Thursday Morning - another beautiful winter day

Sometimes in Winter

It is a beautiful, winter, Thursday morning here in Lusaka. Back home in Enumclaw, the rest of our team of supporters is soundly sleeping in beds that aren’t covered in mosquito nets. In a few hours, you all will arise and take a warm shower with plenty of running water and will eat a breakfast of readily available groceries. That is quite different from life here in Lusaka. Though we are staying in what is considered to be one of the nicer places – the Mwiluzi Lodge – everyday is a gamble as to whether or not we will have hot water or a toilet that flushes. We dine each morning on what is referred to as a Full English Breakfast that consists of cold eggs, beans from a can, a sausage and piece of ham, and two cold rolls. For those like me who are used to a hot cup of java from Starbucks each morning, I guess you could say that this is roughing it. They put out hot water and either tea or instant Sanka (or its equivalent). Thankfully Ken and Suzanne brought to French Press Coffeemakers and some Starbucks French Roast so all is well. Plus, as I mentioned in my last posting, there is always hot sauce on the table.

The rest of the team is back at Balm of Gilead today. 5 members of our team will join with 3 teachers and staff from the school to take another 50 children to the local zoo – a sight they have never been privileged to see before. The rest will finish up pouring the slab for the class room and then we can go to town on raising the cinder block walls. It will be another day of hard manual labor.

Cherie Murchie and I are meeting with Ted and Sue Wright who are PCUSA missionaries here in Lusaka. He has oversight for over 500 local churches, and “prayer houses.” These churches are all pastored by local Zambians. Ted spends a great deal of his time traveling around encouraging these pastors and their congregation not only in Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana. It is a big job. The Presbyterian Church has a big influence here in Zambia in particular thanks to the mission efforts of Scottish Presbyterians in the mid to late 1800s. These missionaries followed the brave pioneering efforts of Dr. David Livinstone. The Presbyterians have a large network of schools, day care centers and orphanages here in Lusaka and we (Cherie and I) will be touring one of these facilities today. For more information about the Wrights and the work the PCUSA is doing here you can look in the Mission Year Book of Prayer and find a nice article in January of 2008.

I also plan to attend a large Rotary Club today where I will bring greetings from Enumclaw Rotary and ask to match the support of our local club in support for Balm of Gilead and this trip, I think both Cherie and I will miss working and seeing the children.

Yesterday (Wednesday) was a strange day. We arrived at the school expecting to mix concrete and pour the slab. We did but only after waiting all morning and part of the afternoon for cement to be delivered. That is more or less status quo in Zambia we are finding. Nothing happens exactly when you expect it and when it does happen, it is at a much slower, unhurried pace. While we were waiting, a number of our team toured the Chazanga School where some who have graduated from Balm of Gilead go after they have finished the equivalent of 7th grade.

It is a government school which means that it is free – except that students have to purchase their uniforms and books. This all costs roughly $40.00 US (12,000 kwachas). For many this is not possible. The unemployment rate in Zambia is 70% and, of course many of these children are orphaned. But we are seeing first hand what a difference education makes. These children we are helping, we hope will go on to be able to find good jobs and live productive, healthy lives.

All in all, this has been an amazing experience for us. I have asked a number of our team members if they would ever come back and every one has replied with an unequivocal yes. None of this would be possible without your prayers and support. I know I have said this before but you have been such a blessing to us by supporting us and the school. We pray that what we do here and then what we do when we return will truly make a difference.

Oh, by the way, it is winter here and the weather here has been fabulous. The temperatures during the day are between 20 – 25C (70 – 75F) with cloudless blue skies. The evenings are cool and crisp which helps keep the mosquito problem down. Perhaps some of you who go to Arizona ought to think of coming here as snowbirds. The only problem would be that during our winter months, it is summer here and the temperatures can rise to 110F and above – maybe that wouldn’t be so great.

That’s all for now so I will sign off, with this wish. Today, may you be so filled with the grace of our Lord Jesus that you would know the height, breadth depth and width of God’s love in your life. Thanks again for your prayers for us.

7/3/2008 : view on map : permalink : add a comment