The Schwertfeger Chronicles

We've Moved!

2011-02-16T07:30:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

You may have thought we deserted you completely...but it is just not so!

After a long break we have launched new and better media. Check out our new website at: www.jakeandjessi.com

Sunda says, "Check out the new website! There are lots of cute pictures of me and my sister!"

Today I decided...

2010-07-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

Today I decided that sleep deprivation is a mindset. I can refuse that mindset if I want to. And I want to. I am perfectly fine (truly) and will sleep through the night again someday.

Along with that revelation, I decided that I am honored and blessed to care for my healthy, happy baby. Anytime of the day or night.

I decided that Sunda deserves the utmost of my patience and humor. Especially when her sister is being impatient. It’s not Sunda’s fault.

I decided that walking around stressed because of having a few full time jobs makes me look old and haggard. I’m only 26. I’m not old and haggard. Mascara helps this effort. So does refusing to be stressed. Your lack of planning does not constitute my emergency.

I decided that my husband being away is a great time for me to concentrate on Jesus, my girls, and myself. And to give myself pedicures and watch Friends marathons (I decided I’m not tired, remember?)

I decided that joy is a decision. Contentment is a decision. Love is a decision. And grace is a decision. It will be abundant in my life.

It's cool to be able to decide that. Good thing I can rely on God for the follow through...

Baby Foodie

2010-07-21T02:57:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you about this baby of mine: She LOVES to eat.

I should’ve realized it from the very beginning when she was furious every 2 ½ hours on the dot. Forget trying to push for 31/2-4 hours between a feed. This kid was serious about mealtime.

Around 3 months, she started staring longingly at everything we were eating and drinking. And at 4 months, she was reaching for it and shrieking. Nowadays, we have to have something for her to hold, suck on, or drink during mealtime, or else we would have one angry girl on our hands.

The first time I gave her rice cereal, she literally attacked the spoon. I couldn’t get it in her fast enough. Now that she is eating solids, she hasn’t met a food that she doesn’t like. She doesn’t make a face, she doesn’t spit it out, she just swallows quickly and opens up like a baby bird, begging for more.

Because of her quick adjustment to and her apparent longing for food, I started Kya on solids during her 5th month instead of waiting for the traditional six months. What can I say? I’m rebellious like that ;)

So far, she has tried and loves apples, bananas, pears, peaches, carrots, butternut squash, avocados, and sweet potatoes as well as rice cereal. I wish I could say that Kya’s love for food has developed because I have been making her baby food with my own hands and adding love to every “from scratch” serving. But alas, I think she’s just a baby foodie and would eat baby food out of a jar, off the floor, or otherwise.

I have really been enjoying making her baby food, however, and I’m really excited for the next two months when I can start experimenting with different combinations and dishes. Just wait ‘til she has teeth! Homemade baby finger foods fill me with excitement! Baby omelettes, baby pancakes, and baby veggie sticks! Baby yogurt parfaits, baby pot pies, and baby pasta dishes! The combinations are endless! (Does this make me a weirdo?)

I don’t have much time in my life. Really. So, this is how I make baby food:

When I grasp a rare minute, I take a large batch of the fruit or veggie of my choice and peel and chop it I stick it in a pot with a bit of water and put the cover on. Usually, I then get distracted by some other job.

When I get another minute, I boil the food until it is soft enough to fall apart when I try to pick it up with the fork. I try not to add too much liquid while cooking so that I don’t have to drain any off when it’s cooked. Then, I get distracted again because someone has called or knocked on my door or needs me RIGHT NOW. So I put the cooked veggies/fruit in the fridge until later.

Later, I put the food into a mini food processor and puree it smooth. Sometimes I have to add some water or milk (especially in the case of sweet potatoes) to make it a good consistency.

I never strain anything. I take the pureed food and scoop it into ice cube trays and freeze them. When they’re frozen, I put two or three cubes into individual Ziploc bags (Thank you packages from America!) and label them. I’m thinking it probably takes me 30-45 minutes for a batch of baby food that yields enough for 10-15 meals. So, I spend about an hour a week making baby food. I’m sure it will get a bit more labor intensive when I start combining more things and making finger foods. But right now, it’s easy-peasy.

I don’t have a microwave, so to thaw and reheat the food, I boil the tea kettle and pour the hot water into a bowl and put the small Ziploc bag with the food inside. Then, I am just extremely wasteful and snip off the corner of the Ziploc bag and squeeze the food into a bowl (keep those packages comin’!) I really dislike washing out Ziploc bags. Bad missionary. Bad.

I have this theory that because the food is not always a perfect consistency that it will be easier for Kya to adjust to eating more finger/”adult” food when the time comes. This may or may not be true. Or she’ll probably just really like to eat and it will be easy because of that. And then I can pretend like it was because of my genius baby food that saved me loads of money. (We’re talking 15% of the cost of jarred baby food in Zambia…WHOA.)

For the record, Sunda is also a great lover of food. This particular picture features beans and nshima (nshima being the staple food of Zambia.) Some of her random food loves include: Marmite and toast, hummus and veggie sticks, Nutella with ANYTHING, and anything that involves eggs or bacon.

What should my 4-year-old know?

2010-07-02T03:22:00.000-07:00

Most of the people that I've had contact with lately will tell you that I sound like a broken record about my concerns for Sunda's education and myself as her teacher. It's a lot of responsibility! My latest thought is that I wouldn't put my children into any school (private/public/Christian or otherwise) that didn't have goals, a mission statement, and a philosophy of education. So shouldn't I be developing those things for myself? I mean, I AM the principal, administrator, and head teacher of the Schwertfeger Children Academy.

Fortunately, I have a lot of really cool friends who know A LOT about kids and education. So, I'm not alone in forming my goals. In fact, those friends are probably the very reason that I want so desperately to be informed and intentional about my kids' educations.

This year, I started the SONlight 3/4 year old curriculum with Sunda. The curriculum itself is basically a very informal mix of Bible lessons, fairy tales, poems, classic kids' books, and activities designed to encourage imagination and a love of reading in your child. It's great. Sunda and I have spent countless hours reading since January. She has gone from not being able to sit through a picture book being read to sitting through 5 or 6 long, involved stories and begging for more!

But me, being the overachiever that I am, thought that maybe I should add a little more to her Kindergarten prep. A little number recognition, perhaps? Some simple phonics? Maybe some pre-writing skills? Before I knew it, I had amassed a pile of "School Preparation Skills" books and we were going at it with a vengeance.

This led to a couple big problems. First of all, Sunda was NOT interested. She became a different child when I brought out the "workbooks." Fidgety, disobedient, and pouty. She had to be heavily encouraged to just follow my directions. And she didn't portray any of the skill sets that I thought a child of her age should be able to display. (The book says 3-5 after all! And she's older than 3! So she should be able to do it! RIGHT?!) She would rather doodle in the margins that follow the lines. Would rather beat on the book like a drum than count the colorful items inside.

I started to think that there was a problem. That I was a bad teacher. That maybe Sunda was a little behind. That I wasn't giving her the best opportunities by teaching her myself.

All the while, I BELIEVED in the concept of experimental learning. We do it all the time. It's just that I thought I ALSO needed some concrete proof. Something that I could hold up and show the world: I homeschool my child and she is really clever!

(The first pump of a borehole well in a village that's never had a reliable water source!)

Just as I was kind of realizing that I probably needed to just give her some time, some experiences, and some TLC, I came across an article that asked this question: What should a 4-year-old know? "Yes!" I thought. "That's what I need! Someone to tell me exactly what my 4-year-old should know!" You can imagine that reality smacked me when I realized that I have been way too worried about all the wrong stuff. I may have shed a few tears as I got through this article and felt the weight of the world lift.

So, here it is:

1. She should know that she is loved wholly and unconditionally, all of the time.

2. He should know that he is safe and he should know how to keep himself safe in public, with others, and in varied situations. He should know that he can trust his instincts about people and that he never has to do something that doesn't feel right, no matter who is asking. He should know his personal rights and that his family will back them up.

3. She should know how to laugh, act silly, be goofy and use her imagination. She should know that it is always okay to paint the sky orange and give cats 6 legs.

4. He should know his own interests and be encouraged to follow them. If he could care less about learning his numbers, his parents should realize he'll learn them accidentally soon enough and let him immerse himself instead in rocket ships, drawing, dinosaurs or playing in the mud.

5. She should know that the world is magical and that so is she. She should know that she's wonderful, brilliant, creative, compassionate and marvelous. She should know that it's just as worthy to spend the day outside making daisy chains, mud pies and fairy houses as it is to practice phonics. Scratch that-- way more worthy.

Beautiful.

My child is 4 1/2 and can just barely count to twenty. She knows her alphabet, but can't write her name. She's not even close to knowing how to read. She doesn't know anything about the names of planets, presidents, or dates in history. And she doesn't sit for much except for the stories that I read her and an occasional "Wonder Pets" episode.

Aside from the times that we spend together reading and exploring (about two hours in the morning), she spends from 8am-6pm playing outside (independently) with her friends and by herself. And here are some of the things she DOES know:
How to make a fire and cook on it.
How to plant a seed and harvest it. And what plants produce what veggies.
How to wash clothes by hand and change her sister's diaper.
How to wash a truck and help her Daddy fix his motorbike.
How to do a front flip on the trampoline.
How to apologize when she has the wrong "attimood" with her friends.
How to bathe and put lotion on herself.
How to make scrambled eggs and every ingredient that goes into a cake.

She understands family dynamics and why she looks difference than Jacob and I. She makes up elaborate, detailed stories and shares them in front of groups of people. She greets about 20 people by name every morning.

She can PREACH up a storm and makes up her own worship songs regularly. She prays for people when they're sick and regularly informs me about what God expects of us.

Needless to say, our schooling has taken a little bit of a different slant these days. We're going to be spending a lot less time with workbooks and some more time doing the stuff that Sunda loves to do, with a bunch of learning naturally thrown in.

And if she can't read by the end of this year...that's okay. That's why it's great being the principal of your own school. :)

My Internet Finally Works!

2010-06-25T11:18:00.000-07:00

Look again at the blog I posted this afternoon to see the pictures. They wouldn't load until now. Gotta love Africa Internet!

My husband's coming home tomorrow! (He's been gone all week on a trip to South Africa to see Germany/Ghana play in the World Cup...maybe he'll give us recap?)

Tired Mama

2010-06-25T00:34:00.000-07:00

I live here:

Surely one of the most beautiful views in the world.

I have an unbelievable husband:

Not to mention, two beautiful children, a fulfilling ministry, and loads of amazing friends.

And yesterday…I wanted to leave it all and go sit poolside somewhere, with a magazine and a Big Mac (don’t judge).

I didn’t want to teach Sunda to count. I didn’t want to pick up smashed cookies from the carpet. And I didn’t want to bounce Kya until she fell asleep. I wanted to say, “Beam Me Up, Scotty!” and be gone. For a few hours, at least.

Sleep deprivation will make you think crazy things.

And to top it all off, when I got the kids to bed and looked forward to a long, hot shower, there was no hot water. I had waited too long. The fire had gone out and the water was cold. Blah.

This morning, I determined that I would disappear for a few minutes. I changed, dressed, and fed Kya and then strapped her into her chair with a toy. I helped Sunda dress, got her some juice, and put a cartoon on. And then I closed the bathroom door and took a scalding shower and ignored the fact that Kya was fussing and Sunda was yelling for me.

Sometimes you just have to do that.

That shower made me feel like I can put in another 5 months without complaint. It’s the little stuff.

Beautiful Baby

2010-06-15T02:54:00.000-07:00

If you haven't done it yet, you should check out Overland's website. I just posted a staff blog today about our trip to the village last week.

Think her eyes will stay blue?

Sundaisms

2010-06-07T00:26:00.000-07:00

(While in the shower together)

Sunda: Mommy, what's that lumpty-dumpty part?"
Me: Excuse me?
Sunda: This part (grabbing my upper thigh)...why is it bumpy?
Me: I wish I knew, Sunda. Ask your baby sister.

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(While doing school in the house)

Sunda: Mommy, Auntie Fridah and me are the same color, but we don't look the same.
Me: That's true, Sunda.
Sunda: Me and Auntie are black and you are white.
(I put on a sad face)
Sunda: Mommy, don't worry. It's because when I came out of my mommy's belly, I went outside right away. You came out of your mommy's belly and stayed inside too much.

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Sunda is obsessed with all things marriage and weddings. I think maybe she watches too many princess movies. She insists that she's "married" to her friend Keiro, but she informed me that they decided not to kiss at their wedding because that's only for Mommys and Daddys. (We had a long talk about this.) However, she must be frustrated with this decision because the other day they were watching a cartoon together, and the cartoon cats kissed.

Sunda (pointing at Keiro): See! The kitty cats kissed, but YOU won't kiss ME.

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Every morning, we have a time of worship from 8:30-9am. Often we take time to pray for each other in the morning. Sunda loves to pray for people.

Her prayer for me this morning:
"Jesus, Help Mommy to have energy and to feel good, and help Kya's teeth to come in well." (SO perceptive.)

and then,
"Mommy, will you pray for me, that I won't be afraid of any giants or snakes?"

She then proceeded to pray for our friend Jamie, who's pregnant. Jamie told me that she prayed this:

"Lord, Please bless this baby and help her to come out soon. Sort her out and make her come out nice and clean."

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There are a million more hilarious things that she says every day, mainly based on the fact that she doesn't miss a trick. She catches everything anyone says and often turns it around so that we are REALLY careful about what we say in front of her!

And God said...

2010-06-01T02:32:00.000-07:00

"Let there be LIGHT!"

Since the Overland Mission's base began back in 2004, we have functioned on generator power. The generator was turned on from 9-12 in the morning and from 6-10:30 at night. We couldn't use things like hair dryers, washing machines, or clothes dryers because they drew too much power. We had to do computer work in the evening because the internet only worked when the generator was on. We always went to bed at 10:30 because that's when everything shut down. The generator was good, but electricity would be better.

We have been in the process of contracting "Zesco", the electric company in Zambia, for 3 years. For over a two years now roads have been cleared, holes have been dug, and deposits have been paid. YESTERDAY it bore fruit. It was a momentous occasion when at lunchtime the generator shuddered to a stop and the lights flickered back on with magnificent silence! We have electricity! Bring on the lights in the middle of the night, the TV, the hair straightener, and the washing machine! Bring on comfort! Bring on a Western lifestyle!

Maybe...

As much as we are thrilled to have electricity, there's a part of me that mourns the technology. It was so nice to read a book at night with a headlamp, instead of watch TV. It seemed so simple to be forced to do something outside the office in the afternoon. I'm used to planning my life around the generator times. And I'm used to walking around with wrung out, handwashed clothes and messy hair. I kinda like it.

But I really like being able to turn on the light in the middle of the night to change Kya's diaper. I REALLY like that. I suppose I can get used to everything else.

Overland director, Sharon Smethurst, sent out the following update last night, and I thought it was beautifully put. It's true that for now and forevermore, when I go looking for a lightswitch, it will be there. (Until the power goes off due to loadshedding, which happens up to 3X a week... Maybe I won't put my headlamp away after all.)

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Every people group has amazingly rich qualities and traditions that capture our imaginations when read in books or seen in history and national geographic channels. If I could single out one of those captivating qualities in the African nations it would be the simplicity of their many languages. Not in terms of grammar or eloquence but their ability to express logic derived from the simplest things found all around us. E.g. In trying to resolve a conflict you might hear "When two elephants fight it's only the grass that suffers", or, when an NGO worker concluded her report of the need for electricity in the many villages she'd been operating in she said "so at night, when the woman went to look for the light switch, it wasn't there" (this picture made more beautiful when you understand that she was talking of villages with huts made of mud and grass roofs). I can never get tired of listening to the African speech. So it is in that spirit that I want to make a very, very momentous announcement for the R14 Base. After 5 years of operating under the lights of costly and limiting generators we are pleased to say "that tonight, when we go to look for a light switch, it WILL BE PRESENT". We are now connected to power lines and have 24 hour electricity. The God of our forefathers is indeed AWESOME! Thank you for your support, love and faith through all the many different phases of Overland!

Sharon Smethurst

Sustainability

2010-06-01T02:15:00.000-07:00

This short article is something I wrote and posted on our ministry website: www.overlandmissions.com. If you haven't checked it out, you should! There's tons of blogs and articles posted weekly by Overland missionaries on the field, and the website gives great information about the ministry in general. Let me know what you think!

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As missionaries, we talk a lot about sustainability. In fact, we talk about it so much that it occasionally seems an elusive concept. What does it mean? How do we get it? To what extent do we expect it to function?

The definition of sustainability is simply this: Having the capacity to endure.

As Christians, we talk a lot about endurance. Running the good race. Enduring to the end. Fighting the good fight of faith. Enduring to see the finish. We know that we have to position ourselves before the Lord and before the Body of Christ in a way that ensures that twenty years from now we will still be declaring our faith with unabashed abandon.

At Overland, we know that we must position our ministry in the same way. The projects launched today should be positioned so that they can endure, thereby truly making a difference for the people they serve.

Sustainability could also be defined as development. Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (www.sustainabilitydictionary.com).

The LIFE Project wants to meet needs in the village. But we want to do it in a way that empowers the future generations to continue the work instead of binding them to a system. Sustainability is why we use recycled objects as toys and supplies for our schools. It’s why we ask for donations for consumable supplies. It’s why we require a small tuition from every child attending the preschools. Sustainability is why we are praying for an individual/church sponsor for every village. A small contribution toward each school on a monthly basis would allow the village schools to continue towards sustainability, and towards education, for years to come.

On a totally unrelated note, this is the "lunar rainbow" at Victoria Falls. It happens once a month during a full moon, at which time you can see a rainbow in the dark at Victoria Falls. Beautiful!

I'm 4...and already smarter than my mom

2010-04-12T02:45:00.000-07:00

Sunda is hilarious.

On Sunday, Jake and Kya were napping and Sunda was watching a cartoon. I sat down on the couch to put my feet up and flip through a magazine. Sunda saw me sit down and immediately said, "Mama, can you read this book to me?" If you're not a mom, you can't imagine the range of thoughts that go through your head at this moment. The first reaction is: "Awwww, man...I just sat down." The second is, "Of course I will, because I am terrible if I don't." Somewhere down the line is, "You know what? It's not going to kill her to continue doing what she was doing for a few minutes while I flip through this magazine and shut off my brain. We'll read it tonight before bedtime." Eventually, that's pretty much what I told her. I must've used the words, "I'm just going to relax for a few minutes." Great idea, but not right now. Mommy needs a few minutes. "Fine." She conceded.

Not five minutes later, Sunda asked me for some juice. Usually, she can manage to pour it for herself. So, still attempting to remain on the couch for as long as possible, I said to her, "Why don't you get it yourself? You can even pour some for Mommy too." "No Mama," she said. "That's a good idea, but I can't get it right now, because I just need to chillax for a few minutes." Touche. Punk. ;)

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Amazing that she has picked up so many of my habits. I notice that our relationship works very similarly to any other kind of relationship. When I drop what I'm doing and pay attention to her, she drops what she's doing and pays attention to me. If I answer her the first time she calls my name, she answers me the first time I call her name. I am not advocating some kind of liberal parenting style that says that we should be friends to our kids first and foremost. No ma'am. I still believe fully that I am in charge, and that what I say goes. But mutual respect goes a long way too.

Yesterday Sunda "helped" her Daddy fix the truck in the warehouse. She came back to the house filthy. Before I could turn around she was on the bed, cuddling and cooing Kya. I said, "Sunda, did you wash your hands?!" She looked up at me all like, "you are so slow."

S: "I washed my hands with soap, and I took off my pants so I didn't get your bed dirty."

Oh great, of course you did.

M: "By the way, Sunda, do you know where the diaper cream is? I can't seem to find it."

S: "Yes Mommy, I've seen it, here, I'll show you." (She went right to it and pulled it from an obscure place in Kya's shelves of clothes. Okay, so she probably put it there in the first place.)

I can't wait for her to show her little sister how to be as helpful and delightful as she is. :)

Walking with the Lions

2010-04-07T01:42:00.000-07:00

We have had such a blast with “Nene and Pappy Schwertfeger.” It truly is a gigantic blessing to be able to share our lives here with some of our dear family. I’m sure that our family and friends have spent the last four years wondering, “What in the world is it like where they live?" Finally, some of those questions have been answered!

I am always telling people what it’s NOT like where we live. “No, we don’t live in a mud hut.” “No, we don’t eat elephant stew for dinner.” “No, we don’t walk around with the lions and cheetahs.” Well, it turns out I have been proven false on that last one…

Yesterday, Jacob, Sunda, Nene, and Pappy headed to Chief Mukuni’s “Lion Park.” We had heard about it before and knew that it was a big tourist attraction. We also thought that it would be kinda lame and pretty expensive. So we ultimately marked it off of our “to-do” list. But yesterday, because of Overland’s good relationship with the Chief, some of the guys thought that maybe we could get into the park at a reduced rate. I stayed home with Kya (who wasn’t at the top of her game after a looonnnggg Easter Sunday), and the rest of the family took off to see the lion park!

Unfortunately, the park staff refused Jake and the crew the reduced rate we thought would be in order. Jake and Jack (a co-worker of ours) argued and argued. Nothin’ doin’. So, gutsy man that he is, Jack decided to walk over to the Chief’s “palace” to see if he was home and would personally grant permission for free entrance. It turns out that the Chief himself was on his way to visit his own park and not only let everyone in for free…but took the tour with them!

My 4-year-old stood very close to a pack of lions who were lunging at the fence (she was, obviously, on the other SIDE of the fence.) She was terrified, and was convinced by her Daddy to get a picture near them…practically strangling Jake while the pics were being taken.

My husband, who has always loved cheetahs, got to PET a cheetah. Yes, friends. This is not your typical, heavily insured zoo. This is a park that lets you pet the lions and cheetahs (for a fee.) And if you get eaten, then, well, you got too close!

The Chief generously extended an invitation to all Overland staff this weekend. He offered the option of either taking the “elephant safari” (you get to ride an elephant!) Or “walking with the lions”, literally going in the lion’s cages and petting them. Jake said that I could go with some friends on Sunday and that he would stay with the girls. I’m afraid the activity choice isn’t up to me though, as Jake’s offer was posed like this, “Why don’t you go on Sunday? If you want to ride an elephant, that is. There’s NO WAY I’m letting you go in with the lions. Sorry.” Don’t worry, hubby, I don’t have a big desire to pet Mufasa anyway.

My Saving Grace

2010-03-11T02:04:00.000-08:00

I have to say, getting used to the busyness of two children has been an adjustment, but Kya herself has not really been much of a challenge at all. I was really prepared for and expecting the worst, according to some of the horror stories I’d heard about hormones, sleepless nights, and difficult feeding. But, God has given us so much grace and I feel like, more than anything, I’m hitting a stride.

However, it wasn’t always like that. I’ve put off writing about this for a long time, but it’s appropriate now, I think. One of these days my thoughts won’t be so extremely sentimental, but for now they are. That’s just how it is 
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There’s a book that we regularly read to Sunda called, You Are My I Love You by Maryann K. Cusimano.

These are my favorite lines:
I am your parent; you are my child.
I am your quiet place; you are my wild.
I am your calm face; you are my giggle.
I am your wait; you are my wiggle.
…
I am your way home; you are my new path.
I am your dry towel; you are my wet bath.
I am your dinner; you are my chocolate cake.
I am your bedtime; you are my wide awake.
I am your finish line; you are my race.
I am your praying hands; you are my saying grace.
I am your lullaby; you are my peekaboo.
I am your good-night kiss; you are my I love you.

Just after we moved to Overland Missions and started 3 months of intensive missions training, Jake took a short trip home to the States. I was on my own for three weeks working full time as an AMT student, taking care of Sunda, and getting used to living in a tent. It was the first time I’d been left alone with my daughter for such a long stretch, and I was more than a little intimidated.

You see, it took me a little while to get used to being a mom. And at that point, I wasn’t sure that I was that great at it. It was a decision for me. Every day was a walk of faith, a process of trusting the Lord, hoping that at some point I’d feel like the mom that I so desperately wanted to be.

One evening, after a long day of lectures, I picked up You Are My I Love You to read to Sunda as I put her to bed. We’d read it many times before and I was always struck by the meaning in the words, even though I wasn’t sure I fully comprehended them myself.

I said this line aloud: “I am your finish line; you are my race. I am your praying hands; you are my saying grace.” For some reason, my tongue slipped. Instead of “saying grace,” I said, “you are saving grace.” I broke down. The truth of those words struck me so suddenly. Sunda was then and continues to be my saving grace. She has brought me out of selfishness and pride and taught me how to walk in humility. She has helped me to understand love as an everyday decision that, once walked out, becomes feeling. Because she’s very strong-willed and not at all fragile, she’s given me grace to learn how to be a mom to her. She continues to smile with me, laugh at me, present arguments to me, and rain love down on me in spite of my shortcomings.

Since Kya’s been born, Sunda has grown up before my eyes. She understands things I’ve never taught her and has a backbone I’m striving for. The other day, when I let the tears run down my face just out of exhaustion, she rubbed my back and said, “Mommy, when you’re sad and you cry, you have to ask Jesus to help you. And then you have to stop crying. Let’s go make some cookies.” Good idea, Sunda.

I’m so grateful for my creative helper. My strong-willed fire ball. My first born who has really taught me that being a mom has very little to do with giving birth. Thanks, baby girl. Sorry…BIG girl.

Things I Know...

2010-03-09T02:59:00.000-08:00

...That I can't be THAT African. I heard a big truck drive onto the property early this morning and thought, "Oops, better get the trash out...must be garbage day."

(Just FYI: We burn all of our trash in an incinerator. There are no garbage trucks in Zambia.)

...That one of my favorite parts of the day is cleaning up the house after the girls are asleep. It's just so satisfying to pick up baby dolls and binkies and tea party remains and burp cloths. And know that it all starts again tomorrow.

Does that make me weird?

...That if you go to bed late because you were watching a movie, the Universe will conspire against you to make sure that both of your children cry all night long. You should've gone to bed earlier.

...That if I can shower, feed everyone, and not have poopie diapers laying around the house by 10am...I'm doing pretty darn good. (Okay, so far, I've only gotten to 10:30..I'm getting there.)

...That my standards of productivity have changed dramatically. But somehow I feel like I'm getting more done now than ever.

...That newborns don't understand the importance of updating your blog. Sorry.

Birth Announcement

2010-02-27T08:33:00.000-08:00

Kya Grace Schwertfeger was born at 6pm on January 23, 2010

She was 2.79 kg and 50 centimeters long at birth. (Or, 6 lbs 1 oz. and 20 inches, for us metric illiterate Americans.) (Myself included.)

Mother and Baby Kya were very happy and healthy after a normal birth, even considering a loooonnnggg two days in labor. She was worth it!

This is Kya about 3 hours after birth:

THIS is Kya about 10 hours after birth:

Why is my baby canary yellow? That’s what I was asking at 6 o’clock in the morning! It turns out that Kya was affected with a fairly rare form of jaundice called “newborn blood incompatibility jaundice”, caused by a mom who has O+ blood and a dad who has A+ blood. When the baby gets the dad’s (A +) blood type, there is a clash of antibodies in the birth canal that causes the baby to become jaundiced very quickly after birth. That is why Kya was yellow, and that is why we were rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit when she was about 12 hours old.

Fortunately, I was able to stay in the unit in order to feed Kya. She spent 2 full days on what is called a “Billi-bed”, which is an incubator with a special light that treats jaundice. She also received two intravenous doses of a special antibody that destroyed the jaundice in her system. We weren’t allowed to take her out of the bed to hold her or even feed her. I expressed milk into a bottle and then stuck my hands into the incubator to give it to her.

After two days in Intensive Care, we were released to go home because Kya had improved so dramatically. Her “biliruben”, which is the number that indicates the severity of jaundice, was practically normal. We were allowed to take her home as long as we continued to keep her on the lighted bed, which we rented from the hospital. For the first two days she was home, I was allowed to take her off the bed to feed her, but had to place her directly back on it to receive the light therapy. There was a 6 day lapse between the first time that Jacob got to hold his baby girl (Saturday, when she was born) and the second time (Friday, when she came off the bilibed.) You can imagine he wasn’t thrilled with THAT arrangement. And I think (besides the worry) that is the hardest part of having a baby with jaundice. Not being able to hold and love on this brand new, amazing child!

The potential effects of severe jaundice are serious and scary. An extremely high biliruben can cause extensive brain damage and harmful seizures. Treatment is usually blood exchange therapy, which is a traumatizing procedure consisting of multiple blood transfusions. We are so grateful to have been cared for the way we were. The medical staff was excellent. Kya’s jaundice was caught early and treated quickly. And although it WAS very serious, she will suffer no damaging effects.

Jacob and I’s future children are at risk for the same problem. Anytime that you have a combination of the blood types that we do (Mom is O+, Dad is A+, baby is A+) you have a potential for blood incompatibility jaundice. It is fairly rare and has variables other than the ones I’ve mentioned here, but it is a real possibility. It’s also easily avoidable. The baby can be tested at birth for high biliruben levels (as any future children born to Jacob and I will.)

I wish we would’ve known we were at risk. But I know that there are thousands of other things that could be a problem and could be tested for at birth. You just can’t prevent everything.

It was definitely a learning experience.

Lesson #1: To be an advocate for myself (and my family) and trust my own instincts. If I hadn’t mentioned something to the nurse it could’ve been hours before my midwife did her rounds and discovered Kya’s jaundice.

Lesson #2: To stand on what I KNOW to be true, even in the face of uncertainty. God is good and faithful and has our joys and tragedies at the forefront of His heart. He protects us, heals us, and comforts us, regardless of the circumstance. And He works everything together for HIS glory.

We spent 3 weeks in Johannesburg after Kya was born, and we have been back in Zambia for 2 weeks now. My mom has been with us for the last 2 weeks and it has been a pleasure and a blessing to have her company (and HELP.) Who knew that you needed your mother the most right at the exact time that you are mothering the most?

I wish you could be here to cuddle and kiss Miss Kya. She is an absolute treasure and we are thrilled to be a family of four. And just to assure you that she is no longer 6 pounds OR yellow:

Kya at 5 weeks on February 27 (9 lbs. 1 oz and rosy pink!):

Glowing...or something...

2010-01-02T11:36:00.000-08:00

I haven’t written very much about being pregnant on the blog. It’s not because I haven’t had a particular experience, or that it hasn’t been all-consuming. It’s just that, when someone is pregnant, especially for the first time, it seems to be all they talk about (me included.) I just think that people must get tired of hearing a woman talk about being pregnant, especially since millions of women have done it for thousands and thousands of years.

Overall, I have really enjoyed being pregnant. I love the almost constant kicks and nudges that I feel. I love watching elbows, knees, and feet move across my belly. I love the way I look pregnant, I don’t feel fat or unattractive…just a bit larger and more ungainly than usual. I love that I’m doing something really important just by taking care of myself. And I love knowing that the love of my life and I have created a little person that will be a source of joy and hope to us and hopefully to the world as well.

On the other hand, I don’t like having limitations. I don’t like saying, “I’m lightheaded, I’m just going to sit here for a bit” (a consequence of the low iron). I don’t like having to eat just because it’s time or because I don’t feel well. I don’t like being so hot at night that I have to sleep with the fan directly on me and can’t touch my husband or any covers. I certainly don’t like having to excuse myself to the bathroom every 30 minutes. In my head, I want so badly to be the strongest pregnant woman that ever lived. And that has not been my experience. If anything, it’s been very humbling to be pregnant and have to go slower. To sit down more often. To sleep more. To stop for snack breaks. All of those things that are permissible because you’re pregnant, and which make me crazy to have to rely upon. I’ve had to get over it. Probably has been really good for me. I’ll have to get over it again when I have a newborn and need all the help I can get from anyone who will give it to me. Good times.

These last several weeks have felt like a scene out of a movie for me. I’ve never felt so content, relaxed, and happy. I’ve gotten over needing to apologize for being a bit behind the 8 ball. I laugh easily and am enamored with my wonderful husband. It’s not that I’m not usually happy, it’s just that joy doesn’t always bubble up this freely. I feel like I’ve given myself a break. A big one. One that I probably should’ve given myself years ago. And I like it here in break-land. This Type A/B Personality may have just crossed into a Type B-. For awhile at least.

Will I feel this good after the baby is born? Will it be this easy to laugh at tomorrow, forever? Will I feel fraught with worry as soon as there’s another little person to care for? I’m just trying to keep in mind that while I may very well have stumbled upon a change of mindset, I could feel very different in a few weeks. Maybe I can just remind myself of how much nicer it is here in 37 weeks pregnant land.

And they said I would be miserable. Depends on how you look at it. Dizzy, hungry, have-to-pee. Sleepy. Achy. And never happier.

Amazing Provision

2010-01-02T10:58:00.000-08:00

(Sorry! Once again, my pictures REFUSED to load. Arggggg!)

One of the things that Jake and I love about Overland Missions is that we often have the opportunity to sit under amazing men and women of God and just LISTEN. Our directors are linked with some incredible people who have just been there, seen it, and done it…twice. We love getting the opportunity to gather at the annual conference (which we will miss this year ☹) or sit in on the missionary training courses at the base and just glean from those who have walked the walk for more years that we’ve even been alive.

One of those people is a pastor named Vaughn Jarrold. Vaughn pastors a Vineyard Church in New York State. He and his wife ministered all over the world as missionaries, prophets, traveling evangelists, revivalists…etc. for YEARS before they settled down to pastor the church. They have five children. All five were born on a different continent.

Pastor Vaughn commands respect because of who he is and the anointing he carries with him. He doesn’t even have to open his mouth to get offered a hot cup of coffee or a comfortable chair. You just WANT to serve him. I first noticed this as we’ve gathered with in churches and in Christian circles. But I can’t help but wonder if he wouldn’t walk into a bar and get the same treatment.

Okay, so he is a 6 foot 5 Englishman with huge shoulders and a shock of red hair. Not typically someone you’d mess with in a dark alley. But his size is negligible when compared to the message that he speaks from experience.

This is one of the stories that I carry with me:

Vaughn and his wife were walking to Israel because they felt like it was where they were supposed to be. They were brand new Christians, had just gotten married, and had nothing to their name. They had been traveling the U.S. together when they really committed their lives to their Lord and decided that God wanted them in Israel. They had no money and no resources, so they decided to get there anyway they could.

I don’t know all of the details, but I know that they were so broke that Vaughn got angry with Wendy for writing a postcard to her mom. They couldn’t afford the postage. They slept in a tent that they would put up anywhere they could and ate what they could manage to get ahold of. One early morning they were walking into a city. It was cold and they hadn’t eaten breakfast. Vaughnn said to Wendy, almost jokingly, “Ya know what I could go for? A couple of hardboiled eggs.” They were his favorite breakfast, and a treat he hadn’t had in awhile.

Vaughn speaks about the difficulty of having so little that you start to question God: “Are you really providing for me?” “I can’t even EAT when I want to. How is this provision?” Of course, it adds another dynamic when you have a wife or family to provide for. It’s one thing to suffer yourself, but to watch your family suffer with you is heartbreaking to bear. You question yourself and the Lord and wonder why He would ever call you to do something so crazy and uncomfortable.

A couple of blocks later, Vaughn and Wendy decided to sit for awhile on a bench. Vaughnn noticed that there was a paper bag folded up in the corner of the bench. He reached for it and opened it up. And burst into tears. The paper bag held six, still warm, hard boiled eggs.

When Vaughn told that story to my AMT Class, I watched the tears streaming down his cheeks. But before he even got to the end of the story, I was choking back my own. I was crying by the time he told us that he had a hankering for boiled eggs. Because I knew what the ending was going to be. I KNEW that those eggs would be some where, waiting for him to find them.

They always are.

Vaughn ended his story with this Scripture: “I was young, and now I am old, and I have never seen the righteous forsaken, or their seed beg for bread.”

I don’t know if I’ve ever connected more immediately to a passage in the Bible than this one. My heart screams out to God: You mean, NEVER? In my WHOLE LIFE? I won’t be forsaken? I won’t be forgotten about? And my children won’t be forgotten about? And there will always be boiled eggs?

Yep. Always.

Guess Who's Back!

2009-12-14T07:35:00.000-08:00

I’m always just a little bit apprehensive when returning to Africa. What can I say? It IS my home now, but every time we come back I worry that I’ll have changed my mind, that it will be a struggle. Always, always, always, once we’re here I feel like I’ve been here my whole life and I put leaving as far from my mind as if it didn’t exist. But that first week is sometimes filled with homesickness, frustration, and even fear. Fear of the unknown. Of what I can’t control.

I can feel it changing every time. It’s just a bit easier every year. Our first year, I sobbed every night for the first two weeks. Our second year, I was despondent (very privately, of course) for about a week. Last year, it took me a few days to get over the huge spiders all over the place and the unidentifiable gnats in my bed. This year, I’m enjoying being in Jo-burg, but I jumped for joy when my midwife and OB jointly approved us to go back to Zambia for about 5 weeks over the holidays! Never before has Zambia looked so sweet! And all because I was threatened with not being able to go back. With being forced to be in a first world city for awhile longer. With being in the near vicinity of shopping malls and coffee shops and overall conveniences. NOOOOOOOO! Please let me go back to Zambia! To my friends! To my own bed! To my tiny chalet with no washing machine!

Funny how things change….

Thank you, Lord. It’s through you that our thoughts are changed. That our minds are changed. That our whole lives are changed.

The Great Country Switch

2009-12-04T06:05:00.000-08:00

I have tried to write a blog about switching countries about the last 3 times that we've done it. The problem is, the actual switching always gets in the way of the writing.

I'll be honest, "country switching" with a family is not the easiest thing on the planet. It's character building, to say the least. When we come to the U.S., we're wrapping up responsibilities and projects in Zambia, turning over jobs and communicating everything. When we're leaving the U.S., we're doing all of the little errands that you do over the course of a year, desperately trying to sort out what we will need for the months to come (which somehow always looks different.) There are a few sure things you have to hold tight to until you have your feet on solid ground again. Here's the advice I give myself everytime I feel like I'm losing my mind:

1. I am NOT in control.
Of course, the trick is to try to BE as in control as possible. Make as many plans ahead of time (car rentals, accomodations, flight arrangements.) After planning carefully...GIVE IT UP. I'm really convinced that the most important thing is just putting yourself on the wave and letting it ride. People love to ask, "Soooo...are you all packed and ready to go?" Just so you know, until I get IN THE CAR to go to the airport, the answer to that question is: NO.

2. No time for sentiment.
This sounds terrible, of course. But our last weekend at home is not really the time for sentiment and tears. It will be hard not to see our family and friends for a year, impossibly hard sometimes. But it doesn't help you to get ready if that's all you're thinking about. And they're WITH you right now, so don't waste time being sad.

3. Sunda is #1.
Jake and I are okay with the country switch. And so is Sunda, really. But, it really helps to take the pressure off of my own emotions and focus them properly when I remember that she needs a lot of support in order to make it through the traveling and adjustment period unscathed. It's important for her to know that nothing is changing other than certain parts of her environment. Mommy and Daddy are still the same, our routines are still the same, our rules are still the same. We talk about how exciting it is that we're going back to either place. And we try to make the traveling process as much fun as possible for her (new toys to play with, special treats for the airplane, etc.)

4. Whatever can happen, will happen. (And it usually does.)
This morning, Sunda has chest congestion and a fever. She may need to see the doctor this afternoon. We're still not sure what's causing my major anemia. We're not sure if we'll be able to travel back to Zambia, or if we'll have to stay in South Africa because of the higher risk of delivering while anemic. There are questions and complications involving Sunda's citizenship that must get sorted before she can spend an extended period of time in South Africa. There will probably be a few other things that happen before we go that we will have to choose to deal with or not to deal with, based on importance. If I continually listed these things out in my head like I just did here, I would go crazy! It's so important to deal with what you can deal with and take one day at a time.

5. The job is usually smaller than you think it is.
Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by packing that I convince myself to procrastinate. But, I've found that if I just go ahead and spend an hour sorting and washing and packing, I've made it much farther than I could've imagined. And I feel so much better if I'm a couple of days ahead of schedule. When we leave the States, we just pack up everything in one big sweep. But when we leave Zambia, I usually make myself a schedule that fits in with our work schedule. I'll pick one thing to clean, organize, and pack a day. For example, one evening I'll sort through, clean, and pack up the things we need from the bathroom. The next night, I'll work on the kitchen.

The one major thing that has saved Jake and I's marriage during these times has been to have specific roles and jobs that we each work on separately. And we know who holds which job.

Jessi's Jobs
Manage clothes, personal and toiletry items for the family, and everything for Sunda.
Do required cleaning.
Handle the return of any borrowed items.
Shop for medicines, toiletries, clothes, etc. that we need before we go.
Arrange visits with family and friends.
Decide what needs to be thrown away, donated, or stored.
Arrange for any storage needed.
Put stuff into piles for Jake to pack.

Jake's Jobs
Handle all reservations including flight, car, and accomodations.
Acquire and keep track of all documents needed.
Shop for electronics, camping equipment, or outreach materials we need before we go.
Acquire all pieces of luggage.
Pack Jessi's piles.

It's nice after a few years to know who does what. We used to argue every time we packed and moved, because we couldn't agree on what needed to be done when. And that was before we had a kid! We knew it would just get worse if we didn't get ourselves sorted! Now, we function pretty smoothly because we know whose job is whose.

In the airport, Jake is in charge of all documents, tickets, and luggage. And I am in charge of Sunda and everything we need for the flight. So, we never question who has Sunda's blanket (I do). Or who has the passports (He does).

I'm sure you guys all have similar systems when it comes to going away for the weekend, cutting the grass, or handling the Christmas shopping or taxes. It saves us a lot of arguments and a lot of stress.

Showers of Love!

2009-11-22T18:13:00.000-08:00

My amazing Mother-in-LOVE and my best friend Jenn threw me the most BEAUTIFUL baby shower this Saturday. It was such a lovely *surprise* and just blew me away. They worked so hard! I am so grateful to them and to all those who came and sent gifts. Amazing!

I'm not gonna lie...I'm getting more and more excited to have this baby. I mean, that's what opening newborn size sleepers with matching beanies will do to a girl!

Sunda with a "baby in her belly." The baby was born effortlessly about 30 seconds later. Complete with diaper and onesie. If it were only that easy...

Opening one of many amazing gifts.

Me at 30 weeks. I feel bigger even today. I'm just now at the stage where I'm imagining that this could get a leeeetle uncomfortable in 4 weeks or so. Baby stretched yesterday and I felt like I couldn't make enough room for him/her. I'm pretty sure this only gets exponentially stronger in the next 10 weeks. Suck it up, Mama!

We're having "Christmas in November" for Thanksgiving this week. Four more church visits and two more weeks...and we'll be back on a plane for South Africa. This time absolutely FLEW by. I don't think I've ever been so ready to get back to Africa, but so hesitant to leave the U.S. I feel unprepared and overwhelmed in terms of packing, shopping, and making plans. This is mostly due to the fact that most days I'd rather just take a nap. Aren't I supposed to feel energetic, fantastic, and like Wonder Woman in my 7th month?????

Really? Two MONTHS?

2009-10-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

How did that go so fast? I'm telling you, I don't think about blogging for a week and it turns into a century.

Here's an update about what we've been up to since we've been home:

Gettin' smart at preschool.

Gettin' full from yummy American food!

Gettin' wet at the Children's Museum.

Gettin' a ride from Pappy George.

Gettin' pretty with Uncle C. at homecoming.

Gettin' friendly with our new pet bunny.

Gettin' more and more preggo. Me at 25 weeks...which is now!

In addition to that, we've been speaking at many area (and not so area!) churches and have enjoyed sharing our hearts and the heart and vision of Overland Missions with our supporters and others. We've had a great time so far with friends and family and are looking forward to our Florida trip next week. See ya soon Mom!

Yummy Recipe

2009-08-17T02:00:00.000-07:00

I probably didn't really make up this recipe. But I tasted a similiar version once and tried to re-create it on Saturday since we have an abundance of tomatoes and basil in the garden at the moment. If tomatoes are still in season in the States (I have no idea any more!), you should try it!

Tomato-Basil Fettucini

1 pkg. fettucini
6 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 small red onion, finely minced
1 handful fresh basic, finely chopped
1 cereal bowl full of chopped tomatoes (cherry tomatoes are the best)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup butter
salt and pepper

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1. Boil water for pasta.

2. Chop up all the veggies.

3. Cook pasta.

4. Heat oil and butter in a skillet.

5. Cook garlic and onion in the skillet until tender. Cook on low heat and be careful not to let it burn.

6. When the garlic/onion mix is tender, take it off the heat and add tomatoes and basil to the hot pan. Let them sit for a minute while you spoon the butter/oil mixture over them.

7. When veggies are a bit wilted, dump everything into a big bowl and add the cooked pasta. Toss together. Add lots of salt and pepper.

P.S. I just want you to know that the fact that I was able to focus long enough to write down this recipe is a great testament to how yummy it was. I can't even remember where I put my glasses these days.

Just plain ol' MEAN

2009-08-14T02:08:00.000-07:00

So, whether it's the fact that I'm pregnant, busy, tired of people, unbalanced, or just plain ol' mean: I have NOT been myself lately. I feel like I'm trying to teach lessons all over the show and make people understand their mistakes and why they're making them. All the while ignoring the things that I'm not doing in hopes no one will notice.

Maybe I haven't been walking around screaming at people. But in my head, I've been screaming. In my mind, I've been teaching lessons. In my thoughts, I've been judging people for the very things that I'm lacking in.

Quite a confession for a Friday morning. I know. The internet tends to listen pretty well. :)

So, I found a CD this morning (who listens to CDs anymore, right?) that I listened to constantly in college. (Beth and Jenn, you would recognize this RIGHT AWAY if you heard it...I probably tortured you with it for two years.) It struck me so sharply as I was working away at my computer.

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Who gave you the right to judge me?

Did we not come from the same seed?

Was it you who gave the sea it's boundaries?

Is it your wrath that could expose me?

We are set apart by one thing only...unfailing love...and I accept it.

Those who thought they were sowing wheat will reap thorns. You've become rich and powerful, fat and sleek. You're gonna fall backwards.

"Shaken"
by: Unspoken

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God forbid that I ever become so "rich and powerful" in my knowledge and ideas of how things should be done on the mission field that I start to judge others and fall backwards.

Instead, let me not forsake my first love:

"Seeking Jesus, His steps I measure. My eyes on Jesus, no thoughts of turning. He's got me wasted, I'm drunk in love with You."

"Thinkin' of You"
by: Unspoken

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I don't know if you've ever heard of Dr. Rodney Howard Browne. He's a pretty well known charismatic evangelist that is friends with our director Phil and the ministry. He came to visit the base this week and said (roughly) this about sharing the Gospel with people:

"We don't need discouraged people sharing the love of Christ. We don't need joyless, hopeless, pessimistic people sharing the love of Christ. We need joyful, free people. We need people who laugh and smile and who are not under a burden of religion."

How easy is it to get religious in our "service" for the kingdom. And how carefully we must guard against it!

Some old pictures:

Sunda when she was about 15 months old. Oh, how she has changed!

Me and the group of LIFE teachers that I work with and train on a regular basis.

Hope you have a lovely weekend!

Just Trying to Get a Coke!

2009-07-18T02:26:00.000-07:00

One of the lesser known facts and definite benefits of living in Zambia is definitely the Coke. Zambian Cokes are made with real cane sugar instead of corn syrup, and they come in glass bottles instead of out of a can, bottle, or fountain. People who don’t even drink Coke drink Coke in Zambia. It’s just better here.

The problem is that sometimes it’s hard to find Cokes in town. There have even been months during our stay here that we have experienced a major Coke shortage. (Gasp! Boo! Hiss!) Those times have been dark and discouraging, but we’ve pulled out okay. Just making sacrifices for the Kingdom ;)

The way you get hold of the Cokes is to buy a crate with 24 glass bottles inside. You pay for the crate and the soft drinks that are inside, and then you take all of it home. When you’ve finished the drinks and replaced the glass bottles, you take the crate back to town and exchange it for a filled one from one of several vendors in Livingstone. The crates themselves cost about $10, but the refill on an exchanged crate is only K40,000, or about 40 cents a Coke. You can get other Coke products if the vendor offers them, the most common being Sprite or Fanta.

Now, you would be showing your lack of experience in any third world country if you thought that you could just go to the same place that you buy your bread and milk to stock up on Cokes. No ma’am. We in Zambia have separate buildings where we sell Cokes. Separate Coke warehouses, if you will. These warehouses are usually delicately placed in a dark, narrow alley where the flatbed Coke truck piled precariously high with clanging and swishing bottles is parked. Or, even better, they are placed right smack dab in the middle of a busy street where nobody with any sense would park if they valued their paint job (And we definitely don’t take the paint jobs too seriously, so this is not too big of a problem.)

Today (Friday), I had the pleasure of refilling 3 cases of Coke for a function that we are having here at the base this weekend. The Livingstone Coke shortage is looking to be in action this month, and all of the vendors are quickly running out of stock. In desperation, I went to the place with the longest queue (line): Standard Sales.

Once inside Standard Sales, I had to quickly evaluate something: Is this worth my time? Normally, the answer to that question would be: Absolutely not. The answer would especially be no if I had reminded myself that I am actually not really drinking Cokes at the moment due to the whole “I’m-pregnant-and-trying-not-to-drink-caffeine” thing. (I really am trying, people…) However, I knew that the benefactors of these Cokes were to be our Zambian staff. We’re holding a staff picnic and Appreciation Day on Sunday and there will be Cokes all ‘round. So, I felt pretty selfish walking out just because of a long line. So the saga continued… (Are you tired of it yet? I am.)

I waited in a pile of people and pushed toward the counter to gain the attention of a man who was appropriately titled, “The Man in Charge.” He was begging for people to be patient with him, they were ignoring his pleas, and he was obviously becoming very overwhelmed with the thought of continuing to be the Man in Charge. I waited and pushed, pushed and waited, for about 20 minutes before getting to place my order: “TWO COKES AND ONE SPRITE!” I yelled over the din. He wrote it down, slowly. “What’s the name? “ He asks. Oh geez. Here we go. “JESSI.” I yell. “Justine?” He asks. “YES!” I immediately affirmed. Whatever. I’ll be whoever you want me to be. Just get me some Cokes already.

I pushed my way back out of the pile of people and into another line. Oh, you thought that was it, didn’t you? No ways you get Cokes that easily, my friend. I waited in the payment line for a few minutes, receipt and money in hand. I paid the lady behind the glassed in counter (we’re not jokin’ around with the security at the Coke warehouse.) She leisurely wrote down my receipt number and my payment and stamped the receipt, directing me to a third line. I waited in the third line, was recorded and stamped by the man behind the desk, and seriously considered pulling out my hair. I then waited for the Man in Charge to recognize that I had a receipt in my hand. When he did notice me, my receipt was stacked with the rest of the orders being filled. I waited for a few more minutes as cases of Coke, Sprite, and beer flew past my feet on the way to their owners. (Don’t be confused about the beers. Even though Cokes are delicious and popular in Zambia, a place with this much of a crowd is a full-on drinks distributor.) Finally, the Man in Charge yelled out, “JUSTINE!” That’s me! I rushed to get my order. I quickly realized that I couldn’t carry 3 full cases. I called for my 2 friends. We then rushed out of that place as fast as possible. End of story.

I don’t know how long the whole thing took, but I do know that my friends that were with me actually had license plates made for their vehicle in the time that I was in the Standard Sales. Oh my.

Get this. I’m not even drinking an icy cold Sprite right now because all of the cases got unloaded at the main center and I chose to write this post instead of dragging myself back to the main center to get one. This has been therapeutic though. Maybe I can pretend like it was worth it, just for the story.

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Happy Saturday! We’ve got a birthday party today and a cookout afterwards. We’re headed out into Nyawa for a Women’s Conference on Monday and will stay through Wednesday. After that we’ll greet a team who will be here for the next month doing a building project. And when they go home…so do we! We’ll see you so soon it’s like we’re just here on vacation! HA!

There's A Good Reason For This!

2009-07-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, I can’t take it anymore.

We’ve been trying to wait.

Okay, we haven’t been trying that hard.

There may still be 3 or 4 people on the planet who don’t know.

And you may be one of them.

We're havin' a baabbbyyyyy!

I was waiting to blog about it until I was 12 weeks (Or, out of the first trimester for those who aren't counting their life in weeks like obsessive pregnant women.)

However, at my first ultrasound today we found out I am actually 13 weeks along, which qualifies for legal blog publishing...I believe.

YAYYYY!

Jake and I have been hoping and waiting for a baby for a while now and are so excited to give Sunda a little brother or sister. Obviously, the details of being pregnant and having a baby are a bit more complicated when you live in a 3rd world country. So, we’ve been spending a lot of time reading, researching, praying, and considering our options.

We will be traveling home in September to do our annual furlough and support raising. It will be a shorter trip this time because we have to get back on that long flight before I get too big to take it!

We have decided to have the baby in South Africa. A beautiful clinic and midwife are already in the works.

We’re also SO excited about the fact that both of our families have decided to travel to Zambia to visit lil’ baby Schwertzy soon after he/she is born. My mom is coming very soon after the baby comes, and Jake’s family is coming in March. (I’m due at the end of January.) We knew there’d have to be something drastic to get them here, and it looks like we’re hit the jackpot on this one!

Like I said, I got my first ultrasound today and it was such a miracle to watch this little BABY moving and kicking and somersaulting around. The tech said, “Can you FEEL that?” I said, “No!” She said, “Don’t worry, you will…very soon.”

Sunda loves the idea that there is a baby in mommy's tummy and will occasionally ask: "Mama, that baby come out yet?" Not yet, Sunda...but are you in for a surprise when it does!"

I have felt pretty strong during this first part, and would humbly admit that it has definitely been an "easy" pregnancy so far. I'm grateful for that, although I'm wondering if I should start taking better advantage of the best excuse there is to have an afternoon nap.

Goodnight for now, friends. Thanks for being so patient about such a long wait.

(I mean really, WHAT was I going to talk about if I couldn't tell you I was preggers?)

Not MIA...

2009-05-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

...just contemplating LIFE

This title has a double meaning because of course I’ve been contemplating Life, as in the life I live. (Or rather, I’ve just been trying to keep up with it.) But, I’m also working mainly with the LIFE Project right now (LIFE stands for Living In Family Environments). We always joke that we have so many acronyms in this ministry that we might as well be the military. Let me just give you a few: We got our AMs working over the CLLs, who manage the LCFs and the LCAs. Clear as mud. Right?

On to similarly uninteresting and just as menial things:

I have to make a confession. Sometimes I really struggle with the things that I’m not. It’s like I have this picture in my head of everything that a good woman or a good mother does. And there are so many of those things that I can’t even begin to comprehend doing. For example:

I’m not a gardener. I have never had any use for planting flowers or growing things. When I was a kid, we used to plant tomato plants and flowers and things every spring. So, I know how to do it. My mom loves that stuff. I’ve never had any use for it. I mean, I appreciate it. I love having a garden. I love fresh veggies and lovely flowers. I just can never seem to get the motivation to learn the names of plants and actually plant any in my places of residence.

I’m not a sewer. Again, my mom is a brilliant seamstress. I never learned. I think I burned up a sewing machine or two in home ec class. I mean, I can sew on a button or fix a seam. But, when it comes to sewing machines, I’m basically worthless.

I’m not an athlete. Sure, I occasionally like to do yoga and tai-bo and such. I may even go for a (painfully slow) run every once in awhile. But I’m not the athlete that my dad and two brothers are. Nope. Not at all. I think I sometimes surprise people when it turns out I am actually slightly more athletically capable than they expected me to be. This is probably because I have grown up around athletes my whole life and then married one. I pretty much know all the rules and theory and may have actually learned a few things by osmosis. But, I hate being hurt and I hate knocking into people. This pretty much rules out every sport I’ve ever played.

I’m not a shopper. Lord help me, I don’t like to shop. Not for clothes. Not for home décor. Not for electronic equipment. Rarely even for Christmas presents. However, I love shopping for food. Let me loose in a Whole Foods or a Farmer’s Market and watch me go. Everything else, I can do without.

I’m not a scrapbooker. My best friend, Jenn, tried to get me into scrapbooking while we were home over the holidays. She’s so diligent and encouraging that I was almost converted, just so that I could spend more time with her. But that’s my only motivation. Time with my best friend. Left to my own devices, my children will have their childhoods chronicled in approximately 100 pictures from birth until graduation. Probably 85 of those pictures will be random artistic shots of obscure moments and forgotten memories. Only 15 will be from events that actually needed to be documented. I still only have about 2 of my wedding pictures printed and framed. ‘Nuff said.

I’m not a motorcycle rider. This has come up recently because Jake rides his motorbike a lot and it would be nice if I had the guts to learn and go with him. He tried to teach me last year. I almost ran into the side of the building. Now, he’s glad that I don’t want to learn because he’d rather me be in one piece. (Somewhere, my dad is reading this and thinking the same thing.) Anyway, riding a motorcycle kind of just increases that possibility of getting hurt and knocking into stuff. Two things I don’t like to do.

So anyway, I’m not a lot of things. Not a gardener, or sewer, or athlete, or shopper, or scrapbooker. These are things that people DO. For FUN. Why don’t I really enjoy any of them? I mean, okay, if you invite me to go shopping with you, I’ll probably go. But because it’s with you. And because there’s a chance that we may run into a Barnes and Noble and a coffee shop.

For some reason, I really struggle when I’m not everything. Do you do that too? Does it bother you when you can’t say that you fall into a group of people who seem to have it together enough to plant a garden, crochet a scarf, run a 5K, find a great deal, and document it all in a beautifully scalloped edge scrapbook? It bothers me. I know, right. Get over it.

So, as I’m hitting my “mid-twenties” (GASP!) I’m realizing that I need to just be okay with who I am and what I like to do. To actually be grateful for who God made me to be and to “boast in my weaknesses.” And stop worrying about who I’m not and trying to make myself like things just because other people like them. Here’s what I do like:

I love to make music. Any kind of music. I like to make music with Sunda. I like to make music in Zambian church. I like to sing to Jesus alone in the car. I love to stand in a 200 person choir and sing the “Hallelujah Chorus.”

I love to teach. Anything. And not just formally. Don’t know how to make a grilled cheese sandwich? It is the delight of my heart to break it down into manageable steps for you. I know. I’m a complete nerd. I’m especially great at butting in to teach things where it’s completely unnecessary for me to teach them. People can learn things on their own. In fact, people were doing it for generations before I was even born. I’m getting better at keeping my mouth shut.

I love to read. The Bible. Fiction. History books. Children’s books. Ridiculous magazines. The back of shampoo bottles. Encyclopedias. It’s ridiculous. Reading is like a drug for me. When I settle down and really start reading, I feel this amazing sense of calm come over me. My absolute favorite thing to do is to be near anyone I love and read a book. In one sitting. (They don’t have to be reading a book for this to work, as Jacob will tell you. He often watches soccer, rugby, or 24 as I read. I count it as quality time. I don’t know if it really does count.) I love to read so much that when people say, “Yeah, I’m not a big book person.” I honestly think, “Really? Then what do you do to relax?” Well, Jessi…probably any one of the above activities that you are absolutely unskilled in.

I love to talk. A big surprise to most of you, right? Hahaha. I’ve been kind of dreading everyone coming back to the base and it getting really busy here. Not because I don’t like the people being around, but rather because I just get so distracted by so many people to talk to. I find myself getting less done. Getting Sunda in bed later. Now, if I could only figure out how to talk and read at the same time…oh wait…I think that’s why I also like to write.
Thanks for reading my nonsense (if anyone out there still does, being that I tend to disappear for months at a time.) 

Out of the tent...into a House!

2009-04-13T02:25:00.000-07:00

This is basically a post so people can see some pics of our house and Sunda jumping on her new trampoline!

Enjoy...

Our Home!

Sunda's Room! Small, but perfect...

Bathroom

A Novel of Life as of Recent

2009-04-08T00:48:00.000-07:00

Wow… It has been entirely too long since my last blog entry.

So much has happened in the past few weeks that I hope I can recount the events in proper fashion.

I’ll take us back to over two weeks ago when Jessi, Sunda and I loaded up the Toyota Landcruiser (a fellow missionary friend’s vehicle) and started off for Nyawa for the weekend. It had been raining steadily for several days prior so we knew that the roads were going to be rough. The trip takes me about 2 hours 30 minutes on the dirt bike from our base so we allotted 5 hours in the vehicle because of how slow you have to take the choppy roads.

Our estimate was nearly correct.

There were a few spots on the way there that we had to put into practice the “rocking” technique (you put the truck in first then reverse and continue that until you rock yourself out of the muddy area). Other than that, we had an enjoyable trip to Nyawa. Jessi managed to get a few great shots of the truck in its prime.

I played with this pic and added the text...thought it summed up our commitment to the neglected. I had a good time driving!

We had an excellent weekend of ministry. Jessi and I both spent some time teaching in the church during various times over the weekend. Of course, Sunda kept everyone entertained when we weren’t conducting our meetings. Just before we had sat down for a lunch we noticed that Sunda was leading a bunch of kids into the church building. We followed the crowd to find that she was organizing her own church service. “Ok, you sit down…I’m going to preach,” she told the kids who were all older than her. She went on to tell them “Jesus loves you” and she sang them a few songs to which they all stared in awe… It was priceless.

Above is a pic of Jessi and Sunda carrying water after pumping it out of the borehole.

We tried to get out into one of the more remote areas for an evening service and got stuck for over an hour in thick mud. After getting the truck out of that jam, we decided to turn back. I had some of the guys in a nearby village help me by laying branches over the muddy area so we could ride over it without getting stuck again. The only problem was that I didn’t notice the man who threw part of a tree trunk in the mud instead of a branch…never a good thing. So, naturally, when I sped over the branched area I hit the stump which shot into the side of my tire and whoosh…goodbye, tire.

It was a sidewall puncture so there was no use in patching it. We put the spare on and made it the rest of the way back to our Nyawa base. The next morning we had a great Sunday service where several people committed their lives to Christ for the first time. We said our goodbyes and left in order to get home before nightfall.
The road was basically the same as when we had arrived so we remembered which areas to maneuver around and managed to stay un-stuck for the majority of the trip back.

We were just one kilometer away from getting onto the main road and one large mud puddle away from being finished with “mud bogging” when disaster struck. A large water spot that we had easily plowed through on the way to Nyawa stopped us dead in our tracks and left the bed of the truck filling with water. We had water coming into the driver side door and no amount of rocking helped. We were truly stuck.

Several villagers came within the first 20 minutes, but no amount of pushing helped. We finally had to restort to calling the Overland base and having Arthur (the owner of the truck) and Jeff (another missionary with a Land Rover) come and pull us out of the hole.

We came to find out that the night before, two large coal trucks got stuck in the same spot and made the hole extremely deep, which is why we made it through no problem the day before and got stuck this day.

Arthur and Jeff arrived and after using a Hi-Lift jack to prop up the four corners of the truck, we put lots of rocks and rubber mats under the wheels and then pulled the truck out of the ditch with the help of the Land Rover and a chain. All of this took nearly 5 hours.

Needless to say, we were all ready for a good night sleep when we arrived at the base past midnight.

The next "blog-able" event happened just the next day. I was asked to rush into town in order to pick up a fan belt for one of our trucks because it was broke down in a nearby village and the shops were about to close for the day (you don't want to leave your trucks anywhere overnight because of theft). I threw my helmet on and made way for town. At one of the tougher spots, I geared down to 2nd and let the dirt bike crawl down some large rocks that lead to a small stream. As I was crawling over the rocks, a wingless wasp (we know them in the states as cow ants) crawled onto my hand and stung me...OUCH! I instinctively threw my hand off of the handlebars and at the same time came off of a large rock. The handlebars shot to the right and I went hurtling over the bike. A few rolls and umphs later I came to a stop and did a quick inventory. I had busted my hand open and my arm was scraped up, but there were no major problems. I jerked up the bike (now quite frustrated) and made it the rest of the way into town in time to pick up our spare and get our vehicle out of the village.

The next day I jumped on my dirt bike and left for Nyawa again to continue my Tuesday teachings that have been occuring over the last month (and will be occuring for the next several months). The trip took just about 2 and a half hours (mostly off-road), but I didn't get hung up in the mud like the truck did (oh, the joy of being able to use the footpaths). We had a great time of teaching and then arranged to have an evening meal in one of the nearby villages. The people were so excited to have me because I was the first white person to share a meal with them in their village. They had been preparing some meat for me over the last few days (they leave it out to dry for a few days, boil it and then serve it like jerky). The only problem is that they must not have boiled it long enough because I woke up very early in the bush the next morning feeling very, very sick. It is not fun to be sick out in the bush.

After realizing that this was not going away any time soon, I chose to leave earlier than planned that morning and I started off on the long journey back to the base on the bike. That was a long bike ride! I finally got the mess out of my system a week later.

After that crazy week, we decided to take a relaxing weekend with our friends, the Combrink's. It was a wonderful weekend. We kicked back, enjoyed the company of our friends, and Sunda enjoyed her best friends Michael and Kent. She is starting to get brave in the pool these days...

The following week I made my weekly trip to Nyawa and was excited to see that it hadn't rained the past week so the large, muddy areas were finally drying. We had an excellent time of ministry and teaching, but as the meeting ended the storm clouds rolled in. We quickly visited a few villages, prayed for the sick and I looked at their water situations. Here is a very typical situation for the Nyawa chiefdom.

This is what the people of two villages drink out of (along with their cattle and any other animal that wants to). It is full of disease. They need a borehole.

This particular village was so excited that I was coming, they literally built a shelter for me to sit under as they corporately denounced Satan and agreed to give their lives to Jesus Christ. Can you imagine 20 families dancing as you arrive for the first time at a village and seeing all of them standing together and publicly denouncing the devil and offering their lives to Christ. It was amazing. We shared a meal together (no meat this time!), I preached to them about God's great love and desire for wholehearted followers, and we headed back to Pastor Sweyn's house.

I decided that I was not going to spend the night and instead I left at about 7 pm to try and beat the coming storm. That decision turned into one of the longest nights of my life! The ride in the dark didn't bother me because I had done that before, but it was a bit tougher on the bush roads at night. After about 15 km's into the trip, I noticed that my front wheel was a bit flat so I stopped the bike and used a hand pump with a CO2 cartridge to bring the pressure up. I started off again and made it to Zimba, where the road gradually gets better until you hit Lusaka Rd. (the main paved road). There is another 15 km's of dirt road before you hit the paved road, but it is much smoother and easy to ride on. I was about half way on that dirt road when my bike tire began to feel strange. I pulled over to find that it was completely flat. A quick inspection of the tire showed that a large nail had found my wheel and penetrated through both sides of the tube. I pulled all of my patch kit and tools out from my tool bag that I carry and went to work at pulling the tire off of the room (a job that is not easy or fun at 10pm with little light and no assistance). Using my kick stand, I propped the bike and pulled the tube out. It was a badly damaged, but I managed to patch the holes with three patches. Next, I went to fill the tube with air to see if the patches were working and the valve came completely off of the tube. Now I was in big trouble. When your valve tears off, you need to just pitch the tube because there is no use. My only problem was that I had no other options. So I forced the valve back in the tube, opened up a nut at the bottom of the valve and I forced the rubber between the base of the valve and the nut. I tightened everything, laid hands on the tube and prayed for God to seal everything. Next I put air in the tube and to my astonishment, the tube grew large...it was holding air! I worked the tube back into the tire and fit the tire back onto the rim. I was good to go.

I made it to Livingstone at 1 am and stopped to get a drink and some food at the 24 hour diesel station (this is a new 24 hour service...hallelujah!) I arrived at the base past 2am and collapsed on my bed...I couldn't believe I had made it back.

The next day I woke up late and worked on the bike all day. We were planning on leaving at 3am the next morning to drive to Zambia's capitol, Lusaka, where I was going to purchase a trampoline for Sunda. We made that trip without any issues and Sunda has not stopped bouncing since!

Phew, I'm out of breath just typing this thing. I know it isn't told as wonderfully as my wife can tell a story, but it does give you a good picture into what life is literally like around the clock here in Zambia as sector managers.

I'll work on getting you all a pic of Sunda bouncing on the trampoline.

Love you guys...

jake

Day 10-An Accomplishment!

2009-02-18T11:13:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is honest. And open. Even for me. And I'm feeling a little venerable and exposed. But still really wanting to share. Please don't judge...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I feel like I should have something earth-shattering to tell you on my tenth day of blogging/journaling about the adjustment that I felt in coming back to Zambia this year. But I really don't. I do know that today, my self-proclaimed day of being "fully adjusted", I had a harder day than many of the past ten. It wasn't because of bugs or water shortages, but rather due to simple "job stress" that tends to occur when you take on more than you're sure you can complete effectively. Does it sound silly and far-fetched to you that someone who is living in a foreign country and ministering the Gospel as a career has job stress? I think that, three years ago, it would have sounded far-fetched to me. After all, we begin our days with worship music and start and end every meeting with prayer. We trust God for money and don't have to worry about a raise or much job competition. This should be a cake walk, filled with people speaking encouraging words to each other and making decisions effortlessly. There should be a feeling of satisfaction at the end of the day. "Today, I have HELPED people." Right? Riiigggghhhtttt.

My mom had a phrase she always used when I was young. (Have I shared this before? Sorry for repetition.) Anyway, being an ER nurse, my mom tends to deal with emergencies quite well. And every time I would come home from school, work, voice lessons, play practice...etc. with a DRAMA that I just couldn't see the way out of, my mom would look at me and be all like, "Jessi, you're not saving lives at Brooke High School." Or, "Jessi, you're not saving lives at Krogers." Get it? Meaning...chill out. Forgetting to load a bag of groceries into someone's car did not prevent them from taking in oxygen and surviving. It just wasn't that big a deal.

Sometimes this is hard for me to keep in perspective. Because I feel like it's one thing to give money to an organization doing good things for the under-privelaged people of the world, and to feel a sense of satisfaction. And it's one thing to come here on a short trip and proclaim that "the beauty of the African people changed me way more than I ever could have changed them." And to really feel like you did make an impact. But I feel like there's such a responsibility when you're the one here making the promises to follow through to completion the things that we say we're gonna do, when we're gonna do them. And when we don't, we don't just disappoint ourselves, we let down people who have been let down by people and circumstances for their entire lives. It's just difficult to comfort myself with my mom's standard phrase, "You're not saving lives..." Because, what if I am? Not to mention the saving of souls, what if I could have saved the lives of the 10 kids in Mukuni who died from malaria this rainy season? What if it was as simple as going around with malaria tablets and showing people how to use them? What if...a million times over. Every project is not mine to complete. And nothing is mine to complete anyway. Especially if I'm gonna do them using the "footpumps of Egypt." Meaning that we'll get nothing done laboring in the flesh...

So, believe it or not, it is a stressful job. A rewarding job? Yes. Many times not like work at all? Yes. And no, I do not for one second feel like I'm making some sort of unfair or unneccesary sacrifice. And I never forget the fact that there are people working jobs they DON'T enjoy and sending money to Jake and I to be here. We live in appreciation of that. In the Kingdom, no job is more important than the other. It's not like the missionaries get up to heaven and are told, "Hey, you get first bid for the master suite since you slept with bugs for 20 years." Other people experience way more stress in their jobs and don't get to experience any thanks at all. But there's a lot of responsibility that comes along with privilage. And just when I think I'm adjusted...it hits me.

I woke up yesterday and looked at myself in the mirror. It took me 4 months in the States, as well as lots of lotion and hot showers, to reverse the effects that Africa had on my face last year. It took 10 days to undo it. I look like I'm 24 going on 44 again.

I feel like in some ways I spent 10 days complaining about Africa. You know those old women who complain about their husbands with a gleam in their eye? That's how my heart feels about Zambia. I love these people so much it brings me to tears. I LOVE the culture, the music, the dancing, the food, the language. I am so blessed to be a steward of this cause. How did this ever happen to me...this opportunity? Why is it that I get the privelage of being the one worrying about how to feed the widow instead of how to make my house payment? I will never be able to express how much I feel that we are truly living the dream...

And after living this dream, I'll never be the same again.

Bush Beginnings

2009-02-17T09:50:00.000-08:00

We are finally back out into the beautiful Zambian bush! I took off Monday morning at 9 a.m. on the dirt bike and drove out to Nyawa which is roughly a 3 hour drive covering 150 kilometers (in a vehicle this drive takes nearly 6 hours because of the extremely difficult terrain.)

I wasn't sure what to expect for this first trip after spending a significant amount of time in Nyawa last year, specifically with a pastor named Sweyn. I arrived around lunch time to find Sweyn and his family sitting down for a meal. As is customary to wonderful Zambian hospitality, they cheerfully asked me to join them and we sat down to a nice meal of nshima and rape. After eating we began to discuss how things were going over the past four months that we had been gone and I was left absolutely amazed at what Sweyn has accomplished.

I selected Sweyn to be a CLL "Community Life Leader" last year under the LIFE Project which is one of our initiatives that targets widows, orphans and the neglected. Our goal through the LIFE Project is to see every widow, orphan and elderly individual taken care of through their communities by empowering them with education, training and above all, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sweyn is a crucial component in that he has been chosen to oversee all of the work taking place in a 5 village spread. Not only does his work involve seeing that no one is neglected, but he also carries the important task of seeing that the word of God is proclaimed through these villages and that those who have a desire to be disciples of Jesus Christ get the opportunity to do so.

Sweyn presented me with a comprehensive list of every member (man, woman and child) of the five villages including which ones were widows, single orphans and double orphans (which helps us to determine which initiatives need to take place in each community). He also was pleased to tell me that he has been discipling 10 individuals (2 from each village) and that those individuals were leading 2 Bible Studies a week in their villages. Within an hour of arriving at his home, word had spread and there were 20 adults waiting outside to hear if I was going to share the word of God with them. As we were getting ready to start the service, a man passed through that Sweyn flagged down and after a short conversation we found that the man was headed to a "professional witch doctor" in Zimba. This man had been sick for three years and said that he had been to clinics, hospitals, and witch doctors with no change. We asked him to stay with us and began to share God's word with him about God's authority over sickness and also about God's plans for this man to have a future full of hope. The man,Charles, literally broke down in tears because he was so tired of this physical ailment and he pleaded with us to pray over him. Sweyn and I spent some time praying and afterwards he looked up with a smile and said that all the pain had gone except some pain in his shoulder. We prayed again and Charles testified that all the pain had gone. He immediately grabbed his wife and said that he wanted his family to commit their lives wholly to God. We prayed with them and then headed straight to the church to meet with the eager villagers.

The meeting turned out great as they all showed a lot of excitement that I would be coming every Monday, spending the night and departing on Tuesday afternoons. We decided that each Monday we will hold two meetings where we will be teaching the word of God and then on Tuesdays we will go out in teams to the different villages and visit homes, pray for the sick and preach the word of God.

Now I understand that this may sound like a bunch of numbers and hodge podge, but it is thrilling to see the effects of empowering faithful men and women in our sector to carry the light of the gospel. Our vision is to see this very thing happen over a spread of roughly 800 villages (Masokatwane and Nyawa). I believe with all of my heart that this is the ONLY way to impact a nation. It's more than putting just food in a person's stomach, which we will be doing...it's ushering them into an unbreakable hope. No drought, famine or disaster can take this fact from them...they are loved by God and have been chosen before time began to glorify God and enjoy Him forever! This is our portion in life.

This Scripture hit me the other day and has totally transformed the confidence I have day to day:

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. (2Cor. 2:14)

I love this Scripture because it is a promise. I don't have to doubt whether or not I will spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ...this passage tells me that in Christ I am ALWAYS led in triumphal procession and I am ALWAYS spreading the knowledge of Christ to the earth.

We MUST live with faith. We must live with a confidence that is rooted in the word of God. Let me ask you. Do you expect to always be lead in triumphal procession in your day to day activities? You cannot lose with Jesus. Do you realize that you are spreading the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ in your work place, at the grocery store, around your family, at your school? Let us thank God this day for giving us promises that cannot be thwarted by any thing on, above or below this earth. The only thing that can keep us from these promises is unbelief. Let us stir up our faith today and build the kingdom of God on this earth.

Please be praying for Sweyn and the ministry taking place in Nyawa. I am going to begin a series on "Bush Survival" and take you guys through some of the "survival skills and tools" that I've learned to use over the last couple of years here in Zambia. (i promise lots of pics on the next blog...)

We love you all. Keep praying for us. Please let us know how we can be praying for you.

jake

Today...in pictures! Day 8

2009-02-16T08:47:00.000-08:00

I am LOVING the internet speed!

Jake is in Nyawa for the next couple of days (tear). But, we had a great day today. Worked in the office this morning, went to town with Sunda for base shopping in the afternoon, and helped lead a youth meeting in the evening.

Sunda and one of the three kittens that are currently living in the office. She's afraid to hold him from underneath because he, "cratches me, Mommy."

Sunda and Auntie having a coke in town. This place may look like Mickey D's. But believe me, there's no comparison. Coke, however, is better in Zambia. I'm convinced.

That's me in the Texas hat (what?!) I've lost my 30th pair of sunglasses, and this was the only hat I could find to keep me from going blind in this sun.

This was a youth meeting called "Youth On Fire," led by our friend Jack. The kids were so much fun. They're always so surprised when I greet them and sing songs that they know in Tonga, Bemba, etc. Little do they know...I don't know much else!

I drove today for the first time since being back. Oh, these roads. I have to show you a picture of the road that we drive on everyday. Getting behind the wheel of a vehicle is always a challenge for me. But, I made it today!

See you tomorrow!

Spiritual Ponderings-Day 7

2009-02-15T10:35:00.000-08:00

Since being in Africa, there are a lot of things in Scripture that just make a whole lot more sense:

The Plagues in Exodus 8, 9.

Flies and Gnats feel like a daily plague. It just depends on what time of year it is. In the dry season, the flies are out in full force and with a vengeance. We joke that you can tell an African fly versus a non-African fly because African flies just DON’T GIVE UP. In rainy season, the gnats come in droves. Leave any body of water in the open for any amount of time, and it becomes a breeding ground. This includes cups of water, the leftovers in the kitchen sink, and the puddles you make with your feet when you get out of the shower.

Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. [John 13:12]

I would LOVE IT if someone would come and wash my feet at the end of the day. It’s a process that takes work. What a humble and beautiful Lord we serve.

The cool of the morning. [Gen. 3:8]

Okay, so this is a stretch because this verse speaks of God walking with Adam and Eve in the cool of the DAY. But, there really is a cool of the morning, at around 4 or 5am, right before the sun rises. Sometimes, it’s the only time in a restless night when you can feel the cool breeze coming through the windows. (By the way, what are you doing with your windows open? This is Malaria Country! Yeah well. It’s either get sick with malaria or die of suffocation. I haven’t had malaria yet (thank you Jesus), but I’ve come close to the suffocation part. So, I open the windows. Settle down. We sleep under mosquito nets. 

Esther: The year of beautification before she went before the king. [Esther 2:12]

This always seemed so ridiculous to me. How can you spend a YEAR in the spa? But Esther was a hard-working Jewish woman: Washing the clothes, scrubbing the house, de-feathering the chickens. I’ve seen these unbelievable Zambian women scrub a pot with dirt (it works!) until their hands are bleeding. They could definitely use a year at the spa (and I wish I could give it to them!)

In the Song of Solomon, when the woman says to her beloved, “I’ve already taken off my robe and washed my feet. Do you want me to come back out [and answer the door]? [Song of Sol. 5:3]

I feel your pain! Once you’re in bed, appropriately dressed in the coolest attire you can manage, with clean feet, and the mosquito net hung nicely down, you don’t want to get up for ANYTHING.

The innumerable stars. [Jer. 33:22]

I’m talking STARS. Like you’re never seen them before in your life. Like you’re going to get swallowed up in the Milky Way. Unbelievable.

Speaking of stars, why am I staring at my computer screen when the Milky Way is calling my name? Goodnight, and Happy Sunday!

10 Easy Steps-Day 6

2009-02-14T12:45:00.000-08:00

How to go about killing a spitting cobra: (most information acquired courtesy of the “snake hunter”, Jake Schwertfeger)

#1) Train your 3-year-old to tell you when she sees snakes by saying, “Daddy, there’s a snake there. Go kill it.”

#2) Tell Paul, who is about to walk into the snake’s path, to go the other way.

#3) Run the 3-year-old to safety with mom, who continues making the bed, but stops to say, “If you’re gonna kill a cobra, at least wear something over your eyes.”

#4) put on plastic Nerf goggles from Sunda’s new toy guns to avoid painful and unnecessary trauma when the spitting cobra aims for your eyes.

#5) Find the biggest rock in the near vicinity.

#6) Back the now angry snake into one of the outdoor bathroom stalls and prepare for the kill.

#7) Use your Little League skills to beam the snake (preferably near the head).

#8) Once the snake is appropriately injured gets close enough to hack off its head with a machete.

#9) Come and show your wife and daughter the headless, still moving, snake.

#10) Get pictures (for the blog, of course).

Addendum:

#11) Don’t let the dogs eat the snake. It just doesn’t seem like a good idea.

I have one more thing to add to the “I Can’t Promise” post:
Sunda, I can’t promise that we won’t see a snake or two. But, I CAN promise that I will absolutely BELIEVE you when you say that you see one.

Thanks Sunda-girl, it would have been no fun nursing your dad through a cobra bite. And I’m glad we remembered to give him those Nerf sunglasses of yours. Putting a grown man in a headlock and flushing his eyes out with milk while he shrieks in pain would not have been my idea of a Valentine’s Day date.

Sunny, Breezy, and 80 = Perfect

2009-02-13T09:37:00.000-08:00

It’s perfectly mild and beautiful outside right now. How funny that I am such a fan of the heat during the day, but absolutely hate it at night. It’s just so hard to sleep when it’s STILL 80 degrees outside. I’m not sleeping well yet. It takes me forever to fall asleep and then I wake up restless. I know for sanity’s sake I should just lay down with Sunda when she sleeps in the afternoon. But, even in the middle of Africa I’m too American to nap in the middle of a work day. So, maybe I’ll get so exhausted my body will forget that it has trouble sleeping in the heat and I’ll just collapse at 7 o’clock one night.

Tonight Jake and I are leaving Sunda with Auntie for a couple of hours to go (literally) next door, to the neighboring lodge for dinner (our Valentine’s Day, a day early.) It’s about 5 miles away, and takes about 15 minutes with both of us on the motorbike. I can’t wait. The lodge is right on the gorge like we are and the sunset will be gorgeous. And the batteries on my camera are dead. Figures, right?

Tomorrow is a day off! Jake and I have decided that we are going to take Saturdays as a family day. It’s really easy here to run around without getting much done, but hard to really take a day off. I really feel like not having a day to do something fun as a family makes us all irritable. Sunday never works because if we’re not traveling into the bush, we’re often leading worship or Jake is preaching. And when we have church here on the base there is always massive cooking to be done ( In the kitchen. All day.) We’ll see how Saturdays work out. It’s just so nice to be able to work hard on Friday knowing that tomorrow is a free day!

On one of our Saturdays off, we might end up going to the movies, because…

LIVINGSTONE HAS OPENED A MOVIE THEATRE!

According to rumor, the Livingstone Cinemas have Saturday morning movies for kids (for REALLY cheap). They show fairly old flicks. Tomorrow is Shrek 2 and Happy Feet. Apparently, there is also a Wednesday night showing which you have to “dress up” to go to. A consideration for date night!
It doesn’t really take much to entertain us. In fact, if they have air conditioning and popcorn, I would pretty much sit through anything. I miss going to the movies, but how can anyone afford it in America anymore? Jake and I ran over one evening after we put Sunda in bed (Nene stayed with her), and they had raised the prices drastically since we’d been to the movies last. The Livingstone Cinemas might be my only chance to see it on the big screen.

It’s true that there’s not always a lot to do in the entertainment department here in L/Stone. But, somehow, we end up with plans almost every weekend. Why? People here actually entertain in their homes (like, informally, and without reason.) It’s not something we do all that much of in America anymore. But here, there is always a barbecue or a dinner party going on. I love that hanging out with people is just not always centered around an activity or a function. But rather, just because. You don’t have to do anything together. Isn’t the company enough? It is such a cool way to get to know people.

Happy Friday everyone!

A couple of pictures

2009-02-12T23:37:00.000-08:00

I haven't been able to post pictures at night. So here they are, in the morning!

Sunda eating "offals" and nshima for lunch. Offals are the insides of a cow. She loves them. WHAT?!

Sunda with Churchley, Carl and Megan's dog. Churchley is the world's most gentle, patient dog. Yet he still runs from Sunda after awhile. I used to call her the "Dog Whisperer." I think it's more like the "Dog Torturer."

Selfish Generousity

2009-02-12T09:36:00.000-08:00

Jake left at the crack of dawn to head out to Nyawa for the day. That's a 7-hour roundtrip on the motorbike. He swaggered in at 6:30pm, filled with mud and sand and looking like he was going to fall over. And then he sat down with his spaghetti and tried not to fall asleep into it.

I just have to say, I think my husband is really cool for biking all the way out to a little reached area through the mud and the muck and almost impassable roads. He said he took 3 falls today. That's something he wouldn't generally admit to or be proud of except for the fact that there were mud puddles the size of swimming pools covering entire sections of the road. He rode out, met with and encouraged local pastors and leaders, and came back to me in time for dinner. What a champ. I definitely would have burst into tears and pushed the dirtbike home after the first fall. That's why we take a Land Rover when I go.

Anyway, Sunda and I had a great day here. One of the things that we did today was go through a lot of the stuff that we left here last year. I am almost obsessive about not keeping more things than we need. It was awful going through everything that generous people gave us while we were home. I gave away and threw away SO many things that we just couldn't afford to transport or store. Plus, my life is difficult enough in Africa without having to deal with clutter. So, I compulsively give things away. These shoes a bit too tight? Give them away. This shirt look a little goofy? Give it away. We don't this cereal? Give it away.

I am convinced that if people in America had people to give stuff to, they wouldn't have so much stuff. I mean, really, how absolutely ridiculous is it that we live in a country where people fill their houses with stuff and then rent storage spaces to house the stuff that they can't fit in their two car garages? One of the best things about Zambia is that I can give away anything and it is completely appreciated and put to good use. However, I'm realizing that I often only give away the things that I don't want or don't think that we can use. The things that are no longer pretty enough or good enough for me. It's really no sacrifice to give these things away. In fact, it's convenient. In a land where no one comes with a big truck to pick up the garbage, giving it away saves me having to start a fire.

So, I'm not really giving at all. I'm letting someone else be my garbage service. And they appreciate it. But I often feel like a shmuck. Because I have to actually think, STILL, before I just automatically throw things in the garbage. Sock that's stained brown beyond recognition? Pitch it. Doll that is missing half it's hair? Pitch it. But then I catch people that I love, respect, and work with everyday going through my garbage pile. Dying to get ahold of the stuff that is trash to me. One day I picked broccoli from the garden to make for dinner. Broccoli (just in case you don't know) comes in a head attached to lots of leaves on the outside. Like cabbage. I trimmed off the leaves and washed the broccoli, then cut off the big part of the stalk before I started chopping it for cooking. The housekeeper stopped me and said, "You mean, that is the only part that you eat?" I said, "Of course! You can't eat the other parts, can you?" She then proceeded to chop up all of the leaves AND the stalk that I had put in the compost and make a delicious, spinach-like dish with them.

I digress. You really don't want me to try and post everyday. I'll just ramble.

My point is that as nice as it is to be able to take something that you don't want anymore and see it be put to good use, it's really difficult to stop and think before you throw anything away. And it's even more difficult to figure out how to give it away fairly and without causing a fight. And it's even more difficult when I remember that I live in a third world country and I still think it's okay to have 10 pairs of shoes and 6 pairs of jeans. Let's not talk about the 8 kinds of lotion/perfume. And I give away shirts that I don't really like. I think I could manage to actually GIVE something every once in awhile. Instead of just using people as my trash service.

The Things I Can't Promise-Day 4

2009-02-11T12:24:00.000-08:00

The time that we spent in America was really good for me as a mom. It was so reassuring to be able to do things for Sunda that I secretly feel like I should be doing for her but am not able to do here because of circumstances. These things are not usually important or earth-shattering: Dinner with family on Sundays. Attending Uncle Cody's soccer games and Uncle Henry's football games. Going to the children's museum. Playing in the balls at McDonalds. (Although, shocking...do you know that we just recently went to a Chuck-E-Cheese and there were no ball pits to be had? What has this world come to?)

That stuff isn't really that big a deal. But the big stuff does come up. I think about schooling and what it will take to provide her with a good education. What about activities? There isn't anywhere to take a dance class or get piano lessons. And there aren't any rec soccer leagues where they get to wear those cute little size 3T Umbro shorts.

I think about social issues. Once she gets older, will she have a hard time being in America while we're there? Judging people who don't understand the things that she understands? Will she misunderstand the things that kids her age take for granted and feel left out because she hasn't been given the opportunity to be in the "mainstream?"

I mean, I give myself perfectly good answers to the silly questions and fairly good arguments to my shallow points. But sometimes I think about the things that I'm not able to promise Sunda.

I can't promise that I'll make cupcakes to take to her soccer game.
I can't promise that we'll go to DQ after her first spelling test.
I can't promise that she'll have violin lessons and ballet class.
I can't promise that she'll be able to "fit in." everywhere that she feels like she should.

But, then I start thinking about the things that I can promise.

I can promise that her parents will always do the will of God and will do it with joy.
I can promise that she will always be involved in our ministry and will never be considered a burden, but always a pleasure.
I can promise that we will have friends of all cultures and backgrounds, and that when she doesn't fit in with anyone else, she'll fit in with them.
I can promise that she will understand how most of the world lives, and how blessed and fortunate she is to have enough food in her belly.

I can't promise that we won't have to run from a snake or two. But I can promise that she'll probably make a good baseball player from all the rocks we fling at them!

I can't promise that we'll always have cold Cokes. But I can promise that we'll never be thirsty (for very long at least.)

I can't promise that we'll always be comfortable. But I can promise that we'll always be with each other!

See, that made me feel better just writing it out. Sometimes you just gotta do that to remember how good you really have it. Count your blessings tonight that your belly is full and you are warm and healthy. I mean, I'm counting all three of those things as blessings tonight, except I might ask to just be a little cooler. ;)

Day 3- It's a shame....

2009-02-10T09:11:00.000-08:00

...because I really thought that I would have 10 days worth of adjustment to blog about. But for the life of me, I can't think of anything that's been weird or different about today. Can't think of anything that's been exceptionally hard. In fact, I am actually loving the base in it's near-empty state. Enjoying the lack of chaos and even the lack of socialization. Besides us, Jack and Paul are the only ones on the base right now...and it's been really nice. Paul is in the kitchen right now cooking us up some barbecued chicken for dinner. Can it get more normal than that?

Today we started off with morning worship, which was wonderful because I really missed getting to start every day off making a joyful noise to the Lord! (Name that Scripture, Bethie...Psalm 34:7? ;) ) I think the others did too, since they haven't had a guitar player since before Thanksgiving. Then, it was onto meetings with Arthur (our base director, immediate boss, and all around good guy.) It was great to catch up on the happenings of the base and the different projects while we were gone.

After meeting with Arthur, Paul got me up to speed with the finances so that I could take them over, and my afternoons of fighting with Microsoft Excel began again...

In the afternoon, while Sunda slept, I got a lot of unpacking and organizing done. We're now officially unpacked as much as we can be considering that we're moving into our chalet as soon as possible. But it still feels nice to have an organized room for now.

Sunda and I played "princess" when she woke up and showed Auntie Fridah pictures of the family and the snow. And tomorrow someone is coming to plait Sunda's hair...and Momma's on vacation!)

So, like I said....normal and uneventful. I'm going to try REALLY hard tomorrow to be freaked out about something so that I can share it with you. The most exciting thing that happened today was watching Paul's pet scorpion (I don't even want to talk about it) eat the spider that I mentioned last night. That was awful.

Off to enjoy a relaxing evening!

Morning Peace-Day 2

2009-02-09T10:25:00.000-08:00

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way…” 2 Thess. 3:16

There is absolutely nothing like the peace of a morning here on the Rapid 14 Base. How did I go for so long without soaking in the sun first thing in the morning?

The entire time that we spent at home in the States, I struggled in the morning. I had to drag myself out of my warm bed and into the cold and often dark. It was a battle to get up with Sunda (even when she slept until 7:30 or 8 o’clock.) This morning, however, despite not falling asleep until 1am or later, it was easy to get up by 7am. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not always easy to get out of bed in the morning in Zambia. But it’s definitely a whole lot easier than getting out of bed when it’s blowing snow and -5 degrees outside. When the sun is already hot, and people are walking past your bedroom window on the way to staff devotions, it’s easier to convince yourself that the day has started.

Back to the peaceful part: It’s still cool in the shade at 7:30 in the morning. Sunda is playing already, and I can hear the water from the rapids rushing below me as I sit with my Bible and coffee. There is a lot to be done today. But, no one minds if it’s not all finished today. In Zambia, as opposed to in America, I feel like I can work diligently for the day and then “knock-off”, satisfied that tomorrow is a new day with new opportunities to get stuff done. In America, I always feel rushed to complete the next thing…there never seems like there is enough time!
Amidst the difficulty of transition, I am remembering why I love it here so much. Also, I am reminded of why the transition is so difficult. While I enjoy not being rushed, being here means that I actually have to give up control of my plans. My schedule. My comfort. My home’s cleanliness. But that’s exactly what makes this morning so peaceful. Knowing that while I can try and plan today down to the minute, it probably won’t work. And that’s okay.

On a sidenote: When people first come to Zambia, the smell really bothers them. After a while, you don’t notice it anymore. But, when I first got here in 2006, I definitely noticed. It was hard for me to be amongst lots of people, especially in church. Strong body odor mixed with harsh lye soap mixed with cooking fire and the sweet smell of wet thatch. Now, that combination of smells just smells like…home. When I opened my suitcases today and got out some of the candles and potpourri I’d packed, they almost smelled too strong. Too sterile. Very weird. So, even though the bugs still bother me…the smell doesn’t.

(On that thought, our friend Jack just killed a spider the size of my palm. Okay, so, the bugs still REALLY bother me. But, don’t worry, the Lord is “giving me peace at all times.” Also, don’t let that spider be the reason you don’t come to visit me.)

10 Day Journal

2009-02-08T07:08:00.000-08:00

Today is definitely a new day in terms of my perspective and attitude. 10 hours of sleep last night and a nap this afternoon probably helped quite a bit. After re-reading what I wrote last night, I decided that I am going to try and journal for the next 10 day about how we are re-adjusting to Zambia. (We'll see if we can even get the husband in on the blogging action.) It'll be as much for my own records as anything else, and should be interesting to see what the next 10 days holds.

So, like I said, it's a new day. There are still bugs in my bed. (This is due to the fact that in the rainy season, the damp thatch roofing attracts little tiny bugs that love any moisture, including sweat.) But, church was great. Jake and I sang our favorite praise song, "Ta Kwabaoowabanga Jesu" at almost every church we visited back hin the States. But today, we finally heard it the way it's supposed to sound. It felt like home to be in a tiny, dark church singing loud enough for the cows to hear.

How's Sunda adjusting? Does Sunda actually have to adjust to anything? She dove right in yesterday, rolling in the grass, taking off her long sleeve shirt, and cruising around on her little tricycle. "Look at da gorge, Mommy!" "There's da doggie, Mommy!" "Where's Auntie, Mommy?" I think we can safely say that Sunda is a true missionary kid, she goes everywhere happily with little adjustment period. Now if she can just get her Momma to catch up!

The internet is fast enough for me to post a picture (how cool is that!) So, here you have Jake and Sunda on their moto-cross mud adventure today. This was the first thing she wanted to do when we got back, can you blame her?

See you tomorrow!

Warning: It's dangerous to articulate feelings when you haven't slept in 48 hours

2009-02-07T10:15:00.001-08:00

Okay, so...we're here! We arrived this afternoon with all persons and luggage (and minds) intact. Praise God! Our little chalet isn't quite finished yet, so we're stay in the guest room of the "big" chalet until it is. (Also a huge blessing).

So, like I said...we're here. But, if I tried to articulate my feelings right now, they wouldn't necessarily be positive. I hate to admit that I actually tend to have quite a difficult time transitioning from America back to Africa (not so much the other way...imagine...) It's so funny, because once I get my groove goin' I love it and am absolutely comfortable and at home. But after 4 months in the States, the heat and the bugs are making me crazy already! However, I haven't slept more than 7 or 8 hours in the last three days. SO, I suppose tonight isn't exactly the time to analyze my calling in Africa.

This post has no lesson or value or even information. It's only a slow sigh and whine from this American girl who just got thrown back into a country/continent that she loves, but always has a little bit of trouble adjusting to. Just want you to know. In case any of you have any sort of delusion that I'm really tough and faithful or that this is always a piece of cake for me (I won't speak for Jake, it pretty much is a piece of cake for him, but he doesn't really count, there's not much that ever bothers him). Besides the hardships that make for good stories, sometimes Africa is just plain hard because it makes you doubt the reason you even tell those stories...

However, tonight promises sleep (hopefully!) And tomorrow will consist of church in the bush (one of my favorite things to come back to). So, chat with me later. I might have a totally different attitude. Like I said, I don't know if it's safe to judge feelings when you're this sleep deprived.

Peace.

48 Hours to Go....

2009-02-03T09:03:00.001-08:00

...and I've already lost my mind (that, or it's going, really fast!)

Down to the Wire

2009-02-02T06:36:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, the next few days will be some of my least favorite this year. We're leavin' on a jet plane from D.C. on Thursday evening. Which means that we are renting a car from Pittsburgh on Wednesday night, and leaving Thursday morning to make the 4-hour drive to D.C. We fly for South Africa on Thursday at 5:40pm. We'll be on the plane for 18 hours, and then spend the night in South Africa. On Saturday, we'll arrive in Zambia at about 1:30 in the afternoon. Just in time for church on Sunday.

However, the reason these days are not my favorite is not only because of leaving friends and family. That part is really hard too. But the part that is REALLY stressful is trying to get everything together, packed into the appropriate number of 50-pound bags, and out the door so as not to miss our flight to Zambia. It's really hard to get motivated to do this. At least for me. "Will I want this?" "Will I need that?" "Do I need anything else from Walmart?" And then, the whole time I'm in Zambia, I think things like, "Would it have been so hard for me to bring some more Ziploc bags?"

On that note, I MUST get started. This is ridiculous. I'm stressing myself out just thinking about it.

You know your husband loves you...

2009-01-26T17:53:00.001-08:00

...when he uses HIS Christmas I-tunes gift card to buy a whole season of YOUR fave TV show so that you can watch it in the African bush...

LOVE him.

(Sunda took this picture)

On our way back home

2009-01-26T07:09:00.001-08:00

Sunda, why are you crying?

You say that you miss Michael? And Bundy? And David and Kent and Kyle? And the kitty cats? And the COWS?

Me too Sunda. I understand.

Well, listen. We're going back to Zambia in just over a week! And then you'll get to see your friends again. Does that make you happy?

'Nuff said, Sunda. I agree completely.

A day in the life...

2009-01-22T18:25:00.000-08:00

...of Zambian missionaries (home on furlough)

People ask Jake and I all the time: "What does a day look like for you guys?"

I sort of answered that question by posting about a day a few months back. I'll try to answer it even better as we get back and get settled into our new roles and our NEW HOUSE! Woo hoo!

But, for now, I realized that today represented very accurately what we do while we're home on furlough.

7:45- Get up and get Sunda breakfast. Do the dishes that are in the sink.

8am-While Sunda is eating breakfast, Jake and I fill out a financial questionnaire sent from our ministry. Our goal is to try and determine how much support we need to raise and ultimately trust God for.

9am-(It was a LOONNGGG questionnaire) Respond to emails from co-workers and supporters.

9:15-Speak with our insurance company about our Stateside coverage and Sunda's package.

9:30-Start breakfast for Jake and I. Jake starts laundry. Sunda plays with Uncle Cody (who is fortunately off from school today!)
Sweep and mop kitchen floor

10am- Jake and I eat breakfast and respond to more emails regarding our Zambian work permit and where we should stay in Jo-burg.

10:30-Upload 100 pictures to Walgreens for Auntie Jenn's scrapbook!

10:45-Find our immunization cards and figure out what immunizations Sunda, Jake, and I need. Get directions to the Allegheny Health Dept. and call for information. Jake folds laundry (Sweet, sweet man).

11:15-Shower. Get Sunda dressed and ready. Finish up some housework.

12pm-On the road again!

12:15-Downtown Wellsburg, State Police Office. I need to get my fingerprints taken AGAIN to try and get my teaching certification. (My fingerprints were illegible the first time and lost in the mail the second...grrrr.)

12:45-Mail out fingerprints.

1pm-Start for the Allegheny Health Department for all of our immunizations.

2pm-Arrive and park. Wait in line for endless forms. Sunda charmed the whole waiting room.

3pm-Find out that Sunda has to get FIVE shots. Poor girl.

3:30-Sunda gets her shots after eating lunch from Arby's in the waiting room. She's a champ and doesn't even get upset until the 2nd or 3rd shot.

5:00-After fighting Pittsburgh traffic, we stop to get some (much deserved) ice cream for everyone!

6:30-Arrive back to Wellsburg. Sunda makes it very clear that she is not interested in being awake. We put her to bed. I guess tomorrow will be an early day!

The rest of the evening was spent making some phone calls and writing up a description of the process of our adoption. It's been really nice to have such a nice, quiet evening!

We're not this busy everyday. But we also don't get home [from church, bible studies, or meetings] so early all the time! The truth is: Everyday is different and usually happens on the fly. Sometimes we feel like we've been really productive and other days we feel like all we've done is talk to answering machines and chase endless paper trails. As crazy as Africa is, it feels good to get back there and have a little more stability and structure in an otherwise fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants life

A day late...

2009-01-16T06:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the "baby blog shower" of my friend: Ashley. The idea was to surprise her by having a blog posted about her (in honor of her soon-to-be baby boy) when she logged on to check everyone's blogs. Isn't that creative and fun!? I love the idea. Unfortunately, I'm sending out a "Happy Belated Shower" card because we were in the car ALL DAY yesterday, traveling from Florida to West Virginia. But, I just COULDN'T let the opportunity pass without giving a shout out to Ashley.

I met Ashley during my freshman year of college. Freshman year of college was a difficult, transitional time for me. Jake was at a different school, and I felt lost at WVU. My music program was really HARD and everyone that lived in my dorm was constantly out partying. Praise God, Campus Crusade for Christ was there to fill that gap that my home church and friends had left. And one of the best parts about Campus Crusade was....Ashley!

She is a couple of years older than me, and she spent hours being friendly to the new freshman class, driving us around in her clunker, and being available for rides, coffee, whatever! Because of the love and kindness of her and other leaders in the organization, college started to seem less and less like a dark pit of despair, and more like a great opportunity!

My sophomore year, I had the distinct blessing of being in Ashley's bible study and being discipled by her. Our Bible Study consisted of quite a few girls I have since lost contact with, my best friend Jenn, and Ashley...and we held it at Jenn and I's house in downtown Mo-town. I grew so much during that year! Ashley's trademark was that she was always open enough so that you felt comfortable talking to her, but never judgmental or serious. She was a REAL influence in my life (and I know she was in Jenn's life too) during that time.

Ashley was always talking about being content in singleness. She was the poster girl for learning how to let God be MORE THAN ENOUGH for her. I don't know how two people could've been more thrilled about her relationship with Patrick than Jenn and I were. Watching someone walk out faithfulness and contentment, and then getting to see their hopes and dreams fulfilled...wow...it was a witness and a shining example to all of her disciplees.

When Ashley married Patrick and moved to Texas, it was definitely bittersweet for us. I, however, am a firm believer in letting people go when necessary, and never making them feel guilty about it. So, I cried at Ashley's wedding and then was SO HAPPY for her.

I check her blog from Africa and made Jake take me to town 3 times the week that I thought for sure she was going to post about being pregnant. She surprised ME at Sunda's "shower" earlier this year, when we first got home.

So, I am thrilled about Ashley and Patrick's baby and only wish I could be around to meet him.

Love you Ash...anytime you wanna move to Africa...I would love to be in your Bible Study again!

Good thing I'm not in charge of the universe....

2009-01-13T19:38:00.000-08:00

because I can't even handle a 3-year-old.

All I have to say is this: I used to be one of those people who had lots of opinions about parenting and would be fairly quick to criticize (silently, in my head) when I saw parents who didn't do things "right."

Then I started to pour my heart into this child who has become my light and my joy. And I've been able to care for her, and feed her, and fight the government for her, and read to her, and discipline her. And go to bed at the end of the day satisfied that she was safe and happy.

And then she began to approach her 3rd birthday. And she is still just as much of a delight. And she is even more fun to be around. And she has more personality than I ever imagined could be present in such a small person. But, she also tests...and tests...and TESTS. And tests again just to make sure that you haven't changed your mind. And while she won't sit on my lap and watch a movie for more than 30 seconds, she will beg to be carried while I am doing anything that requires two hands. And she will run away from me with tears in her eyes yelling, "No Mommy...NOOOOOOO!!!" when I tell her that she indeed cannot have ANOTHER cookie. And she will wait until we have pulled on the highway before she states, "Sunda has to go potty...again."

And now, I go to bed wondering, "Did I say anything but "No" today?" "Am I making some colossal mistakes that will reflect upon her later?" "Is she going to feel like she grew up with the strictest parents in the world?" "Are we being strict enough?

I wonder if it's like, the older they get, the more you question, "Am I doing the right thing?" My mom used to say that anyone can care for and feed a baby, it's when they start walking and talking that it gets challenging. I think that both are challenging. But I have definitely been turning heavenward lately and saying, "Lord? What am I supposed to do? What is the right thing? HELP."

And the Lord has been reminding me of the way that He disciplines us. He doesn't roughly pull the bottom out from under us at the first sign of our rebellion or questioning. He reminds us gently of who He is. He woos us back into obeying Him because it's not only the RIGHT thing but the TRUE thing. However, He's never manipulated. He never goes back on His promises because we state our opinions and wishes loudly. He just remains the same. And welcomes us back when we stray. And He isn't afraid to show us who the Sovereign One is.

So, maybe tomorrow I'll skim over the little rebellions that tend to make up quite a bit of my lovely daughter's day lately. Instead of reprimanding her or disciplining her every time she strays from the path that I "think" is so clearly laid for her, I'll just stand firm. Refusing to be manipulated, but willing to extend grace. Willing to extend as much grace as neccesary as long as she still understands who the boss is.

Instead of saying "No!" over and over, maybe I'll just try, "I love you." I don't think it will make our day perfect. It probably won't make others stop and wonder at my brilliant parenting skills. I don't even know if the top Christian parenting books would agree. But I'll let God work that one out. My wisdom and knowledge and strength haven't really ever worked. I'm glad His does.

Girl's "ethnic" Hairstyles

2009-01-08T18:48:00.000-08:00

Warning: This is a hair post.

There really just isn't a whole lot of easy-to-follow explanation online about doing ethnic hair. And there isn't a lot of photography documenting different styles either. Broadcasting Sunda's hairstyles is definitely not the purpose of this blog. But I thought that maybe if I posted some pictures and explanation, it might help someone else who is searching for something before they lose their mind.

So.

Here's some simple steps, taken from what I've learned so far. (Which, admittedly, isn't a whole lot. But it's something.)

1.) Buy a moisturizing shampoo/conditioner specifically meant for "ethnic" hair (which is the "correct" term, by the way.)
2.) Use the shampoo/conditioner as often as you absolutely need to. Keep in mind that need means that the hair is DIRTY. If the hair is not visibly dirty, wash it about once a week.
3.) When washing, rub the shampoo into the scalp and then work through the hair, gently pulling the hair outward to loosen and stretch it. (Makes it easier to comb.)
4.) During the times when you're not washing the hair, wet it thoroughly before attempting to comb.
5.) To comb, seperate the wet hair into 4-8 sections. The more sections, the easier it is to comb.
6.) When you're ready to work with an individual section, make sure it is wet enough (you can use a detangler meant for "ethnic" hair, or just a spray bottle filled with water and a couple drops of conditioner.)
7.) Work some "grease" through the individual section. I use "Indian Hemp Oil." I don't know how popular this product is. But it works for us.
8.) Start combing. I actually start at the root and comb outward until you hit tangles. Then hold onto the hair from the scalp and get out the tangles from the end.
9.) Repeat until there are no more tangles. (Good Luck!)

Easiest Hair Style:
-While hair is wet part it into EIGHT sections (a part down the middle and three down the head.)
-Use small rubber bands (in the hair section at the dollar store) to section off the hair.
-One at a time, work through the sections until they are combed.
-When you finish combing each individual section, tie it back in with the rubber band.

This will at least keep it sectioned off enough to keep it from matting up when they sleep.

This is the most important thing I've learned about Sunda's hair:

NEVER LET HER GO TO SLEEP WITH "FREE" HAIR.

It is a mess. And it just makes it harder to comb. Which involves tears. And fights. You don't want that.

After you figure out how to get it cleaned, combed, and healthy, you can do just about anything. And it all becomes pretty self explanatory from there.

Here's what I did to Sunda's hair tonight:

I separated it into three big sections and combed each section. Then, I braided each section about 1/3 of the way in and attached the braid with a rubber band. I gathered the rest of the hair in that section and tied it with a decorative hair tie. TA DA!!!

As you can probably imagine, the hairstyle is not the difficult part. It's the getting them to sit still part that is unbelievable. I'd love for someone to help ME out with that one.

Multicolored Princess

2009-01-06T22:40:00.000-08:00

Jake, Sunda, and I drove to Cocoa Beach from Oviedo tonight to have dinner with Phil and Sharon (our Overland Mission directors) and some other Overland friends. It was a lovely evening spent eating homemade guacamole and grilled onyx (I don't know...but I think it's from Africa-it was really good.) Sunda was SO excited to see Keiro that when told she would see him when she woke up from her nap she promptly laid her head down, closed her eyes, and fell asleep. If only that would work everyday...

As I was helping to clean up after dinner, I noticed it had been quiet for quite some time. No loud childlike noises coming from the kids' room. I walked into the bathroom to find this:

A close up:

Yesterday, when we were at Downtown Disney we saw dozens of girls walking around in princess dresses, complete with upswept hair and glittery makeup. There is a special salon that "makes over" the girls so that they can look like their favorite Disney princess. A cute idea. I don't mind quoting my mom who mentioned that some of the parents might have "more money than brains." But, the girls definitely looked adorable. On the other hand, who needs a $250 Disney Princess makeover when you can get something SO similiar in the bathroom with your six-year-old friend as the makeup/wardrobe artist? See, my daughter is simply exercising a lesson in frugality and Do-It-Yourself-ness! (A good lesson for a missionary kid anyway).

Right in line with princess behavior, Sunda has taken to screaming whenever anything resembling an insect lands in her general vicinity. Oh girlfriend. We've both got a rude awakening waiting for us as we enter back into the rainy season!

Speaking of Zambia...Behold! Our little cottage in the woods!

Yeahhhhhh!!! So exciting!!! There's even a little addition on the back that houses the bathroom and shower. Which means that the room that would've been the bathroom can now be used for a big closet or a small space for Sunda's "room" (option B being the more likely one.) This is absolutely amazing and makes the thought of life in Africa appealing even from my comfy couch in sunny Florida. Can't wait to get back there!

Five Weeks of Playing Catch-up

2009-01-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

It's so intimidating to try and explain what's been going on when you haven't done it in awhile and you are very behind. As in ----->ME<------ Let me try and give you a LONG (and still inadequate) synopsis.

Oh, holiday season. How I used to love thee when I was a nieve and silly teenager, content to flit through the house on two weeks off from school, helping with the Christmas cookies and doing my gift shopping at Walmart. I can just hear myself sighing and rolling my eyes every time my mom stomped through the house in an uproar because she misplaced the tinsel. Times have changed. Now I am a mom. And a wife. With responsibilities (many imagined). Now I force myself to do silly things like make more Christmas cookies than anyone could possibly eat and stay up until 3 am wrapping presents. I think African Christmases, while not as glittery and festive, are slightly better for my (and consequently my husband and child's) mental health.

I digress. And get waaayyyy ahead of myself.

This is what I did for Thanksgiving:

+

What's that? Looks like I started a fire? Involving Thanksgiving dinner?

DING DING DING!

I may or may not have accidently set my dear MIL's oven on fire and almost burned the house down. It was not the smartest thing I've ever done. It will also remained burned in the memory of my inlaws as the "day the daughter-in-law almost burnt down the house but was saved by the fact that the dear father-in-law went out and bought a new stove and installed it so that the apologetic and sheepish daughter-in-law could get Thanksgiving dinner on the table by 5 o'clock." Bless them. Really. Even my mom said, "If that would've happened in our house everyone would've been screaming at each other and it would've taken two weeks to install a new stove." Gotta love them Schwertfegers. So glad I married one :)

Shortly after that fiasco I started preparing myself for Christmas. People talk about those who don't have good priorities and who get mixed up in the baking, the gift-buying and wrapping, and the visiting and forget to remember the Reason for the Season. Those people are talking about people like me. That's why God sent me to Africa. So that I wouldn't have a choice but to SETTLE DOWN over Christmas.

Really? It was a joy to be home. It was SO good to be with our family/friends and let Sunda experience Christmas. But it's all so much. By the end of the day, Sunda had a crazed look in her eyes and just kept saying, "Open 'nother present, Mommy?" It was just such a good lesson to me about how much work it takes to produce the Christmas that I'm "used to." I think my standards will definitely lower in the future. Mainly because it's JUST NOT ABOUT all that stuff.

So grateful for these people:

And these:

The day after Christmas we loaded up the car and started out for Florida! We left West Virginia at 2:30 in the afternoon and arrived at my mom's doorstep at 8am the next morning. We kept thinking that we would stop...but we were too excited. We thought for sure that Sunda would sleep the WHOLE way there. You know what happens when you "think for sure" that a kid is going to do something.

This picture was taken in Georgia. At four o'clock in the morning. Don't know if you can tell by her scrunched up face, but she is definitely and completely...awake. And I am holding an energy drink in my hand. The first one I've ever drank. It made me feel like I was having a heart attack. From now on I'll just rely on the 16th verse of "Herman the Worm" to keep me awake on roadtrips.

After arriving in Florida, we visited with my family and then set off the next day for our ministry's "One Tribe" Conference. It was held in Cocoa Beach and was so well done. A truly a life changing event. It made Jake and I both itch to get back to Zambia. The conference was 4 full days of kick-you-in-the-bum preaching and awesome worship. It was wonderful. We're so grateful for the family that we have with everyone who works with Overland Missions. Sunda stayed for the first two days, but then Gramma Marsha and the fam came and rescued her. She got to spend the next two days at the beach, and then at home...getting spoiled by Gramma.

Sunda's favorite "Overlander." Our director's son, Keiro.

After a delightful New Years Eve spent on the beach, Jake and I rushed back to my mom's house so that we could wake up with Sunda the next day. Since then, we've been enjoying our time with the Florida family. It's been so wonderful to be with my mom, Riki, Henry, and Jayne. I'll post a picture of all of us as soon as I get one.

Notice the mom cut? I finally succumbed. The ponytail was driving me crazy.

As for Sunda, she's been blessing us everyday with her delightful, loving self. However, this soon-to-be-three-year-old has also been displaying her strong and opinionated personality quite often these days.

A rare occurence in Sunda-world lately. There's just too many questions to ask to waste time napping during the day or sleeping through the night!

Every picture I have of her is in motion. Bless her heart. Love that girl.

After all of that, let me say this: We're officially returning to Zambia on February 5th. We'll be in Florida for another week and then we're off to speak at a youth retreat in PA. After that it'll just be packing, and preparing until we leave for another year of living the dream. Can't wait to get back to Zambia. I hope it misses us as much we miss it.

Thanks for sticking with this MONSTER post. I promise I'll try to keep up more often!

Christmas Pictures...Grrrr...

2008-11-15T11:01:00.000-08:00

So, I am trying really hard to make sure that this is a wonderful holiday season for Sunda and the rest of us. I am not a naturally good "holiday planner." However, I also tend to make huge last-minute demands of myself to make sure that it comes off nicely. In the process of me running around on Christmas Eve Day baking 12 dozen cookies and making centerpieces, my husband tends to suffer. I have vowed that Sunda won't have to go through the pain of a stressful holiday because of my disorganization. So, I've started early. Making my lists and checking them twice. Like I said...trying really hard.

One of the most important parts of this whole process is, of course, the age old struggle of getting a good picture to send out on a Christmas card (preferably before Christmas). I remember when I was young that the first Christmas card my mom opened (usually in the few days after Thanksgiving) was the one that reminded her that we needed to get on the ball and get some pictures taken so that we could send out our own card. There would then be the scramble to find coordinating clothes and get all four of us kids smiling long enough to snap a shot deemed worthy of hanging on the refridgerators of our families and friends. By the time I was in highschool, my mom had tired of the process so much that we stopped going to the professionals and started using whatever decent photo of the four of us that had been taken in the course of that year. Little did I realize what I was in for. And I've only got one!

So, this morning was spent trying to figure out a picture for a Christmas card. I had this cute idea that involved bundling up and going outside, taking a picture that implied that we were "waiting for snow." But, the rainy, dreary day didn't really cooperate with me. So, changing lanes completely, this is what we came up with:

Cute, right?

Riiiiggggght.

The problem is this: I hate posed photographs. Something about them just doesn't capture the essence of me or my family. Something about it says, "Haha...we have it together and got our our picture earlier than you. Aren't we cute?" I know, I know. I'm being ridiculous. I just wish that I could make a Christmas card of some of these pictures instead:

A little more true to life, I think.

All I know for sure right now is that none of these pictures are what you will see on your Christmas card from us. I just need a compromise...

Jessi and Sunda's Florida Trip

2008-11-09T17:16:00.000-08:00

"Ummm... could someone get me some milk? And put one of those little umbrellas in it!"

Sunda and I spent Halloween at my mom's house in Florida. What an absolutely WONDERFUL time. I can't tell you what a blessing it was to be with "the fam." My stepdad Riki, my sister Jayne, my brother Henry, and of course, my mom. You don't realize how much you're missing until you get with the people who know you better than anyone. Since Jake, Sunda, and I have returned home from Zambia, there has been tons of the love and attention focused on my lovely daughter (which has been a good thing!)But I have to admit, that as a new and semi-immature mom, it was so good to get pampered by MY mom. This probably feels good at any age!

Sunda had an absolute blast with "Gamma Masha" (Gramma Marsha). They were fast friends by the end of week, with my mom even taking over the bedtime routine one night so that I could kick Henry and Jayne's butts in Monopoly (Yeah right).

Some of our experiences in Florida included going to Downtown Disney and Sea World. Sunda was absolutely overwhelmed with everything at Downtown Disney (this is not the park, but the free attraction that is outside the park) and by the time we got to the Rainforest Cafe for lunch had had enough of Disney's animation antics. When she caught sight of a motorized talking tree in the Rainforest Cafe I thought she was going to lose it. She kept looking over her shoulder to make sure it wasn't following her. She looked at me as if she was thinking, "Mom, this isn't right, and you know it." Poor thing. Even though she is VERY adapted and not afraid of too many things, I sometimes forget that she hasn't really been exposed to the magic of Disney or animated talking trees yet, so we'll take it slow.

Sea World was definitely the highlight of our trip, and Shamu took the cake in Sunda's book. The child that won't sit still for ANYTHING sat mesmerized on my mom's lap, with her mouth open, for the entire 40 minute show. Now, if I could only get Shamu to visit when I want to get dinner started...

There were so many other great things that Sunda got to do: Play in the freezing cold pool, go to the local "My Gym" for kids, go trick-or-treating, experience one of my mom's famous Halloween theme parties, and of course, bond with her family. I wouldn't have missed it for the world, and neither of us can wait to go back in December.

Amazingly enough, Sunda and I survived our solo plane trips just fine, with no potty accidents and little to no crying. You really feel like you've accomplished something when you travel alone with a child. It's a little bit of a mission to wield a stroller and a backpack and the passports and take off our shoes for security. But we made it! And I'm confident enough now to take her anywhere...we travel well together!

Sunda's Halloween costume. She's gorgeous and she knows it!

2008-11-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

Because we're missing the Overland Crew...Love you guys!

What a Beautiful Day...

2008-11-09T13:53:00.001-08:00

It's gray and windy outside. It feels almost bitterly cold to me, meaning that it's probably not more than 40 degrees. It's only 5 o'clock, but the whole day has been so dim that it's practically dark already.

It makes me want to stay inside, with slippers on. Drink tea and eat potato soup. I want to be able to tell Sunda, "No, it's too cold to go outside...let's stay inside and read books."

I will be sick of this in approximately 2 weeks. I will be in tears about it by Christmas and will not want to get out of bed. I will be absolutely thrilled with the perfectly sunshiney, boiling hot weather by the time I get back to Zambia. But right now...it's an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day.

My, how the time has flown...

2008-10-24T06:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was cleaning out and organizing some of the things that I left here at the Schwertfeger's last year when we went back to Zambia. I found a journal from our first year in Africa. At the beginning of the journal was an entry and a "poem" that I faintly remember writing. I had almost forgotten the transition that came from adjusting to life in a third world country. It seems humorous to me now. There are so many things that I thought were strange. At this point, they seem absolutely normal. The reality of Africa is a good reminder to me today, as I sit in my American living room with everything I could ever need at my fingertips.

Dated September 14, 2006:

"How different I am in such a short time. Nothing like being in charge of an orphanage to help you grow up pretty quickly. My concerns have changed, and I am constantly fighting any urge to have concern for self. Instead, I'm attempting to put those concerns toward Jacob and the kids [in the orphanage]. My dreams these days are haunting; refrigerators with too little food. Fields with too little green. Not enough clothes for the orphans. Not enough milk for the babies. Not enough. Never enough. But I know that there WILL be enough. That the Lord gives us free access to his "storeroom" when we use it for His glory.

(A prayer that I wrote under the journal entry:)

I pray against the spirit of scarcity that has come over me. I say, Jesus, that because you have died...there is always enough. Oh Lord, I give up my rights, my possessions, my heart. Strip me clean, O God. All of You is more than enough for all of Africa. All of this is Yours to do with as You please. I give up my heart, my mind, my personality, my opinions...I have no rights except to trust in You. No choice really. Hide me in the cleft of Your rock. In you. Make me strong and courageous.

(I continued on to write down some of the things I'd been through in a short 3 week period. Please excuse the terrible form and nieve ramblings. It was so real to me two years ago.)

I am a spider killer and an ant destroyer. Stink bugs tremble at the thoughts of my mighty flick.
I am a bush fire fighter and a motorcycle mama.
I fear no buzzing bees or screeching owls.
I have named the rats that scamper across my ceiling.
I make tea on the fire when the power goes out and I bathe in the bucket when the water pressure is low.
I can carry babies on my back and push start the truck.
I am getting stronger everyday.

I can climb into a Land Rover while wearing a floor grazing skirt.
I can shop for 55 children and sell oranges by the bushel at the same time.
I am a shrewd business woman in the market.
I buy tomatoes, onions, and nuts from the same smiling, toothless women every week.
I have learned to use the bathroom in the same room as my new husband even though only a bamboo wall seperates the bathroom from the bedroom.

I have seen women in silent labor and HIV patients with 105 degree fevers.

I have had malnourished children melt into my arms. I have had others scream with fear because of my white face.

I have seen more pussing, oozing rashes than I ever wanted to know about.

I have been the sword bearer (or rock finder) for my husband as he pelted the 5 foot cobra that slithered in front of our feet.

I like nshima, cabbage, and chicken more than hamburgers and apple pie (mainly because I don't really like hamburgers and apple pie).

I have dressed the body of a child who died during the night.
I have delivered that baby to his family and listened to them weep.
I have wept to myself, thinking, "What else can I do?"
And I have decided. I can love the ones who are still hanging on. Strapping them to my back while I work and laying them on my chest while I rest.
I can teach the good women who love them about dehydration, sanitation, and loving attention.
And they will teach me:
How to build a fire and cook on it.
How to polish a dirt floor smooth.
How to work harder and carry more than the men.
How to balance a 5 gallon bucket of water on my head.
How to make empty candy wrappers into a wreath to hang on the door.
How to sing for joy because of having just enough. Food. Water. Shelter. Happiness.

(End journal entry)

Obviously, Jake and I are no longer working at the orphanage. The wonderful Jaime took for a year and now the Zambian supervisors are caring for the kids.

Everyone always wants to know what we do in Africa. It's so easy to give pat answers: "Oh you know, we do administrative work. We minister in the bush. We teach people stuff." After re-reading this journal entry, I'm convinced that I've learned way more from Zambia in the last two years than it will ever learn from me.

Shocker!

2008-10-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

I know...you're going to fall over from the shock and awe this post will produce.

PICTURES!!!

A picture of Sunda on her first day in America...with her new baby doll!

Mama's hair handiwork

Sunda and her "Uncle C."

Painting pumpkins.

Honestly? I now feel like a REAL blogger and a proper mother since I have summoned up the effort and the courage to post pictures. It is a big step for me.

Gotta go, it's family game night. Pizza and Yahtzee with the Schwertfegers...can't beat it!

Wife, Mother, and Hairstylist

2008-10-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

I posted before about the drama involved with managing Sunda's hair. I mean, I rarely write about things like this...and never more than once. So, you know it's serious.

I have been stressing myself out about this hair since we've come home from Africa. I scoured the internet and didn't really find the answers I was looking for. I didn't need a guidebook...I needed a guru. So...

On Monday, I took her to a beauty shop that a friend at church recommended, and the wonderful stylist there showed me how to properly comb out, grease, and twist Sunda's hair into ponytails that will prevent the mess that her hair was when I walked into the place. When I expressed my immense gratitude for the help and advice, one of the white stylists said, "I thought it looked cute when they came in." The stylist that helped me said, "That wasn't cute...that was a MESS." Well. At least she called it like she saw it.

Needless to say, and to my shame...Sunda was a little less than well-behaved at the salon on Monday. And when I say a little less, I mean that she was kicking, scratching and screaming her way out of that chair. I was instructed by my wise hair sage that the right thing to do was just to teach her that she could not get her way out of getting her hair done. No way. No how. I will spare you the details of how you discipline a child who attempts to kick the hair stylist.

The simple and do-able style that I was taught on Monday has to be redone every couple of days, so today I embarked on my first challenge. A wide tooth comb. A tub of vaseline. A million rubber bands. And a sea of kinky black afro.

Guess what? I DID IT. The process wasn't pretty. And I pretty much didn't accomplish anything else all morning. She may have won a couple of battles in the whole process. But I definitely won the war. And when she started to act up I took care of it immediately. (It's amazing how a little hair pulling and a required 20 minutes of sitting still can transform a wonderfully easygoing, well-behaved child into a specimen fit for Nanny 911. I will never judge again.)

Bless her heart. She's learning. And so am I. You may wonder: "Why is she torturing that poor child? Can't she just cut it short and wait until she's older?" I assure you that speaking with anyone who shares my daughter's hair or skin color will convince you otherwise. It's important. For identity. For self-esteem. (Also, apparantly, for learning how to be a better Christian, as it takes MUCH PRAYER.) And I have promised myself that even though I have already spent more time grooming Sunda than I have spent on myself in the last 6 months, that I will do whatever it takes to make her LIFE, and the struggles that may come with it...easier. Because she deserves that.

Sunda is running a fever tonight and is not happy. So, sadly, no pictures for your enjoyment. Soon. As soon as my parts get straighter and I can get the barrettes to stay in. I'll be sure to remind her of this when she's eighteen, don't worry.

Maybe once I get really good I'll blog a whole SERIES about doing kinky hair. Probably not. But you'd read it...right? Yeah..right.

Important Request

2008-10-12T17:12:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

I have a really IMPORTANT request.

There are so many wonderful friends that have been commenting on our blogs that we don't have contact information for.

Can you email us your information so that we can get back to you????

Our email address, for everyone's purposes, is:

jakeandjessi@gmail.com

Thanks so much!

Take Me Home, Country Roads....

2008-10-06T06:04:00.000-07:00

If you've grown up in the hills, you don't realize how much you miss them until you come back. On our way back from the D.C. airport, Jake and I were practically speechless as we realized how much we have missed the changing of the seasons, the endless fields of corn, and the rolling hills. Breathtaking. And everything looks so green compared to the desert wasteland that is Zambia this time of year!

We've been home since last Wednesday. A more joyful homecoming has never been seen! Sunda did fantastically and is already so attached to Jake's mom, "Nene", that I worry about tearing them apart in January. In our first 5 minutes in the house I burst into tears as I watched Sunda crawl around on the carpeted floor and open a new toy. It just seemed too comfortable to be true. A carpeted floor. A couch. A place where Sunda could play and not come back with stickers in her shorts and sand in her hair. The little things mean a lot sometimes.

It has been busy weekend and today Jake, Sunda, and I are just taking it easy. Nene and Pappy have gone to work today and Uncle Cody to school. Pretty soon Jake and I will be spending our days on the phone talking to supporters or driving around to meet with them. So, we're lounging in our jammies, amazed at how many channels are on TV,and periodically putting Sunda in a warm bath to play...just because she can!

I feel like I'm the one whom this transition is taking the hardest toll on. Sunda has adapted beautifully, as most kids tend to do. And Jake is so easygoing he just flows from place to place like there's no change at all. To me, I almost feel guilty being so comfortable. After 5 days of visiting, I feel like I should be doing something productive. I'm itching to be of use, somewhere. It's a different kind of busy here in America. A different kind of difficult. I can't really explain it right now.

All I know is that I had Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast, and there's a box of Velveeta Shells and Cheese waiting for lunch! Yum! (Don't judge me...I'm on vacation ;) )

The End of a Long Season!

2008-09-25T05:51:00.000-07:00

Phew...I can hardly believe that I am five days away from getting on a plane WITH my wife and daughter to come home to our family and friends! Jessi and I were talking about it yesterday and saying how it is such an amazing moment to be in for two major reasons. The first, and most obvious reason, is that we can hardly wait to show off our little girl to all of you who have prayed and waited with us for this adoption to go through. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all of the prayer and encouragement you gave to us through this journey. I know things came through because all of you were interceding on our behalf.

The second reason is because this is the first time we aren't excited to go home because we need a break from our ministry here in Zambia. We actually are thrilled about what we are doing and when the time comes in January I know we will be thrilled to get on that plane and dive back into what God has called us to do in Africa. It really is amazing to be doing something you love and that you know you are called to by God with your family. I thank God every day for this opportunity. I guess I am writing this because I want you guys to know that in the midst of the trials, in the midst of lack of water and lack of electricity and everything else that we deal with here...we are truly happy beyond belief. I am actually battling through the final stages of malaria as I write this and I honestly am willing to deal with these stupid mosquitoes if it means that I get to keep this joy in our work here.

The Bible tells us in Prov. 3:5 "Trust the Lord with all of your heart and LEAN NOT on your own understanding. Acknowledge God in all of your ways and He will make your paths straight."

Let us remember that when God leads us to do difficult things that we should not shrink back when the fiery trial comes at us. That is the very time for us to pull up our boot straps, run towards the storm and KNOW that God is holding our hearts and He will sustain us as He has called us.

We cannot wait to see you ALL when we get home on October 31st. We will be staying with my family (Norm and Jeannie) while we are home so if you need/want to get a hold of us you can call at (304)737-1415.

We love you all and will be seeing you soon.

Jake

Beginning Our Sector Work

2008-08-16T00:46:00.000-07:00

So we have been finished with our Advanced Missions Training for a few weeks and already the excitement has begun with our sector work in Nyawa and Masukotwane Chiefdoms. The program we are focusing on implementing in the outlying villages right now is called the LIFE Project. It's function and purpose is to create a human network within the villages so that all of the other endeavors can work. We are making relationships with the chiefs, headmen, school teachers, clinical officers and other leaders in the area. Once we get their permission to operate in an area, we begin to visit the families and learn their particular needs. We take every opportunity to preach the Gospel, pray for the sick and teach the word of God. The Life Project exists to build leaders in every village so that no orphan, widow, HIV Positive individual or any other neglected individual has to be on their own. LIFE stands for Living in Family Environments and that is exactly what we are striving to maintain; family life.
After our large outreach in Masiye, I took a motorcycle trip out to visit the families and see how things were going and the six villages in that area have quite literally been turned upside down! Drunks have been challenged to quit drinking and get into church, communities are uniting and discussing how they can pioneer projects to help their at-risk individuals in their communities, men and women are rising up to lead these initiatives and the word of God is going forth in power! They even had a letter waiting for me when I got there that held the notes of a meeting where 90 people gathered together to discuss how they were going to begin different projects for the community. The most exciting part for us was that this all happened WHILE WE WERE GONE! That is the heart of this vision. That we can come in, spark a fire, and watch the community run with what God puts on their heart.
I just took another trip into a place called Nyawa and had an unbelievable chance meeting with Chief Nyawa himself. This man is the chief over 400-500 villages and is the most powerful man to be in contact with in that chiefdom. We spoke for nearly an hour at his home and he gave his full approval to our humanitarian projects and to our desire to spread the word of God. He offered us land to operate a base on and also offered to build Jessi and I a permanent home in his chiefdom so we can stay for longer periods of time. The exciting part about working in his chiefdom is that it is a vast area of scattered villages that are hugely unreached. He said that there is still a pride of lions that roam in his chiefdom!
We will be making a trip to Nyawa and Masiye again next week and at the beginning of September we will be doing a week long outreach and Chief Nyawa is going to spend some time accompanying us with the outreach. Having his stamp of approval on the LIFE Project is an immediate help because the villagers in any chiefdom highly respect their chief.
Please pray for these two areas. Pray that we have discernment to identify good, faithful men who can carry on the work as we go back and forth. Also pray that we would continue to choose the right areas to venture into as we begin our work in Nyawa. And, as many of you have been praying, continue to pray that our adoption is finished quickly so that we can purchase our plane tickets and hopefully be on our way home by the end of September.
We love you all and are looking forward to seeing you soon.

Jake

It Takes a Village...

2008-08-14T06:22:00.000-07:00

Everyone has heard the phrase, "It takes a village to raise a child." Little did I realize how much I would live this phrase by raising an African child in Africa. A day doesn't go by when a Zambian woman doesn't stop me on the street and say, "You should put more Vaseline on her face." or "Her hair needs to be combed out." or "Shouldn't you get her ears pierced?" Before she was potty-trained it was, "She's STILL wearing nappies?" (In Africa, they potty train their children practically from birth.) I handled these comments, but started to feel a little self-conscious. Not just for me, but for Sunda. Poor kid. She runs around with ashy knees and dreadlocks because her white mama can barely keep up with grooming herself, not to mention her two year old black child. So, regardless of whether I keep my own eyebrows plucked and toenails painted, I decided to try harder to gain approval with the Zambian women who assume that if you're not grooming your child, you're not caring for her.

I started out small. Putting lotion on her face 3x a day. Cutting her finger nails and cleaning the dirt out from under them. Washing, conditioning, greasing, combing out, and sitting through the painful process of having someone braid her hair to her scalp. Doing it all over again 3 days later when she rubs sand in her braids. However, I went to town all day on Tuesday and came back to a whole new level of beautification.

While I was gone, the ladies started to actually put child's extensions into Sunda's hair. They were convinced that it would look adorable and so actually purchased the yarn to make the extensions and started while I was in town. They obviously underestimated Sunda's ability to protest sitting still for any length of time. It's two days later, and my lovely daughter is currently sporting a half-afro, half-yarn extensions MULLET. Oh how I wish that our internet was fast enough to load a picture for your enjoyment. To top it all off, she's wearing a pipe cleaner necklace laced with foam dinosaur charms that fits her like a choker (from the birthday party on Saturday.) A yarn mullet and matching dinosaur choker. My daughter the fashion plate.

We've been going through some mild therapy regarding the extensions. Everyday we start with, "Sunda, are you going to sit still for a bit and let auntie plait your hair?" Quick reply? "No Mommy." "But, it looks so pretty." "Okay Mommy, pretty." Then she sits for 15 minutes. And gets a little bit more of a mullet. This is the same child that is on an earring kick and begs me EVERYDAY, "Airplane...Up up...America...Pappy and Nene...Go...Earrings." (Her way of listing the things that are going to happen when we come home.) (The reason for the earring kick is that she recently made a friend with a 3 year old girl who has Minnie-mouse earrings. It was all over from there.)

So, I get it from all sides. I'm sure all the Americans are now thinking that I'm cruel for making my young child go through so much hair braiding. When I presented this to my Zambian friend, she said, "No, no...'tis MUCH better to braid a fussy child who has 2 years than a screaming child who has 5 years. She will have to be plaited for the rest of her life. Now is when you teach them."

Poor kid. And I thought sponge curlers were bad.

A Lovely Saturday

2008-08-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

I have to admit to you that I felt rather guilty after reading some of the comments from the last post. Everyone was so grateful for their air conditioner and their toilet and it made me feel like such a self professing martyr. I never want that to be the case. Life in Africa has its hardships...of course. And spending a lot of time in the village also has its struggles. But, there are also some really amazing things about living in a place where there is instant community with people that have the same heartbeat. Whether Jake and I are hanging out with missionaries during a praise and worship service, or catching dinner with local business people, we always feel like we are in good company and have a common bond with anyone who chooses to live here.

Today was such a wonderful, neccessary, normal day that I could've closed my eyes and ears and imagined that I was hanging out in Wild, Wonderful West Virginia. We had a cup of coffee and some cereal this morning (the little things make a difference...you wouldn't believe how American it is to eat cold cereal.) And then headed off in the Land Rover (with Sunda in a carseat,which never happens here because we're always riding in big trucks with no seatbelts.) We headed off down the road to visit our friends at Sons of Thunder, which was a huge blessing. We got to chat with Sal and Renee, visit with our Zambian friends on the farm (including Linah B., which was obviously Sunda's highlight), hang out with the kids, and greet Jeff and Lisa, who were fresh off the plane from some time at home. It felt great to be there just visiting, and even better to remember that we will always be close to those people as long as we are doing ministry in this area...which is so close!

After a few hours of visiting, we changed clothes and got ready for a dino-themed birthday party! Our friends and co-laborers Arthur and Leizl threw a beautiful birthday party for their boys, Hugian and Louie. It was completely dinosaur themed (they have some family in the States that sends all of the materials), and absolutely amazing for the kids and adults alike. Leizl runs her own school here in Zambia and is a true teacher at heart. She organized a million games and activities for the kids and it was a blast to jump on the trampoline with Sunda and watch her hunt for "dino eggs." Otherwise, the kids were all busy and happy as "the big kids" sat in the gorgeous garden and sipped punch and ate lemon meringue pie. Bliss!

At the party, we were able to connect with our wonderful friends, the Combrinks, whom we haven't seen in several weeks due to a chicken pox outbreak at their house and busyness all around. After hanging out at the party and helping to clean up, Jake and I headed out to a local restaurant with Dave and Bundy and their 3 boys. The glorious part about going out to eat with three spirited boys is that they kept Sunda busy the whole time! She was in heaven, eating up their undivided attention, while Jake and I caught up with the Combrinks and enjoyed our meal.

We just recently arrived back at the base, put the sleeping Sunda into her bed, and have rounded out the evening by watching the Olympics. See? Not such a hardship after all!

Outreach in Masiye

2008-08-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

Last week, as a final AMT expedition, we traveled into an area of the Masokatwane Sector called Masiye. It was a 9 hour ride by truck deep into the bush. Any guesses on how far it actually was from the tar road? Less than 100 km! A trip that could be made in an hour at home took us 9 hours of dodging tree branches and navigating through riverbeds! Sunda did great in the truck and even slept for almost 3 hours of the ride (just like her Momma…why be awake in the car when you can sleep?)

We arrived at our campsite (just a cleared out area of bush that the previous Overland group had set up) at about 6pm. Under my husband’s expert guidance, the camp was unpacked, tents set up, the fire blazing, and chickens boiling by 7:30. Ahhh, I remember the days of camping at Atwood Park with my dad and brother. The stereo blaring country music from the power hook-up, washing dishes from the tap right next to the tent, taking hot showers in the community bathroom. Oh wait, that sounds like my life NOW. When we’re bush camping? No water. No toilet. Tiny tent. A toddler. What an adventure.

Our water source for this adventure came from a hole dug in a dry river bed. Sand actually acts as a wonderful filter for dirty water, and so water can usually be trusted when it is dug out of the bottom of a riverbed. When we gathered water, it was a kilometer hike down into the riverbed, where we scooped water out of the hole with bowls and carefully poured them into our gerry cans. 15 people use a lot of water! This had to be done at least once every day.

Our bathroom? Do you even have to ask? Actually we made quite a cool invention from a stool with the bottom cut out. Get it? Grab your shovel and make the walk of shame as far away from camp as you need to!

The boys don’t like to bathe in the bush, but I still consider it quite important. Not that it isn’t a mission to get clean. It definitely is. Jamie and I heated water in a kettle over the fire and poured it into a big basin before traipsing off far into the bush with our Dove Shampoo (a girl’s gotta hang on to something!) The only problem is, by the time it’s dark it’s also COLD. No fun getting a splash bath in the open bush when it’s 55 degrees. But I still can’t stand to go to bed dirty. Sunda has it a little easier. We bathe her in her own bucket while it’s still light and she stays close to the fire. She loves these community bath sessions where she can show off in front of everyone AND splash water everywhere. What an exhibitionist.

We usually eat pretty well on these bush missions. Grilled chicken and mashed potatoes, beef stroganoff, spaghetti, things like that. However, we ran out of sugar on this trip. Ugh. Try choking down plain nshima porridge in the morning. Not so great.

Speaking of a lack of supplies, it was amazing to be so far in the bush that people literally live without sugar. Without tea. Without cooking oil. Sometimes, without salt. It’s easy for us to imagine people having no food. But it’s so hard for me to imagine living for a year with no sugar or oil (especially after trying it for a few days.) These people are so far from town, and the road is so hard, that they literally live on exactly what they grow. This is usually limited to nshima and vegetables that they gather in the bush or grow in their gardens.

Every morning, when we set out for a day of ministry, we walked over an hour in groups of 2 or 3 with a Zambian translator. Sunda’s definitely getting heavier, especially carrying her for 4 or 5 miles one way! We passed her around on the shoulders of the group until she finally fell asleep on my back. Whew! That’s a long walk with a sleeping child in a chitenge.

We walked so far because there are so many people whose homes are on tiny bush paths. They never get visited, or encouraged, or prayed for. We talked to people who had never seen a white person outside of their yearly trips to town. It was an amazing trip.

We had a big fellowship one evening and ate all together. Nshima and cabbage. I helped the ladies cook nshima on the big pots and the guys taught others how to dance the Macarena. I can’t tell you what a blessing these times are. All the days of taking care of finances, or having meetings, or dealing with people in town just float away as I am reminded of why I came to Zambia in the first place…the people.

The ride back from Masiye was a little more uncomfortable than the way there. Sunda was worn out and whiny. So were her parents. It’s always such a good reminder of how blessed I am to live in a tent with a toilet just a few yards away and a generator at night. Everything comes into perspective when I hang out with smiling, talkative, accepting people who haven’t tasted sugar in over a year.

Welding, GPS, and the 21 Irrefutable Laws....(with a side of Beef Stroganoff)

2008-07-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

As we’ve said before, Jake and I are really enjoying being students again. Especially because the subjects are often regarding some of our favorite things: people, God’s Word, African culture, and bush living. Today, we had such diverse classes that I felt like I just had to tell someone about it.
The day started at 7am with prayer and worship. It is about 45 degrees Farenheit here in the morning, and when you live your life outside…that feels frigid! I got up in the cold today and Jake stayed in the tent with Sunda to wait for the sun to come out a little stronger.

Breakfast, oatmeal porridge, was ready at 8am. By 8:30, Sunda was playing with her nanny and Jacob was having a meeting with our director.
9am-the school bell rings!

This morning we sat down to a DVD lecture series by John Maxwell on his book, the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. We are completing the workbook and studying the text as well as listening to the lecture series. It was really fantastic! I can’t believe that I’ve never taken the time to read that book before now. Maxwell says that now everyone will be strong in every law and that there will be some laws that you will definitely be weak in. I can think of many that I’m very weak in. But so far, it seems obvious that I’m a “Navigational Leader.” That means that I’m someone who knows how to get from point A to point B and how to make a plan to get there. I don’t have a whole lot of visioneering or plans for busting up the system. I’ll have Jake get back to you on his thoughts, but my conclusion is that, since Jake is definitely a visioneer and not a navigator, if I just followed him around with a pen and paper, we’d get a whole lot accomplished in Zambia!

After a couple of hours with John Maxwell, it was time for welding class. Blech. As of right now, I’m a terrible welder. I can’t get the arc started correctly and my rod always sticks. One of the tricks to arc welding is that you need a strong and consistent electrical source. This is kinda hard to come by when you’re working from a generator that is also powering what seems to be a constant construction site. I think I just need more practice, but I definitely don’t have the knack as of right now. So, if the chassis of your Toyota Corolla breaks while you're offroading on the turnpike, don’t call me to weld it together.
After a little lunch and some “Elmo’s World” with Sunda, GPS training was on the menu. The afternoon was filled up with learning how to plot points on a handheld GPS and plot it on Google Earth. Overland uses the Google Earth system to locate unreached people groups and….reach out to them! It is an amazing use of technology. Unfortunately, I’m a little technologically behind the times (I think my Ipod Nano is technical), so I was also a bit frustrated…no, let’s say challenged by that new learning process.

I wish I could stay longer, but it’s time to cook supper for 40 people. Tonight’s chef? Who else? The day needed to be a bit more diverse and challenging, so I’m the head chef tonight. The menu? Beef Stroganoff with linguine and a salad. Let’s hope I can get it done in time!

Home and Back Again

2008-06-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

Hello!

So my lovely wife kindly reminded me today that it has been quite a while since I last blogged so I thought it would be a good idea to fill everyone in on where we are at in the swing of things.

I just returned to Zambia from a crazy two and a half week trip to the States where I spoke in churches, visited familes, partook in weddings, and picked up 3 suitcases of stuff for Jess and Sunda (thanks family and friends...they were thrilled!) I also got to pick up our new laptop so praise God for that! We should have a little more regular blogging ability from here on out. For those of you I got to see who have been praying for us and supporting us along this journey in Zambia, it was a true blessing! All of the churches I attended welcomed me as if I was family and I really came out of my time home feeling spiritually refreshed.

Although I felt good spiritually I must say that I was physically "finished" by the end of my time home. I think I had one too many "late night hangouts" with Dougie, Johnson, Duda, and Mike as we prepared for two of their weddings. Not to mention getting to see Tyler, Jenn, Corey, Hank, the Baisdens, Glenn, Dan and his beautiful fiancee, and a whole slew of other buddies. All in all, as much as it was home, it definitely didn't feel like home without my girls. I missed Jess and Sunda terribly and I definitely made the decision to never be gone that long again unless i have to be!

When I got back home Jess met me at the airport and after spending a few hours in town doing some errands (welcome back to Zambia) I got to the base and found Sunda sleeping. She woke up and seemed a bit confused as to how I was home, but within a few minutes she was stuck to me like glue. For the next several hours, every time Jessi tried to touch me Sunda would say, "no mommy! my daddy!" That made me feel good. Sunda enjoyed her tickle me Elmo doll and Jess tried on about every pair of clothes i brought for her. It was like Christmas in June!

Just two days ago Jess and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary and we had a blast. Of course, with any special occasion, Zambia has to try and snuff our fun, but we have learned to battle and win. The day started with Jess and I heading into town to enjoy some time at the 5-star hotel known as the Royal Livingstone. About half way into town; however, the radiator decided to stop working and we spent the next 45 minutes (which is how long the whole trip should have taken)stopping and starting as things heated and cooled. We finally made it to the Royal and enjoyed some time at the pool just talking and reading. After that we had a wonderful lunch that was rudely interrupted by a hungry monkey! Jessi stood up to chat with her mom on the phone and just as she walked away, a star monkey jumped up on our table and grabbed two of our rolls. He stared there looking at me for a moment and when I saw that he wasn't moving, I grabbed the steel plate from under his legs and thwapped him on the head. He jumped down, rubbing his head, rolls still in hand and ran off. Oh the joys of Zambian outtings! Everyone around our table had a good laugh and I heard the whole scene replayed by people for the next 10 minutes. I then treated my wonderful wife to a full body massage at the Royal and we finished the day by getting "towed" back to the base and enjoying a nice movie on our new laptop in the tent. It was really a nice day together.

Things have gone back to being semi-normal at this point on the Overland base. We are still going through the Advanced Missions Training and it has been amazing. Jessi is an expert diesel mechanic now and Sunda has made friends galore. We are still praying this adoption through, and I really am believing that it will be over within a month. For all of you who have been praying for that...thank you!...and keep praying. We love you all and hope to be seeing you in September as a family!

in Christ,
jake

I Survived Without My Husband...Part I

2008-06-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

Jake arrives back in Zambia tomorrow! Funny, I have been saying for three weeks that Jake is visiting “home.” I’ve also been saying that I can’t wait for him to get back “home.” We had a culture class this week about “global people.” Global people are defined as people who are happiest when they are in transit between one spot and the other. They’re not quite happy when they are in their home culture, Culture A, because they’re thinking about what they’re missing in Culture B. Yet, when they are in Culture B, they are missing the people and the opportunities of Culture A. Clear as mud? Anyway, as much as I am always seeking to be content regardless of my situation...that definition of a global person is pretty true. However, for the three weeks that Jacob has been visiting the States while Sunda and I are here, I haven’t felt like I’ve missed out on anything at all. My time here at Overland, attending the Missions Training Courses, has been so rich in experience and joy that I am grateful for being here instead of being home. I can’t wait to see what the rest of these months have to offer. And I am convinced that our time in the States after this training is all over will be even richer because of the hard work that we’ve put in here, waiting for it.

Speaking of waiting for it, I find that the longer I’m here in Zambia, the more a part of me belongs here. A huge part of me identifies with the people and understands, just a bit at a time, the culture and the mindset. I long more for my family and my friends, but less for the land that I used to be so attached to. Less for the things that I thought I would always miss...bottomless sodas, Target, convenience in all forms. People say that in being a missionary, you go through the same stages that people in grief go through. Starting with denial, ending in acceptance. I don’t know exactly where I am along that spectrum. But I think I’m getting closer to that acceptance bit by bit.

Besides all that, I can’t wait to get this adoption finished and get this little girl home to meet her family! I have to admit, I’m looking forward to the suitcases that Jacob is bringing with him. I’m so glad that Sunda will have little bits of everyone before she even gets to meet them.
Speaking of Sunda, she is the Overland Base darling. She charms everyone and is effectively better at memorizing names than most of the adults I know. She can identify most of the 35 people living on the base right now, and greets them all regularly. Life has been pretty crazy around here with me in school and Dad at home. But she has proven her flexibility and adaptability yet again and coped marvelously. Her nanny is fantastic and a gigantic blessing. We are headed out into the bush this week for more outreach, and one of the older women staying on the base right now asked me with concern, “Does she go with you into the bush?” “Absolutely!” I said. “She’s the best evangelism tool that ever was.” She’s a true missionary child who lays hands on the sick and prays, “Jesus, Jesus.” She sings and dances during worship. Now, if we could only get her to stick around for the sermon!

Just a quick update to let you know that we’re all well. Well, Jake is in the air right now...so he’s as well as you can be crammed into a tiny airline seat!

Peace

Jessi

Mukuni Outreach

2008-05-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

We just spent the past week on an outreach in an remote area of Zambia known as the Makuni Chiefdom. We travelled with a team of 18 Americans and 4 Zambian translators and it was absolutely phenomenal! Every day we spent time visiting the sick, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and just giving hope to a people who have lost hope. We drove two large DAF trucks packed with tents, sleeping bags, food, guitars and all of the other essentials for outreach. During the week we saw God's power come through in breathtaking ways. One headman followed us back to our camp after a time of ministry and asked us to pray for his left foot which had lost all feeling. He had the use of only his pinky toe. A few of us laid hands on him and began to pray and after a few minutes he began to say he could feel "electricity running through" his foot. Moments later he began shaking his head and saying "I can't believe it! I can't believe it! My foot is totally healed." He was moving all of his toes and looking utterly shocked. We prayed for him, encouraged him to give his life to Jesus Christ and sent him on his way. Another woman approached us as we were picking up some charcoal and was limping very badly. She was very old and said her leg was in a lot of pain. We began to pray and told her that she was going to be able to run on that leg because we believe our God is bigger than any injury. As we were praying she suddenly had a huge smile come across her face and she said that the pain was gone. We asked her to jump up and down, which she did with no problem and then she took off running back and forth from hut to hut to show how God had touched her. It was amazing.
We spent some time going through surveys with the headman in each village to understand how many orphans, widows and at-risk individuals were in each area. It is always disheartening to hear the number of orphans in such a small area. We also spent time ministering in a large school called Libala and at the end of our time of ministry the entire student body stood to commit their lives to Jesus Christ. When you read through the word of God it is almost hard to believe how so few people could shake entire nations, but I'm telling you that when you are walking in the power and presence of Jesus Christ there is nothing that can stand in the way of the redemption set forth on the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus died to redeem mankind. It doesn't matter how corrupt the governments are here in Africa, how oppressed these people have been, or how hard the devil is coming against the work of God - - there is nothing, nothing that can hinder the love of God pouring in and transforming the oppressed culture of this place. We're believing God for total community transformation. No more poverty. No more sickness. No more laziness or dying from lack of motivation. No more corruption.
I'm so excited that I'll be coming home in just a few days because I am pumped up. I am excited to share this vision we have here at Overland to reach the unreached with the gospel and see total community transformation. I am beyond convinced that we have a strategy that can and will work. I love you all and pray I will get to see you soon face to face.

In Christ,
Jake

The Botswana Shopping Adventure

2008-05-18T11:34:00.000-07:00

On Monday, a group of us took the trek across the border of Zambia into Botswana. The reason? Zambia is so expensive that it’s better to buy bulk food in another country. There is a bulk food warehouse just across the border, requiring only a 90-minute drive and a ferry ride. Apparently, this is a trip that the Overland staff makes often. Having been in Zambia for two years and barely traveling anywhere outside of the country, I decided to accompany the group for the experience.

We loaded the gigantic overland truck at 4:30 am. If you’ve never seen an overland truck, look in a travel guide. It is a passenger truck with a lot of room for storage underneath and a high seating area only reachable by stepladder. Used for people who travel “overland” for African safaris. This is where Overland Missions got their name. Anyway, the truck had a bit of trouble getting started (apparently it didn’t like waking up at 4am any better than I did). But, at 5am, we finally got on our way. We drove VERY slowly, since it was a foggy morning, the road was terrible, and the truck was huge, and reached the border at about 7am. We loaded out of the truck to get our passports stamped. As we pulled into line to wait for the ferry, we discovered that the ferry was running late because of the fog. So, we made some sandwiches and sat eating our breakfast, not even fazed by the typical “Africanism” that does not allow you to dictate your own schedule. By 9am, we were ready to load the ferry, but not before our driver pulled an expert maneuver that got us in the front of the line. The concept of a queue in Africa is quite skewed. So, we’ve stopped trying to follow our Western ideals and just fight to get in the front like everybody else.

The ferry ride lasted about 25 minutes across the lovely Zambezi River. At one point you can view four countries: Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Botswana. It’s beautiful. Once across the river, you offload the truck, jump into it, and start to drive to the border post. Jump out again, wait in the queue, get passports stamped, get back in the truck. Drive about 50 yards, get out of the truck, step on a muddy carpet that’s supposed to prevent the transmission of foot and mouth disease from country to country, get back in the truck, drive to the food warehouse. Whew! It’s only 10am and you’ve already had a workout!

Once at the food warehouse, we set to work buying 7 huge dolly carts worth of food. 100 kg of sugar, 75 kg of flour, 100 kg of rice, etc. It’s a lot of lifting and a lot of currency converting. Nowadays, I think in Kwacha more than I think in Dollars. For example, I have a better idea of what sugar should cost in Kwacha than what it should cost in Dollars. So, I was trying to convert the Botswanian currency (Pula) into Dollars, and Dollars into Kwacha. It was crazy, and I don’t think I did a very good job. The African economy also doesn’t really account for bulk shopping the way that we understand it in the States. You could often buy 10 boxes of the smaller version of laundry soap for cheaper than you can buy the huge bucket. I guess they figure that they should charge you more if you don’t have to shop as often?

Once we loaded everything onto the carts, it was checkout time. Now, remember, we’re dealing with African time here. So, checkout took just over an hour. After that, an employee stops you at the door and checks every single item in your cart against every item on your receipt. This was not a quick “that looks about right” assessment either. This man checked and counted every can of baking powder before he was satisfied. You can imagine how much time we lost when we presented him with the empty soda bottle that we had already paid for and finished! It wasn’t so bad that it took an hour and fifteen minutes to check all of our purchases, because the credit card machine was broken. Because of this, we had to draw out cash for our 14,000 Pula purchase. It took all of our cards, a bit of luck, and a LOT of time before we had enough cash to pay for our purchases. After strategically loading everything into the truck (okay, this was the THIRD time I was lifting 10 huge packages of rice), we set off on our way for the propane station to refill our propane. It was now 1pm. We were filthy, sweaty, and tired. The truck smelled like diesel from being refilled and carrying canisters. And we had to be back at the ferry by 3:30 if we had any hope of getting over the border before it closed for the night. We were doing so well we even had high hopes of finding a coffee shop and having a cappuccino before heading home. We would have done it too…if not for the flat tire.

Needless to say, it was a mad dash. Between the propane, the tires, and trying to gather some food for us to eat, it was all of 4:30 before we were headed back to the ferry. By the time we got our passports stamped and waited in line (during which time I assembled avocado and tomato sandwiches on my knees) we were cutting it REALLY close.

Because of a $20 bribe in the right hands and an INCREDIBLE move by our famed truck driver, we got on the last ferry of the night. We were so tired we barely noticed the smugglers handing their purchases off to the canoes that pulled up to the ferry for that reason. Didn’t even mind wading off the ferry through the water. We just wanted to get home! It was another 2-hour workout to keep all the containers and purchases steady on the bumpy road. But, we did get our cappuccino! We stopped in Livingstone on the way home, had a coffee, and then jumped back in the truck for another 1 long drive to the base. We arrived at 10pm. What a day!

We slept late the next day before embarking on the next project: Putting thousands of dollars worth of groceries away!

Oh Africa, one of those places in the world that has the ability to make you tired before you’ve even done much of anything. I specifically remember it being the same way in China. Even going out to dinner was a mission. But, it makes for good blogging.

Overland Missions

2008-05-03T01:51:00.000-07:00

There is so much about our lives that has changed in the last two weeks. There are new challenges and great benefits that have come with our shift to a different ministry. Our living situation has changed dramatically. I was used to living in an apartment with electricity, my own bathroom, and a separate room for Sunda. We are now living in a safari tent...enough said. Admittedly, this tent is the "Taj Mahal" of tents. We even have a little light rigged up for when the generator is on. So, we just flip a switch and we have light (a HUGE convenience when you're used to using candles). The bathrooms are about a stone's throw away, but they also boast lights, flushing toilets, and (usually) hot water. So, really it's not that bad at all.

The kitchen is communal, and we switch off cooking dinner for the 17-20 of us every night. We eat porridge for breakfast, nshima for lunch, and an "American" meal for dinner. We cook from gas stoves in the dusk until the generator is turned on and the kitchen is flooded with light from flourescent light bulbs.

The best part is that the main center is an open plan building with a thatch roof. Every night we eat dinner on the porch overlooking the Victoria Falls Gorge. The sunset is stunning, and the water roars and churns below us. It is such amazing beauty that I have to remind myself never to take it for granted. I am eating dinner just yards away from one of the natural wonders of the world. I am also rescuing my two-year old from going too close to one of the natural wonders of the world, but that is another story.

There are four other children here besides Sunda. Two of which are boys her age. They alternately play nicely together and throw fits at each other. But she's learning how to play with kids her age and older, and how to get along with people all the time.

It's quiet here now. But this week 15 more people will arrive at the base for the beginning of AMT (Advanced Missions Training). Jake and I are participating in this training, and are anxiously awaiting it. Our first week will be spent in "village immersion." In other words, Jake and I will get to go stay in a tent in the villages we were spending time in anyway. I think we're already pretty well immersed, but it will be neat to get the experience of being immersed with 15 others who aren't!

During that time, Jake and I will be performing double duty. Even though we're going through the AMT, we will also be scoping out the villages that we'll be doing a lot of ministry in when AMT is finished. Our first project involves making a shortlist of the villages that need special assistance and implementing the plan that we're working on with the project directors and managers. There's a really cool strategy in the works for empowering Zambians and raising the standard of living in places that have been previously ignored by aid organizations. We feel strongly that the heart of the project is in the right place with the right people working on it. So, we're excited to see what comes of it, and we'll keep you updated!

For those of you who were wondering, Sunda is really adjusting to her "auntie" (the nanny) very well. In fact, a few nights ago she woke up in the middle of the night and yelled for Jacob, "Daddy, Daddy, DADDY!" When that didn't work, she yelled for me, "Mama, MAMA, MUMMY!!!" When I also didn't move (a new plan that Jake came up with that avoids her coming into bed with us all the time and actually allows her to go back to sleep and sleep well) she got REALLY mad and yelled, "AUNTTIIEEEEEE!!!" So, we figure they're pretty tight if Sunda is resorting to begging her to come and get her out of bed in the middle of the night. (By the way, the nanny's name is Fridah and she does not stay with us, she lives in her own home in the village about a 40 minute walk away, she walks to work every morning and walks home every night.)

Well, there's the best update I can manage for now. There's so much that you become numb to after you've been here for awhile. We killed a cobra last night, but you're tired of those stories, aren't you? We haven't had running water in 4 days because of a broken generator, but you don't really want to hear about taking bucket baths, do you? Oh well...you know what they say...This Is Africa!

Peace friends!

Thoughts on the Cross

2008-04-16T09:29:00.001-07:00

As of late, I have come to understand in a much deeper way, the true power and work of the cross of Jesus Christ. To simply say that Jesus died to take away our guilt of sin is to rob Him and the cross of it’s ultimate and final triumph against the devil. The Bible says that Jesus came to “destroy the works of the evil one” and He did that at the cross. He didn’t only become a sacrifice for our sins, but He also enabled us to overcome the very power of sin in our lives. That power is what keeps us bound in fear when finances, security, family and other things begin to spiral downward and out of control. The cross enabled us as Christians to stare death itself in the eye and say with Paul, “O Death, where is your victory, where is your sting?” We should have an ultimate assurance that the purposes of God CANNOT be thwarted in our lives whether or not we have all the money we need or all of the steps ready to move forward. Jesus taught us well in the garden before His injust, undeserved death as He resolutely declared, “Father, not my will, but Yours be done.” Things are difficult right now for me and my family, but one thing I know; the devil cannot stop me from accomplishing the purposes of God in my life. I know this because of the cross. Because though He died, my Saviour lives. Below is an excerpt of a book I am reading by Art Katz called Apostolic Foundations on the power of the cross:
The worst that could be brought against Jesus revealed the best that was in Him. Utter malignancy met utter magnanimity. Satan was made an open and public display. He was ridiculed and despoiled by the very submitting of Jesus to the worst fury and vengeance, animosity and violence that the powers know. Yet the Lord did not react in kind, He did not shriek out, He did not plead for his life—but prayed for them. Hell in all of its fury met Heaven in all of its humility, meekness and long-suffering—and Heaven triumphed. That triumph is complete, but the world does not know it because the church has not demonstrated it. Jesus bruised the head of the Serpent, but it is left to the church to ‘finish him off’ by making an eternal demonstration of the manifold wisdom of God, not just in this age, but in the ages to come.

It says here that the Church has not demonstrated it. What he is speaking of is the resilience to say “though God may slay me, yet will I follow.” Is that your statement? Lately I’ve realized that the things which keep me so upset are those idols which I have yet to lay before my King. Do I really need a laptop? Do I NEED a large sum in my savings for emergencies? Do I NEED the comforts I grew up with? I’m not saying that you shouldn’t try to do/have these things. I’m saying if you’ve done everything in your ability to be wise and a good steward, yet you only have the means to survive…do you worry? Or do you stare the devil in the eye and joyfully proclaim “I am free!” God will have His way in the end! The resurrection of Christ forever secured that we win. I’m not saying we won’t die in the process or that we won’t suffer. I am saying that we win. God’s purpose will go forward in full glory and triumph. The triumph of the cross is our greatest glory, but to embrace that triumph, to live that victory, to feel that freedom, costs us EVERYTHING.

God’s purpose in every life is that we bring Jesus glory and honor by representing Him as He is on this earth. Not to ensure that we all get a nice house and car. Not to ensure the safety of our families. Not to ensure us that we have an easy life after 65. It’s not that God wants you and your family to suffer, but He is willing to let you for His name sake. Have you dealt with that reality. God might not have an easy life for you. But is He worthy of you suffering to make His name great? Besides, THIS LIFE IS NOT OUR POSSESSION OR OUR END. I will gladly give my life as an offering because I know He Who promised is faithful and true. I have an eternal and abiding life awaiting me after this one where there will be no more tears and no more darkness. Until then, I will labor with all of the heart and passion I can muster for my King.

I tell you that I am willing to lose everything, if only I may have that same freedom that Paul had when he was able to dance with joy after being undeservedly beaten for His faith in Jesus Christ. I am so short of being that man. But as Paul also said, “forgetting what lies behind, I strain forward to what lies ahead.” I don’t want this year to be the same as every other one. God, I want to know the power of the cross. To share in your suffering that I may also attain the resurrection from the dead.

Have you wrestled to know the depths of the cross? Are situations in your life imprisoning you to think only of the difficulties and circumstances presently surrounding you? Fall before the cross. Allow the victory of the cross over the power of sin to permeate your life, and JOYFULLY stare at the devil, the world and your flesh and declare that God’s purposes will be fulfilled in your life.

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

I love you all with the love of Christ!

Jacob

Nanny 911

2008-04-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

A new adventure is quickly approaching for the Zambia Schwertfegers. We are moving (or shifting in Zamglish) to our new home on the Overland Missions base on April 21st, which is just a week from now! Our “Advanced Missions Training” will begin on May 3rd (a great birthday present!) So, we decided to make the move a bit early in order to get ourselves and Sunda settled and take care of a few details before we enter missionary boot camp for the next 3 months. We had the opportunity to visit the Overland base last week and chat with our director for awhile, as well as hang out with a few of the staff members. We left even more excited about future ministry with Overland, and anxious to get started with the Missions Training. I got a chance to speak with our director’s wife, Sharon, about quite a few practical issues (which always sets my heart at ease.) I had been prepared to hire a Zambian woman to care for Sunda during some of the day so that I could attend class for the first 3 months that we’re on the base. But Sharon quickly reminded me that it will be a bit more than “some of the day.” We won’t have a lot of freedom during those first three months, and classes are packed pretty tight. In other words, I need to find someone to care for Sunda from 8-5, Monday-Friday. Just like a normal workweek. We will be participating in the training earlier and later than that each day, but we really need to be focused and on target during the meat of the training, which will happen between 8am and 5pm. I didn’t expect this news to be as difficult as it is to swallow. I mean, many kids are in daycare while their parents work. We will still see her for every meal, get to say hi often throughout the day, and have our evenings and weekends with her. But it’s such a change from both Jacob and I being with her all day, every day. And, it won’t be daycare. She will be cared for by her own personal nanny . Just her. Not 15 other kids vying for attention. So...why did I burst into tears when I realized that getting a nanny was my only option?

Well, not it’s really my only option. I could opt out of the training. I could spend the whole day playing with Sunda and wandering around the Overland base, trying to catch what snippets of information I could from what the rest of the class was learning. But I really feel like it’s important for me to get this training. I feel as if I’ll regret it later if I just put it aside. There’s so much good teaching that I’m going to have the opportunity to absorb in the next 3 months, and I know that I’m doing myself a disservice to opt out. And, I keep telling myself…it’s only 3 months. A child isn’t emotionally scarred from not spending enough time with their parents for 3 months, are they? But, you know, she’s two. And she acts a little crazy sometimes. Is she gonna know that she can get away with stuff with her nanny and then be totally off every time we get back around? Or, is she going to grow socially from a situation where she isn’t around the same two people all the time? I realize this whole dilemma might sound very funny to all of you who haven’t even known Jacob and I as parents yet…because we’ve been here. But this little girl has been the biggest part of our life for the 7 months that we’ve been back in Africa. And I personally have not spent more than 4 hours away from her since she came to stay with us in late November. So. It’s a little emotional. But, this is probably a good thing. It’s forcing me to admit to fact that I absolutely cannot do it all. If I want to attend this school in order to be a better trained missionary, I am going to have to give up some of my ideals as a mom. At least for a few months. That doesn’t make it any easier. On the other hand, Jacob and I have put many, many days of fulltime work in, amidst caring for Sunda all day. It’s quite a challenge to keep her out of the village fire, water supply, and away from the dogs while teaching Bible study and leading worship. We spend a lot of time juggling, trying to keep her entertained and complete our to do lists. So, maybe this opportunity will be good because when we are with her, we won’t be working. We’ll just be with her. And when we’re not with her, we’ll be able to focus completely on the task at hand instead of trying to do both at once, which is probably not good for either party. It’s quality time that matters…not quantity…right? Anyway, at the end of day, we’ll be back to our normal lives after 3 months. (I’m not exactly sure what constitutes a normal life for us…but, you know what I mean.)

This week, we’re busy wrapping up business at Sons of Thunder. Organizing, packing, storing. I’m hoping we can forgo goodbyes since we’re not really going, just moving. If we had acquired the tourist VISA for Sunda, we would be eating Drover’s wings on the 21st of April, and I would be depending on grandparents instead of a nanny. Just saying.

Happy EASTER!

2008-03-23T01:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

Greetings to all of you in the name of Jesus Christ! We apologize for the LONG delay in posting anything new, but this has been one of our toughest months to date. As many of you had probably been told, Jessi, Sunda and I were planning on coming home at the beginning of May to visit home for a few months. It was going to be a time of updating our churches and supporters as to what we are doing here in Zambia as well as a time to show off our daughter to anxiously awaiting grandparents and family!
After many trips to Lusaka and a lot of fees we had finally secured Sunda’s passport (in her current name since the adoption is not yet finalized) and we made our trip to the US embassy where we had been previously assured that getting her a tourist visa was our best option. Upon arrival, all of those hopes came crashing down when the US embassy denied Sunda a tourist visa due to Jessi and I being volunteers and not owning enough in Zambia to ensure we would return with Sunda (since the adoption is not finished). This was very hard news for us (not to mention the grandparents), but what could we do. It wasn’t tragic news because we weren’t being separated from Sunda, but our plans were definitely changed.
In this month’s upcoming Sons of Thunder newsletter there will be an article updating our future plans in Zambia. After much prayer and contemplation with several close friends and family, we have decided to transfer our work under a new ministry here in Zambia called Overland Missions. Though the reasons are many, our greatest is that our heart is to get out into the bush and disciple followers of Jesus Christ. Overland Missions sole purpose is to reach unreached people groups all over the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. They have a base just outside of Livingstone (one hour from our present location) and they have been mobilizing teams in unreached areas all over the world for ten years now. While Sons of Thunder is doing a tremendous job with the orphanage, school, clinic and the families on the farm, we were having a difficult time building a new outreach program when there is a fully developed one just down the road with Overland Missions.
Sons of Thunder has given us their blessing in this transfer and understand why we have decided to move. With that said, I’m sure many of you supporting us would like to know a bit more about Overland Missions and our particular assignment with them. The following is Overland Missions mission statement:

Overland Missions is a missions organization committed to empowering the third world indigenous church and bringing the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. Through expedition-style missions we lead teams into locations that would otherwise remain neglected or unreached (a condition usually caused only by an area's lack of accessibility). Based in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Overland Missions' motto is, "Any Road, any Load, any Time". We believe this statement to be indicative of our commitment and our approach to meet the needs of the third world. We utilize the best equipment technology has to offer, the expertise of over 15 years of reconnaissance experience, and the revelation of the New Creation purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. Overland mobilizes young adults into more than 30 nations. We take God at His word and believe by faith to see the book of Acts continued in the earth today. We claim every nation, every island, every tribe, and every soul within our jurisdiction to reach, teach and empower with the Gospel.

Jessi and I have made a five year commitment with Overland Missions here in Zambia to oversee the discipleship of the Masokatwane chiefdom; a large area in the southern province of Zambia that is in great need of outreach, discipleship and evangelism. Our focus will be to establish relationships with every pastor in every denomination of this chiefdom in order to disciple and strengthen the foundations of those churches. Virtually nothing will change in the vision we have previously shared with you, which is to live with the people in order to reveal Jesus Christ to them through any and all means.
Overland offers an advanced missions training that will better equip us to thrive and survive out in the bush. The training offers courses in the bible, diesel mechanics, welding, GPRS navigation, off-road techniques, cultural understandings, and many other areas. As I am sure many of you may want to know more, please visit Overland’s website at www.overlandmissions.com . It is a very informative website that should answer most of your questions. I (Jacob) will also be traveling home on May 22nd through June 10th in order to meet with as many of you as possible and hopefully share at a few churches.

Overland Missions has set up a personal account for Jessi and I so the same process will work for those who have been supporting us. We are asking all of our supporters to please begin sending your support checks to Overland Missions beginning in April at the following address:

PO Box 566, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920

Please DO NOT put our names on the memo like before, but write our following 4 digit account Code on the check or envelope: #3027. Make the check out to Overland Missions. You will begin to receive a newsletter from Jessi and I beginning in May that will keep you updated with all of our endeavors here in Zambia.

If any of you have questions or would like to know more before sending to Overland then you can also send your support checks to my parents, Norm and Jeannie, who will deposit directly into our account as well. Their address is 290 Northview Rd. Wellsburg, WV 26070. In this event, simply make the checks out to Jacob Schwertfeger.

Jessi and I cannot stress to you how indebted we are for the continued support you have shown. We have been stretched beyond all seemingly capable limits this year in some ways, but it is because of you that we are able to remain. You must know and believe that you are enabling the gospel to reach the ends of the earth. THANK YOU!

We would also really love to begin an e-mail correspondence with all of you to better know how to pray for you and to better know you. Our e-mail is jakeandjessi@gmail.com. We are asking that you would write us an e-mail with your name so that we can keep in touch in a more one-on-one way.

Jessi and I will begin our Advanced Missions Training at Overland Missions base in Zambia on May 3rd and it will carry us through to August. During that time we will also be planning and preparing for the beginning of our work in the Masokatwane chiefdom. Please keep these things in prayer as well as the finalizing of the adoption (the government has banned all adoptions temporarily).

With all of that said I hope and pray that you take serious time today to celebrate and contemplate the fact that Jesus Christ laid down His life so that you could enjoy eternal fellowship with God. Man can’t hold him down, nails can’t hold him down, death can’t hold him down. Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is worthy of us losing our lives to glorify Him in all things!

We love you all and look forward to seeing you in the States with our little one in God’s time!

Jacob, Jessi and Sunda

Another Trip to Lusaka

2008-03-05T22:50:00.000-08:00

Jacob is heading out for Lusaka on the night bus tonight. AGAIN. During this adoption process, we have had to make more trips to Lusaka than I ever thought possible or necessary. Jacob has been the one to make the quick trips necessary to sign a paper or fill out a form. I think this is trip number 6 or 7.

I never thought, in a million years, that I would be so dependent on the man that I spent so much time away from during our dating and engagement. However, I am absolutely despondent at the idea of him leaving again. Jaime brought it all into perspective the last time he went, saying, “You have such a good husband. He just makes those trips to Lusaka to deal with the adoption without question. And he never complains about it or hesitates to go.” Meanwhile, selfish me is thinking, “Why does he have to go???? I’m so BORED when he’s not here. And it’s HARD to take care of Sunda without a relief squad.”

Meanwhile, Jacob leaves at 7 pm, sits on a cramped bus that smells distinctly African for 7-8 hours, endures countless stops, and stays on the bus once it arrives in Lusaka because it’s not safe to be walking about until at least 6am. He then walks to the Social Services office to save cab fare and sits outside, waiting for the social workers to show up so that he can accomplish whatever he has been requested to show up for. Whenever he gets whatever he needs, signs whatever paper needs to be signed, or talks to whomever needs to be talked to, he grabs some lunch, checks email, and gets back on the bus to arrive home in the middle of the night. Because it’s 3am when the bus drops him off at our farm, he often walks the 3 km to our house (once carrying a mini-stove purchased in Lusaka) to avoid me having to leave Sunda alone sleeping while I pick him up in the car.

So, as you can see, he really has the raw end of the deal. But, it seems to me that every time he leaves, the Zesco (power) goes out and the water tank runs dry and I’m left hauling water up the steps. Besides, it’s SCARY to be by yourself in Africa. I mean, it’s really very safe. But, if a cobra would show up in the house, who would I call?

All of this has made me realize that I would be a terrible military wife. Or a traveling shoe salesman’s wife. It’s true that I don’t really crave “alone time” very much. To me, alone time is someone sitting beside me and leaving me alone. They don’t have to leave. As long as I can still read my book, then we’ll do fine. And Jake is great at that.

When I was young, I hated to be the last person in the house to go to bed. I would race up the stairs while Sam was still brushing his teeth so that I didn’t have to turn out all the lights and creep upstairs in the dark. Nowadays, with all of this living in Africa and power outages, I’m much better with the dark. But I still don’t like to be the last one to go to bed. And when it’s just me and Sunda, well…you know the rest.

Needless to say, Jacob is leaving for Lusaka tonight. I am not a happy camper. Can someone come and stay with me for a couple of days?

On much more important and less whiny news, we have had a terrible elephant infection on this farm. You know how they say that elephants have good memories? Well, it is TRUE. We had never had elephants on this farm until last year when a herd wandered through and discovered some maize in the Southern corner of our property. This year, despite the fact that the rains were heavy and there was water everywhere (which should have prevented them from coming this far away searching for it) they came again, in higher numbers. Just last night, a herd of 200 elephants completely trampled the fields of the villages in the Southern Corner, destroying their harvest totally. As Padmore, headman of Mubuyu village quotes, “You can now walk through our fields with no problem, as if there was nothing planted there.” The elephants were so many that they ended up walking their way through the actual village, among the huts and kitchens and fires. We just spent a week at this village…in a TENT. No one was hurt. It’s just so hard because it completely ruins your philosophy for helping people here. “Don’t give money, don’t give away food…TEACH the people how to farm. TEACH them how to make their own profit.” Well, now they’ve spent MONTHS laboring in their fields so that they can feed their families and maybe sell some crop at a profit. And one herd of elephants with a good memories have destroyed everything. Melodramatic? Maybe. Fact of life? Absolutely. But STILL. It pretty much destroys all of my opinions about teaching people to work hard and save money and be smart. If I worked my butt off for two seasons in a row and two seasons in a row my maize was harvested by elephants, I don’t know that I wouldn’t sit by my kitchen fire and talk about how “poor we are in Zambia” too.

The problem here is not AIDS, or poverty, or elephants…it’s hopelessness. Poverty (which I know nothing about living with) breeds hopelessness. Take the case of the woman who is in the clinic right now, nursing her 2 ½ year old back to health. What is the child sick with? An extreme case of malnutrition accompanied by edema (swelling of the skin), and a skin infection caused by sitting in her own urine for hours at a time. How does a mother let this happen to her child? My theory? The mother gets so wrapped up in hopeless poverty, she doesn’t even realize that she could do something to change, at least, her child’s situation. There has never been enough to eat. There has never been enough soap. There has never been anyone that cares. And so why take her to a clinic while there’s still a chance that she can recover? (the baby is still touch and go) It’s not your fault that the elephants ate your maize. It’s not your fault that there is no employment to be had. And it’s not your fault that you haven’t had anything to eat with your nshima for 4 days. It’s just the way it is, and there’s really not anything you can do to change it.

How blessed I am. Not just because I’ve never been really hungry. Never not had enough money to buy a Coke. But because, I’ve never been through anything that has made me say, “Oh, well, that’s it…there’s no more hope in this situation.” I come from a culture that lives on hope. I know that Jake and I have expressed before that really, that’s the reason that we’re here. To spread HOPE. Not in a liberal, “be who you wanna be” way, but in the way that Jesus is our hope. Poverty might not change. Sickness might not change. But if you have the HOPE and the PROMISE of the fact that God loves you and has a PLAN for your life, you have everything.

Recently, Jake and I have been feeling like the elephants have been trampling OUR maize. We’ve had a lot of trials these past months. But ultimately, I am persuaded. I am persuaded that He is able. And my problems seem really small next to some of my Zambian friends. Are your problems actually pretty small too?

Change of Weather, Change of Attitude

2008-02-19T03:51:00.000-08:00

For now, the monsoons that plagued us for almost 3 months have ceased and abated and replaced themselves with only occasional storms. The sludge that dominated the better half of all of the walkways and roads has dried to form deep ruts and cracked soil. The roads aren’t any better to drive on, but you can effectively walk from point A to point B without needing a shower at the end of it. People are outside more (or maybe it just seems like it because we’re outside more.) Because of the early and heavy rains, the fresh maize that they pick from their fields before they harvest for the season is ready very early. Everyone is walking around with fresh roasted maize. A common gift is a few ears of maize that can be roasted or boiled. Jeff also has delicious sweet corn growing in his garden that we have been enjoying as if it’s August in the States. Sunda likes the roasted maize better than sweet corn with butter and salt. Typical. Very Zambian.

With the change of weather comes a change of attitude. In Jake and I, and in the people, it seems. It’s almost like the first week of sunshine after a long winter at home. Everyone seems...Happy! Happy that we can sit outside and chat with friends and neighbors. Hopeful that the harvest will recover from long rains and no sunshine. Relieved to see a little bit of color on our white faces. This is the season when visitors start to come. So, a long stretch of no “outsiders” on the farm will quickly transition into a bustling guest house and bi-weekly trips to the airport to pick up work teams and volunteers.

The sun has brought with it an important change in Jake and I too. It has been difficult to do outreach because of terrible roads and vehicle availability. And because of continued vehicle difficulty, it will remain difficult to leave the farm for long periods at a time. Not willing to be defeated, Jake and I have set up our tent in one of the villages on the farm. We are headed out this afternoon for a week of ministry on “The Southern Corner” otherwise known as “Graham’s village.” When we’re at home, we often get comments like, “Why do you go to Africa, there are people who need help right here in the United States?” True. While here, God seems to be drilling into us, “Why are you searching to go far and wide, there are people that need me right here on this farm!” Our schedule will include two daily teaching sessions and an evening fellowship time for our weeklong stay. It’s such a blessing to get to know the people that we have been living with for so long. And it’s wonderful to hope that they actually believe what we say because we’ve lived it among them before preaching it to them. I told Jacob the other day, “I think we can be confident that we are finally integrating effectively.” “Why?” He asked me. “Because,” I explained. “The women let me do the dishes now.” Isn’t that the universal sign of true friendship?

Sunda is growing like a weed and can now actually wear the 18 month dresses we brought with us. She’s even pushing her way into the 24 month ones! Her hair is long enough now to be plaited, so she has a cute new hairstyle every week courtesy of one orphanage “auntie” who can make her sit still long enough to do it. She has just enough vocabulary to make sure that we are obeying her every command. And this week, she has been introduced to the terrible “Time-out.” As with any especially talkative, clever, and enjoyable two year old, she can throw a fit with the best of ‘em. But, she is now learning that it doesn’t get her very far. The problem with being here in Zambia is that they are not the strictest parents. They don’t really believe in disciplining kids until they are at least 6 or 7. So, if she throws a fit in front of one of our Zambian friends, they immediately pick her up, comfort her, and give her whatever she wants (all the while glaring at me as if I’m an insensitive monster for ignoring her.) It’s kind of like having a bunch of grandparents around, all the time. 

I could ramble on and on…but what I would really like to know is: What are you interested in? Do you have questions about Zambia or the things that we do? I would love to share things with you that are interesting and relevant, but sometimes I take extraordinary things for granted. For example, I totally forgot to tell you about the elephant that was just roaming around in one of the fields that Jaime and I were walking by. When do you ever get to see an elephant just hanging around? Anyway, please feel free to post any questions or subjects you’d like to hear about. If nothing else, it will keep me from writing about Sunda’s poop stories, which you definitely don’t want to hear about.

Have a wonderful week…enjoy the sunshine…or, we’ll enjoy the sunshine. ;)

Trials, Scandals and the Grace of God

2008-01-27T11:18:00.000-08:00

We are so sorry that it has taken so long to post a new blog, but after this entry I’m sure you’ll understand why things have been a bit hectic on our end!

First off I just want to say that I love my God. He is eternally faithful and He has always been there for us. I am daily in awe that He would look upon me with desire and love in spite of my continual blunders!

So here is another one for the books…Two weeks ago Jess, Sunda and I went into town to do some grocery shopping for our outreach to one of the villages on the farm. We parked at one of the busiest spots in Livingstone, the post office, and jumped out to go to a couple shops. Twenty minutes went by and I had enough bags in hand to need to return and dump them off with our Land Rover. Upon returning, I found that one of our windows had been forced open in the back of the vehicle. Well, you know how you get that sick feeling in your stomach when you know you’re about to hear/see some really bad news…let’s just say my heart was beating out of my chest. I unlocked the back door and to my astonishment found that someone had gotten into our vehicle, gone through our things and stolen our laptop. Immediately I jumped out and began questioning all of the venders who are set up RIGHT IN FRONT of our vehicle. Of course, their response was “I saw nothing…” At this point I realize that I’m going to lose control on someone (the great missionary that I am) and so I return to the vehicle and wait for Jessi. She returns and I give her the story and we sit down for a minute speechless. Now I understand that some of you are thinking…it’s just a laptop…but when that small machine operates as our database for ministry, music, and entertainment in the bush it had become a whole lot more central to us than ever before. Our first discussion revolved around notifying the police, which here is quite frankly useless (a day full of questions and paperwork in a Zambian police station would have only escalated my frustration). We decided to spread the word to some of our Zambian friends in town and let God bring it back to us if it was His will.
We went on to have an excellent, but difficult week out in Peter’s village. Excellent because we had some great times fishing, eating together and studying the word of God. Difficult because living in the bush brings on a whole new dimension of living. It is a “slower chaos” as Jessi puts it. It’s like putting all of your effort in a day just to…survive. Cooking takes a lot more time when you are doing everything over a fire and sharing that fire with other families. The chickens, dogs and cats constantly trying to steal whatever they can get also poses as a constant nuisance. Zambia has also declared a national emergency due to more rain than people have ever seen here so simply keeping out tent clean from mud was a chore (especially with a silly, excited 2 year old!) We returned from our outreach very excited and very worn out all at once, but we managed without a laptop and we knew that things would work out.
A few days after arriving home I arranged a trip to Lusaka in order to try and get our adoption further along. I arrived and after a long conversation with our social worker I had to accept that Zambia has simply put a temporary hold on adoptions. We are legally fostering Sunda right now, but the adoption will have to finish once the ban is lifted (please pray hard for this!) After that meeting I went to Lusaka’s nice shopping area and visited the internet parlor. I had spoken with a missionary friend who told me he had done lots of purchases off of eBay and that I should check there for a laptop. I had been doing some research and decided that Jessi and I were going to switch to an apple laptop because of several reasons. I knew the prices of most of the apple set-ups and so I began searching through eBay to find a deal. After just ten minutes of looking around I came upon a fully loaded, brand new apple laptop that was been sold a nearly a fourth of the price. The ad said the seller wanted to be contacted through e-mail in order to discuss things with the buyer. I contacted the seller and asked why it was so cheap and all of the details with the purchase. We agreed that we would only make the purchase through eBay, but the seller from Romania asked me if I could please pay using Western Union because of the difficulty with drawing money using Paypal (which we understand the difficulty drawing money thing). I agreed and received a confirmation email from eBay indicating the item had been sold to me and all of the directions for payment (all verified by eBay). The item was purchased at $1200 (a laptop at $4400 value!) and I sent the first $1000 through Western Union immediately. I returned to the farm that night by bus and the next morning I told Jeff, our director, all about my great purchase. I believe his first words were, “you didn’t send the money did you!?!” You know that sick feeling I talked about earlier…well it returned. “Of course,” was my answer. He went on to tell me about how anyone requesting to use Western Union on eBay is usually a scam. I assured him that eBay sent me a verification that it was all done through them and I was protected. He told me to check it all out. I went into town in order to check e-mail and I looked over the verification e-mail from eBay and was convinced that all was ok. I got onto my eBay user name and it said that I had made 0 purchases on the account. This was puzzling. eBay had sent me verification to my e-mail and yet my account said I hadn’t purchased or won any items. I began to open a bunch of the “common questions” on eBay to find that people are able to send “fake” eBay verifications to your personal e-mail and that you are only supposed to go through your eBay message board. As I continued I came to find that if you use Western Union then eBay has no ability to get your money back if you are swindled. So there I was, laptopless and now swindled of $1,000. I thought I was going to bust. GOD…WHERE WERE YOU ON THAT ONE…was one of my first thoughts. WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME! Was probably a close second.
I went home angry and sad and confused all at once. But I also had another thought in the back of my head. It seems that every time these kind of catastrophes happen in life, we have a chance to learn something incredible from God who is never closer than at these times. I just spoke a message concerning the grace of God and how it is actually the grace of God in our lives at times when bad things happen to us. Well, this was one of those times.
I was preparing for a bible study the next day and totally clueless as to how I could teach anything with the way I was feeling. And then I had one of those moments. You know. The kind of moment where God reveals himself to you and “sobers you up” from that woe is me garbage. He simply asked me the question, “What really matters?” I was stunned and excited. I knew it was a rhetorical question that my Father was eager to show me. I sat there in silence and that inner voice began to remind me of a verse that has carried me through so many times in the last several years.

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ…” -Phil. 3:7-8

To know Him. To be invited to gaze upon and know the One Who has no end. Paul had it all. Popularity, prestige, wealth, power. And what does he say? It is ALL rubbish compared to knowing Jesus. If everything I own is taken from me tomorrow, I can stand without offense in my heart because no one can take my knowledge of God. No one can separate me from my King. He even says in Bible, “No one can snatch them (his children) out of my hand.” God set me free in that moment. I have every ability to fall more and more in love with Him every day and I don’t need money or a laptop. I don’t even have to know the right words to say or pray. I don’t need to have a perfect theology. I just have to have a desire to know Him and follow Him. He leads me from there. He reveals Himself to the one who cries out to Him. I get to wake up every day and journey into the never-ending depths of God. Love Incarnate. Mercy, Justice, Truth. He is the essence of reality. And He has chosen to reveal Himself to me. To us! And this is my life: consumed with one thing, namely, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord (Psalm 27:4). I will gladly lose everything that I may gain Him.

We had a great bible study. I was able to thank God for the mishaps because they brought that fresh, new perspective into my life. You can’t take Him from me. Hah! I win! God wins!
So with that long blog I invite you just as Jesus invites you:
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I wil give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
If you can relate. If you are tired and overloaded. Cry out to Him. Just say God I want to know you! He is closer than you think!

With all of my love,

Jake

Crazy Life...Abundant Blessings...

2008-01-09T02:19:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, God asks us to do crazy things. No, not crazy things like that of the delirious religious fanatics that come into my mom’s ER on a full moon claiming to be the Messiah. Rather, things that seem against the normal flow of society. Things that are not typically socially, politically, or economically acceptable. Things that seem like you don’t really have it all together. I guess God sometimes asks us to do these things because, I imagine if I only had to do things that made it seem like I had it all together, I would be able to give a lot of glory to myself. And that is exactly opposite the point of our existence, isn’t it? The Bible says that we exist to give glory to God. That, even the trees and all of creation cry out His Praises! So, we have to get over the thing of wanting to be and look and act “normal.” We’re not really.

I wonder how many people read those sentences and think, “No, it’s people like that, people that think that they hear from God, that form the base of all the religious crazies and fanatics in the world.” Well, then count me in. I’d rather you think I was crazy than act like I don’t have a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe. How about that for fanatic?

So, all that said, sometimes, God asks us to do crazy things. For me, God asked me to do a crazy thing last year when Jacob said, “I think we’re supposed to adopt this little girl.” My heart was full of love for her. It told me that I didn’t really want to live my life without her. But adopt? In our early twenties? Our first child? On our salary? Living in a third world country? Not having a home to live in in the U.S.? What about the social stigma? What if we did move back to West Virginia? As my dad put it, “Who will she date in Brooke County?” To me, it was crazy that God would put such a thing in our path. And I knew it had to be Him, because at that point in my life, I wouldn’t have thought of it myself.

In case you’re wondering, when Sunda is old enough for us to talk about all of this, I will make sure to make this part of the adoption process something that she knows about. How our love for her overcame all of the things that people might think and say. How it overcame my worry of our families and friends accepting it. How it overcame any prejudices that might exist now or in the future. How, sometimes, things that are absolutely NOT apart of our 5 year plan become the biggest blessing that we’ve known in our lives so far.

Before Jacob and I left to come back to Africa, I was terrified. Terrified that I wouldn’t be a good mother. An organized mother. A patient mother. An unconditionally loving mother. A mother who was able to rise cheerfully at 5 and have clean hair and French toast on the table by 6. I was certain that because adoption wasn’t in the original plan, I would be unprepared and that everyone would suffer for it. It was as if, in my own head, 25 marked the magic age for my readiness to be a mother. Anytime before that, and surely my childish immaturities would overcome me and I would neglect my child and scar her for life.

HA! Funny the things that we think. Don’t send me emails about being too hard on myself. If you don’t ever think these things, then just chalk it up to me being Obsessive Compulsive and we’ll call it a day.

The funny thing is that from the day that we got the paper stating that Sunda was in our custody, my life transformed. I’ve even thought, “Wow, this makes living in my own head so much easier, I wish we would’ve done it sooner.” Not only is having Sunda a joy and a blessing, it carries a weight that hasn’t been matched in my life so far. You hear this from all new moms, but I experienced it in a different way, because I wasn’t prepared for it by 9 months of pregnancy and 12 hours of labor. All of a sudden, my life wasn’t about me. It was about her. My bad mood doesn’t matter, because it’s not her fault, and she still wants to play. The fact that I’m tired and have a cold doesn’t matter, because she’s awake and needs to be fed. Even if there’s no electricity, or the gas has run out of my gas stove, or the hot water heater has stopped working, or there’s no water at all because the tank has run dry. It doesn’t matter. I no longer have the luxury of throwing my own personal fit and tossing in the towel. Believe it or not, to me, this makes life a lot easier. Like this:

It’s 5:45 am. Sunda has woken up and is singing from her bed, “Mama, walk. (as in, “Let’s go for a walk.”) Mama, walk. Mama, poop. I poop.”

It’s early. I don’t want to get up. But this isn’t college anymore. I don’t get to lay in bed and skip a class just because I don’t want to. I have to get up because someone else in the world is depending on me to start my day so that she can start hers. And, inevitably, 15 minutes after I’ve dragged myself out of bed, we are laughing and playing, and I think, “Would I really have wanted to miss this?” Suddenly, it’s a little easier to make choices because I can ask myself what’s best for her, instead of analyzing and replaying what’s best for me.

So, there are many chains that come with parenthood. You’ve heard them all before. No more sleeping in, no more spontaneity, no more late nights. Whatever. But, there are so many freedoms too. The freedom of not listening to yourself and your needs, because there are other needs to attend to. The freedom of going to bed at night and knowing that, even if you did nothing else of worth that day, there is a child who went to bed feeling secure and loved because of you. The freedom of making decisions, not upon your own best interest or profit, but your whole family’s best interest. And, especially for me, the freedom of not worrying anymore about my own inadequacies or inefficiencies. Because, I’m essentially in the middle of everything I ever worried about. So, if I want to change things, I can change them. And if not, there’s not really a whole lot to worry about. Mostly because there’s a not a whole lot of time to worry when I’m trying to keep a VERY active two year old entertained, fed, at least partly clean, and out of anything that could hurt her or make a huge mess.

Again, sometimes God asks us to do crazy things. And sometimes, these things end up being the least crazy decisions we’ve ever made. That’s why He makes them. He knows we’d never do it on our own. In that respect, I mentioned that I will someday tell Sunda that our love for her and God’s love for her overcame everything else that stood in the way. Right now, we need that love to overcome some pretty big things that stand in the way. The adoption process is not moving exactly as we’d hoped and we came home from a week in Lusaka tired, discouraged, and poor. Don’t spend time worrying for us. If God can overcome my will (all of our wills) then He can surely overcome the Zambian adoption process. Please pray that our adoption will be granted and that we would be light in the dark places that exist in this chaos. That’s all.

After all of that expose on parenting, I would feel completely remiss not to mention Jacob’s role in all of this. Typically, I am embarrassed by my friend’s sentimental blogs singing their husband’s praises. In fact, I’m a little embarrassed by such sentimentality unless it is for Jacob’s ears alone. However, I would feel like I left out a lot if I acted like I handle the bulk of the parenting, or get up every early morning, or change even most of the poopie diapers. I don’t. “Facts is facts.” Aside from being my best friend, a wonderful caretaker, and a kind and loving husband, Jacob is the best example of a father that I have ever seen…in my life. He has taught me any wisdom that I’ve gained from this experience. And I’ve learned about being a good parent mostly from his example. I don’t know where he learned to do the things that he does. I don’t know how he keeps from being overwhelmed. I don’t know how he always has time to stop and pay attention to whatever Sunda is doing. And I don’t know how he manages to love me so much at the same time. But he does. Our marriage was strong, joyful, and loving before. But being in this situation has completely changed my view of him. If I respected him before, I am awed now. I always knew that we would have a wonderful family…but now I am moved to tears to think of the blessing that our children will have in their father. I am a blessed woman. Those are the facts.

If you thought that we were just doing a good deed or furthering our mission with this adoption, you were wrong. God put this child in our lives, not only because she needed a home, but because we needed the lessons and the love that being parents brings. Even if it’s crazy, this crazy girl is standing in awe of the fact that God sees so perfectly into exactly what we need and exactly how He will be glorified through it.

Well, if you never got the depths of my heart, you have it now. I have been agonizing about posting a blog because I knew that if I started writing I just might share a little more than I wanted to. But, here you are, more than you wanted to know.

Peace.

Christmas!!

2007-12-27T01:02:00.000-08:00

Well Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

I've had a blog typed up for over a week now, but due to no internet, I have had no chance to send it out! Jessi, Sunda and I had a wonderful Christmas this year (even in spite of having electricity go out for Christmas eve and Christmas morning)! First and foremost we want to thank EVERYONE who sent a card, letter or e-mail our way. It was amazing! One day we went to our post office box to find nearly 25 letters from people all over Brooke County. We even got a whole packet of Christmas letters from a class at Wellsburg Middle School. You all helped make our Christmas very special.
We spent Christmas morning together and then went to a big gathering at our friends, the Colmbrinks. We had a nice dinner and lots of fun running around with Sunda as she chased around every animal in sight (cows, cats, dogs, etc.) The best part was that we obtained full custody of our little girl nearly two weeks ago so we were able to spend the holiday together as a family. We have a few meetings early in January and a final court date until the adoption is totally final! Praise the Lord!
We're working on getting a family pic up, but even now the internet is giving us problems so we'll continue trying...keep a lookout!
We hope and pray that you all had a wonderful time celebrating our Saviors birth and that you all have a great new year. Heiko, a friend of mine here in Zambia, told me about a question that hit him hard a few days back and I'm going to pose that same question to you. The three wisemen each longed for the day they would see their King and when that day finally arrived they each brought him the most precious thing possible: gold, frankenscence and myrhh (probably spelled wrong). So the question we have for all of you followers of Jesus Christ is this...What have you brought your King? Is it your best?
We love you all!
Jake, Jessi and Sunda

Christmas and Adoption

2007-12-12T20:24:00.000-08:00

I don’t know who started the Christmas Card campaign in Wellsburg, WV…but we are extremely grateful! The last three times that Jake and I have been to the post office, we have been flooded with 10+ Christmas cards! We’ve received Christmas cards from people we don’t know very well, from family friends, from community church members, and from a 5th grade class at Wellsburg middle school! We can’t express our gratefulness to those of you who have taken the time to think of us at this time of year. And the pure multitude of those that are thinking of us have us completely overwhelmed and full of appreciation. The farm director, Jeff, joked yesterday that if we keep getting this much mail, we’re going to have to rent our own post office box, because everyone else’s mail won’t fit! So, if you are reading this, thank you very much for your thoughts and wishes…if feels so good to get mail in Africa!

On another exciting note, Jacob is in Lusaka right now meeting with the Social Services Department. If all goes according to plan, he will walk out of the office with a form stating that we have permission to foster Mukansunda (meaning that we have responsibility for her and that she can stay with us full-time) until the adoption proceeding goes through. This is a great thing, and what we have been waiting for. Because as soon as we have permission to take her with us, we can really start embarking on the full-scale bush ministry that we are excited about doing. It’s just crazy the way that God’s perfect timing is not always our idea of perfection.

Two weeks ago, we were feeling in a rut because our tent was stuck in the airport awaiting duty fees, our apartment was still empty because of small problems that kept us from moving in, and we had heard nothing from the States about our homestudy adoption papers. All of a sudden, we received our tent, the apartment was livable, and we got word that our papers had gone through. All at about the same time! And really, we couldn’t have had Sunda stay with us until we had an apartment, and we couldn’t do outreach ministry with Sunda without a tent. So, once again…it’s a good thing He’s God and I’m not. Who knows where my impatience and independence would have ended us up?

Christmas is fastly approaching, but somehow it feels more Christmasy than last year. I want to decorate and bake cookies and watch Christmas movies. Last year, I wanted to go to bed and be woken up when Dec. 25 had past. It will be my first Christmas with an understanding of what work and commitment moms of all ages and races put into the holiday. I guess I’d better start planning ahead! Sugar cookies, here I come!

Just wanted to kick out a short update and let everyone know how grateful we are for the Christmas greetings. And how excited we are about how quickly the adoption process is moving! I will humbly, but boldly, ask you to pray that the process would actually move smoothly without red tape and hoop jumping. And for Sunda, that she would be seamlessly transitioned into our home.

Happy Tuesday, and Happy Christmas Shopping.

P.S.

I wrote this on Tuesday...couldn't post until Thursday so as of now we have custody of Sunda!!! Praise God! She spent her first night with us last night. :o)

Come....and Stay!

2007-12-06T10:22:00.000-08:00

How incredible to be asked to "come" by the King of kings. This thought has come to my mind several times in the past week. Scriptures where Christ beckons us to approach Him and receive all that we need are hard to fathom. That the Almighty, Uncreated One would allow me to even enter His divine presence is a wonder to begin with; however, I've been reminded that He has called us to an even deeper, more intimate place.
A few years ago I felt a great pull in my spirit to go and spend some alone time with the Lord. I was at my parents home in West Virginia and so I went down to the basement and lay down on the carpet. I really had nothing to say, no prayer requests came to mind, but only a simple desire to be with God. I laid there on my face for maybe ten minutes in silence. The only communication taking place was my heart and God's...His love and my love being exchanged. After some time I decided that I was simply wasting my time and could be doing far better things for God's kingdom than laying on my face on the floor. As I went to get up I had one of the most distinct times of hearing the voice of God in my life. His words were, "Don't leave yet..." Now immediately the reality of God hit me and I spent quite a bit more time on my face thanking God for His love and nearness. This moment has not left me in the past few years and it is not until recently that I've understood it's importance.
The highest aim of God is for union with His people. This union begins when God says come to each and every heart and by His grace we are drawn to Him. However, this is simply the BEGINNING place for that union. The EVEN GREATER call is that God tells us to STAY! How wonderful when someone you love and desire asks you to come and speak with them, but to be constrained to stay is a far greater pleasure. John 15 speaks of this great desire in the heart of God to have His people "abide". To abide is to stay or remain. I'm tired of my "amens" at the end of a prayer translating to "see you later God". There is far more to life than "time with God". There is abiding with God. Never leaving. A constant, life-giving flow of relationship that can be maintained through every daily chore, work activity, and conversation.
The beauty is that it is by God's grace that we can stay. He has made the way for us to come and given us the ability to stay. All we are called to do is admit that we are weak and unable and receive His fresh mercy each morning to believe that His power is enough to conquer our minds and wills and keep us in that Holy of Holies. In that place where the only thing that matters is loving God with all of our being. Loving him with every action, every gesture, every thought, every movement and knowing that we do this because we have received indescribable love from Him! Let me ruin all of your comfort zones right now by saying that there is far more to this life than we are experiencing. We have been created to abide. I may be abiding for one hour a day (on a good day). But I want unbroken fellowship. I'm sure if it becomes our aim and pure goal that God will give us more and more as we humble ourselves before Him. For any of you who are hungry for this, let me give you two books that will truly set you on a good path: Practicing His Presence by Brother Lawrence and Andrew Murray on Prayer by Andrew Murray. Try them in the order I have suggested and you will not be dissapointed (of course use these in conjunction with the greatest book of all...the Bible). I love you all and am praying for God to give you a desire for unbroken fellowship with Him.

Jacob

A Spot on the Food Network?

2007-11-26T06:39:00.001-08:00

In light of the recent Thanksgiving holiday, which we celebrated here with two huge turkeys, I thought I’d tell you about my recent weeks of intense Zambian cooking experiences. I’m not sure if you’re as much of a Food Network fan as I am (when I can get it). But I’m convinced that I’m marketable for a spot. Maybe Rachel Ray can interview me on her talk show about exotic cooking techniques. I’m not sure that power outages are a problem facing the general American public, or if cooking maize meal over the fire is considered exotic. But, hey, it’s different, right?

Last week, I decided that the time had come for me to learn how to make the traditional beverage that is very popular in the Zambian village. Chibwantu,or sweet beer to your average mzungu (white person), is a non-alcoholic maize-based beverage that is especially drunk during rainy season. The men and women carry it with them to the fields to give them a pick me up in the middle of a hot morning. It’s very different from anything that you’ve probably ever tasted. And, as far as my own limited knowledge permits me to say, it doesn’t taste anything like beer.

The pastor’s wife and I embarked on making a huge batch (I mean, if you’re gonna make sweet beer, make sweet beer, right?) We built a big fire and began to cook a porridge of “maize rice” which is just maize pounded into smaller pieces (a bit smaller than rice). The porridge cooks quickly, expands, and binds together. When it finished boiling violently and popping all over the arms of anyone who dared get too close, we removed the huge iron pot from the fire to allow the porridge to cool.

While the porridge cooled, we soaked a root called munkoyo in cool water. The root is dug from the ground and is what gives sweet beer its distinctive flavor. When the porridge cooled, we added the munkoyo water and stirred. After multiple tastings to determine whether the munkoyo had “taken”(never did figure out how you can tell), we added brown sugar for sweetness. I have to say, it was some mighty fine sweet beer. The batch made enough to fit inside an (unused) garbage can and was then distributed among all of my helpers and their families. It was a good experience. And I thought that I had effectively learned how to reproduce the recipe. Unfortunately, I was wrong. I tried to make a smaller batch just this week (without any help) just to see if I could do it. I couldn’t. It tasted terrible. Like rice soaked in fish water. Blech. Janice informed me that I had soaked the munkoyo too long. When we made the sweet beer together, the women looked like they were doing everything so haphazardly. But no, they have a precise method to their madness, one that I didn’t pick up on. So, it’s back to school for me and sweet beer making. Jacob loves sweet beer and was intensely disappointed that my 2nd batch didn’t turn out. I can’t say the same for rest of the missionary crew, who pretty much looks at us like we’re crazy when we say that we enjoy it. We can’t help it, Zambia has gotten into our blood!

Onto other Food Network worthy cooking experiences…

When we stayed in Chabboboma last weekend, I was excited to finally get some real experience cooking Zambian style food out on the fire. Well, the church women had other ideas. They considered it a full and complete insult for us to cook for ourselves, so they took my chicken and cabbages and prepared it for us while we sat waiting. I did convince them that I was capable enough to cook breakfast on my own, and they reluctantly agreed. Little did I realize why…

I should have realized why. I mean, logically, the timing just doesn’t work out. Church starts at nine. I woke up at 6:30. At home, with my running water and stove and shower, I could easily cook a big breakfast, clean up, and shower and dress for church in that amount of time. It wasn’t that I hadn’t cooked on the fire before, it was just that I was never pressed for time before. So, I started the fire at the nearest fire spot (about 30 yards from the house we stayed in) with wet firewood, blowing desperately to get it going. I hauled water to wash out the pots and start the rice. Then, I started the rice while trying to cut onions in my hand (no cutting board). When the rice was finally finished, I set it aside and started to make the tomato/onion gravy to put over it (common Zambian breakfast, and really tasty!) I had brought canned tomatoes to avoid all the chopping. Smart, right? Yep, except for I didn’t bring a can opener. So, I tracked Jake down and had him perform surgery with his knife on our tomato cans. I fried the onions while stirring constantly, praying that they wouldn’t burn on the now blazing fire. Added the tomatoes and some salt, and with a few more minutes of boiling, my gravy was ready! Now all I needed to do was carry the scalding hot pots all the way back to the house. Shoot! I forgot to make tea! Okay, haul the water for tea, set the pot boiling. Carry the food back to the house and set the table. Make the tea, carry it back. Call the men for breakfast. They mosey into the house slowly, chatting about the service from the night before. It’s 8:30 am. I still have to eat, clean up, haul water for a bath, take a bucket bath, and walk to church before 9 o ‘clock. Man, that hauling water and cooking on the fire thing takes a lot of time! No wonder it seems like the Zambians are always running late!

So, after that, I served the food, swallowed some rice and tea, and took a (much needed) bath from a small bucket. I wasn’t on time for church, but no one seemed too concerned. I have a feeling they understood perfectly! So, now I know. Things take much longer out of your own environment and even longer when the firewood is wet. I’ll get up earlier next time. Or, we’ll eat bread. End of story.

Just in case you ever get a hankering for tomato/onion gravy, I’ll give you the recipe. I made it for lunch here at the guest house, and everyone loved it.

1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
1 can diced tomatoes or 3 fresh tomatoes finely chopped
2-3 Tbl. Cooking oil
1 tsp. flour
Salt

Fry onions in cooking oil until tender. Add tomatoes. If canned, they will need a short time to cook. If fresh, they’ll need a bit longer. Make a paste with the flour in a bit of water. Add to the gravy mixture and stir constantly until it boils. Boil for a minute so that you don’t a raw flour taste. Add salt (quite a bit). Serve over hot rice. Yum!

Okay, so now you know my struggling cooking experiences…would you like to hear about my one victory? A Zambian friend from the other orphanage on the hill taught me to make “fire bread.” Fire bread is a sweet bread that can be cooked in a pot, whether on a fire or on a brazier. A brazier is a tiny circular metal grill just big enough for one pot. You build a charcoal fire in the top of it and then set the pot on to cook. Most Zambians use braziers when it’s raining and the firewood is wet, or if they just need to cook a one-pot meal.

Here is the recipe for fire bread, which will come in handy for me in the bush when I don’t have an oven! I made it for dinner the other night, and the visitors couldn’t believe that it was cooked over the fire. It comes out beautifully moist and sweet.

Start a charcoal fire and let it get very hot and burn down.

5 heaping handfuls flour
1 heaping Tbl. Baking powder
1 tsp. salt
5 Tbl. Sugar
3 Tbl. Cooking oil

2 cups water or 2 eggs and 11/2 cups water

Mix the first 4 ingredients. Add oil. Mix well. Add water or eggs and water and mix again. Wipe a big pot with oil on the inside and a bit of dishsoap on the outside. Put the bread batter in the pot. Cover the pot with a large, flat lid. The lid must be able to hold coals on the top. Empty most of the hot coals from the brazier and put them on the lid. Place the pot on the hot brazier and make sure the coal-covered lid fits with no gaps. Let bake for 30-40 minutes. The bread is finished when it is golden brown on the tops and sides. (Carefully) take the lid off of the pot and remove the pot from the brazier to cool. After cooling 10 minutes remove the bread from the pot. Cut like a pie. There you go…fire bread!

So, I have had quite a time learning to cook like a Zambian. It’s really quite an art even though their “cuisine” isn’t very extensive. The trick is to learn from a Tonga woman, and then sneak away and do it by yourself. Because as long as there is a Tonga woman around, she will take the spoon right out of your hand and tell you, “No! Not like that!”

As all those Food Network stars say: “Happy cooking!” Let me know if you talk to Rachel Ray, I think I could really boost her ratings. Ha! ;)

Chabbobboma!

2007-11-19T02:48:00.000-08:00

Greetings again in the name of Jesus! Jess and I just returned yesterday from our first contact in Chabbobboma (i realize it was spelled wrong before). We had an unbelievable time! The place was absolutely beautiful, full of baobab trees and rolling hills. We stayed at a Pilgrim Wesleyan Church guest house for the night and were blessed to meet many strong believers in that area. We had the opportunity to visit with the head chief of the area and share the vision we have for Chabbobboma. He was very receptive and welcomed us to come back and visit him any time we pleased. Having the blessing of the chief is very important. After this we went to Lake Karibe and were taken out by boat to see how vast this lake really is. They called it the "blue sky that extends forever". In the evening we held a worship service for many of the school children who stayed on site and it was full of dancing, singing and words of encouragement from our anointed Zambian brother, Tom. We discussed with the pastor and district superintendent about whe areas that really needed the gospel and he told us of a few places that were heavy into demon worship (satanists). We will be praying about setting up camp in one of those areas on our next trip to see how God's light can break through! Our sleep at night would have been nice except for the extreme heat and a huge storm that came for a couple hours. We woke up to find a scorpion the size of my fist right outside of our door (they warned us that the snakes and scorpions are bad in this area...that was a bit unnerving). We had some very well prepared nshima for dinner along with chicken and cabbage that we provided. In the morning our church service went really well. I spoke from John 10:10 "The thief comes to kill, steal and destroy. But I (Jesus) have come that you may have life and life abundantly." They were told about how we are all in a war whether we like it or not. There is a being, Satan, who is hates us and is out to kill us and another greater being, God, who love us and desires to save us. We discussed how you cannot serve two masters. You must choose who you will serve with the understanding that one has already won the battle! (tough choice right!?) We discussed how our flesh or sinful nature is in rebellion to what we really are called to do with our lives and nothing short of the life of Christ in us can set us free. We had people come up and confess their sin and commit their lives to Jesus Christ that very morning. Many of them confessed to being "tatooed" by witch doctors for "protection from evil spirits". Little did they know that those tatooes were opening them up to more evil! We taught them the word and led them through a time of repenting of those things and trusting in Jesus Christ for protection. One woman approached us afterwards and told us how her husband had died a few years ago. Since that time there was an old man who was a relative that was supposed to take care of her. Instead of doing so, he came and beat her with a club one morning and ever since then she had been having dreams of her husband and this old man coming and doing terrible things to her. She believed that the old man had "witched" her because everytime he came around there is something that would crawl inside of her skin. We prayed over her, shared with her about the love and power of Jesus Christ and told her that no witch doctor will help her from these things. She spoke with the pastor and he agreed to accompany her to her home and pray over her home and children as well. We also prayed that God would allow justice to be done with the terrible things this old man was doing (she already took him to court and he bribed his way out of getting into trouble). So you can see, we are dealing with some very serious stuff. It is utterly essential that we have your prayers plowing the ground as we enter into these places. Praise God for the body of Christ. That we NEED each other and that no one has a greater ministry than the other. We love you all and ask that your prayers would continue with us as ours continue with you. Until all have heard the gospel of Jesus and seen it lived among them...Grace and Peace to you!

Jacob

The need for outreach in the bush!

2007-11-04T22:40:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday we made our second outreach trip into a place called Nyawa. It is roughly two and a half hours from our farm and the only reason it takes that long is because of the road (if you want to call it that) you have to use. We had a warm greeting from the Pilgrim Wesleyan church in the area and after sharing with them our vision they were begging us to come back next week! These people had a hunger for God's word and were literally begging us to not delay on our return. We took Tom and Lena again and they did a wonderful job. Tom, as always, got them up singing and praising the Lord and shared some encouraging words with them while Lena took the children aside and made scripture memory cards for them to read while we are gone. I spoke a message on building a house for the Lord and talked about how the first process is always "digging" when you build a house. You must go down if you want to go up. Before laying a foundation you have to dig into the earth to lay the footer. This digging is represented by us exposing our lives to God and asking him to "till the ground" in our hearts until we are ready to receive His life and His nature in us. Pray that God breaks this people of Nyawa so that their hearts are prepared to receive Jesus Christ.
On the way home I was discussing with Tom about several different deep areas of the bush. Our next trip will be to Chapa Boma and this place is about as deep as you get in Zambia. Tom was telling me that the people there still break their teeth in order to resemble cattle, men still shove bones and wood through their noses and lips, and witchcraft is far more regular than in most places. People who want to travel but have no money will go to the witch doctor who will in turn perform a spell and lay a coat on the ground. The person wanting to travel will then step on the coat and "teleport to the destination". Now let me remind you that we are dealing with the physical realm here. This is spiritual warfare at a height we aren't accustomed to. You can't come here ready to fight with flesh and blood, but you must come against the authorities and principalities in the heavenly realms. (Read Ephesians 6 and 2 Cor. 10:3-6). Places like Chapa Boma follow practices where the way to determine who killed a man is to set the deceased against a tree and wait until he turns to look at the murderer. I say all of this to let you know that the light of Christ is greater than all the darkness in the world! Place after place has held these traditions and the truth of God has penetrated areas all over Zambia and led people to put their faith and hope in Jesus Christ. Please be praying for us even now as we prepare for our first trip to Chapa Boma. Pray for protection in the spiritual realm, pray for the hearts of the people to be prepared, pray that the rain hasn't completely washed out the road yet so that we can get into the area we are going. We will keep you updated as to how things are coming along. Your prayers are enabling us to make the difference. Thank you. (I've attached a picture of Sunda so you can all see how she is doing...she's enjoying her new drum!)

Tragedy

2007-11-04T22:38:00.001-08:00

I haven’t experienced a whole lot of true tragedy in my life. Even being here, in a 3rd world country, with lots of exposure to life and death, I continue to remain fairly untouched by true heartache. True heartache, of course, being the kind of heartache that makes your heart ache, not just people around you.

The hardest death I’d every experienced up to this point was my Grandma Cain (my mom’s mom) this summer. I wasn’t angry or bitter, but just so, so, so sad. My mom and I decided at my grandma’s funeral that we really didn’t like the idea of the glossy American memorial event. It all seemed so fake and surreal. I mean, instead of grieving and spending time rehashing memories with our closest family, we were making funeral arrangements and receiving guests. Yet, to us, that’s what’s considered normal. You make things pretty. You play nice music. You rush around cleaning and making casseroles. Don’t get me wrong. My grandma was honored in her death and it was absolutely wonderful to see my family together and spend time with them. It just somehow felt a little…off. The best part was that my mom, my brothers Sam and Henry, my sister Jayne, and I got to hang out for a whole 4 days.

Last year, here in Zambia, I experienced the death of a young child (13 months). He died after I had cared for him consistently for 3 weeks. He had failure-to-thrive syndrome and just didn’t get any better. I never saw him smile or laugh, and he rarely reached for me or cried when I left the room. It was a sad day when he passed away. But somehow, it was comforting that he didn’t have to suffer anymore.

This week, a tragedy of a whole new sort hit my heart, and the heart of the entire community here. The head housekeeper, Janice, lost her youngest son, Caleb. Janice has been a close friend of mine and Jacob’s since she came to live and work here over a year ago. She is in her early 40’s, speaks perfect English, and is my “go-to” lady for all the questions I have about living and ministering in Zambia. She is an unbelievably strong Christian, daughter to the famous Zambian evangelist Rev. Mwiikisa, whom Jake and I have mentioned often. Her husband Albert is also an amazing man, and up to this week they had 5 beautiful, strong children. Caleb was just about a year old when he came here, and I used to carry him on my back when Janice needed someone to take him off her hands for awhile. Caleb’s first real word was, “Jacobo” (Jacob), and he would squirm from anyone’s arms to run to Jacob’s, and Jake would fling him high in the air. Just this past weekend, on our outreach, we traveled with Janice and Caleb to Siachitema, which is Janice’s home village. Caleb fell asleep in my lap on the way there, and slept next to me that night. I dressed him the next morning and swatted the flies away from him in church. Me and Janice and the rest of the team had an awesome time in Siachitema.

Monday night, Caleb got ahold of some mouthwash with Bedadine (??? not sure if this is right). He sent it flinging over his shoulder, which is when Janice realized that he had gotten the top off and at least taken a taste. Sal was rushed to the scene, pronounced him healthy as long as nothing got into his lungs, and we went back to our Monday night meeting. Monday at midnight, Sal got a knock on the door. Caleb was expelling massive amounts of mucus. That’s when we realized that Caleb had swallowed much more of the liquid than we had originally thought, and that it had also aspirated into his lungs. Without a PICU (Pedatric Intensive Care Unit), there was nothing that could be done. And even with one, there may have been little help. He died at 3 am on the way to Zimba hospital.

Lisa woke me at 6am to tell me the news. I wailed like an African woman. I had never been so shocked. Never had someone so close, so young, so quickly…been gone.

Needless to say, it’s been a tough week. I was so worried about Janice that I could barely keep from seeing her. We went to the funeral yesterday, or should I say, the burial. It was an experience. My first African funeral. And oddly enough, it seemed to make a lot more sense than the ones I’ve been to at home.

I made my way into the women’s hut, where everyone was wailing and crying. I greeted each woman in the family and stopped to cry with each one before sitting straight-legged on the floor and crying for a long time. As people arrived, they passed through the women’s hut, and they also stopped to cry and sit with Janice. Then, the relatives brought food into the hut. We ate. We spoke quietly and talked about Caleb’s antics and the best memories we had of him. Janice recounted his death countless times. They brought the casket into the women’s hut. The women wailed loudly as his belongings were placed inside and he was wrapped in a blanket. Janice gave an old blanket. “His soul is not there anyway,” she said. We stumbled out into the light and the pastor gave a short message. It made sense. We prayed. They called for the people to come and pass by the half-open casket. I wasn’t going to go. But Janice said, “Come, Jess, let’s go for the body-viewing.” So I went. Janice led the whole funeral in a song. I didn’t understand all the words, but I know she changed the verses to say, “my baby, Caleb.” We processed to the gravesite.

Caleb’s two older sisters were devasted. They wailed on the way to the gravesite. The women around them comforted them and carried them so that they didn’t have to bear their own full weight. We arrived at the gravesite. The coffin was placed in the grave. A member of the family spoke. The pastor spoke. Then, the women started to sing, and the men started to fill the grave. There were only 3 shovels, but when one man would start to shovel, another would interrupt silently within 30 seconds or so, taking over where he left off. Taking the burden from each other. When the grave was completely filled, the women moved forward in song and together got on their knees. They patted the mounded grave to the beat of their singing so that the dirt became smooth. The pastor called families forward to place flowers on the grave. When Janice and Albert came forward, Janice sang declaringly, “It is well, It is well, with my soul.” The siblings cried. When it was finished, the women sang joyfully. We walked back to the village together. The women gathered again to pray. We said goodbye to Janice, and went home, leaving her there with her family for a few more days.

The Bible says that Jesus came to give everlasting life to those who believe in Him. The Bible also says that the kingdom of God belongs to the children. I know that Caleb is in heaven. His mom and dad know that too.

There are a lot of things that Zambians are uneducated about or don’t understand. However, after yesterday, I’m pretty convinced that they understand death and the grieving process a little better than I do. When my mom and I were going through the process of my grandma’s funeral, we came up with a mantra. We said, “When we die, cremate us, then have a party. Die, burn, party.” I may have changed my mind. (Sorry mom.) I would want my family to be together for as long as possible. To grieve together. To not have to worry about fancy caskets or song selections. But to weep and to sing and to be encouraged. To take the burden from each other. To take turns shoveling.

I think I mentioned before that things are a lot more “real” here. A lot grittier and sometimes harder to swallow. I hope this wasn’t too morbid, but sometimes a terrible tragedy makes you think that way. I am grateful for life today. And I pray that I can continue to be this thankful every day that I take breath, for as long as I do.

Siachatema Outreach

2007-10-29T05:25:00.000-07:00

Jessi and I just returned this past weekend from our first overnight outreach in Siachetema. Siachatema is located two and a half hours from our farm and it is a very strategic point for us because it has deep foundations in Christianity. In the early 1900’s, a young woman named Ms. Peyton, packed up her belongings in the States and made way for Africa to be a witness for Jesus Christ. She planted herself in the Siachetema community and immediately began taking care of orphans and raising them up in the Lord. Many of you have heard of Reverend Mwikissa, the 87 year old evangelist who taught at our Bible school. He was one of Ms. Peyton’s orphans. She seemed to leave quite a mark on this community, which has put out many strong leaders and gifted men and women. Our reason for making Siachetema our first area of focus is because we believe God has anointed leaders there who will be catalysts for revival in Zambia.
Our two days were well spent as we met with some key leaders (District Superintendents of churches, clinic officers, pastors, etc.) We brought two wonderful Zambians with us on the journey who will continue to accompany us on these trips. Lena is a widow that lives on our farm with 2 children and she has a big heart for discipling children and women. She was one of our discipleship students last year and will be acting as a teacher and translator on our outreaches. Tom is a 21 year old young man with a big heart for evangelism. He has been traveling on his own throughout Zambia after graduating from grade 12 and preaching the gospel wherever he can. He has a huge passion for seeing youth stand strong in the Lord and he believes very strongly in the vision to establish leaders in the rural areas.
Jessi and Lena stayed in an extra room in Rev. Mwikissa’s home and Tom and I tried out a new 2-man canvas tent I purchased . It is much smaller than the one we are bringing in from South Africa, but it was perfect for a two-day trip. We enjoyed some good traditional food and were even invited to attend a traditional wedding involving some friends we know. One interesting part of the wedding was when it came time to present the gifts. Instead of having a table everyone set them on they set a table up in the middle of all the attendees and asked each person to individually come up and present their gift. If it was 4,000 kwacha (one dollar) then they announced, “4,000 kwacha has been given by…” or if it was three new pots then they announced “three new pots have been given by…!” I could just imagine us doing something like that for a wedding at home…yea right!
Sunday morning I preached on God’s plan for building leaders in Siachatema using scriptures in Isaiah 37:30-32 and John 12:23-28. We spoke of how God desires to raise up men with “deep roots and good fruits” and that the way to becoming a leader is by dying to self and coming alive to the heart of God. Several men and women stayed after the service to share how they were impacted by the message and they felt they were called to be leaders in this thing. That was a huge blessing and confirmation. I also got to visit with a lady who I had prayed for about 10 months ago. She was the one who was not able to walk and after prayer she was totally healed and joined the dance team. She told me that from that day she has walked with no problem and no pain! Hallelujah, we serve a miracle working God!
By the end of it Jessi and I felt like we could have stayed forever (with the exception of missing Mukansunda like crazy) which brings us to our next topic! As most of you know God has led us to adopt a beautiful 20 month old Zambian orphan named Sunda. We are waiting for the final paper to arrive from our home study the States and then we will be going ahead full force with the adoption in Zambia. For all of you who have been asking about our little girl, she is doing very well. She is a non-stop talker who seems to pick up new words every minute (she has now mastered water, mama, daddy, kitty, cheetah, bee, bird, mmmm, yummy, and many others). She loves to dance and sing especially with songs in tonga (the language here in this area of Zambia) although her favorite song is the hamster song on a musical card my parents sent. The first hundred times she listened and danced to it was cute, but Jessi and I are now praying that she figures out a way to break the thing!
We just want to let you all know that we appreciate the prayers and love you send us through e-mail, letters and finances! God is doing awesome things in this place and we love having you all as a team to correspond with and co-labor with in God’s kingdom.

Our prayer is that God would give you all a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus Christ!
Peace and Love,
Jacob and Jessi

The Weather (among other things)

2007-10-15T01:18:00.001-07:00

Don't get confused, because of lack of internet access, blog was written on Thursday, Oct. 11. Posted on Monday, Oct. 15

The weather has broken today. I woke this morning to a cool breeze blowing through the window and a cloud covering the piercing sun. Usually, in this season, you are awakened at sunrise becomes it becomes too hot to stay in bed. But today, I slept past my alarm and didn’t even hear Jacob stir when he got up to start the day. I thought it was still night, because I was still comfortable. The breeze feels nice. Days like this make me think of home. Why, I wonder? Maybe because so often, West Virginia days are gray just like this one. Everything feels quieter and more manageable when there’s a breeze blowing through the leaves and the smell of citrus trees waft through the window screens. But, the breaking weather brings about another season…rainy season.

The good thing about rainy season is that we have occasional gray, cool days. The bad thing about rainy season is that between rains, the weather becomes so stifling hot and humid it feels like your own personal sauna, here just to sap your energy. The rainy season also brings bugs like you’ve never seen before. Winged termites who arrive by the thousand, huge dung beetles, moths the size of small birds, and more ants than you can count.

Okay, that was just a warm-up. Onto the real story.

Yesterday, Lisa (on-field director Jeff’s wife), Jaime (new orphanage director), and I went to a ladies breakfast in town. The hostess had invited a Zambian woman named Milas to talk with us about some cultural issues that we may or may not be aware of. What a fascinating breakfast! One of the women at the breakfast has been living in Zambia for 43 years. Some have been ministering with the same organization for 15 years. And some, like Jaime, had been in Zambia a whole 2 weeks. Regardless of our individual knowledge and understanding of Zambian culture, all of us were surprised at some of the things that Milas explained to us. I would like to explain some of these traditional customs to you. But they are explicit, be warned.
When a baby is born, he/she is confined to the house for the first month of its life. This is because a popular Zambian belief states that the air outside the house is polluted (for a newborn). All clothes and cloth diapers must be washed and dried inside the house. Remember, Zambian houses are mud huts about the size of your master bathroom, with a lower ceiling.

The baby must be bathed in water that has been infused with various roots and tree bark. Often, this dirty water and lack of ventilation can cause an infection in the umbilical cord area. Babies sometimes contract tetanus and die because of this method.

The mother and father of the baby must not engage in sexual intercourse for the first 3 months of the baby’s life. The first time that the couple comes together after the birth of the baby, the semen must be spilled upon the baby. The ceremony is called giving the baby its “second birth.” This time of second birth is when the child is finally considered a human being. If the child dies before that time, the death will be accounted to the fault of the father, who will be assumed to have had an adulterous affair. He will often have to pay retribution to his wife’s family because he was “responsible” for the child’s death. Also, if the child dies before this time of “second birth” the women will be the only ones to attend the funeral because the child was not yet considered a human being.

If the child is a girl, she will begin to be taught about being a woman at age 10. At this age, the young girls will be gathered into one home and taught how to stretch their labia to an appropriate length so that they will be more desirable to their future husbands. They will work on this stretching for many years, causing cracks and tears in the sensitive skin that often leaves them more susceptible to contracting the HIV virus.

When the girl starts menstruating, her mother will hire another woman (sometimes a family member, sometimes not) to instruct her daughter in the ways of being a woman. She will be confined to a home for up to 3 months and taught how to serve a man and how to please her husband. If she is not a good student, she will be beaten by the women who are teaching her. Her mother plays no part in this teaching process, it is considered inappropriate for a mother to teach her daughter anything about sex. The daughter is not even supposed to tell her mother when she has started her menstruation, but instead is to go to another woman in the village who will inform her mother for her.

After this time of confinement, the girl is brought out into the world to dance and show off to the whole village. She is scantily clad and the men from the village come to watch and admire her. Premarital sex is not generally discouraged, so after being taught about all of these sexual methods and areas of responsibility, the girl is curious to experience the things taught her by her grandmothers. The men of the village are also interested to see what she has learned. The girl is taught to use herbs to make herself very dry [during sex]. This is supposed to allow for more pleasure on the man’s part. This also allows for more wounding, which, in addition to the torn labia, allows for extra easy HIV infection. Often, because of the taboos that do not permit a father to show interest in or affection toward his daughter, women are especially desperate for male companionship to fill the need for a male protector in their lives.

These traditions vary from tribe to tribe. The methods are not all the same. But, across the board, educated or uneducated, churched or un-churched, there are Africans who are continuing in these dangerous and painful methods. Maybe you are “disgusted” or “shocked” at these facts. I may have been at first, but it only takes switching on a TV in the U.S. to confirm that we suffer from the same barbaric methods-we just put lipstick on it and call it a Playboy bunny. Our 13-year-olds run around scantily clad, attracting the attention of whoever will look. Our women pay thousands and thousands of dollars to surgically augment every part of their body. In my hometown the strip clubs on Main St. outnumber the grocery stores, flower shops, and banks combined.

Milas said that she discovered that the traditional methods were a lie by asking the white woman who came to speak at her church about it. She was really interested to see how, if the white people didn’t follow these same methods, their babies lived and prospered and their children married and lived happily. She encouraged us to use our own testimonies, and hers, as proof that witchcraft and traditional medicine do not improve quality of life, but only plunge the user further into fears and bondage.

Is this relevant to our American culture? Could it be true that our culture’s manic frenzy toward “sexual freedom” is actually more related to barbaric African customs than it is to a modern, educated society? What kind of truth are we seeking by telling women to “be comfortable enough with their bodies” to display them on the internet or for a video camera? Often, our living rooms serve as the same kind of classroom the Zambian mud huts do, but our teachers come in the form of vulgar TV shows that openly display sexual techniques and make light of extra-marital affairs. Are we finding the truth, the improvement that we’re looking for, in the form of this “it’s all relative” view of morality?

Just asking…

Because here, in Zambia, the only way that people are being set free from witchcraft is to hear and believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When the truth of God is planted deep in their hearts, the Holy Spirit gives them the power to stand up against the fear of man. They are given the courage to say to their grandparents, “You won’t bathe my child in herbs and roots.” “You won’t teach my daughter about sex.” “You won’t tie charms on my son or on me.” And I won’t die [because of rejecting these methods], but will live, and live to the fullest. And they find that their children don’t die. And they find that they don’t have to live under a burden of fear and worry. But instead, they can live with joy and with purpose.

Are we living under the restrictions that our culture places upon us? Are we [as Christians] dressing, talking, acting, or working a certain way in order to make the people around us comfortable? Are we trying to make a gray area between right and wrong instead of just declaring that it is black and white? The Bible says that God would rather us be hot or cold, but not lukewarm. We are not the judgment makers, that job falls to God. However, I’m willing to stand up in a culture that is not my own and declare to those people that they don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. Am I willing to do it in my own country, in my own state, in my own hometown? Are you?

My heart is breaking for women. And children. And people who are living under a system that they think is giving life. A system that they think is the only way. But it’s not. There is another way. Zambian, American, Indian, European. We must turn from our ways and see the peace, freedom, joy (and trials) that come with serving Jesus Christ.

What a blessing it is to be truly free.

And what a blessing it is to you that I am finally done with this blog. Thanks for sticking with me.

jessi

Now, I Live...not i, but Christ who lives in me

2007-10-15T01:18:00.000-07:00

I’m sitting here right now thinking about what it is to be alive. To really live. I’m not talking about having a pulse. I’m talking about that feeling you get on Christmas morning - that “I can’t wait to live this day” feeling. I’m making a resolve this year in Africa to wake up every day with that same knowing – that each day, no, each moment is the greatest moment of my life. And why can I wake up this way? Because I have been redeemed and grafted into the family of God – my Father, King Jesus! His thoughts for us each moment are greater than the sand on the seashore. God is always up for conversation – always waiting with anticipation for His kids to draw near to Him just to love Him and be loved on. I’m done looking at every difficult situation as wasted time – God set me in this place, to be involved in this story and to effect my surroundings for His glory. I praise God for my wife. I thank God that He gave me such an unbelievable woman to share my story with. I don’t thank Him enough or let her know enough how much she is appreciated. I love sharing this journey with her. And how awesome that God’s greatest desire is love!!! That He wells up with joy when two of His kids are joined together as one in marriage because it is a foreshadowing of our ultimate union with Jesus. I feel like God is showing me how to let my heart live. Showing me how to experience that life that only those who have committed their lives to Christ can have – ABUNDANT LIFE. Satan has stolen enough of my moments and convinced me they were wasted. He is a thief and a liar.

Did you know that the heart is the most addressed subject in all of scripture? No wonder there is a great battle for who gets control of it…God or the devil. One is out to destroy our hearts and the other has gone to hell and back in order to rescue our hearts. I’m glad my God is a warrior. He fights for our hearts. He wars for us. I just want to say to all of you. WAKE UP. LIVE. LISTEN TO JESUS. He is the desire of your heart. You get right with Him and your heart comes alive. There is no other way. It’s not in a new job. Not in an affair with that beautiful woman or handsome man. It’s not around the corner after this financial problem passes. It’s in the moment you choose to acknowledge God as Sovereign and let Him have control. He has not given up on you! Read Hosea…even when we have prostituted ourselves to the world He comes to us and rescues us from the filth and says “Be mine again!” Live your life in such a way that the world has nothing to say but “I want what you have…” That’s what Jesus did. That’s what we are called to do.

I love you all and am praying for you with tears,
Jacob

"Ja-cob and Jes-si! Ja-cob and Jes-si!"

2007-10-06T01:33:00.000-07:00

Well, we’re here! Jake and I arrived in Zambia on Friday, Sept. 28th. We got such a wonderful welcome from the people on the farm and from the kids in the orphanage. There’s nothing better than arriving back to Meshack jumping in your arms screaming, “Jessi! Jessi! JESSSSSIIIII!!!

The kids greeted Jacob by saying, “Jacob! You’re back! Mukansunda! She’s here!” We would have preferred to ease into scooping ‘Sunda up into our arms (for her sake), but the kids would have none of that. The older ones immediately ran off to “get ‘Sunda,”so Jacob had ahold of her within 5 minutes. Needless to say, it has been quite a process to get her to open up again. Yesterday she smiled for the first time in our presence. Today she has been talking and repeating what we say. This afternoon she even kissed me voluntarily (a rare occasion). As much as you try to prepare yourself for it, you’re never quite ready for a child to cry at the sight of you when she used to run into your arms giggling. It has been as much of an adjustment for Jake and I as it has been for her, I think. Actually, Mukansunda is not staying with us at the time being. Jake and I are in the process of working on our apartment in the tobacco barn. Until that’s finished, we are staying with Jeff and Lisa in the guest house. We want to have our own space and schedule before we bring her into the mix. Also, we are trying to do everything under the law and in good order. So, we decided not to have her stay with us full-time until we have Zambian social service permission, which requires the U.S. home study papers to go through. We are hoping that this is a healthy way to go about everything, trying to keep her life simple and loving. She is familiar with the orphanage and feels safe there, so the fact that she is still eating and sleeping there is okay right now. Hopefully, by the time we are able to have her stay with us full-time we will have everything ready in our apartment and she will be ready to make the move, without too much of a schedule or life change. That’s the plan. We’ll see. And hope. And pray.

Things are running beautifully on the farm and it has been a pleasure to get to know Jeff and Lisa better. There is also a woman here running the orphanage for the year. Her name is Jaime and she is a couple of years older than Jacob and I. She is doing a great job of identifying needs in the orphanage and it’s good to have her here. What a job! She seems up for the challenge.

I mentioned above that we will be living in the tobacco barn this year. We lived in a tobacco barn apartment for a short time last year, before things shifted and we were able to use the bigger, nicer clinic apartment. Well, the last work team that was here worked really hard to convert two apartments in the tobacco barn into a big apartment, just for us! We have some things to finish up (an understatement; really, the electric, the plumbing, the floors, the windows…). But it’ll be really exciting to have our own place to decorate, that’s what I’ve been longing for. Plus, it’s something for us to concentrate on and work toward while we’re waiting for things to come together for our bush ministry and the adoption.

As far as ministry, we just need to get a tent before we can head out into the bush. The good tents come from South Africa and are too heavy to come with us on a plane, so Jacob will have to make a road trip to pick it up. After that trip, we should be on our way to getting out into the villages, and we’re excited about that. It has been good to reconnect with our Zambian friends and hear, “Yes! That is just what Zambia needs!” (referring to the work that we want to do).

It’s hot here. Comparable to West Virginia in August. But, even West Virginia in August is nothing compared to what we’re in for! It’s still comfortable in the mornings and evenings. Not to fear, the temperature will reach miserable heights soon enough! For right now, we’re just enjoying the rare cool breeze.

Forgive me for such a non-innovative, informative blog. I thought an informational update was in order, and hope that you enjoy it! Enjoy the changing of the leaves and the cool autumn breeze!

Zambia-bound

2007-09-24T19:21:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks,

Tomorrow we head out for the D.C. (Dulles) airport. We'll spend tomorrow night there and then fly out Wednesday afternoon. We'll arrive in Jo-burg (South Africa) on Thursday afternoon, spend the night with missionary friends, and then fly to Livingstone on Friday. Please pray that the plane has some extra space (for my jumpy legs!) and that our luggage arrives in one piece and in a timely manner (as in, while we're standing at the baggage carousol.)

What a bittersweet goodbye this day has been. Last year was so exciting that it hardly hurt to say goodbye. We were so excited for the adventure before us that we didn't stop to think of the things (namely, people) that we would miss during the 10 months we spent away from home. This year, however, the stakes are much higher. Jacob and I fully and completely understand the depths that true homesickness can reach. I remember saying last year that for the first time I understood why they call it "homesickness." That's no joke. There were days I felt like I couldn't speak for missing my family and friends. It feels like you're being cheated when you arrive home to a baby brother that's 7 inches taller and has grown facial hair (which happened to both me and Jake this year! Slow down Hank and Cody!)
The worst part is that you have to hold up a front that makes your family and friends think that you're really very excited to leave them. Because if you don't, they worry about you the whole time that you're there. And the only thing worse than being homesick on a foreign continent is letting your loved ones know about it.

But the stakes are higher this year for other reasons. We're going back to a new and exciting vision that we're both thrilled to execute. And we go back to someone that we've been dreaming about since we left. I can't wait to hold 'Sunda. I long for the day that the 3 of us forget that we ever spent a day apart. But for goodness sake, we're going to be parents! Am I ready for this? Absolutely not. I was also not ready to get married. And I was not ready to move to Zambia. I was not ready to direct an orphanage. And I was not ready to say goodbye to my dad twice in a year. But isn't it good that God equips the called instead of calling the equipped?

Writing this blog was a good idea. I don't really feel any better about leaving. And I'm not positive that I've found the cure for desperate homesickness. But I've reminded myself of all the reasons I'm homesick for Zambia. And being homesick for open spaces, good friends, unbelievable freedom, and a certain chocolate-skinned little girl is going to be what gets me on that plane. Not to mention the peace that comes from being in the center of God's will.

We'll miss you. Please write. Call often. Send sweets. Lovelovelove.

Phase Two!

2007-07-21T07:58:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone,

I know it's been quite some time since we last blogged, but we will begin to be more consistent from here on out. We have a game plan now for the next year of our lives and we wanted to catch everyone up as to what is going on!

First, we are in the process right now of traveling to churches and speaking to individuals about financially supporting this mission. In order to live in Zambia as missionaries we have to be supported by a team of people who are committed to this vision and desire to spiritually and physically feed Africa. God has opened some awesome doors for us and He has been so faithful to begin bringing in the funds that we need. We still have some Sundays open in September so if anyone reads this that would like us to visit your home or church please get ahold of us at jakeandjessi@gmail.com or call at 304-479-1632.

Secondly, Jessi and I will be heading back to Zambia, Africa under Sons of Thunder in late September. We will be focusing completely on ministry in the bush so we are very excited to get moving with this vision. As we said before, we will be living with the Zambians in their villages for a month at a time in order to disciple them through relationship. It's our heart that we can best minister to them by coming alongside of them and teach them the ways of Christ through everyday life. We will be living in a tent and teaching them not only the word of God, but also irrigation techniques, hygiene, how to take care of finances, etc. We are believing God for complete community transformation because we serve a God who is involved in EVERY aspect of our lives and wants to influence every aspect.

Third, we have moved forward with adopting Mukansunda (the little girl we took care of during our first year in Zambia). We are going through the home study here in the States right now and when we arrive in Zambia we will begin the adoption process. God willing, it will be finished sometime during the first part of January. Please keep this in your prayers as the adoption process can be very difficult in Zambia. We are very excited about beginning our family!

Last, we are looking at the best possible time to apply for an Advanced Missions Training that takes place just an hour from the farm in Zambia. It entails training in bible courses, diesel mechanics, welding, GPS systems, off-road driving, cultural anthropology, and many other things. The training is 3 months long and so we just have to decide on the best time to move forward with that as well.

Please keep these things in prayer and please know that we thank God daily for the team of people He has brought together for us. You ALL are an integral part of this thing and we covet your prayers, encouragement, financial gifts, and attention that you have given and continue to give.

God bless you all and we will keep you posted!

Jake and Jessi

We're Home!!!

2007-06-02T05:12:00.000-07:00

It's good to be home! Praise God for McDonalds, Drovers wings, fast internet connections, and most of all, incredible friends and family. We've been in the United States for about 24 hours now, and it has been so good.

We landed on time, got through immigration, customs, and baggage claim with no problems...incredible! We showered and ate at the hotel that the Schwertfeger's had stayed at the night before, and set off for the 4 hour drive home. We arrived home to Doug and Jenn sitting on the porch swing. Oh, it was so good to see them after all this time. My dad, Sam, my stepbrother Chris, Jeannie, Norm, Cody, Doug, Courtney, and Jenn all went out to Drovers for dinner. After which I promptly collapsed into a twin size bed and was dead to the world until 7 o'clock this morning. Jake and I will do some visiting today. There are still questions. What should we do for a cell phone? Will a vehicle situation work out? But at this point, anything seems easier than 50 kids, so we're pretty chill about it all!

I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be home with family and friends. I can't wait to be at all the weddings that are going on this month and visit the people we haven't seen. However, I find myself saying, "Oh, back at my house in Zambia"...or, "Home, in Zambia." Kinda freaky. I will account it to this: Regardless of being a hopeless sinner set aside by grace, regardless of being selfish and self-centered and self-concerned much of the time, regardless of really loving McDonalds and Kool-aid, regardless of all of that, I really am committed to being in the center of God's will. And if God's will for me is in the center of Zambia, than that's where I'll be. It could only be for Him, because I could never do this on my own. Being with my family and friends is just too sweet a thing to leave voluntarily. But after all of that, I am still grateful that He sees fit to give us all a break sometimes. By that I mean that He has sent us home for this time for a reason and purpose, and I mean to enjoy every minute of it! Love you all and can't wait to see you!

Jessi