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
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
I Survived Without My Husband...Part I
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
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
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Mukuni Outreach
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
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
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.
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.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Overland Missions
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!
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!
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