.  "Uncle Eric" saved the day !      (So wishing I had gotten a picture of that grin!)

Blessings :)

Cattle Ruslin'

08/16/12

Yes, in the year of 2012 cattle ruslin' still takes place.  How do we know this . . . well it happened in Mwandi while we were there! 

Thursday morning we awoke to a bit of a stir as a fairly large bull was tied by his foot to a tree between the hospital and the workshop.  The bull was not happy to be there to say the least and just kept bellowing.  The people seemed to gather a bit, shake their heads and moved on.

Come to find out the bull belonged to a family member of someone working for the mission.  A police report was made and the family was made aware that there had been an attempt to sell the bull to the Mwandi Hospital.  By the end of the day the bull was back where it belonged and two men had been apprehended for cattle ruslin'.  In Mwandi cattle ruslin' carries a sentence of 5 years per offense.

Moral of the story . . . . don't be ruslin' branded cows and try to sell them close to home!

Peace

Technology Challenges

My apologies for not posting blog commentaries on a daily basis.  Yes, our days are busy and full but that is not the only excuse.  There seems to be some difficulty with the internet connections here in Mwandi.  The service is very slow, often slower than the standard dial-up service in the United States.  The connection seems fine for a short email but sites such as the blog and facebook seem difficult for the connection to handle.

I will continue to post as I am able and as time allows.  Unfortunately downloading pictures at this time is an extremely time consuming process and uses much of our data allowances.  I will return to the postings and add pictures at a later date.

Thank you for your patience and prayers !

Love & Blessings Always

and then there was chocolate cake . . .

Tuesday 08/14/12

Wow!  Our days are full and as we return to Simba House each evening our muscles often ache from walking in the sand.  Yes, in Mwandi the primary mode of transportation is on foot.  There are several donkeys and a set of oxen that pull carts in the village.  There are even a few cars/trucks around though the general population walks everywhere within the village.  The sand often seems to be deep and very soft which can make walking in it difficult. 

Though we return to Simba House in the evenings tired we each seem to have a sense of joy and accomplishment in regards to the events of the day.  It is a blessing to know that Calvin and Irene have attended to our needs at Simba House and that dinner awaits us.  Irene is a marvelous cook and always manages to surprise us with something wonderful. 

This evening during devotions we discussed how sadness seemed to be creeping into our thoughts.  The realization that our time in Mwandi is already moving too quickly has become evident.  Whitney and I even experienced some friends showing a sad face today and stating that they were missing us already.  As we were talking about this realization of time, a blessing appeared from the kitchen . . . an awesome homemade chocolate cake with butter cream icing.  It was almost as if God used the cake as a gentle reminder.  A gentle and simple reminder for us to savor the sweetness of the moments . . . the moments in Mwandi and the moments everywhere . . . as well as to not become too concerned of when it would over.  What a message a cake can hold . . . God is good!

Blessings

Our first full day in Mwandi

Monday 08/13/2012

Our first full day of events in Mwandi has sent us in many different directions as we each have tasks and areas of interest to attend to.  We meet back at Simba House for lunch somewhere about 1:00 pm and for dinner about 7:00pm.  (That is 7am EST and 2pm EST as we are 6 hours ahead of EST).

Doug was teaching this morning and Eric was working at the Hospital.  Whitney and I headed for the OVC (Orphan’s and Vulnerable Children’s Center) for time with the children as well as to assist with the children’s devotions before their lunch.  Today the children were served chicken, rice and stewed greens.  As we said our farewells for the morning a little voice sweetly asked Pastor to have us stay to eat with them.  It would have been a great day to do so though we had to say thank you and excuse ourselves as we were expected at other activities.  It was so sweet to be invited to share a meal, especially by one of the children.

Late afternoon brought Whitney and I to a Women’s group at Elim Pentecost Church.  We have been blessed with the opportunity to help facilitate the group this week.  There were approximately eight women in all.  It is great getting to know each other as well as discussing the expectations and direction that the group would like to take on for this week.  We are also praying for the freedom to discuss issues of our hearts with the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit.  Of course, there are a few challenges as we are navigating some cultural differences and social norms .  We are trusting God and His wisdom and grace through it all.  We are very thankful for the opportunity to spend this quality time with our Sisters in Christ.

Blessings & Love Always.

. . . the Blessing of a name . . .

 Sunday 08/12/12

A great blessing has occurred for Whitney and I on this day.  We have both been given Losi names by one of the local Pastors.  I am told that in Mwandi names are given according to situations or circumstances.  It can take many years to acquire a Losi name and it is a great honor to receive one.   

In Whitney’s first visit to Mwandi she has been given the name “Tumelo” which means “Faith”.  This is my third visit, though not consecutively, and I was given the name “Lilato” which means “Love”.   I find it interesting and a blessing to realize that we seem to be working together a great portion of each day.  Yes, Faith and Love work together . . . and are working well together.  I am thankful and honored by both the name and for the opportunity to work closely with my blessed Sister in Christ.

Love & Blessings Always

The Lord's Day

08/12/12

Today was spent at a leisurely pace begining with worship at the UCZ Church and being offically welcomed into the community of Mwandi.  It was good to see old friends and to meet new ones throughout the day.  After a marvelous lunch on the porch of Simba House; Eric, Whitney, and I headed off to Kandiana.  It was great to see these folks again and I was pleasantly surprised to see my dancing friend.  She quickly struggled to her feet and grabbed her walking stick as she began to "cha cha" as I say and wanting us to dance with her.  We were blessed to spend some time with these folks and snap some pictures that I will share as we have more availability to the internet.  We were also able to share some fruit with them and they were very thankful as were we..  

Size Matters . . .

We spent much time with the Irish Team members we met yesterday in Livingstone.  They are from Belfast, Ireland and we so enjoyed spending time with them and sharing some of our Zambian experiences with each other.  Early yesterday evening one of their young men asked me how many people were in our group.  He seemed very surprised when I said that there were four of us.  He asked "why so few"?  Without thinking (yes, it happened again) I answered :  "you know its not the size of the group that matters, its the size of the heart that carries them".  Well, enough said as he said he was going to "borrow" that statement.

We parted company with our new friends this morning as they began their journey home and we began our journey towards Mwandi.  Farewell for now and safe travels to all !

Blessings

Livingstone

08\08\12 & 08\09\12

We arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa as the last of the snow was melting on the runway and the temperature was very cold.  We navigated the airport with just enough time between our landing in South Africa and our departure for Livingstone, Zambia.

Once in Livingstone we settled into Fawlty Towers for our accommodations and headed out for dinner at the Ocean Basket restaurant.  A good nights sleep in our beds surrounded by mosquito netting was interesting and very welcome after two nights of sleeping upright on the airplanes.

Thursday consisted of breakfast and a trip to Victoria Falls.  The water levels at the falls were very low, low enough to see the bottom of the gorge and much of the rock walls.  Even at its lowest the Zambezi is mighty.  So many things caught my eyes there today such as how the mist rose from the gorge with sparkles and seemed to dance as it flowed on the currents upward towards heaven.

Lunch was spent at the Sun Resort poolside and was marvelous.  A story within itself.  Then it was back to Fawlty Towers to catch a ride to the Sunset Cruise on the Zambezi River.  Yes, we had a great time filled with even more interesting people from many countries and a few hippos to boot !

Blessings

Altitudes & Attitudes

8/7/12

The team departed Raleigh about 7pm EST and arrived in London at 2am EST (7am London time).  After completing our own triathlon of making it through Customs, obtaining our boarding passes for the evening flight to Johannesburg, and storing our carry on luggage we departed the airport for a day in London.

We were given many opinions regarding going into London for the day, most said "don't do it", but with at least 12 hours to wait we opted to venture in.  We did however heed the warnings to stay on foot as there could be transportation issues due to Olympic events.  So we were off, first to the tram, then to the underground or the "tube" as the locals call the subway, disembarked at Paddington Station and then out into the City of London.  The day was beautiful and the walk along the Thames River was amazing.  We viewed Big Ben, the House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, St. Margaret's, and finally Buckingham Palace.  One of the sweetest moments occurred on the way to the Palace as we walked through Green Park.  Green Park offered the shade and coolness of a dense canopy of London Plane trees (a type of sycamore) and a grassy place to rest for a bit.  Yes, the grass called to us . . . "rest here my friend", and we all did so.  It was AWESOME !

Now things got interesting, it was about 2pm London time and we had planned lunch at one of the local pubs.  Just love how "our plans" seem to work out.  All of a sudden everything and everyplace was overflowing, there were people everywhere!  We were told that several Olympic events ended within the past hour releasing approximately 500,000 people into the city.  No time for lunch in London due to the crowds so it was back to Paddington Station and then to Heathrow Airport for us.  It was interesting navigating the crowds but we made it back to the airport and even found the traditional fish & chips there for a late lunch.  Yes, I hear you - "but you don't like fish?"  I had a marvelous rare roast beef sandwich and chips (fries).  Life is good !

Our personal Olympic event began after our meal !  We were diverted from security checkpoints 3 times and finally were directed back to a ticket agent.  While the ticket agent was working to find the problem I decided to open a coke which honestly exploded all over me !  Yep, it was me again !  I so attempted to smile my way through the embarrasment and chalk it up to a possible divine appointment.  God is so good!  Amazingly the situation did present itself as a divine appointment and we met a few really neat people.  Well, off to security once again . . . Eric, Whitney, & I made it through the initial check point but Doug . . . well; Doug . . . Doug headed back to the ticket agent as we three patiently sat against the wall inside the security area   Thankfully he returned soon and was allowed to pass.  We all then managed to make it through security check and awaited the sprint to the gate.  Gate assignments are only announced 30 minutes prior to the flight and ours just happened to be 20 minutes away from the waiting area we were in. The race was on! 

All in all we walked many miles and it was an awesome day for all !  It was amazing how we all sewed in laughter when things didn't seem to go quite right.  We even had help staying "on the sunny side" from others around us.  It always helps to remember that each and every day holds its own blessings, joy, mercies, and of course new adventures.  Let the adventures continue . . .

Blessings

. . . London here we come . . .

Well, after a very interesting morning we have all made it to the Raleigh airport.  Yep, after the security process we are chilling at the gate and awaiting the boarding process for the flight to London.  Our flight departs about 6:30 pm EST.

What will we do in London . . . not sure yet as much depends on the Olympic events of the day. One thing is for sure is after the nightmare of 2009 I can guarantee we will not go anywhere near those double decker red buses! Seriously . . .

Blessings =]