Brother Shuck's Blog

El Caribe

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Last week I ended up heading down to Daytona beach for BigStuf camp. Robin and Zach were volunteering as Nurse and Nurse's helper then I heard from Caitlin that she and the choir were making an appearance and would be seeing a couple of friend's of mine whose wedding I missed because I was in Zambia. The reason they were going to be there was because their church was going to be there with their youth group camp. Not only that, but the 410 Bridge staff were all going to be there so it was like stars aligning and for selfish reasons I felt left out and that I just had to be there too. I flew in on Wednesday afternoon and Robin picked me up. It was an incredible environment and it was fully charged with worship and life changing messages. There were about 10 people from from Newspring/410 Bridge trip that I was a part of back in June and it was great to see them all. I got to spend some time with the newly married couple and the 410 Bridge staff and all the wonderful volunteers for BigStuf and of course my beautiful bride and too cool for words - son. We drove by the El Caribe hotel on the way to the arena from the airport. It was a big green hotel, the color of an avocado. My niece, bother's daughter, Kayla, was staying with her youth group there. I didn't even know she was in Daytona. Anyway, it was an incredible couple of days and the final night, Thursday, was coming and I still hadn't had the chance to see my niece. So we text'd her during the day but did not hear back from her until the final session at BigStuf was ending (Perry Noble rocked) and she text'd back and said that she was getting baptized. I couldn't believe it! Zach and I ran to get the car and told Robin we'd swing by the arena to pick her up but she was dealing with two sick kids and could not come. Zach and I rushed down the street to the El Caribe and found the closing session for Kayla's youth group. There were finishing the final song, were going to have an ice cream sundae bar, then baptisms - so we had made it in time to see her be baptized. In the midst of the introductions to the pastors and conversation about Kayla, I offered to baptize her. I'm still not exactly sure how it all happened but after a brief discussion with the pastors, they were thrilled and I had the chance to be a part of an amazing milestone in my niece's life in a very special way. 

I hadn't even planned to be in Daytona Beach last week but God had other plans. Totally cool. Robin sent an email back to my brother saying - Kayla, Keith Urban, Chuck and the Holy Spirit - Priceless.  (Hey, doesn't it look like it's Keith Urban's hand coming out of the t-shirt holding my arm?)

Faces

Sunday, July 26, 2009

By the time you read this, you have probably already gotten a first hand run down of the trip since we've been home for a couple weeks now. But even so, I submit this final entry. I am reminded of all the faces of those precious people we served and those that we served with. The impact of the trip will be felt for a long time as we went to serve and bless, and were served and blessed instead.





Thursday, July 9, 2009



How do you know what to do with all this that God has exposed you to? How do you reconcile what you've seen here in Zambia with how you live back in the States? What do you do with the images of the precious faces of the children that have streaks left from tears, and streaks left from snot on them? How do you respond knowing that this will be the last day that a child will slip their hand into yours simply because they know you won't pull away. They know that for some reason you will even encourage it. For a few moments there is a connection that transcends 9000 miles or language. For a few moments it's just about the connection between two children created in the image of God. Many differences separate those two hands, but for a few moments they are connected and in a very special way and will be forever. But is there a way to reconcile the dirt, the hunger, the life and those eyes with the life we lived before we came, and the one that we will live when we return? 



There are things that go beyond resolution. I don't know what to do with the brokenness. I don't know what God wants me to do with the brokenness. Coming and seeing it firsthand is the first step. What to do with what you've seen is the next.



This would be our last day to spend with the children, the women and the pastors and staff that support Wiphan-Zambia. Howard and Doris had the morning devotion and began by flipping through the pages of a book entitled "Zoom" by Istvan Banyai. The opening page had a picture of the cockscomb, the next page had a picture of a rooster that the cockscomb belonged to. And so, the pages continued to change the perspective of what you thought you were looking at. The rooster becomes part of a barn scene that becomes part of a stamp and the perspective changes to create a bigger picture. As much as we want to know the meaning of things we are not always shown the whole picture and how it all fits. Why would things we saw be allowed? Why would these things be shown to us and what do we do with what we've seen? Dot talked about Job and how he questioned God about the "why" of things that had happened and instead of giving Job answers, God begins this list of questions Himself which could be paraphrased as God saying "who are you to question me".



It is hard to experience what we experienced and not wonder where God is in it all. It is hard to hear that the mom and son, from the family we reached out to last Christmas, would soon lose their battles with cancer and die. It was hard to hear that the day that the rest of the team returned from Zambia that Labstone's father in law was killed in a car wreck and his mother in law was hospitalized. Or what about news of the 216 passengers on Air France flight 447 that went down a few months ago. Hunger, Poverty, War, Death. How can we reconcile any of it? Will shaking a fist in the face of God create a resolve? Would the answer we demand satisfy us? I can remember standing in a village in South Africa where the adult population was basically non-existent from the onslaught of AIDS and in tears asking the simple but loud question of WHY? What I heard was... so you would come, now, go and tell others. 



We never know how in the world that God will use our obedience. Often it may look totally different than what we imagined. On Monday the ladies were given index cards with verses written in both our language, English, and in their language, Bemba. While these cards were intended to be a gift of encouragement to the ladies, God had other plans as well. The next day someone noticed a man in the compound that was looking through the cards and another man had his bible open and looked like he was guiding his friend though the Word and the cards were the catalyst that helped make that happen. It will be an equally amazing thing to see how God will use the lives of of all those on this trip and how they will impact the lives of those around them in their daily lives not to mention the lives of the women, children and men of all those lives that crossed our lives as we made our way from the Castle Lodge to the school and community at Sinia and the school and community at Mapalo and everywhere in between. Only God knows - seriously!



Job finds dillusionment with God's ways; Job 7:11-19, Job 9:13-10:17, Job 12:4-6, Job 16:6-17, Job 19:5-22, Job 21:7-18, 23-24, Job 24:1-17. Job pleas for God to answer his questions; Job 13:22, Job 31:35. But instead of getting answers to his questions, God poses 70 questions back at him. Worship should stem from an appreciation of God Himself, not a comprehension of all God's ways. [The Bible Knowledge Commentary] . Job is written in 42 chapters. For 37 Job suffers and his friends and even his wife get him to challenge the ways of God. And then GOD speaks in chapter 38



Job's first response when he has no answers is one of a sense of unworthiness but not one of repentence. Job 40:4-5 "I am unworthy - how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer - twice, but I will say no more." 



In the end, we won't find the answers to the "why's". I think it is okay to ask, but in the end it comes down to trust. Do we trust God? Do we trust Him to do things that work out for Him? What happens when He does things in ways that are pleasing to Himself and not me? Is that okay? Do you trust Him?



Isaiah 55:8 "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD"



Until the next trip..... 

Four Corners

Wednesday, July 8, 2009



This morning Adam led the morning devotion which was something that Aaron, the caretaker of the Wiphan School shared with him. Aaron talked about his personal hunger and the hunger of the people in the area and that just for the asking, he and others could easily go to the nearby Mosque and receive food. But he knew as a Christian this was not the right thing to do and found comfort in the fact that food is often shown in the Bible as a temptation to be overcome; Adam and Eve/Fruit, Esau and Jacob/Stew and Birth Right, Christ tempted with bread when in the desert. Aaron felt that overcoming the temptation of food was the right thing and that by persevering hunger and not giving in to the Muslim offering was pleasing to God. Adam shared that it would take someone that faced hunger as a reality to come to this kind of insight, unlike us that solve our hunger by choosing the best option between our refrigerator or our pantry or a selection of nearby restaurants. It was a reminder of the real suffering that others face on a daily basis and the faith they have to overcome. 



We headed out to the Mapalo school and set up for four different stations where the students would rotate through. We had singing and story telling from Adam and Leslie, a balloon experiment from Nancy, a coke/mento and ziploc/pencil experiment from Barry and the all-favorite parachutes from Ingrid and Amy. The idea was to break the students into four different groups and start them at each one of the stations then rotate to the next until all the groups had been to each one. But we first needed the supplies. Our van with the supplies left after it dropped us off. We thought it would just pull around the building out of the way but it disappeared. We used the time to visit the classrooms and Scott and Richard spoke to the students to encourage them and thank them for all of their hard work. The students gathered outside and waited patiently with us as we waited for the supplies to return. The students sang songs and then two precious girls recited poems. One poem was entitled prayer and it talked about many ways people get things but why wouldn't they pray instead of doing things their own way. Amen. The other was about AIDS and how if affected the kids when parents died from the disease. Many flip videos and pictures have been taken during this trip and I think the recording from these two poems will be some of the most significant recordings for this trip. The van and the supplies returned and the stations were set up quickly and were ready for action. As many youtube videos as I have seen with Coke and Mentos I had never seen it done live so I thought I'd start there to get some pictures. I'm glad I did or I would have missed what happens when you are looking over the bottle and forget to put the pin in the tube that keeps the mentos from falling into the bottle prematurely. And, yes, I was able to get a picture of Barry covered in Coke Zero. The parachutes are always amazing to me how much joy and excitement they create by lifting and lowering and trying to capture people underneath or trying to keep a ball bouncing on top - they are always a big hit. Nancy had some special balloons that would fly very high and far after they were filled with air and released. She made a racing game with them and would release a couple at a time. The kids would fly after the balloons hoping to catch it and prized the catch as much as a kid at a baseball game would prize catching a foul ball. And Adam and Leslie sang songs including teaching the kids the books of the New Testament with a special song. They also told the story of Saul's conversion and showed how far away the US was from Zambia and explained that we came so far away because as Christians we are to go into the world and serve and make disciples and spread the gospel. They typically concluded their station with the song/dance "Father Abraham" and, yes, we have video and pictures of Papa and Mama Bowen in the middle of "right arm, left arm, right leg, left leg, chin back, spin around". 



We went to the kitchen to hear about the feeding program that Wiphan support provides at the school. Five days a week, the kids are fed nshashima with either beans or a soy product to go with it. They were dismissed by classrooms and carried their own plate and lined up to be served. Once they were done eating they would go over to the water pump and wash their dishes and their hands. All the children no matter how small or big followed this same routine, all very organized and orderly.



After lunch we headed back to Sinia and the Wiphan school for a meeting that was going to be held with the Ministry of Education and personnel, an audit of a trade skill class that was going on and to hang out with the people in the area. When we arrived the Ministry of Education personnel had not arrived so some of us went in and listened in as one of the ladies was teaching about Hotel cleaning and service and things that they would need to learn in order to be successful at cleaning and catering. I visited the kitchen after that and they were making nshashima, polona (sp?) and peanut butter. I had heard that to make peanut butter they simply start with a mortar and pestle and ground nuts. When I went into the kitchen, the women were very proud of what they were cooking and wanted many pictures taken of them with their pots. The lady making the peanut butter was right in the doorway and was finishing up a batch and when she started again with a fresh load of ground nuts I offered to help. My intention was not to stay to make peanut butter, I honestly had no idea how long it would take to pound the nuts until you could actually make peanut butter so I thought I'd try it and get a few laughs out of the ladies there and that would be it. Well, I definitely got laughs. The first hit with the pestle sent the nuts splashing over the sides of the mortar. What a mzungu! Then I got the hang of it. Some women would go and get other women to see the mzungu making peanut butter and they would laugh and go get others to see. I could have sold tickets and created an impromptu fund raiser for Wiphan right there on the spot. They started singing a song in Bemba and it happened to be one that I had heard and began to sing it in English and that brought an emotion somewhere between delight and surprise, not sure which one won out. The peanuts finally started to bond together and after about 25 minutes, there was really peanut butter. Those dry nuts had been transformed into peanut butter and created a great story and many laughs and a bond between a mzungu man and many Zambian woman that day. Dot continued to minister to the women that were there and was touched by seeing so many that were still wearing their Cup of Joy name tags they had received on Monday. She told me that she was asked when the next time she would return. :-) and was asked that in the meantime if she could continue to send more of God's word to them. :-) You can only imagine how that made her feel. Adam continued to work with Aaron who was learning very quickly everything that Adam was teaching him on the guitar. It was a great thing to watch the connection that Adam has had with everyone here but it is especially cool to watch him with Aaron and that guitar that brings the two of them together. Amy worked with the women in the sewing skills training class. She said that the women were thrilled to actually have a pattern to go by. She said that they had never had a pattern before so this was quite a treat. The sewing machines were a old model, manually operated with a crank on the side. I don't know how old these things are but they were perfectly manicured by someone and they looked like they were brand new. Each woman was very proud to have their picture taken but they wanted to have a sewing machine in the picture with them. The education meeting ended and we headed back to the Castle Lodge for the day. Those in the meeting said that things went very well and they could certainly see benefit to both organizations to be worked out. Between the time we returned and dinner, Addie and Ann Reid had gathered and organized many supplies that had been given and collected at Kunda's house. The sorted out all of the books and supplies into separate storage bins by appropriate class age. It was a lot of work and Addie told me that when she was explaining to one of the teachers what she was doing, the teacher replied "this makes me so proud to be a teacher". There was a lot of work this week done working with the teachers and the Ministry of Education in an effort to do everything possible to see that the children in this area get an excellent education and that the Wiphan school can become a model of excellence that other schools will want to follow. The teachers were invited to join us for dinner and Kunda made a cake (cakes represent love) for dessert and had Mama Bowen cut it. It was an act of love and a neat way to end the night with our guests.



One day left before we begin to head home. We will repeat the four corners at the Wiphan school in Sinia and then we will say out goodbyes and head back over to Mapalo for a soccer game between the undefeated Wiphan team and someone else and then we will say our goodbyes to the Mapalo school.

Connections

Tuesday, July 7, 2009



[side note. I am writing this on Wednesday. Actually I am re-writing it. I had finished it and had called it connections and then when I went to post it to the internet, not only did I not have a connection, but the application crashed and I lost what I had written. Because it was gone, I had to write it over.]



This morning’s devotion was led by Amy and Ingrid. The theme was Romans 8:28. It was very fitting and a great way to begin the day.



We headed back to the Sinia school and Abby (Kunda’s 2^nd daughter) had the kids all lined up. Today was a school holiday, Unity day, so there were no kids in school except for the ones that are currently sponsored. There are about 35 children out of the 450 that are currently sponsored. The need is great and I would encourage you to consider sponsoring a child by checking the website www.wiphan.org and then following the link to Child Sponsor. Adam, Leslie and I looked for the three children we visited on Sunday; Miriam, Bonafice and Logic. It was easy to pick out the boys but Miriam had changed her hair style and it was a little challenging but her eyes gave her away. Abby had everything organized and the children went into the classroom as the Mzungus high-fived and fist bumped them as they passed. They went to their seats and waited patiently. Letters from the US sponsors were brought to be handed out to the children. I watched Bonafice open his letter and was immediately blessed in two different ways: 1^st I recognized the names the letter was from friends of ours, and 2^nd I got to watch Bonafice’s eyes as he looked at the letter and picture. I know that I have taken letter writing to the children we sponsor for granted but I won't anymore. To actually see the faces of the children when they receive a letter is amazing. Bonafice would stare at the picture and then back at me reading the English while the teacher translated to Bemba. I can't imagine what was going through his mind while he stared at the picture. While I was standing there I noticed the decorated letter the teacher was reading to the girl beside me, Jenipher, and it turns out I know Jenipher's sponsor as well and she also sponsors Beatrice. I told Scott how exciting it was to know the sponsor family for Bonafice and Jenipher and Beatrice and he told me that Miriam was also sponsored by the same family that sponsored Bonafice. So, now I was excited to find out who sponsored Logic and, yes, he was sponsored by dear friends of ours as well. I had no idea that Scott had actually planned it that way when he made out the list of who would visit what children. I was able to take some pictures to go along with the ones we took on Sunday when we visited them and also tried to capture a little video with them to take back to their sponsors. If you sponsor a child, then I would encourage you to write and send pictures. It is amazing how much it means to them. I wish all the sponsors could get to experience those moments when they open the letters. It took some time for the teachers to make their way around the room to each of the students to help them write a response back to the sponsors. We helped where we could but were definitely limited by not knowing the language. Once the letters were written, the children lined up and filed out of the classroom, single file of course and headed out the gate toward home.



The afternoon was used for a meeting with the teachers and staff. I sat in on the beginning of that meeting and I was definitely impressed by the way the teachers were organized. Many questions about operations and procedures were asked and each question was answered with assuredness. They definitely knew what they were doing and had things under control. I left about halfway and Adam and I sat outside and talked to the caretaker of the school, Aaron, and a member of the Wiphan board, Roberson. We talked about fishing, different religions, differences between African and American food (we are still hoping to find some fried catalpa worms to try), and other normal conversations you would expect (except for the fried worm thing). Addie and Ann Reid stayed a long time after the meeting with the teachers to document everything so that everyone would have the same information to refer to. The second meeting was with a possible contractor to talk about possible improvements to the existing buildings and the addition of other buildings within the same walled area. Vin, the potential contractor, showed up with Pastor Francis and almost immediately it was discovered that the estimate Vin had put together was based on incorrect dimensions that he had been given. So, for the next several minutes the area was measured again in order for everyone to be able to start from the right information so that the estimates would be correct and not based on wrong information. We spent a couple hours measuring and talking and Papa Howard was definitely in his element talking construction. It was quite something to watch. Once that meeting was over loaded up and headed back to the Castle Lodge.



The real fun took place back at the lodge when everyone was back for dinner. Two surprises for dinner. 1-macoroni and cheese was the entree for the evening and 2-after dinner was over it was announced that dessert would be served. Nice.



After dinner, Jedi (Kunda's eldest daughter) and Adam set up their guitars for a concert out in the pavilion. We gathered a few of the charcoal burners and then circled around them for warmth while we sat in long sleeves or jackets. There is something very special about acoustic guitars and a campfire that seems to stir all kinds of memories. Their guitar playing and their beautiful voices blended and you could tell they were definitely enjoying the music. Worship songs and some other fun songs around the fire. Adam even played "I can only eat margarine" sung to the tune of "I can only imagine" it was just too funny and we all had a great time under pavilion roof which was under the beautiful stars and moon.



Each time I come on a trip it's hard to imagine how fast strangers become friends and how those friends become family. This trip only has a couple of days left here in Zambia and together we have made connections between country to country, continent to continent, person to person and heart to heart. It will be exciting to see how God will use this trip in each of us.

over"JOY"ed

Monday, July 6, 2009



Today we were supposed to rise and eat breakfast at 6:30am and have morning devotion at 7am. 



Short story..... because of the fumes from what we thought was varnish, Richard and I had a fan blowing in our room. Since the fan was blowing, Ann Reid and Ingrid hung their dresses in our room hoping the fan would dry them. Their dresses were washed in the sink but there isn't a dryer to dry them.



So, around 7am there was a knock on our door and it was the first time since around 4am that Richard and I were awake. I think that since we weren't up at 6:30am with the others that there was a concern about the fumes and us in the same room. The 4am thing was because of a dog outside our window that had decided to chat about something in his own language in the middle of the night. So we bolted out of bed and headed downstairs. And since I was doing the devotion, I joked about not being able to do the one on punctuality. After breakfast and devotion Addie shared that she thought it would be a great idea to be able to walk with the women as they gathered at the Sinia school and made their way down to the Castle Lodge pavilion. Such a simple idea but if she not thought of it and shared it with the others, I can't imagine what it would have felt like to see those women crest that hill toward the pavilion and have the thought then when it was too late. I had Scott's HD video camera and went with Addie, Amy and Ingrid to the school to take some footage. 



Most of the women had already gathered at the school and Pastor Francis was there and helped organize the women. While they waited for others to show up, they began singing. It was a beautiful display of worship with singing and dancing. Before we left, Addie prayed for the women and the day as a celebration of what was about to happen. What in the world was God about to do in these women's lives was only a short walk away? It had the same excitement as a wedding where the bride is preparing to meet the groom. The women gathered outside of the school gate and pastor Francis had them line up in three rows at arms length apart. The Mzungus; Addie, Amy and Ingrid were in the second row. Pastor Francis wanted them surrounded by the African women. In total I think we counted 138 women that would make it to the pavilion today. So, these women stood outside the school walls hardly knowing what to expect and pastor Francis had them put their arms out to their side to spread the three rows out and then their arms up. Then arms back to their side then down then up and down again. It became a calisthenics exercise and it was very funny, both to watch and for the women to finally realize they were part of an exercise routine. They began their walk, breaking into song being led by the ones in front sometimes and sometimes from the middle. The sound of singing could be heard from several blocks away I am sure. Pastor Francis provided the motor car escort so imagine a procession of 100+ women walking down the street in three rows side by side, with a blue subcompact car with it's flashers on leading the way. I wonder if the way we will be ushered into heaven could be any more beautiful than something like that? And so, the women walked and sang and danced as the escort car provided the announcement that the "brides" were coming. Addie wanted to call ahead to Doris and let her know that we were coming but somehow we all knew that she and the rest of the team or the neighborhood for that matter could not miss the sound of this procession coming down the road. Off in the distance at the top of the hill you could see the rest of the Wiphan/Cup of Joy team waiting expectantly for the women to arrive until they were close enough and could not bear it any longer and ran to meet them and walk the remaining distance with them. I have to say that it was about the sweetest most precious things I've been able to experience. It brings me tears each time I think about it. What a privilege it was for me to be able to go along. After all, this was my first Cup of Joy Women's retreat. I know the significance of that walk and the greeting those women felt will be felt for a long time to come by everyone. 



Check in required the women to get their name tag ( Doris later commented about the women's name tags and how special they seemed to feel by being called by their name. Maybe they aren't used to hearing their name as much as they are by their status of being a widow. Howard commented about how proud they seemed to feel and said that they would probably hang on to those name tags as something very precious to them for a long time.) Instead of having them line up at the tables we tried to speed things up a bit by calling their names out from the lists. It was a beautiful role call of African names being called to enter in. I even got to try my hand at helping by calling out the names. Richard told me that I did a good job with the pronunciations but it struck him as funny to hear these African names being read with a Mzungu accent. All the women that had come entered into the pavilion and shortly the event began.



I know there are many people praying over this trip - for the purpose and the people that will be touched and the lives that will be changed and I know that there were many that were praying over Doris this morning in preparation for the way that she would be used to proclaim the name of Jesus - to make His name famous and not her own name famous. So thank you to all that have been praying and continue to pray as the trip and purpose continues, but a special thank you to those that were covering Doris with prayer on this very special morning. 



The opening songs by our teams' own Adam and the Wiphan choir set the tone for what was about to happen. The American and the Zambian voices rose in accord in worship in honor of the only King that is worthy to be praised. Dot opened and was greeted by the women saying "Cup of Joy" in Bemba. Bibles were handed out for use and you could see them flipping through the pages as Doris began. She introduced the names of God to the women and how each name was significant in their lives; Jehovah-Yahweh (I am), Jehovah-jireh (provider), Jehovah-rapha (healer), and as she went down the list I think the women got a sense of how big our God was and how much He was capable of in their personal lives no matter what they were going through. It was very powerful. (Side note - we wanted to record the whole event so we set the video camera up but we  knew we'd run out of power and asked the facilities guy for an extension cord. He brought one back but we noticed that there wasn't a plug on the end of it, just three separate stripped wires which were just inserted into their respective positions in the wall socket somewhere out of harm's way. Our harm's way anyway.)  There was a quick break where the women lined up and were given bread and juice (I just thought about that as a communion reference) The women were orderly as they moved through the line and it was noticed that they were so close they were touching each other the whole way through the line. No pushing, no hurry, just a steady movement of women. 



After the break there were more songs from Adam and from the Wiphan choir and Doris began again. She poured into these women as an encouragement of "whose" they were. They belonged to the King and they were precious, worthy, loved. I wonder how often they hear that as widows with as much as they are treated as everything other than that. They passed out a stack of cards for each of the women to take home that had a separate verse on each card written in both English and Bemba. As each was recited, each was explained. You could see the women clinging to these cards, not just as a gift but as a source of encouragement. I don't think they are used to having things given to them. One woman untied the ribbon that held the stack together, took one, retied the ribbon and handed the remaining stack to me. I think she was surprised to find out that entire stack was for her to keep, not just the one card. Doris concluded by encouraging any women that had not surrendered their life to Jesus Christ to make today the day they did that. And as one woman came, others followed. And if we came for no other reason. If the miles we traveled or the threat of malaria or anything else were for nothing else than to see someone's life transformed by the cross of Jesus Christ and to see those women understand and accept Him, it was enough and we could have gone home. But this is only Monday!

 

Lunch was served and the women all lined up again and orderly went though the line. One of the staples of the Zambian diet is a grain meal called Shashima. It is similar to the Kenyan food ugali which might be described as a cross between grits and mashed potatoes. It is firm enough to use as a means to pick up and eat the other food from the plate and since most of the food is eaten with the hands this is definitely a regular part of any meal. As a treat, the drink selection was coke, coke light, sprite or fanta orange. I can only imagine how much of a treat this was to have been fed with different meat and vegetables and shasima and to top it off with a soda! You would think that since this is a simple staple they eat for just about every meal they might get tired of it, but at one time we ran out of shashima and the women that had not eaten yet decided that they would rather wait and not eat anything than to proceed without having shashima. So there was some more singing and we were able to gather everyone together for a group photo of the first Cup of Joy - Zambia event. And when the shashima arrived, those that had not eaten lined up and ate. More singing and celebratory dancing and one of the women expressed her gratitude. This was a building that they could only pass by because it was too expensive to come and eat and not only were they here, but they had been invited and welcomed to fellowship and to be encouraged as the children of God.  (Luke 14:12-14). 



Papa Bowen closed the event in prayer. 



The women were greeted and thanked for coming as they made their way from the pavilion to the gate as they exited and headed back to their homes impacted and changed from what they had heard.



ACOJ (After Cup of Joy)



The trade convention was in town and many people have come from all over and even other countries to be there. The idea was that many trades and businesses were there and it might be a good thing to go and see what might be represented that could benefit Wiphan. We all piled into the van (the one that takes some kind of magic to get the sliding door to open and close since it stays off of its track most of the time) and headed to the trade convention. But first to exchange some money in case we found something to purchase. While we were stopped in town, Scott and Howard went across the street to an ATM/Bank and the door (that mostly doesn't work) was left open. Right beside us was some different things for sale on the sidewalk and one of the items were fish. It seemed like a good photo opportunity to see a seafood section not nicely displayed behind a glass case and fully situated on ice but on newspaper on a sunny afternoon sidewalk. But when the cameras came out there was one man that took great offense about the cameras and came up to the open van and let everyone know that he had heard about many Americans that took pictures of the Africans and took them home and sold for profit leaving the African with nothing in return. It was an interesting (almost fearful) exchange for a minute while we waited for Scott and Howard to return. Lesson learned.



We headed to the convention and the atmosphere was like that of a county fair. We entered in and immediately saw all kinds of items for sale like sunglasses and belts and hats and stuffed animals. We kept almost expecting to see funnel cakes or dippin' dots somewhere. The crowds were a bit overwhelming and I don't think it was anything like what anyone thought it was going to be. We did make it to the ministry of education building and there were some contacts made and discussion about trade schools which is something that Wiphan is looking into from the education aspect. We made our way back out since everyone had had enough of the scene and made our way back to the Lodge. 



The ministry of education was and staff were expected for dinner with us and another guest, Justin the wood carver and his brother, also had dinner with us. While a small meeting with the ministry of education went on over dinner others sat and discussed the days' events. Some shopping over the items that Justin had brought and the rest of the night we sat around the charcoal fires and exchanged stories. We were all laughing at each other's funny stories. Sitting around small fires for warmth under a thatched roof which was under a beautiful clear star filled sky with friends was a great way to end the day - no matter what continent you are on. (If only we had some marshmallows and graham crackers and some chocolate squares.....)

Praise and Worship

Sunday, July 5, 2009



There is something incredible about singing side by side with someone from a totally different culture, from a different country or continent, in a completely different language and yet knowing that the words are all about worshipping the same God. We rolled out for a great morning devotion by Nancy and Barry Brubaker. It got us talking about America being a blessed country. Is it blessed because we think we have been blessed because we have so much stuff? Is it a blessing or a curse? A simple question is if it is something that takes time away from God - how can that be a blessing. How many things do we have that create a busy-ness in our lives that take the time away from Him? Then it certainly is not a blessing from that perspective. 



We packed and headed to Marabou for church. We arrived and found tons of children and some were flying kites. In all my travels I can't remember ever seeing anyone flying a kite. It was such a cool thing to see. 



[upload speed is very slow otherwise there would be a cute picture of a kid flying a kite]



A choir was warming up before service and I was able to record the songs as they practiced. Then another couple of vans rolled up and several other choirs got out. I didn't know they would all be singing but what an awesome treat. The service started and Adam, from our team led worship with a couple songs, "Healer" and "Amazing Grace ala Chris Tomlin version). Awesome. A couple songs led by a lady that put a meaning to worship that I won't soon forget and an "all skate" prayer where everyone opened up and lifted their voices in prayers to our King. There was no announce of "now let us pray" it was just a full on - all out prayer that felt like it could have lifted the roof. Different voices, different languages, all side by side, all lifted up. 



[upload speed is very slow otherwise there would be a picture of a lady immersed in leading worship]



There were four (I think) more choirs that sang, most without the aid of any instruments, a couple with the help of a couple of very talented drummers - and the place was totally rockin'. There is a chant that I guess you could say resembles the American Indian whoop cry they always showed in movies that was created by a loud shrill and a popping of the hand against the mouth to stop and start the sound. But these women were belting in out without the aid of their hands. (Addie Bowen can do it and she's trying to teach others from our team). Before the choirs settled down, an offering was taken and it had to be the most worshipful offering experience I have ever seen. There was singing and rejoicing as the basket was passed around and it was raised high as if to acknowledge whose the offering belonged to. Pastor Francis had a prepared sermon "Race to the Faith", but before he started, he asked that a couple more songs be sung. It was simply amazing.



So, from the time we started, till the time we walked out of the church, over three hours had passed. That was not a typo, over three hours had passed by. 



We split up into different groups and headed out in different directions to visit some of the "Brightpoint for Children" sponsored children. 



The first thing I noticed as we started walking was a water pump where many people were gathering to collect water. This was a rare thing to see in other trips since water was so scare to nonexistent. We turned left at the water pump and headed down the street into the community. Greeted by many kids shouting the words "Mizungu (almost universal African term for white person)" and "How ah U (almost universal term for How Are You)". Then an odd sight, another water pump. How could there be another water pump within a short walk from the last one we just passed. Before the end of the day, we passed two more pumps and I later found out that water was not an issue in this part of Zambia. This was a huge thing to see. So many of the other places I have visited have been in drought conditions for so long that there are no crops, few animals because there are no crops and people are dying. Water plays such a role in the Bible that it definitely brings it to reality to see how life changing water is.



We met with Miriam and her family. Her mother and father and some of the brothers and sisters had to leave to be a part of a family funeral. Miriam was at the house with her cousin, Grace. Grace lives with the family which includes five other brothers and sisters making the total for this house - 9. Grace is 10 years old and loves mathematics and wants to be a teacher when she is older.



[upload speed is very slow otherwise there would be a cute picture of Miriam here]



We headed over to Bonafice, Jr's house. He is 12 and also loves mathematics. He wants to be an airline pilot and pilot big planes like the one that brought us to Africa from the US. He lives in a house with 6 other brothers and sisters bring the total to 9 for his house as well. His father works as a guard at the Wiphan school nearby.



[upload speed is very slow otherwise there would be a cute picture of Bonafice, Jr. here]



Our final home visit was with Logic. Logic was the most shy of any of the kids. He had a slight stutter and it was clear that it made him very nervous to talk. He is 12 and his favorite subject  is - that's right mathematics. His father died when his mother was pregnant with him. He wants to grow up and be a taxi driver. He has 4 brothers and sisters. 



[upload speed is very slow otherwise there would be a cute picture of Logic here]



We headed back to the Castle Lodge and gathered with the group for dinner. 



Another great day here in Zambia. We worshipped, we sang and we encouraged in the name of Jesus Christ - but in the end we were the ones that were blessed by those we met and we all knew it.

Freedom

Saturday, July 4, 2009



What does freedom mean? It's an especially fitting question for July 4 don't you think. But here in Zambia, July 4th doesn't mean the same thing - but they definitely understand Freedom. But not because of a celebration of separation from England like we tend to think - but because of the freedom that only Jesus Christ can offer through His saving grace. 



We started the day with breakfast from the Birchwood hotel and a shuttle back to the airport. We checked through security and had some time to spend in the airport before we were shuttled out to our plane. Going from our 278 passenger plane to plane that held 36 was quite different. At times it seemed like one of those wind up planes that get tossed around by any change in the wind, but passing through the clouds created the only turbulence and once above the clouds it was a beautiful sight. We were cruising along and all that was below us was a blanket of beautiful clouds.



-All you could see were the beautiful, white, pure clouds, not the parched African ground below. How alike is that to the pure, righteousness of Jesus Christ that is seen when God looks at us - not our "parched" ground that is our own depravity.



-The most used command that Jesus uttered was Fear not. Every book of the bible contains that phrase in some variation either by an angel , by God or Jesus. Just an interesting trivia fact for you if you find yourself considering fear even though you are in the arms of the calling God has called you to. (not that fear enters into your mind when you are flying, right?)



We landed and saw the crowds waiting and the red carpet was rolled out. But it wasn't for us it was for the Zambian president. He was in town for the trade conference and was going to be speaking to the crowds. We passed through the health check (women with surgical masks) with our health questionnaire and then through passport control with no issues. We collected our luggage (all of it) and then made our way to customs and some of us got pulled aside to have our luggage checked. Everyone made it through except Scott. His extra T-Shirts and the laser printer he was bringing over had him marching to the customs desk to pay a duty. Even with the penalty/duty it was still far cheaper than it would have been to ship it over. 



We were greeted by by Kunda, Elizabeth, Donald, Pastor Francis, Christopher, Beatrice, Abby. There may have been a couple others. The bags were loaded onto one van and the rest of us headed to the Castle Lodge. We unpacked and then headed out to Sinia, one of the villages supported by Wiphan. 



The streets were lined by women and children singing, waving flowers and it was very humbling to receive such a greeting. We were ushered in to one of the classrooms where there was more singing and praise offered to our heavenly father. "God is good" "Jesus is the one" and other songs that were definitely a blessing to hear and certainly pleasing to God. 



We were introduced to the rest of the Wiphan board and some of the teachers. One teacher gave a testimony to the difference that Wiphan had made in her life because of the "tailoring" training that she was able to complete and now was able to teach others. She was very grateful. I know it meant a lot for everyone to hear what a difference can be made when opportunities are available. Thanks Wiphan!



We went next door to another classroom to see the transformation. Based on the description it sounded like there was something like a HomeMaker edition type change to the room with desks and tables and chairs and much appreciation was given to Wiphan. 



They gathered outside before we left and singing and dancing were on order. All the women were drawn into the dancing and even Papa Bowen was dragged in. (Yes there is video to prove it) 



Smiles, Hugs, Handshakes, Singing, Joy, Faith, Hope and Love were all demonstrated today. We worship a big God and we are all very much in need of a Savior from whom our strength comes that surpasses all understanding. 



There was a wedding reception at the Castle Lodge so we couldn't eat here so we went to an Italian restaurant. So we had the best Italian food that Ndola, Zambia has to offer. :-) 



Back to the Castle Lodge and everyone is unpacking and settling in for the night.



Tomorrow will be devotions/church and visiting some of the other communities and some of the sponsored children in the area. BrightPoint for children (brightpointforchildren.org) helps sponsors kids in areas that other organizations like Compassion international doesn't reach and the ones on the trip that have sponsored kids will get to see them tomorrow. 



It is going to be an awesome day all around.

Friday, July 3, 2009

It's Friday night around 11:30 pm in Johannesburg and everyone has turned in for the night. Everyone is excited to see what God wants to do through and in this team this week. 

On Schedule

-cbp-

Friday, July 3, 2009



The time is about 6:30am in Atlanta but the time difference makes it lunch time in South Africa (our first stop). Dinner and a few movies along with a short nap and even though we've been in the air for about 9 hours there are still about 6 more to go. The plane was oversold and they were trying to encourage people to give up their seats. It was like one of those infomercials where what they are offering always has the "and that's not all" pitch. They would put you on the next day's flight, but would also give you a $600 voucher, and a hotel voucher and food vouchers to put you up and feed you while you waited till the next day's flight. No takers from our group. The other thing is that since the flight was oversold, it meant that the plane would be completely full, and that meant that the overhead baggage storage would  be full as well. I was worried about my camera bag finding a place and my seat was in the back of the plane and they usually store extra plane stuff in the ones in the back and this was no exception. By the time I got to my seat (row 55 of 57) most of the overhead bin space was already full and the one over my seat was full of bags of extra plane supplies like ear plugs and eye masks. But the row behind me and I were able to arrange the extra supplies so that our bags would fit - thankfully. Did I mention I got a window seat? According to the lady doing the ticketing, it was the only window seat left.



-I met a woman who was headed back to Johannesburg. She and her husband work for World Vision. Great ministry. She had been at meetings in the US but was anxious to get home. She said that she even gave up her window seat for an aisle so she could get out quicker - looks like it was her window seat that came available and was given to me. Cool.

-The first bit of turbulence was due to storms that we were passing over. It was quick a show to be looking down into the night sky and seeing a Lighting Storm.

-There were 22 planes lined up behind us to take off and probably about half of that in line in front of us to take off. It seemed like we were in line for take off for about an hour.

-We were on a Boeing 767-200LR so we didn't have to stop to refuel. Very nice.  This plane holds 278 people and they were not only full - but oversold

-The guy beside me was from West Texas. He was going to visit a friend and do some hunting. He was reading a book and the chapter he was currently reading was titled "how to down an elephant". I can't even imagine. Hunting is not anything I've ever given any thought to and certainly not an elephant. Crazy.

-When the plane crossed the ocean and entered the land over Africa. The land right beside the ocean was totally barren of any plant life. It was totally parched land. Ironic to see parched land right beside water even if it is ocean water. None of the beaches beside the oceans in the US are parched. Irony. 

-35,000 feet in the air and clear sky enough to see the ground from our height and speed. Flying over Namibia temp in the air -54 degrees F

-When we left Atlanta, we got to see the sun setting on the horizon. When we were landing in Johannesburg, we got to see the sun setting again a day later. Odd.





Other thoughts on the plane

-John 12:32  But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.

-Lucado - story of sun and moon - made to reflect the sun

-story of frog and his pond drying up. grabbed a stick and talked two birds into carrying him across the hills to another stream but when a cow was impressed at the aerial display asked whose idea it was, the frog couldn't help to answer and....fell. Prov 16:18 (Pride goes before destruction) 

Final preparations

Emails are being sent. Bags are being weighed. To-do's are being To-done and checklists are being checked off. It's almost time to head to the airport for check in. Are you the kind of person that likes to get to the airport way in advance or do you like to run through the airport as the gates are closing?